Traffic Report (Animation in Procreate)

I am learning to use Animation Assist in Procreate.  Today I succeeded in making this short little animation. I created a background and a foreground, and then made a simple object move along a path. Don't blink, you will miss it.

February Sky from Lynch Park (with Prisma filter)

Here's another image from Wednesday's walk at Lynch Park.  Today I added a Prisma filter and cropped the original photo to get this composition.

Polka Dot Animation (in Procreate)

In February, around my birthday, I decided to learn animation this year.  I have been watching videos and doing hands-on tutorials in Adobe Animate, a very powerful and complicated program.  I am working on it every day and I will get there.  But today, while searching for an online animation tutorial for Adobe Animate, I stumbled across a video tutorial about animation in Procreate (!!!).  I have been using the Procreate drawing program for years, but didn't really pay attention when "Animation Assist" was added in an upgrade.  So today I watched that video tutorial and read  about animation in the Procreate online handbook, and this morning created this extremely short and simple little animation.  This has not changed my plans to learn Adobe Animate, so much more powerful than Procreate's animation function.  But I am also going to learn to animate with Procreate, which is already familiar to me, more intuitive, and portable (on my iPad).  I'll stop now as this explanation is now far longer than my little video. 

Reposting: Hamentashen Bouquet (Video)

I created this little Purim video in 2019 on my iPad.  I got the idea of creating a bouquet out of hamentaschen, the triangular filled cookies eaten on Purim. Sending this out to wish happy times to those celebrating

Rose Garden Entrance at Lynch Park (with Prisma filter)

Here north of Boston, temperatures went up to 45 degrees today, and we went to Lynch Park for a walk. It has been a while! There is still snow on the ground, but a lot of it has melted.  Despite glasses fogging up due to my mask, I took some pictures.  When I got home, I added a gentle Prisma filter to this one, and then cropped it to get this composition.

Sun on Snow (with Prisma filter)

Although the temperatures are slowly rising here North of Boston, there is still snow on the ground.  But perhaps not for long! Time for one last image of snow.  This one began with a quick photo that I took to capture that patch of sunlight on the snow.  But I had also captured the dog run wire along with the attached leash, and some gardening pots,  which I removed in Painter with cut-and-paste and some digital pastel.  I used my favorite Prisma filter, "Watercolor" on the original photo, and then decreased the saturation to get these colors. 

Winter Wonder (photo with Prisma filter)

Here's another winter photo from the same set, with the same Prisma filter (Watercolor).  Today I edited the image in iPhoto to bring the saturation down, and then cropped it to get this composition.

Houses in Winter (with Prisma filter)

Today was another blue-sky day. I love the patterns of tree branches on snow-covered roofs, so I took a picture.  I cropped the image to get this composition, and then added a Prisma filter.   

Winter Tracery (with Prisma filter)

The Prisma app on my iPhone has not been working for a few weeks.  I tried everything.  But I recently updated my computer, and suddenly Prisma is fixed on my phone! Go figure! (My guess is the problem had to do with uploading from my photos, because that is where it got hung up.)  Anyway, Prisma is back, and I used it to apply the "Watercolor" filter to this photo that I took back on February 7th.

Snow on the Trees

Another snowstorm today.  Not too much snow and very pretty, with snow staying on the leaves and creating beautiful patterns.

Composition with Textures (Stroke-by-Stroke Video)

Yesterday's post was a digital drawing that I made while exploring textures in the Procreate app on my iPad.  Procreate creates a stroke-by-stroke video replay while you draw.  So today I am posting this extremely short video, edited in iMovie to eliminate a rocky beginning. 

Composition with Textures (Digital Drawing)

I created this tonight on my iPad with the Procreate app.  I was about to discard a file I had scribbled on, and instead, began to experiment with some of the textures available in the app.  I had fun; maybe you can tell. . .

Snow and Red Bench (with Woodcut Effect)

Here north of Boston, we are managing to avoid the big snow.  Yesterday I posted a picture of the red bench in my backyard,  a photo that I took during out last big storm. Today I am posting the same photo, this time with Painter's woodcut effect.

Snow and Red Bench (Posterized Photo)

I have a red bench near the fence in my back yard.  I love to look at it in all seasons, but especially when it snows.  I also like to take pictures of it. Last week, I used Painter to add selective posterizing effect to one of my photos, and here it is.

