Still messing with images

So after many, many hours I can now show you a comparison between the before and after!!! Least I hope I can.

First at the top is the 'before' I started out with Pixelmator - see yesterday's post.

Can you see the grey backgrounds to the motifs?  This is what has annoyed me for years and which I promised myself I would 'get round to sorting one day'.  

Now look at the second logo.  The grey bits have now gone.  I'm such a proud old git but now I have to get them on the blog and also then work on the Etsy shop logo too.  All takes time and then I get distracted by other things too - like the sewing machine!!!

Messing about with images

Now my images aren't the best.  In fact they're pretty poor at times.  I'm really only interested in the tatting so making pretty pictures just bypasses me.  

A couple of weeks ago another of the volunteers from Silver Surfers came round to my place to look at a web site he was working on.  He wanted to see it on another type of tablet which Nick had.  Andrew and I got talking and I was bemoaning the fact that I had grey backgrounds to my images (scanned and photographed).  He recommended something called Pixelmator which is available from the App store.  Thus began another 'adventure'!!!!  

This software allows you to eliminate the parts of an image that you don't want (there was originally a grey background - see the top image).  By 'zapping' the pixels in the image you can make the parts you want to 'get rid of' go transparent (see the next picture).

In the third picture I've placed it over a plain colour so that it shows through where the pixels have been removed.  Clever, eh?  Yes, clever and time consuming when you don't really know what you're doing!!!  However the pair of us (myself and BC3) got stuck in and here's one of the results.  

Obviously I'm in the 'early stages' of learning how to do this stuff but it's keeping me quiet and out of mischief for a few hours a day.    

More Twirly's!!!!

I'm not going to bore you with this design any longer.  Well, not for now as I've headed off on another 'track'!!!  Still to do with this one - sort of!!!!

So, here's the pattern in case anybody wants it.  

I'm sure it would make a lovely coaster or something.  I'm hopeless at knowing what to use things for or even giving them names but I thought 'Twirly' was a goodish one for this as it sort of 'twirls' in and out!!!!

Twirly Hexagon motif

First today is a note to tell you that there are two new roly poly tat bags now in my shop.  YES, Spring is here for a few days so it's warm enough to sew in the conservatory - whoooopppeeeee. Hopefully more to come too.

So, this is my next experiment.  I really, really liked this one.  I intended it to be a 'joinable upable' motif but wasn't happy that when several were made that they would join successfully with the 'right' sort of negative space between each one.  If you follow my ramblings!!!

I tried all sorts of different ideas including throwing off SCMR's but none really worked as well as this original one!!!  There will be lots more about this motif over the next week or so.  

Oh the trials and tribulations that I go through with BC3 are unbelievable - especially when he/she decides to forget things too!!!

Another design

First today - two more TIAS have arrived - look here to see them.

Now this is another 'experiment' with the lock stitch block tatting.  I'd sort of forgotten about this as I finished it a month or more ago!!!!  I have a version with a button in the middle too.  One day I will get round to working it with the button in - then I can finish off the pattern.  It's sooooooo nearly 'there' but I've gone off to do other things now and have lost interest - as OG's do!!!!