Many Kaleidoscope Roses

Many Kaleidoscope Roses, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

A few days ago, I finished my digital drawing of roses, done with Painter 12's kaleidoscope mode (apart from the one rose in the center). I have been wondering how the image would work as a pattern, so tonight I decided to find out.

Fabric Flowers and Vase (Edges Pinned)

Fabric Flowers and Vase (Edges Pinned), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

At the end of January, I finished the image in this fabric appliqué still life. But there is more to do if I want to hang it (and I do). Because I started this project in a fabric arts class, hadn't the slightest idea what I was doing (and had low expectations for this project), I didn't center the image on the fabric or square off the material before I began. As I worked, I kept things square by measuring and using a straight edge, and It was easy enough to crop the image in photographs, but today I tackled the problem of "cropping" it for real. I had to square the image off, pin it, and then cut off extra fabric. I grabbed an old bulletin board that was just the right size for the project. The bulletin board supplied guidelines to measure against and made it easier to see if things were square. I even pinned the project to the bulletin board, which was helpful. It took me an hour to get the image centered so I could cut off excess fabric and do a rough pin for hemming. I still have to straighten this out a bit more and then sew the hems. I didn't have enough fabric to create pockets for dowels, so I plan to make a hanging system with safety pins inserted in back, hidden in the top hem. The holes in the safety pins will slide right over small nails. (I remembered this method because I have a small piece of fabric art in my house that is hung this way and it works fine.)

Snow Storm Starting

Snow Storm Starting, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Yesterday, with fierce winds and snow blowing outside my window, I started drawing this scene using the Brushes app on my iPad. As you draw, the Brushes app captures a stroke-by-stroke video, so I was able to create a little animation of the snow starting to fall. I posted the video here yesterday, and tonight I am posting the finished drawing.

Snow Storm Starting

Snow Storm Starting a video by randubnick on Flickr.

Inspired by the snow blowing outside my window, I decided to create a snowstorm on my iPad this afternoon. I wanted to capture the snow falling, so I used the Brushes app, which creates a stroke-by-stroke video as you draw. I spent an hour on the project, and then sent the drawing and the "actions" file to my desktop. The drawing came in just fine, I was disappointed to find that I could no longer open the "actions" file and couldn't find the Brushes Viewer app on the computer. By poking around on the web, I learned that the problem seems to be because newer versions of Brushes don't support the viewer (and some people weren't happy with the newer versions). In any case, a lot of people are having the same problem. But I was able to find a work-around and solve the problem, thanks to posts and advice from fellow artists. (I am not sure if the solution is temporary, so I may be in the market for another iPad drawing app. I love Brushes so that is a disappointment.) But meanwhile, here is the video I worked on today, and I am very glad to be able to post it because I began this with the idea of making the animation. Tomorrow I will post the drawing.

Kaleidoscope Roses (Revised Version)

Kaleidoscope Roses (Revised Version), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Tonight I revised the digital drawing of roses that I posted here two days ago. I used Painter to create the image, using digital pastel and kaleidoscope mode (which instantly creates six symmetrical versions of whatever you draw). It was a good drawing exercise and I liked the roses, but I wasn't happy with the composition. I realized that I didn't like the empty space in the middle, so I opened the image in Painter and drew in one more rose (this time with kaleidoscope mode turned off). I like it better now.

Another Heart Shaped Box (As of February 15, 2013)

Another Heart Shaped Box (As of February 15, 2013), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

I recently decided to start another collaged heart-shaped box. I was reluctant because I know the process takes a long time, but I really like the result. So today I went up to the studio and got started. This time I am using a Turtles candy box from a previous Valentine's Day, and I am going to cover it with collage created from printed metallic ribbon. I have been thinking about the design and so when I set out for the studio, I already had a plan, at least for the top of the box, which is going to be done in stripes (purple and orange) with a gold border. I am going to use the existing stripes on the candy box as guidelines, but I had to draw in some new lines to make the stripes even all the way across. Then I started pasting down pieces of orange and purple, just trying to establish the new lines that I drew and also to establish the pattern of orange and purple stripes. (It is easy to make a mistake with stripes, something I learned the hard way with a painting that i was working on.) So far this heart- shaped box doesn't look like much; if you found it, you might throw it out! But what gives me courage is knowing how my last heart-shaped box turned out. If you want to see, I have a set of pictures of it posted at www.flickr.com/photos/randiart/sets/72157632769935420/

