Artistic Photo Quilts: Create Stunning Quilts with Your Camera, Computer & Cloth
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Book preview
Artistic Photo Quilts - Charlotte Ziebarth
Index
introduction
Harmony, 50 × 13
, 2007
I have done quilting and other fiber work for many years. Photography was always a sideline to my artwork, serving as an inspiration source. When I learned how to print photographs on fabric, photography truly became integrated into my artwork. Many people have used the printing technology to print family photos on cloth to put into quilts. I began by using my nature photography in my quilts. As I learned digital alteration of photographs, I began taking pictures not only of things I loved but also of things that would make a useful layer or background in my digital compositions—pictures of peeling paint, interesting cracks in the pavement, or drippy rust patterns. Photography became one of the principal tools in my artwork.
Rock line photo used in Harmony
Water on roof
Peeling paint used in Birds in the Bush (page 76)
As the process evolved, I found that I was creating my own computer-designed images, not merely printing a photograph onto fabric. Although I use photography, it has become just the first step in the design process. The question of how I could alter photographs became more interesting than simply printing the photograph itself. The making of the quilt became an exploration of image possibilities at several stages in the process.
This book will describe what I have learned as I began to explore changing and altering photographs to use in my quilt work. It is not meant to be a step-by-step, do-exactly-what-I-did type of book. I hope it will point the way for you to learn how to turn your photographs into unique images for your artwork, whether you are making quilts or some other type of artwork.
Although it is possible to totally design all of the artwork on the computer, the cloth and stitching and other art media interact with the printed images in interesting, often surprising ways. The process of discovery and not knowing exactly how a quilt will look until it is finished is what keeps me interested. The more opportunities for serendipity and improvisation along the way, the better.
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
I use Adobe Photoshop Elements software for my artwork, although any good photo-editing software can be used. Menu and feature locations within different Photoshop Elements versions may vary slightly from this text, but the functionality is there. Explore!
While this book doesn’t include the beginning basics for Photoshop Elements, there are many sources for beginners, so don’t worry about that. There are books and online tutorials, including C&T Publishing’s Photoshop Elements Basics (www.ctpub.com). There is also a Help drop-down command within Photoshop Elements to answer basic questions. Or consult the online help in your photo-editing software. Even if you haven’t used Photoshop Elements before, these resources make things easy to learn.
This book gives you easy tips and methods for transforming your photos into artful creations. The chapters include design exercises that help you play with your creations. Following basic techniques covered in this book, you can create artistic prints without prior knowledge of the software. There is room to expand your boundaries by reading and learning more, or just by experimenting with the techniques described.
Once you get started transforming your photos, you’ll be addicted, so don’t hesitate to get started. Grab your camera and sense of adventure, and join me on the journey of discovery.
photography and computers
computers and software
I use sewing machines, cameras, computers, printers, scanners, needles, and paint brushes to make my art. It is easy to think that the type of camera or printer you use will make a major difference to your art, but these are just tools. Technical concerns often overwhelm the creative process when you are dealing with computers, printers, and digital cameras. Concern for the art produced should take precedence. Bigger and better equipment does not make a better photographer, digital artist, or quilter.
It doesn’t matter what kind of computer you are using. The main thing to remember is that digital photos and digital manipulations use a lot of memory and storage, so you need a machine with a lot of each. This will not be a problem unless you are using an older computer.
All of the work in this book was done with Adobe Photoshop Elements software (hereafter referred to in this book as Photoshop Elements). It is inexpensive, easy to learn, and quite powerful. Periodically, free trial copies of this editing software are available online (see Resources on page 94). You do not need to buy the very expensive Photoshop CS or other software to do interesting things. If image-editing software came with your camera or computer, learn to use it. Corel’s Paint Shop Pro is easy to use and has the same type of capabilities as Photoshop Elements. Eventually you may want one of the more advanced programs, but you can do a lot with the simpler software, and you might find it more accessible in the beginning.
If you are very new to using image-editing software, look for one of the many books that start with the basics, such as Gregory Georges’ 50 Fast Digital Photo Techniques. Two other books aimed specifically at quilters are Beth Wheeler and Lori Marquette’s Altered Photo Artistry and Cyndy Rymer and Lynn Koolish’s Innovative Fabric Imagery for Quilts, both of which deal with simple image editing and printing on fabric. The DVD Lynn Koolish Teaches You Printing on Fabric includes Photoshop Elements basics, as well as printing on fabric basics.
You don’t necessarily need to take a class. I think the best way to learn to use these image-editing programs is to play with them. Go through all the menu options and tools and try them on your photographs. It can be very exciting to discover on your own what you can do with your photographs. Use the Help drop-down menu in your software. There are also many online tutorials and forums for many of the digital altering programs. Also check C&T Publishing’s website for Photoshop Elements Basics (www.ctpub.com). Be warned—it is great fun and quite addictive!
TIP
Before exploring Photoshop Elements, select a photograph to experiment with, save it as a new name, and have fun trying things out. With the photo saved as a new name, you don’t have to worry about making mistakes on the original.
TIP
For simplicity, Photoshop Elements commands are abbreviated as follows: Filters>Artistic>Cutout, which tells you to go to the Filters menu and drag down to the Artistic command and drag over and down to the Cutout command. On-screen tools, buttons, and icons will also be italicized.
digital cameras
Although, of course, you can use any camera or any type of photograph as the basis for digital artwork, I have found that the digital camera changed my photography, changed my view of myself as a photographer, and led me to use my photographs directly in my artwork. I love the ease of taking pictures experimentally, and taking lots of them, without committing to the expense of developing or printing any of them. Taking photographs has become a kind of artistic note taking and image capturing that is only a first step in the artistic process. I have many photos of green ash leaves on the branch so I can study their line patterns. Some have inspired quilts.
Simple leaf photographs