WEDDING WORLD WEDNESDAY: AN ELEGANT INVITATION

(Click to enlarge.)

This deluxe invitation is easier to lay out than it looks. In Photoshop, the opacity on the image layer is lowered, then layers of text are added. By putting text blocks and elements on separate layers, they can be edited and moved independently as you finesse the design.

Varying the size of the text within a layout creates visual interest. Enlarging the initials of the bride and groom adds contrast, an important element in graphic design. Invitations look best with lots of "white space" within and surrounding the text. Airiness adds elegance and prevents the piece from looking too busy.

The final image is printed on 8 1/2 x 11-inch photo paper, trimmed to a 6 1/4-inch square, then mounted on 90-pound hot-pressed watercolor paper (available at art supply stores). A sheer ribbon edged in gold holds additional components of the stationery ensemble in place behind the invitation, and a black linen envelope pulls the look together.

(Fonts: Shelley Allegro and Bank Gothic Light)

Find step-by-step instructions for this project and others in my book, The Art & Craft of Keepsake Photography: Engagements and Weddings, available in my website shop and through amazon.com and other online booksellers.

COMING SOON!

(Click to enlarge.)

Coming soon...digital graphic design kits! Transform your favorite photos into faux mixed media masterpieces to use as wall art, greeting cards, promotional materials, scrapbook pages, gifts, you name it.

Kits include textured backgrounds, frames and borders, Photoshop brushes, alphabets, and much much more.

(Any Photoshop CS version required.)

FONT FLAG FRIDAY #9

(Click to enlarge.)

A 100% digital scrapbook page layout featuring photos of my darlin' granddaughters, Leila and Hana, along with some of my very favorite fonts.

I love how you can choose fonts that so vividly reflect the “mood” of the message you wish to convey. Here Texas Hero, One Fell Swoop*, and VT Portable Remington* unite to create a mood of casual elegance befitting a very special spring day.

*Free font alert!

(Thanks to Jessica Sprague, Jen Wilson, and Mary Ann Wise for all things scrapbooking.)

FONT FLAG FRIDAY #7 - CARTE POSTALE

(Click to enlarge.)

For a baby shower held in a charming French restaurant, a mock “French postcard” was the perfect thank-you note. Taking individual table shots meant that each guest seated at a particular table could be featured on a customized postcard.

Once you've created a postcard template, you can use it again and again for a multitude of purposes, adapting it to suit your needs. I created an African version to complement photos I took in Kenya, changing “Merci” to “Jambo,” which means “Hello” in Swahili. I also have a Hawaiian version that says “Aloha” and one that says “Mahalo,” which means “Thank you.” Instead of the typical line you see separating the mailing address from the message, here I substituted a vertical line of type with the date of the event and my copyright information.

It's usually not a good idea to combine two such highly stylized fonts as Bodoni Classic Deco and P22 Cezanne, but in the postcard layout it somehow works, mostly because there's plenty of  space between the two fonts. This goes back to my earlier advice to just play with combinations until you hit one that makes you go “Yes!” regardless of the rules. Bodoni Classic Deco is a rule breaker in itself, the true Bodoni being a pure and unembellished typeface (as used for “Postage Stamp Here”).

I'll be including “How to Make a Postcard Template” in my upcoming Creating Photoshop Templates video workshop.

FONT FLAG FRIDAY #6...and some free advice!

Killing three birds with one stone here...a new font flag with four (!) different typefaces, using my iPod hair experiment, and getting something off my chest.

Okay, first things first: The fonts are Lithos Pro (an all-caps typeface); Apple Chancery (script); Mrs. Eaves (for very readable yet elegant text, and probably my favorite and most-used font family); and Prints Charming (which I chose because the “O” echoes the shape of my smilin' face, laugh lines and all!). Four very different personalities, yet they comfortably cohabit this layout without chaos.

Now, as far as getting something off my chest...I cannot tell you how many fabulous, wonderful, sophisticated, upscale, and stylish ads, websites, articles, and captions I have seen where an apostrophe is arbitrarily plunked down to form the contraction “it's” when it's just plain wrong. There is nothing wrong with the word “its” as long as it's used properly (as in “Punctuation rears its ugly head.) I know, I know...picky, picky, picky. But it's just one of those things that makes my heart sink as my (and I'm quite sure other people's) estimation of the professionalism of the entity involved sinks in direct proportion.

There, I feel MUCH better!

NEGATIVE SPACE

Inspired by last night's 82nd Academy Awards...or more precisely the logo for the 82nd Academy Awards. My attention was drawn to the space surrounding the font characters...it was filled with a blurry moving image. Exquisitely designed fonts like this one (I'm not sure what they used...I chose Big Caslon, above) feature lines and curves that make the "negative space" as elegant and eye-catching as the typeface itself.

Of course, I was watching mostly for the dresses...my favorite: Demi Moore's peachy Versace!

FONT FLAG FRIDAY #4

I know, I know...it's Thursday, but I couldn't wait to share this with you.

Some font packages include "extras"...related decorative elements and even sketches that can be used to complement your layouts in myriad ways. Here I chose the P22 FFLW Exhibition font...I used one of the 72 (!) extras to create the background which I then grunged up a bit. This geometrically-designed extra provides the perfect border for a photo...others form continuous linking borders. Very, very cool!

And now, for your listening (and viewing) pleasure...pump up the volume and click here.

IT'S FONT FLAG FRIDAY!

Finding the right font to go with a photo layout can be challenging, and finding two very different but complementary fonts even more so. That's why I like to make "font flags"...digital visual journal pages where I experiment with different combinations and then save what I like for future reference. Besides that, they're fun to make...you can even print and frame them. Thought I'd share mine with you each Friday, along with links so that you can purchase the fonts you like...but mostly I just want to inspire you to experiment on your own.

Caslon is a classic and very readable font "family," meaning it's available with similar characteristics in several sizes and weights...e.g., regular, bold, italic, and bold italic. Some families also include condensed, small caps, and other professional styles. Purchase Caslon at Linotype, myfonts.com, and elsewhere.

Liana is a script font that's easy to read, elegant, feminine, and has a handwritten character that's perfect for letters and informal invitations (and Valentines!). Available from myfonts.com.

AND SPEAKING OF CLIPPING MASKS...

In this morning's mail, here's a promo from Anthropologie...a perfect example of using Photoshop clipping masks as described in yesterday's post.  (Click to enlarge.)

PHOTOSHOP CLIPPING MASKS

Here are two examples of clipping masks. You see them used on billboards and in magazines...they're effective, simple, and a really fun way to use your photos in your layouts...be it greeting card, blog banner, promo piece, calendar, scrapbook page, mixed media, whatever.

Basically, in Photoshop, you want a photo on one layer and text or a shape on the layer beneath it in the Layers palette. Then hold down the Alt/Option key, hover over the line separating the two layers, and when you see the double circle icon, click and, voilá!

For fonts, it's best to choose a "fat" one (I love Bauhaus Heavy) or the image won't show, and make sure the piece itself is big enough to "read" the effect...otherwise it's a wasted effort. In other words, a business card may be too small, but a greeting card is just right...and anything bigger is even better. Use the Move tool and the Transform feature to tweak things to your liking.

CAMBRIA DREAM

(Click to enlarge)

Took this shot a few months ago in Cambria, one of my favorite little towns along the Central Coast. It was a romantic getaway...and while the romance got away, this image endures. Adding a meaningful quote and some subtle journaling enabled me to encapsulate the memory in an evocative way. Translating life's experiences into art is organic, authentic, and cathartic.

This type of photo fusion using digital layers, including textures and masks, will be the subject of one of my upcoming video workshops.