Favorite Quote:
“Some people are like Slinkies - not really good for anything, but you still can't help but smile when you see one tumble down the stairs.”
Favorite Movie:
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Favorite Book:
The Stand, By Stephen King
Favorite Bands:
Favorite Songs:
Depends on the time of the month ;)
Favorite Photoshop Tool:
Imagination
How did you get your PSC nickname?
nancers is a childhood nickname that has stuck with me.
What is your real name and age?
You’re kidding, right? I’ve been 39 for a few years now. My real name is Nancy (d'oh)
Where are you from and what do you like best about being there?
I’m from PA and there’s not much great here. We have Three Mile Island though.
What do you do to keep the bills paid?
I started out my career teaching deaf children, but now I'm a Program Director in IT Go figure.
What do you do in your spare time?
Spare time – everyone will probably laugh at me, but I love to cook. And I read a lot too. I watch TV more now than I used to. I love Tru Blood, Dexter, LOST and Grey's Anatomy. In the spring and summer I have a garden that I like to work on. I plant a bunch of tomatoes and make a kick ass Salsa from them.
How did you find PSC, and what do you like most about the site?
I found this site through a co-worker. I dragged Volkswes here with me years ago (we were mods on another site together).
What I like most about the site is the creativity and skill of the members, and of course the chat. There are some very funny people in chat sometimes.
If you could change one thing at PSC, what would it be and why?
I would add a "whine" filter that filtered out all posts by people who are whining.
Is there any other information about you would like to pass on?
No.
How many hours per week do you spend on PSC?
I mostly check in daily to see if I need to "moderate"...and I check in chat when I can. I'm E-feeling bad about how infrequently I vote in contests.
What other sites, not Photoshop related, do you like to surf?
Mostly work related sites, sorry to be so boring. I do alot of shopping online too. I ignore blogs and Twitter, but I do have a Facebook account.
What tools do you use to chop?
I love my Macs! I run Windows at work on my PowerMac using VMWare/Fusion.
What gets your creative juices flowing, how do you create a masterpiece?
I don’t know. If my real life is slow, I am bored, then I like to chop to pass the time. Sometimes I just look at an image and an idea pops into my head right away and I am compelled to do it. Lately I haven’t had any ideas/motivation to chop though. It comes and goes. I really like it when I amuse myself with a humorous chop.
What inspires you?
Merlot.
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?
Nope. I just play around. Sometimes I take an image apart into pieces or turn thing upside down and stare at them. I do a lot of opacity changing, the filters I use are minimal, mostly Gaussian blur, shear, and liquify. I use the noise filter when needed as well. I am very messy, I have often said that if anyone at PSC watched me chop they would laugh their asses off, I’m such an amateur.
What style of chop do you prefer to create?
I think over the last year too much fuss has been made about "all source", quite frankly. I like to do textiles the most I guess, but I also enjoy hybrids (Turning a cash register into a phone, etc.) My favorite ones that other people do are the humorous ones that are realistic looking, and clean chops with few errors...ones that "tell a story' or have a lot of details.
I do not hate felines as many people think. Old timers understand why I think "kitties" are pretty useless and annoying. They are fun to abuse….typically they make a lot of noise when you put them in blenders and such, it amuses me.
Filters, brushes and techniques: Which do you use, and not use, and why?
I don’t use any special filters, other than the Gaussian blur, noise, and the motion ones sometimes. For some reason I like the wet media brushes and use them at times. Everyone mistakenly thinks I do a displacement map for textiles, but that’s not the case. I play with layer modes a lot and do some overlay painting to give the textiles some depth, wrinkles and such. The Dodge and Burn tools are ones I use as well, although you can’t undo things easily later if you change your mind. When I do a textile I will have many “duplicate” layers until I get it to look the way I like.
When do you know that you have it just right, or is it constant changes up until, or after, you post?
I usually know it's just right when I get the idea and find the images I need. I do make changes a lot though, usually adding another detail or something as I go. If I'm not sure of my idea and can't find images to work, I usually quit within 15 minutes.
What is the limit to what you will chop?
I will abuse animals and children, rarely with blood. I think I had one image with birds getting hit by a slingshot where there was blood. I won't mess with religion, Nazi's, race...I try to be PC as much as I can ...aside from children and animals. ;)
Are there any tips and/or tricks that you would like to pass along to less experienced choppers?
Keep learning, don't take the votes too seriously. Have fun. Vote for things you like, not what you think everyone else likes.
What is your favorite type of source image, and why?
I used to love people, but as I chopped more and more, I like simple objects or scenes that beg to be “filled up”. Any time I can incorporate manass into an image, I'm happy too!
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 think outside sources are necessary, at least for me and the kind of chopping I do. I think it's funny people get their panties in a wad over these things. "All Source" with a filter and some painting does nothing for me.
