Get funky!

I thought I'd revisit some fun and odd looking 'art' generated by Deep Dream Generator. It has been argued that it is NOT art as it uses Artificial Intelligence to merge a pattern into your photo.

At first I had no clue of what I was doing. Some of the generations turned out simply awful and made no sense. 

Then as I experimented and looked at what others were doing and how they were using patterns,...it started to slightly click...just a bit.

Still.

You can end up with nonsense or something quite beautiful.

Original [actually I added a texture in DxOElite with this photo]

Um. Teddy Bear run through a painting texture and then another colorful texture then combined into this final image.

Original:

Next some just for fun. I don't recall what the originals were.

I really do enjoy doing this as a wonderful distraction to all the other things going on.

I posted an album of these on Facebook and it was shared --- another person asked where I 'sold' them.

Nah, I don't sell them. Selling items are so much work!

However, I will probably put them in an 'art' book in print just to keep around and page through occasionally. I have an idea or two also that I might see if I can print this following image to hang on the wall. I think it is so uplifting.

It feels so happy!

I think I will finally get serious on finishing up my photo book I was going to call The Creek. I've been photographing it for a few years to sort of see how it changed through the seasons and with flash floods.

It will be like my other two self made books 

The Enchanted Forest

and...

The Sleeping Forest

I have quite a few files to back up now and save along with some thoughts to get written down.

I'm thinking of creating a few designs with winter scenes for Christmas Cards.

It appears that with being so Isolated, it may be a good thing to sit down and write out many cards?

At least I could have fun designing them.

Get Funky.

Have a good week and stay well.

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.

Family Artist!

I visit my MIL about 3 times a week. I usually get there just as she is getting ready to eat her noon meal. This is her best time of the day. Mornings and noon are her alert times.

I've gone at 2pm and sat to talk with her and she generally falls asleep during the conversation. Last time we did that even Charlie couldn't keep her awake.

Anyway I noticed a painting on the side board and asked if the gals had been painting. Joyce at the end of the table said 'Why YES!' and she described her painting in detail and went on and on about the class.

I picked up the painting on the sideboard and asked who it belonged to.
MIL said it was hers. I noted the LE on it plus the numbers 8 and 2. I asked what they meant. August 2nd was the reply.

I asked MIL what was she going to do with it?

She waved her hand and then dove into her Mandarin oranges. "Nothing."
"Can I have it?" I asked.
She finished the oranges and pushed them away.
"It isn't anything special, it isn't even good."

I held it up and said. "It most certainly is! Look! It is a Swallowtail Butterfly on a Zinnia! Just like in my flower garden right now!"

"I'd like to hang it in my house," I told her, "I have the perfect spot for it."

MIL glanced at me and smiled a big smile. "Really?"
I knew from what she had hanging on her walls at her apartment and before that at her house, that this wasn't the sort of thing she would hang on her wall.

"Yes, really."

"You can have it then."

I showed it to Rich when I got home. He liked it too and said how special it was as his mom had done it.
I agreed. For sure it meant even more because his mom had made it.

I had no idea that my MIL could paint. Oh...I know they help them do this in class, but it sure will be a wonderful keepsake for us.

I will have to see if I can go with her to one of these classes if I ever get a free day from running Rich around to PT and appointments.

Oh...here is my art...
Digitally Painted which is much easier than real paint!

See?

I can sort of do it too!

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.

Fractal Artist Daniel Eaton

When I sent out some questions to a few Fractal Artists that I really admire, I got some immediate response and some interesting information.

*Full Deck by Daniel Eaton*

Daniel Eaton lives in Canton GA (North Metro Atlanta).  His on line address is:
about.me/danieleaton.



Please tell me a bit about yourself and a little backround so we know who you are.

I'm an identical twin that just celebrated my 52nd birthday.  I've been married for 29 years and have two grown children.  

My other hobbies and interests include politics, theology (especially the origins debates), technology (especially Android), making my own jerky, and making my own e-juice for vaping.  

