Tomorrow is Friday... and I don't know about you... but, boy, am I glad! It's not that it's been a bad week, but there's just something about a Friday before a weekend that I know I'll be getting some scrapping therapy... makes it that much better, right?!
Well... I want to share with you a layout I created this week. I had a lot of fun creating it for a couple of reasons.
First of all, I had a beautiful kit to work with (which happens to be on sale right now!). To The Moon! by Kimeric Kreations is full of rich colors and textures, along with an amazing group of graffiti (I really LOVE graffiti!). Let's just say... it's outta this world! (I'm chuckling right now, just so you know...)
Second, I got to 'play' with one of my favorite photos of the kids. It's an older photo (from 2009), but it's always been one of my faves. I've paper scrapped it, but never digitally created with it. I have to give credit where credit is due... my dear friend Marni (Sonshine Photography) took this photo.
I wish I could tell you exactly step by step how to create the affect on the big photo... but, alas, I can't. I just played with it until I liked the way it looked. That's the beauty of art, right? You wouldn't want to make something exactly like mine, anyhow.
Which brings me to.... BLENDING. It's fun, creative, easy, and totally unique. If you are a beginner, this is something you may want to play around with. There isn't a right or wrong! I promise!
First of all... you'll find the Blending drop down here... (this is Adobe PS, but you'll find it in the same place in PSE)
Whatever layer you have selected is the layer in which the blending will happen, with whatever is behind it. So, I layered my photo on top of one of Kim's background papers.
After doing this, I just kept layering the photo, adjusting to different blending styles, and I even adjusted the opacity of my photo layer as I went. I hit the UNDO button A LOT (all hail the undo button), but I eventually ended up with something I really loved.
A tip about duplicating layers... you can duplicate a layer by clicking on it in your layers palette, right clicking, and choosing 'duplicate layer'. You can even duplicate a layer to a new 'untitled' project or something else you have opened by doing it this way. Just click on the drop down arrow under Destination in the action window.
The other way is the way I prefer (unless I'm duplicating it to another project)... Click on whatever layer you would like to duplicate in your layers palette... and then drag it to 'Create New Layer' (see photo)
Again, this is PS... the 'Create New Layer' icon is at the top of the layers palette in PSE. It will show up in your layers palette like this: Layer 3 Copy (or whatever your original layer is named - Copy). That way you can distinguish which one is which.
I really encourage you to play around with blending. I chose to start with a basic (slightly patterned) background, then eventually added a little color behind the photos as well with a textured background. I also used the graffiti behind the blended photo... which made it softer and a little less pronounced. There are so many fun things you can do... like make your own unique background by layering 2 backgrounds and adjusting the blending of the top one. You can use blending on Type to make it look more realistic (I prefer Overlay and Soft Light when working with Type).
Remember, there is no wrong way to make art! It's unique... it's beautiful... it's YOURS! Have FUN!
Please let me know if you have any questions. I taught myself about 98% of what I know about PS and PSE. Tutorials help tremendously... so does fearlessly trying things! I'm not an expert, but I will try and help!
I hope you all have a wonderful Friday! Happy Creating!
Many Blessings,
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