Hmm. What else? It is so lovely to walk to work to the tune of Regina and Kate. Ahh...thank you, ipod (and Mandy, who I am forever grateful to for the ipod..) Oh! And I was almost swooped-to-death today by some scary crows this morning - Omigosh! Scariest moment ever! Prologue: Our friend Ian was telling us he saw some crazy-acting crows the other day - flying at people and attacking and such. Thinking there was something they were eating or something to explain why they were being so weird. Anyway, I was freaked out, but kind of forgot about it afterward.
So, today, I happily leave my house to go for a jog, and this guy coming towards me is like, "They're aggressive today"...as a crow swoops for him... and it's like 6:30 am, so I'm like, "huh?" walking along towards where he'd just come from. And then I hear these crows - 2 of them - and one literally swoops down from the treetops towards my head!! Literally, like 5 inches away from my head making this horrible screeching noise!! Omigosh!! So I'm like..walking faster, hoping I can get the hell outta there fast, because the trees are almost over...they won't swoop again, right?? And then I hear one coming at me from behind!! Like, right towards my head..super loud...swerves just past me again...Omigosh...It was like something out of a horror movie!! So frickin scary...so I take off running, thinking the trees are over, maybe they're just protecting their little area under the tress...they're not gonna follow me....nope...hear one coming at me again!! And I bolt - pretty sure I screeched, too - I swear, I have never run so fast in my life!! Omigod. I ran and ran til I was farm far away. I will now never walk in that little area again. Nor will I ever look at crows the same again!! And then I kept hearing them all the way to work and was just petrified!! I now share Mandy's fear of birds, dude. My heart is pounding just thinking about it...that's unnerving, man...there is something majorly wrong with those birds!
So that has been my day. Work is quite dead for me - but it looks like I have a lot of work coming up soon, so I'm doing test for some effects for newer episodes...keeps me busy...=)
Annnd....the digital kit was released at SIS yesterday:
Whee! I had so much fun designing this guy! It was in the works for a while, actually, I had drawn the trees long ago back when this kit theme occured to me. =) You can find it here in the digi boutique (first page, scroll down). Annnnd, the colors coordinate with Sis's "Beach Bum" June collection, if anyone's up for trying hybrid out!As for a little blurb on how I make all this digi stuff - Michelle was asking how I started designing digi stuff, being mostly a paper girl myself;
Literally, I kind of just pieced together the basics of digital design - I know a little Photoshop (still have tons to learn), but enough to know blending modes and things (I use these at work all day - AfterEffects is pretty similar to Photoshop). I had used various digital elements in some digi scrapping and seen the file types, sizes, presentations, etc. I searched online/looked into how to texture elements, because digi paper always has really cool textures - You can either use premade commercial-use textures, like these, or you can make your own with brushes or scanned textures. So, literally, I scanned a bunch of stuff around the house for my first collections' textures to test it out - papertowel, pieces of crumpled paper, graph paper...you name it. Then I just pulled those textures into Photoshop and put colors underneath, on top, played with blending modes....had fun! =) To make the elements (tags, titles, etc.), I'm a hand-drawn kind of girl...so personally, I draw any shapes on paper, scan, and color/finish them off digitally. So I'm not much help in that aspect...lol. But I did draw a few things in Flash, as well as Photoshop. =)
I learn by doing, by making mistakes, by figuring things out myself. It's a challenge I always love...=) I by no means know much beyond the basics - so, sorry if that 'how to' was kind of vague, but that about sums up how I got into it! lol...Not a lot of pre-thought, for me. I had rough sketches of the first kit I wanted to make, but I literally decided to just try it one afternoon, googled some things, couldn't find any 'how-to-get-started' or anything online, so I thought logically based on my love of figuring out how things work and a little software know-how and just tried for it. =) And I love that I'm always discovering something new as I work!
So, on this "Grow, Forest, Grow" kit, I tried new things, and learned a little bit more...and I'm super-happy with it! I'll have to scrap with it soon and share. =) And ask me anything, if you guys are baffled about digi...feel free! I can't guarantee I, also, won't be baffled..lol...but I'll try to help! =)
Anyway, are you over-saturated with words yet? lol..so sorry...hope you made it through this post! Happy weekend, everyone!
14 comments:
Long time lurker here... : .)
The same thing happened to me regarding crows recently on a walk. Evidentially, their fledglings are getting ready to fly and the nervous parents are just trying to protect them. I hope you don't let that keep you from your running! Just wait a bit until the babes are out of the nest and you can reclaim your trail.
so awesome- I love this kit- I want it- LOL - even though I do much hybrid or not digi ;)
Oh wow!!! I LOVE IT!!!
I hate birds and now you know why....Once that happens to you never recover from it....for someone that is so scared of birds I sure take good photos of them remember your wedding and all the birds they look great in the photos but my heart was pounding the whole time....lol
Very cute I love your kits! Cute page too!
this old guy that live down the road from us had a bunch of crazy crows. he paid my brother and his best friend to kill them. they were protecting their nest, so maybe those ones are too.
i want to know how you make the stamps and paper you do for the dozens. and i want to know if you're going to make any more? [i'd really like some, but i just found out about the dozen like 3 weeks ago, so now i just stare at their flickr group hoping that somehow, i'll find like a kit laying around in the park. for shiz...]
Oh man, yeah birds are terrifying. At our apt. there's a pond and it's freaking filled with geese having gooselettes (Ok, I know they're called goslings.) so they literally hiss at anyone who dares to approach within 20 yards of the pond. They'll run after you and chomp at your legs.
Who knew birds were really just little feathered monsters?
Your digi kit is super awesome. It makes me want to figure out how to design kits, too. But I can't draw worth beans...so we'll see how that goes!
very cute digi-kit! Sorry about the scary crows! What a Hitchcock-esque moment, eh???
Your new collection is gorgeous!! :) I'm sure I've told you this before, but you really do make me want to try digi scrapping :)
Incredible! Love the kit! Thanks for explaining. That's exactly how thought. :)
you make me wish i could digi scrap, just to use that kit, wow its amazing!!
xx
omigosh, scary birds!! That would leave me quite shaken! yikes...
Ok, that digi kit looks way too much fun... I keep getting so tempted to try digi, but idunno, I'm a little scared of it! lol, if that makes sense!
danijohnston.typepad.com/dj
another amazing creation! i am always inspired by your work :)
I've got both of your kits now. I love them both. As I soon as I saw this new one I knew I wanted it! Love your stuff. I just posted a new digi LO I did with your VA kit and I'm working on a LO with your new kit.
I'm one who likes to make stuff and figure it out myself too. I've been dragging my feet about at least making up some digi rub ons and images. You inspire me! :)
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