Kaleidoscope Roses

Kaleidoscope Roses, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

I think this image was inspired by a trip to the grocery store today, with dozens and dozens of roses on display. So I decided to draw roses tonight, but decided to try using Painter's kaleidoscope mode. In kaleidoscope mode, the canvas is divided into six sections and whatever you draw in one section is replicated in the others. So that is how I was able to draw three dozen roses instead of six! I used digital pastel on a blue background. The composition is unusual and I am not sure what I think of it, but this was a great drawing exercise. Maybe this would work as a pattern. . . .

Winter Sun at the Beach

Winter Sun at the Beach, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Despite all the snow still on the ground, it was nearly forty degrees, warm enough for a walk at the beach. So late this afternoon, we stopped off at Lynch Park to take the dog for a walk. From the parking lot, you couldn't even tell where you were because of great heaps of snow piled up by the snow plows. But we found a path around the snow and walked all the way down to the beach. It was worth the track. I liked the way the late afternoon sun was playing on the houses in the distance, so I took this picture. Tonight i used iPhoto to crop the original image to get this composition.

Olhas da Sogra (Eyes of Mother-In-Law)

Olhas da Sogra (Eyes of Mother-In-Law), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

This is an illustration to accompany a recipe for Brazilian candy. The candy, called Olhas da Sogra, which means "Eyes of Mother-in-Law", is made of prunes stuffed with a coconut custard filling. I decided to use Painter's kaleidoscope mode to create the image of candies on a plate. Over the weekend, I posted this illustration on our food blog (Seasonings for Every Palate) and you can see it at seasoningforeverypalate.wordpress.com/2013/02/09/olhas-da...

Evening Snow and Fog

Evening Snow and Fog, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Today, in addition to the snow from the recent blizzard, we had more snowfall, then sleet, then rain, then drizzle, and then fog. Late this afternoon I took this picture of trees seen through fog and backlit by a street lamp, just as it got dark enough for the street lights to come on.

Pink Sky on Winter Afternoon

Pink Sky on Winter Afternoon, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Here's another post-blizzard picture that I took today. It was late afternoon when I took this photograph from an upstairs window. I liked the contrast of snow-covered roof and pink sky. Tonight I used iPhoto to crop and do some basic editing.

Snow Scene Through Window Screen (Posterized Photo)

Snow Scene Through Window Screen (Posterized Photo), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Well, as everyone knows by now, a big snowstorm blew through Boston last night, and kept going most of the day. I took a few "look how much snow we have" photos, and a few scenic views out the windows. But what I liked best was the view out my kitchen window just before the sun set. The sky was the palest pink. I took a picture through the window (and window screen). Tonight I did some basic editing in iPhoto and then used Painter to clean up the image a bit with digital pastel and then I posterized it.

Simple Flowers (Digital Print)

Simple Flowers (Digital Print), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

This is an image that I made tonight with Painter's pattern pen. I used the pattern that I created recently (see yesterday's post). This time, I chose a strong background color, and used a "pattern pen marker" in purple, loaded up with my new pattern. I used a great big brush, and made a few strokes. (Sounds easy, but it takes a lot of trial and error to get the strokes where I want them.) Then I did some posterizing and cropping to get this image. I call images that I make this way "digital prints" just because the process and the results remind me of printmaking.

Many Little Purple Flowers

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

Day before yesterday, I posted a simple purple flower that I drew on the computer using Painter 12's kaleidoscope mode. Today I opened the image in Painter again and cleaned it up a little bit. Then I "captured" the image as a pattern. Then I made this new image with the pattern in a rectangular tile. (I am thinking of using this pattern to make things on Zazzle.com, and sometimes it is easier to work with a rectangular tile.)

