Articulating Thoughts into Words.

The Musical Layers - Bev & em'Boss, One Night Stand

© Elaine Chua (rayvolvez)


© Elaine Chua (rayvolvez)

Posted my 10,000th post on Cafe yesterday.

http://www.photoshopcafe.com/cafe/viewthread.php?tid=48730



The 10,000th is nothing but a figure, or simply 5 digits of which 4 are repetitives. Yes, its probably a big number, but a number of emptiness, of uselessness, of nothing, ...

if without you.



I was, but a noob, who stumbled my way here, with an address in the book Photoshop Most Wanted. I started with churning "abstract art" (note the quotation marks) by playing with / random mixing filters, layer styles. I never dared to look back at works before 2006, a time before my involvement and love relationship with the Cafe and members in the Cafe.

Simply said, it is the Cafe that makes me, Cafe that gave me the eye to design, the eye for typography and Cafe who makes me the designer I am today.

Here's what the Cafe-ers have to say to my 10000th :

dogtrombone(Barry Downard) :Corker!

mkeefe(Matthew Keefe) : Congratulations on your 10,000th post! It has been very unique to see you grow on your journey through life, and can not thank you enough for your contribution to countless threads.

Here's to many many more thousands.

Hermie(Herman) : Finally she has entered the 10000. 10001 is the next step.

I came in on July 5th, 2006 and she didn't comment on that thread!!! . That still hurts, but he you cant win them all because the rest she did.

Congrats on the 10000 and let's go to the 10001 and then 10002, 10003, 10004, 10005, 10006, 10007, 10008, 10009, 10010, etc....

the_biggest_lebowski(T.J Powell) :You know, you got me reminiscing, Elaine. So I went back and looked at one of my very first posts (in fact, it was my first post in the Show Your Work section) and guess who was the first to respond?

Why, you, of course!

And you also didn't like my font choice! No surprises there!

Thanks Elaine, for always being there to give your honest opinion and criticisms, even to a 3-day-old Cafe newbie! You are certainly a pillar of this community and we all look forward to 10,000 more posts!

CBCOOLEST : Oh well I only met you a while ago and I was very very pleased by the way you handled me. I was someone totally new for you but you didn't turn your back on me instead you helped me with tips like: "this isn't good" or" you should stop doing that because..." or even" hmm..it looks better but you still have a long way to go" etc etc

It was a nice feeling to be criticised and also appreciated at the same time, depending onn what I did. Although I don't know most of you guys I am sure in time we will get to know each other much much better. I am very glad to see you around Ray and thnx for every step you showed me and for always being a true helper not only by saying but by showing and exemplifing. I wish you best of luck and many more posts to come.

kiwicolin (Colin Smith, PhotoshopCafe Founder) : Congratulations Ray!!

I figured you were busy cooking up something special for your 10,000 th. Well done!

You have come a long way since those early day. The best is yet to come. Heres to 100,000

[Colin Smith will be giving me one of his Training DVD Download as a prize, I'm still thinking and I'm definitely spoilt for choices! Thank you Colin!]

JMe (Jamie) : Congrats Ray! Despite the fact i am not a 'regular' poster, i still visit and read your posts everyday!

Still, my fondest memories of you and this forum is the PSC league, which you founded and maintained brilliantly for the time it was running! (My proudest moment on the forum being when i unexpectedly won the Cyborg challenge against you! muahaha!)

Seriously though, you are the life of the forum... and even in the few days you took off before 10000, its seemed a little quiet around here!

Next stop, 100k!

randytoons(Randy) : Congrats!...I'm always reading something good from you...Your always willing to lend a hand or make a great comment....Keep up he good work!

phosho(Zoerb) : Nicely done...you're a great part of the cafe, and it just wouldn't be the same without you!

Keep up the criticism...positive and negative...and keep making some awesome art!

cfire(Frank Priboy) :Congrats Elaine!!! Looking forward to many more.

thedoc(Gray Gilmore) : 10,000. Wow.

Lebby got me thinking about my first post. Guess who commented first on that one too? Elaine Elaine Elaine haha.

You've helped me on too many things to count, so thank you a ton, and keep on posting that quality stuff!

Whubee : Congrats ! 10,000 is a lot of posts.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
I may not post much of my work, but I know I can always count on you for an honest critique.
You have helped make the cafe a happy and inspirational place to visit for me on a daily basis. Thanks!

Thorax48 :
Congratulations on your achievement of 10,000 posts! I don't know you, but from what I've seen of your works and read of your posts, you definitely are a talented designer-type-person-human, and your critiques hit on finer points of people's works, more than "that's pretty" or "this part sucks!"

and here's to hearing you tell me you dislike my font choices in my future design postings

Photography arrangements, Photography, Design, Layout, Printing in 2 hours.

National University of Singapore Department of Building Website : Project Screenshots

Project scope : 7 pages redesign. Numerous drafts.





