Rosehaven Cottage Creative Inspiration Studio

Craft Tutorial: Bride and Bridesmaid Shower Centerpieces

2012-01-16T14:32:00.000-08:00

Figures pictured above stand almost 12 inches tall

(finished size depends on size of bottles used)

Make one of these for each table to match the bride and bridesmaids in the wedding party. Then give them away as take-home gifts to the bridesmaids after the shower is over.

Materials needed for each figure:

Plastic bottle (I used a fancy shaped squirt bottle from the dollar store)
Wide fringe or lace trim
Two white pipe cleaners
One "silk" rose with stem removed (the dollar store is great for this too)
Wide grosgrain (bridesmaid) or satin ribbon (bride)
Small silk roses or other flowers for bouquet and headpiece (removed from stem)
Small square of tulle (for the bride)
Pearl accent trim (for the bride)
Hot glue and glue gun
Optional LED floral lights (any kind at a craft store)
Liquid or glass marbles, sand, beads or anything decorative to fill the bottle

Next, download the face and head backs PDF below

Click here to download the free PDF file with the faces for you to color

Print the discs on heavy cardstock (WalMart has inexpensive cardstock that runs great through just about any printer)
Color each face with the desired skin tone and hair color
Color head back disc below each face with the same color as the hair color on the face above
Cut out each of the colored discs

If you aren't making lighted centerpieces than hot glue the face disc and head back disc (blank sides together) with the end of the pipe cleaner sandwiched in the middle.

Now add final embellishments like the tulle veil on the bride, flowers as headpieces and/or pearl trim on the veil and edge of base trim.

Happy creating and remember...

Freebie: Chinese lanterns invitations for any celebration

2012-01-04T14:08:00.001-08:00

Click on the image above to customize and send the invite for free

Living in the San Francisco Bay Area, I get the privilege of living within a short drive from San Franciso's famed Chinatown. On my last visit I photographed some beautifully colorful Chinese lanterns hanging in a shop. By bringing the photograph into Photoshop, I was able to create an art photo from it that then became the invitation design you see above.

My inspiration

Paper lanterns evoke for me wonderful images of making memories with celebrations and festive events--large and small. Glowing in the twilight, they seem magical to me. That's probably why I love John Singer Sargent's painting "Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose". I love it so much that I have a framed print hanging on my studio door.

A bit of trivia

Chinese New Year begins on January 23rd
This year, 2012, will be the year of the dragon
In China, Chinese New Year is known as "Spring Festival" (the literal translation of the Chinese name 春节 (Pinyin: Chūn Jié)
The festival begins on the first day of the first month in the traditional Chinese calender and ends with Lantern Festival which is on the 15th day.

Click here to order printed custom invitations

featuring the "Celebrate" design

Happy creating and remember...

Freebie: Santa's Sleigh Printable Gift Tags

2011-12-09T12:46:00.000-08:00

Click here to download Santa's Sleigh Printable Gift Tags for free

Featuring my own original watercolor illustration "Santa's Sleigh", this print-your-own PDF file lets you enjoy creating something while you're enjoying the spirit of giving at Christmas.

Print as many as you wish (for your personal use) on your own printer, on the paper you want, and even embellish them to your heart's content (kids can even help out).

Ideas for embellishing:

Adorn the white edges of the sleigh with clear, white or pearly glitter
Glue red glitter in an outline around the edge of the sleigh
Glue black glitter to accent the sleigh runners
Glue tiny red seed beads as holly berries on the little sprig of holly on the front of the sleigh
Add colored glitter to any of the toys in the sleigh to make them pop

The high-resolution full-color PDF file prints on 8.5"x11" with three large 4.75"W x 2.75"H gift tags on each page you print. Instructions and fun ideas are included on each page you print too. Once you've printed, simply cut around the dotted lines, and you have three gift tags!

Happy creating and remember...

Craft Tutorial: Lighted Snowman Party Favor

2011-11-30T16:48:00.000-08:00

Happy creating and remember...

Freebie: Chocolate pie invite for the holidays (with the recipe)

2011-10-19T17:38:00.000-07:00

Click here to customize and send this invite for free

My previous post featuring lemon meringue pie may have made some of your mouths water, but I know that chocolate lovers really don't salivate for anything that isn't chocolate. So for all you chocolate lovers out there here it is...

"Chocolate pie"!

Like my previously featured watercolor painting, I found my inspiration in a vintage Borden recipe booklet I picked up at my local antique shop. It was full of technicolor photographs of delectable desserts including a yummy looking recipe for "Magic Chocolate Pie". I don't know how "magic" it is, but it sure looks full of chocolate-y goodness.

Want to make this pie for your own holiday gathering? Well, here's the original recipe in all its glory (click on the image below to see it larger).

Freebie: Lemon meringue pie invite for the holidays (with the recipe)

2011-10-19T00:24:00.000-07:00

Click here to customize and send this invite for free

Have you noticed that there's always at least one person in every family that wants lemon meringue pie for dessert no matter what the holiday? That's who I had in mind when I painted this vintage-inspired watercolor illustration of a slice of homemade lemon meringue pie.

I found my inspiration in a vintage Borden recipe booklet I picked up at my local antique shop. It was full of technicolor photographs of delectable desserts including the slice of pie that was the inspiration for this painting.

Want to make this pie for your own holiday gathering? Well, here's the original recipe in all its glory (click on the image below to see it larger).

Freebie: Pink high heel online invite/ecard

2011-10-06T18:06:00.000-07:00

Click here or on the image above to send this online invite/ecard

A couple of years ago I drew this pink high heel in my sketchbook in colored pencil while I was watching some dvd rental (I think it was Nanny McPhee). I've always intended to incorporate the illustration into a design, but more important things kept pushing aside my intentions. Today I finally got around to it!

I hope this gets sent as invitations for bridal showers, girls' nights out, fashion shows, pre-prom hair and makeup parties or any other celebration that makes those kinds of memories that last a lifetime.

What else do you think it could be used for?

Freebie: Little Halloween Witch 2011 invite

2011-10-05T12:50:00.000-07:00

Click here to customize and send this ecard/invite for free

I released Little Halloween Witch as part of a different design last year. This year, I decided she needed a new backdrop for 2011. So here it is! I like the vintage sheet music background from my flickr friend, Renee (Playingwithbrushes). It's kind of spooky, but not really--the best mix for children for Halloween.

Did you know that if you send an online invite using pingg you also get online event management tools even if you use their free service? Pretty sweet!

Happy creating and remember...

Texture Freebie: Mossy Stone Collection set of 4 digital textures

2011-10-04T17:20:00.000-07:00

Click here or on the image above to download one or all four textures for free

I just released a new collection of digital textures called the Mossy Stone Collection. It's available to download for FREE. They're so new, I haven't even had a chance to play with these textures myself! I'd love to see what you create with them.

