Reflections of Antiquity

Reflections of Antiquity (shirley shelton©copyright 2012)

I must admit I love to experiment and try new effects be it in my painting or my photography. Well, a girl needs a challenge and with 'Reflections of Antiquity' I certainly found one!

Sometimes when I'm searching for inspiration (one of those duh moments) I find it helpful to simply put the breaks on and play. Allow the imagination some R and R to experiment and see what happens?

In this case I decided to play with a set of 12 inch wooden African figures which adorn my living room and I wondered how these might turn out via my flat bed scanner? If you've never used your scanner for anything other than documents then start doing so right now...

Much of the alchemy of such a project occurs in Photoshop and after importing the scanned images I began shuffling them, examining the possibilities and looking for a decent composition. After much trial and error I settled on the profiles, both figures facing each other with hands poised studiously beneath their chins.

I then imported a number of different textures, pasted these over the figures and fiddled with filters until I got the effect I wanted.

The pose seemed to evoke a certain Egyptian flavour and to go with this I downloaded some hieroglyphs (what else?) which I again pasted and adjusted using filters which with a bit of tweaking gave the impression of being carved into the stone behind the figures. Cool!

Once I was happy with the tone, levels and general composition I exported the image into Corel Painter. Photoshop can do just about anything but when it comes to brushes Painter is King! It has a formidable array of texture brushes and painterly effects which can really add that extra 'razzle dazzle' to any image.

The watchword here is experimentation. You have nothing to lose by really going for it and trying something new and indeed everything to gain. Using different methods and multiple programmes not only opens your mind up to new and exciting possibilities but I have to say there is a great feeling of satisfaction that comes from drawing together such numerous strands and tying then all successfully together. Great stuff!

Shirley

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Dandelion Daydreams



'Dandelion Daydreams' (shirley shelton©copyright 2011)



'Dandelion Macro' (shirley shelton©copyright 2011)

So, how do you add sparkle to an otherwise 'ok' image? The two images above demonstrate the creative potential of Photoshop and the fact that there are always different ways of developing an images potential.

Dandelion Macro (above bottom) was taken on a bright day using a 90mm Sigma macro lens. OK, it's a good, crisp shot with a nicely blurred background and I suppose I could have left it at that. But is it original or in any way dynamic? Perhaps not. Alas it echoes a million such images found in galleries across the web. Nice, well taken photographs but with little to mark them out as being hmm...

individual?

So enter Dandelion Daydream or... the danedlion makeover...

When starting out manipulating an image like this it pays (unless you already have a firm idea) to be open minded and to go with your instincts. This allows you to respond to 'chance happenings' (or those wonderful little accidents) which ultimately gives your work a more spontaneous feel.

So I open my image in Photoshop and after a few tweaks to correct levels and tone I duplicate it in the layers palette. This is where the action is. Where the image will take shape and ultimately suceed..or not!

Oh and remember, Photoshop will not 'cure' a badly taken photograph. It is not a cure for sloppy practice and if you don't have a strong image then go away and practice more with your camera!

Next I selected a few textures to play with. You can find sites all over the Internet supplying an infinite number of wondrous and varied textures. Or (as I did here) you can create you own from anything your imagination cares to find. In this case I used a texture I'd conjured up some weeks back using shattered windscreen glass (like tiny diamonds) on my flat bed scanner. Try it. A scanner makes an excellent producer of textures weird and wild!

Using this shattered glass texture as a second layer in the layers Palette I experimented with the different filters until I found the one that gave me the effect I liked. Then it was a case of taking the layer in Photoshop's awesome black and white adjustments and simply (and intuitively) working until you get the look you like. Then I added a sepia tint, checked levels and finally sharpened until I had what I wanted!

As I 've said before, these are not supposed to be detailed tutorials but rather a peek at my working methods. A look 'behind the curtain' at my working methods. There are those who fail to be impressed by work created in such programmes as Photoshop (usually those who have no idea how it works) claiming either that it is some how 'false' or somehow untrue as a piece of art. Others simply think that it's 'computer generated' and that you simply 'push a button' and...presto the work appears! Both are ill informed and thus nonsense.

