Friday, June 28, 2013

Greeting Card Factory as a workaround

As I explained in the video that came with my last post, I have no access to Photoshop this summer.  I don't have the program installed, and I can't even afford $19.95 a month for Adobe's Creative Cloud, which allows its users access to its Creative Suite, of which Photoshop is a part.

So what's someone on a fixed income and with no job to do otherwise?  Use a program designed to, of all things, make greeting cards.

I received Greeting Card Factory as a free bonus program when I purchased my Dell Inspiron 1440 laptop in December 2009.  Of course, it is designed to make homemade cards, but other related items such as envelopes, plain-paper stationery, and even designs for the inside of compact discs, for those few people left who still buy them.  (An example of the last of these, for a mythical B.W. album, is below.)

When the program is opened, the default file is plain-paper, letter-size stationery in portrait orientation.  You can drop a graphic from a file as part of your design, and in fact I've done that all the time in my personal projects.  Once the file is in the programs, one clip leads to a series of options not much unlike Photoshop, including making freeform selections, brushing over parts of the picture, or adding text to the photo.  Although the selection tool is close to Photoshop, it is not an exact duplicate and there are limitations in comparison to Photoshop.  My rendition of the MacKnight Triplets is an example.

The MacKnights have no direct relation to the Barefoot family, but I included them in my second book, My Ideal World.  That was a mini-encyclopedia in which I took wrong answers, misnomers, and other quirks of pop culture life and gave them a new spin.  (Examples: Barenaked Ladies as an all-female pop group; Hootie & the Blowfish as a beach music band, and Marianne Muellerleile as a 1980s sitcom star.)  In this case, I named the young violinists Baylee, Ashlee, and Brandee, "girls' names" that I saw attached to males I read about in various newspapers and magazines.

For the faces - and two of the bodies - I "hired" Brittany MacWilliams, a concert violinist and teacher at the University of Louisville.  The third body, the one in the middle, is that of another violinist/teacher, Barbara Barber.  It is with Barber that I encountered the most issues.

Had this been a real Photoshop file, MacWilliams' face would have fit the rest of the body better, as I could have adjusted the rest of the body with a levels or curves adjustment.  Then I could have made a selection of MacWilliams' upper body, placed it on Barber's, then used clone stamp to take out the "other" violin.  Finally, I would have been able to take a selection of MacWilliams' hair and attached it to one or even both ends of Barber's to match the hairstyles of the other two young women.  All of these are very difficult or impossible to duplicate with Greeting Card Factory, but you can see my best effort above.

Oh, well, at least I got to add some cool bowties to the tops of all of their heads.:)  (Source: American Idol contestant Jermaine Stephens by way of my own R&B singer Brightful Birdsong.)

Barefoot family explained on YouTube

Although I have been a registered member of YouTube for over two years, I have not posted a video until now.  This is because I have neglected the webcam that came with my laptop!  However, a recent subscription to Skype, which was for reasons completely unrelated to this project, reminded me that the device exists.

At that point, I thought this was the right time to explain who my "family" is, and how I created it, on video.  So with that, I have posted my first-ever video on YouTube.  Click the link below to see it.


Saturday, June 15, 2013

My last Photoshop work for the school year

ABC Adult School wrapped up its 2012-2013 classes on Friday.  The worst part about it for me is that I have to part ways with Adobe Photoshop, as I do not have it installed at home and cannot afford to pay $19.95 a month for Creative Cloud, which includes a version of the program.

So for now these glimpses of Barefoot family life will have to do.

Up first is an improved version of the Christmas gift idea that I put up in this post last December.  This time, I used content-aware fill and the clone-stamp tool to cover up the parts of the Jimmie Johnson car much better than I did before.  Red and green borders symbolize the yuletide colors, and I have also included a personal message from Buddy Wayne.


Next is what B.W., Ralph, Harvey, and Hambone are about to present to Popeye for Father's Day.  I took a watercolor painting displayed on the Internet and modified the frame that went along with it.  The caption reflects that this is a childhood depiction of Alonzo Barefoot, who we now call by a nickname he received as a teenager from a high-school classmate.


The last thing I created this semester shows Jesse "Boo Boo" Barefoot, a cousin of Buddy Wayne's, doing the classical summer belly flop into the family pond.  Boo Boo is portrayed by a participant in the Redneck Games in Dublin, GA, who actually dove into a mud pit.


