New Pen Pic

[rmartin]

I added a promo picture of one of my hand made pens to my gallery. It's a rare wood called Boxelder Burl. I used the chocolate Valentine's Day video to create the background. It was so easy to do, and I love the effect. Next I'm going to try to use the same technique to make a satin sheet background.

http://www.photoshopelementsuser.com/gallery/uploads/19933.jpg

[JulieM]

Wow! That effect is really neat. Your craftsmanship is very impressive, too...

[nolanc]

My son is a pen freak so he really enjoys your truly stunning work.:)
All of them are works of art:D

[Wendy]

What a beautiful pen ... and the background is a perfect match :)

Wendy

[rmartin]

Thanks for the nice comments. They mean a lot. I sell a few pens, but mainly it's just a hobby. In fact, I'm not sure which I like doing more; making pens or creating the photoshop Elements pictures. Check that, I'm pretty sure I like selling them the best. :D :D

[Byron Gale]

What a beautiful piece of work!! It is another gem in your gallery.

[Wendy]

I just wanted to say that your work is just terrific ... the pens are simply beautiful :)

... What a talent !!

Wendy

[Elemobe]

I was admiring this earlier today. A very beautiful pen, the colours of the background work really well and the texture is perfect.

[Rusty]

Not only is it a great example of craftsmanship and an excellent PSE presentation, it reminds me -- don't fall into the trap of conventional wisdom!

If I was photographing that my automatic thought would have been, "Oh, what about the background? Gotta find something to contrast with the pen."

Well, you sure showed how effective a background that almost perfectly matches the pen can be.

Rusty :)

[Simone]

a really beautiful image. so creative, simple and elegant. (I mean simple artistically, not simple in effort!). i agree with rusty's comment about the 'monochrome' look being so effective.

[mom to 4]

That pen is absolutely stunning!!!!! Your woodworking skill is amazing! I love the presentation too! I was just looking to do something like that so now I know there's a tutorial!

Boxelder Burl??? Is that a rare tree??? Well, we have a few, and you can come get all you want!! I hate those d#%m boxelder bugs!!! They drive me nuts this time of year!!!!!

I expect we should see that layout in a magazine soon! VERY NICELY DONE!

[rmartin]

I admit, my first impression was to use a contrasting background. The idea is to show off the pen not the picture, right? But after trying several colors, and I really mean several, I happened upon the chocolate brown, and went with it. I'm glad you guys like it. It means I'm on the right track.

And Mom to 4,

If I were near where you are, I would take you up on your offer. A full Boxelder Burl blank of 3/4 of an inch by 3/4 of an inch by 5 inches long, small enough to hold in the palm of your hand can go wholesale for five dollars! A small stump or say a small fireplace log can bring hundreds of dollars. Of course, the wood I'm using has been stablized which is a costly prosess. But then again, pen turners use wood most carpenters would throw away. I better stop before I start sounding like spam, but the environment would be better off if we stopped buying disposable plastic pens and carry one hand made pen which will last a life time.

[mom to 4]

One thing I meant to ask you was the size of the layout you did and what were the setting for the "satin" looking layer. I have spent about an hour trying to replicate it and my looks like garbage!

When i first moved here I call a nursery to ask what this bug was that was practically covering the side of my house on really warm spring day. I described the black bug with the orange and they said oh, you have a lot of boxelder trees over there, they're boxelder bugs! I had never seen them before. Harmless things but really annoying and they look awful on the house!

I just took a look at your gallery. Every layout and pen is beautiful. Very tastefully done!
So wehre do you sell your pens? do you have a website or do you go to juried craft shows?

[rmartin]

I started with a white background 500 wide by 400 tall with a 300 resolution. In the video tute, the cloud layer is pulled toward the center leaving a partial blank background which is later resized. The tool didn't work that way for me. It may be because I'm using the older PS3 version. It did take me a few tries to get something usable.

I do have a dotcom website, but I don't feel comfortable listing the link on this board. I'm not here trying to sell anything. My site's not finished yet anyway. Maybe one day when it's complete, I'll add the link to my sig. Most of my pens have sold by word of mouth. I have a six month waiting list for the early American style furniture pieces I make. I have five original design pieces including this 12 panel punched tin piesafe:

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1cxFQ20vnrOn3KP4BRhEUZZcr1l5V_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1cxFQ20vnrOn3KP4BRhEUZZcr1l5V)

[Wendy]

Hi ...

I looks forward to seeing your website when it is finished .. and will us folks in the UK be able to buy your beautiful pens too :)

Wendy

[SenorSlick]

Absolutely beautiful work , both the pic and the pen. Harvey