Clipping Mask Tutorial

2008-09-10T23:05:00.001-07:00

Today I'm going off a bit of the beaten path and offering a wee tutorial on making a clipping mask in Adobe's Illustrator CS3. It's one of those things I always wanted to know before I knew how, and the fact that it's so easy, I thought I'd share it here. I made a cover for last week's newsletter using a clipping mask, and so I'm using that as the example. Thanks to Dallas Shaw for the use of her image (of her beautiful new vintage key series) and to dafont.com for (Bleeding Cowboys) courtesy of
lastsoundtrack.fontspace.com. I may not do it the correct way, but this is the way I do it. Here it goes:

1. Open a new document to the size specs you need. Place the image you wish to use onto your document.

2. Choose the font and font size you need for your project by clicking on the Type button and then the font button. Choose the font. Click on the T in the toolbar and type the word placing it over the image. Make the font color white. (Use a font that has a wider thickness).

3. With the selection tool click on the word then choose no color for the font. The font will look like it disappeared. While keeping the selection tool on the word, click on the shift key holding it down and then click outside of the word on the image. Both the word and the image will be selected. Click on Object and then on clipping mask and then click on make.

And that is basically it! Happy clip masking!

coffee cuff tutorial

2007-04-24T17:17:00.000-07:00

i'm taking a stab at the whiplash contest this month. it's all about cozies, and i just happened to be thinking about this idea for almost a year actually and started making them around christmas for gifts. so here is my coffee cuff tutorial.

i keep thinking about all the energy being wasted making those paper cup sleeves you always get when you forget to bring your own coffee cup in to buy a coffee and you have to use a paper cup and the paper sleeve. so i think, even if i do use the paper cup, maybe having one of these "cuffs" might save a few trees. better than no trees. so since i'm always forgetting my cup, (so many things to think of when you're heading out the door), maybe this cuff, if it just slips on my wrist when it's not being used, might be a better idea for me.

so here's a picture tutorial and low down of how i made it. first off, i used felt, thinking that'll keep the coffee and my wrist toasty in the cooler months. i was thinking of making a summer version and found some nice gingham the other day. first off, swipe a paper coffee sleeve when you buy a coffee next time for your template. then trace onto some nice flexible paper to make your pattern. draw a quarter inch seam allowance around the paper coffee sleeve.

then start cutting out your cuffs onto a double amount of material. note if using felt, get a nice sharp scissors, as felt is difficult to cut straight. then once you have your two pieces cut. sew some velcro onto them. for each outside piece. one on the right side and the other on the left. then place the pieces together wrong side inside and sew around but leaving a few inches open so you can pull it back to right side out. then hand stitch to close.

with mine I wanted to put a design on it. so decided to use my print gocco. and hand printed my desired image onto the outside. you can really get imaginative here, and do embroidery, screenprinting or even hand paint if you wish.

so that's it in a nutshell. hope it's detailed enough for you. if not, just leave a comment and i'll answer back!

poppy tutorials

Clipping Mask Tutorial

coffee cuff tutorial