Add your comments, questions or general discussion about the Contest entries here. This is also a great place to share your techniques or ask others about theirs.

Most members are eager to hear comments/suggestions about their entries, so please take the time to help each other out.

Sure learned a lot about Art Nouveau.

You just made my day :bigthmb:

Doug, this month's Contest was so much fun to work on. I didn't like last month's "Scream" theme and got depressed trying to work on it so I gave up. :-)

Anyone feel like creating a photo album of the images for easier viewing?

I can probably do that, TP. Just tell me how to get the HTML to you.

Thanks so much! Makeovermagic offered to set-up the files again so I should have a link in the next day or so.

Thanks for doing the gallery Makeover.

Swampy, your welcome... I'm working on it now.

Marsha

Special thanks to Makeovermagic (Marsha) for putting together a temporary photo album of the entries for easier viewing:

Nov 06 Contest Entries (http://www.makeovermagic.org/11-06.htm)

Wasn't able to take part this month alas, but I'd like to thank T for running it, Marsha for the PhotoAlbum, and to commend everyone who's entered for the high standard of all the entries. I've really enjoyed looking at them all.

Marsha,

Thanks for the gallery.

Lorraine

I didn't enter but must say everyone did a fantastic job. :bow:
Some great entries there. :classic:

T Paul, Gary and Lorraine... your welcome!

Marsha

Thanks Marsha for the gallery.

I decided to join at the last minute. Don't have time to make the background from scratch so I scoured the internet but none suited me. I just settled for whatever that I have on my computer.

Did you guys make your background from scratch? Or you manipulated some image? It's all well done and fit the art-nouveau style.

Thanks also Marsha.
Soleah, my bg is our cucumber patch.

Soleah and Doug, your also welcome!

Marsha

Did you guys make your background from scratch? Or you manipulated some image? It's all well done and fit the art-nouveau style.

Hi soleah -- Mine is a manipulation of several images. The leaves are from an "art nouveau" border found on the internet. Flowers are from two photos of white violets. Used edit/stroke to outline the flowers and leaves. Window is partially an arched window found on the internet and partially drawn in, then outlined. Background hills are from another photo.

Lorraine

my bg is our cucumber patch.

Great work :)

Lorraine

My border was an EPS file from the Aridi collection.

Nicely done everyone!

Congratulations go to Cazubi for winning this month's contest (http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/contests/15527-nov-06-contest.html)!!

Top 5
Cazubi - 40
Lorraine - 36
HannibalVector - 19
PhotoB - 16
Doug Colwell - 15

Congrats, Caz!! Very well done.

Everybody was a winner in this contest. The entries were all so good!

Congratulations to everyone for some excellent entries.

Well done Cazubi, an excellent win against very good opposition.

Congratulations Cathy!

And to everyone else, well done!

Congratulations Cathy and to everyone who entered this month - I liked them all.

Congratulations Cathy. You did an outstanding job!!!!

Everyone who entered deserves congratulations on their work as well.

Lorraine

Thank you everyone. I really enjoyed the challenge of this contest. I had to do some research on this art style as my art history is a bit dim. The hardest part for me was to make the girl look flat and decorative. I am giving some of my steps (that I remember) to show how I made my image.

A: I started with a background that I found on a clip art disk that I had. I altered it and cropped it so that the girl would fit into it.

B: I desaturated the girl, used the levels to bring up detail, used the dodge tool to lighten up the skin and eliminate detail. When I had her "flattened" I made some layers set to color mode and started hand coloring her hair, skin, and tunic.

C: I made a new layer for the outlines and used a very small brush and my Wacom pen and tablet to hand draw the lines. I did not use black, but selected colors from the background motif so that it would look more unified.

D: When I finished the flattening and coloring of the girl, I ran the Buzz Simplifier filter over her. I then set the line layer that was over the Buzz layer to Darken mode for better blending.

To finish I put a layer mask on the background which was the top layer and made it to fit around the girl. I made one last layer of a color sampled from the back ground and set it to multiply, 50% opacity to give the whole image an antique tone.

Kudos to all of the people who entered. Good work everyone.

Cathy

Congratulations Cathy.
Sorry for not voting, I've bin sick!

Did you guys make your background from scratch? Or you manipulated some image?
Yes, from scratch, no donor images used.