Tuesday 13 September 2011

Less Is More Challenge Number 32

Had a very bothersome week because i upgraded my Windows from XP to Win 7.  Microsoft have decided not to include Photo Editor in this latest upgrade and because of this i’ve had to find another photo editing programme.  I don’t use Photoshop or anything like that, i enjoyed the simplicity of Photo Editor and only need one for basic photo editing.  Had a look around and decided on Photoscape v3.5 which is a free download.  So far quite easy to play in and doesn’t go too in-depth with layers etc.

I’m also using the new version of Windows Live Writer and again it is a tad different.   This time we have ribbons at the top of the pages which makes it easier to use and navigate.  I am hopeful that i will be able to resize my images in here and get them correct for web pages.   Enough waffle, it’s time to write about this weeks challenge.

Chrissie and Mandi have given me the HARDEST CHALLENGE so far,  i really struggle with double images, mirror images and dimensional projects.  Just can’t seem to get my head around what’s needed, what colours go where etc…I apologise if my entries are not up to standard but i had to have a go.  Please leave your constructive comments as always especially this week as i need all the help i can get lol.

First entry has 3 of the same stamped image as i wanted to make a border across my card, sorry if this does not comply with rules and i understand if it has to be excluded.  Still hope you like my efforts.

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Got out my old See-D’s leaves stamp set,  masked off the card to create the strip of colour and used DI Bundled Sage and Frayed Burlap for the background colour.  Also used DI inks Rusty hinge and Spiced Marmalade to stamp the leaves as wanted to keep the feel of the card autumnal. The sentiment is one of the first i ever purchased and is one of my favourites, sorry can’t remember who it is made by.

This one is for my friend who has two cats so wanted to put the with love sentiment on there as she really adores her cats and i am hoping she will find this amusing.  Now when you look at this card and wonder what’s not right i can tell you, it’s the wiggly lines i tried to draw to ground the images.  Really unsure how to do this and hoping to get some feedback to tell me how to do it correctly.

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The stamp is from a set of Halloween images and  been stamped using Versafine Black ink.  The sentiment border was bought second hand and the stamp manufacturer is not visible.

The technique i used to mirror the cats was to ink the stamp and roll a brayer over the top to transfer the image onto it, brayered the image onto the card first (left cat) so i could see where to place the next image so it looked mirrored (right cat).  Had to try this a few times on scrap paper first as i haven’t done this before and wasn’t confident enough to go straight onto cardstock.  If there are any tips on how to do this easier i would appreciate the help.

Last card has a definite Halloween theme and my first one this year. Enjoyed making this one as it was fairly straight forward.

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Stamped two large bats, wanted them to be larger than the house so the card would look slightly off balance… Once again i tried to ground the house with the wiggly line and i know it isn’t correct but have no idea how to make it look anchored. Do i need to add more of a background to achieve this perhaps???

All the stamps are from the same set as the cat came from, used Versafine Black ink for all the images and then watered down some DI Spiced Marmalade to colour the sentiment and the roof.  wanted the colour to slightly bleed as nothing is as it seems on Halloween....

Think this is one of the longest posts i have ever done, like to keep them short so you don’t get too bored! Sorry if this has gone on a tad too long.

Thanks for dropping by and leaving some wonderful comments.  I love to read them and am learning from your feedback so thank you for taking the time to pass on your wisdom and kind thoughts.

I also want to apologise for not commenting as much as i would like to and am hoping to spend more time this week visiting as many of your entries as possible Smile 

24 comments:

  1. Well my goodness you've certainly been working hard on this challenge... (apologies for deleting your link in a senior moment, but I rectified the matter post haste).
    You were asking about the shadows which you added on the delightful pussy cat card.
    From the angle you shaded, the light source would appear to come from behind the pussies in which case the shadows would have got broader the closer they got to the viewer, rather than narrower.
    If you wanted to get the ink in the same intensity on both images you would have to stamp the right side version on scrap before stamping on the card so as to match the brayer version which is kind of second hand ink!
    Brilliant work!
    Thanks so much
    Chrissie
    "Less is More"

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  2. Great selection of work and loving the cats

