Teri Terasaki at Gallery 8

This Friday will be the second to last First Friday art walk of '08. A perfect opportunity to check out the Phoenix art scene and perhaps purchase some artwork as a one of a kind holiday gift.

Teri Terasaki will be showing a collection of her work at Gallery 8 along with Craig Wactor. Teri's work is a unique combination of collage and photography. She created a series of 'outfits' out of plastic molding of a female form, each one contains a different themed collage. The series is entitled Waste Reform. As you can see from the image displayed, it is a play on words and content.

Gallery 8 is located on 3rd Street and McDowell in downtown Phoenix. The opening will be from 6-10 PM Friday November 7th.

Fall art festivals

Since the weather is thankfully out of the what feels like eternal triple digit heat here in Arizona, there are numerous art festivals popping up across the Valley. A perfect opportunity to get out and support the local art scene, and possibly find an excellent one of a kind gift for the holiday season that is rapidly approaching. AZcentral.com posted a listing of some of the upcoming festivals through December.

Valley art festivals: Kellie Hwang

Shopping for holiday gifts is not always an easy task, which is one reason generic gift cards are often seen as a solution.

But if you really want to find something unique for your sweetheart or your mother (or yourself), while also enjoying a day out with the family, take in one of these Valley arts festivals:

Terry Connett and Michael Greene added to Shop for Art Gallery

We are pleased to announce the addition of two more very talented photographers to our Shop for Art Gallery.

Terry Connett has a background in real estate and commercial photography, but also found time to create some beautiful fine art photography on a variety of subjects.

After leaving the real estate industry a couple of years ago he formed Terry Connett Photography to continue his passion for photographing commercial and residential real estate properties, as well as corporate executives, brokers, and employees, for assignments that include magazine articles, advertising, brochures, company functions, and just about anything in the business world requiring a photograph.

Michael Greene has a passion for landscape photography. He captures the raw beauty that nature has to offer.

My motive as a photographer is to capture a fleeting moment in the mysteries of the wilds – when nature is at its most intimate and precious state – exposing it for its imperfections, complexities, and rugged power – all while embellishing it for its serenity and incredible beauty.

Both artists have beautiful pictures available for purchase. There are so many amazing images to choose from, any of them would be a great addition to your decor. Check them out!

Painted glass photo mat

This is a great way to add a personal touch to your artwork for yourself, or as a gift. You can use items that you may already have laying around the house. Nothing too out of the ordinary that a quick trip to an art supply store couldn't take care of. Instructables is a great site full of these kinds of useful ideas. You may need to sign up as a member to see all the steps.

Painted Glass Photo Mat

Create a great looking Photo Mat, without cutting Mat Board, or requiring any special tools.

Materials Needed
Here's the list of materials needed for this Instructable:

- A Photo to Frame (any size you wish)
- Picture Frame (with glass, precut photo mat not required)
--- NOTE: The picture frame MUST be at least 2-3 inches larger in all directions than the photo you are planning to put into this frame. The extra area will provide the space for you to paint, while still allowing your photo to be fully viewed.
- Acrylic Paint (buy individual paint tubes, or a set of many colors)
- Paint Brushes for Acrylic Paints (in whatever sizes/design you prefer)
- Poster board (or large piece of cardboard)

Misc items from around the house:

- Ruler
- Pen/Pencil
- Double-sided tape
- Scissors

Use photos to make a holiday gift

We are in the midst of the holiday shopping season. If you are like me, you still have people on your list that you are desperately trying to think of something unique and creative to get "the person who has everything". A photo gift could be the perfect solution.

There are many ways you can make your gift unique.

• You can do a large print of a particularly memorable day and have it framed.
  
• If your camera does not take images big enough to do one large photograph, how about making a collage in Photoshop of special memories and turning it in to one big print?
  
• Get a print made of your child's drawing for the grandparents. Printing it on canvas will make it look even more like a masterpiece.
  
