Chapel at DeGrazia's Gallery in the Sun

Chapel at DeGrazia's Gallery in the Sun

I recently reformatted this submission, inspired to do so by joining the ‘Creative Cards’ group with its new strict dictum’s on card design and presentation. These changes are fairly simple in Photo-Shop (PS), but going back and forth into and out of RedBubble (RB) to check how the image really looks on ‘the card’ takes some time. (for instance saving the whole Saguaro cactus on the left hand side took some back and forth). With practice its getting easier! Here’s how I do it on Photo-Shop Elements.
To start reformatting I have a ‘blank RedBubble card’ in ‘my pictures’ and send it to Photo-Shop (PS) (it is the required 920 px by 1320 px.) I then take the image I’ve chosen for my card design and send it to PS. While this design is up on the PS screen I make any adjustments in the image I think appropriate (cropping, color, other), but am keeping in mind the finish card and card size & layout. I also ‘resize’ the image and make sure it’s the min. 200 px resolution, and if possible proportionate to 920×1320 px. card size.
Then I put the blank card on the screen. If I know there is going to be background showing then this is the time to either fill in the background with a custom color or even transport in another background design image or pattern.
Now its time to drag my adjusted final design image up and onto the background card, while keeping in mind the eventual finish image position I want. Undoubtedly my image (has been so far) is smaller than what I want on the background card. So next I use the ‘Free Transform’ option in PS and by pulling on the corners of the image I can change its size without changing its proportions (larger or smaller). If part of the drawing or image will be ‘cut off’ in the RB card printing process [(note: they cut about 12 pixels off long edge or 1/4” and about 24 pixels off each of the short ends or 3/8” to 1/2”)] then the transformed image size wants to be held those distances away from the edges.
My last step before ‘saving’ my image to ‘my pictures’ is to recheck the total card size and resolution. Once again I go to ‘resize image’ and check that resolution is minimum 200px and card size is 920 px. by 1320 px. I then ‘save as’ a JPeg type file and am ready to load the card onto RedBubble.
I load it first without sending to any groups or even any write up. After it’s loaded I click ‘see public image’ and then I click the ‘buy’ button. I see the final design on a card and decide if it meets all my new high quality criteria for presentation of my work. ;-)) If not I go back to ‘my pictures’ and PS and make the necessary further adjustments.
For example if you now look at my ‘Chapel’ card design flat (not on a card) you’ll see a white border around the three (to be trimmed) sides. Now look at it as a ‘card’ and the borders have been trimmed, but my full signature in lower right is intact and the saguaro cactus and prickly pear have not been cut out. It also ‘fits’ the RB card.

I’ve decided this is a valid RB ‘card’ design because it may communicate the concept of a simple, more grounded (earthier) faith to some one who might never see the actual chapel, but get this essence.

In Tucson, Arizona the most well known local artist is Ted DeGrazia. He died in the early ‘80’s but his Gallery in the Sun, at his rustic desert foothills property still thrives and is now a tourist attraction.

They allow other artists to have shows at their “Little Gallery” and it’s there with my new mother-in-law that we shared a show in 1997, with her marble sculptures and my pen & ink sketches of Boulders of the Dragoon mountains.

There was lots of spare time while ‘sitting’ our show, so a series of DeGrazia Gallery sketches were made. This one is of the rustic adobe, mostly roofless, chapel Ted built years before.

Drawn in my Canson sketch book

Chapel at DeGrazia's Gallery in the Sun belongs to the following groups:

! ♦♣♠♥Ȃll Things Black ♥♠♣♦ !, ! 100% !, ! ♥♥♥Love Is (Join us!)♥♥♥ !, "Tone It Down"! (3/day - No [EXPLETIVE] color allowed!), **A SPIRITUAL / PSYCHIC WALK**, All Around the Styles, American Southwest , Art For The World, Back In Black ( sorry~NO PHOTOGRAPHY), Bits and Pieces , Cacti and other Succulents, Core [C.O.R.E], Creative Cards, Creative, Talented, and Unknown, Eat Sleep Draw, Everyday Life, Finks of Inks, First Things, Freedom to Shine, Gateways, Hand painted or drawn Buildings and architecture, Images & Ideas, Lifeline, Live and Let Live, Live, Love, Dream: May you have a Blessed Christmas Season , Old farts of redbubble, Out of the Past, Peace Love & Happiness Hippies, PEACE, LOVE & TRANQUILITY, Polish Place, Raw Art, Shameless Self-Promotion, Something To Say, Spiritual Art, Spreadin' Peace , Stillness Speaks **Max 2 uploads per day** {{No NUDES, ABSTRACT, CANDIDS or ACTION IMAGES}}, The Healing Journey, The Patchwork , Tuesday Afternoon, UN!TY , Works On Paper and ☮Peace☮ Available for sale as

Greeting Cards