Gimp Tutorial: How to Easily Create a Realistic Balloon

I am not sure where I learned this technique but I have used it many times over the past 2 years. Here are the steps I take: 

Open a new file. I set the size to 400 x 400.

Make a new transparent layer.

Use the ellipse tool to make a circle 

Go to menu> select > to path

Select the forground and background color tool and choose the color of your choice- the foreground color needs to be several shades lighter than the background color.

Pick the blend tool and set the shape to radial. Starting in slightly from the upper left portion of the circle, drag the gradient to the lower right just past the center.

From the menu pick filters> distorts> curve bend. Use these settings:

To finish, use the ellipse tool to make a small oval on the bottom side of the balloon. Fill it in with the darker color. To give it a softer, smoother look, go to menu> filters> blur> Gaussian blur and set the blur radius to 2. 

CafePress.com: My First Sales

My first sale at CafePress...this design sold 3 times in less than a week. I started uploading some of my designs about 2 or 3 weeks ago.  

In case you are wondering... yes I am excited. I'm sure you've heard it before..it's not so much the money, it's the idea that someone actually paid me for my art. 

                                            My first sale at CafePress

Greeting Card Universe Review: My First Card Sale

I signed up to be an artist at Greeting Card Universe back in June this year. I really didn't do anything with it at first, but I finally submitted a few cards.

I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly my first card sold. Needless to say, I am quite excited about this opportunity. I believe it's a way for me to learn about card design, hone my designing skills and take careful note of what sells and what doesn't.   

My first card sale 

I was also happy with the feedback they gave me for a card that was not accepted- they told me exactly what to do to bring it up to par.

It's completely free to join and they take care of all the details- printing, e-commerce etc. You can earn up to 56 cents a card.  If you are interested in creating cards to sell, maybe this is a way to get started. 

Update: The commission structure has since been changed- artists get half of what we used to, unless we earn a certain amount of money in each quarter.  To meet this quota, I've been told we need to sell 428 cards for each of quarters 1-3 and 857 cards for the 4th quarter.

If you don't want to create cards, you can also make money by selling them. You get a 12% commission.

My enthusiasm may be a bit premature since I have not been with them very long but so far I really like this company.

Gimp Techniques: How to Create a Ric Rac Border in Gimp

by Lorene Troyer

Gimp is such an amazing program... I am so grateful for all the people who have made it possible... Anyway I thought I'd share an easy technique for creating a ric rac border in Gimp.

1. Open a new document.

2. Make a new transparent layer.

3. Choose the rectangle selection tool and make a narrow strip

4. Fill it with your color of choice.

5. Go to menu > select> none.

6. Next go to menu> filters> distorts> ripple. Select vertical for orientation and set the period parameter to about 30.

7. To give it some texture- from the menu select filters> artistic> apply canvas (I set the depth to 3).

8.You can also apply a drop shadow effect.  Filters> light and shadow> drop shadow (I put a 2 in each of the parameter boxes.)

Gimp Tutorial: How to Make a Matte Christmas Ornament

With Christmas just around the corner, I thought I would share how to create matte colored ornaments.

First make a round selection- Grab the ellipse select tool. As you drag- press Shift + Alt. This will give you a perfect circle. Next choose select (from the menu) and to path (this will give you a smoother edge.)

Next open a new transparent layer. Change the foreground and background colors to the colors you want your ornament to be. To get a matte effect, the foreground color must be a few shades lighter than the background layer.

Use the blend tool on the radial setting and starting in slightly from the upper left portion of the circle, drag the gradient to the lower right just past the center.

To make the cap, make a new transparent layer and use the rectangle select tool to make a small rectangle on top of the ornament. Select the blend tool again and choose the golden gradient, set the shape mode to linear and the repeat mode to triangular wave. Drag the blend tool straight across about 1/8 the length of the rectangle.

To create the hook, open a new transparent layer and use the ellipse select tool to make a small oval. Choose the color you want, and as you did before- go to the menu > select > to path. Then choose edit > stroke path.   Move the lower part of the hook behind the cap by putting the "hook" layer below the cap layer and finally, move it into place with the move tool.   

Scripture For Artists and Designers

This morning during my daily Bible reading,  I read this passage in Exodus 35 (NIV version)

 ³⁰ ...“See, the Lord has chosen Bezalel... ³¹ and he (God) has filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills— ³² to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, ³³ to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic crafts... ³⁵ He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as engravers, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and weavers—all of them skilled workers and designer.

Scriptures like this get me excited when I realize afresh how much God wants us to be successful in the things He's called us to do. If your calling in life is to be an artist, designer, photographer etc, be assured that God has equipped and anointed you to excel in your field.

Here is a way I made this passage more personal to me:

The Lord has chosen me and has filled me with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills— to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze (or Photoshop, Gimp, photography etc.) to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic crafts. He has filled me with skill to do all kinds of work as an engraver, designer, embroiderer, (photographer, graphic designer etc.) in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and weavers—as a skilled worker and designer.

