New Year

New Year a video by randubnick on Flickr.

Tonight I used the Brushes app on my iPad to create this little animation. Happy 2013! In case the video doesn't show up for you, here is the link http://www.flickr.com/photos/randiart/8331330119/in/photostream

Colorado Drawings: Georgetown (Final Revised)

Colorado Drawings: Georgetown (Final Revised), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

This is a revision of the drawing I posted here last night, called "Colorado Sketches: Georgetown (Final)". This is one of a series of drawings based on sketches I made during a trip to Colorado in the mid-1980s. This one is based on a sketch I made near Georgetown, Colorado, and I have made several attempts at it. Last night's version is the final attempt, but I did go back to it for some revision today. I am finally happy with the composition and basic color scheme, but this morning I adjusted the values in the panel on the left to make the shape of the mountain seem more continuous. I didn't change the rest of the colors, but the drawing looks different because I photographed it in morning light. This drawing is 5 x 8 inches (like the original sketch) and is done in pencil, colored pencil, colored conte crayon, and fine-line marker.

Colorado Drawings: Georgetown (Final)

Colorado Drawings: Georgetown (Final), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

This is part of a series of small drawings I have been working on, based on quick pencil sketches that I made during a drive through the Colorado mountains, during a trip back home in the 1980s. From the passenger seat, I captured quick line drawings in a small (5 x 8 inch) travel sketchbook. Sometimes I wrote the location in the corner. This year I found the old sketchbook, and have been scanning and copying the drawings, and then tracing them into a new sketchbook (also 5 x 8 inches). Then I add color with mixed media. This is actually my third attempt at the Georgetown sketch. I posted the original on Nov. 10, and attempt #1 on Nov. 16 and attempt #2 on Nov. 23. I liked those earlier attempts, but I want to emphasize line over shape. So I tried again. This time, I used a narrower range of colors on the mountains, and I was happier with the result. So I think this is it for the Georgetown drawing. I have included "final" in the title because enough already; it is time to move on. But I still might make small revisions. This is colored pencil, colored conte crayon, and fine-line marker.

Big Kaleidoscope Blossom

Big Kaleidoscope Blossom, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Tonight i did another digital drawing in Painter 12's kaleidoscope mode. (The drawing surface is divided into six sections and whatever you draw in one section is replicated in the others.) I used digital pastel, started with one petal, and just kept going. I used the paint bucket tool to fill areas with color, but the paint bucket tool isn't replicated in kaleidoscope mode and so each area has to be filled one at a time. When I had finished, I kept looking at the image, thinking that something was wrong because the petals didn't look symmetrical. Then I realized that the shapes were symmetrical but that I had made errors with the paint bucket, so I had to revise. Is my computer smarter than I am? Guess so.

Many Kaleidoscopes

Many Kaleidoscopes, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Yesterday I posted a digital image that I made using Painter 12's pattern pen and drawing in kaleidoscope mode. (The "digital canvas" is divided into 6 sections and whatever you draw in one section is replicated in the others.) I loaded the pattern pen with the Square Grid pattern that I created earlier this year from a photo that I took of a sidewalk grate. Tonight I used last night's image to create another pattern. I used a 52% offset because it worked well with the pink daisies kaleidoscope pattern that I posted here two days ago. It worked well this time, too. I don't know why it works, but I am glad that it does.

Kaleidoscope with Square Grid Pattern

Kaleidoscope with Square Grid Pattern, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

I am still playing around with Painter's kaleidoscope mode, figuring out what works and what doesn't. I have been wondering what would happen if I combined a pattern pen with kaleidoscope mode, so tonight I tried it. I tried several patterns and some didn't seem to work well, but then I tried this one and I like the result. (This pattern began with a photo that I took of a sidewalk grate with a grid pattern.) Depending on how you move the pattern pen, you can make circles or create a texture that suggests pleats or crinkling.

Many Pink Daisies (Kaleidoscope)

Many Pink Daisies (Kaleidoscope), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Tonight I went back to the Pink Daisies drawing that I made in Painter 12's kaleidoscope mode (posted here on December 21). I wanted to see what it would look like as a pattern. I tried several versions but discovered that if I used a 52% offset, everything lined up perfectly, producing some very nice triangles and circles. (I am writing that percentage down here so I won't lose track of it.) This wasn't math, though. I just fiddled around till things lined up, and then looked at the controls to see what the numbers were.

Many Snow Birds

Many Snow Birds, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

A couple of days ago, I used the Brushes app on my iPad to draw a little red bird in a snow storm. Day before yesterday, I posted the "stroke-by-stroke" video captured by the Brushes app as I drew, and yesterday I posted the drawing. Today I cropped the image and used Painter 12 to capture a pattern, and here it is. Well, if you add it up, that's a lot of little red birds, but I am sending them out to wish family and friends wonderful winter holidays.

