Critique Clinic – March 16-18, 2012
How does it work? For three days a week (Friday-Sunday midnight), I will open the clinic to any artist who wants an honest peer review and critique of a card which gets plenty of clicks but no sales, so something’s probably not quite right, or you’ve got a new design you want to test drive, or you’re unsure about the marketability of a card. Or perhaps you’re a newbie who isn’t sure if a recently submitted card is up to a marketable standard. Anyone is welcome to participate. In fact, I encourage everyone to at least look at the cards in question and read the critique comments – you may learn something. The purpose of the clinic is to help artists improve the commercial appeal and marketability of their cards.
THE RULES
- ONE card per artist only.
- Card must be for sale at Greeting Card Universe.
- We will take an unlimited number of artists, including those who have submitted recently, HOWEVER I reserve the right to close a clinic for the day if the submissions become overwhelming. If the clinic has been closed, and you submit a card, your comment will be deleted.
- To submit a card for critique, post a link to the card at GCU in the comments section of this clinic post. Allowances will be made if you’ve had a card declined, or made a new design you’d like advice on. Give us the link where we can see the card, such as your private gallery, Flickr, etc.
- Any artist is free to comment and/or give a critique of a submitted card. HOWEVER, post-and-run comments like “great card” or “you suck” will not be tolerated, nor will abuse. Criticism should be constructive, not destructive. Play nice or you will be banned.
- I also won’t tolerate temper tantrums if you decide your “artistic integrity” is being stepped on because you asked for a critique, and someone told you the photo you’re using isn’t in focus. If you can’t take honest criticism, don’t submit. Once gets you a warning; twice and you’re banned from submitting in the future.
- Artists who critique may do so by giving their opinion, posting an example of another card, or pointing the submitter to a video, on-line article, or other helpful suggestion.
- Don’t forget that artists who are giving you tips and helpful advice are volunteering their time and trouble. Be nice. A link back to their store on your website or blog is appreciated (but not mandatory).
- You are free not to take any advice offered. There’s no guarantee any card will be a bestseller, so don’t come into the clinic with unrealistic expectations.
- Rules may change as we go along and we see how things turn out, okay?
So without any further ado, I declare this week’s Critique Clinic open!
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Inspiration Station: Public Domain Photos
Here’s a topic that some of you should find interesting: photographs in the public domain.
Now before you get all excited, let me explain that public domain photographs are not necessarily free to use commercially with no strings attached. Some sources require an “image by” credit. See “Credit Where Credit Is Due” by Doreen Erhardt for more helpful information on that topic.
Other sources assert that while the photograph(s) are in the public domain as far as they know, due diligence is required on your part to ensure you aren’t violating anyone’s copyright. Still other sources place restrictions on usage. Be sure to check Terms of Use on each individual site. Finally, be aware that while many U.S. government sites, such as NASA and the Library of Congress, host public domain photographs, the photos may not be used to imply their endorsement of any product or service.
And as always, if a photograph shows a recognizable human face, a building or structure, or a company logo, publicity and privacy rights may still be an issue no matter when the photograph was taken. In addition, it’s highly probable in the case of photographed people that a model release does not exist.
Bottom line? Public domain doesn’t necessarily mean free. Do your homework first, avoid lawsuits later. Got it? Let’s be careful out there.
Now that I’ve got you on your toes, I’ll share a site with you that will pretty much get you on your way.
Public Domain Sherpa
A very large list of links to various sites hosting public domain photographs. The author has helpfully provided a brief description of each site as well as known restrictions on use, but you should still check the TOU on each individual site.
USA.gov
Links to photo archives for many U.S. government agencies. A few of the websites listed are retired, but the majority are still live. I love to browse through the collections.
New York Public Library Picture Collection On-Line
Just what it says. I get a lot of inspiration from just looking at beautiful pictures, and I’m sure you do too.
Library of Virginia On-Line Photo Collection
Lots of interesting history here, much fun to browse.
If anybody else has anything to add to the topic, please do.
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Design Contest: Hanging With Your Peeps
The Easter Bunny tends to get all the good press, so let’s have an Easter design contest featuring peeps! I don’t mean those marshmallow guys (who are copyright protected, by the way) but chicks or chickens or eggs.
