Readers' Challenge Entry's

Back a few months ago when I was trying to figure out what to do with Photoshop, keep it or sell it (after all, why keep a tool around if you never use it?). Saw a magazine on a news stand that caught my attnetion. Issue #5 of Photoshop Creative featured a sketch tutorial that intrigued me, so I bought the magazine.

In each magazine, they have a section entitled 'Readers' Challenge' where they supply a few stock photos for the reader to make anything they want to from and then send it in to the mag for the chance to win a Photoshop plug-in.

The result of that Challenge was Dragon Season, from issue #6 came 'Penguin Postcard' and from issue #7 came 'Dream Vacation'.

What I noticed after mailing them off, was the ever decreasing quality between them. With the first, stayed with it until it looked right, the way I wanted it to. The next, I got a little impatient with getting the right finish on it. Was aiming for a Monet tie-in, as that was the featured tutorial that issue, but lacking a graphics tablet, gave up (couldn't manage all those brush strokes with a mouse) appling a texture instead. It's okay... but some subjects are watercolor, others photorealistic (for lack of a better term) The one thing I am satisfied with it, was using the Cracked Rock photo for the distressed appearance.. couldn't figure out how anyone would possibly use that in a photo... And in #7's, just completely frustrated with the inability to get the lighting right.

Thinking back to the first, I didn't settle for what I could do, instead... figured it out! Tried tons of things, some worked, some... most... didn't. Went back in the history palette several times to undo something not quite right... I just didn't take the time with the others as I should've, increasingly relied more heavily on other sources to tell me how, instead of adapting what was avaiable to what I needed.

Anyway, check the links to the right for the entries.