~ Artist-Eve Riser-Roberts ~

~ The Cat's Meow ~

The Cat Gallery
Special Halloween Edition
October, 2002
Copyright Eve Riser-Roberts 2002

 

A little Halloween treat
for all you cat lovers

 

How to Add a Cat to Your Emails

 

_________________________

Would you cat fanatics like to spice up your emails with one of your favorite subjects?  A cat......

 _________________________

Snuggle up to your computer with your mug of hot chocolate and a cat in your lap, and discover a few ways you can liven up your emails.  You'll have so much fun bringing color and images to your plain old text letters, and you'll have a chance to show your artistic side.

No. 1

Since an Outlook Express stationery containing a cat has been adapted for this newsletter, we'll start with the now familiar stationery artist, Barb, and her work.  Outlook Express stationery is a great way to have a unique, attractive background with a cat worked into the design.  Then you just fill in your text in the space provided.  All the work is done for you, and lovely, imaginative designs reflect your particular artistic taste.  There are many OE stationery makers who offer their creations to the public for free.  These are artists who combine their imagination with certain computer tools (many favor PaintShopPro) to turn an image of a cat into another work of art.  Barb offers her creations for free on her website, many of which contain cats (including some of the Famous Artists’ Cats).   You can track others down by doing a search on the web, then download the versions you like into your Outlook Express.  You call them up by clicking on the small down arrow next to “Create Mail,” and start typing your message.  Check out Barb's stationery for an amazing selection, and look for the famous artists' cats while you're there.

No. 2

Another similar way to let your email recipients know that you’re cat crazy, is to use the new email program called IncrediMail.  The basic service is free.  You just sign up for it, and they provide you with a variety of backgrounds you can use for your emails (among other useful, neat things).  These are called 'Letters.'  One of the letter styles is a selection of cat backgrounds, which are included with the service.  Again, you can search the Internet for other examples of free IncrediMail letters and add them to your list to choose from for variety.  There are also many people who like to design these letters and make them available to the public, or you can create your own using the tools provided by one of their upgrades.  This program also allows you to add animations to your emails, either from a selection in their library, or from your hard drive or from a webpage.

Email has finally evolved. Get with the times. Get IncrediMail!   And your free background kitties!

No. 3

 

Have you been adding emoticons at every opportunity to this, that, and the other?  Now, you can not only put these guys directly into your emails, but you can also plop in a cat or two, if you wish.  The way to do it is with a program called EmotiPad.  The icon for it resides conveniently on your desktop waiting for you to bring it up to select something for your email or other application that accepts images.  You just click on the image you want in your EmotiPad library (such as clip art of a cat), then drag and drop it into your email where you indicate.

 

So, again, back to the web to search for cat clip art, or use your own images to add to your library.  They can be dragged and dropped from your browser to your EmotiPad library, where they await your cat call, or whatever, and then you drag them where you need them.  It’s a great way to manage all your emoticons and images.  HTML must be enabled in OE for EmotiPad to work.  There's a 14-day trial period, then it costs only $9.95.  Their address is http://www.emotipad.com/ .  It’s so easy to add the little clip art kitty or a picture of your own cat to your emails this way.

 

No. 4

 

Another way to add a cat image is to add it as an attachment to your email, where it appears as an image below your letter.  Not as sophisticated, but if you have a photo of your own cat on your hard drive, for instance, that you’d like to send easily, this is a convenient way to do it.

                 ,.     ,.
                {^ \-"-/ ^}
                "   """   "  
               { <O> _ <O> }
               ==_ .:Y:. _==
             .""  `--^--' "".
            (,~-~."" "" ,~-~.)
      ------(     )----(     )-----
            ^-'-'-^    ^-'-'-^
      _____________________________
            |"""" /~.^.~\ """"|
      hjw    ,i-i-i(""(  i-i-i.
      `97   (o o o ))"")(o o o)
             \ (_)/(""(  \(_)/      
              `--'  \""\  `--'
                     )"")
                    (""/
                     `"    

And then there's ASCII art.  By using the letters and other symbols on the keyboard and from other sources, it's possible to create images of cats.  There are several ASCII artists who love to do cats, and they can be tracked down by an Internet search.  Or you could have fun by creating your own.  You should, however, use a proportional text like Courier, to avoid distortion of the image when it's used.  Most email programs don't default to Courier, so if your email is set for HTML, you can select your image to be in that font, while the rest of the text can be in another font.  People often use an ASCII cat in their sig file, and it becomes their trademark.  Try making your own.  Find out more about ASCII cat art in an upcoming issue of the newsletter.

 

No. 6

 

If you're in Outlook Express and set for HTML, there will be an icon on the far right in the toolbar just above your letter that says, 'Insert Picture' (with a mouseover).  Clicking this will let you place an image in your text where you wish, by browsing and selecting from your hard drive.

 

If anyone else has any more suggestions, let me know, and I'll pass them on.

 _________________________

 

How do you find websites about Halloween?
Try Yaboo.

Why is a witch's hair green?
'Cause she sneezes in her hand and then wipes it off on her hair.

One ghost said to another...
Do you believe in people?

Happy Halloween

Credits

My thanks to the websites that provided the free graphics used here in exchange for a link.  The borrowed graphics are linked to the website and the logo displayed and linked below, when requested.   The email graphic was courtesy of Graphics by Samara, and the ASCII cat is from Flump's Ascii Art.

If you like this newsletter and The Cat Gallery, you can let others know by voting for us.  This is an Intelligence Test :-) Click on the image below, then on the link.  You may have to then hit the back button and click on the link again to enter the site, and The Cat Gallery's currently #25-50, then you click on our banner there to vote in the other direction, too :-)  Thank you so much.  Did you pass the test?