Artists may submit ONE of their own designs to the contest. Just give us a link to the card in the comments section of this post. The design must be an Easter card featuring eggs, chicks or chickens. Other than that, the choice is up to you. Regular card, photo card, customizable text card … go for it.
ACT OF KINDNESS BONUS – I will assign 3 additional votes to any artist who features the Easter card in a post on their blog (just give us the URL of your blog post). I will also assign 5 additional votes to any artists who submits a card design from another GCU artist instead of their own (give us the other artist’s name). That’s 8 votes up for grabs!
PINTERESTING BONUS – All you Pinners out there, have a special prize for you. Just create an Easter With the Peeps board and pin 5 of the submitted cards to your new board. I’ll do a random drawing at the end of the contest for a fabulous prize (to be announced).
Deadline to submit your designs is March 20th. On March 21st, I will open the voting. Whoever receives the most votes will win a $10 Amazon.com gift certificate OR 5 free card credits.
Get cracking (ha!) if you want to win!
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Dash of Inspiration – Summer Palettes
A Dash of Inspiration, A Cup of Creativity by Doreen
Summer Palettes
This week’s weather in the Sierra Foothills of California has been multi-seasonal. Monday we had a friend drop by and sat out on the deck catching up because it was simply too hot in the sun, yet Tuesday morning we awoke to several inches of snow (which made the dog happy, nothing better than a snow day for a dog) . . . it did give me a little taste of the summer months which are arriving far too quickly and that offered this week’s Dash of Inspiration!
I created a couple summer color palettes for you and have also provided links for you to learn how to create your own color palettes from photographs. This is a wonderful way to get inspiration for a new design. Simply browse your photographs or those in public domain and when something catches your eye because you love the color combination, create a color palette from it and see where it takes you in a new design.
So here are some tutorial links, feel free to use the color palettes I created for this article and also be sure to stop by and take a look at the wonderful selection on Nidhi Saxena’s blog about Patterns, Colors and Designs.
Pantone Color Planner Summer 2012 by Nidhi Saxena
Creating Color Swatch from Photo in Photoshop Elements
Working with Custom Swatches – Photoshop CS5 by Lynda.com
Create a Color Palette from a Photo in Gimp by StarSunflower Studio
How to Create a Custom Image Palette in Paint Shop Pro8 by Graphic Illusions
Off you go now to enjoy making some wonderful color palettes unique to you and those from images that speak to you. There just isn’t a better way to be inspired!
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Critique Clinic – March 9-11, 2012
How does it work? For three days a week (Friday-Sunday midnight), I will open the clinic to any artist who wants an honest peer review and critique of a card which gets plenty of clicks but no sales, so something’s probably not quite right, or you’ve got a new design you want to test drive, or you’re unsure about the marketability of a card. Or perhaps you’re a newbie who isn’t sure if a recently submitted card is up to a marketable standard. Anyone is welcome to participate. In fact, I encourage everyone to at least look at the cards in question and read the critique comments – you may learn something. The purpose of the clinic is to help artists improve the commercial appeal and marketability of their cards.
THE RULES
- ONE card per artist only.
- Card must be for sale at Greeting Card Universe.
- We will take an unlimited number of artists, including those who have submitted recently, HOWEVER I reserve the right to close a clinic for the day if the submissions become overwhelming. If the clinic has been closed, and you submit a card, your comment will be deleted.
- To submit a card for critique, post a link to the card in the comments section of this clinic post. Allowances will be made if you’ve had a card declined, or made a new design you’d like advice on. Give us the link where we can see the card, such as your private gallery, Flickr, etc.
- Any artist is free to comment and/or give a critique of a submitted card. HOWEVER, post-and-run comments like “great card” or “you suck” will not be tolerated, nor will abuse. Criticism should be constructive, not destructive. Play nice or you will be banned.
- I also won’t tolerate temper tantrums if you decide your “artistic integrity” is being stepped on because you asked for a critique, and someone told you the photo you’re using isn’t in focus. If you can’t take honest criticism, don’t submit. Once gets you a warning; twice and you’re banned from submitting in the future.
- Artists who critique may do so by giving their opinion, posting an example of another card, or pointing the submitter to a video, on-line article, or other helpful suggestion.
- Don’t forget that artists who are giving you tips and helpful advice are volunteering their time and trouble. Be nice. A link back to their store on your website or blog is appreciated (but not mandatory).
