Gini's Magic Blog - Digital Art, Graphic Design, and Photoshop Tutorials

Creating a Wonderland Winter Wallpaper

2009-12-09T19:50:00.000-08:00

Learn to make a beautiful winter wallpaper with snowflakes and hills of snow. This is a great Photoshop tutorial for making desktop wallpaper or holiday cards.Before following this tutorial, visit my previous tutorial, Learn to Make Snowflakes in Photoshop.and make at least 3 different snowflakes.Step 1. Open a blank white canvas, 5000 x 4000 pixels and paste your snowflakes onto seperate layers.

Changes coming to Gini's Magic - Again

2009-10-27T11:31:00.001-07:00

You guys may have noticed that lately I've been branching into broader topics than I usually talk about here. Over the next few months, I'll be doing even more of that. We'll be discussing photography, graphic design, products and services having to do with both, and lots of other areas of art. I'd love to hear from my readers about any suggestions that you might have about topics that you'd like

Halloween USA is here with Halloween Spider Clothes!

2009-10-20T09:29:00.000-07:00

Halloween USA is different than Halloween in any other country around the world. We have taken the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain and turned it into a consumer-driven, costume-covered, candy-greedy holiday. We start our Halloween decorating a month or more ahead of time, buying Halloween masks and themed Halloween jewelry, just for fun.The Gini's Magic Shop features a large variety of

Fotoshop - It's Not Misspelled; Honest!

2009-10-10T00:48:00.000-07:00

The time has come to look my computer screen in the webcam and confess. I am a self-proclaimed Photoshop Addict.I love Photoshop. From the Shape tool to the Liquify filter and beyond, I LOVE it.Now having said that, when I was searching in Google and came across the word "Fotoshop" in the search results, I felt almost offended that someone could make a mistake like that. But it turns out that I

Positive and Negative Space Design

2009-09-30T23:28:00.000-07:00

Hi again you guys! I just wanted to let you know how my project went and show you my final design. It was mounted on a black mat board so that the black becomes more negative space. This is what I came up with.Let me know what you think!

Poll: Choose the Best Positive/Negative Space Design

2009-09-10T18:12:00.000-07:00

Well, it's the start of a new semester and I'm in my second week of my Graphic Design for Advertising class, which I love so far! We're working on a project that involves creating a poster to sell a specific font; in my case Bodoni, using positive and negative space. We're using the typography as shapes to show the personality of the font family. I've come up with 20 different basic possibilities

Bella as a Vampire

2009-08-28T18:30:00.000-07:00

In this vampire Photoshop tutorial, I'll show you how to turn one of my favorite literary characters, the very human Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) into newborn vampire, Bella Cullen. At the same time you can learn how to become a vampire in Photoshop yourself. Bella Swan/Cullen is a main character in Stephenie Meyers' Twilight Saga. Besides, who doesn't want to see Bella Swan as a vampire?We will

Create Realistic Shadows in Photoshop

2009-08-20T13:19:00.000-07:00

Here you can follow this step-by-step tutorial, learn how to make realistic shadows in Photoshop.Step 1. Select the area outside the object that you'd adding a shadow to, and then inverse the selection so that the object itself is selected.Step 2. Copy the selection onto a new layer by right-clicking on it and choosing "Layer Via Copy".Step 3. Go to Enhance> adjust Color> Adjust Hue/Saturation.

Help Me Light the Light Bulb!

2009-08-09T10:44:00.000-07:00

Okay guys, guess what? I have writers block! Help!!!I know, I know; it happens to everyone and it will pass. But until then, I'm having a hard time coming up with Photoshop tutorial ideas.So now I'm counting on you to provide me with a little reader participation! If you have any ideas for tutorials that you'd like me to write, please leave it for me in a comment.If I choose your idea and you

My Custom Clothing Line: Hugs Heal

2009-07-29T19:25:00.000-07:00

Some of you may know that this is not my only project, or only website. I have started and currently run two businesses; Gini's Magic and Hugs Heal. Today, I'd like to share some of the graphic designs that I have created for the Hugs Heal Clothing Line.Since this is usually where I share my art, I thought I'd share my designs with you. And, hey, if you feel like buying anything, please feel

Blood-Shot Eyes in Photoshop

2009-07-19T21:00:00.000-07:00

Learn how to make a portrait subject's eyes look blood-shot using Photoshop. As usual, this tutorial was created using Adobe Photoshop Elements.*For this tutorial you'll need two photos; one with a subject whose eyes you want to make look like they are red and blood-shot, and another of cracked ground or wall to be used for the texture of the red veins in the eye. The texture image should have

Photoshop Make up Tutorial - Metallic or Glitter Eyeshadow

2009-07-04T02:12:00.000-07:00

Being able to add realistic make up in Photoshop is a must for every digital artist. Whether you're adding makeup to enhance a portrait or painting on shimmering eyeshadow for an cartoon character, this Photoshop makeup tutorial will be incredibly useful for you.Step 1. Choose a photograph subject who has little or no eye makeup on to begin with. Select the paintbrush tool and set your foreground

Digital Scrapbooking Tutorial: Photoshop Collage

2009-06-21T18:09:00.000-07:00

This Photoshop tutorial will walk you through the process of creating a textured collage with your photos. Photoshop effects like this are incredibly versatile and are perfect to use for all you digital scrapbooking needs.1. Choose a texture that is primarily one color. You can find great freebies, including free textures, at BittBox. Open it up in Photoshop as the background image and make it

