Little Digital Still Life (As of October 20, 2014)

Here is my little digital drawing and it is still a work in progress. I started this on my iPhone, using the Brushes app. Then I transferred the jpeg into my computer and for the past few days, I have been using Painter to clean it up and finish it. Today I did a little work on the vase, trying to make it look like glass. Then I spent the rest of the time on the flowers, doing general cleanup. I used the background color to draw tiny lines of separation where the blossoms overlap. This is a lot of work for this funny little drawing, but I like it. There is just a little bit more to go and I hope to finish this tomorrow.

Little Digital Still Life (As of October 19, 2014)

I started this little still life on my iPhone, using the Brushes app.  Then I transferred it into my computer and for the last few days have been working on it in Painter.  Today I worked on the top of the vase just a bit, and spent the rest of the time cleaning up the flowers. There is still a little bit more to do.  Just because these flowers look kind of whimsical doesn't mean that I don't take them seriously.

Little Digital Still Life (As of October 18, 2014)

This little digital still life is still a work in progress. Today I spent some time working on with my Painter software. My focus was the stems and leaves. I used bright blue to draw in the revisions to show where each stem and leaf should be, and then I started going over my work with dark green. I also add three little buds to balance the composition. There is still a lot of cleanup to do, but I think this is going in the right direction.

Little Digital Still Life (As of October 17, 2014)

This little digital sketch is still a work in progress. I started this drawing on my iPhone with the Brushes app. Yesterday I transferred the image to my computer and this afternoon I opened it in Painter and started to clean it up. I put a grid over the image and could see that it was off center. I straightened out some of the lines, and moved the vase over just a bit. It was still off center and I didn't want to crop the image, so I added some pixels to the right side and matched the background color. That did the trick. Then I added one blossom (cut and paste) and started to rework the leaves. I was just getting started, but I had to quit for the day. So I will keep going tomorrow. . . .

Little Digital Still Life (As of October 16, 2014)

This is a work in progress. I started this little sketch a few days ago, using the Brushes app on my iPhone. I have been working on it a little bit at a time and I like how it is going. Now it is ready for some clean-up, so I transferred it into my computer so I can continue working on it in Painter. To be continued. . . .

Tiger Striped Pumpkins (Digitally Modified and Posterized)

Here's another in my little fall harvest series.  These are miniature tiger striped pumpkins.  The image began with a photo that I took at Trader Joe's last week. Tonight I used Painter's digital airbrush to clean up the pumpkins, and then cropped the photo to get this composition.

Ornamental Kale

I was in Lexington, MA, today, which is where I saw this ornamental kale. I loved the colors, so I took some pictures. Tonight I cropped one of the photos to get this square format. I decided to add it to my little collection of decorative fall vegetables (I have been trying to create a little virtual sukkoh here this week.)

Union Square Market: Composition with Peppers

Here's another photo from my recent trip to New York City. I walked through the Farmer's Market and took a lot of pictures.  I saw a table full of peppers and tomatoes.  The peppers were standing upright in little baskets and it looked like a parade.  It made me smile so I took pictures.  I cropped this image out of one of the photos.

Union Square Market: Still Life with Pumpkins (Posterized Photo)

Here's another image that started with a photo that I took at the Farmer's Market in Union Square during my recent visit to New York City.  This still life includes pumpkin, delicata squash, and kabocha (green pumpkin).  All are edible, but also fun to use  for decorations for fall holidays. Today I cropped this out of a larger photo, so I used Painter to enlarge the image. Then I did some cleanup with digital airbrush and used color overlay and selective posterizing to get this image.  And I managed to keep what I liked best about the original: the combination of bright sunlight and dark background (which was the booth set up for the market). 

Union Square Market: Honey Nut Squash (Posterized)

Here's another image that began with a photo that I took a few weeks ago at the Union Square Farmer's Market in New York City. Tonight I used Painter to clean up the squash, and then I added a posterized effect and cropped the photo to get this composition.

Union Square Market: Dumpling Squash (Posterized)

During my recent trip to New York City, my cousin took me to Union Square and we walked through the Farmer's Market. (I know these are Sweet Dumpling Squash because the sign said so.) I liked the patterns and colors, so I took a picture. This afternoon I used Painter to clean up the image with digital airbrush. Then I posterized the image and cropped it to get this composition.

