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Posted on 26/08/26 6:31:36 PM |
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lwc
Hole in One Posts: 3725 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 1119: Pencil posts
I am heartbroken over the loss of Dolly Parton. I watched the very show when Porter Wagoner introduced her as the night’s replacement for Norma Jean, and I have been a fan all these years. When coincidences like this occur, it is always disconcerting for me… I finished this entry on Tuesday before hearing that she had passed away. While I was making it, I thought of her and her many contributions of millions of books for children. A true icon… RIP Dolly! I’ll leave you with my favorite Dolly quotation: “It takes a lot of money to look this cheap.”  |
Posted on 26/08/26 7:11:04 PM |
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DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 6467 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 1119: Pencil posts
And a lot of chutzpah and real assurance to be content to allow people to think of you as the archetypal dumb blonde when you are so damn smart! A very special lady. We watch Belgian, German and English TV here and they are all full of nothing else. _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 26/08/26 7:14:05 PM |
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DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 6467 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1119: Pencil posts
I don't know about anyone else but the biggest difficulty for me with this image is trying to create good shadows for the very hard sunlight.  _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 26/08/26 9:33:30 PM |
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lwc
Hole in One Posts: 3725 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1119: Pencil posts
Yes, I also had a lot of difficulty with the shadows. The ones I made looked okay until I rendered the images. Visualizing them was really hard for me. |
Posted on 27/08/26 08:56:50 AM |
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Mariner
Renaissance Mariner Posts: 3410 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 1119: Pencil posts
Thanks Loyd. I see you have been very busy again this week. |
Posted on 27/08/26 09:07:37 AM |
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Mariner
Renaissance Mariner Posts: 3410 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1119: Pencil posts
David, Loyd, I often have difficulty with shadows. Especially this week. In the past I have been tempted to buy a miniature marionette, adjust its limbs to the right angles, then shine a bright light on it. That would surely be better than guessing. I just need to find the right marionette. |
Posted on 27/08/26 11:39:31 AM |
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DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 6467 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1119: Pencil posts
Ingrid's had this little fellow (12" 30cm tall) for over fifty years. To the best of my knowledge he is still made and can be found quite easily on the web.  _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 27/08/26 2:56:40 PM |
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Mariner
Renaissance Mariner Posts: 3410 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1119: Pencil posts
Thanks for that, David. Just what I was looking for. If I stuck pins tthrough his feet I could get him to stand up. I shall search the web. |
Posted on 27/08/26 3:55:48 PM |
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DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 6467 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1119: Pencil posts
He comes with a stand. I removed it for that particular photograph. In the end if all you want is his shadow then you can position him and prop him up or suspend him with all sorts of improvised supports or threads and simply remove their shadows where needed. I imagine that mostly you will use him standing. For that you can probably use blu-tack or double sided adhesive tape on his feet. You'll find him easily if you search 'posable figure for drawing'. _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 27/08/26 10:09:03 PM |
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Frank
Eager Beaver Posts: 1893 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 1119: Pencil posts
Great work and variation on ideas everyone - managed to squeeze in a rushed entry , been busy - agree Loyd- Dolly was tremendous in all ways.Nice tribute on her book generosity.  |
Posted on 28/08/26 07:13:46 AM |
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Mariner
Renaissance Mariner Posts: 3410 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1119: Pencil posts
David, I have just serched 'posable figure for drawing' and found plenty. Thanks. |
Posted on 28/08/26 08:58:46 AM |
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Steve Caplin
Administrator Posts: 7212 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 1119: Pencil posts
First to go back to school this week was lwc, with a most impressive show & tell. I like the occasional movement, and the replaced crayons. I like the rulers, with the cute flying bird. But much better if the rulers are parallel with the road, rather than the camera: 