Snow Bird (Cropped)

Snow Bird (Cropped), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Yesterday I created this digital drawing of a little red bird in a snowstorm, using the Brushes app on my iPad. As you draw, the iPad version of the Brushes app creates a stroke-by-stroke video, which I posted here last night. Tonight I am posting the drawing itself. I cropped it a bit in iPhoto to get this composition. If you missed the video, you can see it here: www.flickr.com/photos/randiart/8299117128/in/photostream

Snow Bird (Stroke-by-Stroke Video)

Snow Bird (Stroke-by-Stroke Video) a video by randubnick on Flickr.

Today I had an idea for an animation of a little bird in a snowstorm, so this afternoon I got out my iPad and created this little drawing in Brushes on my iPad. When you use the Brushes app on the iPad, it captures a "stroke-by-stroke" video as you draw. So if you want to see it snow, just press play. I am going to use this to send season's greetings out to friends. Tomorrow I plan to post the drawing of this little snow bird.

Pink Daisies Kaleidoscope

Pink Daisies Kaleidoscope, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Here's another digital drawing that I created tonight with Painter 12's kaleidoscope tool. I can say that I am trying to figure out what works and what doesn't (which is true), but it is also addictive! So far I have discovered that the results aren't completely symmetrical, so the final image has to be cropped. I also figured out that although brush strokes appear in all six "kaleidoscope" panes, the paint brush tool doesn't work that way. In this design, I used the paint brush tool to fill outlined shapes with colors, and had to re-open the file to fix a leaf I had missed. But it is a lot of fun and I think I can use it to make patterns.

Bright Kaleidoscope

Bright Kaleidoscope, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Last night I decided to try Painter 12's kaleidoscope mode again. (When you draw in kaleidoscope mode, the digital "canvas" is divided into six parts, and whatever you draw in one section is replicated in all the others.) My goal last night was to continue to explore and find out what works. I didn't realize that I was creating a Star of David (six pointed star) in the center. It just happened.

Many Purple Kaleidoscope Flowers

Many Purple Kaleidoscope Flowers, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Yesterday I used Painter 12's kaleidoscope mode for the first time. (What took me so long, I wonder?) If you are in kaleidoscope mode, the "canvas" is divided into six sections, and whatever you draw in one section is replicated in all sections. So I experimented and created a purple flower. Tonight in Painter, I "captured" the purple kaleidoscope flower as a pattern, and then used the pattern in this image.

My First Kaleidoscope

My First Kaleidoscope, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Tonight I was going to make a digital drawing in Painter and was thinking about using the golden proportions grid, but happened on the kaleidoscope grid instead and decide to try it out. Well, it is amazing! It isn't just a grid; it is a tool. It divides the digital "canvas" into six sections and whatever you draw in one section is mirrored in all six -- just like the kaleidoscope we all had as kids. So I started drawing, experimenting to see what works and what doesn't. This little digital drawing is the result. Warning: drawing in kaleidoscope mode is addictive.

Necklace with Wooden Beads on Knotted Pink Cord

Necklace with Wooden Beads on Knotted Pink Cord, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

I made this necklace tonight, turned beads made of light wood on a knotted pink cotton cord. I thought I could do this quickly, but I was wrong.

Necklace with Wooden Beads on Knotted Blue Cord

Necklace with Wooden Beads on Knotted Blue Cord, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

This is a necklace I made this afternoon. I put pale green wooden spheres and brown wooden truncated cylinders on a knotted cotton cord.

Many Simple Menorahs

Many Simple Menorahs, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Yesterday I posted a simple drawing of a menorah. I used the Brushes app on my iPhone to create the menorah with one continuous line, then added nine pink dots to represent candle flames. Tonight I opened the image in Painter, added a border, and then created this pattern.

Simple Menorah

Simple Menorah, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Tonight I drew this simple menorah on my iPhone, with the Brushes app. The menorah is just one line, the kind of line children draw when they are learning to write cursive. It looks easy but it me took several tries to get it right. And dots to suggest Chanukah candles. In memory of the little kids and their teachers whose lives ended today in Connecticut.

Digital Dreidel (All Cleaned Up)

Digital Dreidel (All Cleaned Up), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

A couple of days ago, I posted my digital sketch of a dreidel, created on my iPhone with the Brushes app. Yesterday I opened the image and cleaned it up, and then used it to make a pattern. I posted the pattern here yesterday, so tonight I am posting the dreidel drawing, all cleaned up.

Many Digital Dreidels

Many Digital Dreidels, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Yesterday's post was a little digital dreidel that I created on my iPhone with the Brushes App. Tonight I opened the image in Painter and cleaned it up a bit. Then I "captured" it as a pattern and used the Paint Bucket tool to fill this image with it. You can set the pattern for rectangular tiles, or to be offset horizontally or vertically. This version is vertical and I like it best because it creates diagonal lines.

Digital Dreidel

Digital Dreidel, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Tonight I used the Brushes app on my iPhone to create this little digital sketch of a dreidel (A dreidel is a top used to play games on Chanukah.) Of course it took longer than I thought it would to make this little drawing. Then I imported the image and cropped in iPhoto.

