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photoshop Sketchbook Pages Still Life Watercolor

FIGuratively Speaking

Figs on Photoshop Manual, Pencil and watercolor, 6x9
Figs on Photoshop Manual, Pencil and watercolor, 6x9

These organic figs were disappointingly tasteless and so they became still life subjects instead of eating objects. I’ve been using the heavy Photoshop manual (seen under the figs)  as a weight on top of the the Fabriano Venezia sketchbook when I scan it. My new copy of Photoshop CS4 doesn’t come with a manual, although there is one online that can be downloaded and saved.

I’m one of those weird people who actually read manuals. When I get a new application I always read the manual first, to find out what the program can do and then I refer to it when I need to figure out how to do one of those things.

I don’t like reading on the computer but I refuse to pay another $55 for a manual that should have been included in the first place. In the meantime, the old manual makes a very nice paperweight or doorstop (or still life holder). 824 pages! And I read/skimmed the whole thing when I got it.

8 replies on “FIGuratively Speaking”

I don’t think having to read instructions marks you as a techno-dumbo. It marks you as a smart person who can learn by reading and figure things out! I discovered that the figs just needed to ripen a bit. Now they’re yummy. Jana

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I’m one of those manual readers, too. What a great idea for the use of a heavy book. I’m considering a new Mac Book and I know they no longer come with paper manuals… bummer.

I love your work, Jana, I live in Marin… if you organize another sketch crawl, I’d love to drive over the bridge and join you… Elizabeth

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Thanks Elizabeth! Well, PCs don’t come with manuals either and I guess Macs are a little easier for non-tech people to figure out. But I don’t get the idea of having to figure stuff out and reinvent the wheel, one person at a time. How much easier to just read the instructions. We sketch most Monday nights for a couple hours after work but that might not be worth it coming over from Marin for, but if you’re interested you’d be welcome–I’d just need to OK with the others. There’s another International Sketchcrawl coming up in SF on July 11: .

Jana

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Love this medley of purples, and this forefronting of something written.

I get weird, sadistic copies of manuals, somehow. I read the first couple of pages and neatly put them away with all the other manuals. I plan to read them as I go along.

Then they take over, escape, and hide somewhere I’ll never find them until two weeks after I needed them really bad. Chloe

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Your story of the sadistic hiding manuals makes me picture your house as full of magical nooks and crannies where books can go and hide. When my stuff goes missing it’s usually because I’ve done one of my “dare to dump it” purges and thrown it away and then forgotten about it. Jana

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