For Art's Sake

I'll just jump right in on this. I had a lot of tangents I went on first ... then I hit the delete button and started over.

Edits for Art's Sake:

Original

Edit

This is a 'double exposure'. I didn't do it in the camera but used a plugin from DxO labs. 

Here is the entrance to the summer pasture with the brilliant red oak leaves glistening in the  late fall sun:

Original

It is pretty. But ...this is how it felt. I use a paint program to 'paint' portions of the photo. Topaz Studio, an old program from a few years ago. 

Edited

Fall offered so many opportunities. I walked once a week past a Sumac Tree as it changed. On this foggy morning I struggled to find the proper way to present this scene. 

Original

Edit

Update In 

December

I like to dabble in things. I like to 'create' sometimes. I enjoy trying new things and challenging myself.

I can't draw even though I used to draw cartoon critters as a teenager. 

Me as a Naturalist 

looking for creatures in the

creek

When I used to write for a magazine,

I also tried my hand 

at cartoons again

Once in a while I get creatively stuck. 

After the snow had melted last week, I took my Infrared camera and went for a walk along the creek. Infrared shots work best with the reflection of light off from leaves with chlorophyll in them.

Most of what I shot turned out to be trash.

I used a 550nm filter which horrifies me each time I try to do anything with it. I felt since I disliked it so much, I should try and make it work. Do something out of my comfort zone.

Original

Edit

This shot turned out so 'otherworldly' that I like it. Note to self. This filter still is very hard to work with. 

My next shot is another IR shot. No fancy camera, a point and shoot.

I rather like the challenges that October and November bring with IR.  The sky and the pond ice reflected blue when I 'channel swapped' the colors.

The pines on the other side of the pond did appear slightly different shades of white and grey.

The birds were added.

 October hike in KVR in a washout above Weister Creek.

Original

Edit

I'm not even sure why I like this one, but I do and it was fun to work with. I painted in brush strokes and then erased them from the zig zag of the wash. I guess this is really how this particular spot 'felt' to me.

The only thing more fun would have been to see a unicorn, a dinosaur, or woodland creature hanging out in the back!

The fog on Christmas Eve was fantastic. Charlie and I couldn't get enough of it. Okay, Charlie really only went out with me for the first time.

I wanted to do something different and try some High Key work.

I dig fog, I really do!

Original

Edited

The photo above was used as the base for Charlie in the double exposure in that first edit!

Waiting...

I am not a person who can sit and wait all day for a delivery.  I don't like sitting and waiting IN the house all day.

So I decided to amuse myself with some 'artwork'.

Infrared photo digitally painted with an auto mode using an Impression Brush in Corel Paint Essentials 6.

I rather like how this turned out. I did spend time watching tutorials. The auto paint part is fun to watch and sometimes I get absolutely awful results, but not always.

This is not 'painted' but run through a DeepDreamGenerator on the internet. You pick an image or design and load one of your own photos and let the Artificial Intelligence 'machine' merge them with some interesting results. Is it true art? I don't have that answer.

However sometimes you take an image and run it through DDG and then layer a painted image over it and come up with something even more wild.

Sort of has a fantasy look to it!

Original below:

This was an Infrared shot from May of last spring.

6pm last night the delivery came through!
Sigh.
Well at least I used my quiet time [after doing housework and laundry] to be creative.

Digital Art and Acrylic Art

I like artsty stuff, I like it better if I can do it myself.

Last night I was wandering through DIY information for making crackled paint with Elmer's Glue when I happened on something called Acrylic Pouring...or Fluid Painting.
Wow, just cool enough to be right up my alley!
I worked on some play blocks and used two different glues to 'crack' the paint. My results with the wood glue were so-so. But heck it is going in the painted block box for building, so no big deal.

The second block I did turned out even neater. Now I have to find sticks to make a welcome sign.
I use sticks because I couldn't paint a pretty Welcome by hand no matter how I tried and stencils always make a mess anyway. Glue some fake leaves to it, and viola! I have a cute sign thingy to set on the entry way table.

The last little block I messed with was really interesting. I gooed the top with Elmer's Glue, then used a 'dirty pour' method with layers of acrylic paint in a tiny cup and dripped it in one spot on the block. The I tipped it around so it would cover the whole side.
The glue is drying and separating the paints and making cracks. The paints look like a swirl of madness on the little block.
My impression? Very neat.

I'll do pictures a bit later.

Because it was soooo windy 47 mph gusts yesterday, I stayed inside and did some Digital Art also.

Here is a slightly Van Gogh layer over a photo I took coming home from my CrossFit on Friday morning. I like it and it pleased me.

Then I turned to DeepDream and decided to see what artificial intelligence would do to my fall photo.

Original:

DeepDreamGenerator:

The acrylic paints? I'd like to try something like this just once....Through a strainer, the flip cup method, or the dirty cup method...or paint with a string.

I like wild and weird stuff.

Now my favorite digital art is computer generated with a program called Mandelbulb 3D, and Incendia, and JWildfire. All free programs and a lot less messier.

This time of the year I usually take a bit of a break from the camera and do a bit of digital artwork and painting as the days get cold and dull. I also work on some still life to keep my creative juices going.

My next trip to town will involve getting a couple of cheap canvases to try some of the flip cup acrylic pour.

I'm putting up my little corner of fall decorations too. I caved in. Summer is over, fall is here, and winter is just around the corner.
It snowed here yesterday again.

In the meantime, the sun will be up in a bit and perhaps Charlie and I should go see it.

Free Stuff, Fotosketcher

Once in a while I get the itch to do something a bit different with my photos. 
I've tried all sorts of painting programs and figured out rather quickly that I don't have the talent to paint with a Wacom Tablet nor do I have the skill to use a mouse...or even a touch screen.

I've tried Topaz's Paint program called Topaz Impression.
Either I didn't have the patience or just didn't spend the time, but after a few days I uninstalled my trial version. I don't 'paint' enough to spend $99.99 for the program.
However I have seen some incredible work come from other folks.
It just wasn't a good fit with me.

I also tried a program from Media Chance called Dynamic Auto Painting. Now this program I adored. I could paint in different layers and erase portions while still in the program.

I messed around with the free trail and liked it so much I nearly plunked down the $99 for the software.

But I didn't. 

Frankly, I don't find photos that would fit 'painting' in my mind often enough to actually use the programs.
Someone on G+ suggested a program called Fotosketcher. Well why not, it was free.
The first time I tried it, I wasn't impressed. Then I started to change the type of photos that I might consider for 'digital program painting'. I have to give the program the credit, I only pick how the program is going to do it.
Then I sit back and let the engines churn.

Photo:

Painted:

Photo:

Painted:

Photo:

Painted:

Personally I like this one I think the best.

I spent a few moments at the website and read a helpful tutorial of how to combine two paintings into one.

I did that with this photo:

It is different. I combined a pencil drawing and a oil painting. Not sure if this would be a good sample. But it wasn't very hard to do.

I found that some still life really worked well. I added texture over the 'painting' afterwards in PSPX7.

Last note. Be prepared to wait for a while during the time the program is painting.

This is pretty basic as all the other programs I've tried are pretty much the same.

I also have Corel Essentials 5. If I am able to figure out how to properly use it, I'll review it.

I guess it is time to go to YouTube and see if I can find some instructions as Corel made their help section as clear as mud.