IllustratingStories.com

Demo: Photoshop Shape Layers and Paths Tools

Before I get to the tutorial, I have two reader link-shares to pass on (did I mention we love y'all?  Well, it's true):

• Our friend Reenie sent us a link for an awesome digital imagery site (perfect for collage and other illustrated stories):  http://vintageprintable.com/wordpress/.
• Our friend Karin clued us into a new Photoshop brush site called C.S. Photoshop Brushes.

Both sites are...well,...yummy!  We're in love!

Thanks again for those shares Reenie and Karin!

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And now, the video...

This short video demo illustrates how to use the Paths and Shape Layers Tools in Photoshop (CS4) to create custom shapes, confine text within a shape, and stroke along a shapes edge with a dotted outline. This tutorial is useful to scrapbookers, collage artists, and art journalists interested in creating their own elements for their arts and crafts projects.

Enjoy and happy creating!

Tutorial and Tour: Photoshop Selection Tools

The following tutorial was inspired by IllustratingStories.com reader, Heidi Marling.  She was curious about how Smart Brushes (a Photoshop Elements feature) worked.  After looking into it, I found a great tutorial on the topic by Adobe.  However, it got me thinking about selection tools in general.  And, I thought it might be useful to have a tour of various tools with a little bit about why certain ones are better for certain jobs.

And, that's what the following video is about:  Photoshop selection tools.  Whether you are a digital scrapbooker, a digital photo enthusiast, a collage artist, or just interested in Photoshop, understanding which selection tools work best for the task at hand is useful.  This tutorial demonstrates the Rectangle Marquee, the Quick Selection, the Magic Wand, the Lasso, and the Magnetic Lasso tools.

As always, enjoy and happy creating!  Also, thanks for the great idea, Heidi!

A BIG Freebie and Tutorial on Using the Template (Photoshop)

The following freebie template is super flexible, making it a little bigger than some (it's about 50 MB and may take a little extra time to download).   However, its versatility makes it perfect for digital scrapbooking projects, hybrid scrapbook pages, collage, art journals, and more.  Please click on the following image (a compliment to our YesterYear Again collection) to download the .PSD file (then, grab a cup of tea or something nice to drink while it downloads)...

Next, we thought, what goes best with a big freebie, but a big video that illustrates how to use it?  So, today's video demonstrates how to clip photos to a clipping mask, scale photos (or change their size) while maintaining their aspect ratio, alter the color of the background paper (to better set the mood for your own stories), and change out the paper.  It's a great combo of lessons that we've shared before, but in one tutorial.

We hope you enjoy the tutorial and the freebie and invite you to visit our our Freebies Page for more freebie fun!  In addition, please check out our REMARKABLE terms of use.

Have a happy and creative day!

How to Selectively Color an Image within a Frame

First things first:  Congratulations Candy!  Your name was drawn (randomly) for the Moleskin journal.  We're doing a happy dance in your honor and just wanted to say how much we loved your photos!  We'll get the journal out to you right away!

Also, we want to thank everyone that played along.  Your photos are beautiful!!!  Really, we can't get enough of them -- YUM!!!  For sure!  Thanks again for all of the eye candy and for sharing it with us.

Now, on to our tutorial.

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There are a variety of ways to emphasize a focal point within an image.  One way is to create a frame within the image frame – during photo composition or later with image editing software. A frame within a frame is a great way to preserve context (everything happening/existing around the subject), while drawing the eye towards what matters. It's a great alternative to cropping the photo – especially, when trying to preserve the original mood and story captured by it for your scrapbook pages, art journals, or collage.

The following video demonstrates how to selectively color a photo in CS4 (the instructions work well for CS3 and elements, too). The tutorial illustrates how to keep focus on the focal point with color, while making the rest of the image black and white. The boundary between the two (black and white and color) is established with a frame.

Enjoy and happy creating (and framing)!

Textures + Photos = YUM!