If you need a kickstart on how to begin working with textures, click on the heading "Tutorials" above or in the topic "Textures" in the sidebar on the left. I've posted some simple tutorials that may help you feel more at ease about diving in.

Happy creating and remember...

Freebie: Retro-inspired birthday evite/ecard "Blow out the candles"

2011-09-29T12:04:00.000-07:00

I just finished a retro-inspired digital painting of a birthday cake and candles, and I'm releasing it first on a FREE evite/ecard at pingg (click here or on the image above to go there). Pingg is awesome! If you haven't tried it yet, give it a try. Managing an event through their wonderful free tools could never be easier.

Happy creating and remember...

Freebie: "Halloween Clown" Printable Invitations

2011-09-24T15:46:00.000-07:00

Now that it's officially Autumn, it's not too soon to be thinking about what you're going to be doing for Halloween. Why not invite family and friends to a Halloween gathering with these sweet printable invitations?

Print as many as you wish (for your personal use) on your own printer, on the paper you want, and even embellish them to your heart's content! If you start on them now, you can easily have them ready to send in time for the party.

Ideas for embellishing:

Glue black glitter to the edges of the clown's neck and wrist ruffles
Glue orange glitter to orange half of the clown's hat
Outline a few of the pumpkins on the clown's suit in orange puffy paint or orange glitter
Glue white glitter to the pom pom on the clown's front
Glue a white pom pom right on the clown's front on top of the pom pom in the illustration

You will need a free copy of Adobe Reader (click here to download it) to view and print the file, but that's it! This file is compatible with every computer and doesn't need any special software to use.

The PDF file prints on 8.5"x11" and has two flat postcard-style 7"W x 5"H invitations on each page you print (see below). Print on the highest quality setting for your printer. Once you've printed, simply cut around the dotted lines, fill out the invitation by hand, and send them out! Each invitation will fit in a standard A7 envelope.

Click here to download the printable pdf file

Send a free electronic version of this invite by clicking here

Have your invitations custom-printed by clicking here

Happy creating and remember...

Freebie: Vintage image set "Young Women and Men of the Fifties No. 2"

2011-09-20T11:22:00.000-07:00

Click here to download one or all of the above images for FREE

I love the elegance of the look of pen and ink drawing and these vintage illustrations I found in some of my mom's things capture that elegance so well... I simply adore them!

The art originally appeared in literature for a goal-setting program in the 1950s for LDS teenage girls called "Treasures of Truth". I scanned the art using my hi-res art scanner and then digitally restored each one. The four files of this set can be downloaded all together or separately.

Happy creating and remember...

Freebie: Vintage image set "Portraits in History Line Art"

2011-09-15T21:42:00.000-07:00

Click here to download one or all of the above images for FREE

Happy creating and remember...

Freebie: Vintage image set "Young Women of the Fifties No. 1"

2011-09-13T13:16:00.000-07:00

Click here to download for free

I love the elegance of the look of pen and ink drawing and these vintage illustrations I found in some of my mom's things capture that elegance so well... I simply adore them!

The art originally appeared in literature for a goal-setting program in the 1950s for LDS teenage girls called "Treasures of Truth". I scanned the art using my hi-res art scanner and then digitally restored each one. The four files of this set can be downloaded all together or separately.

Happy creating and remember...

Freebie: Vintage image coordinate set "Visiting at the Garden Window"

2011-08-31T16:22:00.000-07:00

Click here to download for FREE

Another find from the vintage paper ephemera my mom gave me just became available at the Rosehaven Cottage Digital Download Shop. Isn't this image of two ladies and holding their pups and visiting at a quaint cottage window just adorable?

I've paired the digitally restored image with three of my own textures to make up a coordinate set. The files can be downloaded/used separately or together. So get those creative juices flowing!

Happy creating and remember...

Freebie: Vintage "Green Plaid & Pink Roses" printable or digital collage sheets

2011-08-30T20:20:00.000-07:00

Click here for the 150 dpi Printable Collage Sheet

Click here for the 300 dpi Digital Collage Sheet

Isn't this little lass darling? My mom was going through things in storage and disseminating stuff to each of her children. She knows I LOVE vintage paper ephemera so when she came across her old scrapbook with adorable clippings in it, she knew I'd want it.

I've begun to tackle the task of scanning each of the delicately cut pieces of paper with my art scanner. I am purposefully scanning them at a high resolution (600 dpi) to capture all the nuances of the original art. I'm creating collage sheets with the scanned art.

This one was fun because the original greeting card from which my mom had cut this had both the little girl holding a parasol AND an illustration of a parasol by itself with pink roses decorating it's lacy edge. I took one of the roses that was projecting off the edge of that parasol and created a coordinating border. Then I also used roses to embellish two fancy frames--one pink and one green.

I've made the file available in three different formats:

An easily downloadable JPG for printing (Click here for the 150 dpi Printable Collage Sheet)
A higher res PNG with a transparent background for easy digital cropping
A layered TIFF available with objects on separate layers for maximum edit-ability (like if someone wants to remove the title "Green Plaid & Pink Roses" from the pink frame to have a blank tag to play with). (Click here for either the PNG or TIFF 300 dpi Digital Collage Sheet)

I'd love to see what anyone creates using this little sweetheart. There are so many adorable possibilities.

Happy creating and remember...

Tutorial: Cropping a photo can make all the difference

2011-08-25T13:10:00.001-07:00

Click on any image in this post to view larger

Since the increase in the popularity of recreating the look of vintage photos (e.g., Polaroids), the square cropped photo has increased in popularity as well. The square crop can really make a huge difference in a shot that would otherwise have less impact compositionally.

Here's a perfect example... I took the shot below with my zoom lens...

The sweet little female Anna's hummingbird is visible but kind of gets lost in the shot. I want her to be the star of the show though. So it's time to work some cropping "magic".

In Photoshop CS3 (my preference for cropping), I open the photo. It automatically opens the file as a flat image with no layers. I know this because in the layers control area it shows my photo as "Background" written in italics. That means that it's flat and I have limited editing capabilities with that layer.

So the first thing is to make the Background layer into a Layer by right-clicking on that background layer in the layer controls and selecting Layer from Background:

Now the photo layer will look like this in the layers controls:

At this point, I could simply use the cropping tool and crop the photo but I'd lose a lot of flexibility because the cropping tool "cuts" away all the data outside of the area selected by the cropping tool. I don't want that.

Instead of using the cropping tool, I go to the Image menu and select Canvas Size:

Understanding what a "canvas" is in Photoshop

This is very different than selecting Image Size. The "canvas" in a PS file is the work space on which your photo layer(s) resides. By changing the canvas size, it's like I'm defining what size table I'm using to work on a craft project. Changing the size of the table doesn't affect the materials sitting on the table, it just changes the size of the table. The same is true with the canvas size in Photoshop. Making a change here changes the work area (canvas) but not the size of photo layer(s) sitting on the work area (canvas). That's why I had to make the photo a layer first, so it sits independently on top of the canvas.

