Mixed Media Artist

Photoshop "stamps" are really easy to make. You’re actually using the Brush Tool, but instead of dragging it to paint with, you merely click it in place and your image is stamped onto the background. You can change the color of “ink” that you use, fool around with the opacity and blending mode, anything that you’d normally do in Photoshop . After I cut out my expanded square with an exacto knife, I mounted all the pieces onto white cardstock. Then I scanned it. So here’s how you can turn your scan into a Photoshop brush in 3 easy steps: 1. In the layers palette, double click on the background layer and rename it to layer 0. 2. Use the Magic Wand Tool to select the white background and delete it. Don’t forget about any white parts that are inside the square. 3. Go to Edit —> Define brush That’s it! Give it a name and start playing with it. Try painting with it too…you never know. I suggest saving your file in a folder outside of Photoshop as well. When you

Not every landscape photo is well-suited to the tranquil feel of this one. I look for strong lines, not too much detail, and water! As usual, when it comes to manipulations done in Photoshop , I can’t really give you exact settings for filters and colors. Each photo is different, and you’ll have to do some experimenting with your own. Still, here’s basically what I did: 1. Open your image file and duplicate it. 2. Apply the smart blur filter to the entire shot. I used a fairly high radius and threshold on this one because I wanted the water and sky very blurred. 3. Apply a layer mask, and fill with a black to white gradient, bringing back the sharper edges of the land and dock. 4. Add a channel mixer adjustment layer. Check off monochrome, and adjust the sliders to give you a good looking black and white shot. I usually keep red very low or even on zero, and make blue and red add up to around 100. 5. Add a curves adjustment layer. Lower the highlights so that there are no harsh whites.

Like all altered book projects, there are really no rules that must be followed. However, there are a few things that will make your life easier if you want to make one of these! The first tip is to use a box cutter to make the holes for your image or images. Make sure you’ve got a sharp new blade - book covers take some work to get through, and you’re much more likely to have skipping (and cuts!) if your blade is dull. I used clear silicone caulk and Elmer’s carpenter’s glue to create a “frame” around the cut out. When they are thoroughly dry, they both accept acrylic paint quite well. I also used the carpenter’s glue to attach the fabric to the one cover. I used acrylic paints on both covers, and added some texturizing media to the Homer cover before painting. I checked in with my favorite folks at the Altered Books yahoo group to gain the benefit of their collective wisdom. Here’s what I’ve been told: If the cover is shiny, prime, sand, or gesso it. Otherwise, not really necessary.

Back when I was using a film camera, I managed to collect tons of shots that were…well, ok…but certainly not remarkable. Fortunately, I saved them. All of them. (Remember our motto here: don’t throw out anything! I practice what I preach.) Anyway, I’ve learned a number of very fun and fairly easy altering techniques that can be used on photos, so if you have already thrown out all your duds, just have a handful of your digital shots printed out. Many techniques work on shots printed on either photographic or regular printer paper (like inkjet prints), but I like the way the real photographs respond the best. Your mileage may vary. Here’s what I did to these poor photographs: 1. Soak them briefly in water to soften the top layer. Rub all or parts of the photos with medium grit sandpaper while they are still damp. The “Long and Winding Road” is the only one that I thoroughly sanded. The others are selectively done. 2. Apply spots, streaks or lines of bleach. I used a Clorox pen on “Pictu