Building a Castle Part 3

My next step in this image was finding some sky I liked better than the original photo had. These clouds seemed to have the light coming from about the same direction and time of day. As with the castle, I used adjustment layers to correct the color. Curves was especially useful, as it gives more control over the individual reds, blues, and greens.

Portfolio Project Label

I am going through all the exercises and portfolio projects that my college classes did not have time to cover. This is my own original image based on a project in chapter two of Adobe Illustrator CS6. They provided only the text to be used, and suggestions for research to create the best label for the "client". Except for some minimal Photoshop work, everything was done in Illustrator, including image tracing the P.S. images. Also used Type on a Path and Gradients.

Ken's Fruit Market Project possible layout

I get too enthusiastic about Photoshop, and must move along to InDesign! Here are some possible layouts for the ad. I really liked the idea of putting a background image behind the items. However, I realize it might make the page too cluttered, detracting attention away from the products.

I am happy with how the versions of the logo and other images are working together into the headings. May find another place to put the image of Ken's fruit market, maybe as another heading to add variety, rather than just duplicating the original on each page.

Ken's InDesign Project adjusted photos & logo

Here are some photos I've adjusted for the ad. Removed labels from the apples, background removed from the bread, and combined elements from some of Ken's ads and the little girl's photo to create a new headline for one of the pages.

Ken's InDesign Project photos

Some of the photos I took at Ken's for possible use in the InDesign ad, plus a photo my sister-in-law Theresa had taken of pumpkins. I will be doing a good bit of Photoshop work on them before placing them in InDesign. I've decided to make the ad for Autumn sale.

I will be doing some cropping to focus on specific products, and removing signs and some labels. 

Ken's Fruit Market InDesign Project

To improve my skills, and to practice what I've learned in my InDesign class, I got permission from Ken's Fruit Market to make a mock advertisement for their store. The images above I obtained from their Facebook site, and will be using Photoshop and InDesign tools to adapt them.

This will be a four-page document- like a big ad in a newspaper. Ken was kind enough to give me permission to take photos of the store and merchandise. Some samples of those photos will be in the next post.

Building a Castle Part 2

Using the clone tool, I eliminated the obvious modern spotlights, then duplicated the only existing roof, adjusting the size and shape for other portions of the building on a separate layer. Keeping all such changes on different layers prevents damaging the image, and allows room for adjusting size, placement, etc.

On yet more layers, I repaired the top of the walls, and got rid of the worst of the cracks. Using other photos, I added rougher plants so the lawn wouldn’t be too perfect, and an edge for the moat. I masked out the sky, and adjusted grass colors.

Building a Castle Part 1

Inspired by lesson 9, “Water: moats and reflections” in How to Cheat in Photoshop, I decided to recreate how this York tower may have looked when it was in use.

Scanning my original photo at a large size, and high resolution, gave me lots of pixels to work with. I duplicated the original image on another layer, so I still have the original to go back to if needed. I then hid the original layer so it won't get confused with the changes.

https://www.linkedin.com/pub/lucy-synk/29/845/689https://www.facebook.com/lucy.synkTime to dust off this blog and get posting again! I've been really busy working at Home Depot while taking a few more classes at Grand Rapids Community College to refine my digital skills. I am now job-hunting like crazy! Looking for either full-time work, or long-term contract work.

To start, here is the mid-term I did for my InDesign class. I had taken InDesign years before, but needed to get the rust out, and update my skills for the Creative Cloud version. Only the logo and photos of products were supplied, with a photo of the final look we were to create. It demonstrates my abilities to format text, use text and graphic frames, and interface InDesign with Photoshop, among other skills.

1st abstract multi-media piece

This is my very first abstract multi-media piece! I don't have a name for it yet. Acrylic, ribbon, aluminum foil, confetti and a rice-like paper are all included in it.

Cousins gone fishing.

My Mom commissioned this photo of my cousins after their mother, her sister, died. As often happens, in the original shots taken decades ago, only one boy is standing in a good position in each. So hard to get kids to stand still! So I used Photoshop to bring the best of both photos together. Now they have one picture to cherish the memory with!

Here I am working on the mural

Here I am working on the Redwood Mural

I am getting ready to leave the mural a while to work on other projects, and to prepare a press release. Here I am working on it, this will be included in the press release.

Working on Redwood midground

I am starting to add detail and more color definition to the midground of the Redwoods mural. Not happy with how the dead log was looking, I opened the area under it to show it's at the edge of a valley. Also lightened it up and have started adding a few plants.  Got more of a feeling of depth now.

New Details of Redwood Mural







After a brief break, I've gone back to the mural. Done a lot more work on the tree trunks, and blocking in forground. Looks very heavy right now- but more leaves and light will change that. The funny looking squiggly thing on the right hand wall is the root ball of the fallen tree- it will be more obvious once it's finished. It's getting more difficult to capture the details, so now taking a picture of each wall separately. Will start doing close-ups once there's small details added.

There is light in the forest! I really don't care for airbrushing all that much, but it certainly does the trick for light effects! Tomorrow I can start detailing the foreground- that's the part I like best!

I've added details to the background, it is now ready for the beams of light in the forest! After that will be the fun stuff of doing forground details!

redwood forest mural begun

I've blocked in the basic details of the redwood forest. The clients seem pretty happy witht this beginning. They need to lighten up the room, and this will go a long way in that direction!

Redwood Forest Mural

I've started a new mural in Grand Rapids! It is a small one, in a private residence. Here is the space, all primed and ready to go!

Eagle stages of life.

These images are a bit more serious than the last, but also done for Sinnemahoning nature center. They are two in a series featuring the changes a Bald Eagle goes through as it matures. The top image features a mating flight, the bottom, a young eagle about to take its first flight. Again, pen on paper first, then color via Photoshop.  © Taylor Studios

Elk chase cartoon

I don't often get to do cartoons! This one is for Sinnemahoning nature center. It features safety tips when around wildlife. Started off with ink on paper, colored it in with Photoshop.  © Taylor Studios