GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED.
Thank you to all who entered and for the wonderful love and support you showed to Kim! Love you all!
Winner 1, comment #177 was Marcee.
Winner 2, comment #61 was Kim.
Winner 3, comment #528 was Kathy G.
Winner 4, comment #363 was Jacqueline.
Today I have a real treat for you! Kim Klassen, texture creator extraordinaire and workshop leader, has allowed me to ask her a few questions regarding her photography and texture creations. Plus, she is giving away a slew of things, so make sure to read through to the bottom!
If you are not familiar with Kim, pop over to her site, Kim Klassen Cafe and see all she has to offer. While you are there, make sure to sign up for her newsletter because she gives away a beautiful, FREE texture each Friday. Really!
I have many of her free textures plus have purchased some and they are all top quality! You know I am a textures addict, right? Kim’s textures are really beautiful and I have thoroughly enjoyed using them.
Alright, on to the interview….below are a few questions I sent Kim, ones that I have been wondering myself. I hope they help you “get to know” Kim as I have.
How long has photography been a passion for you?
I started taking photos in September of 2009. So it hasn’t been that long. I always had a good camera on hand, so I could take pictures of my artwork. For many years I worked as a licensed artist. My art was and still is offered as prints, as well as licensed for calendars, stationary, and giftware. Anyhow, one day I decided to take my Nikon on the trail…. I just started to snap some pics… I came home, uploaded them and let’s just say… the rest is history. 🙂
What camera do you use and your two favorite lenses?
I just recently bought the Nikon D700. I also have the D300s. I honestly love them both. Oh dear, my 2 favourite lenses? Let’s see… that’s so hard. But I’m in love with my Nikon 24-70 f/2.8. I keep it on my camera most of the time. It’s fabulous….creates beautiful blur…. it’s also fairly versatile. Before the 24-70 I used my Nikon 50mm f/1.4 the most.
When did you start creating textures and how did that come about?
I started making textures last winter. Because I am an artist, I have a studio full of incredible art supplies…many of which the companies send to me for free. So I thought, hmmmmm why not give it a try. I wanted to come up with a way to combine my photography and my art. Making textures really allows me to do both. It’s a great combination of getting messy and digital…which I LOVE.
Your work is beautiful and evokes feelings and emotions. Is that how the textures are begin to take shape, you have an emotion you are trying to convey through the texture?
Oh, my… thank you for that beautiful compliment. ‘sigh’. I would say my mood just comes through as I’m creating the textures. I often start out with one step and it just flows from there…building on the layers… creating depth as I add paint, paper, medium…. is a fabulous process. I have always loved anything old and worn…peeling paint, rust… good stuff like that. So making textures is a wonderful outlet for my art style.
Typically, how long does it take for you to create a complete set of textures, where you are very pleased with them and ready to share with the world? A week, a month, three months?
Hmmm, that’s a tough one. I often make just a few textures at a time and offer them in sets. That can be done in a day or so. The Studio Collection began as a month long challenge. I decided to make 30 textures in 30 days. And I did it. It took me about 5 weeks to create the entire collection. I would create several, then scan them in and get to work in Photoshop, which allows me to tweak and perfect the texture. I sometimes layer several together to create a totally different piece.
I also had several fabulous photographers/artists test the textures as I created them. That was incredibly helpful and very exciting…. seeing the textures on other’s photos motivated me to keep going, keep creating. It was fabulous.
Interested in seeing her make a texture? She made a video showing her process and it is amazing!!!
You need to know something else….she is just as sweet and sincere as she seems at her site! I have had several phone or Skype conversations with her, plus many email messages over the past few months and I think she is just an extraordinary woman! I want to be her when I grow up, but seeing how she’s only a few years older than me, I don’t think I’m going to make it.
