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Community > Articles & Projects > Thena's Article
Thena's Article
Thena Smith
Thena Smith

What Do You Like About July?

What is July like in your hometown? If you are in the USA, do you have a parade on the fourth? Is your town large or small? Are the folks friendly? What makes your community stand out among the rest? Are there any historical sites or monuments in the area? What is the oldest building and who is the oldest or most well known citizen?

Our little town has a big parade and it is on TV for most of the day on the fourth. We have the beautiful and famous Hotel Del Coronado here and the Coronado Bay Bridge. I have many photos of some of the things, but I wish I had photos of the town as it was when we came here in the 1970’s. I wish I had some photos of our little towns in the area where I grew up. But back in the 1950’s you just did not take photos like we do today. You who are of this modern era are very blessed to be able to record these details which not only will be historical when passed down, but they will be sweet memories for you to look back on when you are the age that I am now.

Each year we awake to the sound of the parade lining up in our front lawn and on our street. We take our cameras and walk a mile or two just taking photos and enjoying the fun of it all. I love the clowns and usually take several photos of them. I also love to look at the crowd as the people laugh and have fun in their spots lining the streets and sidewalks. I hope to have some great photos to share with you after this year’s parade.

This month I would like to share with you some fun tips to make your time on the computer more fun, especially if you use Microsoft Digital Image Pro.

Project 1: Using Simple Shapes to Create Fireworks for Independence Day
  1. Figure a shows how to put the shapes together to create a special card.
  2. Figure b shows the card both front and inside.
click image for larger preview
Project 2: Using the Dodge and Burn Tool to Add Depth
It’s such fun to see what you can create from scratch using shape and shadows. Experiment a bit.
  1. Draw Shape and fill with 2 color gradient ( Go to: Effects/Fill with color, gradient/custom 2 color)
  2. Cut out center (Go to: marquee tool/circle)
  3. Use burn tool to go around edges (Touchup/ photo repair/dodge burn)
  4. Duplicate result three times and group the three together (Click on the three things and then choose group)
  5. Go to Effects then distort/twirl
  6. Experiment with kaleidoscope plug in by Medhi (free download from web)
    * Play around with various effects, such as pole transform and you can create some great decorative additions to your pages.
Project 2Project 2
click image for larger preview
Project 3: Create the Idea of a Flag
You don’t have to be an artist and go into a lot of detail to build the background and elements of a holiday page.
  1. Create new page and add shape (rectangle) and copy twice.
  2. Now you have three shapes to fill with colors of red, white and blue.
  3. Use the distort tool to give them the look of a waving flag.
    *If you want your text to move with the flag, add it to the stripe and group it together before you use the distort too.
  4. To make a complete American Flag, just alternate red and white stripes, add some stars on a blue field and a pole.
  5. Now you have some elements to use on your page or to use as stamps or to use to create brushes in Adobe Photoshop.
  6. In figure 3a I show you how I used a couple of these items on a page.
Project 3Project 3

Project 4: Spirit of America by Tina Ledbetter
  1. Create a new square page and add rocket ship. Copy and paste on the page, in various sizes.
  2. Add image of boy with wagon and shape for path.
  3. Add mat for poem and add poem.
    (You can find a variety of patriotic poems in Where’s Thena? I Need a Poem About... by Thena Smith)
Project 4
click image for larger preview
Project 5: Red, White and Blue by Tammy Sherman
  1. Create a new page and add shape (rectangle).
  2. Fill shape with color for background.
  3. Add image from Spirit of America by Tina Ledbetter.
  4. Add poem from Military Moments by Thena Smith.
Project 5
click image for larger preview

There you have it! I hope you have a few ideas to inspire you to create some simple elements for your Independence Day celebrations.

Your assignment, should you decide to accept it:

Enjoy a wonderful holiday with your family and friends and take a moment to thank God for the freedoms we celebrate and for the brave men and women who fight to keep us free.

Hugs,
Thena
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