Favorite Quote:
Don't follow in my foot steps, because I just stepped in something.
Favorite Movie:
Time Bandits
Favorite Book:
Crossing the Rubicon
Favorite Bands:
Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Incubus,etc
Favorite Songs:
Jane Says, Idiots Rule, Down in it
Favorite Photoshop Tool:
Eraser @ 42%Opacity & 37% flow
How did you get your PSC nickname?
Not sure what it is, because I'm one of the few people that goes by my real name here, but I think its douchebag when I'm not lookin, lol
What is your real name and age?
You know my name, I'm 46 for just a little while more
Where are you from and what do you like best about being there?
I was born in Fort Lauderdale Florida, I'm still here because of family, I love the weather, but this place is going crazy, just too many people in a hurry to go nowhere fast, so that's why we all move slow.
What do you do to keep the bills paid?
I'm a master craftsmen, if it was made by man, I can usually break it.
What do you do in your spare time?
since PSC I have none, and that aint no lie, lol
How did you find PSC, and what do you like most about the site?
I was up visiting my friend in Jupiter Fla. he's one of the best airbrush artist in the world, for real, and while he was working on a painting, I was surfing the web, and saw a link to a Photoshop contest, having a few years of PS skills under my belt, I had to see what it was all about, at first I thought it was all about funny, and not so much tech skills, but soon found out that there are some really great artist here, and started spending more time, what's funny is I was posting for a month or so before I even realized they had Advantage, I kept saying "how the hell are these people getting in this kind of work in such a short time" - " they must knopw somebody, or they're cheating" lol. Doh! then I saw Advantage and had a problem joining because of CC issues, but got that worked out and never looked back.
If you could change one thing at PSC, what would it be and why?
Not really sure, so many good things about this site, and they keep getting better all the time, it's nice to know that when someone has a good idea PSC listen's and usually makes adjustments
Is there any other information about you would like to pass on?
Scion Shade works for the CIA, oops, did I say that? just kidding.
How many hours per week do you spend on PSC?
Too many, that's all I know, it varies, I just had a bout with choppers block and did not post for a while, I'm still having a hard time getting back into
full swing though, I think I'm putting a lot more thought into my work,
and that can be a bad thing sometimes, good for votes but bad for
knockin out work.
What other sites, not Photoshop related, do you like to surf?
I like to check out Worth 1000 sometimes, it will inspire, they have some
good artist on that site, oh you said Not PS, I'm a news junkie, I need to
know what's going on in the world, also check the ocean to see if the
waves are breaking, I like to surf, but as I get older, the thrill is fading, (bummer dude)
What tools do you use to chop?
Well, I'm a PC guy, not mac, I use CS2, started with PS5 and worked my way up as it changed, I don't use any add ons, no extra filters as of yet, I'm probably more old school, I hack out what I want, and then go in and clean up as best I can.
What gets your creative juices flowing, how do you create a masterpiece?
God I wish I knew how to keep that window open all the time, all I know is when it's open I go and go, but when it closes, I'm dead in the water, and lately its been cracked a little, letting some air in the room, it's stuck at the moment, I just...need..a ...little..push!
What inspires you?
Naked women...not just any naked women either, it has to be my girl, lol
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 don't want to get stuck doing chops a certain way every time, although I think we all get used to doing it, I like to try new things if I can, PS has endless possibilities, its nice to explore, every once in a while you discover a new way of doing something, and that's great.
What style of chop do you prefer to create?
I love all source, sometimes I know it can hurt in votes, because you're missing something it needs, I try to steer towards funny if I can, I'm not big
on Vector, it looks like a simple filter to me, not all the time, but most of
the time, I'm learning that to be good at PSC, your chops have to tell a
story, and details, lord don't forget the details.
Filters, brushes and techniques: Which do you use, and not use, and why?
Filters come in handy once in a while, but I noticed that they are obvious most of the time, and the peeps see right away, I'd like to think that I'm pretty good at blending, to me that is the magic of PS, to merge things together in a seemless way.
When do you know that you have it just right, or is it constant changes up until, or after, you post?
I never go back and fix anything once the contest starts, however, I will change stuff before, it seems that once you pre-post, you notice all kinds of things you didn't see before, I don't know why that is, but it does happen to me all the time, I know when I'm not happy with something, and someone brings it up, I'm like "Yea I know" I would have done it right the first time if I knew what I was doing...lol
What is the limit to what you will chop?
I've never been a blood chopper like Marco, lol, I would do political all the time, but I know it doesn't work here, so I really try to stay away from that whole thing, I know that you can do some pretty mean stuff with images, I don't want to hurt anyone that doesn't really deserve it.
Are there any tips and/or tricks that you would like to pass along to less experienced choppers?
Lately I've been seeing some nubies work that is so God-Awful, there is no sense of reason for what they do, (not all, but some) it's like they've gone
out of their way to put no effort into the work, I know I've been guilty of working on the cheap in the past, so I can understand sometimes, but if I can tell newcomers anything, it would be to think about what you want to do, and take your time, ask for help if you're not sure how, there are so many great people here that are willing and able to help, I would help anyone that came to me if I could.
What is your favorite type of source image, and why?