Golden Leaves (Posterized Photo)

This is another image from my recent neighborhood

photo shoot. The original version of this photo was backlit by the afternoon sun. That created some issues with the lighting, but some of the problems are interesting and might even be usable if I can figure out what to do with them. (Still thinking about that.) Meanwhile, I cropped this image out of the original photo and cleaned it up a bit. I like the colors and the way the dappled light hits the leaves.

Autumn Leaves Blue Sky (Digitally Modified and Posterized)

This image also started with my little neighborhood leaf-peeping excursion of last weekend. This beautiful maple is just down the block. I love the way autumn leaves look against blue sky. (Why does blue sky look more intense in the fall? Is the color contrast with the leaves, or just the dryer air?) Anyway, while I was taking the my photo, I was aware that I was also photographing to big electric lines in the background. Tonight I used Painter's digital pastel to get rid of them, so they don't show in this version. Then I posterized the image and cropped it to get this composition.

Orange Leaves (Posterized Photo)

Here's another image that began with my recent neighborhood photo shoot. This is one of the beautiful bright maple trees just down the street. Today I cropped this image out of the original photograph, and posterized it using Painter.

Autumn Leaves

Another photo from yesterday's neighborhood photo shoot.  Sometimes the best way to see autumn leaves is to look down.

A Few Red Leaves (Digitally Modified Photo)

A lot of people come from far away to visit Massachusetts and drive through the state to see the fall colors. But all I have to do is walk around the block. I love red leaves and they have arrived earlier than usual this year, probably due to cool overnight temperatures. Recently I have been admiring some beautiful trees that I see as I drive home from the grocery store, and I have been tempted to stop the car and take pictures, but it always seems impractical. There is always a car right behind me, I am usually in a hurry, and besides, this is one block away from my house. But today after I got home, I took a walk instead, and took 30 pictures of some beautiful leaves just a block away from home. This is one of the best of pictures, but I got the photo into the computer, I could see that some of the leaves were torn, so I did a little bit of repair with Painter's digital pastel. Then I did a little light posterizing and cropped the image to get this composition.

Caladium Seen from the High Line (Digital Woodcut)

This image began with a photo that I took during my recent and very short trip to New York. My cousin was showing me the High Line, a elevated railway line turned into a linear park and nature trail. We were walking two stories above the street, and I looked down onto another garden below and saw some white caladium. I loved the pattern, so I took a picture. The original photo had an uneven focus for some reason (probably because when I get excited or enthusiastic, I am likely to make mistakes). So I opened the image in Painter and adjusted the focus. Then I cropped the image and added this woodcut effect.

Ruth & Hy Dancing (Posterized)

This image began as a negative that I found last May when I was rummaging among family photos, looking for something else. I sure recognized the people, and wanted to see more. I didn't have a print, so I scanned the negative into the computer and then used Painter software to create a positive image. It was a great picture of my parents dancing at a wedding. The photo was taken by my Uncle Ike (Isaac Fitterman), who was a professional photographer. The negative was in an envelope labeled "Ruth & Hy" and identifies the event as a wedding in June of 1954. Tonight I went back to the rescued photograph and opened it in Painter again. I cropped the original image and then used some cut-and-paste to get rid of a distraction in the foreground (a taffeta skirt worn by another wedding guest). Then I used a combination of digital pastel and color overlay to add color, and posterized the image section by section. It was fun to invent the colors and to think about my parents on the dance floor. I am grateful to have this image because this is how they looked when I was a child. So my negative turned into a positive image. And a memory turns into a blessing.

Raindrops on the Chrysanthemums

The other day, I was out in the rain with our little dog. She seemed to be ignoring the practical purpose of our excursion in favor of sniffing the blossoms on each and every chrysanthemum plant along the sidewalk in front of the apartment building. She reminded me to stop worrying about the rain and pay attention to the flowers, so I took out my iPhone and took some pictures. It was a very cloudy day and I could see right away that the colors in the photo weren't accurate. Tonight I used iPhoto to adjust the color balance, and then cropped the photo to get this composition. If you look closely, you can see the raindrops on the petals.