The original size of the canvas shows at the top of the window as "Current Size". I can change the size to anything I want in "New Size" area. Since I want a square crop on this photo I changed the width to be equal to the height at 10.8 inches:

When I click OK, a window always pops up that looks like this:

I'm fine with the new canvas size being smaller than the current canvas size (that's the point) so I click Proceed.

At this point, my image looks like this:

Sometimes this is all I need to do to make a composition work better. But in this case, it needs a bit more tweaking.

Why I prefer using Photoshop CS3 for cropping

Unlike later versions (CS4 and CS5), in PS CS3 there is a Navigator in the upper right-hand corner of the screen that looks like this:

Using the slider at the bottom of the Navigator I zoom out so I can see a significant amount of the grey space around the edges of my images.

This grey space is space that's off the edges of the canvas (remember the canvas is like your craft table).

Why is this important? While the photo layer is still selected in the layers controls, if I go to the Edit menu and select Free Transform (Command T is the keyboard shortcut for Macs)...

...I can see the edges of the original photo hanging off the sides of the canvas into the grey spaces!

Using the Free Transform function lets me move the photo around on the canvas area and try out lots of different "crops" without cutting anything.

Free Transform also lets me resize the photo layer independently of the canvas using the resizing boxes on the corners.

IMPORTANT TIP: To proportionally resize a photo ALWAYS hold down the Shift key and only pull on the resizing boxes in the corners. You will avoid a distorted photo this way. No more photos that look like they were taken in a carnival fun house.

With this photo, I want the hummingbird to be larger in the composition, so I hold down the Shift key and pull on the corner resizing boxes until the hummingbird as large as I want her in the composition. During this step, if I need more grey space to work in to pull the resizing boxes larger, I use the Navigator to zoom out so I see more grey space and a smaller version of the canvas.

Once I'm happy with the size, I hit the Enter key to finalize my changes and the grey outline and resizing boxes disappear. If I want to get them back to do more tweaking, I select Free Transform, and they come back.

With my photo layer still selected in the layers controls, I can now select the Move Tool at the top of my tools palette and drag the photo around on the canvas until I like the framing of the hummingbird on the canvas.

Notice that I don't put the hummingbird smack dab in the center of the compositions. Why? I roughly use the "Rule of Thirds" to position my subject on the canvas to create a visually interesting composition.

The Rule of Thirds

"The rule of thirds is a compositional rule of thumb in visual arts such as painting, photography and design. The rule states that an image should be imagined as divided into nine equal parts by two equally-spaced horizontal lines and two equally-spaced vertical lines, and that important compositional elements should be placed along these lines or their intersections. Proponents of the technique claim that aligning a subject with these points creates more tension, energy and interest in the composition than simply centering the subject would." Wikipedia

Notice that I said I "roughly" use this rule in my positioning. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. In the end it all depends on what looks good to me. If you like how it looks and it makes something inside you say, "Yes, that's it!" then that's all that matters.

Here's one final look at the before and after:

Now dive in and start creating but always remember...

A mistake can really be "photographic serendipity" (and a quick lesson in color theory)

2011-08-20T12:26:00.000-07:00

When you see an asterick (*) it means I've included a term
in the helpful glossary of photographic terminology definitions
Click on the word and you'll be taken to the glossary

"Photographic serendipity" is a phrase I've coined to describe what happens when me and my camera are in the right place at the right time. It also describes the phenomenon of my camera capturing something that my natural eyes don't see. And the term also encompasses the instances when a photographic "mistake" actually yields something I like.

The latter is what happened when I shot the above photograph in winter 2009. I was out in the garden, enjoying a weird January heatwave and taking some shots of the few blossoms that were around. The orange and yellow gazanias (a native flower of South Africa that grows well here in the San Francisco Bay Area of California) were in bloom. Low to the ground and planted among rocks and other protectors, these stalwarts often bloom at odd times during the winter when everything else is dormant.

I was shooting the orange gazanias when I realized that I wanted to get some good "bokeh"* shots of the flowers. In order to create a shallow depth of field*, I switched my camera to a setting where the aperture* setting was dominant over everything else. Well, apparently in doing so, it also overrode any automatic white balance* adjustment my camera would perform which meant that since I was shooting in a slightly shady area of the garden, everything in the background behind the orange flower that was normally made up of greens and russet burgundy tones turned blue!

When I first looked at the photos in preview mode on the back of my camera, I thought, "Well, those are throw-away shots." Fortunately, I have learned to not delete shots in the camera and wait until I get them back to the computer to toss out rejects. When I got back to the computer and looked at the shot bigger on my computer monitor, I realized that the white balance* "problem" was actually "photographic serendipity".

The first thing that crossed my mind was that the orange gazania had a perfect backdrop of blue. The reason it is the perfect backdrop is that orange and blue are complementary colors.

A quick color theory lesson from my art school days

Every color has a perfect complementary color. Complementary color pairs are determined by the simple circular color wheel. Colors that are directly opposite each other on a circular color wheel are a complementary pair. In a very simple color wheel there are the following complementary pairs: orange and blue; red and green; yellow and violet.

Color wheel courtesy of St. Lawrence Place

The human eye likes looking at complementary colors together. Why? Because the human eye is the most comfortable when it can see the presence of all three primary colors (red, yellow and blue) in the same composition. The only way this happens when viewing just two colors is for one of the two colors to be a mixture of two primary colors. Orange is a mixture of red and yellow. Green is a mixture of blue and yellow. And violet is a mixture of blue and red. When one of these mixed colors is viewed with its perfect complement from the opposite side of a circular color wheel, the human eye just loves it and tells the brain, "Ahhhh... I like what I'm seeing right now. Everything is right with this picture."

Now back to my photograph

When I saw this "mistake" of a photograph up on the computer screen I realized that if I could brighten the oranges and deepen the blues, I could possibly have a really cool image on my hands because it was a perfect complementary color composition.

With the color adjustment features in Photoshop, I was able to pump up the orange tones from the original image that came straight out of the camera ("SOOC" is the acronym). But it also made the blues a little greener than the original, lessening the complementary color impact.

Then I got the idea that I should try using one of my Photoshop actions* on it.

I only have a few Photoshop actions in my arsenal. One is to make a photo look like it was shot with a Lomo camera*. I happen to have a few Lomo actions that were free downloads. So I used one of my Photoshop actions that fakes the "lomo effect", and then the image really popped with the blue deepening behind the relatively untouched brilliance of the orange.

As happens with a lot of my photographic work, if I stare at it too long I begin to doubt my own judgment. So I asked Hubby to come take a look. His reaction of "WOW! I think that is my favorite photograph you've done of all time!" was confirmation that I had done the right thing by following my instincts.

So next time you think you've got a "mistake" photograph on your hands, you might want to take a second or third look at it. You could actually have a perfect candidate for a bit of "photographic serendipity".

Happy creating and remember...

