Designing Woman - RSM Spring 2011

I'm thrilled to be a featured artist in the Spring 2011 RSM (Rubber Stamp Madness) magazine!

Rubber Stamp Madness (RSM) is one of my all time favorite magazines for inspiration.  I'm constantly learning stamping techniques and exploring new project possibilities based on artwork I see from the talented people who participate in sharing their art through this publication.  

Over the years, I have been fortunate enough to have had my stamp art published in RSM; and am very excited to have had the opportunity to contribute 4 projects to the current issue (Spring 2011).

I hope my art will inspire others just as the many talented artist who continue to submit their amazing creations inspire me.

 

4 pages of EKD Artwork in the RSM 2011 Issue

This digital collage was created in Photoshop using a variety of items including

png files of two of my domino art creations that were featured in this issue.

The Background Paper and Border around the Paper is from ScrapGirls

The Frames are by EFamous found on Deviantart.com

(See the bottom of this post for more detailed information on these items.)

Cover of RSM - Spring 2011

My 4 creations can be seen on pages 44-47.

 

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Here are the links for the available online items 

I used to create my EKD Collage at the top of this post.

Frames are by EFamous found on Deviantart.com

 I used the Medium Green Paper from

 ScrapGrils Paper Pack - Foil Solid Paper Biggie

  I used the first frame of these Border Templates to go around the paper from 

ScrapGirls Pack: Scrap Simple Paper Templates - Character Borders

I then added the Bevel Neon Style at 66% Opacity

in Photoshop to the above Border Frame

This set of Photoshop Styles came from Deviantart.com

by: Idered - Glow Styles v.2

What a difference a Style makes.

I'm having a great time playing with "Styles" in Photoshop 

and have found some amazing ones like this set free at Deviantart.com

Grins and Giggles,

    Evelyn

Bringing New Life to Old Artwork - Digitally

My new goal for 2011 is to create more digital artwork as I learn to use Photoshop.  I started by purchasing a whole series of digital applications from ScrapGirls a few weeks ago and today I had a chance to work with some of those products. 

I decided to use one of my Rubber Stamped scenes from 2010 that needed a bit of dressing up to see what I could come up with.

 I digitally matted and framed one of my rubber stamped scenes.
Wow - what a difference this made to the original artwork!

The Stamped Scene was done using Stamp Francisco Rubber Stamps.

The Background and Frames are digitally done using items from ScrapGirls

This was the original rubber stamped scene. 

It just looks like it's hanging out there waiting to be finished off.

This scene was created using the masking technique and 12 rubber stamp images

from Stamp Francisco Rubber Stamps.  

Most of them are from the Bartholomew's Ink line except for the staircase with balcony 

and the wood floor ( I created those two items and they are part of the SF line of stamps.) 

Once all the images were stamped I colored the scene with pastels and decorative chalks.

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Most of the ScrapGirl items I purchased were Victorian or Steampunk in look 

so I thought I'd try giving this same stamped scene a Steampunky feel even though 

the scene itself did not seem suited to that look.  

This was a challenge and since I can't seem to resit a good "let's see if I can make

this work" moment...  I went for it; though it took a bit of playing, adding and changing

for me to finally get it to work out.

Click HERE for the post that shows all the great ScrapGirl purchases I made;

some of which were used to create these digital enhancements.

 This was my first attempt - but the two just did not seem to blend well.

 Next I digitally changed the background of the stamped scene to help it blend in 

with all the Steampunk additions; however it still just did not look complete.

Finally I threw in one more embellishment and a super frame which 

seemed to really help anchor everything together.

I have to say that the additional digital add-ons for both the first one I posted at the top 

of this blog page and this final Steampunked version make a huge difference 

over the original unframed stampart, which goes to show that sometimes more is better.

 Grins and Giggles,

   Evelyn

iPhone Digital Art using ColorBlast and ColorSplash

I had a tough time deciding between two interesting photography iPhone color apps, so I bought them both and had a bit of fun with one of the Christmas  pictures we took at the Keowee lake house last month. 