I'll have to think of some things to do with my characters over the summer, but for now, have a great Father's Day weekend and so long.:)

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Use of my characters in Illustrator class

DISCLAIMER: Some portions of the following material include non-generic telephone numbers, websites and social media addresses.  Please do not attempt to contact the Barefoot family with this information.  This contact info may belong to actual people or companies; if so, I am not responsible for any actions taken in relation to them.


In addition to Photoshop, I take another class at ABC Adult School.  It is called Adobe Illustrator CS5 Part 2 and I take it in the afternoon.  The teacher is Nabawia el-Soudani Olivera.

In this class, my final assignment is to assemble selected works that I have done and place them in a portfolio.  This is similar to what I have done with some of my Adobe Photoshop works on this blog.

The first thing I will present is the cover of the DVD to the mythical "reality television" series Gone Barefoot.  I placed my "family photo" as an overlay wrapping around both the front and back covers.  The front is the show's logo and the back is a brief description of the program and some of the main characters.

Up next is a brochure promoting the farm my "second family" owns in rural North Carolina.  It includes a brief description of all 13 clan members, another panel describing what is on the farm, as well as contact information.





Some time ago, I posted Jennifer's "business card."  One of the Part 2 assignments was to build eight different versions of the card as part of a bigger identity package.  The other part (not shown) includes another business card, a letterhead, and an envelope.


Finally, there is an "ad" for donations to the Bluebird Fund, the charity that Brenda founded.  I wrote about an aborted telethon it had in this post.

It has been a pleasure taking these classes at ABC Adult School.  Hopefully, this summer will find me with a new job, ideally in an office setting in a hospital or clinic.  If not, I would love to come back and be a student again there next fall.

Saturday, June 8, 2013

More images of life, both in and out of the house

As the 2012-13 school year winds down, I have three more pictures imagining life both inside and outside my second-favorite family.

I begin with a file converted from Photoshop to Illustrator and back again.  It is a "promotional poster" for a "reality TV" show starring Buddy Wayne Barefoot's wife, Brittany Spears.  (She has her middle initial to distinguish herself from Britney Spears.)  Makes you wish you could watch it, huh?

The difference between this file and the Illustrator file is that the Illustrator version has four pink stars scattered over her blouse to fulfill a requirement of the assignment.

Brittany's head is superimposed over that of real-life North Carolina mom Lindsay Barefoot and her son stands in for Spears' daughter Blanton Elizabeth Spears.  Hopefully, he's at an age where one can't tell gender apart.
Up next is the aforementioned Dillon Bowling.  I teased his eventual appearance in this post, and now I deliver.  The photo collage, which includes fictitious website and social media addresses for my mythical Oklahoman, shows him doing what you would expect him to do.  The frontswing and backswing shots are intended to be from the same roll, but from two different angles.


I now end with the proverbial bang.  Here is the very reason for Hambone's nickname.

What I did here was to choose a video capture from the "Hambone hambone" video and place the arms on top of the rest of Reba Pearl Barefoot's body.   Since the picture still showed the original artist, I used the clone tool extensively to substitute a greater backdrop and remove the other person.  The amount of fun she is having here can't be understated!

Saturday, June 1, 2013

Mud lovin' Hambone

Another picture I've finished on Photoshop is a "promotional" picture of Hambone getting ready to go onto the mud bog racing circuit.  Inspired by the 2011 TV show Mud Lovin' Rednecks, she not only got involved in the niche auto lifestyle, but even convinced the rest of the family to set aside land for the bog.

Hambone, her cousin Randy Barefoot, and other friends and neighbors visit the bog weekly for races, challenges, and hot laps.




All about the 'Handy Jam'

UPDATE 7/19/2014: Changed the name of the family patriarch - and the corresponding event nickname - back, as well as revised some numbers. - D.H.

The Barefoot-Johnston County Family Reunion, informally known as the "Handy Jam," is a highlight of local life that takes place annually.


The event celebrates six generations descended from John Hannah "Handy" Barefoot, Jr.  Born about 20 years before the Civil War, he married Beulah Mae Cobb, for whom Buddy Wayne Barefoot wrote the hit song "The Ballad of Beulah Mae" (and who I wrote about here, although as often occurs with the strange way my mind works I gave her a different name at the time).  He was one of eight children of John Hannah, Sr. and Ophelia Stewart. 

