Blogity, Blog, Blog, Blog...

In the comments of the previous post, Weeble Girl wrote, "Maybe you could write a post explaining to the rest of us Luddites how you manage to create such wonderful and disturbing images..."

Well, first I had to look up the word *Luddite* because I was getting it confused with the word *Hutterite*...and although most *Hutterites* dress consistently in simple means, I don't think there is any uniformed "religion" among the Luddites, except the common belief all technology is evil. Either way, I'm sure on some level, BOTH groups would object to the graphics here on CHEESE. Hehe...

So, let me attempt to *enlighten* those of you interested in exactly HOW I create the graphic images here. FIRST...I develop a DISTURBING topic. OK, maybe the topic/writing itself doesn't initially start out *disturbing* when I begin writing a post or developing ideas for posts here (but the ideas DO come from my brain, so...DISTURBED!). But, that IS how I start out. THEN, I transfer all my ideas to my personal monk in the picture up there, who painstakingly DRAWS everything by hand.

Seriously now, I have an ancient HP Desktop computer that came with two software programs (in 2003, I think). Free is good. I like free programs. But when I started using the programs (self-taught, which I recommend is the BEST way to learn any program...just pound the keys until you either figure it out or break your computer!), I realized one program did certain things (like "smudging") that the other didn't...so often times, I use BOTH programs to create an image: PRINTSHOP ESSENTIALS 12 and PHOTO IMPRESSIONS 4 (found in ARCSOFTWARE SUITE). I also have an HP PHOTO PRINTER/SCANNER and a NIKON 15 CAMERA that occasionally are used to do my bidding. Really, absolutely NOTHING high tech here.

Almost ALL of the graphics I begin with start out by STEALING something off the Internet...Google Image is a wonderful search engine to find pictures related to my *disturbing* topics. Sometimes, I can even locate graphics (like the NOSE HAIR post) that require no altering at all! I just save the graphic off the Internet, then recapture it into my post from the file where it is stored on my computer.

Graphics like the one in the previous post (I'm a bit disappointed BLINDBEARD has not even COMMENTED yet on that one...eh hum?) required me to do an Internet image search for "pile of crap" (hence the *poo*) and "chef's knife" (knife in graphic). In Window's XP, it is very easy to save a graphic/picture from the Internet to a hard drive...all it requires is a right click of the mouse and Bill Gates asks (among several options/questions) "save picture as"...you just click on the "save picture as", then you are asked to give it a file name and decide WHERE on your hard drive (or disc) you want to save it (destination).

The particularly *disturbing* image in the BLINDBEARD post was created in PRINTSHOP ESSENTIALS 12. There is a command in this program that allows one to "import from disc", and I just bring up the first graphic onto the page I want to work with (the *poo* was first). I delicately (or as delicately as one can with an unsteady right hand and a mouse!) "crop" what I want from the *poo* picture, then bring in the second graphic (knife) to the page. Again, it is just a matter of cropping and positioning (layering) within the program that allows me to create some of my more horrendous graphics. I can choose frames (or boxes with color), text, and a world of other options to create my final product. Then, it's just a matter of saving the final graphic/picture to my hard drive and adding it to the post.

Creating graphics/pictures for CHEESE is one of the really "fun" things about blogging for me...the more *disturbing* the merrier in my book! Often times, what I have to SAY in a post is basic crap...but, because a picture speaks a thousand words, I like to capture the gist of what I am trying to spew via graphics. That way, hopefully neither ONE of us is bored to tears in CHEESELAND.

Now off to check on my hired Monk...you just can't get good help anymore...sigh. :-)