4 free digital art tutorials: creating digital artwork with transfers, collage, and more presented by cloth paper scissors®

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fun with digital collage: vacations remembered: 1 pixel perfect 3 using digital collage MARIE OTERO CRYSTAL NEUBAUER digital transfer magic: the workshop: 2 creating transparent skins 4 art-ography—enhance your PATTI BRADY work with digital art CHRYSTI HYDECK Chrysti Hydeck takes digital photo art techniques a step further in “Art-Ography: Enhance Your Work with Digital Art.” 4 Free Digital Art Tutorials: Chrysti walks you through the photo- editing process and shows how you Creating Digital Artwork can combine your photos with scanned with Transfers, Collage, backgrounds to create digital collages and More that simulate transfers. Best of all, you presented by can use your images again and again, in Cloth Paper Scissors® unlimited combinations. ONLINE EDITOR Cherie Haas With these digital art tutorials at your CREATIVE SERVICES igital art can be intimidating to fingertips, you’ll be ready to start learning, DIVISION ART DIRECTOR Larissa Davis those new to the medium, but transferring, collaging, and creating a if you’re at all comfortable with PHOTOGRAPHERS Larry Stein variety of digital art! Korday Studio ad computer, you’re one step closer to Happy creating, Projects and information are for inspiration and learning how to make digital mixed-media ­personal use only. F+W Media is not ­responsible for art. You may be surprised at how easy it is any liability arising from errors, ­omissions, or mistakes to combine your photographs into digital contained in this eBook, and readers should proceed collages and other art that both expresses cautiously, especially with respect to technical informa- tion. your vision and preserves your memories in Cherie Haas F+W Media grants permission to photocopy any pat- creative ways. Online Editor, terns published in this issue for personal use only. In our free eBook, Cloth Paper Scissors Cloth Paper Scissors Today Presents 4 Free Digital Art Tutorials: Creating Digital Artwork with Transfers, Collage, and ALL 6 ISSUES More, you’ll find simple tutorials on using FROM 2 013 photos in your artwork. From the basics of using photo-editing software to turning your photos into a mixed-media collage, we have all the bases covered. Exploreunlimited possibilities In “Pixel Perfect: Fun with Digital Collage,” in your art! Marie Otero takes you through the basics of photo editing and digital collage, including

C O L L A G E M I X E D M E D I A A R T I S T I C 2 0 1 31 C O L L E C T I O N D I S C O V E R Y the fundamental terminology, scanning, C O L L Dive into a year’s worth of basic to advanced level tips layering, and filtering. Even if you don’t know and mixed-media techniques

shop.clothpaperscissors.comshhoopop.p.cl ForFooor Interweavellototthp pabooks,aape DVDs, for improving your art with r InIIntnnt ersrsc a dpi from a gif, Marie’s tutorial will get you terrwwweea cissors.comors magazines,mma aveapatterns,e and more.m aggazazi bboboookkks, iineneesss, ppat , DVDs,VD ttterrnnsns, , anda d mmore. the 2013 Cloth Paper started. ThisTh CD is for useu in your private home. se in your pr It is not authorizedautho for anyrivate other home. use. 2013 Scissors CD Collection! rized for any y o ©2014 F+W Media,M ther Inc. use. Media All rights reserved., Inc. rese Patti Brady is known for her acrylic painting rved. Discover all the possibilities: techniques, and so it’s no surprise that she bit.ly/CPS2013CD

y PParr creates digital mixed-media art. In “Digital e OckO kkey Parr : Andrea Molly Lemaster ndd IImagema Transfer Magic,” Patti explains how to create Backgrou transparent skins using both laser and inkjet Jane Moore Houghton printing methods. “Vacations Remembered” by Crystal Neubauer gives you inspiration and instruction for using digital collage to turn photographs into paintings and preserve your family stories.

Creating Digital Artwork with Transfers, Collage, & More presented by clothpaperscissors.com ©F+W Media 2 Adapted from Cloth Paper Scissors® pixel Spring 2005 perfect Fun with digital collage welve months ago when I moved tfrom Delaware to Charlotte, North by Marie Otero Carolina, I mourned the loss of my big, rustic basement studio. But what I have gained in my new, tiny, indoor studio is a place to hook up my computer, my scanner, and several trusty printers––all right next to my workbench, which is, as always, resplendent in layers of papers, scraps, and paint. Having my computer and all the electronic gadgets right beside me is an excellent trade-off; not a day goes by that I do not scan, print, re-size, or digitally fiddle with some piece of art that I have created.

m at e r i a l s • Computer • Scanner • Printer • Photo-imaging software • Favorite photographs, original collages, copyright-free pictures, vintage images

“Seek the Unusual”—an original mixed-media canvas worked with paper, fabric, acrylics, and pastels.

