How to Use Layers in Photoshop to Make a Festive Easter Card

How to Use Layers in Photoshop to Make a Festive Easter Card

Using layers in any creative computer program is a marvellous way to enhance our creativity. In this article, I will explain how to use layers in Photoshop, applied to an Easter card.

Once you know how to benefit from working with layers, you can use them for any kind of creative expression. 

Besides using them for masking, I often toggle between layers to turn them ‘on’ and ‘off’ so I can judge differences. Making variations and looking at which one pleases me most, is easy that way.

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Combine Linocut with Clay to Create Special Ceramic Reliefs

Combine Linocut with Clay to Create Special Ceramic Reliefs

In this article, I describe how you can combine linocut with clay to make reliefs.

Clay is a rewarding material, both for the professional and the hobbyist. Anyone who is just starting with clay will soon have an excellent result.

Clay can be decorated with all kinds of techniques, ranging from simple to difficult. The beauty is that most techniques can be started in a simple way and gradually become more complicated.

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How to Smoke-Firing Ceramics for a Beautiful Decorative Result

How to Smoke-Firing Ceramics for a Beautiful Decorative Result

I used smoke firing on objects that already had their first round of firing in an electric kiln, called bisque or biscuit clay. This reduced the chance of breakage, and it also ensured that the objects were fired evenly and well.

Admittedly, my neighbours weren’t always quite pleased when I was firing this way. As you might know from a poorly ventilated fireplace, burning stuff that causes a lot of smoke can smell penetrating.

Yet, the results were so great that I risked their dislike. In this article, I explain how to smoke-firing ceramics yourself.

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