MagCloud- An Exciting New Discovery for Me

Lorene Troyer

I haven't posted for awhile- I thought I'd share about a company, MagCloud, I heard about while watching a Youtube video by Barney Davey.  I'm quite excited about this company because of a  business venture I'm working on. I need an economical way to get my products printed (since I don't want to invest in a commercial printer just yet).

MagCloud is a content publishing web service. It looks like you can publish your own magazines and digests, flyers, posters etc. The prices seem to be very reasonable. I'm thinking it would probably be a good way for churches and businesses to create economical but professional looking bulletins and other hand-outs.

I read several reviews, most of them were favorable. One complaint was that the paper for the magazine cover seemed too flimsy. After I get some items printed, I'll let you know what I think.

Scripture Art: My First Scripture Art Designs

What do you get when you combine a love for creating graphic art with a love for the Word of God? Scripture art!

Joshua 1:8, one of my favorite Bible verses, talks about the benefits of meditating on God's Word. To me, this scripture is the perfect success formula.  After thinking about it and researching the meaning of some of the words, (in order to clarify it for myself), I wrote it like this:

Keep speaking the Word of God out of your mouth. Meditate on it (study it, imagine it coming to pass in your life and talk about it all the time). Then you will do everything that you meditate on and you will make your way of life (your conversations, your habits, and your manners) to be good and profitable. Then you will have good success.

I liked it so well, I wanted to be able to hang it on my bedroom wall. I had the thought that if I liked it, maybe others would like it as well.  So I spent some time at the drawing board (aka the Gimp) and came up with these two designs.  

Joshua 1:8 Scripture on Lavender and Navy Design by Lorene Troyer

Joshua 1:8 Scripture on Navy and Lavender Design by Lorene Troyer

I put them for sale at Imagekind to see what kind of response I'd get.

Do You Have to Draw to Be a Graphic Designer?

by Lorene Troyer

Do you have to be good at drawing to be a graphic designer? It certainly would come in mighty handy at times, if I could draw- but the truth is, I never learned to be real adept at drawing or painting on paper.

I did teach myself a few things with an art kit my parents got me for Christmas one year, but I never really enjoyed it that much- it was more like a chore than anything else.

It's kind of hard to do any kind of graphic design without graphics or images. Here are some ways to get around this issue (if you are fairly adept at using programs like Photoshop, Gimp or Illustrator etc).

*Have a family member or friend draw what you need.

*Buy art or photos that have a commercial-use license.

*Get art or photos that are in the public domain or are available for commercial use. 

*Take your own photos or in my case, I have a photographer friend who told me to let him know what I'd like and he'll shoot it.  I also pay my 11 year old son for any photos he takes that I can use (after editing).   
*Create digital art using filters or geometric shapes.  

*Cut out items and shapes from photos (you have the rights to) to place in your design.  

I keep thinking that one of these days I'll learn how to draw, but so far it has not been absolutely necessary. I'd rather spend my time learning how to use my software more effectively. 

Anyone else have any thoughts on this matter. Please leave a comment.

Gimp Tips: How to Add A Gold Border to an Image

Here is an easy way to put a gold border around an image (or photo).

Open the image. You may want to make a duplicate so you won't be working on the original copy.
Right click on the layers dialogue and choose alpha to selection.

Create a new transparent layer.
Click on the foreground color square and when the color dialog opens, set the HTML notation to: a28826

 
Make sure the transparent layer is selected. Go to Menu > Select  >  To path >  Edit > Stroke path. Set the line width size to whatever size you want. (I set mine to 20.) Push OK.

 

Right click on the top layer in the dialogue box and choose alpha to selection.

Go to the menu > select> shrink and shrink the selection by one pixel.

Next grab the blend tool, pick the golden gradient, the shape should be bi-linear. Set the repeat to triangular wave.  With the blend tool, come down across the top part of your image at an angle. You should have something like this:

When you are happy with the way it looks, go to menu > select > none.

There you have it- an easy gold border for your pictures

 

  
  

Making Money as an Artist: How to Repurpose Your Images

If your goal is to make money as a photographer or artist, it is good to be able to use your images for a variety of purposes. (Obviously this will not work if you sell exclusive images or photos).

I usually put a lot of effort into getting an image just right so I am always looking for ways to get more out of my efforts. Here is an example of what I am talking about:

First I created an image making sure it was at least 3 to 4 MP

Then I created some cards to submit to Greeting Card Universe

Next I submitted a design to Dreamstime and Bigstock Photo

Next I used the quick create tool in Zazzle and made a whole bunch of products to sell in my store. 

Orange Flower in Vase Note Books by Lorenedesigns
Make your own customizable notebooks at Zazzle

Orange Flower in Vase Planner by Lorenedesigns
Look at Poppy Planners online at Zazzle.com

Gimp Tip: How to Give Text a Shiny Raised Appearance

Here is a quick, easy way to give text a shiny raised appearance.

First, type your text. Then right click on the text layer and choose alpha to selection. From the menu, choose select and then shrink. Shrink your selection till about the inner one fourth of the letters are selected.

 Then feather the selection by about 10 px (menu>  select>  feather) Next create another layer and name it "highlight." Fill in your selection with white paint and reduce the opacity to about 57 or whatever looks good.

How to Sell Your Images Online: Getting Started as a Newbie

"I want to start selling my images (designs, photos, illustrations etc.) online. How do I get started?"  This is a common question.

One way is to sell your designs is by submitting them to microstock websites such as Fotolia, Dreamstime, or Bigstock Photo etc.

If you are just starting out, it may be difficult to get your images accepted.  One reason is that you may not be sure what they are looking for yet or as in my case, you're just not that proficient at creating images that sell.

The first place I submitted my photos and artwork to was Dreamstime.  I think I submitted over 20 files before they finally accepted one (I don't give up easily :) I don't regret it though because I learned a lot from their comments (even though they were rather vague). 

But if you are not inclined to take that route, here are some places you could try to start selling your images without the intense review period.

Redbubble- I have an account but so far have not put up anything for sale with them. One thing I've read is that if you want to sell anything you have to do your own marketing.

Yaymicro- I cannot recall ever having any of my artwork rejected by them, however sales are minimal. I think a person would really have to market themselves to make any money. Another thing that I don't care for is a new a rule they've implemented-  files have to be at least 6 megapixels. I don't usually create files that big.

Mostphotos - there is no image review process, instead photos are rated by other contributers

Stockfuel- All my images were accepted and put on their website but... so far no sales.

Zazzle- I have only been contributing designs to them for a short while but they seem to be pretty easy-going  and have not rejected anything I've uploaded so far.

Imagekind- Upload images that are suitable to be framed or printed on canvas.  If you have any photos on Flickr- they can automatically be brought into Imagekind.  No harsh reviewing process required :)

I hope you found this post helpful. Can you think of any other websites to put in this list? Please leave a comment and let us know.