Creating Digital Artwork with Transfers, Collage, & More presented by clothpaperscissors.com ©F+W Media 3 The quality of your digital art will depend on the quality of the images that you use to compose it. Before you begin, learn the basics of your scanner, printer, and digital software. Think about the output of your piece: do you plan on it being used for the Internet, being printed, or both? In this article, I’ll show you an easy way to create a digital collage by taking a real collage, scanning it into your computer, and adding images and text. the digital collage collage it To begin you will need a collage. You can use something you have made previously, or create a new collage for this project. For my collage “Seek the Unusual,” I created a collage on canvas that I happily gessoed, painted, and glazed. I incorporated strips of plain muslin, tissue, and other collage papers for dimension and texture. I also added some numbering and letters in permanent black ink for interest. scan it Following the steps necessary on your system, scan your collage at the correct dpi and dimensions and save it as a TIFF file. Further depth and interest was created for the original canvas with the digital addition of a tip Before scanning you need to decide monochromatic ballerina whose red heart was preserved with hand coloring and layering the final dimensions of your digital collage techniques in Photoshop. (for example, 4" × 6") and the correct dpi. Correct dpi is based on the end-use of the layer it less transparent than others. You can art (72 dpi for online work, 300 dpi for add one layer right on top of another to printed work.) I scanned my collage at Once your collage image is open as a create a single, more complex image. 100% of its actual size (4" × 6" ) at 300 file in your digital software, you can For simplicity, you can name your dpi. You must scan your art at the correct add imagery or text to the original dpi and dimensions or your image will be layers. The first or bottom layer could be artwork by using a series of “layers.” blurry. labeled “background,” the second layer Simply stated, layers are like parts of a could be “ballerina,” with each layer sandwich with the added advantage of being created successively over the other being able to make some layers more or and manipulated to achieve the desired

Creating Digital Artwork with Transfers, Collage, & More presented by clothpaperscissors.com ©F+W Media 4 Most graphics programs offer the opportunity to alter the color balance of A simple way to achieve the black-and-white effect is to “desaturate” the your scanned image, enabling you to produce a stunning new look with image, thereby removing all color. As the ballerina’s heart is the focal little more than a click of your mouse. point of the piece, the color for this is preserved in a separate layer of the “art sandwich.” effect. This enables you to manipulate filter it graphics software, but there are also each layer independently, thus not secondary filters that can be bought or Not only can you simply overlay other changing the content on the rest of the downloaded as freeware off the Internet images and text onto your original layers. and uploaded quite safely into your artwork, you can also change colors, software programs. tip Duplicate a layer before launching on apply filters, or simply cut and paste a series of filters and alterations. Then, different pieces, giving your artwork a tip Keep notes as you make edits and if you find after many edits and changes whole new look. For instance, a piece changes to the layers so you can easily that you want to return to where you that was originally red and yellow can duplicate interesting results on other began, you can do so with ease. become blue and green, black and white, pieces of the collage or even on other or sepia-toned. Filters and special effects digital collages. in your graphics program offer you a A fun thing you can do with your world of opportunity and excitement to digital collages is to turn them into change and alter a piece at will, without images for your signature Artist Trading Cards (ATCs). Simply size them down to changing the general composition. digital art 2.5" × 3.5", laminate, and voilà: They are like placing a screen, a colored Where do you find the stuff that makes your own artistic calling cards. window, or a glaze effect over your collage. Many filters come standard with digital art cool? Having your own stock

