art

Making the most of an inexpensive camera for PICTURESQUE BLOG POSTS

10:45 AM


We all know the struggle. Wanting to post picturesque, pinterest-looking pictures on our blog although we own a $25 camera.

I've owned the same General Electric, 10.1 megapixel camera since I was about 10 years old. And you know what, that's a pretty talented camera for it's size and price.
Matter fact, I've learned that almost any camera can give you the right picture your looking for, if (and if only) you know the right tricks.


Trick one is to use a solid backdrop. I normally use white poster board, because it's just plain huge (which equals lots of bumping into things...) and blinding white. But, you can actually use white paper to create you own aesthetic backdrop as well.

LIGHTING IS A BIG DEAL. Make sure you take the pictures in good light. Most household lights will give your pics a fuzzy, brownish-yellow hue that basically says 'unprofessional' and isn't good on quality.
The best places for me are either when light (not sunlight, mind) is coming through the living room windows about afternoon-ish time. Then again, our ceiling is white, and sometimes the saturation is just horribly cold, so I've learned to take a better picture, I should go into our porch which has a wood ceiling.
Watch your shadows as well; don't want to see your hand in the pic!


Here's my starting picture. Sorta dim...especially considering how bright the Prismacolor pencils I used were. They don't quite 'jump out' like they should.
Time to edit *smirks* *waits for program to load*

I use Canva, but you can also use Picmonkey or even Befunky depending on what your making; all have free modes.


I used their 'presentation' layout for it's sizes, but you can use whatever you wish. If you don't have a canva account, it's super easy to make; just sign up with your google account.
K, so after you pic your template, you can upload your pic.



After uploading, I drag + dropped it and stretched it to the widths of the square.



Here is the real editing; playing with brightness, contrast and blur. the brightness (I brought to 53) brings out that desired aesthetic backdrop, the contrast (which is at 37) the details and color, and finally, bringing the blur (-17) back makes the entire image sharper.




And ta-dah!!!! You can have complete freedom and change the levels till your satisfied *winks*. It really is up to you what your final image will look like; but now you know that almost any pic can look better in 5 minutes.



And there you have it. A little, 5-minute editing can change your pics from indistinguishable to aesthetic with almost any camera.

Do you use canva for blogging?

Lets talk blog tips-what are your go-to programs?

art

BULLET JOURNAL IDEAS FOR WRITERS || it's trending and so so fun

3:16 PM

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We writers...we got a lotta notebooks. marble, binders, little minis, drawing pads, etc. And one of my new faves is this ^ grand ol' BULLET JOURNAL. It's perfecto for my calendars, to-do's, and wee bit o' inspirations for creations. As writers, we also need that INSPIRATION badly. 

Don't deny it, you know you have those _______________________ times.

So what do we do?! We make our inspiration. We pray, we doodle, and we plot. Every little sketch should have some massive significance; whether it's the old trunk where your lead character finds books from her friend's mother's past, a hammock where together they learn to have a friend in the world where both are orphans, or an anchor, a symbol of the bondage that the happy ending of the novel lifts. 


Some fonts and doodles that were used: here





I used both pencil and Prismacolor pencils and some sharpie (which as you can see was a complete whaaaaaaat did i just do o my paintbrushes sorta moment). I intertwined both two quotes from draft 2 of Gift of the Sea and meaningful icons to make a page of full-blown noveliness.

I CHALLENGE YOU TO BULLET JOURNAL YOUR NOVEL. TODAY.

*go, and live your dream*



#wereyouinspired?

do you bullet journal?

What's your fave thing to doodle?

art

New COLORED PENCIL trends to try out // Blending, Lettering, intricate eye + Adventures in Art

12:09 PM



For Christmas my Dad bought me those Prismacolor pencils...the amazing ones in the cute commercials. He expected me to do some amazing stuff---so I ended up on Youtube. And for this one half side of a girl's face, I used three different tutorials. Eye, nose, and lips. THESE PEOPLE on Pinterest are AMAZING. I mean (whisper voice) *blown, a-way*.

To be honest, we all have like 5 different versions of drawing (alright okay some of us only know the stick figure) and that can range between realistic to cartoon. So this small post will summarize a piece of the growing styles, my personal faves, and easy ones to enjoy. Their worth a try.

Realistic Intricate

So this was my version of the amazing lips and eyes I've been seeing. Noses are not my thing *silent back round laughter*.
The blending of different colors creates 3D effects. Yes, this took me a long time. I honestly don't remember how long it took me, but it all managed to squeeze in one Saturday.


Rustic Sketch

I'm a doodler. My most frequent victim happens to be my lovely puppy, Sam. He just has such a cartoony-ness and extreme personality about him that makes his adorableness easy to translate into a sketch form. You all, this is definitely one of my the easiest styles of drawing because you NEED to go outside the lines. It has a rustic + vintage twang to it that's shabby and lovable. With this look you gotta keep it simple; the person who's observing fills in the blanks you made with little 'hints' of legs, eyes, etc.


Cartoons with Big Eyes & Blending

Me and my parents had a funny discussion about this one. It was supposed to be a boy (started out as a bunny...) and then it somehow morphed into a girl like %99.5 of all my drawings do. If you see the eyes, they are 3 different blues blended with a blender. If you don't own a blender, you can use a piece of paper towel or your finger. 



Ombre + Lettering

This is a super fun technique; look up a font alphabet, draw the outlines with pencil (I used a mechanical one....*cough* the cool pencil) and then start blending!! It's a blast, and you'll have it forever. It can also be used for greeting cards; everyone enjoys a well lettered card that's actually handmade. I usually letter with my calligraphy set, but these new pencils can create such an ombre appearance that you can capture anything from sky colors to deep sea blues.

Deep Sea Colors-

light aqua to

Peacock blue to

Indigo



Bible Journaling

This art trend is all over Pinterest!! For my 14th Mum & Dad got me a bible journal. I literally hadn't started really doing art on it till yesterday (guilty face). Bible 'journaling' is so beautiful because not only is it amazing art, but it's scripture. Pens, markers, and other bleeding art utensils honestly aren't as good unless they are made for the thin, see-through pages. Pencils are perfect; you could even use them for highlighting. Please ignore my sloppy letters *rolls eyes*



Were you inspired?

Have you tried any of these?

What is your fave drawing style?