This is another digital exercise using Painter's pattern pen. Tonight I used the lilac pattern that I recently made from one of my photographs, as well as a ready-made leaf pattern that comes with the Painter program. Once I had the patterns in place, I posterized the image and then used a pale lilac color overlay over the whole thing. It is fun to make these images, and it is also a good way to explore what I can do with the software.
Yesterday I used one of my photographs of lilacs to create a pattern using my Painter program. Tonight I did this little composition using Painter's pattern pen and my lilac pattern, as well as another leaf pattern that Painter supplies.
It is the end of August, so why lilacs? Last week I was using Painter's pattern pen, and it dawned on me that most of the patterns that I made in Painter are no longer there. This probably happened when I changed from a PC to my new Mac back in January, but I just didn't notice. Maybe I can find the files on the computer, or even recreate them. But meanwhile, I decided to make some new patterns. So I was browsing through iPhoto and found some photos of lilacs that I took last spring. So I used Painter's program to "capture" the photo as a pattern. Then I created this image with the lilac pattern. I thought the image needed a little something more, so I posterized it. In my book, it is never the wrong time for lilacs, no matter what the calendar says.
This is a digitally modified snapshot. The photo I have came to me in a group of photos that one of my aunts gave me several years after my father died. Several of the photos, including this one, are marked "West Point 1940". I don't have much information about this set of photos, but from what I can put together, this may have been where he was stationed at an army base there when he enlisted. (If anybody out there knows more, please let me know!) Although my dad is in civilian clothes in this picture, there are other photos of him in uniform, also marked "West Point 1940". I didn't know what the monument was until today, but I did a search on Google and it is a civil war monument, quite tall and spectacular, but this is only the base of it. I like the photo because my dad looks so young, with the spiffy T-shirt and saddle shoes (!) Well, he was young then, on his way to becoming a soldier, not yet married, not yet my dad. Tonight I edited the image in iPhoto, straightening and cropping the image. Then I used Painter to posterize it, as well as it add some color overlays. It was nice to spend a little time thinking about my dad today. He was born on August 28, 1918.
This image began with a photograph that I took at the beach as the light was fading. Tonight I cropped this composition out of the original photograph, and then used Painter to posterized it. This is Dane Street Beach here in Beverly, but it could be any beach here in Massachusetts (or anywhere else, for that matter). There is something universal about the beach, the rhythms of the waves, the light on the water, the marks on the sand.
This image began with a photo that I took on Sunday in Cambridge as I was walking towards the Harvard Bookstore. Tonight I cropped the original photograph to eliminate a tour bus and create this composition. Then I opened the image in Painter and posterized it, choosing a level that would show some detail in the bricks. Then I used a pale blue color overlay on the sky.
Here is another digital composition exercise that I made using Painter's pattern pen. I used two patterns, one created from my own photo of clematis, and the second a ready-made pattern of leaves that is furnished by Painter. I decided to start with blue background, and then used short strokes of the clematis pattern, layering different colors. Then I added the leaf pattern in pale aqua.
Tonight I decided to try another composition exercise using the pattern pen feature in my Painter program. This time I used a clematis pattern that I created from a photograph that I took earlier in the summer, as well as a "ready made" vine pattern that comes with Painter. I used a pastel pattern pen. The pattern pen is kind of hard to control, so I made short strokes, like putting down pieces of scotch tape. Then I used a pale pink color overlay, and cropped the image to get this composition.
This a composition exercise that I created on the computer today. I used the pattern pen tool in my Painter program. I chose two patterns, one created recently from my own photo of a rose, and the other from a leaf pattern supplied by Painter. I used a pastel pattern pen to make both patterns pink, and then layered them till I got the composition I wanted. The rose pattern is in the darker pink areas. The rose itself is not very visible, but just adds a little texture and pattern. What I was trying for here was a sense of transparent layers, almost like a digital collage. It was fun to do this little exercise, and I liked the result, so here it is.
The heat wave continues! But you can catch a breeze near the water, which is what I was doing when I took this photo a few days ago. I was standing right at the edge of the water. This is a picture of what I saw when I looked down.
Last Friday, I took the MBTA commuter rail into Boston from Beverly. Most of the ride is not very scenic, but I have always liked the view of these salt marshes. I am not sure of the exact location, but this was taken is somewhere around Revere, I believe. The ocean is just beyond the trees. Tonight I cropped the original photo to get this composition, and eliminated some rocks in the foreground which were out of focus due to being photographed from a moving train.