Creating Digital Artwork with Transfers, Collage, & More presented by clothpaperscissors.com ©F+W Media 5 that I constantly scan and use. There are of images to use in your digital art is a also copyright-free stock photo sites on great asset. I have a huge collection of final note the Internet that allow you to download vintage postcards and paper ephemera I have many friends who profess to being pictures for use in your work. Of course consistently befuddled by all the options you can capture your own images on out there for digital art and are afraid to your personal camera (be it film or incorporate it into their world of mixed definitions digital), which is actually an excellent media. My honest counsel is just “load way to amass a collection of copyright- it and play.” Fiddle with it, mess with DPI (dots per inch, or pixels per free pictures to use in your work. You’d it, and see what it can do, because no inch) is a measurement of the output be surprised how useful the images of option is wrong, and each time you will quality of an image, and refers to bare winter trees or spring flowers in end up with a composition that is both the resolution of images on a screen bloom from your garden can be! fascinating and different. or printed page. The more dots, the better the resolution. So whether you’re importing artwork PIXELS are the picture elements software that you have created and adding finishing touches, or are creating a new which make up an image, similar to Experimenting with digital art software work on the computer and printing grains in a photograph or dots in a isn’t as expensive as it sounds. The latest it out to use in another piece, digital half-tone. Each pixel can represent a PC and Mac computers usually have number of different shades or colors, manipulation creates endless and word processing or graphics programs depending on how much storage exciting options; the limits are really installed that you can play with. There space is allocated for it. Sometimes only set by your imagination. are plenty of mid-range software the preferred term is pixels per inch (ppi), as it more accurately describes programs that will run happily on your note Creating digital artwork often the digital image. home computer: Photoshop Elements, requires a large amount of working Print Shop, Print Master, ARCSoftware, memory (RAM), so unless you have a fairly JPEG is the abbreviation of Joint to name a few, as well as the name brand up-to-date computer system, many of the Photographic Experts Group file graphic software programs will seem like programs that come with your digital format, which is a compression they are running like turtles. “recipe” for condensing the size camera. All of these programs will enable of image files. JPEGs are helpful in you do a modest amount of editing marieotero.com allowing access to full-screen image and formatting, too. Paint Shop files on-line because they require less Pro comes with many tools and storage and are therefore quicker tricks similar to those in Adobe to download into a web page. Photoshop, but for those who are This is generally the best format for serious about their digital art, photographic images being used on the expense of software such as the Web. Adobe Photoshop (CS and 7.0 are TIFF stands for Tagged Image File the current versions) is probably Format, typically used for saving worth it in the long run. files to be used in print applications because they are uncondensed and lose no quality in the file-saving process, unlike JPEGs. GIF is Graphic Interchange Format file format, typically used for saving files to be used on Web pages because “Going Blue”—application of a blue filter across the base layers of the scan it employs an efficient compression results in yet another new and different method and allows the image to look. The tools in your graphics program be represented with a transparent really make endless options for creating exciting changes in your artwork without background. permanently altering the content of the original work.

Creating Digital Artwork with Transfers, Collage, & More presented by clothpaperscissors.com ©F+W Media 6 Adapted from Cloth Paper Scissors® January/February 2013

digital transfer magic creating transparent skins

by patti brady

Creating Digital Artwork with Transfers, Collage, & More presented by clothpaperscissors.com ©F+W Media 7 STEP-OUT PHOTOS BY PATTI BRADY

Figure 1 m at e r i a l s

Figure 2 • Image, printed with a laser printer or carbon-based copier crylic skins can be made from almost any acrylic paint or medium, in • Protected work surface (I recommend a clipboard or a aa wide array of colors and textures. These two techniques focus on sheet of glass.) transparent skins that add texture and depth. The laser technique uses a digital • Artist’s tape, low-tack, ¾"–1" print transferred onto a clear skin, and the inkjet method lets you print directly • Gel medium (gloss) • Paintbrushes, 2" (I use foam onto a skin using a unique digital ground. brushes, acrylic, and chip brushes.) • Spatula or pastry knife laser-print method • Glass Bead Gel • Mister bottle with water 1. Tape all the edges of the printed note: I like to use Glass Bead Gel for • Sponge with scrubber side paper to the clipboard with artist’s this technique, but you can also use Tar Gel (clear), Soft Gel (gloss), both are clear tape to help prevent buckling when • Hair dryer as glass, or Soft Gel (semi-gloss), which • Fluid acrylics applying the gels. would be slightly frosty. • Scissors, old 2. Apply a thin coat of gel medium with Non-stick surface: a plastic sheet 4. Carefully remove the tape and turn • the paintbrush (Figure 1) and allow protector, silicone baking sheet, or the paper over so the unprinted to dry. freezer paper side is facing up. Spray the paper • Tar Gel, clear 3. Add a thin layer of Glass Bead Gel with water to dampen the surface. • Digital Ground for non-porous over the image with the spatula, Alternatively, you can quickly surfaces spreading the layer as thin as submerge the entire sheet in • Inkjet printer possible. (Figure 2) Try to get the a bucket of water, removing it • Mask or ventilator glass beads into a single layer. If the promptly. gel is applied too thickly, the final • Archival Spray Varnish (satin) with ® skin is somewhat cloudy and it will 5. Use the scrubber side of the sponge UVLS (I use Golden Artist Colors distort the image. Allow the gel to to rub the paper off the back of the varnish.) dry completely, typically overnight. gel skin. Be gentle; do not scrub optional • Bucket of water

