Hello my creative friends. Are we ready for some more mixed media fun?
As a reminder, here is overview of the approach to the 2024 Mixed Media Challenges:
Each month through 2024 a broad theme will be provided for the challenge and you can interpret these themes as literally or as loosely and abstractly as you wish.
Please feel inspired and relaxed to experiment and personalize these challenges this year to your advantage. Our goal for 2024 is for you to get pages scrapped, use your stash of digital art, and if you’d like, and have time, practice some fun techniques to build confidence in your mixed media scrapbooking.
If you’d like to learn something specific please inbox Rachel with your suggestion.
For March 2024, it's all about random keywords or phrases. It's our hope that that these words/phrases will spark creativity--you can opt to let these words/phrase be thought provoking for a page you want to create or you can literally scrap about one or many of the words or phrases below.
Let one or more these following keywords/phrases help guide your layout for this challenge:
Tips/Technique/Tutorial:
With each challenge, a tip/technique/tutorial will be included. There is no pressure to incorporate the tip/technique/tutorial into your challenge page, the choice is entirely yours.
As you can see below in my final layout, while I took my Inspiration from the word "Enough", my layout has a weather/rainy theme to it. I chose to play off the rain metaphormically. For my layout, I added a "rain effect" to my page design. At first glance, you may not notice, but when you see the before and after effect, you can see that the "rain" adds a nice subtle slight grungy feel to the overall layout and contributes to it's whole vibe.
Today, I'm going to walk you through how you can create a "rain effect".
So that you can adequately see the difference, the pic on the left is "before" the rain effect and the pic on the right is "after."
If you look, the pic on the left has a subtle diagonal flow that is slanted to the left starting at the top. This is the "rain effect"
To create the "rain effect" I started by inserting a new fill layer with solid color. Go to the menu bar, select "layer"-->"new fill layer" --> "solid color"
You will then be prompted to name it. I just named mine "color fill" but you can choose to name however you want. Hit "ok"
Then you will be promoted to select a color, we want to select "black" so just head to the bottom left corner and get the blackest of black and hit "ok".
Next we need to add some noise to this. Noise is what will help to create the "rain". To add noise, go to the menu bar, select "filter"-->"noise"-->"add noise"
You will then be prompted to convert to a "smart object" or "rasterize". I choose "smart object" as rasterizing "sets" the pixel size and if I need to make any adjustments I want the pixels to adjust as well. But you can play around with this and see how each function works for you. (Just note you wont' really note the difference unless your looking to make the layer larger than what we are starting out with)
Then you will be prompted to select your noise level and its distribution. I chose my noise level 60% with a uniform distribution. (Feel free to play with these levels to make them work for your preference). Be sure to leave "monochromatic" checked.
Once the noise level has been applied, blur/motion has to then be applied. To do this, go the menu bar and select "filter"-->"blur"-->"motion blur"
Here you will be prompted to select the angle of your blur and the pixel count. Since my umbrella extraction already had some rain drops on it, I opted to have my motion blur to flow very similar to umbrella extraction and had my blur flowing down to the left at 74% and to make sure I had good pixel quality, I went for 875 pixels. (Feel free to play with this to your preference as well).
This is what it looks like after the motion blur is applied.
The next step, is to then use a blend mode to create the look that you want. (You will want to play around with this to find your preference and achieve the look you want). I chose the "vivid light" blend mode.
I know your initial reaction is like "ooo that makes it a little dark, not sure if I like that", this is where I adjusted my opacity to 60%.
It still may appear a little wonky depending where you actually want this layer to end up. I'm moving my layer down to go over some of my elements and then behind some others and once I do that, I then get the exact look that I wanted for my example layout below.
Here's my layout and I chose my Inspiration from "Enough" and applied the "rain effect" technique from above steps.
Here's 2 layouts by @Rachel Jefferies and she used "Music Speaks" as her inspiration
Here's a layout by @Dady and she used "Listen" as her inspiration
Challenge Requirements:
If you have any questions just tag me and I will get back to you as soon as I can. As always, I look forward to your creations!
As a reminder, here is overview of the approach to the 2024 Mixed Media Challenges:
Each month through 2024 a broad theme will be provided for the challenge and you can interpret these themes as literally or as loosely and abstractly as you wish.
Please feel inspired and relaxed to experiment and personalize these challenges this year to your advantage. Our goal for 2024 is for you to get pages scrapped, use your stash of digital art, and if you’d like, and have time, practice some fun techniques to build confidence in your mixed media scrapbooking.
If you’d like to learn something specific please inbox Rachel with your suggestion.
For March 2024, it's all about random keywords or phrases. It's our hope that that these words/phrases will spark creativity--you can opt to let these words/phrase be thought provoking for a page you want to create or you can literally scrap about one or many of the words or phrases below.
Let one or more these following keywords/phrases help guide your layout for this challenge:
- Compound
- Let it . . .
- Music Speaks . . .
- Listen
- Enough
- Green
- Collect
- Repeat
- Order
Tips/Technique/Tutorial:
With each challenge, a tip/technique/tutorial will be included. There is no pressure to incorporate the tip/technique/tutorial into your challenge page, the choice is entirely yours.