Another Heart Shaped Box as of October 1, 2014

Today I went up to the studio at Porter Mill and worked for a while on this project.  This heart-shaped box was once a candy box (Turtles, to be precise), but now I am using for a collage project.  I am covering it with designs created from little pieces of printed metallic ribbon.  I am still working on the top of the box, trying to fill in the small gaps in the purple and orange stripes.  Then I will work on the gold border. The work is slow and tedious, but I am encouraged because I have done this before and it turned out well.  If you want to see the first heart-shaped box I made, follow this link: www.flickr.com/photos/randiart/sets/72157632769935420/

Leaves Turning at Bradley Palmer (Digital Woodcut)

I used Painter to add a woodcut effect to the photo that I posted here yesterday, a picture of the leaves turning at Bradley Palmer State Park (Topsfield, MA).

Leaves Turning at Bradley Palmer (Posterized)

Here's another photo that I took during our most recent visit to Bradley Palmer State Park. Fall colors seem to be early this year, maybe because of low overnight temperatures. I was admiring this tree, so I took a picture. I cropped this image out of the original photo and then used Painter to posterize it.

September Sunlight and Shadow (Bradley Palmer State Park)

This is from a recent trip to Bradley Palmer State Park, in nearby Topsfield, MA. There is always a lot to see there, but I found myself staring at this simple little scene of sunlight and shadow at the edge of a wooded area, so I took this picture. Tonight I edited it in iPhoto and cropped it to get this composition.

Just Nasturtiums (Digital Woodcut)

Yesterday I posted a photo of nasturtiums, a picture that I took recently at Long Hill Gardens (in Beverly, MA). I liked the colors and the patterns, so tonight I used Painter to play with the image a little bit. I posterized the image hard, to bring out patterns and shapes, and then added a woodcut effect. I used a lot of color and just a touch of black outline.

Just Nasturtiums

Here's a quick picture of nasturtiums from a recent trip to Long Hill Gardens. This is another photo taken down by the farm house near the field where we pick up our farm share at the CSA. I saw the bright blossoms peeking out from behind the big leaves. I liked the colors and patterns so I took this photo.

Something New on the Horizon (Posterized Photo)

On the way home from my recent quick trip to New York, I took this picture of the skyline through the window of the train. I used Painter to create this posterized version of the photo. If you look closely, you can see that there is something new on the horizon, the silhouette of the new Freedom Tower, standing where the Twin Towers used to be. I am still sad that those towers are gone, but glad there is something new on the horizon. So that's how we move through time from one year to the next, remembering the past but moving forward.

Union Square Apples (Digital Woodcut)

This image began with my recent photo of apples at Union Square in New York City (posted here yesterday).  Last night, I used Painter's digital pastel to simplify the background and then created this digital woodcut.  I always think of apples this time of year because it is Rosh Hashana, when we eat apples dipped in honey to celebrate the Jewish New Year.  So today I am sending this image out to friends and family to wish them a sweet year ahead.

Apples at Union Square

During last week's short trip to New York City, my cousin took me to the farmer's market at Union Square. Of course I took pictures, and today I cropped this image out of one of my photos. I also used this image to create a digital woodcut which I plan to post here tomorrow.

New York Sketch - Green Grocer on Broadway (Final)

This is the little sketch of a New York fruit and vegetable stand. I started it while I was visiting NYC last week, using the Brushes app on my iPhone. I did some more work on it yesterday (on my phone.) Today I imported it into Painter and did some more cleanup because it was just small to see what I was doing. Now I think it is finished.

New York Sketch: Green Grocer on Broadway (Revised)

I love the sidewalk displays of fruits and vegetables that you see in New York City. Last week during my very short trip to New York, my cousin took me to a green grocer on Broadway and it had quite an extensive sidewalk display. That inspired a little sketch that I drew on my iPhone with the Brushes app. I didn't have much time to work on it, but I posted it here last Tuesday. Today I went back to my iPhone and the Brushes app and worked on it some more. It could use some more cleanup but it is getting there.

