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I spent last night working on my assignment for the Photoshop class. Worked with some simple tools to create an abstract design, with basic elements of rectangles, circles, ovals, and triangles. I was pleased with the one posted below, but I wanted to try some more – especially since I have several more days before the new lesson comes in!

One of the things I was thinking about as I was doing this was how long it has taken me to finally free up the creativity so that the “picture” doesn’t have to be perfect or “look like something.” I’m sure so many of us harken back to elementary school and the need to create a picture within parameters, and consequently our creativity went to permanent sleep on us. Mrs. Ross (long since dead) insisted my snowflakes didn’t fall in a perfectly straight line. I didn’t know how else to glue them on – I wasn’t much of a random person, and design had to be ordered. Both of my abstracts are “ordered,” to my way of thinking, and yet there is a random “pleasingness” (a word?) to my way of looking at them.

Now for some of the nitty-gritty: I keep forgetting to do a new layer each time, but I am getting better at that. Remembering to “stroke” needs work – I find I need to write color numbers down, so that if I choose another color for the stroke, I can revert back to the exact ones I am using as my primary colors. As you can see, I like working in primaries. I discovered in the marque tools how to do single lines – rows and columns. So I like that added dimension. I ended up dumping one of the layers because it just drew my eye too much to that one shape and didn’t let me roam around the picture. I do feel there is an anchor, a focal point, with the black rectangle.

The Tucson Gem and Mineral Show starts today – I have a list of stones and beads for some of my “in process” art pieces – lots of fun over the next two weeks! The first time I went to the show, about 6 years ago, I was amazed at the amount of color in “rock.” Little did I know…..

Sometimes it seems like Friday will never get here, and this week was one of those. Last night as I was working on my Photoshop class, I kept thinking it was Friday night and I could sleep late, only to remember I still had another school day to go!

I had more fun with the Photoshop class – LaunchPad A by myJanee.com – it is a beginner’s class, and while I could do some of the things in the first lesson, I still learned lots. I’ve attached my first “playing around” – an abstract just using colors and basic shapes.

The motivation for me was to use primary colors, which I love, and just to see if I could create some pleasing shapes. I was happy with the project. The materials for the lesson are extremely well organized, detailed, and easy to follow. I have been looking to take a class for so long, even since Janet from MMU showed me the collage she had created with her photos from Africa. I’ve played around over the years, but there are so many ideas that have been percolating for years, that I feel I am finally getting to work on them! Who knows, maybe the t-shirts and quilt patterns will finally happen!

Linda

I finally did it! I set up a blog so I can write about our marbling and related art thoughts. I’ll be posting photos of the new Photoshop class I am starting. Be kind – I am learning how to take criticism!! This has been something I have been meaning to do as a way of recording process and product, and at the same time motivate me to do more fiber work. And…I can tell my students I am finally “almost” as technologically savvy as they are!