This class is proving to be pretty fun.  I don’t particulary enjoy going through the lessons in the book, but I know that they will help me get more familiar and comfortable using the 5 gazillion tools that are available in Photoshop.  Last week I was given my first project for the class.  The project is to take a photo (can be digital or print), make it black and white if needed, and then to hand color the photo.  The instructor (someone for whom I have a great deal of respect) does not want us to color it like the original.  She wants us to get creative with the colors and to not be afraid to use some of the more funky brushes that are found in Photoshop.

I must admit it took longer than I thought it would to find a photograph to use, but in the end I selected one of my own:

Click the photo to enlarge.

I took this photo last summer at Minnesota Vikings Training Camp in Mankato, MN.  I thought this might make a good starting point since it has some detail, but is not so detailed as to require pixel-by-pixel coloring to get a good result.  I’ve been working on this since about Friday for about 2 hours each day.  It’s definitely taking longer than I thought it would, but it’s coming along very nicely.  I’ll share with you all once I have the final coloring done.