RECREATING POSTAL HISTORY

Tutorial - the Envelope / Cover (1)

In this series of tutorials, I will show you how to create a postal history of your own. In part #1, we will be building the commercial envelope pictured to the left. There are 3 essential tools. #1) A computer #2) A scanner, #3) An image creation program capable of layers. (Photoshop/Paint Shop Pro for example.) I will be using Photoshop, but the steps are essentially the same for whichever program you use. (For a larger view of the finished graphic, click on the thumb at left).

STEP 1: The Envelope or Cover

Open a new canvas, marquis a rectangle in the proportions of your envelope leaving a little space on all four sides. Create a new layer. Use the Filter/Render/Clouds to create a random cloudy pattern in colors that are close to your finished envelope but are contrasty enough to have an impact. Try not to use black (unless you are trying for soot in your final product).

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