I've been known to blog about these topics and have written some lengthy articles or essays on some of them.  I am a moderator on several forums and also the volunteer as the project manager and technical support person for an online non-profit.  

I enjoy reading and, more often due to my concentration issues, listening to audio books.  My favorite genre of books and TV shows are of the mystery/thriller variety.  

If I were to name one guilty pleasure in life, I'm also pretty addicted to playing DragonVale.  There should be a 12-step program for that!  But is satisfies the project manager side of me and, as I get into with the next "why do you do this" question, it gives me a sense of accomplishment that I no longer am able to obtain in traditional career or other physical terms.

I'm also a huge fan of the reality show Big Brother.  If you are into the study of sociology and the way folk's worldview shapes how they see others and interpret what they say, it is hard to find a clearer example that that show.  By recognizing the worldview of others, it helps us to recognize our own and allows us to become a bit more objective and irenic in the presentation of our own beliefs in topics that are known to get pretty heated.  

What attracted you to digital artwork and why do you do it?

*Replication by Daniel Eaton*

After two decades of being a computer programmer and project manager, I was suddenly disabled by a rare neurological condition nine years ago.  

While it resulted in a toll in my physical health that I couldn't fix, I was looking for something that I could do that would give me a sense of accomplishment every day and a reason to get out of bed.  

Without the physical stamina that would enable me to do anything physical, I thought about what I could do using computers.  I don't recall what brought fractals to mind, but I've been doing them ever since.  And when I wake up in the morning knowing that I have an overnight batch of rendered images waiting for me, it's hard to go back to sleep.

:)  

Because I do this for my own sense of fulfillment and don't want the stress of trying to sell them or keep others from "borrowing" them, I give all my stuff away. This means not only do I do fractals as gifts for people on occasion, but I also publicly share all my parameters online for others to use and enjoy.  I've also used my understanding of computer programming to create a lot of Apophysis scripts, a tutorial on how to write an Apophysis script based on Apophysis parameters, a windows app that would do unattended batch rendering, an explanation of fractals for kids or interested adults, and even came up with a combination of tools to let me embed the parameters of about 20,000 images into the EXIF data of the image itself so that they can be browsed in a visual format and archived online.  I've also done a few J-Wildfire scripts based on some of my old Apophysis stuff.  They are available on the J-Wildfire forum.  So when I have the mental clarity to do it, I not only enjoy making fractals, but enjoy using my knowledge of programming to make my fractal production a bit easier to do, easier to explain, or easier to organize.

 What if it all do you want others so see in your work?

To go back to my listed hobby of the origins debate, I believe that fractals, like nature, show evidence of intelligent design.  

It is more than just beauty.  It reflects a reality that there is something bigger than us out there.  When I am zooming deep down into a fractal, it reminds me of a microscope.  

When we put something man-made under a microscope, the more we magnify it, the more we see its flaws and imperfections. But when we put something natural under the microscope, we find more and more detail.  Whether it be cell structure or DNA or the atom, we see increasing complexity that brings me a sense of awe.

So not to take anything away from all the developers that have spent so much time in creating these amazing tools for us, but they are like the guy that makes a camera,  The beauty and awe are in what these things capture.  And when I luck upon a nice one, I am reminded that God is the Supreme Fractalist.

Do you have goals?  

Because I am disabled, I have no real professional goals.  I'm kinda stuck on the sidelines of life.  

So my goal is to make my little spot on the side of the road something that benefits people.  I want folks to enjoy their interaction with me, benefit from the little things that I can offer, and, while they may not agree with all my opinions, see me as someone who has researched reasons for their beliefs and can present them in a loving and reasoned manner.  So my personal goals are in the area of becoming a better person and helping others in whatever way that I can.  

What is your favorite program and why?

Over the 8+ years that I've been doing fractals, I've used about a dozen different apps.  All but one have been free, so that fit my disability budget perfectly! :)  

I started out with Chaoscope, moved to Apophysis and a couple of different ports of that, played with Mandelbulb 3D, Incendia, Fractal Science Kit, Mind Blowing Fractals, several different apps for iOS and Android, and have settled on my current favorite - J-Wildfire.  

