#15 The BIG Picture! [Apr 10-16]

[happyrobyn]

One of the problems with heritage pictures is they are often very small. Well, we are going to learn a technique that not only solves this problem ... but it uses it to our advantage! The first thing you need to do when you scan a small heritage picture is to set your scanner on 300 dpi (or better) and then scan at about 200 or 300%. Anything bigger than that and the image starts to get distorted. Anyway, after you have your little picture (some of mine are as small as 1 inch x 1 inch!) a bit bigger - we're going to turn this into the background for a BIG, full-sized layout (either 12x12 or 8.5x11).

Method 1: Open a textured background paper. The paper should be a nice soft color but not have too much pattern on it. The ladies here at Scrap Artist make some great papers that serve this purpose. Now open your picture that you just scanned and drag it to your canvas. Now drag your picture and ENLARGE it so that it covers your entire canvas. (Be sure to hold down the shift key as you drag the corners so that the proportions stay correct.) And there you have it - your picture is as big as your canvas. It probably looks pretty pixelated and jaggy. Not to worry! The reason we have this nice textured paper behind it is so we can blend our big picture in with the paper. The easiest and coolest way to do this is using blend modes. Experiment with which mode and opacity until you get a look you like. If you can't do blend modes with your software, just use the opacity slider. Have fun with this! Now you have a unique, original background to use for your heritage layout.

Alternate method: If you don't want to use blend modes ... you can use filters to make your big image into a painting for the background (see my Young Love example below). Just have fun and experiment until you get a look that you like.

Here are a couple of examples that I posted for other challenges. (My new example will be up shortly.): Pietro Archangeli (http://www.scrapartist.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=6220&cat=500&ppuser=1707) and Young Love (http://www.scrapartist.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=5566&cat=500&ppuser=1707)

[happyrobyn]

Here's the link: 3 Sisters (1922) (http://www.scrapartist.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=10755&limit=last7)

[AmyPunky]

Here is my LO for the challenge. I had so much fun doing this!

http://www.scrapartist.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=10787&cat=585

See ya!

Emilie

[happyrobyn]

Emelie - that's such a great pic that you chose! He does look like such a bad boy!!

[AmyPunky]

Thank you Robyn!!
I was very inspired by your WAR kit and by your '3 sisters' LO!! This challenge was so fun!!!

[kygirl]

I enjoyed this challenge so much that I did it twice.

Here's one of my great-grandfather: http://www.scrapartist.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=10798&cat=500&ppuser=2874

And here's one of me and my four sisters (plus a cousin): http://www.scrapartist.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=10822&cat=500&ppuser=2874

[happyrobyn]

Donna - they are both gorgeous! Thank you so much for playing!

[mkjean]

Robyn, thanks so much for the War Kit. I love the papers especially, and have used them several times. We all appreciate the work and the fun that you put into this challenge. I also am learning so many new techniques. This one as usual was stretching for me and fun!

http://www.scrapartist.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=10855&nocache=1

[happyrobyn]

Jean it looks so great! Thanks for using my paper. That really makes me feel good to see it on a layout!!

[nevache]

Hey Robyn...you made me do it again:-)).... couldn't let you down on this weeks challenge after having participated the last 4 weeks (which - to be honest - was very much inspired by your beautiful kit:-)))
Here's the one for this week:
http://www.scrapartist.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=10863&cat=585

Gerarda

[dmccurdy]

tried another LO with the pic larger and faded in the background

http://www.scrapartist.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=10862&limit=recent

[happyrobyn]

You guys are doing so great!!!! Gerarda - I knew I could get you one more time!!!

And I also wanted to post that I have another layout posted. It uses this week's technique but it is in the altered/collage gallery because it uses clocks as well which is the challenge there this week. Here's the link: A Time To Love (http://www.scrapartist.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=10864)

[mishou]

Here's mine: Brothers (http://www.scrapartist.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=10907&cat=585)

This was a fun one. I don't really ever think of blowing up a picture that big on a layout or using photos as a background but it's really a cool effect. Thanks for the inspiration Robyn!

[SteinwaysMom]

I already posted this but I uploaded a new version (http://www.scrapartist.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=10829&nocache=1) w/pink tint to cheeks. It does look nice. I am always open to people's ideas BTW.

[happyrobyn]

You guys are just stunning me this week. These layouts are GORGEOUS! Michelle - love all of the pictures you used. Debra - the pink cheeks look awesome! I am so proud of the heritage gallery!!!!