Tutorial: Using a texture to make a photo look like a soft pastel drawing

2011-08-16T13:45:00.000-07:00

Textures are the secret weapon of digital artists and are really easy to use in programs like Photoshop Elements (or the more robust CS versions of Photoshop) as well as any other graphic software that works in layers. Just like putting a photograph under a piece of gauzy transparent tracing paper or vellum, you can put a digital photograph under a texture (or overlay) layer to give it a soft look.

Here's an example... I took this photograph of some flowers in a vase on my fireplace mantle:

...and with a texture turned it into an art photo. Pretty nifty, huh?!?! Here's how you can do it with one of your photos.

Shooting the photo

Notice that the photo I took isn't really anything special. I shot the photo without a flash using the natural light that was coming in my living room windows. I prefer shooting in natural light to get the results I want.

Getting the photo ready

I opened the photo file from within Photoshop (I use PS CS3). Usually the photo will open as a flat file with the photo layer showing in the Layers controls as a background layer like this:

In order to edit my photo, I right-clicked on the background layer in the Layers controls and selected "Layer From Background" like this:

Then I duplicated that photo layer as a safeguard by right-clicking on the new layer and selecting "Duplicate Layer" like this:

I always work with the duplicate layer from this point on so that I've got my original photo to revert back to if need be.

Choosing a texture

Next I found a texture that complimented the photo. I chose to use a scan of the inside cover of an old book I have (I named it "Spring Dew"--click here to download your own copy).

Why did I choose this texture? Notice how the aqua blue color compliments the color of the wall in the original photo. All those little grainy elements in the old book paper are another reason I chose the texture. Textures like this can make a photo look like a pastel drawing if applied the right way. Finally, the brownish aged edges of the paper will create an awesome vignette (soft frame) around the edges of the photo.

Putting the texture and the photo together

In Photoshop (I use CS3), I used the Place command in the File menu to place the texture file as a new layer over the top of the photograph.

NOTE: Because I used the "Place" command to import the texture, that layer is a static "smart object". In order to make it an editable layer, I need to "rasterize" it. "Rasterize" is just a fancy term for the act of converting the little bits of digital data into something that can be manipulated. I rasterize the texture layer by right-clicking that layer in the layers controls and selecting "Rasterize Layer".

With the texture layer editable, I click on it in the Layers controls to make it the active layer and using the pulldown menu in the Layers controls I select Screen and adjust the opacity to 60%.

"Drawing" with the eraser

Next is the part I love most. I selected the eraser tool and in my eraser options and chose a soft edged brush like one of the airbrushes. I reduced the opacity of the eraser to 10-20%.

Using gentle drawing strokes on the texture layer, I started erasing away the texture in shadows I could see in the photograph peeking through from beneath. In this technique, each stroke erases away slightly more of the texture layer to reveal the details of the photograph underneath. I focused my eraser strokes on the shadows, highlights and edges of the flowers and vase the most with less erasing on the background elements.

This erasing process is a trial and error exercise. If I don't like something I've erased, I undo that stroke to put it back. That's why digital work is so great. Nothing is really permanent and you can't really ruin anything.

Dodging and burning

When I was satisfied with the erasing results, I selected the photograph layer (with the texture still visible on top of it), and using the dodge and/or burn tool with an airbrush setting at about 20%, I enhance some of the shadows with the burn tool and some of the highlights with the dodge tool. Subtly is the key with a soft photograph like this. The lower opacity setting lets me do this gradually and finesse everything in like I want it. This step makes the photo look more like a drawing by giving it an illustrative quality. I focused particular dodging attention to the highlight on the edges of the glass vase and the petals on the mum. See how it makes the edges of the glass sparkle like it was draw with colored pencil or pastels:

Notice how the graininess of the original texture now looks like art paper with a drawing on it. I told you it was pretty nifty. Download a texture and try it out. And when you've created something, I'd love to see it.

Happy creating and remember...

Tutorial: How I created a faux vintage fruit print from a photo

2011-08-15T13:10:00.000-07:00

What I used:

A photograph of fruit
Photoshop CS3 (any version of Photoshop or Photoshop Elements will work)
A scan of an old piece of paper (I used a free download called "Torn" from a flickr friend)
A Wacom 12" Cintiq digital tablet and stylus (Since I was trained as a hands-on artist before being a digital artist, the stylus and tablet feels more natural to me. But if you have fantastic mouse skills, a mouse works just as well.)

Select a photo

I select a photo of fruit that I think is a good candidate for use with a texture. It doesn't have to be a perfect photo. I usually use my "second string" photos and they turn out the best. Sometimes an out of focus photo works great. I pay more attention to whether the photo is composed the way I'd like it to look in the final art.

I chose this one because it looked like it would work nicely...

Open up Photoshop and get to work

I open from photo file from within Photoshop (I use PS CS3)

Usually the photo will open as a flat file with only a background layer

In order to edit my photo, I right-click on the background layer in the layers menu and select "Layer From Background"

Now I duplicate that layer as a safeguard by right-clicking on the new layer and selecting "Duplicate Layer"

I always work with the duplicate layer from this point on so that I've got my original photo to revert back to if need be

Choose and adding a texture

I choose a texture that looks like it will compliment the photo. If it's a delicate photograph with light colors I'll use a lighter paper texture. If it's a deeper toned photograph like this one then I use a darker paper texture. With this one, I chose a nice tattered old paper texture from my flickr friend Renee called Torn (click here to see it and her other great old paper textures)

After downloading the texture onto my hard drive, I place it as a new layer into my current Photoshop document using the "Place" command in the File menu.

If necessary, I resize the texture layer so it covers the entire photograph. Think of the two layers as two separate pieces of paper with one laying on top of another. The texture layer doesn't erase the photograph layer. It's just laying on top of it like one piece of paper on another.

Using my layers controls again, I adjust the opacity of the texture layer to be more transparent so I can see my original photograph through it. Usually 50-70% opacity does the trick. Now it's like a piece of tracing paper over my photo.

Because I used the "Place" command to import the texture, that layer is a static "smart object". In order to make it an editable layer, I need to "rasterize" it. "Rasterize" is just a fancy term for the act of converting the little bits of digital data into something that can be manipulated. I rasterize the texture layer by right-clicking that layer in the layers controls and selecting "Rasterize Layer".

"Drawing" with the eraser

Now comes the artistic fun stuff.

I select the eraser tool and in my eraser options, I choose a soft edged brush like one of the airbrushes. I reduce the opacity of the eraser to 20% or less.

With the eraser tool, I begin making gentle drawing strokes on the texture layer where I can see the deepest shadows on the fruit in the photograph below. Each stroke erases away slightly more of the texture layer to reveal the photograph underneath. I focus my eraser strokes on the shadows, highlights and edges of the fruit the most with less erasing on the background elements like the leaves. This erasing process is a trial and error exercise. If I don't like something I've erased, I just undo that stroke and put it back. Little by little as the photographs more pronounced features show through the texture, it begins to look like a vintage print.