Creating Digital Artwork with Transfers, Collage, & More presented by clothpaperscissors.com ©F+W Media 8 Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

aggressively. The process of removing as needed and rub some more until note: The paint will not obliterate the fine the paper backing may take several all the paper is removed, revealing a details; the details are on the front of attempts. (Figure 3) transparent skin. the skin.

6. Use a low setting on the hair dryer 7. Working on the back side of the 8. Cut out the black background to dry the sheet and reveal the skin, add color with paint as desired. surrounding the image with the places where paper may still be (Figure 4) scissors, if desired, and add the image adhered. Dampen the sheet again to a piece of art. (Figure 5)

Creating Digital Artwork with Transfers, Collage, & More presented by clothpaperscissors.com ©F+W Media 9 Figure 7

Figure 6 inkjet-printer method note: The best choices for printers are protectors for this step, as they are ones that have a gentle L-shaped path. A the size of printer paper. Allow to dry. straight-through path is also very good. This application may take up to 2 Paths with deep S curves can create problems with this technique. days to completely dry. 4. Apply a second coat to the same side, changing the direction of the note: The Tar Gel has a nice leveling CAUTION: Putting acrylic skins through application to ensure that the entire a printer is most likely not covered by any quality to it as it dries that will eliminate surface is covered. Let dry several warranty. any brush strokes. hours. 2. Once dry, pull the skin off the sheet 1. Pour the Tar Gel onto the non-stick note: It’s important to remember which surface. Using a spatula or brush, protector, turn it over, and allow side you coated. The Digital Ground is spread the gel out to the approximate the other side of the skin to dry for completely transparent and, when dry, you size of a piece of printer paper. several hours to allow more moisture cannot see it. (Figure 6) I like to use plastic sheet to be released from the skin. 5. Tape the skin to a piece of printer note: Typically you need only one paper on 3 sides with the painter’s application of Tar Gel to create a sturdy tape to create a carrier sheet. skin to work with. CAUTION: Make sure that you are using 3. Pour the Digital Ground directly from an inkjet printer, not a laser printer. Laser the container onto the skin and spread printers use heat to fuse the carbon/ink to it with a foam brush to create a nice, the paper. Do not put a skin into a laser even, thin coat. (Figure 7) Let dry. printer!

Figure 8

Creating Digital Artwork with Transfers, Collage, & More presented by clothpaperscissors.com ©F+W Media 10 6. Place the taped edge into the printer and hit print. (Figure 8)

7. Digital Ground and inkjet ink are both water soluble. This affords you the ability to edit the print as desired. Using water and a stiff paintbrush, remove the parts of the image you don’t want to include. (Figure 9) In this image, I removed the wall around the girl and the dog.

8. Set the image if you plan to paint it. The easiest and quickest way to set the print is with Archival Spray Varnish. It will give you the best protection for your artwork and will seal the image. Figure 9 CAUTION: Archival Spray Varnish contains mineral spirits. You must wear a mask or ventilator and use it in a well- ventilated space.

9. Use the image as is or turn it over and paint the back, if desired, and then add it to a piece of art. www.pattibrady.com

Creating Digital Artwork with Transfers, Collage, & More presented by clothpaperscissors.com ©F+W Media 11 vacations remembered using digital collage

by crystal neubauer

ver come home from a vacation with a camera full of location photos that enobody but you and your fellow travelers seem to care about? Have you directions inherited slides and slides of scenery from your grandparents and have no creating the interest in setting up the projector, but still have a desire to pay tribute to their digital collage stories in some way? My inspiration came from vintage postcards. Their overall ethereal quality Special memories are meant to be paint to share your story in an exciting evokes an emotional response, connecting cherished and can become even more way. the viewer to the visual story. meaningful when family and friends are note: Digital collage requires some able to connect to them. As a storyteller knowledge of basic Photoshop or a similar note: I used Photoshop CS4 on my home speaks of the history of a family through photo-editing program. The second half computer. You will need to adjust these colorful descriptions and entertaining of this project is suitable for absolute directions according to the program or tales, you too can engage your audience beginners as well as more experienced version of software you are working with. by combining digital collage and acrylic artists.