[Fiddlette]

Well, I finally finished, and I think I'm happy with it, but for some reason have mixed feelings...Maybe I will have to scrap this picture again, because it is so important to me....and I'm not hitting the nail on the head....any CC?

http://www.scrapartist.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=10923&cat=585

[happyrobyn]

No CC needed! It's funny how we are so critical of ourselves when we are working with a picture that means so much to us. You have scrapped this beautifully. It's really breathtaking. Did you color in those trees? Or were they added after the fact? The green and purple is such a great color combination. Well worth the wait for me!!!!

[Fiddlette]

Ahh, thanks...that means so much to me! Can't figure out how blocked I was with this one, but what you said about meaningful pics really makes sense!! The trees were part of the picture, which was long, but not long enough to fill the two pages, so I cloned sections and created a longer line of trees, and colorized them, so as to bring in more of the greens in the papers...

Great challenge!!

[happyrobyn]

Great job on the cloning! I couldn't tell they were cloned at all...

[cre8tvlyyrs]

Here's another of my Grandma Prudy's Pics:
http://www.scrapartist.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=10927&cat=585

[happyrobyn]

Looks great Gina!

[happyrobyn]

Do things in your layouts ever just make you go ... DUH!!!??? Well, my sample layout this week is called 3 Sisters (http://www.scrapartist.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=10755&cat=585). I was going for the theme of threes. I had the 3 sisters, 3 versions of the same picture and even used 3 staples. I was just looking at it and realized that there were only TWO butterflies on it. DUH! I re-oploaded it and now there are 3. You may have to hit your refresh button to see them. Thanks for listening to my ramblings!

[Josoliviam]

Oh my, I misunderstood the challenge and this is what I did. I'll try something else later.

http://www.scrapartist.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=10931&nocache=1

[happyrobyn]

No need to try anything else silly! It's perfect as is. Love those pics!

[sueceduna]

I am not sure if this is correct or not, but an entry for BIG PICTURE

i didn't add the credit in my upload and dunno how to now, but thanks to C Borgfeld for background, and fonts used were Blacklight and Whatafont.

http://www.scrapartist.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=10943

enjoyed instructions for this thanks

[happyrobyn]

So gorgeous! Love the pictures you chose and your blending is flawless.

[Teri]

I wanted to play this week, so here is my LO Looks like you...... (http://www.scrapartist.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=10987&cat=585)

[riordm]

I have wanted to participate in this challenge for quite awhile but hadn't quite got up the nerve. The tutorial was wonderful~ Thank you.

So, here's my attempt: http://www.scrapartist.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=11004&nocache=1

Thanks for allowing me to participate.

[Nevermore]

I have wanted to participate in this challenge for quite awhile but hadn't quite got up the nerve. The tutorial was wonderful~ Thank you.

So, here's my attempt: http://www.scrapartist.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=11004&nocache=1

Thanks for allowing me to participate.
Looks like you found nerves of steel, lol! This is an amazing layout and Merci looks like she has character enough for ten.

I played again this week by accident. Thought I was doing the altered art challenge :o but when I went to post there I saw that it was about clocks, rotfl. A little tiny voice in my head said, g'wan, stick a clock on it, but I resisted all temptation. TFL.
http://www.scrapartist.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=11005

[happyrobyn]

Hello ladies! Sorry I was "out of commission" yesterday. It was DH's 40th birthday! So scrapping and commenting had to be put on hold. The last 3 that have been posted are just gorgeous. I think this challenge may be my favorite so far. You guys are really coming up with some awesome pieces of art. Every one of them has been worthy of being framed and put on display.

[simplyme*Naomi]

Looked at the challenge today and all the wonderful examples you gals have posted. Decided I wanted to participate, so here's my try at it:
http://www.scrapartist.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=11042

My dad used to take slides, so this is a scan from a slide, enlarged quite a bit.

[happyrobyn]

Naomi ... WOW! I am so glad you joined us. That page is spectacular! Anyone out there who hasn't seen it should click on her link above. Great stuff ... and in color!

[pattyanne]

Heehee… I forgot to put my link for this challenge, too - that's 2 for 2 this week… so, here's the link My Mothers' Heart (http://www.scrapartist.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=11098)

[happyrobyn]

Patty - it is a really awesome layout - so unique and original. Love how you stamped the photo all over the page. Too cool! Thanks for taking the challenges!!!

[Buddhini]

Sorry for the late participation. As I was out of the city for our festival holidays so I couldn't access internet last week. Sorry again.

And here is my layout.

http://www.scrapartist.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=11240&cat=585

Thanks,
Buddhini

[happyrobyn]

No need for apologies! This is terrific!