What is your preferred resource for outside source images?
Not telling. I'm an "ALL SOURCE" kinda gal. NOT!
In your opinion what makes a good chop?
Attention to detail and a story or humor. The combination of them makes a good chop. Photolicious's entry in the most recent H2H round comes to mind...the mushroom one. Loved it.
Do you have a system to get things started?
No.
Have you ever completed a chop and then decided not to enter it in the contest? If so, why?
Yes, I have trouble with "perspective". Sometimes I have what I consider a great idea but I can't get the perspective right, so I don't enter it.
After you finish your chop do you just post it or seek opinions of family and/or fellow choppers first?
My sons help me with my chops, one of them in particular. If it is for a reunion contest or a H2H, I have a few old time PSC'ers who give me advice, but only if they aren't participating.
If some one finds a fault in your work do you change it or stay with what you posted?
If the fault is a chopping error, I fix it. If it is something someone didn't "like", I don't.
What qualities do you look for when deciding to vote on a chop?
I vote for my friends. ( I KEED!)
No, seriously, I rarely vote for “effect” anymore, or anything that is obviously a filter and nothing more. I like images where humor is involved for sure, and I’ll vote for something funny even if it’s not the greatest chop. I like “clean” images and ones where people pay attention to detail the most. Some people here are really good at posting clean, error free images, and it seems that goes unrecognized by a lot of voters. I also like to look at the "new" folks and will vote for people as they improve.
At least when I was voting regularly. Like I said, my New Year's Resolution...
Some member prefer not to vote for filtered chops or animations. Is there any particular style/type of chop you won't vote for?
No.
Time is always a factor, how much time do you spend on a chop and how much time is too much?
I am a slow chopper, I take hours on a good chop. I take hours on a bad chop too.
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 am a constant vote checker.
What chop of yours did not do as well as you expected?
I'll have to get back to you on this one, I had so many, I need to weed through my portfolio.
What do you consider your best chop so far?
My favorite chop ever was the one I did of the floor. You can see it at my website: http://homepage.mac.com/nancymorris/PhotoAlbum33.html
I chose that one because I felt it was very clean, there were no mistakes that I could find, and I liked the “mood” of it. Other favorites include the Electrocuted Cat and the Soccer Ball Shorts, but they both have one glaring error in them that bugs me to this day. On my homepage
I have my favorite images/contests on the first page of my website in a rough order with the most favorite being at the top.
What do you consider your worst chop so far?
There were so many when I first started at PSC, but that’s what’s so fun about the site, is the growth we experience. Volkswes and I joined on the same day and sometimes we’d post 4 or 5 images in one contests….and they all sucked!
Who is your favorite chopper out there and why?
It’s no secret that Hellekro has always been my idol. I wish she still posted, so the newbies could see how she operated. Of course, she was queen of the quick and funny, back before there was advantage, and at 8:00 AM EST we all waited to see what the featured picture was, then raced to get an idea posted. (I guess I have a lot in common with thbeghin’s profile.) Hellekro invented the first “skin condition’ but I couldn’t find it in her profile or on her website. I’d have to say this was my favorite Hellekro post: http://www.kroglassen.com/Changereality/gallery/source/hud1%20copy.jp
g
I would encourage people to visit Hellekro’s profile here at PSC
http://photoshopcontest.com/boards/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&u=3929
and her website:
http://www.kroglassen.com/Changereality/
What do you NOT like to see in a chop, and why not?
Blatant violence and naked/nearly naked chicks. I prefer subtle violence and naked/nearly naked men. Razz
What is the best chop of all time?
Hands down, ED209’s Amish Router: http://photoshopcontest.com/view-entry/69796/votes.html Ed's style consistently combines humor, attention to details, tells a story and no mistakes. Ed209 was the winner of the very first H2H, and he kicked ass in the reunion contest with that entry.
Do you have any other PSC related comments to add?
Blurker asked me about advice for Chop Chicks in my initial profile "interview" Here was my response:
I do wish there were more females at PSC, not many of them dare to venture into chat, at least during the day. I don’t know that I’m qualified to give “advice” but I know we’ve had some females who took the site too “seriously”. PSC is entertainment to me, and I would hope most people view it that way. It’s a fun hobby to chop and enter contests, the abuse that goes on in chat is all for fun, and that’s it. Jerry717 said the same thing in his interview, about taking the votes and the site too seriously…I would have to agree with him. (Although I must admit it is kinda funny when one of our members, male OR female, wigs out and causes a big fuss)
I have been hanging out at PSC for a few years now, and it’s a great way to pass the time. There’s some great people here and it’s a lot of fun.
Oh, and don't wig out in forum or chat.
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