    Kathyk

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  3. I love all three cards, the cats is my fav I think. I am not an expert by any means lol but I like to add a grey line around my images sometimes using an (ice grey 1) promarker. It seems to make them 'pop' I then add a little under the image too going over it a few times to darken it.Chrissie seems to know more than me though, liking her ideas......we must steal them :O) Viv xx

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  4. Love the cats!
    I guess they could be a bit spooky, they dont have a shadow LOL


    Thank you, good to see you
    mandi
    "Less is More"

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  5. Three lovely cards - the leaf one is my favourite! Thanks for your comments, Sandra

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  6. Hey hun, wow THREE cards! Love the leaves, you have created the perfect autumn feel with that one. The cats are so much fun, and I really like that they are different tones. The third card with the big bats is super - I'm not sure about "grounding" the house - I'll have a little play and get back to you on that one, but it is still a great card. Hugs, Sxx PS. Thank you for your gentle wishes for the bad back hun - it's a bit more comfortable now. It's something that I've had to live with since a bad car accident in 1988 and thankfully this was only a short flare up.

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  7. PS Meant to say that I think you are sooooo brave on the IT front, I'd still be using 4.1 if it was up to me, ROFL!!

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  8. Three great cards, love the leaves. Carol x

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  9. Hee, hee, you're obviously just in a chatty mood! Your cards are great, favourite is the cats, never tried this mirror image technique bu it's a great idea. xx

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  10. I think your cards are lovely,especially the cats! I'm with Viv on the grounding technique just run grey PM along the base of the image. The mirror image is something I've learnt from this challenge when Tara (craftilicious)
    posted a tutorial on her blog and now your wonderful cat card:) Well done on producing 3 cards!
    Val x

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  11. Hi MOH, Don't knock your efforts, the Autumn leaf card is brilliant, love the colour tones. I really love the two cats and actually feel the shadow looks really good as it suggests low light to make the shadow long, you just need to do the same with the back legs too and make it fainter as you come away from the cats. Try it on scrap paper and see what you think :)
    The last card would have worked for me with just the two bats and move the sentiment upto them...depends how CAS you like your cards??
    Hope this helps, they are fab cards :0
    Jenny x

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  12. Meant to say that the chaise longue was an image I downloaded from the internet and not from Craft Artist. Hope you enjoy CA it's very easy with all the video help and is not technical at all. I use Picasa (free) for all my photo editing it's so easy:)
    Val x

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  13. What a busy lady! I love the leaves as well as the cats and the bats.

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  14. Wow they are all just great love the leaves and cats especially and will be following Chrissies advice too about shadows :-) x

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  15. very beautiful cards.. so CAS just like I like them..hugs

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  16. You have been busy, these are just great.
    Many thanks for your comments, I am pretty certain the bauble stamps are Papermania, but I cannot remember where I got them from.
    Beryl x

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  17. It sounds as if your upgrades have been rather successful but it's always time-consuming changing systems! Your cards are lovely and all very different. Everyone who's commented has already been very helpful but other suggestions for grounding images are scored lines, sponged areas and frames. And my top tip for stamping images where you want them is the good old stamp-a-majig!

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  18. Wow 3 very different cards. I like your autumn leaves, beautiful colours. The cats are brill, haven't tried this either but it's very effective. Your last card has a great spooky feel. x

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  19. Hiya, My you've been really busy again, we are all learning a lot from the questions you pose:0) I love the leaves card and the cats are cute and spooky too:0) I sympathise with you over the comp issues, it drives me crazy, we had a total collapse of the hard drive and I'm still on my borrowed lap top, not good but better than nothing:0)Hugs Gay xxx

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  20. I too am partial to the cats, but all of your cards are great. There is a free photo editor in Google's Picasa. I used it all of the time and it works very well. It's a free download.

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  21. Love those cats and it's been really helpful to read the comments about shading and grounding. You were kind about my "reflection" card but if you look closely it isn't a reflection, I just stamped the second one upside down and the stamp is reasonably symmetrical. So it's a cheat lol!
    Anne
    x

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  22. Well I don't think you need tips, you seem to be doing pretty OK on your own. These are lovely

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  23. Great cards,especially the cats.I just love that one!

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