The following video is a quick tutorial that demonstrates how to combine textures and photos to alter an image.  But, why would you ever want to do that?  Well altering photos is fun, can help you set (and better communicate) the mood and theme of your stories, and the results can be beautiful.

Still looking for a good reason to play?  Well how's this:  There's a RAK (random act of kindness) involved!  We'll have a random drawing for a Moleskine Watercolor Notebook.  Interested in playing?  If so, here's what to do...

1. Combine a texture and photo (as illustrated in the following video).
2. Join our tribe (it's free [and part of the Ning network]).
3. Upload your photo to the Photo Junkies thread on the subject by next Wednesday 8:00 am (Pacific Time).
4. We'll draw a name (randomly) from the pool of amazing photos, do a happy dance in honor of the recipient, and announce the RAK-ee on the blog and in our community!

We hope you'll play and can't wait to see your creations!

Now, before we get to the video, there's one last thing we want to do:  THANK YOU, THANK YOU SKELETALMESS for the AWESOME FREE TEXTURES via your Flickr account!  (Seriously.  These textures ROCK!)

Okay.  Now, the video...

Digital Alterations via Masks

Yesterday, BriAnne asked if we could provide some tips on how to, "change the color, pattern and style [of an object] to make it look realistic."  As I read her comment, I thought, "Digitally alter elements for scrapbook pages, collage, mixed media, and more?  What an awesome subject for a tutorial!"  So, that's what we've done.  The following video shows how you can change the color and add a pattern to an element within a digital photo via a mask.

Enjoy and happy creating!

Argyle Patterns: Fun, Versatile, and Easy!

When I was about seven, Grandma would give Grandpa's worn out socks to me (after washing, of course, heh-heh).  Surprisingly, these socks were a big treasure and made the best doll dresses and not just because of their size.  Why?  Well, the socks had beautiful argyle patterns and colors.  I loved them!  And as crazy as it is, thinking of those socks make me both nostalgic and a bit nutty for argyle!

Argyle is a wonderful pattern!  It's the kind of pattern that is perfect for digital and traditional scrapbook pages (it makes great background paper!), as bits of collage in art, printed for homemade wrapping paper, or as an element for cards (seasonal or not)!  Therefore, it shouldn't be too surprising that I was driven to figure out how to make the pattern in Photoshop.  Nor, should it be a big stretch to see how that would become our next IllustratingStories.com video tutorial.

I've got it bad!  So naturally, I just had to share how to make an argyle pattern.  Plus, since the color combos are a big part of why I love the pattern, the following tutorial demonstrates how to create it in such a way that you can change pattern colors later.  This adds to the versatility of the pattern (which is super easy to make, by-the-way).  Argyle is so fun!

Enjoy!

2 Must-Know Techniques for Illustrating Stories

Whether you create mixed media collage, art journals, or scrapbook pages, you've probably used papers that have either a basic pattern or a basic offset pattern.  These patterns are everywhere!

Knowing how to create your own basic patterns is highly beneficial.  First, anything DIY often leads to a huge cost savings over purchasing commercial/pre-made products (like patterned paper).  Better yet, if you sell or publish your work, DIY patterns may remove any worries you have about infringing on other artists' work.  Your pattern = your copy right.  Finally, there is a huge market out there for patterns.  Someday, you might find yourself in the business of selling patterns to all sorts of artists illustrating their own stories!

The following video tutorial demonstrates how to make a basic pattern and a basic offset pattern.  Once you know how, who knows what you'll create!

Seat-of-My-Pants Scrapping...

...uh...what I mean to say is:  Digital Scrapbooking Demo (Super Fast)

Every now and then, someone asks if I'll demonstrate how I put together a digital scrapbook page and if I can share my understanding of design principles.  Well, today the video is just that:  A super fast (10 minute take on 1.5 hour session) video of the process.  I start with photos and a story (words) and the rest is a bit chaotic.  Which brings me to a little confession:  I pretty much fly by the seat of my pants!