February Afternoon at Lynch Park

February Afternoon at Lynch Park, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

After a late lunch with my daughter, we ran some errands together. The weather was warmer than it has been lately, temperatures in the high thirties. (We saw high school students were walking around without coats. It wasn't that warm, but still.) The sun came out so we decided to stop off at Lynch Park to walk the dog. It was very windy at the cove, so we didn't stay long, but I liked the long diagonal of this cloud formation, so I took some quick pictures. Tonight I edited the best one in iPhoto, adjusting the values to compensate for directing the camera toward the sun, and then cropping it to get this composition.

Simple Purple Flower (Kaleidoscope)

Simple Purple Flower (Kaleidoscope), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Tonight I made this little digital drawing with Painter 12, using kaleidoscope mode. (The canvas is divided into six sections and whatever you draw in one section is replicated in the others.) This is very simple, but I think it might make a nice pattern.

Necklace with Brass and Blue Irish Glass Beads (Revised)

Necklace with Brass and Blue Irish Glass Beads (Revised), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

This necklace is made with blue glass beads that I bought in Galway, Ireland, back in 2004. I was browsing in a bead store and they caught my eye because of the shape, but what I really loved was the raised Celtic spirals on them. Anyway, I put this design together yesterday and posted a photo of the necklace. But today I revised the necklace. I shortened the cotton cord to change the way the necklace hangs and then I redid the clasp and finished it with metal spacer beads. It was a pain in the neck to do this (untying knots is not fun), but I love these beads and it was worth the trouble.

Necklace with Brass and Blue Irish Glass Beads

Necklace with Brass and Blue Irish Glass Beads, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

This is a necklace that I put together this afternoon. I bought the beads back in 2004 in a beading shop in Galway because I liked the Celtic spiral design. Today I decided to use them, and I combined them with little brass beads on a cotton cord. I am not sure this is finished because I think I would like to shorten the necklace a bit and possibly change the clasp, but I am happy with the design as it is.

Girl with Curly Hair (Pen and Ink Drawing)

Girl with Curly Hair (Pen and Ink Drawing), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

I recently came across this pen-and-ink drawing in one of my old sketchbooks and decided to photograph and post it. This was a while ago; I have no idea of the date, but probably sometime in the 1980's. I drew this from my imagination, probably to practice creating patterns with pen-and-ink techniques.

Another Heart-Shaped Box (Day Zero - Feb. 1, 2013)

Another Heart-Shaped Box (Day Zero - Feb. 1, 2013), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

I was at the studio today, thinking about starting a new collage project, and decided to just check to see what collage materials I had in the bin. I saw the printed metallic ribbon (leftover from previous projects, including a heart-shaped box that took forever to finish). Lots of people tell me to make more boxes like that, but I say no, no, no; it takes too long, etc. But today I saw that there were two heart-shaped boxes already in the bin --Valentine's Day candy boxes saved and given to me so I can use them for collages. So I played around with the idea for a few minutes, and took this picture, and then put everything away. Then I reconsidered and took everything out again. I decided to try pasting a few pieces of ribbon down, and if I could get the pieces to stick to the surface, I would commit to another heart-shaped box. They did. To be continued. . . .

January at the Beach (Posterized Photo)

January at the Beach (Posterized Photo), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Yesterday we had temperatures in the fifties, here north of Boston. Today began with warm winds and quick rains followed by sun and cooler air moving in. Even though the temperatures were dropping, it was such a beautiful day that we decided to take walk at Dane Street Beach (Beverly, MA). We were overly optimistic. By the time we got there, it was down to forty degrees, maybe less, but with a strong wind that made it feel much colder. So our walk was very short! But the view was great, so I took a few quick pictures. Tonight I edited this one in iPhoto and applied selective posterizing effect with Painter 12.

Fabric Flowers and Vase

Fabric Flowers and Vase, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

This afternoon I worked on this project, a still life made up pieces of cloth pasted to a cloth backing with iron-on adhesive. My focus today was adding stems and leaves, trying to make sure that none of the flowers seemed to float off into space. I tried to curb my enthusiasm for fear of overdoing it. I may find things that I want to fix or revise, but I think this is done, apart from finishing the edges of the black cloth backing.

New Snow on Evergreen Branch (Digital Woodcut)

New Snow on Evergreen Branch (Digital Woodcut), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Tonight I used Painter 12 to apply a woodcut effect to the photo that I posted here yesterday. The woodcut effect emphasizes lines and textures, and I thought that would work well with this image.

