Oscraps
Truth or Dare
For an interview challenge ... I interviewed Merkee of Merkeley Designs. It was lots of fun ... Thanks for being such a good sport!
Credits:
Merkeley Designs' Hey Lady (mostly), Sharon (wash clips) and A Moment In Time (glitter)
Journaling (or "The Interview"
:
How did you become a designer?
It was a natural evolution. I have been involved in graphics and design for over 10 years.
I was a signature tag and stationery maker before scrapbook designer.
Which software(s) do you use to design?
Mainly PSE5 and Paint Shop Pro XI
What inspires you when working on a kit/product? What sparks the idea?
Everything, I look at it all with scrapbooking in mind. From the ground under my feet to the sky above. I'll never be the same.
What do you love designing most? (papers, elements - which ones - templates...)
Unique templates and elements. Though I'm starting to like papers. It seems to go in cycles. As to favorite elements,
I really have a hard time staying away from flowers and curls.
When you create a kit - what part of it do you like to start with?
The colors and then usually the papers.
Which is your favorite way for creating elements?
Experimenting and just playing in my graphics program.
What are your favorite colors? Do you tend to use them often in your designs?
I personally like purple and teal. However, I've noticed I use a lot of blue and brown.
Which colors have you never used in your design and why?
Yellow, it is a hard color to use. It comes out too saturated or too green and is hard to use digitally.
Which of your creations do you like most and why?
I'd say one of my latest kits - Hey Lady. It uses my favorite colors and just seemed to flow together.
I found it easy to scrap with it myself.
If you could take on any profession in the world other than designing - what would it be?
Manage a bookstore or craftstore. I love to read and to do crafts..
Do you like to scrap? Have you ever paper-scrapped?
Yes, I like to scrap. I just don't have much time for it. No, I haven't paper-scrapped.
I change my mind too often and you can't do that with glue.
Do you like learning new techniques? If so, which is your favorite source for learning new things?
Yes I love to discover a new use for a tool. My biggest source for learning used to be online tutorials.
Now it is just experimenting in my programs. I can do that for hours.
Did you learn how to design or did you learn it as you went on? (Did you ever take a course for any software you use?)
I really knew my program before I even heard of Digital Scrapbooking. I took Paint Shop Pro tutorial classes a long time ago
with version 5 and then continued with tutorials for about 3 years. I also, again, learned a lot just by playing and
experimenting with all the tools in my programs.
What was the best advice you have ever received - designer-wise?
I would say the best advice for me was to create what I like. Quit worrying about the other guy
and to make quality a priority. One perfect element is better than 3 or 4 with errors or jaggies.
What advice would you give to a freshly starting designer?
Take your time, keep your tools organized. Name your files well. Keep templates and things you create
to be used as time savers for the next project. Check your work at 100%. Don't fudge on the dpi, it will show.
Resize down, never up. Don't copy, but be original.
Credits:
Merkeley Designs' Hey Lady (mostly), Sharon (wash clips) and A Moment In Time (glitter)
Journaling (or "The Interview"
:How did you become a designer?
It was a natural evolution. I have been involved in graphics and design for over 10 years.
I was a signature tag and stationery maker before scrapbook designer.
Which software(s) do you use to design?
Mainly PSE5 and Paint Shop Pro XI
What inspires you when working on a kit/product? What sparks the idea?
Everything, I look at it all with scrapbooking in mind. From the ground under my feet to the sky above. I'll never be the same.
What do you love designing most? (papers, elements - which ones - templates...)
Unique templates and elements. Though I'm starting to like papers. It seems to go in cycles. As to favorite elements,
I really have a hard time staying away from flowers and curls.
When you create a kit - what part of it do you like to start with?
The colors and then usually the papers.
Which is your favorite way for creating elements?
Experimenting and just playing in my graphics program.
What are your favorite colors? Do you tend to use them often in your designs?
I personally like purple and teal. However, I've noticed I use a lot of blue and brown.
Which colors have you never used in your design and why?
Yellow, it is a hard color to use. It comes out too saturated or too green and is hard to use digitally.
Which of your creations do you like most and why?
I'd say one of my latest kits - Hey Lady. It uses my favorite colors and just seemed to flow together.
I found it easy to scrap with it myself.
If you could take on any profession in the world other than designing - what would it be?
Manage a bookstore or craftstore. I love to read and to do crafts..
Do you like to scrap? Have you ever paper-scrapped?
Yes, I like to scrap. I just don't have much time for it. No, I haven't paper-scrapped.
I change my mind too often and you can't do that with glue.
Do you like learning new techniques? If so, which is your favorite source for learning new things?
Yes I love to discover a new use for a tool. My biggest source for learning used to be online tutorials.
Now it is just experimenting in my programs. I can do that for hours.
Did you learn how to design or did you learn it as you went on? (Did you ever take a course for any software you use?)
I really knew my program before I even heard of Digital Scrapbooking. I took Paint Shop Pro tutorial classes a long time ago
with version 5 and then continued with tutorials for about 3 years. I also, again, learned a lot just by playing and
experimenting with all the tools in my programs.
What was the best advice you have ever received - designer-wise?
I would say the best advice for me was to create what I like. Quit worrying about the other guy
and to make quality a priority. One perfect element is better than 3 or 4 with errors or jaggies.
What advice would you give to a freshly starting designer?
Take your time, keep your tools organized. Name your files well. Keep templates and things you create
to be used as time savers for the next project. Check your work at 100%. Don't fudge on the dpi, it will show.
Resize down, never up. Don't copy, but be original.