Tutorials

HOW TO ADD TEXT TO AN IMAGE IN PHOTOSHOP

Wanna add sentiments right onto your image and don't know how. This is for you!

First open your image.

See where to find the type tool above.

Here is a picture of how to select fonts.

Then he has a number on his jersy. DON'T save it or you will alter the original file UNLESS you RENAME it.

Thanks for looking!

xoxox

me!

HOW TO MERGE IMAGES IN PHOTOSHOP

This tutorial shows you how to remove the background of an image so you can paste it into a background file.

First of all you want to open your file that you would like to remove the background from.

Once you have your file you want to edit opened you want to use the selection tool in the upper left corner to select the image you want to move to a new file. You want to click and drag while holding the mouse button down and create a rectangular marquee around the image you want to paste into a new file. You need to do this or duplicate the layer so that the image is on a separate layer than the background layer.

You want to select new to create a new file.

If you want to paste the piggy into another digital scene pick a transparent background.



It will give you a new file the same size as what you selected in the previous page. Hit paste.



There is your piggy by himself! You then want to pick the magic wand tool and click on the background space so you can cut it out. You can see the magic wand on the right hand side of the image in the grey area.



Select cut to remove background.



Background free!



Repeat same steps but with an outfit!



Select and copy the outfit.

Paste into piggy file.

Use the move tool to slide the outfit down onto piggy.





The outfit will be the top file because you pasted it onto the pig. Name them so there is no confusion by double clicking on the name and typing new name.



If you want to edit the outfit to fit better, when you cut them out manually it is not as important if it fits perfectly.



Pick the select tool.



Right click and click on transform to change the size of his outfit,  larger or smaller.



This is how it will look. Go to a corner and click on it then hold down your shift key so that the size increases proportionately.  See arrow.



Outfit is bigger!



Click on erase tool.



Make sure you are on the outfit!



Erase overlapping spots. Don't worry about the pig, he is in another layer and won't be erased! YEAH!



If you like you can now paste him into a background. Because he is white you won't see the background through him. If you just want to print him you can flatten the image and it will give it a white background. If you save as a PNG file or photoshop document you will retain the clear background.



Dressed up Piggy!

I always print through photoshop as I find it so easy to resize it right in the print page. I have found that with print wizard, files come up as a full page fax and if you try to make them smaller they get cut off.

Openoffice has a decent word program that you can download for free and it is easy to import images there and print them off and resize them. Get photoshop though cause it is just so FUN!

Now tell me....who the heck would want to stamp with rubber when you can do this! If you have a computer I guess! LOL!

Hope you guys like this, any questions feel free to ask!

If you loved this share some love with a comment!

xoxox

the fairy!

COLORED PENCIL TUTORIAL



Here is a list of some supplies you will find useful for using wax based pencil crayons. From left to right is as follows:

solvent based blender pen

colorless pencil for burnishing

blending stumps

tourtillions (different type of stump)

erasers at top soft and firm

sharpeners at bottom

extender for holding small leftover pencils

Other supplies for blending you will want to consider are gamsol, odorless mineral spirits or baby oil. In the tutorial I use baby oil, my fave by far! Use the blending stumps with these to create soft watercolor like effects.



I put sponges in a jar with the baby oil and then just squish the blending stump into it.



This is the fairy after I have put a soft layer of pink all over her dress. I then use some yellow in the warmer areas where there may me some light hitting the dress. I use red in the deeper colored areas. All applications are a soft layering application. In the darkest areas I use a purple to cool it off and deepen the shadows a little.



I then use the blending stump and baby oil to rub the penciled areas to "melt" the crayon and create a soft water colored effect.  I decided after I had blended it to deepen the shadows further with a little more red and a darker purple. You can do this, keep layering and blending. I love being able to do that without damaging the paper. When you use a blending pen you can damage the surface of the paper though so take it easy.

And here is the finished fairy. Even though I used the baby oil my glue pen still works for adding glitter to the wings. Have fun layering colors to create new ones. You are save combining colors as long as you use colors next to each other on the color wheel. Eg. Use purple to cool down a red because red & blue make purple so purple is next to red on the color wheel. So is orange so you use orange or yellow to warm up red.



In this picture I have taken an image that I colored with copics. My colors are very limited with my copics so I added some pencil crayon shading over top and blended it with the stump and baby oil to smooth out the look and punch up the vibrance. I am sure you can tell in the picture the circled areas are where I added the colored pencil. I also did the same to her raincoat.

I hope this helps too, so if you have a little accident with blending your copics as they can be so fussy here is a little trick to fix it up.

Oh yeah, had a good question. I use ctmh daisy white cardstock. Stampin Up whisper white is fine too. There are expensive rough papers for colored pencil techniques but if you are looking for a nice smooth copic marker look you want smooth paper. The trick is to buy GOOD QUALITY white cardstock. Don't cheap out here. You want it to be at LEAST 80lbs with good sizing. Sizing is something they coat the paper with to give it a nice smooth surface so that pigments don't soak in to quickly. If your paper is cheap anything you put on it will soak right in and look uneven. Cheap paper feels rough and looks rough. Good paper is smooth with a nice sheen to it. Digital images print better on them and have smoother edges. On cheap paper the image looks rough or burred.

I hope you liked the tutorial and you decide to try having some fun with colored pencils. Baby oil even works well with Laurention colored pencils




COLORED PENCIL AND BABY OIL TUTORIAL

This is my preferred method for coloring images. I also prefer baby oil to gamsol. Gamsol is alcohol based and can tear the paper if you over work the paper. The baby oil emulsifies the colored pencils and makes it possible for you to go back over time and time again to build rich layers. I have not had any trouble using gel pens over them either.

You will need good quality colored pencils, I like prismacolor premiers.

A small jar with sponges and baby oil in it just to soak the sponge so that your blending stups don't get too much oil on them. (Excess oil can soak into the paper.)

Blending stumps that you can get at any art supply store.

Color a soft layer all over


blend in circular motion with stump and oil till you have a smooth finish!



Add more of same color to start to shade sides



Add little darker blue now and blend again



You could stop here. Light med and dark blue. Now watch.



I added purple to create depth. I blew out the brightness on the pencil so you could see the color I used



Add some reds and another layer of navy.


A little more navy and some blending. At this stage the surface is so smooth you don't even need any more baby oil. you could pretty much just use the plain stump after the second layer.



TISSUE PAPER TUTORIAL

Create beautiful textured background paper with watercolor paper, tissue paper and some acrylic paint.



First you need some watercolor paper, I used 250lb Arches cold pressed, and some torn tissue paper. Tape the paper to a surface and wet thoroughly.



Add some watercolor paint OR reinkers in desired colors, don't mix compliments or you will get mud! Add crumpled pieces of tissue.


Add more paint or reinkers and smoosh down GENTLY with a brush. Allow to dry.



Seal with matte medium or puzzle glue.


You can stop here OR.......


I used the matte medium and some ranger Perfect Pearls in a reddish purple color to coat the paper again and let dry.
You can stop there OR........


I used some gold acrylic paint and my finger to rub on some gold paint on the high spots of the surface.


And here is the finished product. Just trim off the excess edges and you have some beautiful paper you will NEVER find in a store!

You are gonna have to wait to see the finished card because it is Sunday and I am going to see my family now. It is gorgeously sunny right now and I am in the BASEMENT! DUHHHHH!

My card is half done! Check back tonight!

xoxox

Here is the finished card!