FairyTale Fridays

As most of you know, I love to read. As a kid, nothing was more enjoyable than a long, leisurely visit to the library on a Saturday morning.

One of my favorite spots in the library was the fairytale section. I read every. single. Brothers Grimm book they had, and a wide assortment of fantasy novels began to stack up beside my bed, ready for midnight sessions with my flashlight under the covers.

I still love a great fantasy/fairytale story.

About a year and a half ago I bought an online Photoshop Artistry course with the idea of creating visual Fairy Tale stories. It was pretty complicated and intense though, so I kept avoiding even getting started. In January, Sebastian, who teaches the Artistry course, launched a year long course designed to help you think, live and create like an artist, with the idea that over the year you would work through the original course and the new one together, getting assignments and inspiration every two weeks.

I couldn't resist it and managed to be one of a limited number of people accepted into the course. (The number of people accepted was limited so he could give us all individual help when we needed it and I definitely need it!) I made it into the course by setting my alarm for six o'clock in the morning while on a romantic get away with Henry on New Years Eve . . .

Not particularly romantic I know, But what's a girl to do? ;D

And I was as quiet as a mouse while I was doing the happy dance after I got in. Henry didn't hear a thing.

Since then I've been working on some  images I took last fall of my niece and nephew Clara and Andrew. They did an awesome job of dressing up and playing pretend with me. That gave me the first image in the story running through my head. I posted it on Facebook.

A few weeks ago I decided to step it up a bit and really start learning new techniques and began to search for a variety of images I could combine into one Fairy Tale 'story'.

I decided to continue the story I started with Andrew. First there was a gorgeous landscape image by Vladim that came in one of my Design Cuts deals, a lovely Elf from Faestock on Deviant Art, and the owl and wolf that appeared in my first fairytale image. Then came the hard work of making it all into a believable story. I'm a rank beginner but I'm having too much fun to care that it's far from perfect. Time and practice will help with that. (Not that anything's ever perfect of course . . . ;D)

I've been working on this off and on for the last few weeks so I'm hoping no one drops by unannounced over the week end.

My house is not fit to be seen and my cupboards are bare.

Good thing Henry and the kids are old enough to fend for themselves . . . . 

Here's the newest installment in my FairyTale Friday series:

And, in case you missed it, here's the first part of the 'story' . . .

Aren't stories awesome?!