Many Quick Menorahs

Many Quick Menorahs, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Tonight I used Painter 12 to "capture" a pattern, using the image I posted here yesterday. (That image was my digital drawing of a menorah with a blue border. I drew the menorah using the Brushes app on my iPhone, then used Painter 12 to add the border.) All of my Chanukah patterns have disappeared from my pattern library in Painter 12, which seems to happen any time I upgrade my software. That isn't a big problem because it is easy to recreate the patterns as long as I have the original images stored in iPhoto, and you bet I do. But it is always more fun to make something new, and besides, I was curious to see how this image would look as a pattern. I like the result. Maybe I can use this to wrapping packages (small ones), or maybe this will end up as a tie on Zazzle.

Quick Menorah with Border

Quick Menorah with Border, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Here's the little digital menorah that I posted last night (created on my iPhone with Brushes), but this time with a border. I used Painter to add the border last night to compensate for the unusual format.

Quick Menorah

Quick Menorah, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Hanukah can sneak up on a person, especially when it comes so early in December. (Wasn't it just Thanksgiving five minutes ago?) Well, it certainly snuck up on me! Tonight I decided to make a very quick little digital drawing of a menorah, using the Brushes app on my iPhone -- finished just in time to say Happy Hanukah!

Swirls (Digital Woodcut)

Swirls (Digital Woodcut), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

I was in the studio last night for First Thursdays (which means studios are open for visitors). I felt like drawing but it needed to be simple and fast because every so often people were stopping by to look and to talk. So I just took out a pen and a sketchpad and started making swirls. It was quick and very relaxing, just letting the motion take me. I did six or seven versions of this idea, trying to find an arrangement that I liked. This one is the best of the bunch. Tonight I used Painter to create a digital woodcut of the design to try to get the lines to show up.

The Other Side of the Sunset (Digitally Modified and Posterized Photo)

The Other Side of the Sunset (Digitally Modified and Posterized Photo), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Last night's post was a photo of the sunset, seen from Lynch Park, here in Beverly, MA. It was a great sunset! But the sky was beautiful in the other direction too, not the setting sun itself, but reflected light in the sky. So I took some pictures of that, too. But when I got some of those photos into my computer, I noticed that along with these beautiful clouds I had captured a lamppost and a volleyball net, a picnic table, and three innocent bystanders. Much of this wasn't noticeable until I tried to lighten the shadows, and then it was dead obvious. So I opened the image in Painter and used some cut and paste and digital pastel to clear the scene of all that. Then I did some selective posterizing, and cropped it in iPhoto to get this composition.

Sunset from Lynch Park

Sunset from Lynch Park, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Late afternoon errands put us close to Lynch Park around 4:30, so we decided to stop at the park to see the sunset. It was a good idea. This is one of the photos I took today. This is the view from the cove, looking south and slightly west, looking back at Beverly and Salem, further south. Tonight I used iPhoto to adjust the shadows a bit and then cropped the original photo to get this composition.

X and Grid Pattern

X and Grid Pattern, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Last night I published an image of my X on grid pattern, digitally revised and posterized using Painter 12. While I was in Painter, I used the "capture pattern" control to make a repeated pattern with the image. Then I used the paint bucket tool to fill a new image with it. I kind of like the look of it, and may use it for something on Zazzle.

Grid with X-Pattern (Revised and Posterized)

Grid with X-Pattern (Revised and Posterized), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Tonight I went back to the little digital image I posted yesterday, an x-pattern drawn over simulated grid paper, created in my new iPhone app called "Papers". I was curious about what the grid paper would look like posterized. I liked it so much that I decided to clean up the drawing and use it. So I neatened up some of the strokes with digital pastel and here it is. I also captured the whole image to use as a digital pattern, and I plan to post that here tomorrow.

Grid with X-Pattern

Grid with X-Pattern, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

This has been a crazy weekend but tonight I took a few minutes to experiment with a iPhone app that I downloaded a few weeks ago. The app is called "Papers" and it is basically a tool form creating handwritten notes and basic diagrams and sketches that can be e-mailed. Its much more basic that Brushes, my favorite drawing app on iPhone. But what Papers has that is unique is the chance to choose backgrounds that simulate different kinds of paper. One of the choices is graph paper (which I love) so tonight I tried out the app by making this little digital pattern. I had to do a little digital cleanup in Painter and then cropped it in iPhoto. I like the playful strokes of color against the precision of the graph paper.

To Vail (Small Works Show, Porter Mill Gallery)

To Vail (Small Works Show, Porter Mill Gallery), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

I spent the day at Porter Mill because it was open studios today. At 4 PM, I went downstairs to the gallery for a reception for the "Small Works Show" because two of my little Colorado drawings are on display. My own cell phone battery died just as I was trying to take some pictures, so this photo is courtesy of my daughter.