I would be
delighted to have you participate in the End Finishes Project. I can use direct
scans, slides or photographs. You may e-mail JPEG files to me, or send other
materials by snail mail. I will return your photos promptly.
For each piece, I would like to receive the following:
1. A photo of your rug, bag or other woven
object.
2. Detail photos or scans of the front and back of the end finish(s).
3. A technical analysis of the rug.Since
several people have asked that I offer guidelines on what to scan or photograph, and how
large to make the digital files, my suggestions are below. If you already have scans
of another size, however, please send them on.
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Rug Photo
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I will appreciate any photo you
can provide that will give folks an accurate notion of your rug--either a full view or a
partial view that shows a representative section. Straight-on shots are preferable, but an
on-the-floor perspective shot is OK too.
If you are using a DIGITAL CAMERA, the highest resolution possible is necessary for the
best ultimate picture quality. You may send the file as a JPEG e-mail attachment
with no changes and I will adjust both the resolution and image size as necessary for the
web page. If you wish to reduce the size yourself, please use a RESOLUTION of either 96 or
72 pixels per inch and an IMAGE SIZE of at least 400 pixels per inch in the greater
dimension.
If you are SCANNING a small photograph, use a high scanning resolution for good quality,
and save your picture in JPEG format. You may either send the scan with NO changes,
or reduce the file to a RESOLUTION of 96 (or 72) pixels per inch and an IMAGE SIZE of
perhaps 400 pixels per inch in the greater dimension; I'll make further reductions as
necessary. I would prefer that you not do any other image editing or
sharpening. I'll do that after the final size is determined.
I know it makes little sense, but even though we must reduce picture resolution ultimately
for the web, photos are much clearer if the INITIAL resolution is high.
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End Finish
Details
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If you
are using a DIGITAL CAMERA, try to photograph an 8- or 10-inch-wide section of the end
finish--whatever the focal range of your camera will permit. Use the camera's
highest resolution, and JPEG format. Most cameras' default settings are OK for people
pics, but are not adequate for textiles. You may send your photo with no changes, or crop
the picture as I've described below. Please do not reduce the resolution,
however.
If you have a flatbed SCANNER with the typical 8½" x 11" scanning surface, here
is what I suggest for excellent details:
Lay your textile directly on the scanner glass. With warp-end finishes it can sometimes be
useful to show the starting or ending point (e.g. the side corner of the rug), but use
your judgement and pick an area in good condition, a section which shows an unusual
feature, or maybe even a frayed area that helps us to better understand the structure. If
the selvage is original, it can be useful to include a short section of that.
Before your actual scan, crop a large section that shows a good portion of the width. I
may use different features from one rug to another, and different degrees of magnification
to help give folks a broad understanding of the structures. If you are unsure of
what to call the construction, it is especially important that I see a large section, so
that I can try to figure it out! Both front and back are needed in such a
case. |
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Before you scan, crop so
that parts of the weave adjoining the end finish are included (pile, etc.) as well as
plenty of extra width-- perhaps even the entire width. Often the starting or ending
points of the finish are distinctive; sometimes frayed areas are informative. The
photo shows how much of this rug actually fit on the 8½" x 11" scanner
glass; the blue rectangle shows a reasonable portion to crop for a detail scan.
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Since we need the best detail
possible, it is important to scan at a high resolution, even though the picture resolution
must be reduced later for the web. (With my old scanner, the highest resolution
setting is necessary; if you have a fancy new scanner, a middle range may be OK.)
When you scan the back side of your rug, try to show the same section.
After you have named and saved your scan, open your photo in your image-editing software
program, and find the 'IMAGE SIZE' screen. Reduce the overall size of your file to:
RESOLUTION: 96 pixels per inch. This is the resolution currently used by the
best computer monitors, and any higher final resolution for use on the internet
is wasted. 72 pixels is more standard for the web and is OK too. Your software
should have a way to check 'constrain proportions' before you make any changes in your
image.
IMAGE SIZE: Somewhere between 1100 and 1300 pixels per inch in the longest dimension
will be ideal (or a minimum of 12 inches, image size). If the detail you are trying
to show is tiny, use the larger number. Then save your image again in JPEG
format.
Even after you have reduced the size of your files, they will take quite some time to load
when you send them as e-mail attachments. Don't forget to scan the back of your rug's
end finish as well as the front-- unless the two faces are identical.
If my notes above are not clear or explicit enough, please let me know. These are
only suggestions. Please send whatever you think is appropriate.
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Technical
Analysis
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For this data base project to be
truly useful, an accurate, but not necessarily lengthy, technical analysis is needed for
each rug. Please use standard textile terminology such as that outlined in Woven
Structures if possible, so that the descriptions will be understood by everybody.
If I have questions about anything you have written, I'll ask them. I may
alter or rephrase your description slightly for the sake of consistency, so you need not
be concerned about the exact form.
Those of us already involved in this project are most interested in trying to coordinate
distinctive end finishes with selvage constructions and the use of crossed wefts, so we
would especially appreciate your attention to those details if possible. If you can't
furnish these details, don't worry about it.
If you would prefer anonymity for your contribution on the website, be sure to tell me
that.
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Where to Send
the Materials
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I will be happy to have you send
analyses by e-mail and JPEG files as attachments. Because of
the havoc caused by recent computer viruses, please tell me in your e-mail subject line
what attachments you are including (e.g. "Kazak rug scans," or "Malatya
saddlebag pics").
Send to: marlam@mindspring.com.
Please send either photographs or slides to:
Marla Mallett
1690
Johnson Road NE
Atlanta, GA 30306
USA
Please call at any time if you wish: 404-872-3356,
or Toll Free: 1-877-542-0841.
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| Your Opinions Are Needed Too!
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| It is very likely that rugs will
be erroneously identified during the course of this project. I need your help! Please
let me know if you think any attributions are wrong, or if you can supply more
precise labels. If you do not know for sure where your piece is from, I can post it
anyway, and ask what others think. |
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