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

Printing Uncommon Surfaces on the Epson PM 260

New Mini Workshop on KathyAnne Art

This month’s mini workshop is “Printing Uncommon Surfaces on the Epson PM 260”. The workshop pdf is 6 pages and takes you through my entire process using the PM 260 to print uncommon surfaces.

When teaching workshops, this printer sometimes does most of the printing for the workshop.  It is easy to use and will print many fabrics and papers.  It will even print on aluminum and fiberglass screen.

This compact photo printer is really versatile.  My original idea for this printer was to

print on the road, just in case I wanted to create journal pages, or test a new print in the design stage.  Now it is used more for teaching workshops and does an awesome

job.  Just remember if you are going to use surfaces other then what Epson intended, your warranty will be null and void.   That said my Epson PM 260 is 2.5 years old and without serious incident. 

You can purchase this workshop at KathyAnne Art.  If you are a member the workshop is free.  As a member, sign in and then put the workshop in your cart.  At check out the workshop price will be $0

For all others the workshop is $15.00 visit the KathyAnne Art website or buy now at PayPal

Text Play in Photoshop Elements 8

This tutorial about filling text with patterns, is written for Photoshop Elements 8, but Photoshop users will be able to see how to use it with their software also.  It's pretty simple.

A short tutorial with a couple of images for download on the KathyAnne Art Site. 

Links for these 2 images are in the tutorial and can be copied from the bottom of this post.

Members can download the background and pattern for free.  The downloads are $3.00 each for non-members.  Any questions? Contact KathyAnne!

Background link: Background 11
Pattern link: Yosemite Falls 5

Mini Workshop: Putting it all Together-Assembling Digitally Printed Surfaces

My new Mini Workshop is ready and on-line.  This month's free to members workshop is
"Putting it all Together: Assembling Digitally Printed Surfaces.  This workshop follows the construction of a variety of surfaces being assembled.      Introduction follows:

The workbook for the workshop is 15 pages with pictures throughout to show what is created on each composition.  KathyAnne Art members be sure to log in so you will get the workshop at no cost.
Free to KathyAnne Art members .  The workshop is $15.00 to non members.

Non- members go to KathyAnne Art  or