Once I've revealed enough of the photograph so I can see it through the texture layer, I adjust the opacity of the texture layer back up so it hides more of the photograph again.

I go back in with the eraser at about 10-20% opacity and continue to gradually erase away the texture layer to reveal the photograph underneath, making sure to leave enough of it so that the texture of the paper is still there. Only a few small spots end up having 100% of the texture erased away.

Dodging and burning

When I'm satisfied with the erasing results, I select the photograph layer (with the texture still visible on top of it), and using the dodge and/or burn tool with an airbrush setting at about 20%, I enhance some of the shadows with the dodge tool and some of the highlights with the burn tool. I do this ever so slightly on the main subject matter (i.e, the strawberries) so that it gets an illustrative feel to it. The lower opacity setting lets me do this gradually and finesse everything in like I want it.

The result ended up like this...

Click on the image to view larger

Remember, this is one of those artistic endeavors that gets better with practice. It took me a while to find my groove with what worked and what didn't. If you don't like what you've done, duplicate the original photograph and add a new texture layer on top of it to take another stab at it. Eventually, your technique will begin to take shape and you'll like the results.

The art photo of the strawberries shown above was the first photograph I created using this technique I created. Since then I've expanded my subject matter beyond fruit. And almost all of my art photos use the "drawing" with the eraser technique in them. With every photo I work on, I discover something new that I like or don't like. The creative process is like that. Don't give up and chalk up every creative endeavor as a learning experience.

Happy creating and remember...

Tutorial: Making a puppy portrait from a chance shot

2011-08-12T15:07:00.000-07:00

Click on any of the images in this post to view larger

Here's how to work some "magic" using Photoshop (PS) to take a run-of-the-mill chance shot of a rambunctious puppy sitting still, and turn it into multiple versions of shots that look like professionally posed portraits.

My brother and his wife have an adorable purebred Shiba Inu puppy named Sachi. Shiba's are a Japanese breed so her name, Sachi, is a Japanese name that means "girl child of joy, bliss, happiness or good fortune". At 16 weeks old, Sachi lived up to her name in a big way! Although capturing video of her was pretty easy, getting portrait photos of her was a bit challenging.

SOOC (Straight Out of the Camera)

To begin, I'll show you the shot SOOC ("straight out of the camera")...

Taking photos in indirect sunlight is good, but it can cause color issues. You can see there is a blue tint to the photo. This is caused by inappropriate white balance.

Don't be scared off at this point...

Don't be afraid of photography terms like "white balance"

The term "white balance" describes something very basic. It simply means what the camera sees as true white. For a realistic photo, the goal is to get the camera to see white things in the shot the way your eye see white things. That's what "true white" means. The camera uses that baseline to balance all the rest of the colors it "sees" in the shot. Most digital cameras have auto white balance settings, but still they can be off (as seen above).

But never fear...

Post-processing makes all the difference

Clicking the shutter to take the shot with a digital camera is really only half the work. The other half happens once the shot is brought back to the computer and downloaded for post-processing.

When shooting photos, file format does matter

A lot of digital cameras give you the option to shoot in different file formats. I shoot in RAW format, because the camera doesn't process any of the data it records when I click the shutter. It just records it so I can download the RAW data into my computer and tweak to my heart's content within a post-processing program (I use Camera RAW because it came with Photoshop, but most pro's use Adobe Lightroom). You can do post-processing on images shot in jpg format but you get the most flexibility with RAW.

Tweak the color balance

So with a bit of color balance tweaking in our post-processing software of choice, look how you can bring the colors out of the blue range and back to what it looked like in person...

Use Photoshop's patch tools to take out things you don't want

You probably noticed that there's something else different in the shot above from the original. Sachi isn't wearing her harness or leash anymore. It really is the same shot... I promise. I used the patch tool in Photoshop CS5 to carefully remove the harness and leash. Normally, I use PS CS3 for everything because the user interface is more friendly to my needs. But PS CS5 has a powerful "content aware" ability to patch things like this. So in this case, I pulled the image into PS CS5 temporarily to do the patch work, and then brought it back into PS CS3 to play and finish up. For less complex patching, I just stay in PS CS3.

Use Photoshop Actions

The next step is what I call "playing" with PS actions. Actions are a way for a Photoshop user to record a long list of steps they've performed so they can use them later or share them with others. I've collected a few actions from various users that share via their blogs or websites. I often will take a shot and run action after action on it to see the results I get--hence the term "playing". As long as I've saved the file up to the point that I start running actions, nothing is permanent and I can undo anything I don't like. It's really fun to watch the image as it goes through the action script and wonder how it will look when it's done.

For the shot above, I used the PS action "Soft Autumn Glow" by Rita at Coffee Shop Photography. I really like Rita's actions because Rita writes her actions so that the layers aren't merged once the script is done. That way I can go back and tweak any layer and customize for the specific image I'm working with.

For the shot above, I used Omar the Radwan's "Lomo Effect" action (another fave resource of mine). His lomo effect action always produces a cool, dramatic, and edgy look. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I never know until I run the action. [If you're wondering what the "lomo effect" is, click here for a great wikipedia write-up.]

A final note about PS actions

There are many wonderful PS action creators out there with lots of fun "toys". Some charge a fee for their actions while some offer them for free. Those that offer them for free are being extremely generous. Don't assume that you should get everything for free. The particularly intricate and involved actions are worth the money because of all the time and effort the designer put into creating them. Make sure to only download free actions from creators that intended to offer them for free. Otherwise, you are cheating an artist out of what is rightfully theirs--compensation for their talent and vision. Despite my skills in post-processing photos, I have yet to create a PS action script of my own and probably never will simply because it requires a unique talent to do so.

As always don't hesitate to ask me questions in your comments.

I will do my best to answer them here as a reply comment.

Happy creating and remember...

Create beauty, not deadlines

Tutorial: Creating a sepia line drawing with a vintage look in Photoshop

2011-08-12T14:52:00.000-07:00

Click on any of the images in this post to view larger

I thought it would be fun to share with you how I create vintage looking sepia line illustration using textures and Photoshop.

I did a rough sketch of a little dog on the back of some scratch paper when I was sitting in a meeting (it keeps me focused). I sketched it with the ballpoint pen that I had with me and didn't worry about the scratchy sketch lines that always happen when I sketch. I wanted the dog to be in a stretching "play with me" pose so I roughed out the basic shapes of its body lightly and then sketched in the details over the top with heavier strokes. If I make a mistake, I don't worry about it. Afterall, it's a sketch.

Once I was in the mood to start playing with the sketch some more, I scanned it on my flatbed scanner so I had it in my computer as a TIFF file.

Then I opened the TIFF file in Photoshop and started cleaning it up. For clean-up work, I use a Wacom digital tablet and digital pen on the eraser setting with a crisp edged brush at various diameters (you can also use the mouse and your monitor to do this).

