This page is named after & dedicated to my dear flakey friend, INGRID/BRAZIL!  :))))))))  - X -
( You can learn more about INGRID and see some of her early  flakes from 2 years ago by checking out the first Featured Artist page that is located HERE. )
 

AN INTRODUCTION...

INGRID was the first person at SnowDays to PERFECT the Face Flake.  When I first saw one of them fall, I was both astonished and amazed.  Try and remember that even though Face Flakes are a common thing now-a-days, once upon a time they were "ground breaking" at SnowDays.

I say Ingrid "perfected" faces because they were not only properly proportioned, but they were actually BEAUTIFUL!  As time went by, Ingrid's faces lost almost all "cartoon-like" aspects to them and actually started looking more like photographs, or REAL PEOPLE!!!  I often found myself scrutinizing one of her Face Flakes and saying to myself, "She looks like my sister!" (-or cousin, or co-worker, etc.)

Even though the name INGRID has been officially "retired" from SnowDays, the talented flaker behind the name still makes occasional appearances in Flakeville under Anonymous, or any number of other names.  If you are clever and "study" some of her worX, you will recognize her "snowflake signature" when you are fortunate enough to catch one of these flakes made under other niX!  ;)

I should state that INGRID did NOT work on this page, nor did she make the Template that appears here.  Heck, I do not even know if INGRID ever used a template herself!  The reason I have called this page INGRID'S TEMPLATE is because it was one of HER FACE FLAKES that I made a template from.
It is also named after INGRID because even though she has officially "retired" from the flaking scene, her faces are STILL a BIG influence at SnowDays.

WHAT IS A TEMPLATE, AND HOW ARE THEY USED?

The Template idea was 1st described to me by L (music note).  In fact, L actually made me guess what she was doing before she would share the details!  Amazingly, at the time, L was creating faces "in the dark", (on a black creation triangle), and the results were, (and still are), INCREDIBLE!  I am happy to report that I guessed on my first try, probably because of my past "x"periences with Light Tables.

Before continuing with the directions on this page, it is important that you understand what a Light Table is, as you will be using your monitor as one.
WHAT IS A LIGHT TABLE?
(CLICK THE ABOVE LINK FOR A BRIEF DESCRIPTION)

Now that you know what a Light Table is, I will describe what a Template is.  The Template is an image that you create by tracing (or drawing) an image onto a piece of paper.  Afterwards, using your monitor as a LIGHT TABLE, you trace that same image from your template right onto your snowflake!  The TEMPLATE IMAGE itself can come from ANYWHERE!  If you see a picture you like in a magazine, or have a favourite photo at home, you can turn it into a TEMPLATE.  Naturally, the images you see online can also be turned into templates,  INCLUDING FLAKES YOU SEE AT SNOWDAYS!!!  What you use to create your template image on is up to you, but here are the TOP THREE MEDIUMS from BEST to LEAST BEST...

#1.  CLEAR PLASTIC SHEET
This is L's favourite thing to use!  Take a clear piece of plastic and put it over your picture or monitor and trace the image onto it with whatever you can find that will write on plastic!  I imagine a black, fine tipped permanent marker would do the trick.  I have not personally used a clear plastic sheet, but can tell you from some of my past artistic adventures that this will work the BEST!

#2.  TRACING PAPER
This is very thin paper that is readily available at any art supply or office supply store.  It is semi transparent and easy to "look through", especially when used with a light source from behind.

#3.  BLANK WHITE PAPER
(Like what you'd find in your printer!)  This is what I have been using.  You can't "see through it" as well as the above two choices, but it does the trick!

Once you have created your template, you can then place that image onto your monitor to be traced back onto a flake at SnowDays.  Tape it, or hold it in place and carefully chop out the details.  The benefits to this method of flaking should be OBVIOUS, but I shall mention a few of them regardless!

First of all, you will be able to make images on your flakes that you might NEVER be able to otherwise.  The dimensions, details, and even shading will be near flawless, as you are simply "copying" it onto a flake!  Even if you already know how to make a Face Flake free hand (like PM & I both did), you will be AMAZED at the differences of your template faces, and they will also help you with your freehand faces you make in the future!  Remember, ANY image you find can potentially become a template, as long as it is symmetrical.  That is, as long as it appears the same on one side as it does on the other.

MYSTERY & MAGIC!

THE MYSTERIES...
I do not know if INGRID ever used a template herself.  The faces were all individuals, yet had that distinct snowflake signature that only Ingrid had!  I have always thought that she cut them all freehand, but now I have used templates for a while myself, I think she might have used them to create her upside down faces and one cut multiple face flakes.  How she accomplished them is really not important.  What is important are the end results, which were always beautiful and "haunting".

