Pop Color is next up on my redesign list, though I think I should finish my WIP before tackling that.

Photo editing 101

For the photographers out there – interested in how I edit my photos? Well I’m covering some photoshop basics (contrast, dodging & burning) in a webinar on March 28th. It’s part March’s event for the Muse Project. For all of $10, you get to see me in action!

Books and tumbles

I’m the proud winner of SAY THE WORD by Jeannine Garsee! She’s the awesome creator of GRAPEMO, which I’ve had the great pleasure of participating in this month. (We’re hopefully extending the Grapemo deadline a week. If so, maybe I can actually make my PWG.) My teaser was entered into a random drawing, and I won her book! Can’t wait to read it.

On another note, I’m officially in love with Tumblr and have setup my micro blog at feonua.tumblr.com. It’s full of weekly themed quotes, photo snippets and random thoughts. I need more people to follow–so if you have an account there, let me know and I’ll friend you.

Also, if you haven’t read it yet, Brina’s latest addition to Deciduus is beautiful.

Written by Tessa, posted at And Anything

News: web design and webinars

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Updated 7/25/09: Current listing totals are: Agents (80), Info (9), YA Authors (241), YA Characters (13), YA News (10), YA Reviewers (28).

RWT also has its own Twitter account, and an online form where you can add to the directory.
Happy tweeting!

Written by Tessa, posted at And Anything

A bookish Twitter directory

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Be forewarned, it’s still in the development stage, so several of the main links don’t work yet: info, attractions, shopping, dining, events, and resorts. While that may seem like a lot all the other links, their sublinks, and sub sublinks, for the parks are complete. Currently there are 779 photo galleries, spread across 1,055 pages. Not too shabby.

In addition, I setup the eGuides main site, using some of the excellent brushes of Cas Cornelissen.

As the above site suggests, there are several more online guides in the making.
This was one of the more interesting (and difficult) sites I’ve designed – it need to handle ads, a lot of information, and setup on a template that could be easily adapted and recognizable for another parks.

Written by Tessa, posted at And Anything

eGuides travel

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The site had several mock-ups (more then I normally handle), some I had rather a fondness for.

I bought her first book, Every Time We Kiss at Borders. Steamy stuff.

Written by Tessa, posted at And Anything

Site: Christie Kelley

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Different look, but I like it. Also sent off a print order for fliers and business cards this evening (in between making spaghetti and meatballs).

Along with business cards for Elwood Construction, I also ordered some new fliers and cards for @designs. I ran out at the Muse Project on Sunday and need to stock up.

The Project was good this month, much more streamline and easy. The venue offered a greater variety of areas to shoot in (even though it was smaller then I expected), and the light was great. I maxed out all my cards – I had to go back through and delete files off so I’d have space for the next model. I have a lot of photos to edit.

Brad and Alan did the math and figured that, on average, I shot 10 photos a minute. Hmmmm. Yes.

But (I won’t say it’s necessary) it helps to catch the spark, especially when working with models who are excellent at what they do. I want to catch not only the model as The Model, but the model as his or her self. To see that expressive spark of personality. I will tell a story with how I edit the photos and the locations I choose. But while I’m shooting, I prefer to subject to pitch in with stories of his/her own.

Written by Tessa, posted at And Anything

Fixing shadows, shipping prints

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You can see it in action here, though only the navigation links work. It gives me ideas for yet another blog design, which I’m very tempted to try out.

Ever heard of Songsmith? Stephen Fry has, and it’s from his Twitter I found this video.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oGFogwcx-E

If you withstood all four minutes and seventeen seconds of it, you may be thinking it’s a gag.
Nope.
It’s an real program, and better yet (according to PC World) Microsoft uses Mac laptops in the video. Oh yeah.
Want to see what Songsmith is capable of? Check this out.
You just can’t make this stuff up.

Written by Tessa, posted at And Anything

Mock up and Microsoft

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In honor of the new look, I’m posting a brief history of AA in all it’s forms.
Or perhaps it’s an effort to emulate Allison, who not only remembers all the domains she’d had over the years, but also keeps snapshots of everything. (I’m always on a hopeless design snapshot quest, while trying to remember what exactly that particular domain was called.)

Near the end of May 2008, I decided I needed a change from LifeLibraries.com, my previous domain. In part because, to many people, “libraries” is impossible to spell. So AndAnything was born.
Unsure what I wanted to do with the main site, I built two subsites.

A photoblog, AA Shot.

And a book review site, AA Read.

Neither of these achieved the collective or personal/business form I wanted. I needed something that could be both a blog and a portfolio.

Version one of the official AA site combined cutouts of seagulls from one of my photos, with various blues and brushes. Very calming, but the post titles never had the look I wanted.

V2. I built the planet and the starfield, then (as so often happens) I built a site around them.

V3. This design went through several changes. Several. At last I decided I had enough and started coding it. But still, it didn’t quite fit with the current image logo.

V4. Sometimes it’s all about mood and style.

So far, AA has worked well to provide house both a portfolio and a blog. And the best part is, I haven’t met anyone who couldn’t spell it. They’ll misspell my name (Tessa Elwood being somewhat complicated), but not my site. In an online world, this is not a bad thing.

Written by Tessa, posted at And Anything

The evolution (designs) of AA

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Finally had a chance to put this up. Overall it was fairly hassle free, as I’d solved most of the headaches in the previous design. The eyes belong to Jessica Chamberlain. Classy.

Head over to JWKCC for another new look:

Many thanks to Shontail Lewis and Sadie Clement for all their help!
More professional, cleaner, and better in general. Added some nifty coding for usability and goodness. In it’s original form, I’d used a different photo which was sweet and better balanced the design (see the first photo here). However, I swapped it out to appease a few people, who considered the sight of a family reading together the equivalent of finding Elvis, alive and well, on their doorsteps. Impossible. (As a librarian’s daughter I can debunk that theory, but each to their own.)

All told, I’m very happy with the new looks. Makes me want to give this place a makeover. If I had the time.

Written by Tessa, posted at And Anything

Site remodels

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Run by Patrick and Mike Elwood, Elwood Construction has done some amazing things to homes in KC and the Lake of the Ozarks. They signed me up to photograph some of their local work and put it online.

For the website I went for simple and easy to navigate, using Shadowbox to showcase the photos of their work. While the coding is complete, a few things on the server side need to be switched over before the site is live.

Also made some business cards to go with the site.

From the photoshoot

Written by Tessa, posted at And Anything

Elwood Construction

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Juvenile Writers of Kansas City Classic is a collection of people focused on writing and publication. They offer several critique groups around town, I attend the one on Wednesday mornings because it’s close and fun.

I joined JWKCC late this spring. I’d been told that a writer’s group was a great way to improve one’s story and keep one excited. It’s true, every week after group I’m always ready to write the Next Great Novel.

And since their old site was unprofessional in the extreme, I built them a new one: Jwkcc.com. It’s powered by Wordpress, so everyone can update their own content (an issue that had come up in group before).

Previous version:

Written by Tessa, posted at And Anything

JWKC Classic

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