As you watch the video, you'll see that design ideas are explored and abandoned when they don't work.  Then, I move on to explore new ideas without looking back.  Things occur to me a bit randomly through a mixture of desired structure and gut feeling.  Intuition plays a huge part in my creation process.  Then again, there are moments of analysis and measurement; a desire to align or color things just so to bring home my  message/theme (in this case a fun Halloween experience).  In the end, my process is a balance between nerdy and wild abandon; completely seat-of-my-pants.  Honestly, I'm not sure if I could teach design principles.  I think I'd be better at sharing something more like a series of design recovery case studies!

Anyway, it's a bit long, but the music is cool.  Enjoy!

Part 1 (2-Part Series): Making a Collage Base, Digitally

There are a lot of reasons to use a computer when making a base for a mixed media collage:

1. You only have one element (no duplicates) and you want to preserve the original.  Therefore, you create a scanned copy of the original for use in the collage (and future collages).
2. You don't have enough physical room to keep materials, just keeping supplies is hard enough.  And, your materials stash is digital.
3. You really like the UNDO button in Photoshop (or other imaging software).

Honestly, all of the above apply to my situation.  Therefore, I'm learning more and more tricks to make bases for my collages (and other creations) all starting with the computer.  This helps me remove limitations in my creative process, opening up a lot of possibilities for sharing my stories!

The following tutorial is the first of a two-part series on making a mixed media collage base, digitally.  It focuses on some tricks to get you going.  On Friday, Part 2 demonstrates what to do with the base once it's printed.

Happy creating!

2 Ways to Change a Background Using Masking

We have another Photoshop tutorial for you today and as with most of our tutorials, we show you how a technique (in this case, masking) can be used in a few different ways to get an effect you're after.

Before we start, however, I must tell you just how much I love masking in Photoshop CS3.  This technique is a great way to modify photos because mistakes are easy to fix!  Through a mask, you can paint away what you don't want, without losing data.  If you do make a mistake, it is easy to change masking paint colors -- from black-to-white or white-to-black, depending on whether you're revealing or hiding something by way of the mask -- and paint the detail back in.  It's a flexible, recoverable way to change a photo.

Okay.  On to today's video demonstrating how to mask out backgrounds so that you may:

• Improve the overall focus of a photo (e.g., blur the background, giving more focus to the subject)
• Remove the background completely (so that you can use a different one)

Enjoy!

Illustrating Stories Photoshop Tutorials: How to Make a Grid

Recently, while collaborating to design our blog banner, I struggled with how to make a grid.  After guidance from various sources, I discovered an easy way to create one.  Today's video is the result of that discovery and demonstrates how you can create and add a grid to your own stories.

The tutorial starts by illustrating how to make a tile for a grid pattern.  Using a pattern makes it super easy to create a grid of any size later on!  From there, I demonstrate how to use the pattern to add grids as background elements or creative elements (much smaller than a complete background).  In addition, the video shares how to make (and use) a gridded clipping mask.  This makes it possible to create a layout with multiple small squares.

Happy creating!

Digital Distressing Video Tutorial

Distressing can add texture to a piece, honoring the imperfect and creating nostalgia all at the same time.  Maybe that's why I love to distress objects for my art (and distress the art, too).  Whatever it is that draws me to the look, I include it in both my traditional creations and my digital ones, too.

If you're drawn to the distressed look, too, you may find the following digital distressing tutorial right up your alley.  The video demonstrates how to use Photoshop to make your creations look a little beat up, weathered, and imperfect.  It focuses on burning, masking, and blending to achieve the desired look.

Photoshop Tutorial: DIY Journal Tags

When I illustrate stories -- whether in the physical world or the digital world -- I use (and often need) journal tags.  Many times, a digital tag works for either application (digital or traditional).  That's because once I have a digital tag, I can either use it digitally or print it, cut it, and paste it onto my page.  So, I've found it very useful to know how to make them myself.

The following video is a Photoshop Tutorial demonstrating how to make digital journal tags for the DIY collage artist, scrapbooker, art journalist, or anyone that illustrates their stories and wants to know how to make their own journal tags.