On the High Line, NYC (Posterized Photo)

This week I took the train down to New York City to visit family. I left on Tuesday and returned on Thursday, possibly the world's shortest vacation. But I had a lot of fun in a short time. We walked on the High Line, a nature trail/"linear park" build on an old elevated railway track on the West Side. It starts in midtown and goes down to the village. This was a whole new way to see New York City. This photo gives you a sense of what it feels like to walk among the trees, a couple of stories above the ground. I used Painter to posterize the photo, enough to add some fantastical colors. I wanted it to look a little bit improbable and magical because that is what it is.

Pink Cosmos at Long Hill (Digital Woodcut)

Last week, I posted a photo that I took of some pink cosmos at Long Hill Gardens. I have been wondering how the image would look with a woodcut effect, so tonight I used my Painter software to create this digital woodcut.

New York Sketches: Trees and Brownstones

New York Sketch: Trees and Brownstones. Drawn with Brushes on the iPhone, on the train going home from New York

New York Sketch: The High Line

An old elevated train line has been transformed into a lovely walking trail and park, high above the street.  Tonight I used the Brushes app on my iPhone to make this sketch.

New York Sketch: Green Grocer on Broadway

One of my favorite things about NYC: the beautiful fruit stands on display outside the stores.  Tonight I used the Brushes app on my phone to make this sketch.

Pink Cosmos at Long Hill

Last week I took some pictures of a beautiful garden behind the farmhouse at Long Hill Gardens. I think of this as an old-fashioned garden. These are the kinds of flowers I remember from childhood, especially cosmos, which my grandmother grew in the back yard. This view features the pink cosmos, with marigolds and zinnias in the background. I like the way the flowers look against the pale yellow siding.

Cosmos, Nasturtiums, and Marigolds (Long Hill Gardens)

Every week we pick up our farm share from The Food Project, our *CSA. Our pickup location is Long Hill Gardens (here in Beverly, MA), in the fields at the front of the estate. This week, I took a little walk and saw this amazing garden. These flowers were growing right outside the little yellow farmhouse, near the fields, far from the formal gardens and the main house on the estate. Long Hill (AKA Sedgwick Gardens) was once a private estate, but now the property is owned by the Trustees of the Reservation. I loved the combination of these flowers, on the old-fashioned side, nothing exotic. I liked the way they looked against the yellow farmhouse, so I took some pictures.

*Community Supported Agriculture

Another Window Box in Rockport (Digital Woodcut)

This image began as a second photo of a window box, taken  during a recent trip to Rockport with my friend.  I used Painter to add a "woodcut" effect, adjusting the colors and the amount of black line until I had the effect I wanted. 

Another Window Box in Rockport (Posterized Photo)

Two days ago I posted a photo of another window box, also seen during a recent trip to Rockport, MA. I used Painter to create this posterized version. Posterizing intensifies the colors and simplifies shapes. I also used the photo to create a digital woodcut, which I plan to post here tomorrow.

Before the Towers Fell (Digital Woodcut)

I don't have a lot of photos of the World Trade Center even though I used to live in New Jersey and often went to New York City.  By 2001, we had moved to Boston and in July, we went back for a visit.  We wanted to do something new and my cousin suggested that we take the train to Brooklyn and walk back to Manhattan over the Brooklyn Bridge.  So we did, and I as I took pictures of the Brooklyn Bridge, as a bonus I got some great photos of the Twin Towers just a few months before they fell.  Tonight I went back to those photos and made a very close crop of the skyline.  Then I used Painter add some color overlay and a woodcut effect. I wanted soft edges, not a lot of detail.  Memories fade, but not emotions.

Another Window Box in Rockport (Digitally Modified)

Here is another window box in Rockport, MA.  This is from a little excursion back on August 24; I took my friend touring and we strolled along Bearskin Neck where almost every quaint little shop has window boxes. I do love window boxes so I took a couple of pictures. I had to do a little work on this image because there was just one wilted leaf.  So I opened the image in Painter and used a little digital pastel to turn the wilted blossoms into leaves.