Both ColorBlast and ColorSplash automatically change your photo to Black and White and then allow you to bring a pop of color back in where you want it.  There are slight differences in the two programs but both work great and are fun to play with.

This is the ColorBlast picture I created; where I put color back into all the 

Christmas related items and made the background a sepia tint.

(ColorBlast allows you to change the unpainted areas to a selection of tints rather than 

having to keep them just as Black & White)

This is the ColorSplash picture I created;

where I put color back into all the Christmas related items 

and the background stays B&W

 This was the original picture in full color

Here is how I created the photo using 

the ColorSplash App

 

 I opened the ColorSplash App - The first icon with the Apple.

Click HERE for a link to ColorSplash - an iPhone application

 When you upload your photo it automatically turns it to B&W

Then you use can restore the original colors to whatever portions 

of the picture you choose to give that pop of color.

 I choose to restore the original colors to all the Christmas items.
It's simple, since all you need to do is select Color at the bottom of the iPhone screen and then use your finger to move over the areas you want the color restored.
To change an area back to B&W, select Gray at the bottom of the screen and move your finger back over that area. 

This was the final ColorSplash result.

 

 Here is how I created the photo using 

the ColorBlast App

 I opened the ColorBlast App - the second icon with the red rose.

Click HERE for a link to ColorBlast - an iPhone application

Like the other application; ColorBlast automatically changes your photo to B&W.
You can then restore the original color where you want.
Your finger is still the paintbrush; however there are a few coloring tool options
to help you with this process (I like the spray paint function).
You then have the option of changing the tint of the unpainted portion
instead of just having a B&W backdrop.

To change the background tint, select the lower left icon

 Sepia Tint

Cobalt Tint
 

 Green Tint

Purple Tint

Red Tint

Once you select a background tint you can adjust its tone using the Hue and Exposure settings (by selecting the last brush icon on the bottom of the screen)  to create just the right mood for your shot.  ColorBlast also lets you adjust the color saturation as you work by selecting the greenish rectangle at the bottom of the screen.  Using the Hue and Exposure settings can also help you quickly change colors of an item.
ColorBlast is a fun application with lots of diversity.

This was my final ColorBlast creation of this scene.

I liked the warmth the sepia background gave and the pop of Christmas color 

distracted from the how cluttered the area seems when it is in full color.

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Another great thing about ColorBlast is that by adjusting the Hue and Exposure
you can change the color of an item in the shot.

 Here is my original picture; which
I will zoom in on the Santa Hat only.

I colored in only the Santa Hat
so that it is back to its original Red and White color.

 When I tap the last bottom icon,
it opens up the Hue and Exposure feature.
This mid-range setting leaves the hat in its original color.

 Moving the Hue setting to the right changes the hat to green.

Moving the Hue setting to the left gives me a blue hat and
I also tweaked the exposure to make it a bright blue.
 

When I zoom out you see everything is black and white
except for the now Blue Santa Hat.

Then if I change the color saturation, this introduces all the original color
back into the photo except for now I have a Blue Santa Hat instead of a
Red Santa Hat that was in the original photo. Fun!


If I could only have one of these applications I would go with ColorBlast;
since it seems to allow me to do so much more with my photos but seeing as I
have both it will be interesting to see what future updates may latter
appear for both of these applications.

Grins and Giggles,
  Evelyn

Digital iPhone Art of Lake Keowee

I had taken a few pictures on my husbands iPhone while we were at Lake Keowee for Christmas and decided to see what kind of fun art I could come up with using a scene of the lake and my new iPhone photographic applications.  I purchases several using an iTunes card I got for Christmas.

 Lake Keowee - Digital iPhone Art by EKD

This is just a fun process I call "Mobile Art".
It's just a new way for me to be crafty on the run 
when I'm away from home and still want to play.  
The iPhone is my canvas and the lovely 
array of photographic apps is my pallet.

