Me + Clipping Masks = ♥ True Love ♥ & a Giveaway for YOU! (ps. that means FREE!)

She Dreamt of Running With Wolves

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Ok, so I'm no quick draw mcgraw, but believe or not, I just discovered the beauty of clipping masks a few months ago. Despite using photoshop for years (completely self-taught), I've somehow let this little wonder tool escape my radar. Now that me and clipping masks have been formally introduced, it's been love at first sight and we are currently involved in a pretty racy affair...I mean I use them every night just about, I can't get enough of them! Do you guys know what clipping masks are? The answer is probably yes, you've probably all known since like kindergarten, but for those of you like myself, let me explain. The clipping mask tool in photoshop is this fabulous little function that allows you to literally "clip" select layers to a base layer. In doing so, any layer that you "clip" to your base layer will stay contained within the shape of that base layer. For instance, if your base layer is a heart shape and the layer above your base layer is a scanned piece of antique lace, you simply "click" the lace layer to the heart shape and it becomes a lacy heart! Amazing I tell you! Did that make any sense? I'm not always the best tutorialist, ( I'm pretty sure I just made that word up, but I like it, so I'm going with it ). In essence, the lace layer will only be visible within the confine's of the heart's shape. And it's very simple to do, I'm not sure how it works on a PC, but on a Mac you simply highlight the layer you want to "clip"and press the "option" key while left clicking on your mouse. When you do that you will see a little icon appear that looks like two interlocked circles, and voila! You've clipped two layers together! Very simple in theory and process, but the possibilities in using this function are truly endless, allowing you to create little worlds within the shape of your base layer. The two designs featured above this post were created using multiple clipping masks and "clipping" several layers to the base layer of the silhouette. Can you tell what is making up the profile of the 2nd design? Most people I've asked have a hard time at first and really need to look at it a few times before they get it. Post your comments on what you think it is and the 1st person to get the correct answer will receive one FREE Dollface Design Digital Download of their choice from my etsy shop , yippee! Is that bribing you for comments? I'm pretty sure it is, and I'm ok with that...there's no shame in my game ♥

Dollface Design T-Shirt

Dollface Design T-Shirt
Originally uploaded by ms_mod

this is my new t-shirt design, yay! it features my illustrious little, pipe smoking, bird/woman hybird, along with my hand drawn font. i just posted it on alchemy on etsy. for those of you not familiar, alchemy is a section on etsy where buyers & sellers can post specific custom requests, allowing sellers to "bid" on requests and buyers to choose the seller whose ideas most closely coincide with their vision, it's a pretty interesting concept. i'm looking for someone to silkscreen it onto a t-shirt for me, preferably something heather gray, super soft, thin, and vintage-y with a bit of distressing for good measure. i figure it will be good advertising and i think it's pretty cute to boot ♥ i think i'm going to have my etsy shop's web address on the back too, nothing too big or obnoxious, just kind of small and dainty under the neck.
i'd love to learn how to silkscreen myself (add that to my ever growing list of crafty endeavors i aspire to master!). that way i'd be able to offer lots of my designs on t-shirts and hoodies and pretty much take over the universe. i think several of my designs would lend themselves well to a t-shirt, and it would be another way that buyers could enjoy my stuff, other than simply displaying it on a wall. i think people really like the idea of "wearable" art, at least i do ♥ that's why i need to get back into making my soldered charm pendants with my artwork encased inside, so stay tuned because i'll be offering those in the shop again very soon! my dream of dreams, is to one day be able to offer my designs on t-shirts, hoodies, journals, totebags, pendants, cards, and prints...i'm pretty sure that it will happen eventually...i never thought i'd be where i am now, but strangely enough once you stop "thinking" about how you're going to do something and simply start "doing" something, amazing things start to happen. and things you never thought possible seem to manifest, falling into place with grace and ease, and suddenly the things of your dreams start to become your reality and the lines become blurred, the doubts become less and the hopes become more, and suddenly you start to really believe in yourself...it's a good feeling.

The Symphony of Life

The Symphony of Life
Originally uploaded by ms_mod

oh i've been a naughty blogger! not even an official blogger for one week and i'm already missing posts, tsk tsk...that's why i love TartX's theory on "blogging without obligation"...if you don't who TartX is then you need to immediately visit her etsy shop, blog, or flickr stream because they're all fabulous, her work is truly amazing with a very cool, kind of surreal, fairytale like feel to it, i'm a big fan...but anyway, her "blogging without obligation" thing is that you shouldn't look at your blog like a chore or something you "must" do each day, but rather it should be something more organic and flowing, something you do because you want to, instead of have to...so that's how i'm going to be approaching this blog, with total irreverence and freedom...i'm digging it, it kind of feels like the bra burning of the blog world!
the other thing you should be prepared for if you are going to be reading this is that i've completely given up on capitals, i tried to use them in my first few posts and seem all proper and full of grammatical correctness, but i'm over it. i type in lower case in my emails and on forums, so why not on my blog too?...hopefully this will not offend you, if it does i suggest you move onto another blog that it is more grammatically gracious than i, if this does not bother you and you are still reading...LONG LIVE THE LOWER CASE!
ok, enough ranting for tonight...onto this jaunty little pipe smoking bird! this is a little something i cooked up tonight. it's a combination of digital and traditional cut and paste collage, printed on antique paper from the early 1900's. it features a dapper little chippy, puffing on her pipe, sporting a sassy little hat with a feather in her cap! there are some hand drawn doodles along with some snips and scraps of vintage paper. i'll be listing this in my etsy shop shortly, or perhaps tomorrow as it's getting a bit late. goodnight my loves, more tomorrow....or not ♥