Window Box in Rockport (Digital Woodcut)

Here's one last look at this window box. The original version was a photo that I took a few weeks ago in Rockport, Massachusetts. We were taking a stroll out on Bearskin Neck. Last night I used Painter to add a woodcut effect to this photo.

Window Box in Rockport (Posterized Photo)

Yesterday I published a picture of this little window box, a photo that I took two weeks ago in Rockport, MA, while my friend and I were taking a stroll on Bearskin Neck. Tonight I used Painter to create this posterized version of the photo. I also created a digital woodcut version which I hope to post here tomorrow.

Window Box in Rockport

Two weeks ago, I went up to Rockport, MA, to have lunch with my friend. Afterward, we walked up and down Bearskin Neck, all the way out to the ocean and back. There are window boxes on the store fronts all along the way, but I really liked this one, so I took a picture. Tonight I used iPhoto to crop this original image to get this composition.

Magnolia Blossoms (Oil Bar Painting)

This morning I worked on this painting of magnolia blossoms. This is roughly based on one of my photos (posted here August 14). This is painted with oil bars on a canvas that is 8 x 10 inches. This morning I started by mixing a tiny bit of blue into white and I used that bluish white (or extremely pale blue) to add some subtle shadows to the white part of the blossoms. Then I did some cleanup and announced that the painting was done. But later this afternoon, I went back and reworked some of the stems and leaves. I am ready to say that this is painting is finished. I will start sealing the edges tomorrow. This is part of a series of paintings of branches, and tonight I added this painting to that album. If you want to see all the paintings in the series (so far), follow this link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/randiart/sets/72157646682793975/

Magnolia Blossoms (Oil Bar Painting as of September 5, 2014)

Here is my oil bar painting as it looked this morning, after I worked on it for a while. This small oil bar painting is loosely based on one of my photos (posted here on August 14). Today I put just a tiny bit of yellow in some titanium white, and used this yellow-tinted white (or extremely pale yellow) to suggest sunlight hitting the leaves. It's almost too subtle to see if you aren't looking for it, but still I think it helps. I also added a little more light to a few branches. The rest of the time was spent cleaning up lines and fixing little mistakes. There are still a few small things I want to do, but I think I can finish this painting tomorrow, or maybe the day after. . . .

Magnolia Blossoms (Oil Bar Painting as of September 4, 2014)

This morning I worked on this painting again. This is oil bar on an 8 x 10 inch canvas. I am using one of my photos as a reference (posted here on August 14). Today I continued working on adding light and shade to the blossoms. By the time I finished today's painting session, I was pretty happy with the blossoms. There are still a few little adjustments I want to make, and I also need to do a little cleanup of some of the lines. But I think this is almost finished. . . .

Another Heart Shaped Box as of September 3, 2014

I went to the studio at Porter Mill this morning and spent some time working on this project, a heart-shaped box that I am covering with collage designs created from printed metallic ribbon.  I am still working of filling in gaps in the purple and orange stripes on the top, and just barely getting started on the gold border. I call this project "Another Heart Shaped Box" because I have already completed another one.  If you would like to see how my first heart-shaped box turned out, follow this link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/randiart/sets/72157632769935420/

Magnolia Blossoms (Oil Bar Painting as of September 2, 2014)

I am still working on this painting, based on one of my photos (posted here August 14). I am using oil bars on a small canvas (8 x 10 inches). This morning I continued to work on the blossoms, trying to add depth while indicating light and shadow. This is taking longer than I had anticipated, but I think I am getting somewhere.

Magnolia Blossoms (Oil Bar Painting as of September 1, 2014)

Here is my painting of magnolia blossoms, still a work in progress. I am working with oil bars on an 8 x 10 inch canvas. I am using one of my photos as a reference (posted here on August 14.) Today I worked on the blossoms. I am trying to suggest a little bit the play of light and shadow in the reference photo. I am finding it challenging, especially with pink and white blossoms, but then one of my favorite painting teachers used to say that white is the most difficult color to paint. So yesterday I decided to shift the colors towards purple to suggest shade. This morning, just to be sure, I decided to confirm that approach by checking out the colors in the reference photo with Painter's color selection tool. After I got a little digital confirmation, I went to work on those blossoms with more confidence.