Evolution of a Page - Painted Template 1 + a coupon

There is no doubt about it, I love my paints and getting all artsy in real life and in digital.  What I love even more is I am now merging the two by painting my usual mixed media backgrounds and bringing them into digital by scanning and turning them into wonderful textures, overlays and photo masks.  I used to have to print a photo and glue onto my canvas and paint wash over (hoping I didn't mess it up), and adding all my embellishments.  With the digital age, I don't have to worry about that any more! Yeah for digi!

Today I want to show you an effect I did years ago in real life art that I have now created digitally using some current photos of sweet Lilith and her Grandpa.

I started with my Painted Template 1, a new series I hope to be bringing you weekly each Tuesday.  It's on sale Tuesday and Wednesday this week 20% off, but because you are reading this, you can get a coupon to get it free with any other purchase from my shop.  Just make sure you add it into your cart with your other purchases before applying the coupon code.  CODE:  paint-T1

When you open this template, you will notice a background with a fill color of the blue.  You can leave this or fill with your color of choice, or put in a paper instead.  I will leave the color as I like it with the photos I have chosen.

The first thing I think about is my large photo I want "painted" into my background.  I added a sun flair using the Photoshop filter lens flair because I already had a nice behind lighting of the sun I wanted to artsy up a bit.  In Photoshop CS it is FILTER>RENDER>LENS FLAIR from your top menu bar.   Move the flair to where you want and adjust the brightness until you like it.  Remember, if you don't like the effect, you can undo and try again.
Here's my before and after of my large photo.
Yes, I cleaned up the spit up too! LOL  Easily done with my cloning brush with a little patience. lol

I then dragged in my photo to just above my "Large Photo Mask" layer in the template.  Clipped it to that layer.  In CS you hover between the two layers holding your alt key and click with your mouse.

See how it's already an artistic photo?  Now if you want, you can play with the layer's blending mode of the overlay and or the photomask for totally different effects.  The beauty of this template! 

In the above example I left the Overlay texture blending on Overlay with a 33% opacity, and the photomask with an overlay blending and 100% opacity.  But feel free to play!  

Here's just a FEW things you can do to change the look.

Want a dark rich color on the photo? Change the Overlay texture layer to multiply or linear burn and up the opacity.  

Want a ungrunged cleaner photo? Change the photomask to a Normal blending mode instead of an overlay.

Change the mask to a Screen layer mode and take the opacity up to around 65%.

And of course you can always turn off, adjust or delete the Overlay layer also.

Next I added my smaller photo and simply clipped to the small photo painted mask.  Added my journaling, a date above the line and the added title of Baby Lilith.

DONE!  Now I could add more, but the beauty and simplicity of the moment was what I was after for this, but with my usual artistic flair.  I plan on making an opposite page with more photos of these two and some journaling of Grandpa's thoughts about his precious little baby Lilith.  I will use the same template, but may rotate it, move it around, or bring in some other elements… will have to see when I get there. :) 

My finished page.  Isn't the moment just Simply Beautiful?! (Minus the spit up of course! lol) 

Hope you enjoyed a little peek into my process and I would love to see how you use this template so be sure and show us in my gallery at Digitals! Be sure to check out more inspirations there using my products for tons of creative ideas!  And who knows… you might be picked for Layout of the Day too from our First Responders!

Here are some more of my New Releases this week and all are on sale Tuesday and Wednesday this week along with a few of last week's releases. 

Tags 1 Re-released and a New Tags 2.  Both PU/S4H/CU licensed.

  

Stitches 05 available for PU or CU

 Join me again here next Tuesday for another "Evolution of a Page" and a new Painted Template.