Sue Thomas

Sometimes, just sometimes, we have to be reminded of the tools that are available to us.

Although I will be continuing to create pages for this magazine, as I did for the previous magazine workshops. Here is the back page that I will be using once I have completed it.

Awesome! That must have taken you all of 2 minutes, once you decided on an image. ? lol

Playing around last night. I used the book cover mock up template from the blog. The spiral binding really isn't suitable for a magazine. I created my own ad for my magazine. Yes Carole, I featured everything stated on the front cover, at the time of creating the cover I added features on a whim, which I did manage to carry to fruition. A nice touch I thought to finish the workshop with. Another successful workshop, thank you.

Well, it's officially Autumn, and I really don't like these darker evenings and mornings. The days are only going to get shorter and shorter. For the last page I used yesterday’s (day 6) 2 mask layers that I edited. Using the edit selection tool I moved the masks to the opposite side of the page, using the guides to keep everything aligned. Mule deer in velvet.

I agree with Rene, I prefer this one too. I often use the blend mode, with a lighter solid coloured layer below. It often tones down the original top layer. You have total control on how much you want to tone it down by. Even try other solid colours besides white. Different colours will yield different results.

It never ceases to amaze me that although we all use the same templates, the end results are incredibly diverse, covering a multitude of topics and interests. What better way to be inspired whilst learning at the same time. We should all be very proud of our achievements. Whilst acknowledging, and giving credit to Carole. @Carole, I thought I would apologize, before the possibility of being reprimanded! (only joking!) lol

Instead of turning 4 masks into one I decided on two masks. Seeing as I featured the ground squirrel on the front over, and the magazine issue is a Spring one, I deemed it appropriate to dedicate a page to them. After all I have come to know quite a few of them very well, and they me.

I agree, I love their pastely (if that's a word) earthy toned palettes.

I'm on the ball this morning, as I'm off kayaking this afternoon. Day 5. Once I created the 2 masks as shown in the tutorial, I then used the edit selection tool to place the layers where I wanted them. The background paper is a photo of a pair of mining bees, which I used as an overlay, lowering the opacity greatly. I used the same font as for the Badger page. For those that may be curious or interested the wasp in the background of the sweat bee pic is a solitary wasp (Steniola species), they are ornately marked. (completely harmless). These gorgeous creatures are tiny, at around 8-10mm.

You would make an excellent fashion magazine designer, or any other magazine designer for that matter. Your unique style is perfect for the job.

My thoughts on your dilemma on choosing background colours: Unless you are going with a theme, then possibly you'd want some sort of consistency. Saying that it isn't as if you are trying to match colours on the same page. Each page tells its own story about a particular photo or topic. The colours in my opinion should reflect on the photo and topic. Take my wildlife magazine, I have used different backgrounds. They are subtle colours, for a magazine I wouldn't use bold colours. When creating a magazine you need to leave your scrap book hat on the shelf, as they are two very different creative disciplines.

I enjoy a cup of milky Camp. I can still buy it when I go home to Wales.

Double page. The double page was perfect for featuring the Raptors, as stated on the front cover. Some of the many Raptors that have graced me with their presence over the years, around this time of year.

Day 4. Actually Carole, I don't think it takes me that much longer to create my pages as it does for others to do theirs. The photos slip nicely into the masks. I didn't need to resize the templates, as I had already done that the first time we had the challenge. I'm confident in manipulating text ( vectors). The advert I took from one of my other pages, all I had to do was change the date and the title. The text I took from my notes, which I have used before. Nor do I have to worry about creating or using elements, as one does for a scrap page. Apologies for not adhering to the specs laid out.

Yes they do shed their winter coats, as do all animals. I can't think of any that don't. I have found their hair in and around the dirt after digging, and around their setts. Even insects, not all, specifically those that have exoskeletons. As they grow, they shed their old ones for a better fitting one. I have no end of photos of discarded grasshopper exoskeletons. You'd be surprised of how much wildlife there is living in urban areas. I don't have anyone to give me funny looks when I'm on my hands and knees delving in the under growth, or searching the underside of plants. Here's a macro shot I took of a discarded skeleton of a tiny grasshopper. That is when they are at their most vulnerable, waiting for their new coat to harden, which takes about an hour. I also have shot of them in the process too.

I see that you have found my Facebook post.

I've posted the first three pages of the workshop in facebook, for betting viewing.

Thank you ever so much for your complimentary words. It makes all the effort worth while, even photographing subjects. You certainly wouldn't want to antagonize them, not one little bit. They are at the top of the food chain. They are aggressive if not left alone. I keep my distance when I encounter them. Their fur is actually soft. I have picked some up that I have found laying on the ground, during a moult.

The front cover of my magazine read that there was going to be an article on the secret life of the badger. Here it is. Badgers are frequent visitors, they keep my rodent population under control. This lovely female was digging to get under the work shop, where several ground squirrels resided. I added a quote from rat, from The wind in the Willows

Day 2 page.

My pleasure, amazing what a difference changing one colour makes.

Shirley, should you want to change the colour of the borders in order to resubmit your page, this is what you will need to do. Are you familiar with the lock transparency tool in the materials palette, if so select it, then go to sections on the top tool bar, and select all. Then choose your colour and flood fill. Or once the lock transparency is selected, using the brush tool brush over the borders with your paint brush. Remember to deselect the lock transparency once you have completed the task.

I see there are already lots of wonderful pages submitted. To many to comment on each one individually. After being outside all day, I had time to think what theme I was going to go with. Autumn is in the air, with the trees changing their colours, it seems like only the other day that I was welcoming Spring. Hence, I have decided to go with a Spring magazine. I'm afraid I have created my usual magazine cover. If nothing else it may inspire and show what can be created using a single unedited photo and some text. The bar code is one of many I have created. I will be featuring Raptors, bees, the badger and more in the coming pages. SK is an abbreviation for Saskatchewan.

It was a pleasure! You resized the pattern perfectly, it isn't any longer a distraction, instead it enhances the overall layout, without taking the eye away from the photos.