Mask Workshop (2024)

[Cassel]

@Bonnie Ballentine The Linoleum pattern is very addictive. It always gives something slightly different so it piques your curiosity! Your style is very simple and always focused on the photo as the star.

@sharon thompson If you use a monochrome noise, the effect will be more subtle. If you want something bolder, use a multicolored noise. That is one way to control that. You mentioned that you converted the abr brushes using a freeware. What version of PSP are you using? You can import them directly in PSP starting with version X5. Check this video. The ability to open a font and have it available in PSP is not something that came with PSP, but it was a Windows feature. That was lost with Windows 8 (I think). I used to LOVE that feature. Since then, I have always used TheFontThing, which still works on my Windows 10.

@Susan EwartI tend to find the point-to-point selection a bit frustrating as I find that it is hard to stop midway, and if you make a mistake in the selection, I find it harder to fix. Your Palette-1 layout is so colorful! That is a very creative way to use masks. About the Palette-2, isn't that interesting how the shadows will give a completely different effect?

@Harmony BirchMaybe your shadow had a horizontal offset but 0 for vertical. At least, that is what it looks like, which is similar to a typical shadow when the element is rotated afterward. That font is nicely used!

@Jen Brown Be careful with the kaleidoscope effect: it is addictive! LOL

@kasanyThe little caterpillar and butterfly come from where? I have seen those shapes before.

@MoniqueN.A simple brush tip can give a great result. You don't need anything fancy. And when you can play with the Brush Variance palette, it opens a whole world of options.

@Anja PelzerYour use of the brush blends it so well with the photo. Great result.

@Sue ThomasI would not know what a spanner is either! I heard a plumber call it an adjustable just yesterday. That was new to me too.

@fiona cook It is great that you chose a font to match the photo. It makes your layout very cohesive.

@Gerry LandrethAre you posting a different image? I still see the shadows on the top left of the title. Using snowflakes instead of polkadots is still using the same technique!

@Ann SeeberYou used the corner punches in the mask? That is a cool idea.

@Marie-ClaireThat last photo of Poncho makes me smile. How can you resist such a face?

@Donna SilliaThat is quite a large kaleidoscope pattern! It is fun how to make that title look like a layered font.

@Corrie KinkelAdjusting the blur of a mask is one command that you can do and it will suit your photo/project.

@Carolyn RyeAs I have mentioned to others, be careful as the kaleidoscope and the linoleum patterns are addictive!

I have been getting several requests for a "Brush Workshop". That was not in my to-do list for this year, but I might add it. I had something else in the pipeline, but I guess I can change that.

[Susan Ewart]

1 hour ago, Cassel said:

About the Palette-2, isn't that interesting how the shadows will give a completely different effect?

I agree.  It was fun to just play and see what else I could do.  I really enjoyed this 3rd time through.  I'm a lot braver than in the past and trying things I dont know how to do and figuring out the ways to do it.  Some successes and some pretty dismal failures, but I feel really good about it all. I'm going to rewatch the selection master classes and read the blog posts now that I have a better comfort level of understanding.  I think it will be more beneficial this time around.  But first, I must get to that Day 7 lesson (probably by Wed).  Thank you for the support and another wonderful workshop.  So many beautiful and interesting layouts from everyone.  

[Susan Ewart]

1 hour ago, Cassel said:

I have been getting several requests for a "Brush Workshop". That was not in my to-do list for this year, but I might add it. I had something else in the pipeline, but I guess I can change that.

Oh man, what was in the pipeline?  Might it have been a workshop we'd all die for....like Vectors 2! I must agree, I need big time brush help. That's a few more master classes for me to re-watch.  Is there a saying, "Too many workshops to create, not enough time to host them!" I might need a 48 hour day, but you surely need a clone of yourself for all the workshops you want to create and teach.

Edited February 19 by Susan Ewart

[Carolyn Rye]

Day 7 and I have managed to learn so much.  All I have to do now is remember everything.  Cassel, I do not know how you have managed to retain all this information.

When my little grandson found it too hard to learn something, he would say to me - too hard to do.  Now I know what he meant.

[Ann Seeber]

5 hours ago, Carolyn Rye said:

Day 6 with the Mask Workshop.  I have be able to learn so much.  The new way to doing backgrounds is great and fun to do.

Outstanding linoleum, Carolyn. When I did mine, I liked it so much I started saving just the linos as papers in my stash and went on to create it in various colors. Is Tracy the person or the pup?

[Jen Brown]

22 hours ago, Susan Ewart said:

I love the kaleidoscope (and the picture!), it's really pretty and eye-catching too.

Thank you for your kind words.

[Jen Brown]

Many thanks for lesson 4. I love the watercolour brushes that you gave us a link to, they are so much fun to use.

