The Hero of Canton

“Jayne!
The Man they call Jayne!
He robbed from the rich and he gave to the poor,
He stood up to the man and he gave him what for.
Our love for him now, ain’t hard to explain,
The hero of Canton, the man they call Jayne!”

http://www.etsy.com/listing/74777452/knitted-jayne-the-hero-of-canton-hat

I need inspiration...

I've been working really hard for the past couple of months to make as many things as possible for the cons up ahead. I'm starting to get burned out on what I should make. It's always really hard guessing what people will and won't buy. There have been many times when I think something will sell and then nobody buys it. Then there are other times when I make something that I think won't sell and then I can't keep it in stock. I feel like I have a disconnect from what popular opinion is.

I suppose I could make more of what I've designed already so that there will be plenty in stock. I get so bored making the same thing over and over, but I knew that I would have to make multiples of products eventually. I can't wait until after con season is over so I can focus on making things for me.

Photoshop and Con News

I just crawled out from under a rock and finally got my hands on Photoshop. Ever since I was using a computer I would always use the photo editing software of kings, which is of course MS Paint. ;P Almost a year ago, I got turned on to using Picasa, which is great for doing some really basic photo edits like adjusting brightness and correcting red eye. It's a free program, which is why I opted to use it instead of Photoshop. I still couldn't do any graphic design or anything super impressive, but I was able to make the pictures I took of my products look more legit.

Finally my friend let me transfer a copy of Adobe Master Collection CS4 from his hard drive. It wasn't long before I felt a little overwhelmed, but I've been tinkering with Photoshop a lot lately trying to get a hang of it. I'm still not able to make anything super impressive, but I am getting better at it as I go. It also helps to have so many friends that use it on a daily basis to teach me what I need to know and how to improve my skills. I feel so lucky!

Recently I've changed my Etsy shop status to "Vacation Mode". I really didn't want to, but I'm not able to juggle custom orders and making products for the con. I will still take requests on my Facebook page (www.facebook.com/magicineverystitch) and on Deviant Art. You can still send requests via Etsy through a conversation, but you'll receive an auto-reply message. Don't despair because I'm still going to be able to see your message and I'll be checking back there everyday to see if there are any new messages.

Here's something that I've made with Photoshop for my Facebook page. It's nothing special, but I am proud of it. I made a collage of things that I've made to show off what I can do.

I'm really happy with how this turned out! I learned a lot about Photoshop and how I can improve with my photography. This will only help me stick to a higher standard.