Bring paths from Illustrator CS into Photoshop CS

I kept running into a problem in Photoshop when trying to copy a path from Illustrator and paste it in. Older versions would automaticallly popup a window asking if you wanted to paste it as a Pixels, Path, or Shape Layer. CS does not automatically do this, so my path kept being rendered to pixels every time I'd paste it in.

To bring a path into Photoshop from Illustrator, you actually have to set a preference in Illustrator (counterintuitive, I know). Here's how:

Go to Illustrator Preferences > File Handling & Clipboard


In the bottom box, "Clipboard on Quit", be sure the box marked "AICB (no transparency support)" IS CHECKED.


Be sure "Preserve Appearance and Overprints" is selected.

Save your preferences, re-copy your path and try it in Photoshop now. The "Pixels, Path or Shape Layer" popup window should come up and you can select "Path" to retain your paths.


Good luck!

But Is That Clever?

I was sitting there flipping channels the other day when Tivo decides I want to watch HGTV's "That's Clever!"--yes, the exclamation point IS in the title--despite the fact that I've given it three thumbs down. I hate this show for so many reasons, not the least of which is how painfully ridiculous the producers require the crafters to act on national television. It's so embarassing, it's actually hard to watch.

To my horror, the crafty chick in this episode is actually showing the wincing viewers how to make "art" out of dryer lint.

No, really, I'm not kidding.

Check it out.

Rock and Roll

I went to the second annual Rock and Roll Craft Show this weekend (twice actually), held at the former Junk Junkie store in south Saint Louis. I didn't make it last year, but based on the amount of hype this year I felt like I couldn't miss it. And in the interest of full disclosure, I'm planning a Makers show for December at Mad Art Gallery so I wanted to troll the vendors and see who was worthy of inviting to our show. Overall, the event was a lot smaller than I had expected. I found out that Bust magazine was one of the sponsors and I had assumed it would be as big as Readymade's Holiday Craft Show in NY or something like a Renegade Craft Fair (I went to Chicago's two years ago and dropped nearly $200 on some kick ass merchandise...), but it was much smaller, almost entirely local, but extremely packed. The gear was pretty varied in quality, but most (if not all) was under $100 and since the coordinators weren't taking a cut at all, the show must have been a real success to the makers involved. I rarely saw a person exit the building without at least one of the small brown paper bags with the RRCS logo stamped on the front of it in hand (nice touch guys). I think the venue was way too small for the amount of stuff they had available--it was hard to move around, and trying on clothes was impossible unless you wanted to do it over what you had on--but that's just a sign that they've outgrown their location and need to find a bigger space for next time.

Pros:
- Marie Oberkirsch's textiles
- Squasht clothing and hats
- Dinosaur Kewpie handbags
- the Design Deli lamps
- Big Headed Bluebird, Red Anvil and LaLaLori jewelry
- Janice Wallace cards, Secret Leaves books
- Anchovy's re-designed stuffed animals were pricey but really funny
- Live music
- Vintage iron-on transfers on-the-spot
- Well run and extremely organized, if not too many volunteers standing around

Cons:
- Some of the merchandise was not very good
- Very cramped space, hard to move around
- No bathroom!

Kudos to the organizers. This event must have been a lot of work. Look forward to seeing it in a larger venue next time.