Glenda's Blog

I only completed one quilt top this month.  It is my take on a quilt in the Jan/Feb 2012 issue of McCall's Quilting called Tessellation Blues designed by Maria Umhey.  I chose to use some autumn colors instead of blues. It was a fun quilt to make but required concentration because each block had to include colors of the adjoining block.

I spent most of the summer working on charity quilts.  It was a very hot summer here and there was a limited amount of time I could spend outside.  I worked on my quilting skills.  I had not made a quilt using the log cabin pattern before; I decided to try it. I was really encouraged; it was a lot of fun, and relatively easy.  I decided to make another. This one used blue and some really wild red. Let's do another. This one used green and gold. The centers on this one were from some fabric that had pictures of bears.  This time all the blocks were aligned the same.  I had almost enough material to make them all the same, but not quite. I did one more log cabin - this time on point. The centers of this one are printed redwork that I cut from some interesting fabric.  The outside log on the center six included a row of lighter color to define the blocks. I made several more quilts.  All will be donation quilts to the Covers for Kids program. Notice the pictures are getting

This assignment is harder than it looked at first.  I feel that I was less successful in completing this project than I would have liked; but, I feel that I learned more and was more comfortable with Photoshop than in previous works. In my first attempt, I took the pictures all wrong.  I chose a triangular flower bed native wild flowers.  I circled the area, moving all around it.  All I got was lots of the same picture from various angles and they were very difficult to piece together.  I started over.  Next I chose a fountain in the garden.  I methodically moved around the perimeter (which conveniently has a circular walk) taking a picture of the center every three steps.  This was very successful at capturing the central garden (of very similar hedge).  However, to do the fountain in the middle justice, one would need to get higher up and take a shot from above.  I was unable to do that.  So I attempted to combine several views of the fountain by creating a slice and duplicating. 

In this exercise we learned to make a Rotoscope a short modified video.  First we took a short film of some action.  Then we loaded the video to Photoshop the 32 bit version.  Frames were added or deleted to get to approximately 100 frames. One of the methods of adding was to select two frames and use the "tween" to generate frames in between. Using filters and adjustments we modified the video, frame by frame.  Artistic filters were able to change the picture to look like it was one of various methods of art such as charcoal, oil, chalk, palet knife, plastic, plaster and bas relief, etc.  Other filters included various distortions and also various textures.  Some of the textures included mosaic tiles, patchwork and stained glass. The image could also be distorted with the adjustments that we learned earlier: Edit, transform, distort and warp. After I had modified each frame, I used a downloaded brush to add butterflies and even a few birds.  I added a title page and agai

I have learned that I must write everything down, at least initially until I use it many, many times.  I need to start a chart of all the shortcuts. In the Architectural Fantasy Project I needed to be reminded, again,  to keep the lighting intensity the same on all the picture components. I really liked doing the architectural combination, once I got started.  However, it was hard for me to think of something creative. The first one I did included foliage.  I duplicated part of this and "flipped" it to make it larger.  Then it was necessary to add a few more shrubs so it was not identical.   I learned that it is hard to have the foliage  look like the  top layer without individually cutting out each blade extending upward.  I was fascinated  by the idea of combining long hallways, appearing as choices the viewer can make. The next one is more of a fantasy, playing on the idea of going inside something that allows one to go deeper and deeper.  In each one I tried to incl

            After transforming the picture of ourselves last week, we learned to include ourselves several times in the picture.   I made two of these, one with pictures taken outside and on with pictures taken inside.   We learned to adjust the levels of lighting, with the command image, adjustment, levels (or curves). We learned to add “speech bubbles” and to insert text with various fonts from the free websites.   This allows the characters to share their words or thoughts with the reader.   Then we made a comic book page.   We started with a blank canvas and added several pictures.   Then we added text.   This could be in the form of a speech bubble, as above, or one we made ourselves using the circle or elliptical marquee and adding the arrow with the polygonal lasso.   We also added a banner that is straight or distorted or warped.   Again the type could vary, include a bevel and or a shadow.

The assignment was to   take a picture of ourselves and create a character of the past and one of the future.   The emphasis was on the "Liquify" (under Filter) command and the use of various brushes that are available from the internet. For the past I chose to try to depict a photo as Sacajawea.   She is a person in the past that I admire.   She led Lewis and Clark and party half way across the United States.   She not only saw to their needs but took care of her infant son as well.   I included an authentic period dress; and I placed her in front of a large lake.   I created a filter for the lake background because it was too bright.   I changed the color of the face to make it less pale.  It was necessary to use "hair" brushes to create a different color of hair.   I used "liquify" to help create the braids. For the future I created a character of myself reincarnated as a cat.   Here "liquify" helped distort the face.   I used "fur&

This class is one of the most challenging I have had here at Richland.  But I always enjoy a challenge and I am enjoying this class. It makes me realize how hard it is to learn completely new things – things not related to other things you already are comfortable with – but entirely new things.  It takes using those commands about 10 times before I can remember them. While working on the Rico Cluster I learned about additional fonts available on the internet.  How helpful; and they are so much fun. I also learned that my life is not so much a “cluster” but, more a set of diverse tangents. As we got into virtual space I immediately realized that you can no longer “believe everything you see”.  It is now possible to create a picture of almost anything.  What fun it is to combine various pictures, and design and brand new reality. I learned to save often and not necessarily on top of the last save.  Sometimes you may want to go back and pick up in the middle of your process.  Sometime