New Snow on Evergreen Branch

New Snow on Evergreen Branch, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

It started snowing mid-afternoon. I liked the way these soft new snowflakes looked among the evergreen needles, so I took a picture. Tonight I used iPhoto to do some basic editing and then cropped the image to get this composition.

Fabric Flowers and Vase (Day 12)

Fabric Flowers and Vase (Day 12), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

This is the appliqué still life I have been working on, using iron-on adhesive to attach the pieces of fabric to the black cloth. Today I added some leaves and stems, trying to make sure the placement makes sense and looks good. I also added purple centers to the yellow flowers. I am going to leave the top half of the background black, so at this point, there is just a little bit more to do.

Fabric Flowers and Vase (Day 11)

Fabric Flowers and Vase (Day 11), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

This afternoon, I worked for a while on this project, a still-life done in fabric, like a collage or mosaic with iron-on adhesive. I worked on added some stems and leaves, trying to match leaf shape to petal shape, and trying to make the placement believable. The closer a project is to being finished, the more cautious I become. So now I am working slowly and deliberately, and when I feel myself rushing, pasting something down so I can get finished, then I know it is time to stop working for the day.

Near Durham New Hampshire

Near Durham New Hampshire, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

This morning, I tagged along on a quick trip to Durham, New Hampshire. This was an unexpected errand, just a drive up and back. I agreed to go, lured by the prospect of a stop at the outlet stores in Kittery, Maine, on the way home. But really, the trip itself is reward enough, with beautiful lakes along the road to Durham. I took a few pictures this morning. Tonight I cropped this image from the best one, and used iPhoto to do some basic editing.

Fabric Flowers and Vase (Day 10)

Fabric Flowers and Vase (Day 10), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

I took a break this afternoon and did some more work on my fabric still life. It was very cold today, a good day to work on this project because I am using the iron and iron-on fabric adhesive to create this appliqué. Today I added some leaves, working slowly and trying to figure out where the leaves should go. I started to late in the afternoon so was not able to photograph this in natural light, which is why the colors look different.

Fabric Flowers and Vase (Day 9)

Fabric Flowers and Vase (Day 9), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Today I did some more work on this project, a still life created with pieces of fabric (attached with iron-on adhesive backing). I started this project in a fabric arts class several years ago but left it unfinished until I resumed work on it this month. Today I finally finished filling in the purple area at the bottom of the image. I also added some purple and blue flowers, trying to make sure that the result will be a balanced composition. Now that I have the flowers in place, I can go back to work on the stems and leaves.

Fabric Flowers and Vase (Day 8)

Fabric Flowers and Vase (Day 8), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

This afternoon I did a little more work on this project, a still life in pieces of fabric, attached with iron-on adhesive. I started this project several years ago in a fabric arts class. Even though I liked it, I never got around to finishing it, but came across it again some weeks ago, and have been working on it steadily. Today I continued filling in the purple area at the bottom of the image. I also worked a little bit on stems and leaves.

Snowing on Hemenway Ave, Boston (Digital Woodcut)

Snowing on Hemenway Ave, Boston (Digital Woodcut), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Tonight's adventure was a drive into Boston for dinner with a friend who is in town for a few days. It started to snow and I had forgotten how beautiful Boston can look when it snows. I was in the back seat for most of the evening, so I took out my iPhone and tried to get some pictures. This image began with one of those photos, taken at the corner of Hemenway Ave and Westland (in the Back Bay). It was snowing, and starting to stick. Later, when I was back home, I used iPhoto to do basic editing (straighten, crop, adjust contrast) and then used Painter 12 to apply the woodcut effect.

Fabric Flowers and Vase (Day 7)

Fabric Flowers and Vase (Day 7), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Today I kept going on this project, a still-life made out of appliquéd fabric (attached with iron-on adhesive). I continued to add to the purple area at the bottom of the image, and worked in a few pieces of the dark pink as well. I also added a few pieces of cloth to the vase. I realized that I am going to have a bit of a challenge when it comes to adding the stems, but I will cross that bridge when I fall through it.