- You are free not to take any advice offered. There’s no guarantee any card will be a bestseller, so don’t come into the clinic with unrealistic expectations.
- Rules may change as we go along and we see how things turn out, okay?
So without any further ado, I declare this week’s Critique Clinic open!
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Inspiration Station: Spring Fling!
Spring has sprung, and while it’s a little late to design Easter cards for this year’s sales, there’s always next year to look forward to. Savvy artists design a year or more ahead to give their designs a chance to get out there and be seen.
Here are a few places you can get inspired for your spring designs.
Pantone Fashion Colors Spring 2012
Hot new colors to use for wedding, bridesmaid, Easter, Mother’s Day, and other spring-themed cards
Christian Poetry in the Public Domain
If you’re designing cards such as “He is Risen” for Easter and you’re looking for some public domain verse, check this site. Just be sure to double-check copyright before quoting a poem verbatim, and don’t forget to add a Note to Reviewers about the verse being in the public domain to avoid having your card returned.
Free Easter Fonts
Lots of dingbats to incorporate into your designs. Be sure to check TOU for each font to be sure there are no restrictions on commercial use.
The Graphics Fairy: Easter
Vintage graphics (pre-1922 in most cases) with an Easter/spring theme. Other categories, too, that will inspire you and get your creative juices flowing. Here are the TOU. i suggest you read them before going hog wild.
Do you have any favorite sites you like to visit with a spring or Easter theme? Please share! We’d love to know what inspires you.
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The Results Are In!
It’s time to reveal the results of two contests we’ve had going over the last week!
First, in our Design Contest: The Wearin’ O’ the Green – the winner is Renae Frankz with 24 votes!
And in our Pin It To Win It Challenge, the winner (chosen by random drawing) is Handmedownz!
Congratulations and thanks to everyone who participated.
Stay tuned for the announcement of a new Design Contest for Easter in a few weeks.
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Design Spotlight: Susan Westervelt
Today, the Design Spotlight falls on Susan Westervelt, whose soft and gentle style is very appealing.
_________________________
This is one of my favorite cards because I am fascinated by flowers, especially tulips, and capturing their exquisite detail in photos.
I am a passionate photographer and have been as long as I can remember, beginning with a Brownie when I was a kid.
I live in Phoenix, Arizona and am looking forward to a time when I can travel and photograph my adventures. I have two grown daughters and three grandchildren. I enjoy spending time with my family, painting, sketching and, of course, snapping away with my camera when I’m not working.
This is my third year participating in a 365 project or Photo of the Day. It’s been fun. Creating greeting cards from many of my photographs is a natural extension. I love seeing life through the lens.
I’ve been inspired by many wonderful photographers and artists here at Greeting Card Universe.
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Dash of Inspiration – A Digital Artist’s Journey
A Dash of Inspiration, A Cup of Creativity by Doreen
A Digital Artist’s Journey
The year was 1995, I was an owner of an art gallery with three other artists. Two were painters, one was a textile artist and then there was me; a photographer who was still developing film and prints in my own darkroom. These partners decided to have a show titled ‘Faces’. Their idea was to create HUGE faces to put out in the garden and in the windows. I was at a loss . . . it would cost a fortune for me to pay a lab to produce photographic prints that were 36-inches or larger, not to mention I’d have to pull out the old 4×5 view camera in order to capture photographs capable of being enlarged to that size. That evening, I sat down at my computer and for the first time opened the only photo-processing software I had; Micrografx Picture Publisher.
This began a very fun, but fruitless journey in applying funky digital filters to my photos and thinking I was creating awesome works of art just because I thought they cool. A few years later, thinking I had a portfolio full of worthy digital art, I began submitting to publishing and licensing companies only to discover that in the professional world of digital art, these post processed pieces were a red flag to the pros, indicating they had been created by an amateur and the declines flooded my mailbox. It was a hard lesson, but one that was necessary for it brought tremendous growth.
Needless to say, whether you call it digital art, photo manipulation, digital post processing or a digital composite; there are three basic elements to remember:
- Use QUALITY photos – applying digital filters such as; poster edges, watercolor, dry brush, soft focus or even vignetting as a means to hide serious flaws in the original photograph is not a way to prove yourself as a professional and in fact my only enhance the flaws, making them more of a distraction.