[Emerald Jay]

Lesson 7 Font used Rockwell Condensed

Thank you for the workshop.  I thoroughly enjoyed it, Carole.

Edited February 19 by Emerald Jay

[fiona cook]

11 hours ago, Cassel said:

@Bonnie Ballentine The Linoleum pattern is very addictive. It always gives something slightly different so it piques your curiosity! Your style is very simple and always focused on the photo as the star.

@sharon thompson If you use a monochrome noise, the effect will be more subtle. If you want something bolder, use a multicolored noise. That is one way to control that. You mentioned that you converted the abr brushes using a freeware. What version of PSP are you using? You can import them directly in PSP starting with version X5. Check this video. The ability to open a font and have it available in PSP is not something that came with PSP, but it was a Windows feature. That was lost with Windows 8 (I think). I used to LOVE that feature. Since then, I have always used TheFontThing, which still works on my Windows 10.

@Susan EwartI tend to find the point-to-point selection a bit frustrating as I find that it is hard to stop midway, and if you make a mistake in the selection, I find it harder to fix. Your Palette-1 layout is so colorful! That is a very creative way to use masks. About the Palette-2, isn't that interesting how the shadows will give a completely different effect?

@Harmony BirchMaybe your shadow had a horizontal offset but 0 for vertical. At least, that is what it looks like, which is similar to a typical shadow when the element is rotated afterward. That font is nicely used!

@Jen Brown Be careful with the kaleidoscope effect: it is addictive! LOL

@kasanyThe little caterpillar and butterfly come from where? I have seen those shapes before.

@MoniqueN.A simple brush tip can give a great result. You don't need anything fancy. And when you can play with the Brush Variance palette, it opens a whole world of options.

@Anja PelzerYour use of the brush blends it so well with the photo. Great result.

@Sue ThomasI would not know what a spanner is either! I heard a plumber call it an adjustable just yesterday. That was new to me too.

@fiona cook It is great that you chose a font to match the photo. It makes your layout very cohesive.

@Gerry LandrethAre you posting a different image? I still see the shadows on the top left of the title. Using snowflakes instead of polkadots is still using the same technique!

@Ann SeeberYou used the corner punches in the mask? That is a cool idea.

@Marie-ClaireThat last photo of Poncho makes me smile. How can you resist such a face?

@Donna SilliaThat is quite a large kaleidoscope pattern! It is fun how to make that title look like a layered font.

@Corrie KinkelAdjusting the blur of a mask is one command that you can do and it will suit your photo/project.

@Carolyn RyeAs I have mentioned to others, be careful as the kaleidoscope and the linoleum patterns are addictive!

I have been getting several requests for a "Brush Workshop". That was not in my to-do list for this year, but I might add it. I had something else in the pipeline, but I guess I can change that.

A Brush Workshop sounds good. This Masks workshop, although I did it before, I have got a greater understanding this time around. Thank you Carole for all you put in to it.

[Marie-Claire]

DAY 6
Bird : free png (pngwing)
Nature element : Commons (digitalscrapbook) Elisabeth Minkus
Font : Alegra

[Susan Ewart]

1 hour ago, fiona cook said:

A Brush Workshop sounds good. This Masks workshop, although I did it before, I have got a greater understanding this time around. Thank you Carole for all you put in to it.

Me too.  Like a high comfort level and less "freak out" moments.

[Gerry Landreth]

11 hours ago, Cassel said:

@Bonnie Ballentine The Linoleum pattern is very addictive. It always gives something slightly different so it piques your curiosity! Your style is very simple and always focused on the photo as the star.

@sharon thompson If you use a monochrome noise, the effect will be more subtle. If you want something bolder, use a multicolored noise. That is one way to control that. You mentioned that you converted the abr brushes using a freeware. What version of PSP are you using? You can import them directly in PSP starting with version X5. Check this video. The ability to open a font and have it available in PSP is not something that came with PSP, but it was a Windows feature. That was lost with Windows 8 (I think). I used to LOVE that feature. Since then, I have always used TheFontThing, which still works on my Windows 10.

@Susan EwartI tend to find the point-to-point selection a bit frustrating as I find that it is hard to stop midway, and if you make a mistake in the selection, I find it harder to fix. Your Palette-1 layout is so colorful! That is a very creative way to use masks. About the Palette-2, isn't that interesting how the shadows will give a completely different effect?

@Harmony BirchMaybe your shadow had a horizontal offset but 0 for vertical. At least, that is what it looks like, which is similar to a typical shadow when the element is rotated afterward. That font is nicely used!

@Jen Brown Be careful with the kaleidoscope effect: it is addictive! LOL

@kasanyThe little caterpillar and butterfly come from where? I have seen those shapes before.