The younger John and Beulah had three children of their own. This was a small number for the time they lived in, but Beulah ran an orphanage and was away from the family for considerable periods of time, and Handy chose not to divorce her.

In addition to the kids, Handy had eight grandchildren, 31 great-grandchildren (including Popeye), 92 great-great-grandchildren (including Ralph, Harvey and Hambone), 98 great-great-great-grandchildren (with Bobby Ray, Buddy Wayne, Brandy, and Bunky among them), and six great-great-great-great-grandchildren (including Belinda).  All of them, their wives, and even their friends are invited to attend the one-day reunion.  The potential total of attendees is 240, but due to some of them being judged to Hell and for other reasons, the actual number varies between 175 and 200.

The Pink Party is a one-day event that takes place on the Saturday closest to the Independence Day holiday, sometime between July 1 and July 7.  It takes place at the site of the former Pink Barefoot cemetery, at 792 Eldridge Road in Benson, NC. (Miles Vinson "Pink" Barefoot was one of Handy's brothers.)  It's the brainchild of Popeye, who is known for his organization skill and eye toward celebrating history.

It all begins at 8:30 a.m. when the out-of-town guests begin to come in.  The first event is Reverend Ralph's Fishing Derby that takes place at mid-morning in the family pond.  This may not be the Bassmaster Classic, but it is highly competitive among the clan nonetheless.   The morning also sees the opening of a carnival midway with rides, games, and open house for all the kids in Bryson's treehouse.

However, starting at 11:45 a.m., people start moving to the huge picnic shelter set up between the pond and loblolly pines to eat lunch, the first of two meals of the day.  The menu is classic summer picnic food:
  • Hamburgers
  • Hot dogs
  • Garlic French fries
  • Soda bar (all are made with Oliver's Creek water and are served in a device similar to Sodastream)
  • Fruit cup, including watermelon
The bandstand just in front of the shelter then plays host to a talent show at mid-afternoon.  A typical program includes these acts, with entertainment both traditional and modern:
  • Hollerin' (hog calls) - Oysbert Barefoot
  • Southern gospel - Barefoot Boys (Alonzo Barefoot, Ralph Barefoot, Harvey Barefoot, Landon Barefoot Jr.)
  • Southern rock - The Hunting Club (Boo-Boo Barefoot, Cooter Barefoot, Donnie Barefoot, Ronnie Barefoot)
  • Traditional country - Kimberly Strickland
  • Ballroom dance - Brandy Barefoot with Hylton Tripp
  • Comedy - Dwight Herring
  • Bluegrass fiddle - Shelton Barefoot, Jr.
  • Lip rock (imitating pop music songs) - Beth Barefoot, Becky Barefoot, Brookie Barefoot
  • "Hambone" (music with body) - Reba Pearl Barefoot
  • One-man band - Bunky Barefoot
  • Country guitar - Buddy Wayne Barefoot
Right after the show, there's a wild scramble to get changed into formal clothes for the next part of the program - the formal dinner and family tribute.  First, all the attendees arrive in order of their generations,

starting with the elder Handy and Beulah Mae Cobb, who of course are seated at the head table.  Next comes an invocation and "Dixie" (the Confederate "national anthem") just before this meal is served:
Appetizer choices
  • Brunswick stew
  • Briar patch salad with Italian-style dressing
Main course choices
  • Meat: Barbeque baby-back ribs or classic fried chicken
  • Side 1: Baked Irish potato, baked sweet potato, or briar patch rice
  • Side 2: Briar patch corn
  • Bread: Barley biscuits or hush puppies
Dessert
Red-velvet cake or peanut butter pie topped with "Brenda's Best" cake batter ice cream
Beverage
Sweet tea brewed with Oliver's Creek water

Then, it's on to a large room resembling a barn for an traditional country dance that often goes well into the night.  Both square and line dancing are being offered.  Married couples dance together, while young people are paired up to join them.  Instead of a disc jockey, the music is performed live by the Spears Family Band.  At the end of the night, B.W. and Brittany Raylene typically come together to perform their duet hit "When the Bough Breaks."

It's time to head home, and not a moment too soon - everyone is expected to return home in time for Sunday church services in their area!