Create a new file by clicking on the menu in the upper left-hand corner of the screen. Then click on "new" or "create" depending on the version of the program. A screen will pop up asking for the dimensions or measurements of the project. You can either tell the program how large of an image you'd like to make in inches or pixels (electronic equivalent of inches). You may also see another box with the letters "DPI" beside it. This number dictates how many pixel your image has per inch when printed. For example, an image with a DPI of 300 is photo quality. It can be printed at a decent size without losing any details.
Fill in the dimensions and DPI you'd like to use and click "OK." You should now see a blank canvas of sorts on your screen along with a number of what's called "tool boxes." If the program is running on its default settings, there should be a long, vertical tool box on the left of your screen. This is where you'll select your paint brushes, pens, paint buckets and pencils. To the right you should see a color wheel as well as another box for what Paint Shop calls "Layers."
Create a new layer by clicking on the "+" or "Add New" icon within the layers window. Again, what the program says will depend on the version you're using. You want to make a new layer for each color or aspect of your work so that it's easier to correct a mistake or remove an attribute completely without ruining the rest of the image. Once you've made a new layer, you can start working on your image.
Pick out the your color and brush. In the left toolbox, click on the "brush" icon. You'll get a series of options such as the size of the brush you'd like to use as well as its shape. Find the one you like best for sketching and then pick out your color. If you hover your mouse over the color wheel to the right, you'll get an eyedropper icon. Click anywhere on the color wheel to change your color. When you're ready, you can begin sketching.
Fill in large areas of white space by either using a large brush or the paint bucket. The paint bucket is similar to the brushes you'll be using in that you can pick out any color you like. The only difference is that the paint bucket takes just one click to fill in an entire background or a space you have outlined. The paint bucket is inside the toolbox on the left of the screen, a few spaces below where you selected the brush. You can use as many tools from that toolbox as you like. The more you experiment, the more you'll learn about the program and everything it can do.
Save often. In addition to creating new layers for each color or section of your project to make editing easier, you'll also want to save often. A working project can become rather large and may take time to save the longer you work on it. To save your file, click on the menu in the upper left-hand corner of the screen and click on "Save." Pick out a name for your new project as well as where you'd like to save it and click "OK." Once it's saved, you can go back to work or close the program without losing the work you've already done.