Here north of Boston, it has been very hot for the last few days. An evening walk on the beach is a good way to cool off. This image began with a photograph that I took during a recent walk on Dane Street Beach (in Beverly, MA). The colors of the sky and water were amazing. Tonight I cropped the image to get this composition, cutting out a bright blue towel left on the beach, and also used Painter's digital pastel to eliminate a pile of sand that a child had built right along the edge of the water. Then I used the magic wand tool so I could posterize most of the photograph except the sky. I like this image because it shows that the sea really does shine. (It's not just a song lyric.)
Here is one more photograph from last Friday's trip into Boston. I try to photograph this bridge whenever I get a chance (which usually means whenever I have the opportunity to be in the passenger's seat on a trip to Boston, and taking pictures of a bridge from a moving car is not easy!) But Friday, I took the commuter rail into Boston, and the train's path is just below the bridge. The train moves at a nice slow pace as it approaches North Station. This gave me the opportunity to take pictures of the bridge from a different vantage point. The reflection of the train's windows created a diagonal across the top of the photo, geometric and yet somehow magical, like the Zakim Bridge itself.
I used my Painter program to create this posterized version of yesterday's post, a photo of birch trees in the courtyard of Boston's Museum of Fine Arts. On Friday I took the train to Boston to see the exhibit of paintings by Veronese, Titian, and Tintoretto. Afterward, I had a quick picnic for one in the courtyard. Although I had been looking at paintings from the Renaissance, this scene reminded me of an impressionist painting, so I took a picture. I thought posterizing the image might enhance the effect.
This is another photograph that I took during yesterday's trip into Boston. I went to the Museum of Fine Arts to see the exhibit of paintings by Titian, Tintoretto, and Veronese. After I saw the exhibit, I picked up something to eat in the cafeteria, and ate outside in the courtyard under some birch trees. The light was wonderful, so I took a few photos. The trees in the background are willow, I think. Tonight I also created a posterized version which I plan to post tomorrow.
Today's adventure was a trip into Boston to see a show at the Museum of Fine Arts: paintings of Veronese, Titian, and Tintoretto. I took advantage of the offer of an extra ticket, and took the train into Boston to see this show, and just in time, too, because it is about to close. I really enjoyed the exhibit! You can't take photos in the museum, but as I was leaving, I turned back and took a picture of the front of the building, including the banner that shows part of one of the paintings. Tonight I cropped the original photo to get this composition (also cropping the banner to get a family-friendly image). Once I had the composition I wanted, I noticed that the tree looked dry and bedraggled, so I opened the image in Painter and used some digital chalk, color overlay, and the magic wand tool to add some green. Then I posterized the image, and added a very pale green overlay to entire surface. This is my favorite image of the day because it manages to include the art exhibit, the beauty of the museum, and the excitement of being in Boston.
Tonight I noticed a bouquet with pink roses in my daughter's new kitchen. I took some quick photos in low light. When I got back home, I transferred the photos to my computer, and cropped this image out of the photo I liked best. I used iPhoto to adjust the exposure, and then I opened the image in Painter and posterized it. This emphasized some shapes in the background, and I think that improved the composition.
On a recent trip to a local Trader Joe's grocery store, I saw a display of sunflowers. They were in big bunches and at eye level, perfect for taking pictures, so I did. Today I cropped this image out of the best photograph, then used Painter to posterize it.
I took this photograph yesterday during an after dinner walk here in Beverly, MA. The vantage point is from a walkway that leads from the end of Woodbury Street to a beach at the far end of Lynch Park. It's nice and cool there, and the view is great. The trees and lawn on the left are Lynch Park (which is surrounded by water on three sides) and you can see across the water all the way to Salem Willows and Marblehead, in the background. The colors were beautiful last night, and I was crazy about the sailboat, so I took some photos. I liked this one the best, so tonight I edited it in iPhoto. I straightened it out and cropped it. Then I adjusted the exposure of the shadows, and added just a touch more saturation to bring the image closer to the colors that I had actually seen.
This is a digital still life that I have been working on five minutes at a time, using Painter's digital pastel and working from my imagination. I started this sketch last Monday during a very hectic day, and have been working on it all week, one five-minute session every night. Tonight I used the five minutes to clean up the background. I also added a petal to the flower on the right because I wanted to make the drawing a bit more symmetrical. Nothing is ever perfect, but at this point, I am happy with the little drawing, and am willing to say that I think it might be finished.
