SnickerdoodleDesign - Featured Designer, Sales and New Products

FEATURED DESIGNER
I am pleased to introduce you to another one of the wonderfully talented designers at CUDigitals. If you missed last week’s feature, be sure to go HERE to learn about Ann Plantier of StartSongStudio.  (Scroll down past the blog train)
Her freebie and sale are still going on through April 26.
NOW LET’S MEET SNICKERDOODLE DESIGNS

• What is your real name?  Karen Schulz

• Tell us a little about yourself
  
• I live with my husband in Orange County, California, USA. We have 2 adult, married “children,” and 2 grandchildren. I love the creative expression that crafts provide, and I always have some type of project in the works! I am passionate about digital design, but in my “spare” time, I love reading, photography, and quilting.

How long have you been designing CU products and how did you get started?
I began designing word art in June 2009 and PU digital kits in January 2010. I am utterly fascinated with Photoshop Styles and began designing CU styles in 2010 also. I enjoy creating overlays and other CU products, but styles are my first love. I love nature, so gravitate toward styles with texture and realism.
Here are some of my favorite products that Karen has in the store at CUDigitals


Do you design PU products as well? I do design PU products as well as CU products. I enjoy creating kits and would describe my style as eclectic.
What programs do you use to design your products? I work mainly in Photoshop CS6 Extended, and am learning to use Illustrator. I also use Art Rage, RepperPro, FilterForge, and Topaz Lab Filters. And I couldn’t do without my camera (Nikon D7000) and my scanner (Epson Perfection 6000 Photo).
What is your favorite time of day to design? I always wake up early, usually around 5 a.m. I love to work in the wee hours of the morning, while it is quiet and still. I love seeing the sky lighten, as the sun comes up. But I also love to work very late into the evening. When I am up alone, with the lights out, and my earphones on, listening to instrumental music, I can work for hours without realizing it. My problem is that staying up late and then waking up early aren’t a good mix!
Can you give us a great tip for using one of your products to create digital scrapbook kits? I love to use layer styles as a “starting point” on an element (or paper), then tweak the options in the Layer Style panel to meet my needs. It makes any style more versatile, giving it more value for the purchase price. I also know that many designers use Photoshop Elements as a design tool, but that installation of Styles can really slow down the software. I include in all of my Styles products a PSD layer strip, which allows anyone to use my Styles without having to “install” them. This is extremely helpful for pre-PSE11 users. (PSE 11 has a “load” option, just like CS does!). If anyone wants to see how this works I have a 59 second video on YouTube that can be viewed here: bit.ly/17kUNXh (Credit: Priscilla Steelman)
What are a few of your favorite products that you’ve made? I really love my Calligraphy Collections, Textured Overlays Collections, and Patterns Collections because they offer so much versatility. My favorite Styles are the Glass Styles – Christmas; Stained Glass Collection; Wire Rim, Silver, Luxurious Marble, and ABC Teach Me Styles.