January Tree Tops (Digital Woodcut)

January Tree Tops (Digital Woodcut), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Yesterday's post was a photo of snow-covered tree tops, taken on January 16, 2013, one of the few really snowy days we have had so far. Tonight I made this "digital woodcut" from the same photo by applying Painter 12's woodcut effect. To make this work, I lighted the image and then fiddled with the woodcut controls to get the black line where I wanted it to be.

January Tree Tops

January Tree Tops, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Here's another photo that I took earlier this week (January 16 when we had snow). I love the tracery of the trees, so I took some pictures. Tonight I cropped this image out of the original photo. I am wondering how it would look with a woodcut effect.

Fabric Flowers and Vase (Day 6)

Fabric Flowers and Vase (Day 6), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

I took a break this afternoon to work on this project for a little while. This little still life is made of pieces of fabric, attached to the backing with iron-on adhesive. I started this project in a fabric arts class several years ago, but hadn't gotten around to finishing it. It seemed like a good project for January, with that nice warm iron. Today I continued to work on filling in the purple area at the bottom of the image.

Snow in the Morning

Snow in the Morning, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

I was surprised to see snow this morning. I had been only vaguely aware of snow in the forecast, but maybe just an inch. But this morning, there were already several inches on the ground and it was still snowing. So then I checked the weather app on my phone, and saw that the temperature would soon be on the way up, above freezing. That meant less inconvenience from the weather, but it also meant that the snow wouldn't stay on the branches for long, so I took some photos with my iPhone. Tonight I edited this image in iPhoto and cropped it to get this composition.

Fabric Flowers and Vase (Day 5)

Fabric Flowers and Vase (Day 5), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

This afternoon, I worked on this project for a bit. I started this fabric collage or mosaic back in 2008 when I signed up for a fabric arts class at Red Brick Studio. We learned a lot of different processes, but this was one of my favorites. I originally put it aside because I needed more adhesive backing, and more material. But once I got the supplies, I just never made time to get back to this project. I came across it recently when I was straightening out my studio, so I have been working on it all week. The pieces of fabric are attached with iron-on adhesive backing, so it is really very easy. I have been working on the area near the bottom of the image (purple pieces). Today I decided to establish the borders, so that is what I worked on. I also added a few pieces of blue fabric to the vase.

Fabric Flowers and Vase (Day 4)

Fabric Flowers and Vase (Day 4), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Today I took a break to work on this project for a while. This collage or mosaic still life is made of fabric. No sewing involved, just iron-on adhesive backing. Although this is "Day 4", I actually started this project during the summer of 2008 when I took a fabric arts class at Red Brick Studios. Today I continued to work on the purple area at the bottom part of the image.

Patterns in Blue (Revised)

Patterns in Blue (Revised), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Yesterday I posted a little digital drawing that I made using the Brushes app on my iPhone. But I noticed that one of the textures wasn't applied evenly and it was bothering me, so I went back to the iPhone app and fixed it, so here it is again. It looks a lot better to me. I know perfectionism can be a trap in art, but in this case, I think the problem was worth fixing. I like this little image and might want to use it to make things on Zazzle.com

Patterns in Blue

Patterns in Blue, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

It was hard to find time to make art today, but tonight I made this image using the Brushes app on my iPhone.

Fabric Flowers and Vase (Day 3)

Fabric Flowers and Vase (Day 3), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Today I went back to a project that I started back in the summer of 2008 while I was taking a fabric arts class at Red Brick Studios. I learned a lot of new techniques in the class, but this was one of my favorites, creating a collage or mosaic with cloth. (Day 1 was June 24, 2008 and Day 2 was July 5, but you can just search here for "Fabric flowers and Vase".) No sewing is required, just iron-on adhesive backing. I worked on this project once in class, and then did some more at home, but I ran out of fabric, ran out of adhesive backing, and ran out of steam. Since then, I bought more fabric and more special adhesive paper, but somehow never got around to it. Last week I was cleaning up my home studio and found the project and supplies in a bag. I decided it would make a nice project for January, when working over a hot iron is nice and cozy. Today I added the purple pieces toward the bottom of the image.

