Rosie's PI Mainpage

PIO: Your website at rosiehardman.com is a continually expanding project, what is the motivation behind it?

Rosie: It was designed initially as a way of making contact with my fans, for keeping the music alive for those who wanted it and as a way to market a new CD (which I actually recorded in 1973 but never released). However, as my personal interest in my music was minimal I actually took more interest in developing the other sections on the site - the safari tales and my personal section. Once I got into graphics the focus changed again and now that is the most important part of the site so far as I am concerned. I don't honestly know 'where it's going' and I'm not sure I want to.... it seems to be evolving of its own free will sometimes! Just when I thought all the sections of it were set and nothing new was going to happen, Linda (White) kindly sent me her old copy of Bryce 4 because she bought the new version.... and I'm off again! So now I have a Bryce section starting... In the autumn I will also be developing the business part of Rob's side of the site (my hubby, Rob Ixer - he's a mineralogist). Right now my only motivation is to have a website that brings information, resources and pleasure - both to me and to the people who use it!

PIO: Have you offered your design skills professionally, and is PI the main creative tool for these projects?

Rosie: Yes I have - and I've designed logos, office stationery, flyers etc. for local firms. I've also made quite a few greetings cards to order. Most of the work I have done in the past has been done in Microsoft Publisher but I'm now starting to use PI for most of the graphics - which I then import into Publisher for print purposes. I've made a number of graphics for websites but not on a commercial basis. I would quite like to do some commercial work but it worries me that if I did it as my main source of income I would have to work with subjects which I really would not enjoy working with and the pleasure would go out of it for me. I have two other jobs (teaching swimming part time and the computer side of my husband's scientific work for the university) as well as my occasional paid graphic work - so I don't need to rely on it full time.

PIO: Aside from PI, what other graphic tools do you enjoy using or would like to learn?

Rosie: Before I got into PI I used to use Metacreations' Art Dabbler (their cheaper, cut down version of Painter). I loved it. However it flatly refuses to run on my present computer. It gets as far as the opening screen and freezes everything. I got Painter 5 off the front of a magazine and looked forward to using that. It does the same thing. So I had to give up on those! At the moment I'm attempting to learn Bryce 4. I always found PhotoImpact easy. It made sense to me from day 1. Bryce is a whole new ballgame. It drives me nuts - but the rewards, when you get it right, are astounding. I know that to learn even the basics is going to take a long time - I don't mind that. I find its limitations on plants and trees irritating - they don't look realistic enough - but it's scenery is unbelievable.

I occasionally do see other applications I would like to try... but I tend not to be a 'dabbler' - if I'm going to learn a program I want to learn it properly and that means concentrating on it (often to the point of obsession!) until I am satisfied with my progress. I do enjoy using Cool 3D for making text - and I love making animations with Gif Animator - but ultimately they are used in conjunction with PI. All my other graphic programs tend to be DTP programs such as Publisher, Printmaster Platinum etc. I've got a whole ton of other stuff on the computer that I used to love (Professor Franklin's Instant Photo Effects and Photo Artist etc.) - but I rarely use since getting PI.

PIO: Rosie Hardman...singer/songwriter/graphic artist/web mistress...are there any more titles you would like to add in the future? What lies ahead?

Rosie: Who knows? It does worry me that I may just grow old gracefully - when what I always wanted to do was grow old disgracefully... I really don't want to turn into a 'nice old lady' - it sounds horrifically boring! I feel too strongly about some things in the world to just sit back - but the subjects are far too emotive to bring up here.

So far as the website goes - two years ago I didn't see myself learning HTML, having a website or making web graphics.... I've honestly given up wondering what the future holds. The technological revolution keeps throwing us new toys to play with... I'm just sitting here like a kid at Christmas waiting to see what the next package holds....... so your guess is as good as mine!