Ask Missy ZNE!

Light it up!

I like to take photos of my artwork, but they never seem to have the correct lighting, what can I do?

- Lightless in Seattle

Bernice Wagnitz was kind enough to share her wonderful technique for creating your own lighbox, for photography:

How to Construct a Homemade Lightbox
Supplies :
1- Foamcore board or plywood - foam core is easy to work with, but if you like working with wood or know someone who does, the wood is sturdier.
2- Plexiglass sheet the size you want your box - these are sold in hardware stores in the lighting section for fluorescent light covers.
3-Light (the florescent lights they sell for under the cabinet with plug or battery operated). Get 2 lights if making a large lightbox

Construction
Cut foamcore or plywood 6 inches deep and the length of each side of the plexiglass. And then make cuts into boards half the depth of the boards a small distance from the end of each board.. Also make a small notch in one board for the cord of the light to fit through if using the sort of light with a plug. Make 2 notches if using 2 lights.
Now fit the boards together like Lincoln logs and place the light inside and turn on, making sure the cord goes through the notch made for it. Then place the plexiglass on top of the box.
The best part about this design is that it can be taken apart and stored until needed, making it perfect for the small art studio.

Smile! You're on candid Screen Shot Camera!

I've noticed cool 'screen shots' on the ZNE network pages, of great web pages of note. I would love to learn how to make screen shots, so when I blog about a fellow blogger or cool site, I can show the screen like that?

- Tracy

Ah yes.  There are times, especially if you have a blog or website - when you would like to save a special "screen shot" of a webpage that you find online.  Perhaps to toot your own horn, or that of someone else.  ("Look!  I am on the homepage of the Forbes 500 online magazine, now that I have become a billionaire!"  (What?  Missy ZNE is patiently waiting for the day when she can make this announcement!  It could happen!)

Here is how I save the screen shot, using a PC.  (You Mac users will have to look it up via the Apple website.  Missy ZNE is not Mac-literate.  Sigh.)

When you are on the webpage you want to save, look for the key on the top right of your keyboard marked "Print Screen."  Press the key.  Go ahead.  Be brave.  Now, open up your photo editing software (whatever it may be) and then open a "new" or blank document.  Then, use the paste function.  (Either via the editing menu, or ctrl v).  Your screen shot should show up!

You can then crop it if you wish, or just save it as is.  It should be saved as a jpg, so you can then insert or upload the image online or anywhere else, just as you would any other jpg image.

Here is an example of what happens when I follow the steps above, right here:

Woo hoo!  It worked.

Now you know how to do it too.  Have fun saving your screen shots!

Scan, Bam, Thank ya Mam!

I am having a hard time copying/scanning my originals to keep a record of them and to have quality images to use as possible EDITIONS/Prints in the future - any suggestions/tips and insight woukd be GREATLY appreciated!!

Kind Regards,

Heidi

I am assuming you are using a standard flatbed scanner, and that you are scanning flat art pieces.  (If your pieces have significant three dimensional elements, you may be better off photographing them.)

Missy ZNE is not an expert in the differences between one scanner vs. another, but she does have the following suggestions:

Check your scanner settings.  Dig out that manual it came with, or if you can't find it - get online.  Many scanners are set to scan at a low resolution in order to get a quick image that won't take up a lot of space.  In scanning your images for anything other than online viewing, you will want your scanner set to capture the image at a high resolution. 

Once you have captured your image, the next thing you will want to ensure is that you have a good image manager software program, and that you know how to use it.  Many scanners include software for an image manager program, with purchase.  Adobe Photoshop is an example of an image manager that provides extensive options for working with or manipulating your images.  At the very least, you want a program in which you can open your saved images, crop them, and adjust the brightness and color - so that you can manually ensure that the images you end up with are as close to the original as possible.

For more "in-depth" ideas and suggestions, ZNE suggests you take a look at the resources available on this topic - on About.com.

http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/scanning/Scanning_Software_Tips_and_Help.htm

Good luck, and have fun!

 

OOAK ZNE ATC NIP DH DS TTYL!

I am a newbe, both to your newsgroup and to collage and mixed media. I have a couple pieces I'd like to start a gallary with. I need some advice on photographing my work. I am working in trading card sz. at the moment I also wondered if I could get some help with the lingo... there are alot of acronyms and terms out there that I am unfamiliar with.