I liked some of the sketchy lines, so I was careful to not erase those because they looked kind of like fur.

After the little dog was cleaned up to my satisfaction, I opened a new Photoshop file and using the "Place" command placed the cleaned up sketch as one layer in the new document.

Next, I used the same command to place a texture as another layer so it covered the first sketch layer. In this case, I used a scan of an old page of a book I had. Any scan of old paper will work.

To change the color of the blue ballpoint sketch, I went into "Curves" to adjust the RGB levels on the sketch layer and tweaked them until the sketch lines were a warm brown. I just eyeball it as I go and don't worry about specific numbers.

Then I selected the layer with the dog sketch and it a "Linear Burn" over the old page layer to make them more cohesive like I'd sketched the dog on the old paper with sepia ink.

As always don't hesitate to ask me questions in your comments.

I will do my best to answer them here as a reply comment.

Happy creating and remember...

Create beauty, not deadlines

Tutorial: Making a photo look like a pastel or chalk drawing

2011-08-12T14:45:00.000-07:00

Click on any of the images in this post to view larger

For this tutorial, I thought it would be fun to share how I go about digitally altering a photograph to make it look like a chalk or pastel drawing like "Autumnal Bouquet" (above).

The first thing I do is find a promising photograph that I've taken of a flower arrangement. I find that the best floral photos are taken in indirect natural light. That means that if the object I'm shooting is being lit by sun come in a nearby window without directly shining on the object, it'll be great lighting. I like to use auto-focus when I shoot so that I get a crisp focus. I aim at the central object in the arrangement (in this case the yellow mum) and then shoot. I take multiple shots just to be sure I've gotten one really good sharp shot.

After I take it back to my computer and bring it into Photoshop (I use CS3, but Photoshop Elements will work too), I make the photograph the first layer in a file.

Then I use the "Place" command to place a texture from a separate file into my current file as a new layer. In this instance, I used my own texture "Toasted Marshmallow".

I enlarge the texture so that it covers the original photo layer completely (don't worry, the other layer is just underneath like one piece of paper on top of another). Then with the new texture layer selected I go to my "Layers" menu and select "Screen". Then I reduce the opacity of the texture layer to 60%. And it looks like this:

Next, I use the "Place" command again to add another texture layer. This time it's my own texture "Autumn Haze".

I rotate and resize the texture so it covers the other two beneath it completely. Then I select the texture layer and reduce the opacity to 70% so it looks like this:

See how it's starting to look like a faint drawing? At this point, with the top texture still selected, I change to the eraser tool and choose a soft edged brush at 10% opacity. Using my digital tablet and stylus (you can do it with a mouse too although it's easier with the tablet and stylus). I "draw" on the edges of the petals to erase away the edges where the light highlights them. I erase away in shadows too. I change the size of my eraser depending on the detail I'm erasing. For the petals, I use a small eraser and for the background I use a large eraser.

Then if I want to enhance some of the shadows and highlights even more, I select the original photograph layer and with the dodge and burn tool set at 10%, I "draw" over a few of the highlights and shadows to really accentuate them as if I was going in with white or dark chalk and deepening those areas.

And the final result looks like this:

As always don't hesitate to ask me questions in your comments.

I will do my best to answer them here as a reply comment.

Happy creating and remember...

Create beauty, not deadlines

Tutorial: Creating a dreamy photo effect

2011-08-12T14:41:00.000-07:00

Click on any of the images in this post to view larger

I love to take macro shots (close-ups) of flowers. Sometimes the shot looks great just as it is, but sometimes I like to tweak it a bit to make it into an art photo. Here's a quick way that I do that.

I open the photo in Photoshop (I use CS3 but this will also work in Photoshop Elements and other versions). The photo becomes the first layer in the file.

Using the "Place" command (under the "File" menu), I place a texture file as a new layer. In this case, I placed my texture "Lilac Dream". I then resize the texture layer so it completely covers the photo layer underneath it. It ends up looking like this:

The next step is to make the texture layer "transparent" so you can see the photo through it and get the effect of the texture mixed with the original photo.

In this case, with the texture layer selected I went to the "Layers" menu (in CS3 you can see it in the right hand side of your workspace) and in the pull-down menu under "Normal" I chose "Screen". It made the image look like this:

You can also experiment by choosing any of the options in the "Layers" menu to see if you like those effects better. Remember, "undo" is your friend. If you don't like the effect just "undo" and try something else. Nothing is permanent.

I liked the "Screen" effect for this texture and photo pairing. It worked very nicely. At this point, I could actually leave the photo the way it is, save it, and I'm done. But I like to tweak things a bit more after this step by accentuating certain elements in the photograph that only I can determine by hand.

First, I rasterize the texture layer so Photoshop allows me to edit it. Then, I select the eraser tool and set the opacity to 5-10%. I choose a soft-edged brush at about 45. Then with the texture layer selected, I start strategically erasing certain shadows around the center petals of the main mum. I use a digital tablet and stylus so it feels like I'm "drawing", but you can do the same thing with your mouse. Gentle strokes from the darkest shadows out toward the lighter areas mimic brush or pencil strokes. With the opacity set very low I only take away a little at bit at a time and feather out from the darker shadows. I only erase just a little here and there to draw out some of the detail in the focal points of the photo.

This is what the final product looks like:

As always don't hesitate to ask me questions in your comments.

I will do my best to answer them here as a reply comment.

Happy creating and remember...

Create beauty, not deadlines

Tutorial: Customizing a printable file you've downloaded using MS Word

2011-08-12T12:09:00.000-07:00

Click on any of the images in this post to view larger

You can always print out a printable file just the way you downloaded it and then hand-write on the final print. But if you want to save yourself time and turn the printable file into your own customized invitations, this is how!

I used MS Word to do these (because most people have that program), but this can also be done using Photoshop Elements, Photoshop CS, or many other programs that allow you to insert or place a graphic into a document as an independent layer.

In MS Word, open a new document that is 8.5"x11" (letter-sized). Go up to the "Insert" menu at the top of your document so it expands like this...

Move your cursor down to the "Picture" sub-menu and hover over the right-facing arrow to the right of the title "Picture" to bring up the pull-down menu you'll need to insert a picture.

Within that sub-menu you'll have some choices. Choose "From File..." so you can navigate through your file directories to the printable file that you've downloaded and stored on your hard drive. Once you've found the printable file, select it and click OK.

The printable file will now appear within your Word document as a graphic. It will probably be slightly smaller than its actual size, so you'll need to resize it larger.

To resize without distorting the correct proportions of a graphic, hold down the Shift key while dragging one of the corners of the graphic. Continue to drag until the graphic is as large as your document page.

The next step is really important.

Double-click on the graphic itself and define the "Wrapping Style" of the graphic as "Behind Text". What you are doing is telling the program that you want the graphic to act like a piece of paper behind what you are going to type. You want them to act independently of each other with the text sitting on top of the graphic.

