Category Archives: creativity

How to Scan Large Artwork for Books etc

How do you scan artwork that is too big for your scanner?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OujHz3PcOyY

After my last video, showing how to scan artwork for children’s books, Danio Caw asked me how to scan artwork that is too big for the scanner.

It depends how much too big. If the shorter side of the artwork is no bigger than the longer side of the scanning area, you can stitch it together in an image program like photoshop or affinity.

In this video I show you how. If your artwork is really big it will need to be photographed or scanned on a professional large scanner.

How Pi was discovered!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFf9d7U2tVA

I’m a visual thinker. I need to see to be able to understand.

Mathematics is so based on faith. Someone says, “This axiom is true, so everything that follows is true. All you have to do is accept that and have faith.”

Well, that never worked for me growing up. I tried to work out some geometry in ways that satisfied me and this is how I understand Pi.

You may think it’s a crazy way of understanding it, but for many people this is a revelation.

We do not all think the same way or see the world in the same way.

How to Scan your Artwork for Perfect Picture Book Illustration

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVVCHv62QsM

Scanning your own artwork can often result in a grey mush in the white areas of your illustration, making it look a bit lacklustre and lifeless. How to brighten it up and remove the grey edges?

Kathleen Crawford contacted me and asked: Do you scan your own images into photoshop? I’d love to see a video on scanning & more photoshop edits. Do you find that you need to erase the background of the watercolour paper (is it textured or off white) behind the characters?

Here is a video for her and for you. The secret of scanning lies in the quality of your scanner, the quality of your scanning software and the levels tab in your image program, like photoshop or Affinity photo etc.

All image programs will have a levels window to adjust blacks, whites and the colours in between. Get to know it. It is your friend