- NEVER use default settings – digital art creations, if created on a drawing table rather than the computer, would fall into the category of mixed media. These digital wonders are created using a bit of this and that to come up with a look that is not only professional, but also a finished piece that keeps your audience in awe of how you created it. If those of us who consider ourselves experienced digital artists can look at your finished pieces and tell you what filter you used, you have not been successful.
- Create using a LIGHT hand – professional digital artists use layer masks and paint these post processing filters to only those areas of the image that might benefit from the filter and using varying opacity for a more natural look. The finished product will have several layers with bits and pieces of processing to various parts of the image.
Much of what I’ve learned over the years started by referring to books and following the step by step instructions. Once I applied what the book suggested, I would then spend time modifying my technique and application to suit the results I wanted, usually developing a technique that is unique to me. Free tutorials on the internet to grow in this aspect of digital art are hard to find. The pros who share their techniques, charge for this whether online or in books. Scott Kelby’s books and tutorials are fantastic, simple to understand full of step by step instruction. The Photoshop WOW books are wonderful and so are books by Matt Kloskowski – there are many of them to choose from once you decide you’re ready to move into the digital art world be sure to learn from the pros.
Here are a few links I found which may be a step to better digital manipulation
Overused Post Processing Effects – by Hannah Gordon
Digital Darkroom Techniques — 5 Post Processing Techniques To Add “WOW” Factor To Your Images
Harnessing the Power of Layer Masks – Advanced Photoshop Tutorials by Jay Kinghorn
5 Crucial Post-Processing Adjustments For Professional Photographs
Photoshop Tutorial – How To Make a Vignette Effect – by EngageTutorials
This image of mine is made up of two photographs. The couple on the bench taken in the city, and the mountain scenic. This composition was painted using watercolor brushes of various sizes and opacity settings. Notice the water – Although I needed to paint it with watercolor brushes so that it would blend with the overall scene, I added a layer mask and painted over the water with the light touch of a smoothing filter to give the water a more realistic feel and add depth to the image. The clouds have a light touch, yet the mountains a heavy hand to show texture in the rocky formations.
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Critique Clinic – March 2-4, 2012
How does it work? For three days a week (Friday-Sunday midnight), I will open the clinic to any artist who wants an honest peer review and critique of a card which gets plenty of clicks but no sales, so something’s probably not quite right, or you’ve got a new design you want to test drive, or you’re unsure about the marketability of a card. Or perhaps you’re a newbie who isn’t sure if a recently submitted card is up to a marketable standard. Anyone is welcome to participate. In fact, I encourage everyone to at least look at the cards in question and read the critique comments – you may learn something. The purpose of the clinic is to help artists improve the commercial appeal and marketability of their cards.
THE RULES
- ONE card per artist only.
- Card must be for sale at Greeting Card Universe.
- We will take an unlimited number of artists, including those who have submitted recently, HOWEVER I reserve the right to close a clinic for the day if the submissions become overwhelming. If the clinic has been closed, and you submit a card, your comment will be deleted.
- To submit a card for critique, post a link to the card at GCU in the comments section of this clinic post. Allowances will be made if you’ve had a card declined, or made a new design you’d like advice on. Give us the link where we can see the card, such as your private gallery, Flickr, etc.
- Any artist is free to comment and/or give a critique of a submitted card. HOWEVER, post-and-run comments like “great card” or “you suck” will not be tolerated, nor will abuse. Criticism should be constructive, not destructive. Play nice or you will be banned.
- I also won’t tolerate temper tantrums if you decide your “artistic integrity” is being stepped on because you asked for a critique, and someone told you the photo you’re using isn’t in focus. If you can’t take honest criticism, don’t submit. Once gets you a warning; twice and you’re banned from submitting in the future.
- Artists who critique may do so by giving their opinion, posting an example of another card, or pointing the submitter to a video, on-line article, or other helpful suggestion.
- Don’t forget that artists who are giving you tips and helpful advice are volunteering their time and trouble. Be nice. A link back to their store on your website or blog is appreciated (but not mandatory).
- You are free not to take any advice offered. There’s no guarantee any card will be a bestseller, so don’t come into the clinic with unrealistic expectations.
- Rules may change as we go along and we see how things turn out, okay?
So without any further ado, I declare this week’s Critique Clinic open!
GCU Community 