@MoniqueN.A simple brush tip can give a great result. You don't need anything fancy. And when you can play with the Brush Variance palette, it opens a whole world of options.

@Anja PelzerYour use of the brush blends it so well with the photo. Great result.

@Sue ThomasI would not know what a spanner is either! I heard a plumber call it an adjustable just yesterday. That was new to me too.

@fiona cook It is great that you chose a font to match the photo. It makes your layout very cohesive.

@Gerry LandrethAre you posting a different image? I still see the shadows on the top left of the title. Using snowflakes instead of polkadots is still using the same technique!

@Ann SeeberYou used the corner punches in the mask? That is a cool idea.

@Marie-ClaireThat last photo of Poncho makes me smile. How can you resist such a face?

@Donna SilliaThat is quite a large kaleidoscope pattern! It is fun how to make that title look like a layered font.

@Corrie KinkelAdjusting the blur of a mask is one command that you can do and it will suit your photo/project.

@Carolyn RyeAs I have mentioned to others, be careful as the kaleidoscope and the linoleum patterns are addictive!

I have been getting several requests for a "Brush Workshop". That was not in my to-do list for this year, but I might add it. I had something else in the pipeline, but I guess I can change that.

Carole - the 2nd image had revised shadows. It seems I made a bad design choice. Below is an image of how I got to that place. The left one is what I started with followed by the routine shadowing. The third is a cutout of the title with the fourth showing the shadowing. This is the one that I used. Had I put that on top of a solid color or a subtle pattern, the eye would have seen it for what it was. However, putting it on top of a bold and colorful pattern confused the eye. Using the original title, the eye would no longer be confused. From a little detail comes an important lesson, which is why I enjoy these workshops.

Edited February 19 by Gerry Landreth

[Bonnie Ballentine]

11 hours ago, Cassel said:

@Bonnie Ballentine The Linoleum pattern is very addictive. It always gives something slightly different so it piques your curiosity! Your style is very simple and always focused on the photo as the star.

@sharon thompson If you use a monochrome noise, the effect will be more subtle. If you want something bolder, use a multicolored noise. That is one way to control that. You mentioned that you converted the abr brushes using a freeware. What version of PSP are you using? You can import them directly in PSP starting with version X5. Check this video. The ability to open a font and have it available in PSP is not something that came with PSP, but it was a Windows feature. That was lost with Windows 8 (I think). I used to LOVE that feature. Since then, I have always used TheFontThing, which still works on my Windows 10.

@Susan EwartI tend to find the point-to-point selection a bit frustrating as I find that it is hard to stop midway, and if you make a mistake in the selection, I find it harder to fix. Your Palette-1 layout is so colorful! That is a very creative way to use masks. About the Palette-2, isn't that interesting how the shadows will give a completely different effect?

@Harmony BirchMaybe your shadow had a horizontal offset but 0 for vertical. At least, that is what it looks like, which is similar to a typical shadow when the element is rotated afterward. That font is nicely used!

@Jen Brown Be careful with the kaleidoscope effect: it is addictive! LOL

@kasanyThe little caterpillar and butterfly come from where? I have seen those shapes before.

@MoniqueN.A simple brush tip can give a great result. You don't need anything fancy. And when you can play with the Brush Variance palette, it opens a whole world of options.

@Anja PelzerYour use of the brush blends it so well with the photo. Great result.

@Sue ThomasI would not know what a spanner is either! I heard a plumber call it an adjustable just yesterday. That was new to me too.

@fiona cook It is great that you chose a font to match the photo. It makes your layout very cohesive.

@Gerry LandrethAre you posting a different image? I still see the shadows on the top left of the title. Using snowflakes instead of polkadots is still using the same technique!

@Ann SeeberYou used the corner punches in the mask? That is a cool idea.

@Marie-ClaireThat last photo of Poncho makes me smile. How can you resist such a face?

@Donna SilliaThat is quite a large kaleidoscope pattern! It is fun how to make that title look like a layered font.

@Corrie KinkelAdjusting the blur of a mask is one command that you can do and it will suit your photo/project.

@Carolyn RyeAs I have mentioned to others, be careful as the kaleidoscope and the linoleum patterns are addictive!

I have been getting several requests for a "Brush Workshop". That was not in my to-do list for this year, but I might add it. I had something else in the pipeline, but I guess I can change that.

A brush workshop would be great! Could you include Suz Shook's script for making custom brushes from pngs and for custom brushes from dingbat fonts? The mask workshop has been a blast! Thank you, Carole!

