Hi, welcome to Summer School 2022 Week 2! I hope you enjoy this tutorial. In the Week 2 tutorial you will create a photo mat with paper, then embellish your photo mat with a variety of digital products. I really want to get your creativity sparked with ideas. This can go in so many directions, let's get started! STEP 1: Create a photo mat with paper Option A: Open your editor and create your photo mat canvas, any size (this is a good idea if you want to save this file on your computer upon completion to be re-used any time you want). I will be using a 7x5" canvas with a transparent background that I will save upon completion to re-use on other projects. By using this size there will be a larger portion of the mat visible from under the 6x4" photo that I will place overtop. ⦁ Using the photoshop shape tool, I created a shape to use as a mat (or cut a shape out of paper if you don't wish to use the shape tool). To learn how to use the shape tool, watch this Photoshop video or PSE video. ⦁ Then clip a paper to your mat or cut and place a paper overtop of your mat, as long as you have paper covering your mat. Video on how to create a clipping mask. ***OR*** Option B: You can create your mat on your layout, starting with a piece of paper that will be your photo mat layer. Then you will add decorative layers overtop of this paper. If you don't know how to cut out a piece of paper, here's a video on using the marquee tool in PS or PSE. Watch this video. ***NOTE*** Using a paper that is plain, lightly textured and/or lightly patterned will ensure that your customization is visible. STEP 2: Decorating the photo mat Now the fun starts with decorating your photo mat. Mixed media, ephemera and stamps are on sale all week, go check out the store! Here are some store categories to check out: Ephemera https://the-lilypad.com/store/Ephemera/ Stamps https://the-lilypad.com/store/Stamps/ Paint https://the-lilypad.com/store/Paint/ Brushes https://the-lilypad.com/store/Brushes/ Stitching https://the-lilypad.com/store/Stitching/ Doodles https://the-lilypad.com/store/Doodles-Illustrations/ It's up to you on how to decorate your photo mat but here are some ideas: Add doodles, stamps, overlays, stitches, paint smears, etc. Duplicate products and stamp over the paper numerous times. Add ribbon, lace, etc. Add paint along the edges to create an inked edge. Overlap ephemera and stamp overtop with an overlay, paint, glitter, etc. For my 1st photo mat I created a 7x5 canvas, then added a paper from ArtCrush #45 by NBK Design. Then I added a few paper pieces along the edges. Next I added one of the black overlays (on a layer under the paper pieces). I am leaving the overlay the original color (black) but later will recolor part of it (using the paint brush tool in Photoshop). I duplicated it twice, moving the layers around the edges. I left the bottom right corner unadorned because I want to add text or word art to that at the end. I then finished off my photo mat by using the paint bucket to recolor a portion of the black flower stamp and a bit of a paper piece with blue. I added word art at the bottom, put stitching along the edging and added the little heart. SAMPLE #2 For my 2nd photo mat I built it onto my layout. I added a paper over the background base layer and cut out a square piece to use for the mat. I then added paint along the edges. I stamped word art in different colors across the mat, sprinkled some glitter overtop and added a label at the bottom. It's a good idea to keep these layers together, either by merging or grouping them together. You can also add a color label if your editing software has that function. This step is optional. I hope that my ideas have given you some inspiration on how to create your own photo mat. Come play along with the photo mat challenge ***HERE***. I can't wait to see what you create!
Thanks for the tutorial and challenge, Rae. My grandson just had his first solo flight this week, so I'm documenting that.
