Photo Follow-Up: Making Progress with the Light Box and Lightroom

The Square Perfect light box out of the box,
in its convenient self-storing case

So I don't know what was wrong with me that first time I tried Lightroom last week, but I did have much better luck the next time.  Well, the next day, actually, my light box kit arrived, so I had to give it another shot, so to speak.  So I did a little photo shoot in my new light box kit by Square Perfect, and then tried editing in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4.  

My set-up of the light box, with the sheer white on top

First, I have to say that the light box was great, but not the  cure-all I was hoping for.  The kit I got comes with two little lights, a little tripod, velvet backdrops in white, black, blue and red (although for the life of me, I can't imagine I'll ever use the blue or red), and the collapsible light box itself folds into a nice sturdy case that holds everything.  My only real complaint about the kit is that it didn't come with instructions, and I was confused about how to set it up.  At least one side has to be black, i.e., opaque.  My instinct told me this should be the back, but the photo on the box shows the black side on top (or maybe even the back and the top).  I stuck with my instinct and set it up so that I'd have natural light filtering in from the top, with the lamps lighting each side.  I was disappointed that this set-up did not allow as much light in the box as I had hoped; I expected flooded natural-looking light with absolutely no shadows.  I will say that even thought I don't really love the look of a pure white background, it did allow the colors of my products to show better than on the natural travertine stone I'd been shooting on.  So, I think this is a style compromise I'm willing to make.  Maybe I can make up for the boring white background with more props.  And I'll try shooting in the light box on very sunny days, to see if that helps.  Although I must say the idea that, in a pinch,  I can do a decent photo shoot any time of day -- regardless of the whether it's a cloudy or sunny day -- takes some of the pressure off.  


As for my Lightroom experience, the second time around was much better.  The first day, I had trouble at every step.  I couldn't even figure out how to import photos off my camera into the program.  And then, even though I was doing okay with the "developing," i.e., editing, I couldn't figure out how to do the key things I really needed to do for my Etsy shop: (1) make sure the files were in sRGB color mode instead of Adobe RGB, so that hopefully, the colors wouldn't change when I uploaded them; and (2) reduce the file sizes to no more than 1000 pixels.  I kept trying to watch tutorials, but they kept buffering.  Arghh!

An assortment of my Zazzy Peacock needle-felted
spring hair clips shot against a white backdrop

The second day, I looked at some non-video tutorials and quickly realized that you choose the color space (the sRBG option) and the file size when you export from "Library" mode.  Aha!  Things went much more smoothly after I figured that out!  And miraculously, the second day, when I clicked on "Import," it automatically pulled up my camera as an option.  In "Develop" mode, I was able to make some improvements to the images, but I still didn't really know what I was doing.  (Notice that the white background does NOT look white!) I was disappointed that the "auto" functions for white balance and tone did not do the trick; in fact, they looked awful.  I had this fleeting fantasy that I could just hit "auto" and magically make each photo perfect.  The background got somewhat "whiter" when I realized I had to click on a neutral gray with the white balance eye-dropper.  Lucky I had those shadows after all!  It's still not great, but oh well.  I know if I keep working on it, I'll keep getting better.  I have 23 days left on my 30-day free trial to get good enough to feel like it's worth paying for!

The background may not look white, but it shows the
colors of the crystals better in this felted jewelry set 

So these are the first few photos I edited and exported as sRGB in Lightroom.  By the way, they're not optimal, but I sent these three photos with an application for my first juried craft show. I'm looking forward to a live-and-in-person venue where people can see and touch my creations, and I don't have to rely on photos to convey their vibrant colors and soft, fuzzy textures.  In the meantime, I do hope to get better at this photo editing thing, so that looking at photos in my Etsy shop will be the next best thing to seeing my felted jewelry and accessories in person.  

I think this shot of some of my felted peacock accessories came out the best, so far

Getting Photo Savvy for Etsy: Can I Figure Out How to Use Lightroom and a Light Box?

This week, I am feeling overwhelmed by how technically unsavvy I am. My goal for this week was to get a light box and learn to use Adobe Lightroom software, so that I can optimize my photos for my Etsy shop. At the moment, my photos do not do justice to my creations. Those of you who have Etsy shops are likely very familiar with this problem. For whatever reason, when I upload photos to Etsy, no matter how good they look on my computer, they become dull, drab and lifeless. It’s aggravating to say the least.

