Thursday, August 30, 2012

DIY Subway Art

I've been a big fan of subway art prints for a while now.  I'd seen some on Pinterest, some of which even led to a free printable, but the art that one person creates is tailored for them and their family and I always wished I could make my own. But I know NOTHING about graphic design and figured that it wouldn't happen.  But then today I was browsing a crafting blog that suggested I use Picnik to create subway art.  So when  I got home I was excited to give it a try.  Imagine my chagrin when I found out that Picnik is now offline.  Their information page suggested I try Google+, but it wouldn't do what I wanted it to do.  So next I got desperate an went to Google.  After a quick search I found PicMonkey.  The reviews promised that it did nearly everything that Picnik did and I didn't have to create any sort of account, so I decided to give it a whirl.  Two hours, one class, and a plate of nachos later, I had created fall and Christmas themed prints. Feast your eyes on these beauties.



I'm kind of in love with them.  I'm going to print them at Walmart and, to make things even cheaper, I plan to buy one frame and switch out the print according to the season.

DIY Subway Art
 
What You'll Need
 
A computer
An internet connection
 
What You'll Do
 
1.  Go to Pic Monkey.
 
2. Click on Create a Collage on the lefthand side of the screen.
 
 
 
3.  Click  Save.  That's right, just save the blank document somewhere accessible.  I save to the desktop because that's easiest for me.
 

 
4.  Go back to the main page and click on Edit a Photo
 
 
5.  You're going to choose the file that you just saved and open it.
 
6.  Click on Crop and then choose the size you're going to want to print from the drop down menu.  I chose 8x10.
 
 
7.  Now it's time to add text!  Click on the P on the left side of the screen.
 
 
8A. Click Add Text on the Left.
 8B. Type Text in the box.
 8C. Choose your font.
 8D. Edit the color, size, and spacing.
 

9.  I started with my most important word in the middle and then worked around it. 
 
 
10.  Now just add as many words as you want, wherever you want.
 
11.  If you want your words to be vertical, click on the word and then hover the curser over the circle over the word.  It will turn into a circle made of two arrows.  Left click and rotate until the word is at the angle you want.
 
 
 
The possibilities are really endless for what you can create.  I'm thinking Disney Princess, Pixar, baby, and book prints would all be wonderful. 
 
Have you ever tackled a project that you previously thought you could never accomplish?  What kind of theme print would be perfect for your home?

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