Now go back to your "Insert" menu and select "Text box" to create a text box. Size the box to fit inside the graphics by dragging on any corner of the box, then start typing just as you would type a regular text-only document. Using a text box allows you to drag the entire block of text around on top of the other graphic as if the text is it's own editable graphic.

Once you've typed all the text that you need in the text box, select the text box (if it isn't already selected) by clicking on it once.

Now go to the "Edit" menu at the top of your document and select "Copy". An invisible copy of that text box will be copied to an invisible clipboard in your computer's memory.

Now go to the Edit menu again and select "Paste". A duplicate text box will appear in the center of your document. It will float on top of everything just like your other text box.

To drag and position it on the lower invitation graphic, click on top of the text and continue to hold down your mouse button without releasing. Then drag the text box into place.

Another way to reposition a text box or graphic is to make sure the object is selected and then use the direction arrows to maneuver it around your screen (this works well for finely adjusting a position).

Once you're happy with how everything lines up, it's time to print out your document.

Set your printer at the highest quality print settings to get the best results. You can print on cardstock (Wal-Mart has some nice cardstock that's inexpensive) or on some other nice paper you have.

Print out as many copies as you need and you're set to begin embellishing and/or cutting them out! Easy!

As always don't hesitate to ask me questions in your comments.

I will do my best to answer them here as a reply comment.

Happy creating and remember...

Create beauty, not deadlines

February means camellias

2010-02-04T14:23:00.000-08:00

In a sheltered space in the garden grow my camellia bushes. And every February they are blooming... perfect timing for a valentine.

Wistful

2010-01-29T23:39:00.000-08:00

I photographed this dried hydrangea in a little shop. It seemed to be looking out the window wistfully into the shop's gardens as if it was remembering when it used to grow out there.

Time to Rise

2010-01-28T12:55:00.001-08:00

Used my own texture Grade School 1 available by clicking here

Someday soon...

2010-01-22T12:23:00.000-08:00

Used my own texture Irridescence

January Lemons

2010-01-20T11:45:00.000-08:00

Year round on the Eureka lemon tree, there are lemons in different stages of readiness. At any given time, I've got blossoms, unripe lemons, and ripe lemons hanging on the branches. I thought the close proximity of these two was striking.

Used my own textures Honey and Warm and Toasty

Where sweetness begins...

2010-01-19T16:28:00.001-08:00

Rarely does the kinnow mandarin send out blooms while it has fruit ripening. This winter it does.

Rosemary blooming (The Color of January Series: 3)

2010-01-15T15:11:00.000-08:00

The rosemary likes the cool January temps and blooms its beautiful dainty blue blossoms. Maybe this is why "periwinkle blue" is the color of January to me.

Aside from the crop, this shot is SOOC (straight out of the camera).

Click here to read the inspiration for my Color of January series

Delightful surprise

2010-01-14T17:10:00.001-08:00

As I toured my brown frost-tattered garden today, I was surprised to find the tiny sunny faces of the jonquils around the base of the olive tree. It was a delightful surprise.

Sun

2010-01-13T17:14:00.000-08:00

For a brief day, we were blessed with the glorious rays of the sun before more cloudy stormy skies come for the rest of the week. I wish I could hold the sun in my hand as easily as I can hold a sunflower.

Used my own free downloadable texture Honey (available by clicking here)

Click here to see the free invites/e-cards available with this design

The Color of January Series: 2

2010-01-12T14:11:00.000-08:00

Click here to read the inspiration for my Color of January series

Whispers between flowers

2010-01-12T00:57:00.000-08:00

What do you suppose the iris is whispering to the carnation?

Mystère

2010-01-06T16:43:00.001-08:00

January's cravings

2010-01-05T18:33:00.001-08:00

As the fog of January creeps in from the Pacific and settles in the nooks of our hilly hamlet, I find myself craving the warmth of the sun's rays. Luckily, the sun will be back in February to coax the almond blossoms open.

Used my own texture Warm and Toasty

Nostalgic

2010-01-04T14:24:00.000-08:00

The close of the holidays always puts me in a nostalgic and reflective mood. While the world sleeps outside waiting for spring, my heart hearkens back to days past and loved ones who have moved on.

New Year's Camellia

2010-01-01T19:43:00.000-08:00

We visited with my in-law's this week. Only 3 1/2 hours south of us, the camellia's are in bloom. Ours will be blooming in time for Valentine's Day.

Used the Vintage Effect PS Action by Omar the Radwan

Wintergreen

2009-12-28T16:27:00.001-08:00

I am craving the sun right now so the next best thing is "Granny Smith" green.

Angels we have heard on high...

2009-12-24T12:43:00.000-08:00

Angel hugs and Christmas wishes to you all!

Click here to see the free invites/e-cards with this design

Lavender Ice

2009-12-23T15:39:00.000-08:00

Snow Shoe

2009-12-22T14:08:00.001-08:00

This is my kind of "snow shoe".

Click here to see the free invites/e-cards with this design

Tahitian Ice

2009-12-21T13:56:00.000-08:00

Click here to see the free invites/e-cards with this design

Santa always left oranges

2009-12-18T16:15:00.000-08:00

Every year, an orange was left in the toe of my Christmas stocking. The bright smell of orange oil on my fingertips brings back memories of when everything seemed magical on Christmas morning.

Before the fudge...

2009-12-16T18:50:00.001-08:00

As a child, I could always count on my mother making a batch of her wonderful homemade fudge as a Christmas treat. I loved watching the process of candy making. My favorite part was watching the chocolate melt into the mixture. And the smell... it was sheer heaven.

A child's Christmas wishes...

2009-12-15T17:50:00.000-08:00

I remember every year as I was growing up having a Christmas wish of some kind. I often would dream of the coming of the Christmas season months before--envisioning all the beautiful decorations with their sparkle and magic. I sometimes miss feeling that way and wish I could be filled with a child's Christmas wishes again.

Technicolor Red

2009-12-14T13:46:00.000-08:00

Hubby and I love watching old technicolor Christmas movies because the reds are always so brilliant and magical. The movie White Christmas has them. And so does the film Susan Slept Here with a young Debbie Reynolds. It's that red that gives me lots of Christmas spirit.

Used the Lomo PS Action my Omar the Radwan

Pretty in pink

2009-12-12T12:15:00.001-08:00

A lovely piece of vintage jewelry paired with pink chiffon ribbon... gotta love that!

Used my own texture Powder Puff

Creche

2009-12-11T13:06:00.000-08:00

Used my own textures Chocolate Truffle and Hot Caramel as well as a texture from playingwithbrushes, Book

Home for the holidays

2009-12-09T12:31:00.000-08:00

Used my own unpublished textures with the Omar the Radwan's Sepia PS Action and the font Jey

Frost

2009-12-08T13:02:00.000-08:00

Last night we had our first frost of the winter. I woke up to crystals of ice gleaming outside my bedroom window. Frost is nature's glitter.

