Favorite Quote: I haz a rock
Favorite Movie: not many
Favorite Book: thrillers
Favorite Bands: heavy metal music and rock '60
Favorite Songs: too many to fit in this box
Favorite Photoshop Tool: my creativity - hrmh *spit* *cough*
How did you get your PSC nickname?
It has been my nickname for years, just my first name (or what I think my first name should have been (hehe) and a part of my last name together. Never even thought of changing it before I got on this site. It works for me.
What is your real name and age?
My real name is Anna. My last name rhimes with bonkers. That was the joke my English friends used to make when I was visiting them. But they also said I eat like a squirl, so who believes anything they say.
Where are you from and what do you like best about being there?
I live in Friesland, that is part of The Netherlands. We have lots of lakes, and every winter at the first sign of frost people (outside Friesland) start to worry about the Eleven Cities Skating Event. That happens only in those rare very cold winters, when most of the canals, lakes and rivers are covered with a sheet of ice strong enough to hold thousands of people who all want to skate 200 kilometers in one day. In that same freezing cold. All other time of the year it is full of flat, green views and a relaxing atmosphere.
What do you do to keep the bills paid?
Wake up every day in the hope that today is the lucky day that I get a real job again. But every day I grow older, and those real jobs seem far and few between.
What do you do in your spare time?
In the spare time in between sleepy times I am interested in world domination. But since my former sidekicks Pinky and the Brain ran off with that, I have to do with accumulating knowledge in stead. And thinking of ways to make the world a better place to live for everybody. You may be interested to know that your bank account only exists as long as we manage to produce enough electricity to keep the bank computers working? That is why I choose not to care about money anymore and live as cheap as possible. Just in case that climate change does kick in sooner then "they" all care to believe.
How did you find PSC, and what do you like most about the site?
I owe the pleasure of PSC to an old friend called Deshone. He used to hang out here a lot in 2004. He made great stuff and I got curious - so I asked him about it and he told me to have a look-see. I did, got hooked, but had to wait a very long time before I finally got a worth while programme to be creative with. And now I pretend to make good stuff (and sometimes more then 10 people agree with me on that). Those are the highlights of my week.
If you could change one thing at PSC, what would it be and why?
Why would I change something here? I hang out here because it suits me.
Is there any other information about you would like to pass on?
Is there any other information about .... (?) .... I would like to pass on? Ehhmmm, let me think. No, I don't think so. There is not much to say about ....(?)..... in my opinion.
How many hours per week do you spend on PSC?
Sometimes an hour, sometimes more. One time I spend an entire night in the advantage chatroom. And when I finally went to bed, in the wee hours, I wondered if I had turned into one of those computer nurds now. Oh well, if I have to have a lable, that is as good as any, I think. Does that mean I am part of a group now? Because I shy away from group things.
What other sites, not Photoshop related, do you like to surf?
Google. That takes me all over the world. I tried Ask Jeeves, and others, but Google is the thing for me. Now all I have to do is find enough words to express in the little box, so I can actually find what I was looking for. Every time I start looking for something specific online, I end up in a new trip of a lifetime, forgetting what it was I wanted to find in the first place.
What tools do you use to chop?
I use my computer, that has Windows XP, I use Adobe Photoshop CS (the one without a number) and I use my mouse. I have two tablets, but I am currently in the process of inventing a new system to replace the pen that goes with the tablets, because I can't seem to get used to them.
What gets your creative juices flowing, how do you create a masterpiece?
It seems that I have good days and bad days, when making a chop. The bad days are when I am conciously trying to make something. However, the good days - the times that I make something totally different, are also the times that are getting lost in my mind. So, to tell you the truth, I don't know how I do it, most of the time.
What inspires you?
Ever since I got Advantage and I could see all the upcomming contest images, I got the feeling that I would never be good enough or creative enough to find something to do with most of them. For the time being I am however trying for as many entries as I can make, because I find that each image eggs me on to use a different skill. Sometimes I stare at a contest image for a whole day, and find nothing to do with it. Then I wake up in the middle of the night and know what I want to do with it. Other times I can't wait to get started right away. But, in all instances, it will be the image (and the skill I want to test on it) that inspire me to make something.