When I first made INGRID's TEMPLATE from one of her flakes and created my first few faces from it, I "sort of" captured her snowflake signature.  Many flakers were quite astonished to see me make an "Ingrid Face Flake"!  What is quite mysterious though, is even though I am using the SAME template I made way back then, I have lost Ingrid's "snowflake signature" on the faces and have somehow replaced it with my own.  The faces I make from Ingrid's Template are distinctly "X" flakes!

THE MAGIC...
I thought I would "x"periment and see what another flaker would do with the same template.  After PM won the second ZERO GAME, I included Ingrid's Template in the letter I sent to her with her 50 dollar prize.  The first few flakes PM made with it looked just like MY faces, PM had "sort of" captured MY snowflake signature!  Shortly afterwards though, PM lost that and replaced it with her own, and as we all know, PM's faces are distinctly HERS!  It would seem that the more Face Flakes you make from this template, the more of your own personal detail and style you will add to it, whether consciously or subconsciously.

Quite quickly, the faces you make from this template will be distinctly YOURS!
 

THE TEMPLATE IMAGES
Simple and straight forward!  Here's what all the "hoopla" is about...
NAB your TEMPLATE by clicking HERE.

PM's INSTRUCTIONS FOR TEMPLATES AND TRANSPARENT WINDOWS.

Since you are using your computer as a light table, and since there are programs that allow you to make your individual windows
transparent, you can take the above information on template images to the neXt level and go TOTALLY DIGITAL!     (kewl!)
It may seem like a lot of work, (after all, you can just use a piece of paper), but if you find yourself getting SERIOUSLY involved with
templates in the future, I really think you will LOVE PM's kewl instructions below.

This is the BEST medium of all to use templates in.
1).  Because you do NOT have to worry about taping or holding your template in place while you try to trace the image onto a flake.
2).  You can follow the template lines VERY easily this way and will get much better accuracy.

I suggest that you "play" with paper or plastic 1st, then, after you see the HUGE benefits of templates and become addicted,
move on up to this "best of all" method!  You can still use ANY image you like to create your image, but after tracing or drawing
your image onto paper, plastic, etc., you will have to scan and save your template onto your computer.  ;)

MANY THANX to my GRAND MASTER STUDENT PM for these awesome instructions on transparent windows and other kewl related "stuff"!
-  X  -
 

~Using Transparent Windows and Templates~
- BY PM -

1. Scan or take a screen shot of the template, drawing, picture, flake, etc.,  and save it to your computer.

2. Open the creation triangle at SnowDays.

( X-NOTE: NOTICE THE SIZE OF THE POINTER ABOVE.  PM IS USING AN ENLARGED IE7 CREATION TRIANGLE!
THIS IS NOT NECESSARY, BUT IS BENEFICIAL.)

3. Open your template and make it slightly transparent. Line the edge (or middling) of the template up with the edge of the triangle. Adjust the transparency to make the template opaque.

( X-NOTE:  PM PLACES HER TEMPLATE IMAGE ABOVE HER SNOWDAYS CREATION TRIANGLE )

4. Go back to the SnowDays creation triangle screen and make that screen transparent (it doesn't have to be 100% transparent) and start tracing.

(You can view PM tracing the image at this link.   http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=12526967
Notice the path she uses, starting with the nostrils and then the lips.  Then she does the face, eyes etc. and finally the hair.)

( X-NOTE: MAKING A WINDOW TRANSPARENT ALLOWS YOU TO "SEE THROUGH IT", THUS, THE IMAGE IS NOW READY TO BE TRACED ONTO A FLAKE )

Notes:
Using the Irfanview program, templates can be flipped and/or rotated in order to make
upside down faces and faces on the right side of the triangle. It is also possible to open up more than one template at a time using Irfanview, to make double faces, etc.  Irfanview is FREE and can be downloaded HERE.

Using the IE7 zoom feature when making these helps a great deal to get lots of details. If the triangle is too big for the screen, the scroll wheel on the mouse can be used to move the triangle up and down to get to the areas that are off the screen.
( X-NOTE:  IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A SCROLL WHEEL, YOU CAN MANUALLY SET YOUR IE7 ZOOM BY CLICKING ON THE MAGNIFYING GLASS ICON IN THE LOWER RIGHT CORNER )

Making these as "one cuts" (or as few cuts as possible) also helps in getting details and avoiding the SPs.

Here is the link for d'loading the transparent windows program that I like to use:
X-NOTE: THE LINK THAT APPEARED HERE IS NOW OBSOLETE, BUT I BET A SEARCH AT GOOGLE FOR "FREE TRANSPARENT WINDOWS PROGRAM" WOULD FIND YOU WHAT YOU WANT! ;)

 

Learn MORE about how to make 1-cuts and hair to avoid the SP's on the TEMPLATE IMAGE PAGE!