Creating Digital Artwork with Transfers, Collage, & More presented by clothpaperscissors.com ©F+W Media 12 m at e r i a l s for digital collage preparing the 3. Open each of your scanned elements • Photograph or slide of a significant as a separate tab in Photoshop photo layers place or location (File>Open>browse to image). note: A photograph with a distinct 1. Scan all of your elements (vacation 4. On the vacation photo tab, use the horizon line or perspective that photo, texture, and transfer layer Rectangle Marquee tool to select leads the eye into the distance either images) with your home scanner horizontally or vertically works the entire photo then make a copy and save them to your computer at especially well. (Edit>Copy). a high enough resolution to allow • Scanner resizing. 5. Go to your blank canvas (Master • Computer with photo-editing tab) and paste the copy by first software such as Photoshop® tip: The standard for print-quality images clicking on the Move tool (arrow • Printer is 300 dpi (dots per inch), however you with crosshairs), and then paste • Photo paper, 60-lb. coated, satin will be limited to the size of the original finish (Alternatively, you can print photograph unless you scan at a higher (Edit>Paste). This will become a your images at a copy shop.) resolution. I typically choose to scan at separate layer from the background 600 dpi or higher for this reason. • Book cover or similar for a texture layer. Name this layer “vacation 1.” image scan (A worn canvas or 2. In Photoshop, open a new file 6. Resize the image to fit the canvas tattered leather cover makes a nice using the Free transform feature textured image.) (File>New) and name it “Master” × (Edit>Free transform). Hold the shift • Images and/or objects to scan for with a size of 81/2" 11" and a transfer layers: an old clock face, 300-dpi resolution. Think of this as key while grabbing the corner of the large bold fonts, antique papers, a your blank canvas. frame and drag the image to fit the playing card, copyright-free images canvas. Double click inside the frame from old books, maps, etc. to apply the change.

Creating Digital Artwork with Transfers, Collage, & More presented by clothpaperscissors.com ©F+W Media 13 m at e r i a l s for painting • Digital collage, created in first portion of project note: If you’re unable to create a digital collage, you can use a print of your photo with a selection of your own image transfers as a suitable substitution. • Canvas of choice (Choose one that is longer than wide.) note: My favorite canvas size is 6" × 18", but a standard size 6" × 12" works well, or create a triptych with three square panels, 6" × 6". • Scissors • Paintbrushes, a variety of sizes, both flat and round • Acrylic paints, colors to match your digital print (I use Golden Artist Colors®.) 7. Create 2 additional, identical layers • Pointy tool for making marks in the (right click>Duplicate) and name paint (I used tweezers.) them “vacation 2” and “vacation 3.” • Paper towel Make sure the layers are in order, • Gel topcoat with UVLS (matte, with “vacation 1” as the top layer. satin, or gloss) • Squeegee note: Click and drag the layers up or down • Small plastic spatula in the layers palette to change their position. • Yes!® Paste • Brayer altering the layers optional 1. To create a painterly effect, select • Stencils “vacation 1” and set the Gaussian • Gel medium, gloss your scanned texture by using the Blur mode to a radius of around 30 • Collage elements such as book (Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur). Adjust Rectangle Marquee tool to frame spine, product box ends, or as desired. the entire image and then copy it torn paper (Edit>Copy). Return to the Master 2. In the layers palette, choose tab and paste the texture image “Multiply” from the first pull down (Edit>Paste) to create a new layer. tip: If you desire, you may alter the tone and then set the opacity in the range Name this layer “texture” and place or mood of your digital collage by adding of 65–75%. Select the middle layer it between the “vacation 2” and a layer effect called “color overlay.” Find and adjust the opacity to 50%. the “fx” icon at the bottom of your layers “vacation 3” layers. palette and select the color overlay option 3. Select the “vacation 3” layer and 5. Resize, rotate, and move the (fx>Color overlay). Photoshop will select create a black-and-white copy of your texture image as desired with the a default color to apply, but you can image (Image>Adjustments> change it by clicking on the color box to free transform feature (Edit>Free Threshold>adjust to suit). the right of the “Blend Mode” drop down. transform), and then adjust the Adjust the opacity to suit and experiment 4. To create the texture layer, go to the opacity to suit. with the blend mode until you achieve a Texture Scan tab. Make a copy of satisfactory result.