Turning Trash Into Treasure - The Art of Recycling

2009-06-11T16:41:00.000-07:00

Let's explore one of the greatest ways to create art today - and the most environmentally friendly. Here are ten examples of the generation of green artists, how they do what they do, and where you can find more of their very impressive displays.Before getting into the amazing artists who recycle products into artwork, I need to explain why I feel this article and this art form is so very

Dark, Gritty Photo Effect in Photoshop

2009-05-24T01:48:00.000-07:00

In today's Photoshop tutorial, you'll be learning a simple method of giving everyday pictures a scary, gritty effect. This photo effect is extremely versatile, and can be used to come up with all sorts of results.Step 1. Make sure you start with a photo that has lots of texture. Images that consist mostly of smooth textures (like water) probably will not become gritty or scary looking.The first

An Exciting Opportunity: Be a Guest Blogger for Gini's Magic

2009-05-19T11:37:00.000-07:00

As a Guest Blogger on this site, you can gain exposure to a new readership, increase traffic to your website, learn from an experienced blogger, and make some cash all at the same time.Well, my readers, I have some wonderful news. The Gini's Magic Blog is thriving! Over the past three months we've had an average of over 10,000 visitors per month and it looks like by the end of this month we will

How to Create A Magic Golden Egg in Photoshop

2009-05-07T12:26:00.000-07:00

Turn an ordinary egg in a Magical Golden Egg just like in the fairytales! And you don't even need that really cool goose we've all been hearing about.Step 1. Start with a picture of a brown egg and adjust the hue to whatever base color you want. I chose to keep mine as the original brown, so the final image is kind of a golden-brown egg. If you want your egg to be really golden, just change the

Use Photoshop to Enhance Portraits, Remove Shadows and Smooth Skin

2009-04-28T23:24:00.000-07:00

This is an example of a portrait enhancement that I once did, along with some simple tips. For a detailed tutorial on skin smoothing for portraits like this in Photoshop, please visit my post on Making Skin Smooth and Beautiful in Photoshop.This photo was taken by a friend of the bride, not a professional photographer. Overall, It is a beautiful picture. The problem: It was obviously shot in

How to Make Brushes in Photoshop from Different Types of Images

2009-04-21T18:15:00.000-07:00

Defining a brush in Photoshop can be very easy or far more difficult, depending on the image you wish to turn into a brush. This tutorial for Photoshop Beginners will guide you through making brushes in Photoshop, no matter what image you choose to use.Images with White BackgroundsCreating a brush in Photoshop using an image of an isolated object on a white background is by far the easiest.Step 1

20 Impressive Photoshop Photo Manipulation and Illustration Tutorials

2009-04-11T11:25:00.000-07:00

A list of great Photoshop photo manipulation tutorials that every digital artist (or digital art fan) should check out. Learn tons of different photo manipulation techniques.1. Combine Photo Elements to Create a Surreal Photo Manipulation2. Photo Montaging - Blending a Human Head to a Tree3. Photo Manipulation Techniques with Blending4. How to Apply Textures to Uneven Surfaces5. How to Create a

Dreamy, Dramatic Photo Effects in Photoshop

2009-03-20T18:41:00.000-07:00

A dreamy photo effect can be an incredibly useful tool, and when a filter just won't cut it, we need to learn to create the effect ourselves. This tutorial is best used for images with only two or three dominant colors. Have I mentioned lately that Photoshop rocks?This is a photograph I shot of my cat and below is an example of how you can take a simple, albeit very cute subject and turn it into

Creating Photoshop Clouds in Specfic Shapes (Hearts, Butterflies, etc)

2009-03-14T00:57:00.000-07:00

In this tutorial, you'll learn a very simple method of making specially shaped Photoshop clouds. A perfect tutorial for any Photoshop beginners!Step 1. Open a 1000x1000 pixel canvas with a solid sky blue background.Step 2. Choose the Shape Tool and pick whatever shape that you want your cloud to be. I chose a simple heart shape. Drag the shape onto the canvas. The shape will be the same color as

The Sights and Sounds of a Weekend in Las Vegas

2009-03-04T20:59:00.000-08:00

A friend and I stayed in Las Vegas last weekend where we went to a Little Big Town Concert, Caesar's Palace, a Nascar Race, and the Bellagio. This was my first time visiting Las Vegas and I thought I would share some photos with you here of the amazing things we saw!Little Big Town Concert, Opened by Kate & Kacey CoppolaCaesar's PalaceNascar RaceThe BellagioIf you enjoyed this post, please

Elegant Photoshop Frames Made of Wood

2009-02-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

This tutorial will show you how to make gorgeous wooden Photoshop frames. Using this technique, you'll be able to make a new and unique photo frame for each and every one of your photographs.Step 1. Open up a picture that clearly shows wood grain in it. It could be a picture of a tree, a log, an unpainted piece of furniture; anything. I chose to use a photo I took of the wall of a wooden

New Art Class and Exciting New 3D projects

2009-02-15T20:38:00.000-08:00

I started a new semester of college today and I'm very happy to say that I got into the classes I wanted! Last semester I took 2D Design and I enjoyed it so much. The entire time I was in that class I felt like I was so in touch with the art world, along with strengthening my design skills.This time, I'm taking a 3 Dimensional Design class; something completely new to me. I'm very excited to