What is the "Open Canvas" in the Painted Halls?
The "Open Canvas"-event is like a contest. We are chosing a companion .psd and a suject and you are free to play around with it.

Can I color the companion .psd's without an Open Canvas-event?
Yes, of yourse you can! Just open a thread in the painted halls and upload your recolored companions. We are regularly looking over the halls and if we like your design, we will let you know! Just go wild and give it a try!

How to use the companion .psd's?
You can download the .psd file, edit it with a graphic program such as GIMP/Photoshop and upload it via a an image-server (Photobucket, imageshack, etc). We will look over your creation and if we think that it's fitting for Shumaki, your creature/design will be added to the site. For example, you download the .psd, color and upload it. We decide to keep it and let you know by a note. You send the .psd file back to us, tell us what kind of describtion and name the companion has and we add it. Afterwards you will get a copy of your pet (no matter if it's rare or common). It's that easy.

Helpful Links:
GIMP
Photobucket

How to use the companion .psd's?

Here is a helpful tutorial for that: Recolor tutorial
The .psd's contain 4 layers:

1.Outline
2. LIght
3. Shade
4. Base/Color

1. Lock the color layer so you can't draw in the transparent areas. By that it will be far easier for you to work.
2. Color the base/color layer as you wish.
3. When finished, save the .psd and make another copy as .png file.
4. Finished! Your .png is now ready for uploading and linking in the forum.

More advanced users can also play with the outlines/etc. Keep in mind that we might not accept your coloring because of teh edits though if we think that your work doesn't really fit for what we intended for the companion-species.