An artist utilises the technology of the day. The Impressionists in the 19th Century utilised advances in paint pigments which produced brighter more luminous tones than ever before. You don't accuse Degas or Monet of somehow cheating?

Photoshop is a tool which allows an artist to take their work to another level or to experiment in ways hitherto unimagined. Personally I find that incredibly exciting!

Shirley

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A touch of Gloom is Good?





'Containment'



Gravestones & Shadows

It's been a busy week of painting and photographing and listing images online etc etc huff-puff..phew! So, here I have two, what at first might appear to be rather gloomy, images taken over the last week. Both were taken with my Sony Alpha with an 18-200 mm Sigma lens and as always I shot in RAW.

OK, Containment started out as a typical study in texture. Barbed wire against a rustic post, all very visual etc. However, as post production in Photoshop developed so did the intention of the image. The red colour (blood?) was simply moss growing on the post but with a click of the mouse the mottled yellow became a dark red. Hmm, at this point I own up to adding what might look like a hand print on the post. Well, once I saw the wire and the red the rest just clicked. So many cues from every media outlets we see. The world of repression, imprisonment and indeed confinement. For the record I'm not a paid up member of Amnesty International and my art tends to veer well clear of political statements but sometimes folks...

The dots just join themselves together!

Gravestones & Shadows had an equally inauspicious beginning. It was a warm day, I felt like a walk and as I passed our local churchyard I was drawn more by the daffodils than by the graves, Still, I thought a shot or two might work? I did like the shadows but hey, it was mid afternoon, warm and bright. Hardly the recipe for Gothic despair!

That though, is the wonder of post editing in a programme like Photoshop. You take an image which (in it's natural state) is fairly routine and well..boring? And you work it up into something unusual and hopefully less eh..boring?

In this case I played with the tones in Adobe Raw before importing into Photoshop where I used some textured backgrounds in Layers. Cue a fiddle with the filters and presto..one image which explores life, death and our obsession with recording our passing,

or

You can enjoy it as a feast of texture, form and a play on light. There, you see, spoilt for choice over such 'gloomy' subjects!

Shirley

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Macro Mania?

They say that a change is as good as a rest and as an artist (swamped by commissions) I'm inclined to agree. Much as I love painting there comes a time when the I simply want to....

Tear the canvas to shreds!!

OK (that felt better) So, as to the change in question? I again turn to photography and the joys of the macro lens...

The two images above (the Pink Camellia and the Honey Bee) were both captured last summer and have since residered as RAW files on my hard drive. Well, we artists do get waylaid! So, time to get creative and do something with them?

Both were taken using a Minolta 90mm Macro Lens in natural light. With the Pink Camellia I used shutter priority (1/160seconds) as there was a slight breeze and I wanted to eliminate any movement. The result gave a crisp image with excellent depth of field which I later reemphasised in Photoshop after a few adjustments in Abobe Raw. To make the flower stand out even more I partially desaturated the background and used the burn tool to darken the background tones.

With bee I got really lucky in terms of it sitting still. Now, Bees aren't usually so obliging when it comes to portraits but this one made his way into my conservatory during a cold spell last July and was left groggy or whatever bees get when cold? I found the hapless fellow sitting on the white sill (perfect background) perfectly inert. Perfect for me too! The light was excellent. cloudy, bright and beautifully defused by the frosted glass of the conservatory roof. A natural light tent indeed. Due to the Bees statuesque mood I was able to take long exposures resulting in a perfect capture. Except for a little post editing and a few light filters in Photoshop I did little else to it.


Now, I'm not a purest. I don't believe that as a photographer you somehow 'fail' if you need lots of post editing Depends on what you wish to achieve? I love the whole creative process whereby via camera and image editor I can create something that leaves me satisfied with the end result. Thus using Abobe Bridge, RAW and Photoshop are means to an end. They give a greater range to the artist. Not simply a quick fix for bad camera skills but an endless set of possibilities taking the boundaries of photography ever forward and yes...upward too!