 Here's how I did it

This was the original iPhone picture I took from the master bedroom's

sitting room looking out onto Lake Keowee (Dec 24, 2010).

I started by opening Photo FX - the second icon on the bottom.
(it was one of several photo apps I purchased with an iTunes gift card)
Click HERE for a link to Photo FX (an iPhone application)

 Once I opened the app, I uploaded my picture.

Then I decided to use one of the Cool Pro-Mist settings

and choose Cool Pro-Mist 6.

 

I adjusted the Brightness and Blur.

 This gave the original photo a slightly frostier feel.

Next I added another Layer

  

 

I went to Grades/Tints and selected Sunset/Twilight

  

I went with Sunset 2

Then I made a few adjustments to the color filters.

 I was finished using the Photo FX application and saved

my photo at this stage of production so I could continue in another app.

 I opened the Pic Grunger application on the iPhone.

Click HERE for a link to Pic Grunger (an iPhone application)

 I uploaded my altered Lake Keowee photo and 

choose the Aged Effect.

Once I made my selection I had other options to alter

the Style - Strength or add a Border.

  

I liked the way the grungy scratches hid surrounding elements of the picture
but it was a bit harsh so I adjusted the Strength down.
This way the photo only looked slightly aged and not quite as
distressed as the previous screen showed.

 

I then selected and "After Hours" Style.

 I was done using the Pic Grunger app and saved 

this rendition of the photo so I could continue on with the next

application I wanted to play with.

 I opened the PhotoStudio App and

loaded the "grunged" version of my Lake Keowee photo.

Click HERE for a link to FX Photo Studio (an iPhone application)

 I added a Color Lens of 188 - Lilac Lense

Color Lenses - was an option I choose to purchase for an additional charge
so I would have more choices with my PhotoStudio App.

 Then I adjusted the contrast a bit.

I added another layer by selecting

179 - Crosspro 1 in the Cross Processed Category.

 I like the way this gives the effect of a sunset

with the pinkish glow in the middle and blue to the edges.

 So far this is what my photo looks like. 
I could probably stop here but I was having too much fun
adding layers and decided to do a bit more.

 I decided to add in the 

140 - Stardust Frame.

 This frame reminded me of Christmas Twinkle lights.

I adjusted the amount of them down a bit so as not to overpower the shot.

 I then added Vignette 3 to soften down the edges.

 It is a subtle change but I think it makes a difference.

 This was the final look when I was done using the PhotoStudio app.

I saved this back to the iPhone and went on to another app.

 This time I opened up Photogene.

Click HERE for a link to Photogene (an iPhone application)

 I selected a frame and chose a soft rounded black edge.

 This caused the twinkle lights to become less pronounced and

blended things out towards the edge of the photo.

I saved this version of the photo and moved on to add some text.

TypeDrawing was the next app I went to.

Click HERE for a link to TypeDrawing (an iPhone application)

 I typed in the text I wanted over the photo.

I selected the font style and size I wanted,

then turned the vary size by speed off.

 I selected White Text.

I used my finger to place the text across the bottom of the photo and

saved it when I was done. 

The photo seemed a bit dark by this stage of the game so I used one more app.

 I opened ColorBlast - the second icon with the red rose.

Click HERE for a link to ColorBlast (an iPhone application)

I adjusted the Exposure on the picture to get the new result;

changing the look from dreary to magical.

(I got to this screen via the last icon at the bottom)

This was the final rendition of my Christmas vacation photo.

And this was the original picture...what a huge difference

It took a small arsenal of iPhone photography apps to create my piece of iPhone digital art; however, I have to say it is quite fun to learn what the various applications can do and to see the radical changes you can make in a photo by adding layer upon layer.

I'm one of those who like lots of "tools" to play with; however with just a
few phone apps it's possible to create jazzy iPhone photo art of your own.
I hope you give it a try.

Grins and Giggles,

  Evelyn