Do you have a system? Does a chop have to be done a certain way following steps or are you a messy chopper and just go with the flow?
I am like a river, sometimes there is a flood, sometimes a trickle, but I always just go with the flow. If I have to work following rules or steps, I will stop working, because then it will have become a treadmill, and I hate repetition.
What style of chop do you prefer to create?
See, there you have it. What is vector? I will find out some day.
Filters, brushes and techniques: Which do you use, and not use, and why?
I use what I know. And sometimes I get pushed into using something I don't know. One day somebody suggested I tried Liquify on the image I had put up that day. I knew the word, but nothing more. So I asked around and found a whole new set of things to play with. Ever since then I simply ask people how they did things, or how to do something they did so well. I only do not use the things I have not learned yet. And that is about 99% of Photoshop skills, I guess. So I will be around.
When do you know that you have it just right, or is it constant changes up until, or after, you post?
Never. It is never right. Because after a few days I can sometimes see the mistakes I made. And if those mistakes were noticed by others, I may changes things.
What is the limit to what you will chop?
I know the limits to what I will vote for, and those are probably the same limits I will shop. Although I sometimes vote for things that I would never try to make myself, when I can see the meaning in it. That mostly has to do with my dislike of violence, I guess. I may be the only person in the world who thinks that 99% of the people on this planet are normal human beings, and the 1% that is left are politicians, criminals, money makers, and shareholders. So I am eternaly optimistic that we will have a better world one day. So, I rather make stuff those 99% of people can enjoy even when they suffer the bad stuff the 1% deals them every day.
Are there any tips and/or tricks that you would like to pass along to less experienced choppers?
Yep. Keep working. And don't ever think you are not good enough. Most people here will tell you that they learn something new every day.
What is your favorite type of source image, and why?
I treat each image as a new challenge.
There is often talk about how the source is used and to what extent it should be. What are your views on all sources, outside source use and animations?
I tried animations, but I think they are not big enough, for practical purposes, to be any good. That took the fun out of it. I will at some point in time have created enough clothes from bricks and mortar (and trees and ball buildings) to dress every naked woman on the Internet. If I have to have a theme in my portfolio one day, then it will be that, (for now). I have no objections to using outside source stuff, but I would like to see what that is. If I think I see something that can't be made from the source then I won't vote if it makes up most of dramatic effect of the made up image. Having said that, there have been some chops where I had to look very closely before finding any part of the source and still loved - simply because it was a neat find. We are photochopping, after all.
What is your preferred resource for outside source images?
I google. I have a very clodded imagebank in my computer, and no way to find anything back - so it is easier to google.
In your opinion what makes a good chop?
I like to be surprised and go back to have another look. And then, when I like it very much, suddenly I want to start writing a story to go with the image. Those are the nicest chops I find. The ones that tell me to write stories.
Do you have a system to get things started?
I turn on my computer, pick up the mouse, click on the calendar and stare at the images. The one that jumpes out is the one I will make something with. Or, as is the case sometimes, the one that comes up for the next contest.
Have you ever completed a chop and then decided not to enter it in the contest? If so, why?
Yes, I have. I have also lost a few very cool chops, because I forgot to save my work while I was making them. But the ones I hold back are thrown out, when I suddenly get a totally new idea and want to run with that. It happens.
After you finish your chop do you just post it or seek opinions of family and/or fellow choppers first?
I have yet to get an answer from a fellow chopper, on the one time I asked them to give an opinion. I post, and put my most favourit images on my desktop, so I can look at them. It helps me find the mistakes I made.
If some one finds a fault in your work do you change it or stay with what you posted?
Depends on the fault. I have done, and I like getting comments from others. It helps me look at the stuff I make with different eyes. Does that make sense?
What qualities do you look for when deciding to vote on a chop?
Something different, something very outrages, seeing something I wanted to make but could not because I don't have the skills for it (yet). When I can see what that person wants to make, even if their skills are not there yet, I will still vote. Anything NOT BOORING will make me vote.
Some member prefer not to vote for filtered chops or animations. Is there any particular style/type of chop you won't vote for?
