Kelly Loves Whales

Tutorial. Digital Collage Lab

kelly — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 14:00:00 +0000

hi dears,
today’s post features a tutorial on creating digital collage using Photoshop. for this tutorial, you’ll need the following:

* Photoshop {or other similar software},

*A fun collection of Photoshop Brushes {there are lovely free ones available here & here},

*Photos or scans of artwork or stuff {you know how I love to experiment with the scanner–feel free to use scans & textures from my for the love of free textures set},

*The same patience you’d give your friends when teaching them something new.

ready? all right.

begin by opening Photoshop & selecting the size of document you’d like to create. {for web, use 72 dpi to keep file size smaller.}

i chose a scanned photo of my grandparents taken when they were expecting my pops. {please be kind & respect the copyright of others when looking for images. there are many creative commons images available here and copyright-free images here.}

layering is key in digital collage. by keeping each action on a separate layer, you can easily discard something if you later decide you aren’t crazy about it.

this sweet brush is from a lovely pack available here.

layer styles can do so much for a piece. i often come back and back to a layer to work with the style even after i have ten layers over top.

this is one of my spring-time in seattle photos, taken on an afternoon walk with my love & our pup.

i love how this looks like they’ve walked in front of a projector slide show or something. very soft.

i added another layer, and used a great big map brush.

{the key is to P L A Y . it doesn’t matter what it looks like. just add elements as you create a story: this one is all about the new world my grandparents were about to enter into as they welcomed a baby that spring of 1940– oops, dad! i might have given your age away!}

now, it’s your turn to try the digital collage. show me what you come up with dears! also, post questions below and i’ll answer away!
xo

oh, and here is the final result!

wishful wednesday.

kelly — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 21:38:00 +0000

dreaming of summer vacation.
maybe camp.
a chic version of camp, that is.

{year of the ox print by dutch door.}

{something lovely to cover-up with from toast. }

{the most perfectly, “plain jane” head piece from which goose.}

{you know i’d rock these deck shoes from lacy lady vintage.}

{a nebular panda one-piece? yes! thank you 80s Purple.}

{a sweet card to write notes home, by tutti studio.}

happy trails, loves.

inspiration tuesday.

kelly — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 21:12:00 +0000

inspired by l o v e.
{the wedding this weekend was beauty-full.}
{the bride & groom, all the family & friends. lovely souls.}

la la la monday.

kelly — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 18:19:00 +0000

darlings,
i do hope you had a lovely weekend. we had a delightful time at the wedding of dear friends {at a castle in the columbia river gorge- so pretty}.
and now,
for the big news!
the sunrose studio shoppe has launched! you can now purchase any of your favorite photos and digital collages from my collection. {just click the image below.}

thank you all for the sweet support of this project! i plan to add new photos and collage-prints to the shop weekly & rotate original paintings through the shop as well. visit often, please!

{also, i was pleasantly surprised to be featured at Wickedly Chic within five short minutes of the launch. Wow! Delightful!}

happy friday.

kelly — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:03:00 +0000

oh good things. so many good things.
being blessed with sweet yoga classes to teach.
sunshine-y days.
early morning work-outs with the mister.
knowing my newly-moved sister is feeling the groove.
work makes work. {the more i do, the more i feel i can do.}
closing in on a special project for a special friend & her lovely family.
PODCASTING. {this is such a learning experience. the audio is up on my yoga blog, but i’m still trying to figure out how the feed gets picked up by iTunes–i’m in the iTunes directory under Sunrose Yoga Podcast.}
being in LOVE every single day.
opening my brand-new etsy shop Sunrose Studio on Monday. {bookmark this, loves.}

what are your blessings?
peace. & LOVE.
always.
k

{p.s. the working title of the piece above is “cat mountain.” too much?}

wishful wednesday.

kelly — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 22:51:00 +0000

hi dolls,
After yesterday’s post about managing inspiration (so to speak), I thought I would share a few things & concepts I’m coveting right about now.

{wouldn’t this Rainbow Stacker look swell in my den?}

{Kime Buzzelli’s “Flapper” makes me smile.}

{This Floral Life- dress looks like it was made for me.}

{What a sweet “Circus” by Mati Rose.}

{Earl Grey Sandwich Cookies! Need I say more…?}

{You know I’m a sucker for a vintage Polaroid Land Camera.}

{The colors in this Obi belt are delicious.}

{This map would be perfect in Shyla’s room. We *love* Canada.}

Now, I’m off to work on the new Sunrose Studio Etsy Shop! GRAND OPENING on MONDAY!

xxoo

inspiration tuesday

kelly — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 20:14:00 +0000

Dear ones,

Inspiration overload: is it a term (or condition) you have any experience with? Me too. With so many sources of creative spice out there on the web, in print, and out in the world, one can become overwhelmed without a way to logically sift and sort through all of the beauty.

