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.