Now, remember I said something about a giveaway, did I not? I have to tell you that Kim has pulled out all the stops here. She knows how I like to have multiple winners for giveaways and she has really made me a happy blogger because we are going to have FOUR winners, each receiving different prizes. How fantastic is that!! She has a new set out, The Studio Collection, and the textures being given away come from that collection.
The prizes being given away are:
- One Studio Collection – the full set, $60 value
- One Studio Collection – squares and overlays only, a $45 value
- One Studio Collection – rectangular only, a $20 value
- One 4 month membership to the Test Kitchen, a $25 value
To enter the giveaway simply leave a comment telling me what editing program you use (PSE 9, CS5, PSE 7, CS3, LR 2, etc.).
For extra entries you can do one or more of the following things, making sure to come back here and leave a separate comment for each and every one. Please.
- Like Kim’s Facebook page
- Like Everyday Element’s Facebook page
- Follow Kim on Twitter (@kimklassen)
- Subscribe to Kim’s newsletter
The giveaway will end on Friday, March 18th at 11:00 PM EST. Winners will be chosen with Random.org and announced Saturday at the top of this post.
Winners have seven days to claim their prize, after which a new winner will be identified.
About Amanda
PSE9
What a great give away!
I like her FB page
PSE9! And I love love love Kim and her art! she rocks! what a giver!
I like Everyday Elements FB page
I am now following Kim on Twitter
Hi – I use PSE9 and I love it. I have learned so much from Kim and your sites.
I’m a CS5 gal…
Love these!
Like Kim’s fb page!
Like Everyday Elements page too!
i Have PSE 8
i am an Everyday Elements follower on FB
i liked kim’s fb page
i am following kim on twitter
i subscribe to kim’s emails
–I use PSE 9! Love her textures!
I use PSE6 for the mac. Love Kim’s textures and her classes!
I use PSE 9, absolutely love it..just finished a course with Kim herself, highly recomended!
I use CS5 and Elements 7.0!
I like Everyday Elements on FB!
I subscribed to Kim’s Newsletter
I like Kim’s FB!
Girl, I am using PSE9, and thanks to ALL of your help, I’m tryin to ROK it the BEST i know how with editing!
Thank you thank you thank you… can’t praise your abilities enough!!
I already “liked” you! ;o)
CS4
Love Love LOVE the textures♥
Have followed Kim on FB for a while.
Just joined the Everyday Elements FB page.
I use mostly PSE9, but I also use CS5 some.
I like Kim!
I use PSE 8 🙂
great giveaway!
I use PSE 8
I suscribed to Kim’s newsletter
i use both PSE7 and CS
I took her “skinny” class and loved it!
PSE 8
I’m a CS4 gal!
I use Photoshop CS3 at home, Photoshop CS5 at work, and I teach a course on Photoshop Elements 9.
I use PSE 9 and love it!
I followed Kim on Twitter 🙂
I am a fan of Everyday Elements on Facebook.
😀
CS3 – thanks so much for the GREAT giveaway!! 🙂
I am a big fan of Kim’s textures — I use Photoshop CS4 and occasionally Photshop Elements 8. Thank you for this generous giveaway.
Donna
I just upgraded from PSE 4 to PSE 9, thanks to Kim’s Skinny Mini class. I gained enough confidence through her great teaching that I could justify the purchase and let me tell you, I am on it every night now. I can’t stop taking photos and working magic on them every day. 🙂
CS4
I love her sight! Just getting into textures and her tutorials have been extremely helpful. Love it….love her!!
I like Kim on FB.
So nice to see you are on FB!
I like Everyday Elements on FB. 🙂
I have tons of Kim’s textures, including her new studio collection and love them all. Kim rocks!
I am a new…be to Kim’s blog and am looking forward to Kim’s skinny mini coming up. Just purchased pse9 and having a blast exploring. I am just beginning on textures and soooooo look forward to maybe, just maybe winning the studio collection.
OMG love it great giveaway!!! I use CS5
PSE9
Kim is great and I’ve learned so much from her and from you!
I follow Kim on Twitter