Shirley

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Photography:Skulls & Candles

I've been trying my hand (and lens) at subjects in low light and the wonderful effects (as with Mr Skull above) you can expect to achive with a little practise, a bit of effort and (essentially) the right camera!

Well of course painting is my first love, my passion and favourite child but photography has quickly won a very important seat at my table. Initially the camera was simply a tool. A device to capture my paintings for use online as well as my portfolio. Simply utilitarian? Well yes, until the time came when I started to think about producing high quality photo's. Then everything changed...

Q: Time then for an upgrade?
A: Absolutely!

I'll not labour the point here regarding my transition from functional point & shoot bod into DSLR enthusiast extraordinaire! (I'll focus on that journey in a future post) Enough to say that the difference between the two is like comparing a Mini Cooper with a Ferrari F50!

The effect with the skeleton and candle was achieved using my Sony Alpha 350 with a 90mm macro lens on a manual setting. The key is to experiment with long exposures whilst using low (off camera lighting) lighting (other candles or even a diffused torch will do) and not being afraid to explore your manual settings. OK, it can be hit and miss at first (very!) but you soon gain a 'feel' for your subject as your choices become more and more intuitive.

Of course it helps in post editing to leverage the full benefits of photoshop but the aim is to get as much right before opening your favourite Adobe editor!

Oh, the skeleton? It's one of those cheap little plastic efforts you usually pick up for a song during Halloween. In normal light it hardly looks convincing but with a little 'razzle-dazle' the possibilities are simply endless.

Shirley

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Me of Many Parts

Hi all,
Sometimes it’s just way too easy to ssslide completely into being totally absorbed in your art. I mean really transfixed to the point of near addition. (Cue splashed cold water over the face and a spell of cold turkey to boot!) Perhaps time to allow the creative id some R&R and a chance to simply…play. Perchance cast off those stern shackles of perfectionism and maybe…

Take it easy!

Pamper the child within, relax and simply chill out…

OK I’m sure you get the picture. So basically it’s time to doodle, experiment and sharpen up a few other skills at the same time. Which leads me to my little montage (above, which I produced using Adobe Photoshop and Corel Painter) this was a composite of me. Me in action. Me close up and in the fray. Multi tasking multi-purpose ShirleyBod! If you want to get noticed on the web then sometimes you need to jettison subtle and think showy…think eye grabbing.

Now it must be obvious to anyone whose seen and read about my work that I love working with natural media. (You bet I do) I love it and wouldn’t swap the smell of paint, a loaded brush or my acrylic caked dungarees for anything!

However there are some aspects of the visual arts that programs like Painter and Photoshop can do far better (and yes…much quicker!) than conventional media will allow. This is especially true if your intended use is for web graphics which by their very nature have to be designed subject to issues of file size etc.

So there you go. Yet another little slither of insight into my ‘away from painting’ activity. A veritable outpouring of personal tittle-tattle. Bet your thinking I must really knock them dead at parties!

Catch you later
Shirley

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Corel Unveil Painter X

Painter Power?
Hi all,

Just a quick(ish) word to mention this week’s new release of Corel Painter X. Anybody who’s ever used Corels superlative painting software to recreate natural media will know that no other painting software comes even close Yes I know Adobe Photoshop is probably the industry leader in photographic and image manipulation. However, when it comes to the business of replicating oils, acrylics or pastels (to mention just a few) Painter is the natural choice for artists, illustrators and anyone wishing to unleash their creative talents via the PC.

Anyway, I’ve just downloaded the free 30 day trial (I just love trying out new software!) and I’ll let you know exactly what I think in the very near future! If you fancy trying it yourself (Go on, give it a bash) simply follow this link to the Corel download page… Corel Painter X have fun. I know I will!

Catch you later

Shirley

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