Peacock Tree on my  beige wall

Anyway, I did such a crappy job of taking photos of my paintings, that I hired my very talented photographer friend, Charles Sichel-Outcalt, to take professional photographs for me. (He was already working on creating incredible giclee prints of my paintings) OMG! When I saw his photos, I realized just how much room for improvement I have in all of my photography. His photos of my paintings are vibrant and true to the originals, and the colors magically do NOT change when I upload his photos to Etsy. Wow! Mine, on the other hand, look like I spilled coffee on them.

My painting, Peacock Tree; photograph by Charles Sichel-Outcalt

Here’s the thing – while I have lots of natural light in my house (well, probably too much), I don’t have a single white wall. There’s just no place in my house to photograph my art without building my own photography studio. So I knew I needed professional help to photograph my art. I thought I was doing an acceptable job with my felted jewelry and accessories on my own, but now I realize that better lighting and the right software can make a world of difference.

Composition:  Six and Two

Charles has encouraged me to use Lightroom editing software to optimize my photos. I downloaded a free trial version and tried it for the first time today, but I’m already frustrated. I’ll keep trying, and I’m excited to get my light box kit tomorrow. But if I can’t get up to speed pretty quickly, I may end up paying Charles to photograph all of my creations.  Oy!  I'd just rather be felting or painting, frankly.

My original painting, Composition: Six and Two; photograph by Charles Sichel-Outcalt

At least then I know I’ll be sure to get professional, beautiful pictures that will really capture the true colors and textures of my work. Charles is brilliant with a camera as well as with photo editing software.  He blogs about his photography at Honeysicle Studios and sells his work on Etsy with his business partner, Honie Howarth. Here are a couple of his incredible images –- true works of art. Enjoy these and be sure to click over to his blog and shop to see more.

Photograph of the U.S. Capitol
© Charles Sichel-Outcalt

Photograph of the Louvre © Charles Sichel-Outcalt

Our Home Remodel: A Modern Take on Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie Style

When I launched this blog, I promised to share our experiences with the agonizing and exhilarating experience that is home remodeling.  So, for starters, this week I’ll show some before and after photos of our house and highlight a few of the design elements, particularly those that were inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright’s prairie style homes of the early 1900’s.  

After:  The Prairie style front elevation blends with the landscape as well as with the neighborhood.  The most notable prairie style features or Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired elements are the banks of casement windows, the horizontal banded trim, the hipped roof with deep overhangs, the covered entryway, and the use of stucco and horizontal ledge stone.

Before: Front elevation of the original 1950's rambler 

I chose the prairie style because it feels very modern to me, even after more than 100 years.  And yet it is not so modern that my house would stick out like a sore thumb in our traditional neighborhood. I love the hipped rooflines, especially with multiple levels.  And the deep overhangs not only look beautiful and extend the horizontal lines of the house, but they keep energy costs down by shading the house in summer.  Frank Lloyd Wright was a genius when it came to marrying form and function, and I tried my best to follow his example.  I also share Wright's affinity for geometry and incorporated compositions of circles and squares throughout the exterior and interior of the house.

By the way, getting that hipped roof and the deep overhangs made this remodel much more extensive.  You can’t very well live in the house through construction if they have to rip your whole roof off!  We decided it was worth it because we wanted to “pop up” and build the kids’ bedrooms upstairs, but man, we didn’t really know what we were in for.  The demolition alone took five months.  I was concerned about our impact on the environment and hated the idea of a teardown, so we were trying hard to work with the original floor plan and footprint.   But ultimately (and ironically), we would have saved lots of time and lots of money by doing a teardown.  So that’s my remodel advice for this week, keep your renovations simple (avoid lots of demo) OR, if your changes will be so extensive that you can’t live in the house during construction, get advice and budget projections early on to figure out whether a teardown is more efficient and economical. 

After: Our fireplace got a facelift with slate tile and a modern mantle in the new family room.  We kept the original fireplace because, as in Frank Lloyd Wright's designs, it was well-located in the center of the house. I designed the custom cabinetry and shelving around the fireplace to give the wall a unified look.  I thought the old fireplace just stuck out into the room without feeling connected to it.

Before:  The original painted brick fireplace

During:  The fireplace survived demo!