Or more simply:

The Lord has chosen me and has filled me with His Spirit. He has given me wisdom, understanding, knowledge and the skills to make artistic designs for work in (Photoshop, Gimp, photography etc.)   He has filled me with skill to become an outstanding designer (artist, photographer etc.)

Happy creating!

How to Set Goals For Your Life

By Lorene Troyer

If you want to be successful in your life, you will need to know how to set goals for yourself. Setting goals can determine whether your life is mundane and boring (aka as meaningless) or exciting and rewarding. Statistics show that people who write down goals have a much greater success rate (more than 80%) than people who don't and yet only 3% of people write down their life goals and 1% regularly read through them. Can you see how writing down your goals will give you an edge in life? 

If you do not set goals, you will likely let circumstances and other people decide how you spend your time, energy, money and other resources. Setting goals will keep you from drifting aimlessly through life.
One of the reasons why people do not write down what they want to accomplish in life is because they don't know how. Here is a simple way to get started.

Take a few days or even weeks to think about what you really want to achieve in the future. Keep a notepad and paper handy as you go about your day. Maybe as you are getting dressed, you start thinking about how you need to get new clothes for yourself. Make a note of it. As you watch your husband drive to work you wish you had a better marriage. Write it down.

Consider the desires of your heart-God will often lead people through the desires He has placed in their hearts.

Do you want to be able to stay at home with your children? Do you wish you could make a full time living as a graphic designer? Would you like to spend more time helping out at your church? Write it on your notepad.

In a few days you may have several pages of things you want to change or accomplish. Look through them and decide which of the items are really something you want to pursue and get rid of the ones which ones were just passing whims. 
 
Decide which goals you will work on this week, this month, this year and beyond. If you have a larger goal such as creating $500 of passive income a week from your selling designs or photos, you will have to break it down into sub goals, giving each of these goals a deadline as well.

Read through your goals and do something every day that helps you move closer to reaching your most important goals. It may not seem like you are getting much done but as you work on your goals day after day, you will be amazed at how much you accomplish in a year’s time.

How to Learn Gimp: Ideas to Get You Started

by Lorene Troyer

I started in graphic design about 2 years ago when my pastor asked me to take over the church website. One of the things I needed to do was to create slides.

I was a total novice, but I noticed that when I created slides in Paint, my text was jagged- (a look I really did not care for). Since I was working on a Mac at the time, I bought Pixelmator- this program worked well and I enjoyed it very much- I then had to quit using the Mac and start using a PC so I  found and downloaded this nifty program called Gimp :).

I really enjoy Gimp and it's the only program I use at this point in time (other than dabbling a little bit with Inkscape) to create images to sell.

Here are some ideas on how to learn to use Gimp.

First of all, you can read books that teach you how to use Gimp.  Awhile back I read the book, Beginning GIMP: From Novice to Professional by Akkana Peck.  I found it very interesting and easy to understand.  It covers a LOT of information so be prepared to spend some time with it and take down plenty of notes so you don't forget what you learned!

Hint- your local library might have the book as well if you don''t mind having to rush through it or if you just want to see whether this is a book you want to invest in.

Another way to learn how to use Gimp is to read or watch tutorials on the Internet. I personally like to go to Youtube and look for Gimp tutorial videos.  I can learn a lot by just watching the videos but I learn much more by actually following along and "doing" the tutorial.

This can get frustrating, especially if you are a beginner, but keep reminding yourself that this is a process and you won't learn it all in one day.   By the way, if you are a complete beginner, it will go a lot smoother if you master the easy tutorials before going on to the harder ones. 

If you happen to have a desktop computer as well as a laptop, it can work very well to watch the tutorial on one computer while following along on the other computer.  

The final suggestion I am going to mention is to experiment on your own- open the Gimp and start clicking around to find out what all those tools do. If you can't figure it out- do some research.   Put in the name of the tool + Gimp and usually you will find out all you need to know to use it effectively.  Here is a good place to start: Gimp Tutorials

Of course these are not the only ways to learn how to use Gimp but they will at least get you started.  Have fun!  

Don't Throw Away Your Dreams

By Lorene Troyer

I was at a convention this past summer and one of the speakers asked the question, "How do you know a dream is from God?"

He stated that the way you know- is that the dream excites you. When it is first dropped in your heart, it makes you smile and feel inspired.

The trouble comes in when you try to figure out how it will happen. You talk yourself right out of that dream- "That can never happen," or  "I will never have enough money to do that," or "I am not qualified."   

One of my mentors made the statement, "God has never asked me to do anything that was possible."

When it looks impossible from the natural standpoint- that's where faith comes in. If you can do it by yourself, it doesn't require faith.

According to Isaiah 55: 8, God's thoughts are not our thoughts- they are way higher.  In order for you not to reject the thoughts He gives you,  you need to get your mind renewed with the word of God.

If you have a dream inside of you that you can't shake, but it seems totally impossible to accomplish, don't throw it away.  It may be a dream from your Heavenly Father. He wants you to trust Him to show you how to make it happen.

Would you like to create award winning book covers or become a graphic designer for a major magazine company or create enough passive income from your art so you don't need an outside job?  Whatever your dream, don't write it it off just yet. Instead, write it in your journal.  Don't try to figure out how to do it- just be open to it for now. Let God know you are willing and trust Him to show you what to do.  