Thank you!

Brandie

First of all - Welcome to ZNE! Our group is made up of those new to mixed media of art and its myriad of forms, and experts as well.  We are happy to have every single one of you.  You ALL create the energy that makes this group so special.

Next - PHOTOGRAPHY:

Missy's first suggestion, should you be trying to capture a good image of an ATC - is to use a flat scanner.  Of course, this will work best if you understand your scanner settings and can set it to scan a high quality image.  You will also want some kind of photo editing software so that you can further crop and highlight your image.  If you are not ready to invest in Photoshop or the like, note that most scanners and most digital cameras come with some kind of photo imaging software, free.

That being said - if you are photographing larger work or if your art is three dimensional, a flatbed scanner often is not ideal.

That brings us to using a camera - a topic that Missy ZNE knows little or nothing about - alas.  We will assume that for the purposes of instant gratification - most of you are using digital cameras.  Remember when photographing your artwork, you need to take into consideration lighting, background, and your camera settings as well.  When downloading the pictures, again - it is important to have a good photo imaging software to use for post photo production. 

We encourage you to:  Look up "Digital Photography Tips" on google or any other internet search tool you prefer to use.  Here was one good source with easy to understand tips, that we found by conducting just such a search:

http://www.artdigitalphotography.com/

In addition, feel free to use the ZNE Supporting Member Discussion Boards or the ZNE Talk chat board to field questions such as these.  Just because Missy is not an expert - does not mean we don't have experts among us.  Ask away!

And finally -

LINGO/ ACRONYMS

Ah yes, this is a common question - next to questiosn about copyright, then the ATC/ACEO definition, acronym confusion falls right behind.  And, like many of these subjects, part of the question is - where to start.

Well, we'll start with the obvious:

ZNE ~ Many of you will be interested to know that ZNE does not mean collage, mixed media, or anything of the like.  ZNE is purely a acronym made up by Chel - the founder of ZNE - to represent the group name on eBay.  The official group name is "variaZioNE" - and the word variazione is Italian for variation.  In early 2005 when Chel was planning on starting a small group for collage lovers on eBay, she thought that "variation" was a fun term to represent collage/mixed media (for fairly obvious reasons) and that using the Italian version of the word would be fun and pay some respectful homage to her own Italian roots.  Shortly after the group variazione was born - members wanted an acronym to use on eBay in their listing titles, so that they could easily find one another's listings.  The etiology of ZNE comes from the fact that other obvious acronyms - (VARI, VZN, VRI) all were being used for multipe listings on eBay, already.  One acronym reprsented sporting goods, another consumer electronics, etc.  After much trial and error, we found that ZNE was not being used  (with the exception of one listing of a license plate, which Chel bought, and has to this day!) and so, ZNE became the official acronym for the group variaZioNE.  Since that time, the ZNE logo has been trademarked and the wordmark registered with the US Patent and Trademark Organization.  Permission to use ZNE in listings on eBay and ZNE is provided to members only and is a benefit of membership. 

Phew!  Ok, so now we have covered ZNE!

On to another prevalent acronynm set - ATC and ACEO - we have covered those in prior posts, which you can find by clicking here.

Another frequently used acronym used in art listings on eBay in particular is OOAK.  This stands for One of a Kind.  This not only means that the item is an original, but it also means that you are not creating prints from the original, and the artwork shall stand through time as one of a kind.  In theory, this should add value to the particular piece of artwork. 

eBay is a maze of acronyms in and of itself.  To make sense of them, we offer these resources:

eBay's acronym definition page

and a member written eBay guide to eBay acronyms

For those of you selling on etsy, forum members have provided this helpful thread full of acronyms:

http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=24868&page=5

And finally, a comprehensive list of frequently used internet/email acronyms can be found here:

http://www.gaarde.org/acronyms/

(my favorite of which, is AAAAA - the American Association Against Acronym Abuse - ha!  Or, shall I say - ROTFLMAO!)

Well, I think that about covers your questions.  Don't hesitiate to contact Missy if you anything to add or more questions.  I LOVE TO HEAR FROM MY BELOVED FELLOW ZNEers!