If it makes me queezy, I won't vote. I might, in cases I get very upset, write a pm to the creator of the chop and tell them what it made me feel. O, yes, and I sometimes think people "paint with 3D machines" - without making mention of that. I used a trial for a 3D machine to create a background for one of my entries, and I still think I was cheating with that one. I did mention it, but I felt I did not realy create the background myself. Just a hangup I have, I guess.
Time is always a factor, how much time do you spend on a chop and how much time is too much?
There is not "too much" time, that you spend on a chop. But for me it helps to just leave it to rest for a while, after I spend some time on a chop, because I tend to loose myself in a little detail then. So in all, I could work on a chop in my mind for a couple of days, and actually maybe change something in a heartbeat, when I get the inspiration, on the computer. Would you count that mind thing as time spend on a chop as well?
We all love to get votes. Now are you a constant vote checker or do you just let it go and check once a day? (be honest)
I check in the first hour, to see if somebody likes my entry for that day, and then I get totally depressed when I discover, while voting for others, that so many people have walked on by, without even granting me a comment on my work. They should have smilies in the comment box. Please can we have smilies in the comment box??? That way nobody has to feel left out. Just to know, somebody has noticed what I made. I can read smilies very well, you know.
What chop of yours did not do as well as you expected?
Truthfully, most of them.
What do you consider your best chop so far?
My best chop in 2004 is one I made in Paint. So no layers, no other way then to stretch something when you meant to make it change position a few degrees etc. And no way to correct a mistake. But my little potato man from those early days, is my most favourit chop so far. It got me 5 votes. I was floating on that triomph for days. http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa268/annajon_album/photoshopwork/potato.jpg - You will only find it here, I am afraid. I missed the deadline to upload the images in the past, so the entries in the archives are only thumbnail size.
What do you consider your worst chop so far?
When I totally know how to use my Photoshop programme, and think, now I have nothing more to learn, then I will start making chops and wonder, why did I make that? Untill that time, I don't think there will be a worst chop for me. Just chops I would do differently, had I known to do things different at the time.
Who is your favorite chopper out there and why?
My favorite chopper changes every day. If I had to line my portfolio with only my favourit choppers, then I would be changing the content every day and I would probably throw out most of it the next day to make room for what I found this time. So, favorites are for ever subject to mood swings. But if you would like to see cool stuff that I have detected (sofar), check out Abraham, ReyRey, dabdi56, Tawiskaro, Micose, Rebelos, Tadams, Anfa, Hero, Soze - you know what... just press favorites beyond my own portfolio, because they are all in there. And then just press their name and browse throught their portfolios. I doubt you will have enough time to do it right now, but when you have a few hours, just spend them chain hopping through portfolios on this site. (chain hopping is find a cool image, and then press on a name of a voter, and browse their portfolio for a couple of minutes, before you go on to another name. This way you will keep coming back to look at stuff and never get tired of it, or feel you have seen it before.)
What do you NOT like to see in a chop, and why not?
Too much intentional violence that seems to be meaningless. I can digg a political chop, but I can't always find meaning in the violence some people put in their work. It usually scares me. But I do like some of the darkest entries made my dabdi56 for instance. What I realy don't like is using recognisable images of children in chops. Because children have no defence against what is being done to them in the images.
What is the best chop of all time?
http://photoshopcontest.com/view-entry/90546/moving-in.html for now as realistic chop, along with http://photoshopcontest.com/view-entry/127861/ocular.html as a total change chop (you have to look for the original, it is there), and http://photoshopcontest.com/view-entry/127537/red-dragonfly.html as best morph using the texture of the original. But in reality, I would not be able to answer this question, I have not seen everyting on this site yet. Been around more then three years now, still finding new things every day. That's the fun of it all.
Do you have any other PSC related comments to add?
PSC related comments.... ehmmm.... sorry to those entries that were way cool, but I have not seen, when I had the chance to vote.... But I get so messed up sometimes in my own life, that I forget to have fun hanging around here. But I will, one day, have seen every chop. Undetected by you all, because who am I to comment on your fine work, yes??