This is a digital sketch that I started last Monday. Because it was such a hectic day, I had the idea of doing a five-minute sketch (like the timed warm-up sketches in a drawing class). I liked the exercise, so I kept at it all week, with a five-minute session each day on this sketch. I am using my Painter software's digital pastel and working from my imagination. Tonight I changed the color of the leaves to make them show up against the blue, and added some buds to hold up the blossoms. I cleaned up the background a little, and made the vase a bit more symmetrical. The five minutes was up, but I decided to check for symmetry with a grid. It was off, so I decided to crop the image to get the vase closer to the center. When I did that, I noticed that the blossoms were closer to one edge than the other. So I added just a bit more to the blossom on the right. At that point, I had actually worked on this sketch for seven minutes rather than five. Well, I was about to declare that I think it is done, but I can already see a few things I would like to fix. But we're almost there. Maybe just another five minutes. . . .
This is a digital drawing that I have been working on five minutes at a time. I started a little sketch on the computer last Monday, a extremely hectic day, because I wanted to fit in some art, even if I only had five minutes. I kept working on the sketch all week, not only because life has remained busy all week, but also because it was fun to see how much I could do in five minutes! I am using Painter's digital pastel and working from my imagination. Tonight I worked on the blue background, added definition to the leaves, and filled in the flowers with more pink. I may have gone over the five minutes just a bit. This is almost done, but I think I need another five minutes to clean it up.
Yesterday we had a little break in the hot weather. I went to the studio to work on this project, a heart-shaped box that I am covering with collage and decoupage cut from printed metallic ribbon. It was still very warm in the studio, so for the first half hour I concentrated on the inside of the box top because I am using larger pieces of ribbon right now. (That matters because the warmer it is, the stickier everything gets, and the smaller the pieces are, the harder they are to handle.) I spent the last half hour filling in tiny gaps around the perimeter of the box (gold area) with little tiny bits of ribbon, and adding some pieces to the red area on the inside of the box. After about an hour, everything was sticking to everything else, my hands were all over glue, and I felt like I was in a sauna. But I was happy.
This is a digital sketch in progress; I have been working on it since Monday, five minutes per day. (Well, tonight I might have gone to six or even seven minutes; I got carried away.) I am using digital pastel in Painter. I started this project because Monday was so hectic (my daughter's moving day) and I wanted to fit in some art, even just for a few minutes. But I kept going because it was fun to see what I could do in five minutes. Tonight I worked on the background, and corrected the shape of the vase.
This is a sketch done on the computer with Painter's digital pastel. I started it on Monday, a very hectic day because I was helping my daughter move into her new place. But I took just a few minutes and did a five-minute sketch, a familiar exercise from drawing classes. Last night I worked on this sketch for five more minutes and posted the result (Ten Minute Still Life). Tonight I worked on it again for another five minutes, so it is now a Fifteen Minute Still Life. I added some reflections to the vase and filled in part of the background. I plan to do another five minutes tomorrow.
Yesterday was very hectic, but I was determined to find a little time to make art, so I did a little five-minute drawing exercise. I used Painter's digital pastel to make a quick sketch of flowers in a vase. I liked the result, and had fun with the exercise, so tonight I decided to see what would happen if I spent just five more minutes on the drawing. (I checked the clock.) This is the result.
This was moving day for my daughter, and I had a very hectic day. I got home very late, without much energy or time to make art. But I decided to do a drawing in five minutes or less; most drawing classes start with warm-up exercises of quick sketches, some as short as thirty seconds. It's always good practice. So that's what I decided to do. I did this little digital sketch in Painter, using digital pastel. It's just a simple little still life, but it feels like a little triumph to me. Although I only managed five minutes of art today, it's the commitment behind this simple little drawing that is important.
This is another little digital mosaic that I made with my Painter program tonight. Because I am trying to learn the technique and mechanics of making digital mosaics, I am concentrating on familiar subject matter. I grew up in Colorado, and the Rocky Mountains are always in my mind's eye (and in my heart)! Tonight I thought I would try to capture the landscape I grew up with (in Pueblo, Colorado): the view of blue mountains in the distance, the dry dusty pink earth, and the sparse sage green vegetation.
This image began as a photo that I took during a recent walk at the Cummings Center Pond here in Beverly. I saw some beautiful red day lilies in sun and shade, so I took a picture. Tonight I cropped this image out of the original photograph, and then used my Painter program to posterize it.