Creating Digital Artwork with Transfers, Collage, & More presented by clothpaperscissors.com ©F+W Media 14 Figure 1: Note how the print extends beyond the first square panel. Figure 2 making digital your digital collage, but remember, sometimes less is more. Limiting your directions image transfers elements to just a few adds a subtle 1. Working from one of the tabs of effect that supports your photo, rather creating the the objects you have chosen than overpowering it. painting (i.e. clock face, playing card, number, In my painting, I desired to achieve an etc.), convert the image to black-and- saving and printing old worn and tattered textbook effect, white using the threshold feature 1. Save the Master at the full one whose original color would be (Image>Adjustments>Threshold> 81/2"× 11" size for future use, and then difficult to determine. I wanted it to look adjust to suit). prepare a second copy for printing by scratched and scuffed, like it had been 2. Select the black portion of the changing the color mode to CMYK carried around for many generations of image and separate it from the (Image>Mode>CMYK) and flattening school children. white background (Select>Color the image (Layer>Flatten image). The idea here is not to paint an exact Range>Sampled colors>Shadows). 2. Resize the image (Image>Image size) replica of the scene in your digital Copy the selection (Edit>Copy) and so that the width of the digital collage collage, but rather to extend the eye from return to the Master tab. Paste the is the same as the width (or height, print to paint, as if the viewer has been image (Edit>Paste) and name this depending on the orientation of your caught in the midst of a daydream. new layer after the object photo) of the actual canvas you have (i.e. playing card). chosen to work with. In my sample the preparing the 3. Resize the object using the free width is 6". Save the image as a PDF or canvas transform feature (Edit>Free jpg file at 300 dpi. 1. Cut the digital print to size and keep transform) and place it where 3. Print a color copy of your image. You the original close by as a reference. you want it using the Move tool. can either print it yourself or save it to If you are working on a triptych and Experiment with the position of this a memory device and bring it to a copy the print will extend from one canvas layer between the other layers until shop. Either way, the image that will be to the next, go ahead and make those you are satisfied with the effect. glued down should be printed on good cuts now. (Figure 1) 4. Continue adding digital image quality photo paper. transfers until you are satisfied with

Creating Digital Artwork with Transfers, Collage, & More presented by clothpaperscissors.com ©F+W Media 15 bubbles and warping in your paper when you glue it down.

2. When the topcoat is dry, use the plastic An optional stencil layer spatula to spread a very thin layer of was added to this canvas. paste over the canvas in the area you Figure 3 will glue your print, and a second very thin layer of paste on the back of the print. The first few layers will 3. Place your print on the canvas and be brighter and more use the brayer to roll out any air intense in color than the bubbles, squeezing the excess glue final. As you proceed, out to create a flat, smooth bond. continue to add scratches, Having the topcoat on the print will splashes, and random allow you to easily wipe away any streaks as desired. excess glue. 2. Determine which paint color sets the 6. Work toward the top layer. Place your 4. Once the glue has set and dried, undertone of your painting. Using digital collage on the canvas and lay add any extra details. I like to add a large wet brush, cover the entire a ruler along the horizon line or on small paper collage elements at this canvas, including the sides, in quick, any architecture you are mirroring point, but sometimes I wait and uneven, carefree strokes. to help guide your brush. Whether add them over the final coat of your color is an exact match or not, 3. Using the pointy tool, add scratches topcoat. (Figure 3) the eye will see the 2 sides as 1 image at random, revealing the white canvas. when it has an unbroken line to 5. Optional: To add detail with a stencil, Sprinkle a few drops of water over the follow from print to paint. brush on a very thin coat of the gloss canvas and gently blot the canvas with gel medium, lay your stencil in the a paper towel to add even more texture. 7. Use a dry brush of white to add worn wet gel, and add a second coat of gel Allow this layer to dry completely edges, light, and brightness, or use medium over before proceeding. black to tone down the painting, the stencil with the plastic spatula. create faux scuffs, and add mood. 4. Add more layers. For the second and Quickly and carefully lift the stencil Allow the painting to dry overnight. consecutive layers, I worked in more from the canvas, and then allow the The paint needs to cure all the way of a dry brush technique, blending piece to dry 24 hours before adding through. (Figure 2) as I worked. I allowed my eye to the topcoat. mix the color on the canvas rather tip: than attempting to perfectly match putting it all Details of the stencil can be emphasized by lightly dry brushing color a shade from the digital collage. I together over the stenciled image once it has scumbled some colors, dry brushed 1. Test the color copy for colorfastness completely dried. and blended others. Work intuitively; and then coat the print with the don’t get caught up in a perfect color gel topcoat in your desired finish. I 6. Brush a layer or 2 of the gel topcoat match. brush the topcoat on full strength to over the entire piece, both digital and emphasize the brushstrokes, but you painted side, including the stencil 5. Lay your digital collage in place on may thin the topcoat and use a fine detail if you added one. Allow to the canvas frequently for reference. brush to get a smooth finish if desired. dry. Do not let the layering process scare crystalneubauer.com you. Walk away and come back tip: It is very important to do the next with fresh eyes. Remember this is step before gluing the print to the canvas; an impression, not an exact match. otherwise you are more likely to get air

