Feb 2010 Wordart Challenge

[kimberkatt]

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Okay ladies, are you ready? Welcome to the all-new WORDART challenge at theStudio!! I am so incredibly excited to be hosting this challenge! I have a love of words that I want to pass along to all of you!

First, the idea of this challenge is to teach you all that there is sooo much you can do with Text!! Have you ever finished a layout and said to yourself: "Gee, that stark black wordart just doesn't seem to go with the rest of the layout!" Well, I'm here to teach you how to transform that same wordart into a beautiful addition to your layouts!

Each month, I will supply a basic black wordart for you all to download. Your challenge is to transform it into a work of art! I will offer tips, tricks & techniques every month that you can use to make your wordart shine!

For our very first challenge, I thought it would be best to start with the basics: color fills and turning your wordart into a sticker! Please download the FREE wordart below and let's begin!



~~ DOWNLOAD HERE ~~

HOW TO COLOR FILL & ADD STROKE FOR STICKER EFFECT:
(I use PSE, so I'm hoping these little tutorials will work/adapt for whichever program you may use)

1. Start a new 12X12, 300ppi canvas
2. Open the PNG wordart file & drag onto your new canvas - I left it large, so it should fill up your 12X12 canvas and be easy to work with
3. This is where we add some color! Choose your "magic wand" tool.
4. Make sure you are on the wordart layer & click inside the large black "Smile" text. Repeat for each letter, if necessary, until the entire word has the "marching ants" around it.
5. Next, choose the color you wish to use, select the Paint Fill tool, and click inside the "marching ants" to fill your black text with some color!
6. A little explanation as to why I select the text first, instead of just filling with color: If you don't select the object you want to color, the paint fill can bleed and distort your edges. The "marching ants" around the text gives your program a stopping point and keeps the edges of your shape crisp & smooth.
7. Now, you have a choice from here. You can repeat the steps for the "I love your" part of the wordart and fill with a different color, or you can choose to leave that part black, it's up to you!
8. Next, it's time to make it look like a sticker! This is sooo very easy!
9. Make sure your wordart layer is selected, then go to Edit->Stroke(outline)Selection
10. Another box should pop up where you can choose your settings. In the top box (width) is where you set how thick of a stroke you want to use. I typically use between 10-30 for a sticker look. For my example above, I used a stroke of 15pixels.
11. The next box, color, is where you choose which color to stroke with. I used White (ffffff), so click on the box and the color picker should pop up for you to choose. You don't have to stick with white, though... you can choose whichever color you want!
12. Next, make sure your Location is set to "outside", so it will stroke around the edges of your text.
13. Leave the Blending options at Normal, 100% and Preserve Transparency UNchecked.
14. Click OK and you should now see your stroke around your wordart!
15. And that's all folks! You should now have a colored wordart, with a sticker look! Pretty easy, right?

Now, it's up to you weather you want to leave as just a sticker, or get fancy with some elements/clustering around your wordart. The fancy part will come in another lesson, another month! LOL! For this month, the only challenge is to color & sticker the wordart!

You have another choice - for this challenge, I only require that you work on the wordart, however, feel free to create a layout with your newly colored wordart, if you so choose! Please post your finished works in the Decorate Your Wordart Challenge Gallery and post a link back here so I can see the beauty you've created!! As always, if you get stuck, or have some questions, please, please post them here and I will be more than happy to help you out!! I really hope you enjoy my little lessons here and I can't wait to see how you all do with this first challenge!

[littlespooky]

heeheeeheeeheeheee! oh yeah!!!!!!!!!

[Jean Ann]

Whooo! You mean I might learn a new trick with this

[judy in SD]

Ready to get "Designer Smart" can't wait to start.

[MoonDesigns]

What a great challenge!!

[scrappyt]

Wow, this is a great way to put a new twist on the wordart that is already in your stash. Sign me up!

[kimberkatt]

Should be up before the end of the day today! I'm just finishing up my tips & tricks, zipping it all together and then it will be posted! I'm so excited!

[tessthescrapper]

Woohoo I love this. Something new to learn!

[glonet]

I would LUV to learn how to do this!
Gloria

[PamR]

me too! Wow February is off to a great start!!