     

How To Highlight an Object or Text in Gimp Without using Channels

By Lorene Troyer

I used to be frustrated with the amount of work it took to highlight an object/text while I was working in Gimp. I was very happy when I found a method that did not involve using channels.  Here are the steps I take:

1. Create a new transparent layer. Make sure it's on the top layer and name it highlight.

2. Select the object or text (that you want to highlight) with alpha to selection (found by right-clicking on the layer in the Layers dialogue box.

3. Fill the selection (on the new layer) with white using the Bucket Fill tool .

4. Using the Move tool, reposition the white object down and and to the right slightly.

5. With the move tool still selected, click selection, the red square kind of towards the bottom of the toolbox.

6. Now move the selection (dotted outline), down and to the right slightly (staying on the white part.)

7. With the highlight layer layer selected, click the delete button on your keyboard. This should leave you with the highlight portion.

8. Click Select -----> None.

9. Now put a sight blur on the highlight layer. Filters -----> Blur -----> Gaussian Blur (about 3 for both the horizontal and vertical).

10. Select the original layer with alpha to selection. Next go to select -----> Invert and then hit the delete button.

You can use the move tool and reposition the highlight if you like. If it goes over the edges after you are done, simply repeat step 10.

Free Commercial Fonts

By Lorene

One of my favorite websites to get free commercial fonts is at Font Squirrel.   They have a big selection and I can usually find what I need. I personally do not like to download fonts that cannot be used for commercial use.

Have you ever spent 5 hours creating the perfect logo, only to find out later that the font you used is only licensed for personal use. Not a good feeling. Since the majority of my designs usually end up for sale somewhere on the Internet-  I just find it simpler not to deal with fonts that can only be used for personal use.

Another place to get free commercial fonts is at FontSpace- however they also have non-commercial fonts so I need to pay attention to my selections. One way to make sure I'm only looking at the commercial fonts is to use the filter options button.

Another great resource for free commercial fonts is found at Google Web Fonts. These fonts were primarily intended to be used to design web pages but can also be used in other graphics.  

You might also check out Dafont but again, pay attention, because not all their free fonts can be used commercially.

Is God Interested In Art: What Does the Bible Say?

By Lorene Troyer

Have you ever wondered if God is really interested in art or graphic design? Does God choose certain people to be artists and designers? What does the Bible have to say about this topic? There are actually several scriptures in the Old Testament about this subject:

Exodus 31: 2-5 See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, 4 To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, 5 And in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship.

Exodus 35:25 And all the women that were wise hearted did spin with their hands, and brought that which they had spun, both of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine linen.

Exodus 35:30-32 And Moses said unto the children of Israel, See, the Lord hath called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; 31 And he hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship; 32 And to devise curious works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass.

Exodus 35:33-35 And in the cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of wood, to make any manner of cunning work. 34 And he hath put in his heart that he may teach, both he, and Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. 35 Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of work, of the engraver, and of the cunning workman, and of the embroiderer, in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of them that do any work, and of those that devise cunning work.

1 Chronicles 22:15 Moreover there are workmen with thee in abundance, hewers and workers of stone and timber, and all manner of cunning men for every manner of work.

Chronicles 24:12 And the king and Jehoiada gave it to such as did the work of the service of the house of the Lord, and hired masons and carpenters to repair the house of the Lord, and also such as wrought iron and brass to mend the house of the Lord.

I don't know about you, but I used to think God was only interested in "spiritual" things. Today I know that not only is He interested in art, He calls certain people to create art or designs for specific purposes. Please feel free to add your own scriptures and comments.

How I Gave My Bright Pink Flower a Soft Painted Look Using Gimp

By Lorene Troyer


I was working on a Mother's Day Project in Gimp and I needed a soft pink flower to finish my look.
The flower I had was bright pink so after several attempts I found a way to soften the look.

I opened the image of my isolated flower. Next I duplicated the layer.
I then right clicked on the flower in the top layer and chose Alpha to Selection.
Then I opened Color Selection Dialogue and picked a color pink that was several shades lighter then my flower.
I picked the bucket tool, and left the Fill Similar Colors option  selected.
Next I filled the flower (in the top layer) with the light pink color- I had to click in several places to get the color distributed evenly.
I then went to Filters >  Blur >  Gaussian blur which I set around 13.
After deselecting it, I lowered the opacity of the top flower and ta da! There it was.    

The Non-Designer's Design Book Review

I just finished reading The Non-Designer's Design Book by Robin Williams.  I found it to be very simple and easy to understand. It gives specific things you can do to make a design look professional- how to use and combine typefaces, how to use contrast and colors effectively.  (All this info that would have been very helpful when I was designing and printing the bulletins for our church.)

Robin explains some of the differences in typefaces. She breaks them into 6 basic groups and discusses why or why not they can be together on the same page, how to grab the attention of the reader and how to make everything work together.

I think buying this book would be a very good investment for churches or small businesses. It could be given to people who design the church bulletins, flyers, brochures or business cards. Really, it's for anyone who wants to avoid making amateur mistakes in design projects.