Reposting: Paper Rose Collage (Posterized Version)

Reposting this for February 14. This is a classic. I created this collage back in 2005. I decided to post a photo of it back in 2012, the jpeg was too small. So while I was enlarging the image in Painter, I decided to added some posterizing effect in Painter. Like a good relationship, it has stood the test of time.  Wishing everyone a lovely day.   

Flowers on the Wall (Still Image from Procreate Video)

Today I was experimenting with textures in Procreate app.  As I drew, Procreate made a video playback. I captured a jpeg from one of the frames, then transferred it into iPhoto and cropped it to get this composition.

Rough Sketch of Kalimba and Lexi

This is a very rough sketch for my next painting, which is going to be a double portrait of two lovely greyhounds, relaxing on a round dog bed. I was trying to work out the composition, which is going to be on a square format.  I like the idea of a circle within a square.

Early Morning in February

One more picture of snow and blue sky, taken on the morning of February 8.  This afternoon, I cropped the original photo to get this composition.

February Morning

I took this photo on the morning of February 8th, a day that began with bright blue skies, sunshine, and snow-covered branches. Tonight I edited the original photo to get this composition.

Snow and Blue Sky

Yesterday it was sunny and cold, so we had bright blue sky with snow still coating the tree branches.  I love the combination of blue sky and bright snow. I call it a "Colorado day" because it reminds me of sun and snow in my home state.  I took a lot of pictures yesterday. Today I cropped this one to get this composition.

Winter Tracery

This week's storm is very beautiful, probably because the storm began with rain, and then when the temperatures dropped, the snow froze onto the branches, creating a wintery tracery.  I took this picture yesterday, mid-afternoon.  Today I cropped the original photo to get this composition.

Snow on Blueberry Bushes

Our most recent storm began with rain and cold temperatures, coating branches with ice.  So later, when it began to snow, the snowflakes stuck to the branches, creating beautiful tracery in the dark.

Reposting: Birthday Present for Me

For my birthday, I am reposting this image of myself with my parents, receiving a birthday present. The original photo was taken by my uncle, Ike Fitterman, and I added color and posterized it back in 2010. I would like to express belated thanks for the present of the slip. And for the little party.  I am also grateful for this photo, because even though my parents were together till death parted them in 1983 when my mother died,  I don't have that many photos of myself with both parents.  In fact, I am grateful that my parents met at all, through circumstances created by World War II, when my father -- from Brooklyn -- was stationed in Pueblo, Colorado, and met my mother at a USO dance in 1942. They married just before he was shipped overseas to do his bit against the Nazis.  And I am grateful that he came home safe from World War II, because of course I wouldn't have been born otherwise!  I am grateful for many things my parents taught me, and for many things they gave me, but beyond anything else, I am grateful for my life, the first gift they gave me.  I often think about that, but here in February of 2021, I think it is time to say it.  It is a gift to be alive, and I am grateful for it.

In the Tunnel (Posterized Photo)

One last photo from Sunday's trip into Boston. As we entered the Central Artery, heading north for the return trip, I took a picture. I liked the pattern that the lights made. Today I edited the photo in Painter, added posterizing effect, and then cropped it to get this composition.

Boston Skyline with Yield Sign (Posterized Photo)

Another image from Sunday's very quick trip to Boston.  Here we are heading into the Central Artery Tunnel, on 95 North, heading home to Beverly. Today I cropped the original image to get this composition, and used Painter to add selected posterizing effect.

The Pru in the Distance (Posterized Photo)

Another photo from Sunday's trip to Boston. I edited the original photo and added Painter's posterizing effect. This is one of the first things you see when you emerge from the Central Artery Tunnel, heading to SOWA and Gallatea: train yards on the right and in the distance, the Pru.*

*The Prudential Center.   

Tunnel to Boston (Posterized Photo)

Here's another image from Sunday's very quick trip into Boston.  This was literally drive down to Galatea Fine Art, pick up a painting, turn around and come right back home.  But going really anywhere is a treat these days. I was in the passenger seat, so I took lots of pictures, even of the less scenic parts of the drive that I usually ignore, like this view of the Central Artery tunnel, under Boston, as we headed south.  Today I edited the original photo and used Painter to add posterizing effect. You can also see the ice on the windshield.

Composition with Zakim Bridge

On Sunday, we made a quick trip into Boston, to pick up a painting at Galatea Fine Arts.  This is not like our pre-Covid Boston trips with restaurants, shopping, and bookstores. This was turn around and come right back.  But still, I enjoyed it. I decided to make the most of my perch in the passenger seat  and take pictures of the trip.  Here's a photo of my favorite landmark, Boston's Zakim Bridge. Still there, still beautiful.