I am a newbe, both to your newsgroup and to collage and mixed media. I have a couple pieces I'd like to start a gallary with. I need some advice on photographing my work. I am working in trading card sz. at the moment I also wondered if I could get some help with the lingo... there are alot of acronyms and terms out there that I am unfamiliar with.

Thank you!

Brandie

First of all - Welcome to ZNE! Our group is made up of those new to mixed media of art and its myriad of forms, and experts as well.  We are happy to have every single one of you.  You ALL create the energy that makes this group so special.

Next - PHOTOGRAPHY:

Missy's first suggestion, should you be trying to capture a good image of an ATC - is to use a flat scanner.  Of course, this will work best if you understand your scanner settings and can set it to scan a high quality image.  You will also want some kind of photo editing software so that you can further crop and highlight your image.  If you are not ready to invest in Photoshop or the like, note that most scanners and most digital cameras come with some kind of photo imaging software, free.

That being said - if you are photographing larger work or if your art is three dimensional, a flatbed scanner often is not ideal.

That brings us to using a camera - a topic that Missy ZNE knows little or nothing about - alas.  We will assume that for the purposes of instant gratification - most of you are using digital cameras.  Remember when photographing your artwork, you need to take into consideration lighting, background, and your camera settings as well.  When downloading the pictures, again - it is important to have a good photo imaging software to use for post photo production. 

We encourage you to:  Look up "Digital Photography Tips" on google or any other internet search tool you prefer to use.  Here was one good source with easy to understand tips, that we found by conducting just such a search:

http://www.artdigitalphotography.com/

In addition, feel free to use the ZNE Supporting Member Discussion Boards or the ZNE Talk chat board to field questions such as these.  Just because Missy is not an expert - does not mean we don't have experts among us.  Ask away!

And finally -

LINGO/ ACRONYMS

Ah yes, this is a common question - next to questiosn about copyright, then the ATC/ACEO definition, acronym confusion falls right behind.  And, like many of these subjects, part of the question is - where to start.

Well, we'll start with the obvious:

ZNE ~ Many of you will be interested to know that ZNE does not mean collage, mixed media, or anything of the like.  ZNE is purely a acronym made up by Chel - the founder of ZNE - to represent the group name on eBay.  The official group name is "variaZioNE" - and the word variazione is Italian for variation.  In early 2005 when Chel was planning on starting a small group for collage lovers on eBay, she thought that "variation" was a fun term to represent collage/mixed media (for fairly obvious reasons) and that using the Italian version of the word would be fun and pay some respectful homage to her own Italian roots.  Shortly after the group variazione was born - members wanted an acronym to use on eBay in their listing titles, so that they could easily find one another's listings.  The etiology of ZNE comes from the fact that other obvious acronyms - (VARI, VZN, VRI) all were being used for multipe listings on eBay, already.  One acronym reprsented sporting goods, another consumer electronics, etc.  After much trial and error, we found that ZNE was not being used  (with the exception of one listing of a license plate, which Chel bought, and has to this day!) and so, ZNE became the official acronym for the group variaZioNE.  Since that time, the ZNE logo has been trademarked and the wordmark registered with the US Patent and Trademark Organization.  Permission to use ZNE in listings on eBay and ZNE is provided to members only and is a benefit of membership. 

Phew!  Ok, so now we have covered ZNE!

On to another prevalent acronynm set - ATC and ACEO - we have covered those in prior posts, which you can find by clicking here.

Another frequently used acronym used in art listings on eBay in particular is OOAK.  This stands for One of a Kind.  This not only means that the item is an original, but it also means that you are not creating prints from the original, and the artwork shall stand through time as one of a kind.  In theory, this should add value to the particular piece of artwork. 

eBay is a maze of acronyms in and of itself.  To make sense of them, we offer these resources:

eBay's acronym definition page

and a member written eBay guide to eBay acronyms

For those of you selling on etsy, forum members have provided this helpful thread full of acronyms:

http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=24868&page=5

And finally, a comprehensive list of frequently used internet/email acronyms can be found here:

http://www.gaarde.org/acronyms/

(my favorite of which, is AAAAA - the American Association Against Acronym Abuse - ha!  Or, shall I say - ROTFLMAO!)

Well, I think that about covers your questions.  Don't hesitiate to contact Missy if you anything to add or more questions.  I LOVE TO HEAR FROM MY BELOVED FELLOW ZNEers!