Layouts: The Winter Coast

A couple of layouts with pictures from beach walks. The sunsets seem so much more colorful in the winter, I'm not sure why. And today was fraught with fog, and the waves were crashing really far out, creating old man dreads rippling towards shore...



I've done nothing to the photo except crop it (then invert it and take a bit out of the lower part), and only used some brushwork on the background to get it to blend... Font: King.



All 2Peas: 3 papers in the background by Veronica Ponce (Venice Beach kit) with different directions of layer masks overtop, and 2 swirls by Rhonna Farrer (V14 and V4 Swirls). Fonts: 1913 Underwood and You Are Loved. No journaling--'nuff said!

Illustration Friday: Balloon

Word of the week: balloon



I always dread the post-prandial stupors of the holidays, and the way I seem to balloon...

Beach Layouts

Even in the winter, we spend most of our sun-time at the beach...

Ocean Of Light: I really use up lots of time going through the different permutations when it comes to layer blending modes, but boy does it pay off. This paper on the bottom ended up perfectly conveying the swirling depths of the ocean, and I blended it easily with the top photo layer by using a layer mask on the photo and a fat, sheer brush to ease the transition from the dark sand into the paper.



Credits: All Designer Digitals, Katie Pertiet: Stacked Photo Clusters No. 2 for the frame, and a beautiful paper blended into the bottom from the Surf Shak Paper Pack. Do you see the giant Japanese crab lurking in there? Those things are impressive--photo is from a trip to the Oregon Coast Aquarium. Font: Last Words. Journaling reads:


"There is the ocean of light
Shimmering sunset paths of lilac and gold,
Foam green curls and jolt of white;
Even in a storm there are still
Twenty shades of gray scattered across
That moment where sky and water meet.


And there is the ocean of the deep.
I had nightmares when we first moved here.
I dreamt of inky depths and deaf blindness;
Of monsters half tooth, half hunger;
I sensed lurkers in every puddle and pool.
You cringed at the constant growl of waves;
I protected us cautiously, wary of the tide.


Now, I have learned to hear its echoes
Rushing in long waves through my blood;
Still, at night when I hear that startling
Crack of a wave collapsing at high tide,
I fear I have conjured up some vast creature
Scuttling in from the cold black waters
Headed straight for me."

Thought At Work: The color in this photo is really vivid and lovely, but wasn't quite congruent with the reflective look on his face, so I opted to desaturate it, then change the Hue/Saturation back to "colorize" and picked a color that didn't make him look sickly or alien. =) I've also really gotten into the softened black and white: duplicate the image, and use a fairly heavy gaussian blur on the lower image (I used about 4.5). Then, either use overlay, soft light, or screen on the upper layer and watch the image lighten and soften!



Credits: All Designer Digitals. Lynn Grieveson's Essentials paper for the background; everything else by Katie Pertiet. Patterned paper and stitching from the Botanical Fusion kit, tag from Lil Bit Tags, flower from Crumpled Flowers (and from the 30 minute chat), twill from Shell Collectors No 4 kit, leafy branch from From My Porch Brushes, tiny birdie from the Little One Layered Template, and title alpha from Grimey Alpha. Font: butterbrotpapier. Journaling reads: "Whether you're speculating about the life path of a star or what might happen if two black holes were to collide, or you're pondering how to construct your latest architectural invention--usually involving trains in some fashion--you get this look: a completely intent yet faraway stare that only tangentially comes near to conveying to us what neuronal storms are firing away in that precious little head of yours."

Sand Golf: I love this transparent alpha by Erica Hernandez at 2Peas--you can really add dimension and meaning to your layout without sacrificing real estate. The stitching leading the eye around the spiral of images is hopefully suggestive, without being over-powering...



Credits: All 2Peas. Background paper by Kate Teague (Paint It), and stitching linking the photos also by here (Worn Out kit). Alpha by Erica Hernandez (Vibe freebie). Font: butterbrotpapier (what would I do without that font, sheesh!).


Journaling reads: "We went for a lovely hike around Cape Perpetua, and you decided the beach needed a channel connecting all the little puddles -- a "sewer system." But I swear it looked like you were playing golf -- especially with Daddy's cap on!"

Scale: Uh, this took a while. =) Lots of blending, clipping...



Credits: All Designer Digitals. Background paper by Katie Pertiet (Naturally Krafty). Splotches are combinations of Anna Aspnes's Floral Art No. 2 or Foto Blendz Clipping Masks No. 10 clipped to papers by Lynn Grieveson (Essential Bases, Kiwiana) or Anna Aspnes (Something Springy). Also by Anna Aspnes are a page border (Something Springy) and a corner swirl (Hipster Plumes Korners N Edges No 2). Katie Pertiet also provided an overlay shell design (Beachy Clusters), as well as stitching holes (Stitching Hole Borders) and stitches (Once Upon A Time kit). Bottom edge border graphic by Mary Ann Wise (Natural Borders), and finally, the page edges are by Lynn Grieveson (Worn Page Edges). Fonts: Monika Italic and 1942 Report. Journaling reads:


"We stand on one side of the bay,
looking into the deep horizon,
lost in the sky, anchored unsteadily
to the side of the cliff. We feel so
small.
And we look down
and witness this amazing snail,
snuggled under a crevasse,
busy foraging in his own, tiny world.
The snail, the lighthouse, the waves:
all sublime, no matter their
relative size."

PS: Just looking over my post to make sure everything came through all right, I was struck in the last layout at the similarity between the capital S of "scale", and the foam on the wave above it. I just LOVE these subconscious synchronicities!!!

Font Freebie: Tall Drink

Just a little font I made today using Art Rage, Illustrator, and Photoshop... (and a Wacom, of course.) Click to download...

Illustration Friday: Opinion

Word of the week: "opinion" -- I hope writing can be part of the illustration... (Click for larger, (mostly) legible version)



opinion

once
i saw a little scene
a father screaming at his son
hitting him on the shoulders
right where he knew the child
had a terrible sunburn

my opinion of this man
was not the most flattering

another time
i spoke with a man and his wife
about churches (this was in the South)
and listened to their reasons
for attending at least every two weeks
which was the minimum a man
of his standing
could afford to go they told me

my opinion of these reasons
greatly informs my skepticism

i have heard white people
scoff at the possibility of parity
between themselves and a black person
i have heard black people
scream hatred at 200 year old oppressors
who happened to be born 20 years ago
i have felt the spit of apoplexy
from women burned by men
and i've shrivelled under the scorn
of men whose mindscape includes no females

opinions

the grip of emotion
the shadowscreen of our lives

opinion is not often
reason

Bohème Sophistiquée Freebie

Not sure why I made such a huge kit, but there ya go. It's two separate uploads: 1 is the paper pack, and the other are the elements and quickpage. Here's the layout I made with the kit and turned into the quickpage:



The preview image is linked to the element pack, so be sure you come back for the paper pack! Please remember that 4shared is being really difficult with comments, so do leave some on the blog. It's my only pay! =)



Element Pack
Paper Pack

Angel Hartline Designs

Joined a new Creative Team, Angel Hartline Designs--a somewhat different direction, but I think it'll be fun!

Credits: Everything from Angel Hartline Designs. All papers and flower from "It's A Good Life" kit, except for the two whitish ones that I scribbled on myself (I also made that little curled bit up there). Swirly bit from Music Flourishes 2. Wordart and ribbon-washer-thingie from Tranquillité kit. Frame from Blessed Part 1. Font: butterbrotpapier. Journaling reads:

"a boy
a stick
sand and water
nature's sketchpad"