After:  Our master bedroom got a dramatic makeover with just a small "prow" (or v-shaped) window bump-out, a Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired element that feels more modern to me than a bay window. Of course, it helps that my decor is much more modern too. ;-)  Really though, the room feels so much less boxy with the bump-out, and any type of window bump-out would have done the trick.

Before:  The previous owner's
photo of the master bedroom

After:  The rear elevation shows the two-story prow window, as well as the large geometric window I designed for our kitchen dining area. 

Thanks for looking! 

Felting in an Early Spring: Ladybugs and Dragonflies and Butterflies, Oh My!

After the incredibly mild winter we’ve had this year, I was not surprised to see that Jimmy the Groundhog was right about an early spring.  Not only did my crocuses bloom this week, but my garden is awash in beautiful little periwinkle flowers.  Some of our daffodils have even blossomed.  All of these signs of spring sent me into a flower-felting frenzy.  And that led to a critter-crafting craze.  All of which apparently led to a lot of alliteration.

I was a little mad at myself last week for not posting on my blog, but I just couldn’t get myself away from all the little daisies and bugs.  Anyway, here are some of my latest needle-felted creations:  ladybugs, dragonflies, butterflies and bumblebees – each one with a coordinating daisy.  I know I need to branch out into other types of flowers, but the daisies are just so cute, especially with the polka dots, and they’ve always been my favorites. 

Zazzy Peacock Studios ladybugs and matching daisies

Another long-time favorite of mine is the ladybug.  It’s perhaps the only actual bug I’m happy to see in my house.  I’m more than willing to believe they are a sign of good luck.  When I was a little girl, my mother knitted me a ladybug vest with a matching purse. Oh, how I loved those things, especially since she made them herself.  I think part of what I enjoy about making these cute girly things is imagining some little girl feeling that way about what I’ve made.

Also, in a house full of boys (even the cat is a boy), I guess I need a creative outlet for my  girly side.  I’m still trying to figure out what I could felt for boys.  When I ask my kids, they just roll their eyes at me.  I’m open to suggestions.  :-) 

Zazzy Peacock Studios needle-felted flower and bug hair clips are available in my etsy shop

Zazzy Peacock Studios designs and images are © Jill Newman 2012.  All rights are reserved.

Don't Blink: They Grow Up So Fast

I hope you will indulge me today while I get a bit nostalgic.  My first-born son turns fifteen years old today, and I really cannot believe how fast the time has gone.  It feels -- well, maybe not quite like yesterday -- but like just last year, that I held my beautiful baby boy in my arms for the first time and felt myself bursting with love for him.  I remember that moment so clearly, whereas I can't tell you what I had for lunch yesterday or where I left my keys this morning.  My mind can't quite wrap itself around the fact that it has been a whole fifteen years since then.  Of course, I've gotten to know him better over the years as he's grown into a wonderful young man, and I love him now more than ever.  So I really can't come to grips with the fact that he will be going off to college in just three and a half years -- which I know will pass in the blink of an eye.  I'm trying to treasure every moment. 

Anyway, so instead of writing the blog I had in mind for this week, I thought I would share a few photos of some of the murals and furniture I painted for him when he was little.  His current bedroom is a typical teenager's room with rock posters on the wall, and not a thing made by mom.  ;-)

I painted the "Owl & Pussycat" nursery while I was pregnant, inspired by the classic children's poem by Edward Lear.  I happened to find the Laura Ashley border paper just as it was discontinued.  The "pussycat" is a portrait of our beautiful cat inaptly named "Stinky" (courtesy of my husband).

For my son's first birthday, I painted him

this table and chairs set.  It held up to 

lots of abuse and still gets use when 

the baby cousins visit.  I still love the 

tortoise shell pattern on the seats.

For his second birthday, I painted my son this circus rocking chair.  The chair was inspired by a trip to the Circus World Museum in Baraboo, Wisconsin as well as my son's love of his toy circus trains.  This chair in turn inspired the theme for his "big boy" room, two years later.

The circus train on the back of the chair.

My son's "big boy" circus room, from about age 4 to 7, had wide-striped circus tent walls, hand-stained two-toned furniture, vintage circus posters, and miscellaneous hand-painted items such as shelves, wood finials, and of course, the rocking chair that started it all.

