Colour Your Worlde

The store known for their exotic lingerie saw an opportunity to revamp their image with the launch of the Harriet Brand earlier this month. The line is a tribute to the founder Frederick Mellinger's wife and longtime muse, Harriett.

As stated on their site "To honor the woman behind the man, we've created a luxurious, new namesake collection. Harriett is an ode to the love story behind the legend."

The Harriett collection of upscale silks, satins and laces will pay homage to Harriett and is inspired by the 1940s era of Hollywood glamour.

Vice President of Marketing Tracy McCourt said the branding component was a simple concept. "We wanted to pay tribute to a great woman who inspired the founder of our company every day of their lives together," McCourt explained. "Our company is about enhancing women’s everyday lives, inspiring confidence and being empowered, and this is how she inspired Frederick Mellinger, and our brand."

Read more about Frederick's new line, or check it out for yourself at a store near you.

In November of 2012, the Wee Gallery in Scottsdale will host "Scottsdale Biennale". The theme of this year's show is Venture. They are currently accepting artist submissions. The competition is open to all artists, and they are accepting paintings, drawings, and photography up to an approximate size of 20"x40". They are awarding a Grand Prize of $5,000, and a Best of Show of $1,000. Submissions are due by September 1st.



Finalists will be revealed on September 30th. For more information on how to submit your work in to the competition, please visit their website.

Davis has his M. F. A. in Painting and Drawing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He has exhibited his work throughout the United States including: Colorado, California, New York, and Pennsylvania. He serves as the Program Director for Art Foundations at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh - Online Division.

We were honored to work with Jeff on his project, and wish him all the best in his show.

What would you do with a black patent stiletto as your canvas? Think no more, and be one of dozens of inspired artists, designers and celebrities who are donating their time and talent to Inspired Soles, a stiletto auction that will benefit Artlink Phoenix.  We'll provide the stilettos. You provide the inspiration!

What:  An art show will be unveiled and auctioned on April 6, during First Friday in Downtown Phoenix. It will also celebrate the grand opening of the 6th Avenue Gallery and beautiful shoes! Throughout the month of April the gallery will showcase stilettos created by local artists, designers and celebrities!

Who:  Custom-decorated stilettos are being procured from local designers, artists and celebrities. The 6th Avenue Gallery is below the offices of BJC Public Relations and Torres Marquez Communications, two women-owned and operated agencies.

When:  The stilettos will be unveiled and auctioned on April 6, during First Friday in Downtown Phoenix. The stilettos will remain on display throughout the month of April. All proceeds will benefit Artlink Phoenix, a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to linking artists, business and the public to better understand, appreciate and promote the thriving arts community in Central Phoenix.

Where:  The 6th Avenue Gallery is located on the southwest corner of Sixth Avenue and McKinley, one block south of Roosevelt. The gallery is in the basement level of the building.

Artists - If you are interested in participating contact BJC Public Relations and Torres Marquez Communications. They can provide and deliver the stiletto to you. Your art will remain on display throughout the month of April. All proceeds will benefit Artlink Phoenix. Stiletto submissions are due Friday, March 30, but if you would like your stiletto art featured in our publicity efforts, we need to have your submission in our hands by March 19. 

If you happen to be walking the halls at the Steward Observatory on the University of Arizona's campus, then you may run across these stunning back lit prints. The astro-photography was done by Adam Block at the Mount Lemmon SkyCenter. It took many hours to gather enough light through the telescope to create the pictures of the scene here of the various gallaxies and atronomical imagery. In addition to the time spent to capture the image, there were several hours in post production processing and applying an artistic rendering of each image. The added colors are representative of the wavelengths of light emitted by each object. Not only does it add visual interest to the image, it is also a coding of sorts of the scientific data.


Artisan Colour then printed these images on a material called Duratrans. This is a photographic back lit film that is meant to be displayed with light shining behind the print in a light box. It is a perfect match for this type of imagery. It gives the viewer the impression as if they are really looking through the telescope themselves. Because we use an Oce LightJet 5000 to print these images, the true photographic process retains all of the small and fine detail that was so painstakenly captured.

Our thanks to Adam Block for choosing us to work with him on the project.

Just like a shiny new bike under the Christmas tree we gave ourselves a present this year, and revamped our website. The new look also features some of our newest services, like 360º photography and our strategic partnership with iPad app - Catalog Spree.

Your Digital Life hands out some great advise on best practices for sending out images to be scanned. The type of scanning we do here at Artisan is a little different than the service bureau's they are describing. Since we focus on large format printing, and high resolution digital editing, most of our scans are smaller in volume of originals, but large in file resolution. That is why #2 resonates so well with us. There are some great recommendations for those who are unfamiliar with how to prepare their scanning order to drop off or ship to their lab.