 

[Ann Seeber]

Finally got to finish Lesson 7. Here is daughter, Deb's, Big River Farm that she has turned into an Airbnb. It seems folks want to get away to a rustic environment! Who knew? It does have all the mod cons so there's that. It has about 5 cabins on the property, but the largest one is the rental. The title font is "Things We Said." The text font is "Witch Mystery." (Because the title font is a bit quirky, I tried to follow up with the text font in the same vein.) The redwood tree illustration is from pngtree. 

[Corrie Kinkel]

5 hours ago, Jen Brown said:

Many thanks for lesson 4. I love the watercolour brushes that you gave us a link to, they are so much fun to use.

Very simple but very beautiful!

[Corrie Kinkel]

1 hour ago, Bonnie Ballentine said:

A brush workshop would be great! Could you include Suz Shook's script for making custom brushes from pngs and for custom brushes from dingbat fonts? The mask workshop has been a blast! Thank you, Carole!

 

Bonnie that is a great idea, so I second this!

[Marie-Claire]

DAY 7
Font: AR CARTER, Brad : by Magnolia (Digitalscrapbook, blog train Oct.21)
Cat on photo is PLUCHE, our friends' cat that I take care of when they are on vacation

[Marie-Claire]

I would also be happy with a bruch workshop!

[Marie-Claire]

I did the little pop up Quiz  😄 my score is 9/10, I got the cat's name wrong 🤭

[Susan Ewart]

Me too.  And I've done the quiz before.  I always want to to call the cat Slippers.  If I ever get another cat I want to call it Slippers.

[Ann Seeber]

4 hours ago, Susan Ewart said:

Me too.  And I've done the quiz before.  I always want to to call the cat Slippers.  If I ever get another cat I want to call it Slippers.

You remind me, #Susan Ewart. During the Vectors class you posted a photo of a cat with a waving tail with the label "I'm too sexy for my tail. I'm too sexy for my tail. Imagine that!" My question, is that your cat? If so, what's it's name? I was so impressed I printed it out and it's on my office wall... 😽

Edited February 20 by Ann Seeber

[fiona cook]

4 hours ago, Marie-Claire said:

I did the little pop up Quiz  😄 my score is 9/10, I got the cat's name wrong 🤭

Me too but I felt good that the PSP ones were right. Must be flook or a good teacher!

[Susan Ewart]

5 hours ago, Ann Seeber said:

You remind me, #Susan Ewart. During the Vectors class you posted a photo of a cat with a waving tail with the label "I'm too sexy for my tail. I'm too sexy for my tail. Imagine that!" My question, is that your cat? If so, what's it's name? I was so impressed I printed it out and it's on my office wall... 😽

Oh Ann, I'm so happy you liked that picture.  And my heart sings, knowing it's on your wall.  This was a super friendly cat on a walk around the neighborhood.  Every time I crouched down to get a picture he/she kept coming toward me.  My husband played with it for a bit and it would roll around for tummy scratches of all things....to a complete stranger!  Isn't it just a beautiful cat.  We have another cat from the 'hood called Snoop (he has a collar) who comes and spends the day lounging in my back yard or going into the garage if my hubby is out there.  He very much wants in!  I've even phoned the owner to see if it's okay that he is at my house visiting (outside, never inside), and he even came into the part of my gym that is in the little garage and acted as my very judgy trainer. The owner was surprised at how far away he was.  I'm hoping to build a catio for my cat girls.  I couldn't live with them roaming the 'hood, I'd be a basket case of worry.

[Marie-Claire]

4 hours ago, Susan Ewart said:

Me too.  And I've done the quiz before.  I always want to to call the cat Slippers.  If I ever get another cat I want to call it Slippers.

I also chose Slippers 😄

[Susan Ewart]

Day 7  I made it!

This too me a long time to futz around with.  The keyboard keys was a separate photo that I merged in, the zigzag and lightning bolt are brushes (the zigzag might be from Corel?).  And guess what I found out....the diagrams from the pencilsketch2 are also brushes I have.  that way I could add them where I wanted.  I ran the script several times, changing the edit of the photo each time.  that gave me lots of hatch to choose from and I used a mask to get the best of the city buildings (computer circuit boards).  The "moon" is the disc from inside a hard drive as are the other elements, except the upper left "cloud".  the red flare is a brush too.  the font is Avalors (CF) and I duplicated it, turned the bottom version to a raster and blurred it.  the font itself had a humongous stroke, by accident of clumsy fingers, and left the tiniest space for fill so I went with it. the keys were taken off the keyboard (that my work was recycling) and lined up as it was, I didnt leave enough space between.  I took forever (and the cats got banished because they'd undo my work as fast as I was doing it).  tonight I'll get started on the Build a Kit.  I see everyone has started off with a creative bang!

Thank you for the workshop Carole.  I pushed myself more in this one.  

 

Edited February 20 by Susan Ewart