Tags: freebies

I am an expert at finding creative ways to keep myself from working on my fiction.

This time, it’s been using some of my photos to create digital “papers” for use in scrapbooking, collage, etc. I started the whole thing because I thought it might be fun to have my own papers to use in my creative journals…kind of like using handcarved stamps instead of purchased one. It gives a more personal, unique flavor to your artwork.

I started with a cloud photo (what photographer doesn’t have dozens of cloud photos lying around?) and slapped another photo on top of it — a picture of a paper towel I’d used two wipe my brushes with the other day when working on my new art journal. When I played with the blending modes, the reds, greens and blues on the paper towel gave rich, magical shades of color to the clouds. I used a little blurring and a soft paper texture, too. Here’s the first result:

Pretty, isn’t it? I’m looking forward to cutting some of this up to do collages in my art journal. I’m thinking of some awesome borders, maybe a golden castle, or a magical forest…

But after I made this, I got carried away and ended up with a baker’s dozen of digital papers–some cloud compositions like this, and some patterns made by combining those different clouds images– and got to thinking that maybe other people would like to use them too. My plan is to try selling them via Etsy and Artfire (they are in fact available there now) BUT I have a special offer anyone who reads my blog.

First, I will send the following full-size digital paper to anyone who wants it, absolutely FREE. It’s 12″x12″, 300 dpi; JPEG, suitable for printing or for any digital artwork you may want to use it for. Also, it’s exclusive: not available in either of the packs for sale. Just leave a comment to this post to get one!

Secondly, if you would like to play with all the papers, I will be happy to send them to you, FREE OF CHARGE, as well. All I ask in return is that you post in your resulting artwork in your blog or other online forum, with a link to this website, or to one of my shopfronts. Heck…you don’t even have to show off your artwork so long as you want to pass on the link to this site. I’m not so picky. Again, just leave a comment here if you want either or both packs.

While waiting for the girls to get home from Disneyland with their father last night, I spend some time playing with a couple of papers, to see what I could come up with. This is unfinished (I’m still trying to figure out how to add details) and maybe a little rough because I’ve never done this sort of cut-and-paste collage work in Photoshop. But I think I’m on the right track. In fact, I know I am, because when Lucy saw it just now she said, “That looks cool!” which is high praise indeed from my artful teen daughter!