Creating Digital Artwork with Transfers, Collage, & More presented by clothpaperscissors.com ©F+W Media 16 Adapted from Cloth Paper Scissors® January/February 2009 art-ography by Chrysti Hydeck enhance your work with digital art

ention digital art to a mgroup of artists and at least one person will proclaim, “There is no way I could ever do The result of the photo and journal layers mixed together. that.” When using a computer I now have a lovely, artistic photograph, or a background for future use. to create, an intimidation factor

comes into play that even some But digital art doesn’t have to be that image. No harm, no foul. Think about of the most creative minds are complicated. Often, the most difficult each step individually, versus focusing reluctant to tackle. It’s very easy to step is simply starting. As with any on the big picture, and suddenly it’s not other medium of art, you don’t start out quite so scary. Take a few moments to understand why. Open any graphics creating complex pieces. You take baby familiarize yourself with the basics of program and you are immediately steps, you practice, and as your comfort your preferred graphics program. Use bombarded with unfamiliar level and confidence increase you take Internet search engines to find easy- on new challenges. With digital art, to-follow tutorials. Familiarize yourself terminology, controls, and options mistakes can easily be fixed, supplies with what I think is the most critical that most of us would find confusing, aren’t wasted, and when all else fails step any digital artist should use— or at the very least overwhelming. you can revert back to your original layers. They are a perfect starting point

Creating Digital Artwork with Transfers, Collage, & More presented by clothpaperscissors.com ©F+W Media 17 Original photograph (see Creating a Dreamworld instructions). Scan of a background I painted in my mixed-media journal. I re-sized the scan to fit my photograph (left) and set the journal page as a new layer. The blend mode chosen was overlay, with an opacity of 85. m at e r i a l s raw with my work. I wanted it to be more I chose my mixed-media artwork to use • Camera organic. In my soul, I needed to feel as if as textures, but I often use photos of • Photos and scans of I owned each element. pavement, scans of paper, and close-ups copyright-free textures or of plaster walls to add interest to an backgrounds for use in your art Enter photography—or, as I like to call otherwise boring photograph. Lower the • Computer it, Art-ography. By taking and processing opacity of the different layers, adjust the • Graphics editing software with my own photographs, I can incorporate hues, and experiment a bit to see what layering capability these images into my artwork. I am provides you with the results you like. • optional free of the hassles that come with • Scanner and printer researching copyright, and my work has creating a been transformed into something far richer, far more personal. With the help dreamworld and the fastest way to obtain the creative of my scanner and computer I can easily 1. Using an original, unedited photo, results you crave. Marie Otero wrote process my images to look like vintage duplicate it and create a new layer. a fantastic primer on layers in Issue photos, re-color or crop them, combine 2. Select the new layer, and use the 2 of Cloth Paper Scissors, and it’s an them with my handmade works, and Gaussian Blur filter at a radius excellent place to begin. Another great much, much more. Simply put, I can of 30. This adds a nice, ethereal reference is Gloria Hansen’s two-part customize an image to suit any one quality to photographs, gives them a article: “Digital Design Principles” in the of my needs. Just one photograph can painted feel, and makes details pop. June/July and August/September 2008 yield thousands of spectacular results. Experiment with the blur radius for issues of Quilting Arts Magazine. Digital art opened doors for me, and I’m different results. convinced it will for you, too. why create 3. Set the layer mode to multiply, with digitally? an opacity value of 75. I also decided to increase the brightness and As a mixed-media artist, I rely on images texture tricks contrast on that same layer. to tell stories in my paintings. I love what Now, let’s play with textures and layers. I do, and creating has always been very The following effects were all achieved 4. Create a third layer. I used a scan fulfilling for me. Yet, solely depending on using basic steps and playing with layer of an old piece of paper for texture stock and copyright-free images held me blend modes. Try these techniques and increased the saturation on that back; a part of me never felt like my work alone, or combine them to see what you layer, to bring out the golden tone. was completely my own. I craved to be end up with. For these demonstrations

Creating Digital Artwork with Transfers, Collage, & More presented by clothpaperscissors.com ©F+W Media 18 Above: Original photograph (see Faking a Transfer instructions). Above right: Scanned art for the second layer. Right: The two images merged together.

