Easy Pocket Journals Mini Workshop

Although I have zillions of journals, imagining new ideas for creating journals, is one of my favorite things to do.  So many times, my journals get heavy and are not convenient to carry around.  Then add pens to the mix and the whole transportation thing becomes cumbersome.  So my thoughts have been about constructing journals that are smaller and more portable.  In this workshop we will explore two of those types of journals.

Both the journals covered here are light weight and portable.  One is constructed from watercolor paper that is digitally printed on each side and the other is made from recycled pocket book pages.  This is short and sweet, ending small interesting journals.

This workshop is free to KathyAnne Art members. Be sure to sign in.

Non members go to KathyAnne Art Tutorials under Collections.  The workshop is $9.95.
Once you pay for the workshop, you will be able to download the PDF instructions.

Digital Collage Workshop Part 2

Digital Collage Workshop Part 2

In this mini workshop, we will use some of the techniques from  part one of “Digital Collage Workshop”.  In Part 2 as we take a cursory look at 3 different types of digital collage, you will be able to apply what you have already learned and learn other ways of putting those techniques together.  Transfer the ideas in this part of Digital Collage Workshop to your own images and expand on the ideas presented.

As usual, this workshop is a process workshop.  Get familiar with the process and tweak it to fit what you want. Learning how to use Photoshop or Photoshop Elements is entirely personal.  Everyone is looking for something diferent from their images and using these tools is no exception.  Once you work a photo type software long enough, you will find your favorite ways to manipulate images. Your favorite techniques will, by accident at times, take you to other ways to express your  new way of thinking.

One thing is for sure, the more you work, the better you get.  Take the time to develop your images and your style.  It’s amazing what can happen when you continue to expand what you know.

This can be an enjoyable ride.  Don’t take what you do too seriously.  Remember the undo command is just a fingertip away.

This workshop is one of my "Free to Members Monthly Workshops"  All mini workshops on KathyAnneArt are free to members.

Non Members, the workshop is $15.00

Digital Print on Alternative Surfaces: Skins and Metal Mesh

My new workshop is online the subject, Skins and Metal Mesh, how to create and how to digitally print.  Here is an intro video from you tube.

New Mini Workshop on Digital Collage

Each month KathyAnne Art members can download a free mini workshop.  This month's "Digital Collage Mini Workshop" gives instructions for both Photoshop CS4 and Photoshop Elements 8.

This workshop depicts simple ideas on combining images, without much work but creates wonderful results.  It's easy to use these ideas on your own images.  Most of the images used in the workshop,  are  available for download on the site.  The url for those pages are in the workshop information.

Discover what works for you and develop unique compositions with your photographs and images. 

The more you play with photo software, the better you get.  This will be the first of 2 mini workshops on Photoshop and Photoshop Elements.  Next months we will go into more ideas on how to combine and collage images.

Members the workshop is free, just sign in.

Non members, the workshop is $15.00

Using Images to Create Patterns

Here’s a cursory demo “Using Images to Create Patterns” that is the same for both Photoshop CS4 and Photoshop Elements 8.  

I will briefly explain this process with an image from the KathyAnne Art site - The image title is Journalpage_leaves and it is on page 9 of the Journaling Section.  These instructions are the same for both Photoshop and Elements.  The only difference is the menus are slightly different in both programs.  Since it is great to learn something and remember it, I am only going to tell you what to do and let you find out where it all is.   

Open your image.

Then make a selection using the marquee tool  (set the tool on fixed size with a height and width of your choosing.  I use 4” x 4” on this sample)

Open a new file (command n  mac) (control n pc)

the same ppi as your original image and twice the width and height as the original selection.  (My new file is 8” x 8” with 240ppi)

Copy and paste the selection to the new image file.

Now make another copy by either (command j mac) or (control j pc)  

Move both the selections to the top of the box to where the edges meet.  

With one of the layers selected, flip the section horizontally.

Next merge the 2 layers till they are one and copy that layer by (command j mac)

or (control j pc)  and move that layer to the bottom.  

Flip the bottom or top layer vertically and merge them again.

Define pattern under edit

Test your pattern by opening another new file.  Open it larger then your pattern.  I opened a file that was 12” x 12”.  Then fill your new file with the pattern from the pattern palette.  

That’s it, simple.  You made a pattern:) 

Amazing Texture with Synthetics

Synthetics fabrics and surfaces are interesting additions to mixed media artwork and journals.  After a recent trip to Joann's Fabrics, I added a few of these surfaces to layers in some of my works in progress.  This all came about during my "Extreme Textural Surfaces" workshop in Alaska last month. We played with many different synthetic fabrics, with interesting results.  One of the exercises for the textural workshop started with a piece of heat distressed felt.  Each student then interpreted the exercise using the felt in their own way.  The results were incredibly creative.

After returning to my studio, I composed this min-workshop to digitally print and heat distress synthetics and combine the surfaces in a composition.  My work often uses tyvek and lutradur, so I worked with polyester, nylon and organdy.

This workshop is free to KathyAnne Art Members.  A monthly member benefit is the mini- workshops.  To date the mini workshops free to members include: Dying Watercolor Paper, Creating a Background and Frame from an Image, Garbage Journals, Printing with Epson PM 360, Putting it all Together:Assembling Digitally Printed Surfaces, Enhance Surfaces before Printing and then this months Amazing Texture with Synthetics.  You can download these and other tutorials from  KathyAnne Art> Collections>Tutorials

Non Member price for the workshop is $9.95

Photoshop Elements 8- Making Puzzle Texture

Here is a quick tutorial on making a puzzle from an image.  This will work on other versions of Photoshop Elements, but I did this one in Photoshop Elements 8.

KathyAnne Art has mini-workshops, tutorials and on-line workshops.  To see what is available visit-
Tutorials on KathyAnne Art