Tips for Using a Photo Scanning Service

1)  If you have the same images on both prints and negatives, and incremental cost does not blow your budget, choose to have the negatives scanned instead of the prints. The negatives have more image information that can be captured and are likely less faded, if at all. The resulting image file from scanning negatives will be larger and more versatile than those from paper photo scanning.

2)  Understand and choose the scanning options that match your specific requirements. For example, if subsequent printing of enlargements is likely, opt for higher scan dpi options or ensure the standard scan dpi is sufficient for your needs.

3)  Save money, and possibly increase turnaround time, by doing some of the work of organizing and preparing your collection yourself. Understand the packing guidelines of the photo scanning service and adhere to the suggestions. Keep schemes simple, and to the extent possible, remove slides from trays, prints from albums, and keep negatives in protective sleeves. This may save on extra fees and shipping costs.

4)  Pack your photos in a box, not mailers or soft pouches. Rigid boxes, when combined with plastic utility bags and packing material (paper, not peanuts), provide the best protection for your treasured photo collection while in transit. Use reputable shippers with real-time tracking and track your packages to the photo scanning service, often they will confirm receipts via email.

5)  If concerned about shipping, divide your collection into three or four separate shipments. While it’s extremely unlikely a single package will go missing from a reputable shipper in transit, the chances more than one package will be lost are virtually zero.

Seattle area photographer, Rick Ferens (aka 5500 Degree Studio) will be migrating south for the ArtFest of Scottsdale going on this weekend. The weather may be cold in other parts of the country, but here in Arizona, this is art fair season. Perfect weather to get out and buy some beautiful photography.

Of course, if you can't make it this weekend you can still find Rick's work on his website, or through his gallery on Photoshelter.

You are invited to visit Rick Ferens and 5500 Degree Studio in their photography booth at the ArtFest of Scottsdale, one of Scottsdale's signature arts festivals. Stroll through the artist booths and food court on the stunning grounds of the plaza while live music and other events take place. Rain or shine, this showcase is not to be missed! We're in booth 160.

At the recent Adobe MAX 2011 conference, Jue Wang, one of the magicians behind the scenes at Photoshop gave a sneak peak at a new tool they are currently developing. This new tool may eliminate blurry pictures forever. As you will see in this video, the crowd was pretty amazed by the demo. The new deblurring feature can restore detail, even in text, and is simply mind blowing. They made no promises of when it would release in the Photoshop package. Keep a look out for it in the future.



Here are some close up shots of an image run through the deblurring filter. The tool does its best work on fixing camera shake, and not motion blur or out of range focus. (Not yet, anyway.)


They are still in the process of perfecting it. So, Jue has set up a site where he is collecting images to use as practice. You can submit your images here.

Found [Via]

Artisan Colour, Inc. announces the opening of an East Coast office in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Artisan Colour was founded in April 1998 with a mission to provide our color separation clients with industry-leading quality pre-press services.  Our state of the art production facility in Scottsdale, Arizona has been expanded twice in the last 10 years to include a Digital Photographic Studio and Large Format Display Graphic Division. Now, with the addition of an East Coast office our expert staff is poised to fulfill clients needs nationwide.

The East Coast office will be managed by Fred Chaboya, who has over twenty-five years of experience in the pre-press industry. Artisan's East Coast office will better connect clients with the Scottsdale, Arizona based company. "We are dedicated to providing exceptional service to our East Coast clients, and the opening of our new office confirms that commitment. Our goal at Artisan Colour has always been about providing customized solutions for discerning brands. With the addition of our East Coast office we will provide a strong touch-point between our clients to our production team in Scottsdale."

For more information, contact:

Fred Chaboya
Artisan Colour, Inc.
1271 Fawnwood Drive
Lancaster, PA   17601
480-861-2813
Fred@artisancolour.com

Joshua Tree National Park has been the backdrop for many album covers over the years. Think past U2's 1987 release. Joshua Tree was also the setting for the self titled first release of the Eagles. which was shot at the cholla gardens on the eastern edge of the park. The orchestrators behind that iconic Eagles cover were artist Gary Burden and photographer Henry Diltz -- the men widely credited with inventing the concept of album cover art. Gary was the go-to album designer for rock artists in the 1970s, and collaborated with Henry for many of his projects. A collection of Burden's album cover art debuted at the Joshua Tree National Park Visitor Center on August 10th as part of the park's 75th Birthday Celebration.

The exhibit features images of the music groups America and the Eagles taken during the early 1970s in the park. The exhibit features more than 30 prints, curated by Gary Burden in partnership with Joshua Tree National Park and the printing help of Artisan Colour. Some of the prints, like the Eagles album cover, were printed on at a grand 4'x4' size.

