Witch's Cauldron

Open a new image 300 x 300 transparent

Flood with Black.

Click Effects > Geometric effects > Circle

Increase your canvas size to 400 x 400 with the center placement button clicked

Make your selection tool active, shape set to Ellipse.
Move your mouse around until the X coordinate is 200.
The Y coordinate is not important as long as your mouse is above the circle.

Make a selection that covers the top 1/3 of your circle.
Click on the top part of your circle to form the ants.

Press CTRL + C top copy. Press Delete to delete the top part of the circle.
Make a new Layer
CTRL + SHIFT + L to paste into selected.

Your circle should look the same but your layer palette shows that the top and bottom are actually on separate layers.

Make the bottom active. Apply Inner Bevel using the ROUND preset.
Make the top active. Press CTRL + I to flip.
With your mover tool, move the top up so the corners meat the bottom part.

In your layer palette, Rename this layer TOP. Turn the top layer off. Make the bottom section active.
Use your selection took again. same coordinates.
Make a selection that includes just the top of the cauldron.
Click your mouse to form the selection.
Copy, Delete, Make new layer, Paste into selection.

Use your deformation tool to put the rim out slightly so it is a tad wider then the cauldron.

Make a new layer. Place this new layer at the bottom of your layer palette.
Make your pen tool active.
Vector not checked.
Mode is freehand.
Width is 4
Make an S that will be the right leg of your cauldron.

In your layer palette, Duplicate this layer and mirror to make the left leg
Here is what your layer palette should look like so far.

With the top still off, Merge Visible.
Turn your top layer back on and move it to the bottom.
Duplicate your top layer 3 times for a total of 4 top layers

Make your Tube Tool active and select one of the balls that came with PSP.
Adjust the scale to about 40 or 44.
Adjust the step to 65

Move your mouse all over the top "top" layer until it is no longer visible.

Click a few more time to make the ball placement appear random.

Repeat with the remaining 3 "top" layers.

Make your Cauldron layer active. Copy.
Open Animation shop and paste as a new image. Return to PSP.
Delete the cauldron layer and save in PSP format.
Back to Animation Shop.
Click File > Preferences > General Program Preferences > Layered Files.
Be sure that "Keep layers as separate frames" is checked and click ok.
Open your image

Click on your Propagate paste button on the toolbar

Select all (CTRL + A)
With your mouse grab the cauldron (that you pasted earlier)
Drag it over to the bubbles and drop it in the perfect location.

Add any spooky things like cats, spiders, bats, etc that you like in the same manner.

Double click on the crop tool in your toolbar
Click on Surround Opaque and click ok.
Click the CROP button on the toolbar

That's it. Save and you're done