I enjoy being able to use my old parameters from my Apophysis days, love that it is in very active development with frequent updates of new features, and benefit from an active user group.  It's very simple to create some nice stuff with the mutagen window, yet has a ton of capabilities "under the hood" that allow you to get as complex and deep into every aspect of the fractal as you desire.  The ability to have sub-flames alone (the ability to include one fractal as a part of another) gives it a powerful capability that sets it apart.  With the scripts and other resources that are available, and with the fact that it is cross-platform and will run on anything with Java, it truly is an app that anyone from beginner to expert can use on any computer platform.

 Do you have to be a real geek to try these programs?
 

It's not a requirement, but it helps. :)  

But I encourage folks to not let their lack of understanding to scare them away.  You don't have to understand the math behind fractals.  I sure don't.  

So when I explain how to do fractals to those who never have, I try to take the geek/nerd stuff out of it and put it into every day terms.  Parameters become "recipes" and all those variations become "ingredients".  By adding or adjusting the ingredients, you can come up with a finished product just to your taste.

 *Orange by Daniel Eaton*

Any additional thoughts on Fractal Art?

Not everyone "gets" fractal art.  

Out of the tens of thousands of fractals that I've created, there have only been a couple that my wife or kids have said "that's beautiful" about.  They just don't "get it".  

So don't get into fractals for the attention or the accolades of the masses.  

Do it for yourself.  

Do the images that YOU think are pretty.  

And find some forums like the J-Wildfire group where you can appreciate the work of others and share your own.  

They "get" it and are more likely to appreciate your work and offer assistance as needed. 

 And try to learn from them.  

Don't be bashful about posting a piece and the parameters for it and asking folks what THEY would do to make a piece better.  You may not agree with all the suggestions, but it's a great learning experience.  And as you have the opportunity, try to pay it forward.  Try to share your knowledge and experience and resources.  It is in the learning and teaching/helping that you will find your greatest reward.

~~~~~

Daniel made this blog-post pretty simple for me, there was no better way that to just cut and pretty much paste his information here.
I've gotten to know Daniel through Flickr, the JWildfire group on FB, and have admired how freely he shares his information and knowledge.  How he always seems to be willing to help and answer anyone's questions and also how he encourages others.

One of the things I might ask the reader to do is check on the links provided by Daniel Eaton, read about him and his neurological disorder.   I learned something even more than digital graphic arts today.
I learned about  a man who finds  graphic art and sharing his love for it a place to go and be himself. 

I find doing Fractal Art as a way to simply enjoy beauty which he describes so well.  The fun part of it is the learning curve.

Thank you so much Daniel Eaton.

Obsidian Dawn, Corel Painter Essentials 4, reviews

Combining Corel Painter Essentials 4 [which is free by the way], Elements 5, and a variety of brushes from Obsidian Dawn have driven me in a direction that is a bit different with some of my photography.

Digital Photo Painting.  Yes Corel Painter Essentials 4 is a free program, but that doesn't mean it cannot be well used!  I followed the tutorials that came with the program and then dove into playing with it.

Some results were hideous.

Some results were fantastic.

 

I combined the painting with layers in Elements 5.  No I have not upgraded to the latest version, although I've thought about it.  I get along with '5' so well, that I haven't explored the $ to upgrade.

I decided to add some textures to my digital art by using some interesting brushes from Obsidian Dawn.

This one was particularily fun as I used Obsidian Dawn's 'scratch out' brushes to add texture.  I used layers to bring back the brick on the building and certain places that I wanted to bring the viewer's eye to.

Old crumbling buildings usually don't interest me at all, but this turned out ... in my own opinion, quite cool.  

I may try this technique on some more architectural shots if I can get out and about and take some!

These artistic digital programs give me a whole new choice of creativity to follow.

I've actually combined it with Topaz Lab products in order to prepare the photo for 'painting' in the Corel program.

So if you have some photos and you are not sure what to do with them...or are bored of the same ol', same ol'...try some digital painting.

After all, there is none of the mess, and you never have to clean your brushes!