March10 Wordart Challenge

[kimberkatt]

Hi ladies! the March Wordart challenge will be posted shortly! I'm trying to play catch up from having no internet for the past 3 days... too much snow our way!
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Are we ready now?! {Judy, please wipe up the drool, I slipped on my way in! }

I am so very impressed with what you all did last month! Fabulous job everyone!! I just hope that you all aren't expecting some spectacular trick up my sleeve - because I soooo don't have one! LOL!

Let's get right to it then - here's a look at the Wordart provided for the challenge this month:



>>> DOWNLOAD WORDART HERE <<<

Yes, it's pretty simple & basic, but with a little finesse, you can turn it into something like this:



(CREDITS: All supplies are from the Feb 10 Mega Kit, A Touch of Love, which you can get FREE with any $10 purchase in the store!!)

Now, the trick I used this month was clipping a paper to the wordart. There are two ways you can use any paper to clip to your text/shapes/masks. (Remember, I use Photoshop Elements, so if you use a different program, you may have different steps to take)

First, you can use the "Group with Previous" function

1. Open up a new 12X12, 300ppi page
2. drag or place the wordart & your paper of choice into the new page
3. Make sure that your wordart layer in BELOW your paper layer (you should just see your paper on the screen because the wordart is hidden underneath for right now)
4. Make sure you are on your paper layer (just click on it in the layers menu)
5. Go to Layer>Group with Previous (or you can just hit Ctrl+G as a shortcut)
6. Now, you should see your paper "clip" to your wordart! It's as easy as that!

This is the same technique used to fill up your layered templates (pssst: if you want to practice, my March Template is posted! )

The other way you can fill your wordart is by making the paper into a pattern fill:

1. Open up your paper in your program
2. Go to Select>All (or Ctrl+A for a shortcut) so you get the "marching ants" all around the edges of the paper
3. Go to Edit>Define Pattern from Selection
4. You can name your pattern whatever you want, or just keep the name that is there and click OK. This has now saved your paper as a pattern fill!
5. Open up your wordart
6. Click on your Fill tool (looks like a paint bucket)
7. On the top toolbar, you should see a drop down box next to the word Fill - make sure this is changed from "foreground" to "pattern"
8. Right next to that is the Pattern drop down box - select your new pattern from the list
9. Now, just go ahead and fill each letter with your new pattern! Pretty simple, eh? And, you now have your pattern saved to use whenever you want without having to open up the paper!

So, your challenge this month is to fill up your wordart with a paper! You can just leave it at that, you can decorate more or you can make a layout with it, if you want! When you're done, please post your finished wordart in the Decorate Your Wordart Gallery and post a link back here so I can see all of the amazing transformations and get you marked down for your challenge points! Have fun ladies!

[tiggconn]

okay, no problem

[kimberkatt]

I'm finishing up right now - but I have to break for dinner, so it will probably be posted after that!

[judy in SD]

No hurry, pant, pant, pant, drool, we can wait.

[marnie]

Originally Posted by judy in SD

No hurry, pant, pant, pant, drool, we can wait.

Now THAT'S funny!! I'm in for the challenge.

Hugs

[kimberkatt]

Okay ladies, all posted!!! If you have any questions, please ask away!! Have fun!

[allergy_mom]

Thank you... I'll let you know how it goes!

[ADBDesign {anita_d}]

Here's my link _ this is fun, thanks for hosting!!
http://www.digitalscrapbookingstudio...hp?photo=52572

[kimberkatt]

Diane, you're fast!! It's beautiful, great job!!

[judy in SD]

Thank you for an other great tut and hints for improving our pages. As noted above, look forward to each new lesson. Link

[judy in SD]

Found an Easter photo which will work here so did an other version using more Spring like colors. It is here.

[judy in SD]

With a few tweeks pages is here.

[PamR]

Had some fun with this one. I like bright colors, lol. Here's mine:

[allergy_mom]

I got my word art done! As a homeschooling mum, I had more in mind the type of day where we get our schoolwork done early, and have time to do crafts afterward, so I used Min's SchoolDaze kit.

http://www.digitalscrapbookingstudio...hp?photo=52695

Thanks for the tut, Kimberkatt! This one is very challenging for me... took me a long time to figure out how to move layers around, resize, everything; I usually use my word processing program, so this has a completely different feel to it. Is there a way to group just the layers included in my word art, so I can make it smaller or move it around?

[allergy_mom]

Originally Posted by allergy_mom

I got my word art done! As a homeschooling mum, I had more in mind the type of day where we get our schoolwork done early, and have time to do crafts afterward, so I used Min's SchoolDaze kit.

http://www.digitalscrapbookingstudio...hp?photo=52695

Thanks for the tut, Kimberkatt! This one is very challenging for me... took me a long time to figure out how to move layers around, resize, everything; I usually use my word processing program, so this has a completely different feel to it. Is there a way to group just the layers included in my word art, so I can make it smaller or move it around?

I figured out how to link my elements and words together; now, how to create shadows?

[kimberkatt]

do you have layer styles in Pixelmator? I don't have a Mac, so I couldn't try the program - sorry! Judy, any input here?

In PSE, there is a drop shadow layer style that you can apply and play with to get it to look the way you want - or, you can make you're own custom shadows:

1. duplicate your layer
2. drag your duplicated layer UNDER the original layer
3. go to Edit>Brightness & Contrast
4. turn the CONTRAST & BRIGHTNESS all the way down, until you get a flat black image in the shape of your element
5. go to Filter>Gaussian Blur
6. I usually set my blur anywhere from 9-18, depending on the size of my element, click on OK
7. select your move tool and use the cursor keys to nudge your shadow down 2 and to the right 2 (for basic paper, sticker, low shadows) or play with it by moving down and over until you get it positioned how you want it.
8. Go to Opacity in the layers menu and turn it down to lighten the shadow - I go anywhere from 65% down to 25% depending on my element and the effect I want

I like to make my own shadows because you have more control over them, and they are on a separate layer, so if say, you cluster over or under that particular element, you can adjust the shadows accordingly!

Welcome to the world of layers, allergyMom!! LOL! They are really soooo much better and allow way more control over your finished project! They just take a bit of practice, but once you get it, you'll love the flexibility they give you!

[mrscarol_1]

Here is mine for March Word Art

http://www.digitalscrapbookingstudio...7&limit=recent

[Victoria32]

Here is my March word art filled with paper
http://www.digitalscrapbookingstudio...0&limit=recent

and the word art with added text and a bevel applied used in the LO for the Template challenge

Magical Wedding Day

[Char-D]

Thanks for the shadow info.
Here is my word art:

[judy in SD]

Pixelmator does not come with an automated shadow option. To create shadows I have been doing the same steps as you outlined for PSE. It is very time intensive when compared to what can be done in the iWork software. Allergy mom maybe you can help me with the grouping thing. The only way I can do it is if the items I want to group are on the bottom of the stack, if in the middle I can't do it.