How to use the pen tool? Tutorial?

Okay, so I'm unoriginal. I already posted something prettymuch exactly like this (I'm even lame enough to copy-and-paste most of my last post, lol)... but no one seems to be interested in that thread anymore and my question is a little altered anyway. So, here's the deal:

I'm new to Photoshop, and I've never done any kind of computer graphics before (unless a few scribbles in Paint when I was younger would count as computer graphics?)... so I'm a simpleton when it comes to this stuff. I'm prettymuch using Photoshop like I used to use Paint, so I'd like to learn more about the program so I can up my skills some. Humor a newbie and lend a hand, will ya?

I'm making a stylized picture composed wholly of curved lines. I free-handed the curves with my pointer tablet, and then I've been going in with the paintbrush thickening the lines and smoothing edges and whatnot (my tablet makes exceedingly wiggly lines for some reason)... It takes FOREVER going in and trying to make a perfectly smooth line using a 3px brush... (The original image is 3000 x 3450. Great learning experience, but my eyes feel like they're about to fall out of my skull after tracing, re-tracing, and re-re-tracing a 30-pixel area for an hour, lol. Not only that, but I feel like an idiot for wasting so much time when I know there's an easier way.)

Thus far in my search to figure out how to make simple little curves, all I have discovered is that 1) you're supposed to use the pen tool, 2) every time I try to do anything with the pen tool I get a straight line connecting the points, and 3) it's damn hard to figure this thing out when you don't even have a manual to go along with the program. lol.

If any of you could explain in *simple* terms how to use the pen tool, or if you know of a tutorial that could teach me how, please, please, PLEASE respond and let me know!

By the way, I'm attaching the picture I'm working on so you can get more of a feel for what I'm doing, and I'll post again and show you what I mean by the "line connecting the points" when I try to make a curve.

Thanks!

I learned how to use my pen tool by using the HELP in photoshop.
If you havent tried HELP yet, I suggest doing that.
Sometimes its really helpful, with pictures and stuff.

I've tried that, but it doesn't work. It gives me an error, saying that it can't be found...

The difference between Illustrator pen tool and the photoshop pen tool, is that in Illustrator you can draw a line, in photoshop, you are restricted to a shape (A mask that uncovers a layer filled with a color.

To do what you want to do, you have to follow the model's edge, make a line all around it and close it back. What it seems like you did is that you followed the model's center and did not close the shape.

I'm not at home so I cannot show you, but by 1pm (GMT -5) I'll give you a screen shot of what I mean.

By the way, I've already posted my "lines connecting the points" picture in my last post... if you want to see it, check it out here: http://forums.devshed.com/showthrea...&threadid=99979 The picture is called "thisisaproblem.jpg"; it's towards the bottom of the page.