© National University of Singapore Department of Building, Work : XDeal Pte Ltd, Elaine Chua. All rights reserved. Strictly no unauthorised reproduction allowed.

MOE International Friendship Day Game Materials Package : Project Shots

Project scope : Gameboard, gameboard book cover, Opportunity/Question Cards (30 each)









© MOE International Friendship Day Publication, Work : XDeal Pte Ltd, Elaine Chua. All rights reserved. Strictly no unauthorised reproduction allowed.

新加坡建屋发展局Housing Development Board Singapore Punggol Waterway Project : Project Shots

Project scope : 48pp booklet, 1 folder, envelopes, forms design.









© Housing Development Board Singapore, Work : XDeal Pte Ltd, Elaine Chua. All rights reserved. Strictly no unauthorised reproduction allowed.

Nanyang Technological University : Nanyang Bulletin : Project Shots (Print) Project In Progress

Project scope : 2 booklets (70pp + 90pp), 2 CDs, 2 websites





© Nanyang Technological University, Work : XDeal Pte Ltd, Elaine Chua. All rights reserved. Strictly no unauthorised reproduction allowed.

Nanyang Junior College Website : Project Drafts Project In Progress

Project scope : Revamp entire site.







© Nanyang Junior College, Work : Elaine Chua. All rights reserved. Strictly no unauthorised reproduction allowed.

Righto. I have not been blogging or touching my main site for quite a while since I have plunged in much focus on my chinese blog and rushing of school assignments.

May I therefore present you : Write! (Chinese)

May all be good for every one in the year of the mousey, 2008!

I have never uploaded a proper picture of me.

So here goes nothing :)



Just me.

More details here : http://www.photoshopcafe.com/contests/contest-8.htm

Basically what you're supposed to do is to design a video game cover featuring a Photoshop Tool (note: not limited to the toolbox).

Design away and here's my first entry (Click for full view)



and 2nd entry :

This is my latest work "What Lies Beneath?".

Thanks.

Who let the birds out? Anti Woman Shopaholics.



Banana Rules : I can rule better with a banana.



Habbis's Sky



Projects Terragen + Photoshop














These are the updates which are mostly done in mid November as a return to Photoshop from books.

Welcome back, rayvolvez.

Cards below are free for downloads, if you need higher resolution version for print purpose, please direct your request via the website's contact form or through rayvolvez(at)yahoo(dot)com(dot)sg.

Full reproduction rights are granted on the basis of crediting d'r-studio and Elaine Chua (Creative Design Director).

For exclusive rights to works, please contact Elaine Chua at rayvolvez(at)yahoo(dot)com(dot)sg for arrangements, once a card's exclusive rights is bought, it will cease to remain for free download.

Get Well Soon!



Download This Card



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Happy Birthday


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I Miss You



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I'm Sorry



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Love



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Mother's Day



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Teachers' Day


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Thank you


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© Elaine Chua (rayvolvez)

Full reproduction rights granted on basis of crediting d'r-studio and Elaine Chua

The results :
http://youth.sg/blog/2007/08/06/post-ityouthsg-round-1-winners

And here's are the comments from the 3 judges on my blog entry :)

CHRIS YAP: “Can definitely go further with the comments on art, or the choice of materials / works. Eg. How is it personally connected to her? In this time and age, things have become too direct. She’s a product of this generation. It will be good to learn to be obvious, yet subtle at the same time. Too much shock is just as boring as too sedated. All in all, I love her passion, creativity and effort! Keep it up!”

SHAN: “rayvolvez scores points for effort in showcasing some of her own content and having production values. She may want to look into copyright, for taking Csaba Moldovan’s image…? And she seems to know how influential a certain 1917 toilet urinal (google ‘Duchamp’) has been in changing modern definitions of art. By talking about other artists’ works, she shares her own knowledge, and it’s this kind of thing that widens the appreciation of art.”

AUN KOH: “Elaine has actually produced and pointed to some interesting works while making a good point about the nature of subjectivity in deciding what is and is not art.”

And yes I won another competition!
My work "Which Side Are You On?" has been selected by Amateur Photoshop Club to be printed in a magazine titled "Creativs".

Here's the piece :


Lady luck has been smiling on me!

Idea behind it : FreeRider was my entry for IdentiTee Tee Shirt Design competition. It is simply a freestyle graphic that represents free-riding, free transportation, an idea that struck me when I was lamenting about my heavy expenses on transportation cost, so I thought to myself, why not a graphic that represents simply what I want -- Free Rides, Free Transportation? If you look closely enough or stare hard enough at it, you will also see a girl's face in the vehicles build-up. That says me, my gender. I believed that I answered the brief to IdentiTEE 2007 crisp clear and well.

Free Rider took off with 1st Place, I won top honours. $250 cash, $250 77th Street Vouchers and 1 Motorola Rizr Z3. Ain't that cool?

But that wasn't it all...