Six Hearts

Six Hearts, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Last night I posted an image that I made by using Painter's "mirror mode" to draw a heart, and finished the image with a floral pattern (with the pattern pen) and some posterizing. This is last night's image made into a second pattern. I think I will use this on Zazzle.com because Valentine's Day is coming up.

Heart with Pattern

Heart with Pattern, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Tonight I decided to use mirror mode in Painter, so that whatever you draw on one side of the digital canvas is replicated on the other side (like kaleidoscope mode but with just two sections). I thought it might be a big help to draw hearts. I decided to try it because it will be February before you know it, and I have been thinking about making some Valentines for Zazzle. It took me lots of attempts to get a heart shape that I liked. Then I used Painter's pattern pen, and selected one of the patterns that I made (in kaleidoscope mode). After I had the strokes where I wanted them, I turned off "mirror mode" and did some posterizing and color overlays till I had the effect that I wanted. Then I cropped the image to get this composition. I also "captured" this image as a pattern, and will plan to post it here tomorrow.

Snow Scene Through Window Blinds (Digital Woodcut in Black and White)

Snow Scene Through Window Blinds (Digital Woodcut in Black and White), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Two days ago, I posted my photo of a snow-covered dogwood tree seen through window blinds. I took the original photo on December 30, the day we (finally) had a respectable snow storm here in Beverly, MA. Yesterday I published a posterized version of the photo, created in Painter 12. Last night I also created a version with Painter's woodcut effect, which emphasized the tracery in the tree branches. The color was similar to the posterized version. I decided to transform the image into black and white, which seems to work well for this image.

Snow Scene Through Window Blinds (Posterized)

Snow Scene Through Window Blinds (Posterized), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Tonight I used Painter 12 to create this posterized version of the photo I posted yesterday: a snow scene through venetian blinds. (I took the original photo on December 30, 2012, the date of the only real snow that we have had so far here in Beverly, MA.) Tonight I also tried a woodcut effect, and I plan to post that here tomorrow.

Snow Scene Through Window Blinds

Snow Scene Through Window Blinds, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Here's another photo that I took on December 30, the day of our (so far) only real snow here north of Boston. The snow on the dogwood looked beautiful, and I liked the contrast with the window blinds, so I took a picture. Tonight I used iPhoto to crop this image out of the original photo.

Snow and Tree Branches (Digital Woodcut)

Snow and Tree Branches (Digital Woodcut), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Here's one more version of "Snow and Tree Branches," the photo I posted two days ago. Last night I used Painter 12 to add a woodcut effect. It took some fiddling with the controls to get the black outline to land where I wanted it to go.

Snow and Tree Branches (Posterized)

Snow and Tree Branches (Posterized), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Tonight I used Painter to create this posterized version of the photo that I posted here last night. Because the image of snow and tree branches was the result of a pretty aggressive crop, the focus was soft. That plus the diffused light made it a good candidate for posterizing. I tried different levels of posterizing effect to get a result that I liked. I also created a version with a woodcut effect, and I plan to post that here tomorrow.

Snow and Tree Branches

Snow and Tree Branches, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Tonight I cropped this image from another photo that I took last Sunday, December 30. This was the first "real" snow of the year. I noticed this view when I looked out a window on the second floor. I took a quick picture because snow doesn't stay on branches very long. It either melts or blows away. You can see the sun was starting to come out, although it was too cold to melt the snow. The focus is a little soft here due to the cropping. Tomorrow I may try posterizing the image to see what that does.

First Look First Snow

First Look First Snow, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Here north of Boston, we haven't had much snow this year, just a dusting or two. But earlier in the week (December 30), we finally had some 3 to 5 inches. Although I am often inconvenienced by snow, I do love the way it looks, so I was excited when I looked out the window to see the tracery in this tree. I took some photos with my iPhone. I wanted to hurry before the snow was blown off the branches by wind. This was one of the best photos of the set. Tonight I used iPhoto to crop it to get this composition.

Happy New Year (2013)

Happy New Year (2013), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Here's a little image that I made last night just to wish everyone a happy 2013! I used the Brushes app on my iPad, and it captured a "stroke-by-stroke" video as I drew, which I posted here last night. It's not the ball dropping at Times Square, but if you want to see the video, here's the link: www.flickr.com/photos/randiart/8331330119/in/photostream