• Find an old photo of an ancestor, we can restore it, and then make prints for all of your family members.
  
• You can also purchase a fine art print of one of their favorite locations or a theme that will fit their decor.

You get the idea. There are many ways to make your photo gift personal and memorable. There is still time to order and get it by Christmas. Anything you choose to do will be a one of a kind gift that they will cherish for years to come.

Realistic paint technique in Photoshop

This technique will make any image look like it was hand painted. Instead of deciding between oil or acrylic all you need to do this "painting" is Photoshop and a graphic tablet (mouse painting not recommended). A file prepared this way would look great on canvas or photo paper. It would be perfect for a shot of a child or a family portrait. You can a add your own personal touch, and it would make a great photo gift.

Photoshop Realistic Paint Technique: Posted by D Sheppard on Instructables

While doing a few digital paintings in Photoshop I developed a simple technique to somewhat emulate the look of real paintings using brushes in photoshop.

Probably the kind of thing "painter" would be used for, but heres what I do in photoshop.

This is very simple, but I've been asked a few times what precisely I did to get the look, so I thought I would share it.

Of course, while the technique is still simple, using it in practice takes time. Its not a filter or anything.

Enlarge your photobooth strips

Remember cramming you and 4 of your friends in to a tiny photobooth making faces at the camera? Ahh memories. Well, it is not too late to recreate one of those days from your youth. Photobooth.net offers a comprehensive list of photobooths that still exist out there waiting for your best silly grin. I was pleased to see that there is one in Phoenix at The Trunk Space. They also offer resource on renting one for your wedding or a big event, like Ron Cowan did for these shots taken at his wedding. They also have listings of movies and TV shows that have used photobooths, books featuring the hazy vignetted shots (MTV's TRL has a great one if you want to see celebrities striking a pose), as well as artists that have utilized photobooths to create their work; most notably Andy Warhol.

These little strips look amazing when blown up. You can make a large 10x50 panoramic print or cut it in to 2 up strips and place them side by side for a square print. If you are more in to the art side of it, you can montage several shots together for a surreal effect ala Herman Costa. If you have an old strip sitting in a drawer somewhere, making an enlargement of it for your fellow photobooth companions would make a great gift. All you need to do is scan the strip large enough to make the print size you are going for, or we can scan it for you.

Thanks to John Nack for the find. It brings back so many memories.

Personalized music poster

This would be a great gift idea for any music lover. Or just a cool way to make a personal statement using your favorite bands as the backdrop. We would be happy to print it, of course.

Make a huge printable poster from your iTunes album art!

This is a instructable describing how to cumbersomely export your existing iTunes album art and arrange all the covers into a huge grid, leaving you with a gigantic, colourful and vibrant mishmash of popular culture ready for printing and, maybe later, your wall!

I decided I wanted to do this a couple of nights ago and now I've come up with a method, it's not really complicated but can be rather time-consuming depending on how large your library is.
I have around 800 albums with attached album art and it took at least an hour, granted most of that time is spent watching your computer doing all the work for you.

The process requires you to download some free applications (links supplied) and you also need a new-ish version of Photoshop (I use CS3) although I'll show you an alternate way of getting basically the same results with Google's free digital photo organizer, Picasa2.

Custom photo gifts good idea year-round

Although this year's main gift giving season has just past us by this idea is good for any birthdays, anniversaries or special events that come up during the year.

Recipients Treasure Custom Photo Gifts: Kodak Survey
More than 90 percent of people believe that sharing experiences through photographs helps them bond with others. And, according to the survey, "a nearly identical amount feel that it's important to take photographs to remind their children of their youth." More than tree-quarters of the respondents also wished they had pictures of family members from when they were younger.

It is a great personalized way to keep in touch with family and friends. I know that the restored photos I have done of ancestors have become treasured gifts. Once other family members see the work, they will ask for copies for themselves. It is usually a big hit.