Loving the Swirl of Life

My original acrylic painting,  Symbiosis:  Peacock Ocelot Tree

I’ve always had an affinity for swirls.  Looking around my house, I see swirls everywhere – in a Klimt print, on African telephone wire baskets, on modern metal wall and table sculptures, on a Japanese raku vase.  I could go on and on, but you get the point.  And lately, I’ve been painting trees with swirled branches and roots. When I’m drawing these trees, my hand just flows.  The swirls seem to emerge naturally when I’m felting too.  Sometimes, the little wisps of wool just want to make a swirl, and I go with it. These swirls just come to me, almost subconsciously.  Most of you have probably doodled some swirls in your day, so you may have an idea of what I’m talking about.  It just feels freeing to draw swirls.

Zulu telephone wire basket

Anyway, I figured given all the things in my house with swirls, it wasn’t just me.  I looked into it and found this fascinating discussion on www.zenzibar.com.   Not surprisingly, I learned that the swirl or “cosmic spiral” is a nearly universal symbol.  The swirl has appeared throughout the ages and across many cultures, including Celtic, Arabic, Native American, Japanese, Australian, Hindu and African.  The meanings vary somewhat, but it is consistently a positive symbol of life, rebirth, growth, energy and/or creativity.  The swirl or spiral appears in nature in shells, storms, the ram’s horn, the coils of snakes and vines and even the form of the galaxy itself.

Raku pottery vase with swirl

What I liked most about the Zenzibar discussion was the notion that we experience the path of life as a spiral:  that as we grow, we circle back around to similar places and experiences, but each time with a new perspective and enhanced understanding.  I really feel this way about my art.  I started out as a kid drawing, coloring, doing all sorts of crafts -- just for fun.  In my twenties, I liked to make things for myself to wear – jewelry, painted denim jackets – things that allowed me to express my creativity and individuality.  In my thirties, as a young mom, I started a business creating hand-painted children’s furniture and art called Stroke of Whimsy.  Again I painted denim jackets, but this time with the little ones in mind.  That’s just where my focus was at that stage in my life.  After a few years, I shut down that business because the renovation of our house had become a full time job. 

I spotted this art deco style vase
at a restaurant last weekend.

At that point, I began another pass of my life’s swirl and all of my creative energy turned to matters of architecture and interior design.  Even when our house was done, I enrolled in a masters program to study architecture and interior design.  And although I loved art school and learned so much, I realized that a career in interior design was not a good fit for my life right now.  I still wanted to be home and available to my kids, and perhaps more importantly, I wanted the kind of true creative freedom that you just can’t have when you are designing for a client.

Zazzy Peaock felted purse hook

So here I am, in my forties, approaching my art from a perspective that really combines everything I’ve experienced, learned and loved up to this point.  My creations are undoubtedly influenced by architecture and modern design, as well as by nature.  (It just so happens that swirls feature prominently in art deco design, one of my favorite styles.)  I’m incorporating my children’s art as well. I enjoy felting flowers and ladybugs, inspired not only by the many beautiful little girls in my life (nieces and daughters of friends) but also by nostalgia for my own childhood. My love of painting animals is now expressed by incorporating animal prints and patterns in my painting and felting.  And I’m once again designing jewelry, but I think in a much more sophisticated way than I did in my twenties.  Well, hopefully, I am more sophisticated than I was in my twenties!

At this moment, the swirls I’m most excited about are my tree paintings.  I painted them before I learned all this about the universal meaning of swirls and spirals, and yet undoubtedly the swirls in my paintings symbolize life and creative energy.  Beyond this universal meaning, the entwined swirled branches symbolize symbiosis, the interdependence of all living things and the hope that, despite our differences, we can all find a way to live in harmony.  I know it’s a little corny, but that is my wish for the world.  It is Valentine’s Day after all.  In the words of John Lennon, “All we need is love.”

My original acrylic painting, Symbiosis:  Leopard Giraffe Tree

My Swanky DIY Living Room

I don’t like the idea of a “formal” living room.  It’s outdated and, well, just too stuffy.  But when we remodeled our house, we planned for a living room for my husband’s  piano.  (He happens to be a very talented professional musician and singer, in additional to being a lawyer!)

Anyway, our living room, while not “formal,” is significantly “dressier” than the rest of the house.  It’s the room that’s ready for a night on the town.  If it were an invitation, it would say “Festive Attire.”  Ironically, it is also the room in our house that contains more of my do-it-yourself makeover projects than any other single room in the place.  I crackle-painted used furniture, made my own lampshades, and refurbished and rewired an old crystal chandelier.  I think the room looks elegant, and it's very satisfying knowing I made those things myself. 

