Carolyn Rye

On 6/24/2025 at 4:39 PM, Cristina said:

Wow, Carolyn, is this real? It's amazing how Max trusts Daniel to be quietly on top of his head. What a lovely moment!

@Cristina There is an amazing bond between Daniel and Max.  Daniel has Autism (borderline), and loves any wildlife including dogs and cats.
 

Day 7 Affinity.  For some reason I forgot how to do the mask for Affinity, so I needed to go back to another day in the tutorial to remember how to do it.  

This has been a great Workshop.  Thank you Carole.

Day 7 PSP I made it, and it was fun.  This is Daniel with one of his friends.

Thought I would add a frame to Daniels Superheroes Image. 

Day 6 Affinity.  This workshop has been so good.  I have used both PSP and Affinity and loved them both.  I think I may have done the background a little too red in Affinity so that is something that I will work on with other projects.

8 hours ago, Susan Ewart said:

Love the stitching Carolyn.

Thank you, Susan. This was by Janet Kemp - picnic day out.

Day 6 PSP. I loved learning how to do the background.  Thanks Carole.  Daniel had an amazing day out with his superheroes. 

Day 5 Affinity.  Finally finished day 5.  I have really learnt so much, particularly with Affinity.  Danial definitely enjoyed his day at the Adelaide Zoo.  He loves animals.

Day 5 PSP.  Danial loving a day at the Zoo while he was visiting us in Adelaide.

Day 4 PSP.  Trying to catch up.  Hoping to get 1 more day today with PSP and Affinity.  Our wonderful photo of Daniel showing his teeth.

28 minutes ago, Cassel said:

Great work everyone!

@Jeni SimpsonThose are two great pages. I am glad to hear that you are having fun with the brushes and the mask.

@Jean NaumannWhenever you have a photo with an edge, it is a bit tricky to get rid of it, especially if you don't have much space around the subject. I guess some photos will be easier to handle that way than others. And that couple in Port Arthur look better without the pattern!

@Harmony BirchGlad to see you start this workshop. It is never too late to start. I love that font you used for the first "Beyond Ragnarok" page. If you find that the plaid is overpowering, you can size it down, or lower its opacity while adding a solid color below. Using multiple brushes for a single mask is very common! Boy, you are catching up fast!!!

@kasanyIt is interesting how yo used the mask, yet it is not completely blocking the rest of the photo, which still shows in the background. Very creative!

@Jannette Nieuwboer Maybe we can have a Zoom session to try to figure out what is happening. Hopefully it is only a simple issue.

@Ann SeeberGreat mask for that starling. Those feathers look like they are bordered with gold! Using a monochrome noise with the linoleum effect gives a nice subtle effect.

@Jacquessuch a simple yet powerful layout. Simplicity gives all the attention to the photo! Great page. Great use of that "ink" brush on the mask. how did you use AI? Did you use one of the effects in PSP?

@Robert GarrettYeah, Mary Ann really does not look thrilled!! I am glad you are enjoying this workshop so far.

@ClarineDid you use a mask at all? Your linoleum background looks great!

@fiona cookDisplacement maps will yield very different results depending on the image used. You can really have fun with that command.

@Bee KellyWith the photo taking much of the page, it is interesting how the kaleidoscope does not look like the typical "circles". It is very subtle all around. Great result. Interesting that you added black frames instead of the typical white one. It is very suitable for those pictures.

@Sue ThomasI personally prefer the Linoleum effect to the voronoi one. I find that the voronoi is "too defined", but that is a personal taste.

@Corrie KinkelI am not a fan of the voronoi either but I had to find something "somewhat similar" to the other one in PSP. That is the best I found!

@SharlaAlthough I personally would not have added a shadow to the masked photo, it did turn out quite nicely!

@Hank SobahFollowing the method and then adding your personal touch is exactly what we would expect. Those pages are so colorful!

@CristinaThat is an interesting idea to use those textures only on a section. It probably shows more on the full-size project, right?

@Sharon MurrayThat plaid is so colorful and surprisingly, since the photo is also very colorful, the plaid does not take over the photos. For your photo that is not as vivid in Affinity, is there a difference in the default blend mode or opacity?

@Lynda DiGregorI like how you added a "pattern" or a texture to the frames around the small photos. And yes, someday, we might visit that city! (the further i have been is Detroit)

@gwen jewittGreat layout to showcase that dancer! I love the colors!

@Gerry LandrethI never thought of adding a large blur to turn the voronoi effect into a grunge texture. Good idea.

@Donna SilliaYou can review the Vector Workshop for Affinity if you want directions on how to create text on a curve.

@Susan EwartYou are NEVER spending too much time with those layouts. It is a project well worth that time!

@Connie CollierThat bubble background looks great! I think it helps showcase your photo beautifully.

@Carolyn RyeIs that a mask you made or a ready-made one you used?

@Linda RexfordI think the radial blur is actually a great effect to put the focus on the subject. Great choice!