The pencil sharpeners are entertaining, and the kids around them work well – although they do appear to get larger the further they are from the camera. Looking at the left sharpener, the top surface doesn’t seem to match the perspective of the bench behind it. I assume there’s a slight slope on this road, as the cyclist appears to be freewheeling past. What are those pencil toppers in the skateboarding entry? And why is the boy on the far left sitting half off the bench? Ah – social distancing! Of course. Jacks! Of course! Haven’t seen them for decades. That’s a very slippery skateboard. I see the social distancing is finally over! What diligent kids they are, all buried in their books. Cute. A complex assembly from Ben Boardman, with a wide range of school-related accessories. Lots to like here, including the erasers, the pencil sharpener and the marker pens. Not sure about the Free Condom notice (it’s a primary school) and that very curious tree on the left. Also, that’s the first time I’ve seen a five and half inch ruler. The rotated view with its school desk bus shelter is absolutely glorious. Complete with dip pen and inkwell! I told my kids I was ink monitor at school and they looked at me like I was a Victorian. Beautiful. Whenever people post a slightly updated image I always struggle to see the difference. Is it just the colour matched girls? Oh – there’s the addition. I agree with David, better without it. High drama from DavidMac, whose out-of-order toilet does seem to be causing some distress. What’s the significance of Made in Germany, and the giant crosshead screws on the doors? I like the row of bicycles parked in the file boxes – a really ingenious idea, although mums with pushchairs might complain about the blocked pavement. There is, however, something distinctly dodgy about the perspective of those boxes. I realise it’s tricky because the angle of the pencils doesn’t seem to match the angle of the fence behind it, but these boxes don’t match either of them. The compasses do make vey fine supports for the bus shelter, and I really like the way they’ve been correctly attached to the pencils. Glad Rotate Object is proving useful! The ruler makes an excellent speed hump, although these days I’d expect one in the UK to be metric. I love the idea of a giant pencil sharpener used so they can stick them in the ground! Really inspired, and it tells the story perfectly as you read from left to right. Beautifully done. And very fine shadows. A fun Lego setup from Ant Snell, with an entertaining assembly of characters. Do they make a Lego speed camera? That’s surely a case for Rotate Object, I feel. Perfect integration for dwindt's child catcher, with a splendid shadow beneath the truck. All those lollipops on the road and pavement are outstanding – how on earth did you place and shade so many? I literally can’t imagine how you achieved this. It looks like the education budget has taken a major hit in Mariner's entry, with a complete new school and rather pleasant planting in front of it. I do like the railings. One curiosity: the woman in red seems to be welcoming her children, but she’s inside the school gates and they’re outside them. Don’t get the logic of this. Have there ever really been dunce caps? Frank certainly thinks so – hence the miserable child sitting on the kerb. Very nicely assembled, and really rather poignant. |
Posted on 28/08/26 09:21:39 AM |
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Mariner
Renaissance Mariner Posts: 3410 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1119: Pencil posts
Steve, there is very little logic. I put her there just for fun and then made the girls on the crossing start waving and pointing. The fun was in making them look as though they were communicating with each other. The woman is wearing a red top. Perhaps she is a teacher? Has she come to welcome her pupils? Don't know. Thanks for your critique. |
Posted on 28/08/26 09:26:48 AM |
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Ben Boardman
Printing Pro Posts: 839 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 1119: Pencil posts
Hi Steve, thank you for you kind comments. Another enjoyable challenge. Re: - that very curious tree on the left. It's a square root tree. Sq root of 4 = 2 from Disney's Donald in Mathmagic Land (1959) an American live-action animated featurette. Donald Duck ventures into Mathmagic Land: a place of discovery where trees have square roots and rivers are brimming with numbers. |
Posted on 28/08/26 11:12:00 AM |
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dwindt
Realism Realiser Posts: 1165 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1119: Pencil posts
Thank you, Steve. Well done everybody. _________________ The grass is greener on the other side of the fence because there is more $hit there. |
Posted on 28/08/26 11:23:44 AM |
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lwc
Hole in One Posts: 3725 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1119: Pencil posts
Rulers not facing the street was just sloppy work on my part. The "pencil toppers' in the skateboarding entry are erasers. Thanks Steve, I had fun with this one. |
Posted on 28/08/26 1:21:11 PM |
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DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 6467 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1119: Pencil posts
Oh Steve! You missed it! The toilet is a pencil sharpener! 
There is indeed! My bad. Effectively no vanishing point .... top and bottom are parallel. I need one of Frank's dunce caps.
First time I've really used it and it behaved itself perfectly.
But not back in the days of the classic boxwood ruler that I remember. On the other hand, there were no speed bumps back then, so it's a case of pick your inconsistency.
It was quite hard to do so I'm glad you liked it. _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
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