As you can see below in my final layout, while I took my Inspiration from the word "Enough", my layout has a weather/rainy theme to it. I chose to play off the rain metaphormically. For my layout, I added a "rain effect" to my page design. At first glance, you may not notice, but when you see the before and after effect, you can see that the "rain" adds a nice subtle slight grungy feel to the overall layout and contributes to it's whole vibe.
Today, I'm going to walk you through how you can create a "rain effect".
So that you can adequately see the difference, the pic on the left is "before" the rain effect and the pic on the right is "after."
If you look, the pic on the left has a subtle diagonal flow that is slanted to the left starting at the top. This is the "rain effect"
To create the "rain effect" I started by inserting a new fill layer with solid color. Go to the menu bar, select "layer"-->"new fill layer" --> "solid color"
You will then be prompted to name it. I just named mine "color fill" but you can choose to name however you want. Hit "ok"
Then you will be promoted to select a color, we want to select "black" so just head to the bottom left corner and get the blackest of black and hit "ok".
Next we need to add some noise to this. Noise is what will help to create the "rain". To add noise, go to the menu bar, select "filter"-->"noise"-->"add noise"
You will then be prompted to convert to a "smart object" or "rasterize". I choose "smart object" as rasterizing "sets" the pixel size and if I need to make any adjustments I want the pixels to adjust as well. But you can play around with this and see how each function works for you. (Just note you wont' really note the difference unless your looking to make the layer larger than what we are starting out with)
Then you will be prompted to select your noise level and its distribution. I chose my noise level 60% with a uniform distribution. (Feel free to play with these levels to make them work for your preference). Be sure to leave "monochromatic" checked.
Once the noise level has been applied, blur/motion has to then be applied. To do this, go the menu bar and select "filter"-->"blur"-->"motion blur"
Here you will be prompted to select the angle of your blur and the pixel count. Since my umbrella extraction already had some rain drops on it, I opted to have my motion blur to flow very similar to umbrella extraction and had my blur flowing down to the left at 74% and to make sure I had good pixel quality, I went for 875 pixels. (Feel free to play with this to your preference as well).
This is what it looks like after the motion blur is applied.
The next step, is to then use a blend mode to create the look that you want. (You will want to play around with this to find your preference and achieve the look you want). I chose the "vivid light" blend mode.
I know your initial reaction is like "ooo that makes it a little dark, not sure if I like that", this is where I adjusted my opacity to 60%.
It still may appear a little wonky depending where you actually want this layer to end up. I'm moving my layer down to go over some of my elements and then behind some others and once I do that, I then get the exact look that I wanted for my example layout below.
Here's my layout and I chose my Inspiration from "Enough" and applied the "rain effect" technique from above steps.
Here's 2 layouts by @Rachel Jefferies and she used "Music Speaks" as her inspiration
Here's a layout by @Dady and she used "Listen" as her inspiration
Challenge Requirements:
- Create a new page that is themed or influenced by one of the keywords/phrases from above and include that keyword/phrase in your post
- Use at least 75% of Rachel's Product currently available in her Oscraps shop.
- Any remaining percentage must be product from another current Oscraps designer. This could also include retired products from Rachel or the other current Oscraps designer.
- Hybrid projects are also welcome and the same product rules apply. Where digital products are used in a hybrid project they must all come from current Oscraps designers, and at least 75% must be Rachel's Product.
- Upload your layout to the Rachel Jefferies Designs Gallery at Oscraps with your product credits.
- For your challenge entry to be counted, you MUST upload your finished layout to this thread. Please link your gallery image to your post in this thread, as it helps us leave love on your layout (and validate your project).
- No double-dipping… your layout must be created for this challenge only, no others.
- You must create a NEW layout for this challenge.
- This challenge will remain open for the monthly coupons through February 29, 2024
- All participants who post their page during the challenge month by the end of month deadline and meet the criteria will be eligible for a coupon of 15% off their next order (from Rachel's shop) of $10 or more.
- ONE lucky random winner who posts their page during the challenge month by the end of month deadline and meets the criteria will receive a $8.00 coupon for Rachel's Shop here at Oscraps!
- By completing ALL twelve of Rachel's Mixed Media Challenges at Oscraps in 2024, this will give you the chance to win a $25 coupon to her shop!
- In order to be eligible for $25 Coupon to Rachel's shop you will need to do the following:
- Complete ALL twelve of Rachel's Mixed Media Challenges at Oscraps in 2024 by December 31, 2024 by 1159 PM PDT.
- Post the challenge layout in the appropriate challenge month thread in Rachel Jefferies Challenge Threads (for example: January Challenge layout must be posted in the January Challenge thread that is linked back to the gallery--even if you complete it in November, it still must be posted in the January Thread).
- Complete your tracker thread with a link to each layout by December 31, 2024 by 1159 PM PDT.
- In order to be eligible for $25 Coupon to Rachel's shop you will need to do the following:
If you have any questions just tag me and I will get back to you as soon as I can. As always, I look forward to your creations!