See you tomorrow!

@Cassel It was a ready-made one which I adjusted.

Day 4 Affinity.  Daniel showing his teeth 🙂

Day 3 Affinity.  Daniel having a happy birthday.

Day 3 PSP.  Daniel's Birthday.  Such a happy time for us all.

Day 2 PSP.  Daniel at the Beach having fun.

Day 2 using Affinity.  Daniel loved to have fun around water.  

Day 1 using Affinity.  I find using masks a little easier with Affinity.  Thank you, Cassel, for suggestion to brush off some of the white on my PSP version.  I did this with the Affinity one and yes, it looks a lot better and clearer.

Day 1 PSP.   My 5th grandchild and 4th grandson, Daniel, as a baby.  Any moment we have with him and his brothers, is precious.

56 minutes ago, Sue Thomas said:

Here is an example, which will better explain  what I was  getting at. You don't need to feel silly, as we were all beginners at sometime or other.  There are several ways to achieve this,  firstly, you should still have the vector letter, by using 'from vector object', in the selction tool bar, invert, delete.  Probably, the best option for you is to  use the eraser tool. I added a shadow, to demonstrate that  the pattern used in the letter, isn't in the  holes (counters as they are called)

Now I understand.  The pattern in the middle of the letter B.  I had the pattern in these.  Thank you so much Sue.

On 6/2/2025 at 6:04 PM, Sue Thomas said:

 

On 6/2/2025 at 6:04 PM, Sue Thomas said:

You have done a grand job, in fact everyone has.  I was pleasantly surprised how easy it is to use so many tools in Affinity.  May I suggest  that you remove the  background paper from the counters in the letter B.  In typography the counters are the  negative areas  which are enclosed or partially enclosed by the letter. In other words, I believe it is  not part of the  letter itself.

Edited Monday at 06:10 PM by Sue Thomas

Thank you, Sue, I really appreciate your comments. I am feeling a bit silly asking this, but I do not understand what your mean.  I still have so much to learn but I tried to look at the image to see where I need to remove the background paper from the counters in the letter B. Can you please help me further with this?

Lesson 6 using Affinity.  Decided to add a little extra just to prove to myself that I could do a bit more.  Used some extra layers and masks and also the Tube around the letter B.

Lesson 7 Affinity.  I can really see the advantage of using both PSP and Affinity.  Each have their own specialties. How can we add more vector brushes to our Affinity resources?  Would be great to learn to do this. Just gives a bit more to play with 😆.

Lesson 5 Affinity.  This was very different to PSP.  Some parts better with Affinity, some maybe PSP better.  Anyway, it doesn't matter because it is all learning. I did have a bit of fun doing the image below

4 hours ago, Cassel said:

@Linda RexfordThe gradient you used gives a great 3D effect to your cup. That cat looks grumpy. Is he/she?

@AprilDawnYou do what you can with the time you have. And you can always practice later as time allows.

@Carolyn RyeDid you convert the nodes to smooth? That would make them into curves. For the issue with your B, it might be a setting in your Brush.

@Sue ThomasWith that sign, you will get many customers!

@MoniqueN.They question about grey text in the Layers panel has nothing to do with being active or not. Any "default" name (like "pixel") that Affinity gives to a layer, will be grey. If it is a name of an element you "Placed", or renamed, it will be black. There are more details to that, but that tells you all the layers are still "active". And yes, the plan is to have the Bootcamp again in September. For cutting the circle, you will learn that on Day 7. But you can also rasterize the vector and erase with the Eraser tool or the Selection tool.

@Cristina I also LOVE those Geometry tools! As for the colors, you are correct: if you want to keep the "inside" outline, you have to keep those segments separate.

@Jeni SimpsonGreat cup and fun quote!

@Euka Great result, even with one "missing duplicate".

@JacquesWonderful result. The top photo made me smile 🙂

@Corrie KinkelFantastic! I am amazed that you manage to make a whole page for each lesson (almost).

@Sharon MurrayTo answer your question, you cannot have ONE shape with TWO colors. Each color is "enclosed" inside of a path. Even if you were to try to Add two shapes of different colors, you will see they will turn to one color. I see you found the "cat tool" 🙂

@Gerry LandrethGreat assignments. Everything is so well thought out.

@RaymondGreat shape. You are getting the hang of it.

@gwen jewittVery creative use of the shapes to get your text along that edge.

I am very impressed by how creatively you are displaying your assignments. It is very inspiring.

If you had fun until now, wait until tomorrow!!!

@Cassel I will try your selections.  Thank you.

Lesson 6 Affinity.  I did the first example ok except that I did not notice the jap on the upper right bit.  I know how to fix that now.  My problem now is, why do I keep getting the extra gold bit on the inside of the letter B?  I have redone that section over and over and each time it done the same thing. I then tried it with another Letter, and it appears ok. Do not know when the problem was.