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I just tried the color-lifting technique Jennifer Mcguire demoed in her video this week. Although my first three tries were not perfect, I could not bear to throw them out. I cut the acceptable parts of three flowers and a section of leftover leaves for four cards.
I wondered if others feel that after spending so much time and effort on a technique, it must be used. Or can you be more ruthless than me and throw it away?
I have definitely used some samples I've made, the key word here being "some". If I don't like what I've done, I'm very ruthless when it comes to throwing samples away. I don't feel bad about it because it was a learning experience.
Your "rejects" turned into beautiful cards!
__________________ Linda E
Caution: You are entering an artistic zone. This is not clutter - this is creating. These are not pajamas - it's my work uniform.
well, since I have not seen the tutorial I don't know what you were going for with the look. ( kwim?) so, to me all the cards in the shot look like they turned out just fine
depends on the technique I guess. most things I tend to keep.
I am starting to become more ruthless about things I color... because, lately I am messing around with water coloring and to give my self something to do during the drying time I am doing say 2 or 3 of the same image at the same time rotating them, so, when they are all dry and I call it good I maybe only keep 1 or 2 of them. ( the ones that I like best) and that's OK.
I try to use them if they look "okay" even if they don't turn out as intended, otherwise I'd never finish anything for fear it wasn't perfect. I figure most people receiving them don't know what they're "supposed" to look like anyway!
I work on postcards that I then attach to cards. So if they dont come out, into the trash if I cant flip it and try again. I was taught this way to learn techniques. It took me a good while though to use real CS and not cheap stuff b/c I didnt want to waste it-but you really have to, to see how it will look and how the inks are working on it.
I do keep a good sample in a directions book I have so if I want to go back to something I have not done in awhile, I see what it should be like (I am very visual) with the directions.
I do also keep my prototypes I make for runs. May be different from the final a bit but I will know what I did. If I dont have one, I'll take a pic of it. This can happen with ones I make for DH b/c I sometimes use a material I dont want to work with again-for example, I just learned I dont like doing complex die cuts with holographic adhesive paper-too thin and it tears. I also am not a fan of the fake velvet paper now. Both have backings that are a PITA imho for complex dies.
You did exactly what every experienced card maker I know does. You salvaged the good part and made something out of it. They look great!
I'm a little chicken you-know-what in the technique realm, so I have no comment on the question, just the cards: GORGEOUS!
I'm the opposite. I have not found my niche yet. I try new techniques all the time. Thanks to all for your responses. Complements were very nice. I was not looking for them; just wanted to show the bits I saved and used.
I think those cards are a clever save! And I do a similar thing (the Incredible Shrinking Card or else the samples go into my miscellaneous box which I dig through when I make junk journals or mixed media. You'd be surprised how cool those discarded techniques can look if they're just cut out or die cut a certain way! Or if they get a layer of gesso, texture paste, paint or stain over them.
I tend to not throw stuff away. I can usually do something to fix it, or sometimes I just decide that there are folks who won't notice my mistakes & I'll use it for them. For example... my 2.5 year old does NOT notice errors. She notices if the colours are pretty & there's a cute animal on the front.
LOL on the baby not noticing mistakes Rollyfan. Can you imagine? They cant talk in paragraphs yet and there they are, stubby finger pointing at the card going "um, what is that?" LOLOL
Poppy! Great idea-die cut it! A bg might look bad that way, but cut it into a heart or something and it's cool again!
I forgot to say I might keep it as a cautionary tale..aka DONT do this or you get this-I usually just write that in my directions but sometimes you really want to drive it home.
I think we are all our own worst critics, and see faults that others do not notice! Having said that, anything that I try that I'm not happy with I tend to see if I can do anything with it rather than throw it straight away. Either die cut from it, or I will cut/punch into squares and use in mosaic type cards.
I'm glad I read this thread! Turns out I'm not necessarily "ruthless" .. but I do toss more and much more easily than I did in my beginning days. Practice just takes paper, ink, and time. And really ... the process of the practice is what we need for improvement.
But I will admit to keeping/saving/*cough*stash*cough as visual reminders or cues to "use" that technique from time to time. Without a visual cue to spot or touch now & then, it's could be "cup runneth over run-off" and that's sad. :shock:
Do you use or discard technique samples?
