Better When Scanned

This pencil drawing commission of a Mineral King cabin is finished. 

First, I went over the whole drawing with a giant magnifying glass and fixed everything that needed a bit of polishing.

Then, I scanned the drawing.

No matter how carefully I clean the glass on the scanner, there are always little black specks. No matter how many different ways I adjust the settings for scanning, there are always gray areas that should simply be paper white.

So, I clean it up with Photoshop Junior (Photoshop Elements).

Can you tell the difference? At this small size, it might be difficult to see the little improvements. However, I keep track of (almost) all my work, because I never know when I might need a good version for a calendar, some cards, some sort of advertising, to impress a potential customer. . . and to think I used to either make a photocopy or take a slide! 

Speaking of calendars, there are still some 2023 Mineral King HIKES calendars available here.

$20, including tax and mailing.

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5 Comments

  1. Nicely done! And yes, I spotted (pun intended) the small dots that you so nicely cleaned up.

    By the way, is “Photoshop Junior” a free or shareware program? I used Photoshop Lite before later versions of Windoze stopped supporting it, but would like to find something that doesn’t involve taking out a second mortgage. . . .

    • Sharon, I bought Photoshop Elements in 2011. 6 years later I had to replace my laptop, and not long after that, the version wouldn’t work with the updated laptop so I had to buy it again.

    • An artist friend has used two different freebies. One is Irfanview, the other is GIMP, which she described as having a “steeper learning curve”. She also uses a paid program, Affinity by Serif.

      • Thank you for the information! I’ll check out all suggestions, although “steep learning curve” isn’t a phrase I enjoy reading.

        But doesn’t it “frost” you (winter-related pun intended) when you pay for software, then it isn’t compatible and you have to buy it again for the updated OS? Why can’t they just transfer your paid-for license to the new device??

        • Sharon, that totally frosts me indeed. When I finally caved in and bought Word FOR THE SECOND TIME, I thought it was a done deal. Then it wouldn’t work until I upgraded my operating system. Once that was done, neither the printer nor the scanner worked with the laptop any more. And now I have to pay a monthly fee for Word. Or maybe it is a yearly fee. Whatever it is, it is WRONG. I only have it because the author I am currently working with asked me to get it. Once this project is finished, I probably won’t renew.


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