Chocolate Text Tutorial

Based on the Chocolate Text Tutorial by John Shaver, using the tools currently at my disposal (Linux Mint + Gimp).

CREATE HIGHLIGHT

Step 1 New document, gradient background

New Document Dialog
1900 x 1280

I decided to go large, as in the original tutorial, and size it down after completion. At first I was annoyed at having to create a 2nd gradient, why not just add the yellow to the gradient, ie yellow to brown to black? The answer is because the yellow gradient is on a separate layer with opacity scaled down to 20%. If you can figure out the color that is brown with 20% opaque yellow on it, you can make a single gradient. Since this involves too much backtracking, it's much more simple to make 2 gradients.

Brown 7d553c to Black 000000

Dark Yellow d7af3c to Transparent

Back?

Time to give this yet another stab.

I have Linux, and I am a graphic designer. I learned to use Adobe, but I could not afford the ridiculous prices they charge. I went searching for software that would replace it. I believe my version (Linux Mint) came loaded with Gimp, a popular and suitable replacement for Photoshop. It's been several years now, and I can't remember for sure. I could do most things that I wanted, but I missed Illustrator a lot. It didn't take long for me to discover Inkscape, and I am SO PLEASED to be drawing again! The shortcuts are not at all the same, so there is a learning curve to it, but it sure beat the alternative (which is nothing, because I'm broke at the moment). It also has really nice documentation, including for those migrating from Illustrator. The Inkscape community tutorials are also pretty awesome too. There is actually a lot of content out there that supports this software.

Anyhow, that's enough back story. Just wanted everyone to know there are GOOD alternatives out there!!! Really. Enough. Moving on...

My niece brought a coloring book to Thanksgiving this year, and I have been inspired to make something of my own. It's still in progress though, so no previews yet. Instead, some simples that caught my eye.



As seen on a Pinterest pin tutorial that links to an Instagram page that I couldn't find the original link for. :( The tutorial looks like face painting guide, but I knew as soon as I saw it that there had to be a way to make this in Inkscape.

Sometimes I see things that practically shout make me! Here is cute little label, which I may in the future make into a free printable.



There's more where these came from, but that's for another day.

Cheers!

Tea Party

My daughter is way into tea parties. Last April my mother, aunt and cousins staged a "grown up" tea party. There were biscuits, real flavored tea, good china, Easter party favors, desserts, and all the guests dressed up. Ever since then, she has been asking me for another one. Since summer is just about the busiest time of year for everyone, it hasn't happened yet. Settling for second best, we have been having "tea party" lunches. I took some pictures of our 'al fresco tea party'. We pitched a tent in the yard and set up a laundry bin with a tablecloth. A blanket sufficed for carpet in the tent. Mom claimed dibs on a small pillow to sit on. The menu was 'fruit plate' - cut up fruit and veggies, some chips, crackers, cheese, dip and sandwiches to round it out. 'Tea' was some grape juice drank from fancy cups with matching glass trays handed down from my grandma. Very nice! But too hot to hang out for very long. The light inside the tent was very yellow (for obvious reasons). I did the best I could with the photos, but they're still pretty yellowish. Oh well.

Paisley Pattern

Check out what I've been messing around with. Paisleys! I saw a really cool font that wasn't quite as complicated as this pattern, but it did have paisley cutouts in all the letters. Really quite neat looking. So that'll be the next step to see if I can transform this lovely pattern into an actual font that can be typed, scaled, etc. I have some fonts that I've made before, but they were all vector art in Adobe Illustrator. You know - make a copy of each letter and position it just so... again and again until you've spelled something out. Uhg. There MUST be a better way, I just haven't gone out there to find out how. Anyway, here are some lovely paisleys to brighten up your humpday.

Unoriginal Monday

Despite the negative feelings I have about 'puffed up' content on many of the blogs I visit, I am here today to share something worthy. Worthy of what, I leave up to you. Thus the title of this post, because there isn't going to be anything I did myself in this post. Well, other than possibly view it before you did.

Jim's Pancakes Totally awesome (bees are my FAVORITE!) One of his works was featured in a magazine ... I think AARP. Nope, I am not that old yet, but my mom is. We totally drooled over the whole site. I watched the videos too. Pretty clever, he uses those ketchup bottle things and a lot of ... creative coloring agents. Stale turmeric? BLECH!! I'll just stick with food coloring, thanks.