More than once, I have heard Leland, editor extraordinaire of the GenealogBlog, comment over the book Paper Trees. He always thought this collection of hand drawn genealogy charts was unique and great for the individual with the artistic talent to color and with good enough handwriting to legibly enter their family’s information. Leland thought such art would make the perfect family gift. However, for those of us with terrible handwriting, or for those who never did learn to color within the lines, these charts were bound to remain empty and colorless.
Of course, Leland long had it in the back of his mind that if only there were a way to scan these great charts and fill them in, and maybe even add some color, on the computer then these charts would make the ultimate wall art or personal family gift. Leland’s thought were ahead of the technology. When Paper Trees came out, in 1999, the technology needed to transfer these charts to the computer and to color and fill them in was both price prohibitive as well as requiring a extremely high-level of efficiency with difficult-to-learn software. Today, things have changed. Software is both affordable and easy to learn, and scanners like the Flip-Pal are relatively inexpensive to purchase and easy to use while getting high quality output. Realizing his dream for the perfect family chart was within hand, Leland turned to his friend Tom Underhill to produce a simple, 4-page guide for scanning a Paper Tree chart, coloring the chart, and entering information. The results were so simple even Leland could follow them (OK, I know you saw that one coming). Seriously, using a Flip-Pal or your average flatbed scanner to bring a Paper Tree chart into Photoshop Elements is a cinch. Then using Photoshop Elements to add color and text is easy when you follow Tom’s simple directions. Print the final chart on a color printer and your wall art is ready.
So how do you get Tom’s 14 step Fun Pedigree Charts? It comes free with every order of Paper Trees from Family Roots Publishing.
Sample of a scanned, colored, edited, and printed chart.
Here is some more information about Paper Trees in Leland’s own words:
Paper Trees is a unique collection of hand-drawn family trees and charts which you can fill in and color by yourself (by computer or by hand). All of these beautiful designs are original, and they are available as clip-art for use as family gift charts, cards, announcements, book covers, section dividers, reunion T-shirts and mugs, newsletter designs, research aids, or for any of a thousand other things.
Filled in by hand, calligraphy, or type, and hand-colored in pen, paint, or computer program (like Photoshop Elements), each of these family trees is guaranteed to be unique, and each illustration–whether elegant, whimsical, or just plain folksy–is a joyful celebration of your family. Uses for it are limited only by your imagination.
You can photo-reduce the family trees for use as note cards and stationery, or you can enlarge them to show family detail at its optimum. Remember that each of these family trees is an ancestral tree. The tree starts with you, and each generation back doubles in size, showing two parents, four grandparents, eight great-grandparents, etc.
You’ll have a great time with these illustrations, and you can pass them on finished or unfinished, to be treasured as keepsakes or to be embellished and completed by others.
Cover and sample from Tom’s Fun Pedigree Charts tutorial:
Make your own beautiful art with Paper Trees (Price: $18.76) and Fun Pedigree Charts (Price: $FREE with purchase of Paper Trees)