I don't want to pin myself down on anything, but there are some pics that I like to work with over others, I like shiny metal objects, and complex
images, but I never really know until I see it, I like how others here will
take something and change it into something you never would have
dreamed of in a million years, Rey and Anfa are masters when it come to
this.
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?
Tough question, early on, I was not really happy with some of the sources, then when we were able to submit images and some were selected, I soon found myself on the other side of the fence, thinking, what was I thinking? I realized that it's not easy, some source pics here really hit a chord with everyone, and we get some unreal work, others don't do so well, I guess that's just the nature of the beast, I like gifs, Sean, or The Shaman as some call him, and Bigbuck have done some really great stuff, others too, I don't want to leave anyone out, but those 2 guys have it down, I realized how hard they were by doing a few. Shooting a lot of pictures myself, I will use them sometimes as outside sources, I like to go and shoot something to really help out my idea if I can, it can make all the difference in the world.
What is your preferred resource for outside source images?
I never know until I need something, then I try to go find it, but I travel a
lot, and I like to shoot things that I don't see every day, then I come back
and try to decide if they would make good source images, it's really good
that we get to vote on source images, if eveyone likes it, then were all off
to a good start.
In your opinion what makes a good chop?
The story it tells, and does it look real, even when it's not perfect, if I see someone spent time on it, and made an honest effort, I will vote for it.
Do you have a system to get things started?
Well first I start with baby oil, then I need lots of candles... oops wrong site, lol'
Like I said earlier, when the creative window is open, magic happens, I wish I knew how to control it.
Have you ever completed a chop and then decided not to enter it in the contest? If so, why?
All the time, I was going to start a thread for chops that never made the grade, I have more than a few on the cutting room floor, I've spent hours on something only to burn it, because I didn't feel it would do well, my fave was last week, I spent about 6-7 hours on something I really liked, and my PC froze up because I used too many damn layers, of course I kept saying all the while that I better save this, well I didn't, and now I'm not going to do it again, the chop that is, oh well, such is life.
After you finish your chop do you just post it or seek opinions of family and/or fellow choppers first?
Na, I just post it, there are a few choppers I will bounce something off of,
but only after I pre-post it, DP is one of the unlucky ones that gets a sneak preview, and he will do the same with me, of course we never listen to each others advice, lol
If some one finds a fault in your work do you change it or stay with what you posted?
No one ever finds fault with my work, what's that all about? lol
What qualities do you look for when deciding to vote on a chop?
Like I said before, does it look real? did you make an honest effort to do a good job? Are you a nice person? oops! lol, to me, an off the wall idea is nice to see.
Some member prefer not to vote for filtered chops or animations. Is there any particular style/type of chop you won't vote for?
When someone takes a nice picture and does a quick cut and paste turns me off, I see it a lot, and it fools some into thinking they did all this work, but I notice and move on.
Time is always a factor, how much time do you spend on a chop and how much time is too much?
This is a good question, I've done chops that have taken hours, only to get less than a dozen votes or so, and then I've done chops where I was done in less than an hour that have been contenders, it's all about ideas, and how well it comes across.
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 like to pop in and look whenever I can, I like it when I do something that I didn't consider that good, and see it doing well, however it bums me out when I spent a lot of time on something, and thought it was good to see it bomb, it sure happens around here.
What chop of yours did not do as well as you expected?
Just look at any of my work that bombed, lol
What do you consider your best chop so far?
I really enjoyed doing this chop, I like how it turned out, and I thought it would have done better than it did. http://photoshopcontest.com/view-entry/102885/nano-tech.html
I liked this one, and same, I would have liked to see it done better.
http://photoshopcontest.com/view-entry/98381/a-whatchamacallit.html
This was late getting in, I liked doing it, and it bombed, lol
http://photoshopcontest.com/view-entry/96187/cylinder-blind.html
My original had a rubber butt that got pulled, so I replaced it with this, it bombed, lol
http://photoshopcontest.com/view-entry/95521/my-butt-got-canned.html
Hmmm, my fave? This just made me realize that I suck, thanks a lot Blue, lol
What do you consider your worst chop so far?
Marlin soup, lol, I didn't have Advantage, and I must have been on drugs, lol
http://photoshopcontest.com/view-entry/96205/marlin-soup.html
Who is your favorite chopper out there and why?
Anfa is the King, this goes without saying, Rey, Marco, Micose, DP, Bigbuck, Meaty, The Shaman, Billtvshow, Mikey, to name a few, they are the stuff
that make this site, oh yes, Claf, Splodge, Vlad, and You Blue,... Eve,
Kansas, (a shout out to the girls), sorry if I left anyone out, there are so
many truly talented people on this site, I'm proud to be part of it, or even
to make a dent in it, thank you all
What do you NOT like to see in a chop, and why not?
anything really bad spirited, or a cheater example;
http://photoshopcontest.com/view-entry/103206/votes.html
What is the best chop of all time?
This is really a tough question. Can I get back to you on this?
Do you have any other PSC related comments to add?
I guess that about covers it Mr. Lurker, you have really helped to make
this site a fun place to hang, and be a part of, thanks again, God bless. :)=
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