5. I experimented with the blend modes. I chose soft light and left the opacity at 100. faking a transfer 1. Take an original, unedited photo, convert it to black-and-white and increase the contrast.

2. Scan a piece of your art and add it as a second layer. I set the blend mode to multiply; the opacity was left at 100 percent. • Layer different photos on top of one create a handmade book using your 3. The final result is of the two images another to create a digital collage, or prints. merged together. You get the effect of mimic a double exposure. a gel transfer, without all the mess! • Use one of the many online printing These are merely jumping-off points; services. Turn your work into t-shirts, note: You can combine the basic where you take them is entirely up to gallery-wrapped canvases, postcards, techniques mentioned in both previous bookmarks, wall clings, and more. examples. I experimented with different you. Give yourself permission to play. Practice and experimentation are the blend modes and opacity levels, and I • Use digitally altered photos of your key to success! duplicated the original picture several times. pets and children in lieu of vintage counterparts. more layer ideas how to use • Just journal, baby! Journals are the • Duplicate your photo and make perfect place to store snapshots of several new layers of the same your images your life. Print them as a photo, picture. Make one layer black-and- • Start a photo-a-day project. At the transfer them, gesso and paint over white; give another layer a sepia tone. end of your pre-determined time them—there are lots of options. Experiment with the blend modes period (a week, a year, a month), and the opacity levels and see how it affects the toning.

Creating Digital Artwork with Transfers, Collage, & More presented by clothpaperscissors.com ©F+W Media 19 • Print photos onto fabric paper and • Chipped and peeling paint successfully, it will often dominate a create a cloth book, pillow, quilt, or photograph. A crumpled-up, old piece • Carved tree trunks tote bag. of paper tends to complement a picture • The backs of old tombstones rather than overpower it. • Print onto canvas or fine art paper, and then mount it on a piece of wood. Subtle textures tend to produce the best christyhydeck.com Embellish, add paint, and seal it with effects; while a bold image can be used beeswax.

• Crop, print, and mount to an ATC- sized mat board so you’ll always have art on hand you can trade! take action

Adobe® Photoshop® has this wonderful, popular little feature that I have yet to texture see elsewhere: Actions. Actions can be created and downloaded for free, or they can be purchased. Though I am a thrifty kind of gal, it is the Action sets I have ­mania purchased from Nichole Van Photography that have become indispensable to me. Her sets are skillfully made, work correctly (something a lot of free Actions don’t), Despite the fact that there is an and she offers a variety of artistic photo finishes. The license allows me to use abundance of free textures offered on them in a professional capacity and the unique sets also give me some control for the Internet, creating your own allows customizations, a trait I find essential. After all, as no two photographs are the same, you the freedom to use them without why would I want to treat them as if they were? Her step-by-step prompts help me to restrictions and often yields a better further my Photoshop education, and the results are often breathtaking. quality image to work with. Still not convinced? Have a look! Textures are all around you. They are the often overlooked fragments that give our lives character. Go on a texture scavenger hunt to see what you can discover. Be open to the possibility of unexpected beauty. tip: Be sure your digital camera or scanner is set to take the highest quality photo/resolution it will allow. This will give Original, unedited photo. I cropped the image slightly, then used you greater flexibility in using it. Nichole Van’s Outdoor Color Pop Action. favorite textures • Cracked sidewalks and pavement

• Old baking trays and cookie sheets

• Painted or drawn backgrounds

• Papers: handmade, stained, wrinkled

• Vintage lace, organza, linen I used Nichole Van’s Tilt Shift + Color Texture I de-saturated the image and added my own • Old book covers, tile, dirty glass Action, then ran her Green Acid Tint Action film texture and vignette for a softer, vintage followed by her Vignette Action. look. • Stucco or plastered walls These edits took just a few minutes to perform, and the results shown barely scratch • Blurred light and scenes the surface of what Actions can do. If you have wanted to venture into digital art and photo editing, Actions are the perfect place to start. • Anything rusty and crusty

Creating Digital Artwork with Transfers, Collage, & More presented by clothpaperscissors.com ©F+W Media 20