some questions

Sister's , i'm so impressed by what you are doing
your work is really professionell!

I have so much joy looking to your pictures done with freshness , humour and much love !

I feel so fluffy among you, istargfirulLah,
i know i should not, Allaha ta'al has given everyone special talents, but...your work is sooo beautyfull and i would like to do like you!!!!!!!!

Psst , don't tell anyone, i have studied art and cratfs, so this makes me feel even more fluffy, ........
I used photoshop and a bit X-press, and belive it or not, 3 D animation, ..it is more than 10 years ago and i forgot everything....EVERYTHING!!! Is this normal?

So you have given me such desire to make graphics , please could you tell me how did you learn?I feel like my brain is not like yours,
or is it because of my 4 children, my brain has become different?

I tried out the programs you mentioned, but there are many things i still don't understand at all. And for me painting by hand is so quicker and easier, but i would lke to learn

Do you directly paint in the programm or do you import picture which you are working on?
Do you use ready graphics , or do you do all by yourself?
Do you make sketches on paper before working on PC , or do you paint directly on ther program?
Did you print your work and how did it turn out? Is it also bright and beautyfull like on monitor?
When you print, you do it with a normal homebased printer or a professionell printer outside?

I feel so ashamed, ..i'm sure your kids know more about all than me, hihi!
i can't believ myself i worked on PC in my studytime, and even liked it, but subhanALlah , a new life began with husband and children and everything was gone....
(on the other hand Allah ta'ala gave me so much joy with my family alhamdulilLah)

I'm glad to be among such talented sisters mashAllah la quatta illa bilLah! May Allah ta'ala bless you and your work !


Yusra

As salamu alaykum wa RahmatuLlah,

I am also very impressed with the work here and loooooooooooooove the scrapbooking-style images I saw here and wonder how you made these.

Um Zakaria, I think having kids can slow down memory, I guess. I already noticed that with one kid and you have four, lol!
But, with motherhood comes other creativity and this is very noticable with you and all the nice things you make for your kiddies, Masha'Allah!!!

I think that you will get the hang of the skills you had before with graphic software, because I do not think that these skill are completely lost. You must have stored them somewhere in the loft of your brain...

I hope the other sisters can give us some advice, Insha'Allah, Um Zakaria.

Wa salamu alaykum wa RahmatuLlah,
Maryam

Sis Yusra, Masha Allah you are so creative and you love painting and making cool stuff for your children.

Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala has give each one of us different talents.

You already have Photoshop. I don’t know the program X-Press. The best way to learn Photoshop from my own personal experience is to do tutorials. Masha Allah there are trillions of tutorials for Photoshop online, with an added bonus of free goodies like brushes, shapes, styles etc.

I think you do forget some aspects of a program if you don’t use it regularly. When I started learning graphics over 2 years ago I learnt the basics of Photoshop, PhotoImpact, Illustrator and some other programs then I concentrated only on Photoshosp. Recently after seeing some of sister Aisha’s cool graphics I decided to give PhotoImpact another go. It was a bit difficult as I needed to learn the basics again. But this time round it was quicker to learn. So don’t feel bad --- you are talking about 10 years, I forget within 2 years.

If you go through the Beginners Experiments and Suggestions, you will find lots of examples of experiments there.

https://easelandink.forumotion.com/graphics-for-beginners-graphics-experimentations-suggestions-f18/

Most graphic programs are similar and different at the same time. Photoshop is still my favourite.

Insha Allah this little information will help you and if you need any help with Photoshop you can ask.

Regarding the drawings etc Sister Aisha and Mabsoota may have some answers for you.

I can't answer all you've asked about as I'm pushed for time at the moment, but I understand where you're coming from. I studied graphics, illustration, art, film and animation, this was about 14 years ago. I used Adobe Illustrator at Uni when it was relatively new. I didn't touch the program again until a couple of years ago. It has changed SO much subhanAllah. I was afraid to touch it, lol. But I checked out a few tutorials, played around a bit, trial and error and all that, and finally figured some of it out. I don't think I understand it completely, but I'm happy where I am with it at present and inshaAllah I'll carry on learning because it really has become my favourite program. I'm at home with Adobe Illustrator alhamdulillah.

I have 5 children mashaAllah, but it hasn't stopped me from being creative. Indeed, my projects take alot longer to complete. For example I had started an arabic alphabet wall hanging when I was carryng my 1st child. It took me about 6 years to complete it!! BUT, complete it I did mashaAllah. It's nice having different projects on the go. Trouble is, creative minds cannot switch off, inspiration is everywhere we look. We absorb it all, and when the time is right, it will emerge. So nothing is lost, it's just temporarily on hold, waiting for that right moment to display itself. Whether it's a painting, a graphic, or a new dress idea, it'll happen inshaAllah.

It can be frustrating when you have a creative idea that you want to try out but the kids are asking for this, that and the other, but this is life, the life of a creative mother. But like I said, inshaAllah ideas are there, they won't fade away. If you are afraid that they will disappear, keep a small notebook handy and jot down your ideas, or scribble that dress design quickly. This should help a bit inshaAllah.

For my graphics, I work straight on the computer. I can't remember having an idea on paper and transferring it onto the computer. But everyone's different, what works for me, may not work for you. Do what feels natural and easy to you. I make up images myself or find free images to use via the net. So it's a mixture in how I work on a project. I get more joy when I've made an image myself, it's a nice feeling designing something original mashaAllah. But there are so many generous people out there who allow you to use their fonts, their clipart, or their scrapbooking images, so whatever you feel works for you, just go for it inshaAllah.

I really don't think having children takes away your creativity. Look at the wonderful things you've made for them mashaAllah. Your style of creating has shifted slightly that's all. I can tell you want to try other areas too, and why not, it's good to have new goals. And I can tell you now, this Art Garden has me buzzing around it all day long because it has amazing energy, and this is what will appeal to creative muslimahs, especially those who were at art college surrounded by all that creativity and inspiration. The Art Garden has that same adrenalin, and it's a nice feeling mashaAllah.

So stick around and try your hand at designing something, anything. It's all trial and error and more important, it's alot of fun discovering new things alhamdulillah!

salamu aleykum,

barakAllahu fikunna to you all, you are real sisters mashAllah,

i feel better hearing that other sisters too forgot about what they learned, alhmadulilLah creativity doesn't goes away with children (maybe even at the opposite ) i feared just for my neurones you know, the intelectuel side , the understanding of abstract things,
alhamdulilLah you motivated me a lot to try out and you remind me of illustrator! Of corse, how could i forget this program, we used it too, but i do not own it, like photoshop too , it was fom the artschool and we hadn't the right to copy it.
I will stick to th free programs inchAllah, but to you all, Maryam, Zaza and Mabsoota for your kind words!

Do you know how much photoshop , or illustrator costs in euros?

Please excuse all my questions!

Your replys mean much for me, and to know that im not alone!

salamu aleykum wa rahmatulLah

salam