Turn Your Photos into Thermofax Screens!

We are looking for a couple more students to make this class a "go" for next Saturday.  Check your schedule and come join us!

We are again teaching this class at Artistic Artifacts in Alexandria on Saturday, January 28, from 10 AM -1 PM.  We will show you how to use Photoshop Elements to convert a photo to a black and white image suitable for creating a thermofax screen that can then be used in your art quilts or mixed media work.  You will practice with some of our images first and then work with your own to see how you can incorporate your own unique imagery into your work without any concerns about copyright.  We'll also give you tips for taking photographs to make this process easier.  Soon you'll be looking at things with screen images in mind.  If you're in driving distance of the metropolitan DC area, come join us on Jan.28!

Note: While your own laptop and copy of Photoshop Elements are most beneficial, you can share one of our laptops if you don't have one, and download a trial copy of Photoshop Elements to try for 30 days before purchasing. Send us an email at pgfiber2art  @ gmail dot com.

Playing with Photos for Screens

Have you ever considered how you might use your own photos in your art quilts or mixed media work?  There are several products available to create photo transfers.  You can also print photos on sheer fabrics like organza to create a different effect.  Some people use photos as the basis for a landscape or portrait quilt, using it to make a pattern for piecing.   At PGFiber2Art we like to use photos as the basis for thermofax screens.  Yesterday we taught our class on how to use Photoshop Elements to turn photos into black and white images suitable for screens. 

When using this pink flower as a sample image for our students to work with, we were reminded of how many different ways an image can be manipulated for different outcomes, excited by the "what if"....what if we created several variations of the same image and used them together?  

Photoshop Elements is a powerful program and has many filters that can be applied to a black and white image.  Below is the black and white image of the flower with the background removed.

Once we have gotten an image to this point we start applying filters from the Filters menu.  There are lots to choose from and it just takes some time playing to see what you like best, but usually we settle on one.  Each filter also has its own options that allow you to adjust things like darkness, contrast, details, etc. so the possible outcomes are many.  Just for the fun of it we decided to apply different filters to this flower to illustrate the options for our students.  And that's when the light bulb went on and we realized that this could be a cool design element.  Here are 5 different filters applied to the flower image.

These will be made into screens in a variety of sizes, and then the fun with fabric and paint will begin.  Can you visualize how multiple variations of the one image will work together?  Hope to get to work on this idea in the next couple of weeks and will post pictures of the results.

From Photo to Thermofax Screen

Want to learn to use your own unique images in your fiber art?  We are teaching "Turn Your Photos into Thermofax Screens" at Artistic Artifacts on June 6 from 10 AM to 1 PM.  Come join us to learn how to convert a photo to a black and white image that can be made into a Thermofax screen for printing your own unique images!

We use Photoshop Elements to crop and remove background, convert to black & white, and apply filters to achieve the desired look.  Disclaimer:  We are not experts on all aspects of Photoshop, but will teach you what you need to know to work through this process. 

Using your own unique photographs not only makes your work more personal, it also takes away the dilemma of copyright, and whether or not you need permission to use a particular image.  We also talk about taking photos with screens in mind and how you can make the process easier from the start.

This is a computer based class, so a laptop with Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, or other photo editing software installed is necessary.  If you work only on a home desktop computer and don't have
a laptop but are still interested in this process, contact us and we might be able to work out an arrangement for the class.  If you don't already have Photoshop Elements, you can download a free 30 day trial here. 

As part of the class fee we will make a screen of one of the images you work with in class for you to take home.  Come play with us on June  6!

Take a Walk!

Along with yesterday's post about photographing the cherry blossoms, spring is a great time to take nature photos and turn them into thermofax screens.  A walk around your neighborhood or a special outing to a park or scenic location will provide many opportunities to capture photographic images to use in your work.

Look at your subject with the idea that you want to have the background as clear as possible.  Maybe you want to shoot it from below so it is framed by sky.

You can also block out background clutter by holding up a plain piece of paper or fabric behind the image. The color you use will depend on the contrast you want to obtain between the image and the background. Here a black canvas is held behind the plant to eliminate similar colored background.

After you download the photo, it's a lot easier to remove the background with photo editing software.

Above, the background of the rocks is easier to work with than the ground or foliage might be.

Thermofax screens burn best when there is high contrast - NO shades of grey!  Some phone camera apps can turn a picture into a sketch-like image and that may help you to decide if you have taken the photo as you want it to burn on the screen.  Flora is a great way to start using photography for your custom imagery.  It is plentiful and stays still when you take a picture.  :)  Don’t forget to look for design sources from winter that still linger in the landscape as you walk.  

If you can pick your flora, you can press and then photograph it or lay it on a piece of plain felt and photograph from above.  Using the solid background keeps you from having to edit out a lot of clutter in the photo. 

Of course, you are not limited to pictures of flora, but it is a great place to start and to practice your photography skills with the end product (a thermofax screen) in mind.