Endless Variations - Many Designs from a Single Image

The arrival of the Cricut Explore machine and Design Space software has rekindled interest in the Cricut system and image library.  If you have been working with Cricut machines for a long time, you may have felt left out if your friends started trying other machines and software programs that allowed them to draw and create original designs.

While the Cricut software options have never included drawing tools that allow you to create a free form image, the ability to weld and to hide lines within a design gives you a lot of creative freedom to alter designs until they are completely transformed from their original look.

Back in September, 2009, I went on a trip to Italy.  This was during the first year of my resolution to post on my blog every day and I did some pre-scheduled posts to cover the days that I would be out of the country and possibly unable to access my blog online.

I decided to choose a single image on a key from a cartridge and try to see how many different cards I could make by either using "hide contour" and/or welding.  This is the image I chose to use for my project.

This image is from the Wedding cartridge and you can see it highlighted on the keypad above.

There is an additional image layer, but I did not use this in my designs.  There are also shadow and blackout layers.  If you start adding these into the designs there will be many more variations.

The designs started simply and became increasingly complex.  Here are the first 6 days of cards that I made by manipulating just that one image in the software.  The only additional cuts are some initials that were from the Storybook cartridge (you could also stamp the initials).

These designs were done with Design Studio (the old original program for working with Cricut images).  I believe the downloads for the Design Studio files may still be active (these will work only with the old Design Studio software).

These are the cards from the second six days.  The smallest changes in showing or hiding a cut line in the design can produce very interesting results.

I called this set of card variations "AFADWIAA" - for "a file a day while I am away." If you want to see the series of posts, click HERE to find the posts labelled AFADWIAA!  (they will show in backwards chronological order so scroll down to the bottom and work your way to the top of the page).  Can you figure out how I changed the image in each day's card?

I am keeping very busy helping my sister with some of the settling after her move.  We are working on setting up a craft room in a spare bedroom.  I'll be back home soon - I hope I can avoid this latest winter storm - will Spring ever get to New England?  Virginia is beautiful now...

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