Winter

2009-12-07T11:41:00.000-08:00

Does anyone else love blue and silver Christmas decorations as much as I do? Don't know why I do. I always have.

Red in the rain

2009-11-20T14:54:00.000-08:00

My little Japanese maple always looks so stunning in November when it rains.

Land of milk and honey

2009-11-12T18:06:00.000-08:00

Used my own textures Emerald Isle at 35% Soft Light and Lace Camisole at 65% Screen with strategic erasing

Carnation Cupcake

2009-11-11T20:45:00.001-08:00

Almost looks good enough to eat, doesn't it?

Divinity

2009-11-07T11:39:00.000-08:00

"Granny Smith" apple green is one of my favorite colors. So these green roses with a white rose look simply divine to me.

I used my own texture "Emerald Isle" available for free download by clicking here I set it at 35% Soft Light and it didn't affect the original color of the roses at all, but gave it the great canvas texture.

Silver and Amethyst

2009-11-03T19:32:00.000-08:00

Used my own texture Irridescence

Can you hear the steel drums playing?

2009-11-02T00:01:00.000-08:00

As I post-processed this with textures the colors suddenly slid into this perfect "tropicana" color combination. All of a sudden I had the song "That's How You Know" from Disney's Enchanted playing in my head.

Used my own textures 1951 Postcard and Lace Camisole

Sparkle

2009-11-01T00:34:00.001-07:00

I know

2009-11-01T00:32:00.001-07:00

Used my own textures Spring Dew and Lace Camisole

It's all in the details

2009-11-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

The center of a fully blown "Ronald Reagan" rose

Remember when...?

2009-10-31T00:01:00.000-07:00

Blue iris always bring back wonderful childhood memories for me.

Autumn lacecap

2009-10-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

Every year the white hydrangea turns this wonderful burnished raspberry color when the nights get chilly. I love the intensity.

Used my own texture "Peachy Keen"

Spent

2009-10-29T21:19:00.001-07:00

I leave the sunflowers after the petals fade and wilt... I think they're beautiful and the birds think they're yummy.

Up

2009-10-29T00:19:00.001-07:00

Golden coins of Autumn

2009-10-29T00:18:00.001-07:00

Antique Abraham Darby

2009-10-28T00:01:00.001-07:00

A few Abraham Darby blooms are still on the bush. I love them in autumn.

Used the Photoshop Action Vintage Effect by Omar the Radwan

Roses and Apples

2009-10-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

These are real roses and little artificial apples in a floral arrangement I did last week.

Used my own textures Toasted Marshmallow and Warm and Toasty

An elephant never forgets

2009-10-27T00:05:00.000-07:00

New and Old

2009-10-27T00:04:00.000-07:00

If you look carefully, you'll see the tiny green sprout next to the fallen leaf. This always happened here in autumn when the rains come. After months of no precipitation, new life pops up amidst the fallen leaves of autumn.

Pure love

2009-10-26T12:26:00.001-07:00

Let your light so shine...

2009-10-26T12:25:00.001-07:00

Autumn

2009-10-25T11:41:00.002-07:00

Marguerite

2009-10-25T11:41:00.001-07:00

Lantana

2009-10-24T19:47:00.001-07:00

I used my own texture Lilac Dreams at 100% Screen with strategic erasing using Airbrush Soft Round eraser set at 15% opacity.

Different... yet the same

2009-10-24T19:45:00.000-07:00

Used my own texture Warm and Toasty at 60% Screen with strategic erasing using a Airbrush Soft Round eraser at 15% opacity.

Red

2009-10-23T16:37:00.000-07:00

I LOVE when the liquid amber leaves turn.

Lemon time

2009-10-23T16:18:00.000-07:00

It's lemon time here in our neck of the woods. My Eureka lemon tree has some nice ones on it that are almost ready.

October Buddleia

2009-10-21T12:25:00.000-07:00

I found this bloom yesterday in the garden. It's late, but welcome.

October Hibiscus

2009-10-21T12:09:00.001-07:00

One hibiscus was still blooming out in the garden yesterday... even though it's October.

2009-10-20T16:41:00.000-07:00

Used my own texture Honeycream with strategic erasing using a 10% opacity eraser set on Airbrush Soft Round

Lavender Blue

2009-10-20T16:32:00.000-07:00

Used my own texture Morning Mist at 100% Screen with strategic erasing using a 10% opacity eraser set on Airbrush Soft Round
Used my own texture Pinto Periwinkle at 55% Screen with strategic erasing using a 10% opacity eraser set on Airbrush Soft Round

Click here to download a free copy of this image to use as a desktop, wallpaper, or to print out at home.

Red Autumn Leaves and Lantern

2009-10-18T14:08:00.000-07:00

This was taken a couple of autumns ago outside a B&B in Northern California and looked like the quintessential autumnal scene to me.

Autumn Oak Leaves

2009-10-18T14:07:00.000-07:00

Japanese Maple Bokeh

2009-10-18T13:58:00.000-07:00

This is a SOOC (straight out of the camera) shot taken last year.

Falling Leaves

2009-10-17T13:49:00.000-07:00

It took a bit of waiting, but I was finally able to capture the leaves as they floated down in the autumn breeze.

Hot Dogs and Wedding Cake

2009-10-17T13:45:00.001-07:00

The humorous juxtaposition of a wedding cake against a "hot dog stand" drink station at a country garden wedding.

Pumpkins

2009-10-16T13:09:00.001-07:00

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Californian Tuscany

2009-10-16T12:57:00.000-07:00

I may never live under the Tuscan sun, but I can live under the Californian sun.

Autumn rain

2009-10-14T12:37:00.001-07:00

Used my own texture "Toasted Marshmallow" at 85% Screen with strategic erasing with eraser set on 5% Soft Round.

Rain-kissed Glads

2009-10-13T21:26:00.001-07:00

My flowers got a nice "drink" from the rain as I carried them in from the car.

I used my own texture "Powder Puff" at 33% Screen with strategic erasing with eraser set at 10% on Airbrush Soft Round

Mum Dreams

2009-10-13T21:25:00.000-07:00

Even though mums are an autumn flower, there is something so dreamy about the white ones that make them look like a winter or early spring flower.

I used my own texture "Lilac Dream" at 100% Screen with strategic erasing with eraser set at 10% on Airbrush Soft Round

Nature's Fire

2009-10-12T14:40:00.000-07:00

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Used my own texture Chocolate Truffle at 100% "Soft Light"

Nature's Gold

2009-10-12T14:10:00.000-07:00

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Yellow Leaves

2009-10-08T21:20:00.000-07:00

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A Leaf

2009-10-08T21:04:00.000-07:00

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Pomegranates on Stone

2009-10-07T14:43:00.001-07:00

Free Parking

2009-10-07T14:41:00.000-07:00

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