It all started years ago, in a previous, more traditional house, when I blew the living room budget on a pair of chairs and a little “divan” loveseat.  I went over the top with the chairs – gold paint with a black crackle finish, three different fabrics, with double piping, etc.  Well, I just loved those chairs -- still do -- even though they're a lot flashier and more detailed than my usual modern aesthetic.

But then what?  I couldn’t find other furniture pieces for the room that weren’t out of my budget and/or even more over the top.  So I got the idea to check out the local used furniture shops.  Next thing I know I was buying a beat-up dark mahogany coffee table and two even more beat-up traditional side tables.  I painted them gold and then crackle painted them black. Voila!  I had matching furniture.   Adding the harlequin detail on the coffee table gave it even more of a vintage feel and made it a little less matchy.  (I should explain how I did all the math, measuring and masking to create the harlequin pattern, but I have so much to say about hand-painting furniture -- I did it as a business years ago -- that I think it’s better left to a whole other blog entry.  If anyone needs to know now, just leave a comment to let me know.)

Now for the lamps:  I found a couple of lamps I liked at Home Goods, or someplace like that, but I hated the lampshades.  The shapes were wrong, and the off-white linen did nothing for the room.  I looked around and didn't find anything better.  So, even though I had no idea how to do it, I decided to make my own lampshades.  I found a website (www.lampshop.com) that offered instructions and supplies for making lampshades.  Yay!  I ordered a couple of wire frames I liked, an instruction manual, and some special glue.  Then, I headed to the local fabric store.  I bought a taupe silk to match my loveseat, some muslin backing, and then the fun stuff -- soutach trim and sparkly beaded dangly trims. 

This was probably eight or nine years ago, but I still remember being petrified that I was going to muck it up and ruin all that lovely silk and trim.  But then, it turned out to be fairly easy.  The lampshades came with templates and instructions.  And the soutach trim hid all the glued seams and messy edges.  They’re far from perfect (don’t look too closely), but I think these lampshades really work in this room. 

Lastly, when it came time to choose a hanging light fixture for our remodeled living room in our new modern house, it just didn’t seem right to use a really contemporary stainless steel number like we have in the rest of the house.  The living room needed something more bohemian, a little sparkly, a little vintage … Well, it just so happens that back before I had my modern house, I went though a phase where I was collecting antique wedding-cake style tiered crystal chandeliers, all purchased on ebay.  I had two dainty little ones, one huge one that we had professionally refurbished and hung in the entry of our last house, and one medium-sized one that was a complete and utter disaster.  I knew that last one was perfect for my new living room!  It was an old corroded hunk of junk …  but it had really “good bones,” and I saw potential. 

            The brass was rusted, the light sockets were corroded out, and it had many missing or damaged crystals.  (Oh, how I wish I had before photos for all of this!)  I could have had this chandelier professionally refurbished (for a bunch of money), but I decided to tackle it myself. I took all the crystals off, leaving just the metal frame.  I even took all of the light sockets and wiring out – it was useless.  Then, I sanded down the metal frame with steel wool and painted it with a silver leaf.  (Yes, I know that the furniture has gold paint, but I’m a big believer in mixing my metal tones.  Sometimes, it just works.)  Next, I found instructions, again on the internet (gotta love the internet!), and headed out to the Home Depot to get supplies.  I needed four new light sockets, wire, end caps, chain for hanging, and some other stuff.  (Hey, I’m no expert on this.  I’m just telling you, if I can do it, so can you!)  I completely rewired the thing, and it worked! Lastly, I found replacement crystals on the internet, put all the crystals back on, and installed my glorious “new” revamped vintage chandelier.  I was a proud little do-it-myselfer!  (I couldn’t find the exact instructions I used, but this one and this other one seem like good resources.)

So, that’s it. It was all a lot of work, but it was totally worth it to create my unique, swanky living room. If you’re willing to put in some effort and get creative, it is possible to create a stylish, high-end room without spending a fortune.  And doing it yourself means that it will be uniquely you.  After all, you’re decorating for yourself, not for the rest of the world.  My living room is very me – the particular side of me that likes to get dressed up for a night on the town -- but still me.