Wednesday 26 September 2007

Elemental My Dear Watson

Arti - I do think your boys would like the book - all the guys in our family seem very keen. I just hope that Clive isn't going to rush off and make go-carts, though. We don't have the time. There is a version for girls but it's not nearly so good.


I'm glad you like Lynn Prossers work. I think that both Lynne and Carla will be wonderful additions to Wessex Textiles. I'll try and get some more photos on Friday or Saturday as I am stewarding then. I shall take a sewing machine and hope to get lots of work done while I am there. It's upstairs and I will regret lugging a machine all the way up there. I'm thinking of getting a little lightweight machine - getting too old for weight lifting. My doctor would be pleased, though - she asked about exercise and I said I walked a lot. She replied that it should be weight-bearing exercise so I said I'd take my handbag.


After a massive onslaught on the book front the text is now all printed out and ready to go. Usually I just type it all as one large file, marking where the pics go, noting my word count and not worrying too much about how the designer allocates the space for each pic. I have tried a new tactic with this book, which was successful with Embellish and Stitch. It's pretty obvious really, but I've worked much more with page spreads, numbering the pages and working out where the big full page pics go. It involved more blood, sweat and tears as there were lots of adjustments and you can't be so last minute about it. Now they will probably find that I've miscounted and that will be a disaster. We shall see.


I'm having fun today, re-learning Photoshop Elements. I needed to take some screen shots for the book and thought I'd better not use PSP exclusively so I ordered the latest version of Elements from Amazon. This was expensive, as they kept suggesting CDs I would love to have. Must have caught me at a weak moment as I bought three. They keep telling me that I might like books by this Maggie Grey person.

I've got quite caught up with Elements - one great effect is the Gradient Map - we haven't got that in Paint Shop Pro. Here's a Gaudi pic from the Barcelona book I'm working on.




Looks good with the gradient treatment. It was one of Val's favourites and I always think of her when I use it.
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Must go now and save all the piccy files that I have taken for the book. I don't like to waste my allowance of Michael Wicks pics on boring things like materials so I usually take those myself. And this book has some digital stuff in it. I can see that this will take up the rest of the day. Finding where I've saved them will be the worst bit!

13 comments:

Julie said...

I enjoyed your post today Maggie (not that I don't always). Thanks for the mention of gradient in Elements - I've just had a look at my own elements and found it in "image" so I can see hours of fun to come!

artisbliss said...

I laughed out loud twice in reading this post, Maggie--once picturing Clive in a go cart and once at what you told your doctor about walking with a handbag as a weight bearing exercise.

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Jane said...

Hi Maggie, I am intrigued by your Barcelona photo - I do like the gradient effect. Has the first picture been distorted or is the building that shape?

chrissythreads said...

I really liked this gradient effect.I am beginning to find my paint shop pro a little limiting as I am using it more and more in my studies.Perhaps I just need to update from the version I have but now I'm wondering what else is out there having seen this.Of course it could just be me that is doing the limiting!

His Office, My Studio said...

Great photos! I love Photoshop Elements but I am having trouble learning how to do layers.

Anne said...

Dear Maggie,
I have been admiring your work since the first day I happened to discover it... My name is Anne Prunet and I live in Paris. Last year we travelled to Barcelone and visited for 4 days, taking the chance to attend our friend the singer Salvatore Adamo's show. This town is amazingly inspiring and I took a lot of pictures with the idea to work on them (making more Artist Trading Cards). I would be happy to share them with you so that you can feel free to publish you work (I think of copyright matter)when done. What do you think?
Yours sincerely, Nanouanne

gilby said...

Hi Maggie, love your sense of humour the handbag as a weight bearing exercise touch of genius.

Ro Bruhn said...

Love the photo and your manipulation of it, lovely

calicostitch said...

hello Maggie, enjoying reading your blog especially after meeting you in person when you and Clive came north in June. How do you find time to do everything? best wishes to Clive on his birthday.

Digitalgran said...

Happy birthday to Clive!
If your handbag's anything like mine Maggie then it should satisfy the doc.
I have just bought a small machine to carry to classes and it makes a great difference.

Unknown said...

Maggie you lucky devil, Barcelona is on my wish list too. We also have the Dangerous book, our daughter bought it for my husband (funny how the adult men seem to be getting it isn't it!)and it certainly seems to bring out the inner boy!! I sometimes tell people that I've got 4 children instead of 3 including him!

Anne said...

Hello Maggie,

Nanouanne here again...I understand I can send you a CD with my pictures taken in Barcelona. I will be happy to sent it to you as soon as I get your postal address. Could you send it to my email address?