From The Desk Of Klassylady

[klassylady25]

Thought I'd share my newest project.  I believe this makes the 11th restoration I've done for OPR.  I love it! 

[glennab]

Hi Candy --

Now that's what I call a challenge and a half!  I want to know what you to do make it work.  I'd guess it'll take a number of techniques to get it polished.

11 restorations!  WOW.  You're wonder woman.  How do you do it??

Good luck with this one!

GG

[klassylady25]

Here's where the lady stands as of tonight 09 October 2006.

[glennab]

Good morning!

She looks wonderful.  Only one thing really catches my eye, and that's her right eye as we look at her.  It seems a little too dark for the rest of the image.  My eye is drawn directly to that eye.

You're definitely a pro.  How lmany hours did it take to get her to this point?  Are you able to work on the restorations full time? 

GG

[klassylady25]

Thank you for the visual!!  You're right the eye is darker and I will correct, but which way do you think I should go... to the lighter or the darker?  At this point it's merely preference because the damage was part of that coloring....

As for when I work on the pictures.  I work on it after 10pm, when it's quiet and all the lights are off.   It's taken me almost 3 years to get to this point. 

And this gal, well she was easy in the world of difficult!!   I've only been working on her for the past 4 evenings off and on.  She was lovely and it was that beauty that caught my eye.  BTW, I love the old black and white (or sepias) they've always caught my eye.   Am I able to work full time..... nope, I have a part time job, in two places.   (First year, last child... started college!)   I'm broke all the time!  LOL

Well, time to put on my knickers and off to work I go. 

Hugz

[glennab]

Hi again!

I think I'd go to the lighter side with the eye, because the rest of the image is so muted.  You're right, she is lovely.  The older photos are really special.

You do have your hands full! Two jobs! How in the world do you do it?

I hope I get to your level of expertise before too long.  You whizzed through this one, and she truly is gorgeous. Do you use a Wacom?  I bought one with my new computer system, but haven't even plugged it in yet.  Yesterday at lunch I checked out Russell Brown's web site and the hair brush he offers as a download only works with a tablet.  So ... back to the old learning curve!  I'm still working at figuring out all the bells & whistles on my new Mac Pro.  The operating system is awesome, but also very complex.  I don't expect to ever be bored!

I'd appreciate your feedback on my latest effort, which I posted this morning.  It's a toughie, but I'm enjoying working on it.  Trying different techniques and actually having some success with things I hadn't tried before.

I do my restoring late at night, too.  I work all day as a graphic designer -- at a computer from the time I get here until I leave.  So when I get home I try to chill for a few hours, spend some time with hubby, knit a little and then head for my office.  My cats gather with me, so often I'm shoving one fuzz butt or another off my mouse or hand or away from in front of the monitor.  Bless their hearts!

Hugz back at ya

GG

[klassylady25]

see correction below

[glennab]

Candy, I love it.  The eye did the trick.  I'd send her on home; she's wonderful.

GG

[klassylady25]

My gal went home tonight.  I made a few for corrections and sent her on her way. 

[klassylady25]

Hi again 2!

I did go with the lighter and it looked so much better thank you for catching that again.  As for my jobs.. I'm crazy!  Motivation has a lot to do with it. This is the first year for my son at culinary college and it's taking the extra that I make to keep him there.  It's worth it though.  His grades are excellent. 

You do have your hands full! Two jobs! How in the world do you do it?

I use PS7 and it's been a trail and error learning experience.  OPR has given me the best practice of all and the opportunity to help someone makes it all the better.  My husband grew up in New Orleans.  Most of his family pictures were lost in Hurricane Betsy.  There wasn't this technology then so as you can imagine the families lost it forever.  This is one way to give back for those lost memories. 

I'm going to check out Russell Brown's web site, now that you've sparked my interest.  It sounds as though your new computer system will be a joy to work with, so get it plugged in and let me know!!   I've read about the Wacom and boy oh boy would I love to have it!!   You keep on trying and you will have success, one day it will just happen and then you'll sit back and smile. 

Glad to know I have a night owl friend.  My fuzz butts - and that tickled me!! - are my three Boston Terriers.  They drive me crazy but when they FINALLY quiet down they look so sweet that I decide to let them stay another day.  LOL

Your pics are coming along so well.  It's different than your work but much more relaxing isn't it.  I tend to work a little, get up, and come back to the puzzle.  That way I see something each time that I can work on.  Before you know it, it's done. 

I'm getting ready to post my next work here.  I've done the girl before, but in the first picture she was a woman..... come to think of it, it was the first picture I worked on when OPR started up again.

WOW, has time passed.

Well girlfriend, I'm heading to bed.  Keep working and I'll keep watching.

Hugz!! 

[Ausimax]

Hi, Klassylady,

A good job with a difficult subject, it looks great.

Glenna, I use Russell Brown's hair brushes with a mouse, seem to work OK, you would probably have more control with a tablet, I don't know I have never used one.

Max

[glennab]

Hi Max

Maybe I misunderstood and the tutorial just stated that the hair brush worked better with a tablet.  At any rate, I'm going to give it a try.  I spent a lot of time checking out his wonderful tutorials.  There are so many people who are offering so much information that it makes my head swim -- but like the robot in Short Circuit I "NEED INPUT!"  Can't absorb enough!

Thanks for the tip!

Have a wonderful day!

GG

[glennab]

Hi Candy -

It's good for me, too, to know that I have a night-owl pal working on the restorations.  And thanks for the encouragement.

I'm working on designing our next covers at work, and interestingly enough, I'm using some of the things I've learned from the restorations to speed up what I do there.  We don't really work in a high-pressure production environment, so I've sort of taken my time to learn what I need to, but it's amazing how much from the restorations I can apply to my job.

This is rather comical, and it happened before I got involved with OPR, but we publish a Guide and Map for In-Town Tampa, and because the city has some wonderful architecture, I like to make covers that feature the buildings.  I'd found a photo that our area manager had taken with a glass building reflecting other buildings in a most interesting manner.  So I created a cover with it.  Both the area manager and our sales manager decided that they'd like the photo better if a hot dog vendor and his cart was in the photo.  He was outside of the area I'd used for my cover.  Against my better judgment, I painstakingly cut the guy out and pasted him in front of the building - very convincingly, I must say.  I hated it, but the guys loved it.  So it sat on the table where our president checks the parts of the pubs that he has to approve.  He walked by, took one look at the photo and said "the hot dog guy's gotta go."  All I could do was laugh.

All of this is so subjective.  I guess that's what makes it interesting.

I'll have more "fuzz butt" stories for you in the future.  I have 12 of the most eccentric cats you can imagine.  They're either feral or the progeny of feral cats, so they're a bit unusual.  I have a grandma cat, her daughter (I had her son as well, but he died of a heart attack), and her five grandsons. Then I have another momma cat, two of her girls from different litters, and her nephew.  And one huge gray and white guy whose mother brough her whole littler to me when they were old enough to be weaned and then left.  I think she found someone to pay her way through college, knew I am a sucker, and left them with me so she could get her education and have a better life!  That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!

Anyway, I'm late for work, as usual, so better go.

More hugz

Later,

GG