Here are some of Gary's thoughts on why the park is so special and remains a source of inspiration to him.

I loved going into nature and found the desert to be a place of refuge. A place of great power and mystery. A place where there is, in fact, an abundance of life and beauty. A safe place. A place where you are tested and when you pass the test and survive you can rejoice and feel truly alive.



Later I brought other people here to Joshua Tree and shared what I knew and felt. The right ones got it and cherished it. They came back on their own to enjoy what the desert offers, again and again.



We are very fortunate to live in an area that has and protects our desert and makes it available to everyone. There is much to learn. Much beauty. Great peace and tranquility that will always improve our lot here on earth.

Thanks to the keepers of the special wild places, our National Park Service.

The exhibit is free to the public, and will be on display for the rest of 2011. The visitor center is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

It was a pleasure to work with Gary Burden and 75th Anniversary Coordinator and Park Ranger "Extraordinaire", George Land.

Wall decals made out of self adhesive vinyl are an easy way to make a big graphic statement with minimal cost and impact to your wall's integrity. Unlike traditional wall art where you would need to drill holes in your wall to install, this look does not require power tools. If you ever want to redecorate, they can easily be removed with out damage to your wall.

The folks at Better Homes and Gardens put together some great ways to use wall decals in your home decor. If you know how to work in Illustrator, creating your own design to cut out with our digital router is a snap. For example, say you would love to have an antique wrought iron headboard, but don't want to shell out the bucks - create one out of black vinyl.

Or bring the outside in with this tree design. This design can make a great family tree. You can add photographs of family members, like they have here, or just their names to continue the simple graphic line look. You could add to it through out the years with new additions to the family. This would also look great in a nursery where you could add elements that match the theme of the room, like animals or a tire swing hanging from the branches.

Before you tackle this home project be sure you are ready for installation. Clean your walls, and if you have recently painted make sure you allow your paint to dry 72 hours before applying the vinyl.
"Decals are easy to apply, but be sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions. Use a level and tape measure as you apply the decal to ensure straight, accurate positioning. Smooth the decal onto the wall. Use the burnishing tool to adhere it to the wall and to remove any bubbles." "Very slowly, peel off the plastic backing. To speed the application and avoid wrinkles, cut the decal into segments, then use low-tack painter's tape to hang sections on the wall."

Today Adobe released a version of their popular photo editing software Photoshop Elements, with Photoshop Elements Editor 9 now available for download from the Mac App Store.  It includes some of the most popular editing features of the full version of the software, along with special effects, and tutorials. One fantastic feature can take the best facial expressions from multiple shots and combine them in to one single perfect group shot.

Adobe is offering download for $79.

Adobe Photoshop Elements 9 Editor Debuts in Mac App Store

Adobe Systems Incorporated today announced the immediate availability of Adobe(R) Photoshop(R) Elements 9* Editor in the Mac App Store, providing Mac users with powerful yet easy-to-use photo-editing tools for creating extraordinary photos. Based on the industry-standard Adobe Photoshop software, Photoshop Elements 9 Editor helps users take their photos from ordinary to phenomenal in seconds. 

"The powerful capabilities in Photoshop Elements 9 Editor complement iPhoto perfectly, for users who want to take their photos to the next level with advanced compositing and stunning effects," said Winston Hendrickson, vice president of Digital Imaging Products, Adobe. "Photoshop helped pioneer creativity on the Mac, so it's appropriate that this special edition of Photoshop Elements is Adobe's entry into the Mac App Store."

A common question asked by customers prepping their files for printing in our Display Graphics division, is "Should I send you the files in RGB or CMYK?". When we respond RGB, many people are confused since several of our machines print with CMYK inks. The answer to this question, along with best file practices and in-depth technical information for all of Adobe's CS5 Creative Suite has been complied in this reference guide. To help both sides of the counter speak the same language, and ensure the file printed is exactly how it was intended to look.

Thanks, John for posting!

If you are printing to an inkjet printer or other RGB-based device, you will likely achieve the best results by printing from an RGB image. Despite the fact that these devices use inks named cyan, magenta, yellow and black (often with additional colors such as orange, green, light cyan, light magenta, etc.), they are set up to maximize the wider gamut available in RGB images by converting incoming RGB information to appropriate values for the color gamut of the printing device. The colorants in inkjet inks actually allow a wider range of colors than offset inks: Printing from an image in the smaller CMYK color space limits the output. For detailed guidance, consult the user guide and online resources available from the manufacturer of the device.

This Photoshop tutorial explains some of the basics what we work with here at Artisan every day - color. The video covers the principals behind RGB and CMYK color modes and bit map depth. Some great tips for newbies or refresher course for pros.