Gifts for My Kids, How to Convert an Image in Photoshop For Use in a Gallery Wrapped Presentation, A Caesar Salad Recipe + Music Videos

A while back Ethan mentioned that he would like to have some mom made art to have once he moved out and lived on his own, but he did not really want to be the subject of the art. He reminded me that it would be a bit odd to display photos of yourself, alone in a photo, in your apartment; I understood that. So I decided to create gallery wrapped images printed on rice paper in my encaustic class at Anderson Ranch. The goal I set for myself was to pick three images (good are is often displayed in odd numbers) that represented each kid's trip without having people in the pictures. I really liked how they turned out.

(Three photos from Ethan's, Larr's and Doug's trip to northern Washington state. These images are from the Hoh Rain forest.)

(Three photos from Ellie's recent trip to South Africa near East Cape.)

I love the way they look printed on the rice paper, mounted on a prepared wood panel, encaustic medium added and gallery wrapped. No need for frames when done this way. I used a natural rice paper that had a digital coating so that it could be run through a regular color printer. I love the warm yellow undertone it gives the pictures.

One of the really useful things I learned about at Anderson Ranch was how to get an image ready for a gallery wrap using Photoshop.

Begin by picking out an image and a wooden panel that has had the top and sides painted with gesso. (You could skip the gessoing if you wanted the color and grain of the wood to be somewhat visible through the image.)

Measure the top surface of the panel; even though it might say that it is 5" x 7", in may in fact be a bit smaller or larger. This was the case with two of my items. Then measure how deep the panel sides are. Now, figure out the size you need your completed image to be. Let's say that you have a 5" x 7" image and a panel that is 1 3/4" deep. I would make my print so that it is 9" x 13". Now, you don't want the important parts of your image to show up on the sides, so here is the trick that I learned.

Open you image in Photoshop so that it is 5" x 7" with 300 dpi resolution. Now, go up to image and select "canvas size," and make that canvas 9.25" x 13.25". (This extra room in the image will allow for extra to make sure there is enough image. This should get cut off once you are mounting your photo.)

Look at your layers palette on the right hand side of your screen. Make sure that you are on the layer where your image is. Next, pick the selection tool (the one with the dotted line). Start at the upper left-hand corner and drag it diagonally toward the bottom right-hand corner of the canvas that aligns with the upper part of the image. If this is confusing, just look at the image below.

Use the selection tool (the thing that looks like an arrow) and use the arrows on your keypad to move the dotted line box down into the image, stopping with the upper dotted line is just inside of your image. Now, copy it (ctrl+ C). This has now copied the part of the image that is inside of the dotted line box. And then you need to paste (Ctrl + V) it (if you forget this step, when you move the selected area, you will change your main image.)

Now you are going to use this to create the image that will be visible on the border of the wood panel. Do this by using the transformation tool (ctrl + T). You will know you have done this correctly when a new box with handles (little boxes) appears around that same image. Click on the handle that is in the center of the bottom of the box and drag it up so that it meets up with the top of your canvas. As you do this, you will see a mirror image display there. Repeat this process at the bottom of the image. When you are done with this part, your image will have mirrored sections at the top and bottom of the image, but still show canvas on the sides.

Each of these new parts are on their own layers. You need to make this your whole image in order to move onto the step. You can do this by selecting the top layer, Click on the 3 lines to get the pull down menu by the layers palette. Select Merge Visible. You will know that you have been successful because it will be back to one layer.

Now you will do the same process, but with the sides instead of the top and bottom.

Once this is printed, you are good to go onto attaching it to your panel. First you need to figure out exactly where your panel will go. Do this by placing the printed image right side down on a light board, or hold it up to a sunny window. Position the panel where it goes and draw the lines with a pencil. Make sure you are writing on the back of the image.

To gallery wrap your image you have to choose whether you want to wrap the edges like you would a present, or trim it with tabs so that there is not so much overlap. If you are going to choose that option, do those cuts at this time.

Use Nori paste and a small spatula to apply a very thin layer of the glue to the area that you have marked out on the back of the image. Make sure that you have your printed image on a clean piece of paper so that nothing gets on it.

Place the panel carefully in the glue applied area. flip it over, place a clean piece of paper on top of the image and rub it from the middle of the image outward. The purpose here is to make sure the image is fully attached, that there are no air bubble and any extra glue is pushed out. Be sure to lift the paper from time to time to check your progress. Once you are happy with this, use a brayer to repeat the process. Once you are satisfied, place it, face down, on a table to dry. After it is completely dry, add glue to one of two sides at a time and repeat the glue down process to adhere them. Once this is complete and dry, you are ready to engage in the encaustic process.
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While I was at Anderson Ranch, Geri and her husband, two of the head chefs, made a wonderful Caesar Salad. Ellie loves it, too, so I make a nice Caesar Salad last night:

Caesar Salad

Dressing:
6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced, 3 for dressing and 3 for the croutons
3/4 cup mayonnaise
5 anchovy fillets, minced or 2 1/2 tea. Anchovy paste ( 1/2 tea. = 1 anchovy)
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 c. lemon juice
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup olive oil

1 head romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces

Croutons: (from Damn Delicious Blog)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 (12-count) package KING'S HAWAIIAN Original Hawaiian Sweet Dinner Rolls, diced into 1-inch cubes

To make the dressing, place all of the ingredients in a food processor or blender and combine. While this dressing is wonderful right away, it will be even better if it sits for a bit so that the flavors can combine fully.

To make the croutons. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, butter, parsley, oregano, basil and garlic powder.
Spread bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Add olive oil mixture and gently toss to combine. Place into oven and bake until crisp and golden, about 8-10 minutes; set aside.

To serve you can opt to fully dress the salad with the dressing, topping it with cheese and croutons, or you can serve them separately.
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Kate Voegele


Anna Nalick