So what do I do? My number one secret to organizing my inspiration files and keeping my brain free for creating is keeping ultra-neat folders for favorites.

In my studio, I use a big red box with file folders that correspond to the type of inspiron (color, shape, line, fashion, etc.) as well as a bulletin board and clothes line. On rainy Saturdays, that box is a girl’s greatest companion (besides an adorable husband, I mean!).

On my computer, I have several formulas: flickr has an easy way to capture what captures my heart: favorites. (I even enjoy going back over my pages and pages of favorites as a visual history of my creative evolution.) You may have noticed that I also make mosaics from my favorites (often using the mosaic-maker from Big Huge Labs), which is especially helpful if I’m documenting favorites with a distinctly similar theme. Favorites are also a great way for me to organize the new talents I would like to feature from Etsy. Tumblr also has a heart-it feature that works similarly.

I also love to bookmark websites. This way, if I’m pressed for time or just do not have the desire to go down a rabbit-hole of loveliness at that particular moment, I can easily find what I’m smitten with and dig in more deeply later on. My bookmarks are ridiculously-detailed in their descriptions (think “vegan desserts” or “hot colors”).

Additionally, I oftentimes right-click and save things that I find inspiring into descriptive files. This is a great way for me to get to know an artist or designer I’d like to feature or who has plucked a chord deep in the root of my creative psyche. Obviously, I would never use any of these images without the permission of the artist, which is why descriptive labels can be so helpful.

Out in life, I like to photograph or sketch what moves me. Sketching in particular can be an immensely gratifying way to soak up the moment. I try to capture words, smells, sounds, forms and textures with my pencil. Years later, this helps me remember (almost viscerally) what happened that I just couldn’t bear to leave out of a painting.

Of paramount importance to keeping the inspiration well from overflowing and threatening to ruin you with overwhelm is the art of stepping away, the art of forgetting (always knowing that what is meant to stay with you always will find its way), the art of surrendering to the moment, and the gift of turning off the computer.

What are your tips for keeping inspiration where you need it?

All good things,
kelly

and now, the winners!

kelly — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:16:00 +0000

Thank you all so much for playing this fun game! The winners of this prize, chosen at random {using the old “drawing names from a hat” method} are:

Cindy, Mamichan & Leen.

Ladies, please email me your addresses at kelly {at} kellyloveswhales {dot} com.

Congratulations!

If you didn’t win big this round, stay tuned for more giveaways in the future.

peace. & LOVE.
always.

Podcast Episode 2. Third Eye.

kelly — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:48:00 +0000

Episode 2 features a full-length class focusing on the third eye or ajna chakra. This chakra is also known as the jnana padma (wisdom-bestowing lotus) chakra. It is closely connected to Shiva, and you may notice that drawings and paintings of Shiva show a marking on his third eye.

thanks so much for listening. (no photos for now, but visit my flickr yoga photo set if you have questions.)
namaste.

giveaway contest!

kelly — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:40:00 +0000

Darlings, I’m just so excited to share with you the latest creative bud that’s beginning to bloooooom in my world. If you have been following my hints at all, maybe you’ve guessed it: I’m opening a new shop called Sunrose Studio.

Sunrose Studio will feature my fine art photography and digital collage prints as well as a rotating selection of original paintings. As always, I strive for my pieces to be affordable enough for you to become collectors of the work I create with LOVE.

Sunrose Studio will launch next week. . . stay tuned!

On to the contest/giveaway: I will be giving away one 8 by 10-inch and two 5 by 7-inch fine art prints to three luckies selected at random. To enter, leave a comment with your favorite photo featured below. This contest is open until Saturday, July 4, 2009 at 3pm Pacific Daylight Time. Good luck!

{the back-story: when I opened my kelly LOVES whales shoppe in November of 2007, I just went for it {as they say} without a lot of planning or forethought. While I’m glad I did this {it certainly helped get me started and let me surrender various fears about putting my art out for all the world to see}, I am now at a place where I have a vision for my creative endeavors in the long-term. kelly LOVES whales will continue to grow and thrive, though I will be using it for primarily paper goods & textiles– journals, notecards, sweet lil’ prints, tees and the such, whereas sunrose studio will be the place where I showcase my photography, digital collage, and original paintings. I cannot wait to welcome you to Sunrose Studio and the new kelly LOVES whales shop.}