From Photo to Photo Art

Back in 2009, I wrote a post about Photo art. I explained that my interest in Photo Art grew out of my trying to create images for use on note cards that looked more like paintings than photographs. And now some seven years later, my interest in Photo Art is still going strong. What started out as means to creating note cards I printed myself has grown into creating images that can be placed on numerous products and sold on several POD sites. (POD stands for Print on Demand)

As there may be some who don't readily understand the term 'Photo Art', I again offer the definition I wrote back in 2009 -- This was originally written by Danny Raphael on the RetouchPro forums. He wrote, [Photo Art is] "Art that is created using computer software in which a photo image is used as a basis or reference."

To achieve my photo Art, I use a number of software: Photoshop, Dynamic Auto Painter, Corel Painter Essentials, Topaz Simplify & Impressions and ON1 Perfect Effects. Sometimes just one, other times several are used to achieve the final output. My goal is to turn a photo into something that looks as if it could have been painted instead of photographed.

My most recent creation started out as a simple photograph of tulips growing in a neighbour's garden. Entitled "Aglow", this image is available for sale on my RedBubble site.


Aglow

Taking that image into Photoshop, I remove the background and crop the image so I am left with just the white tulips and about half the green stems and leaves. Continuing to play with the image, I add smart blur to simplify the structures, and glowing edges which in turn are inversed and desaturated to create pencil lines.

The image is then saved out from Photoshop and opened in Dynamic Auto Painter (DAP). In DAP, using the Azo AOP (template), a watercolour version is created. Add a watercolour paper texture and saved. This saved digital painting is then brought back into Photoshop to have a light creme coloured background added.

Some additional tweaks in Photoshop to vibrance and contrast and the image is now complete. This digital watercolour, entitled "Spring's beauties", can be found on my Society 6 site.


Spring's beauties
Clicking on any of the above images will bring you to their respective shop where one could, if they so desired, purchase the images on numerous products such as a Greeting Cards, Fine Art prints, Canvas or Framed Prints and Posters, cellphone cases, throw pillows and tote bags and more.

Please feel free to leave comments.

Thanks for looking. And please stop by again.

Painting Spring

One of my joys in life is to watch as Mother Nature gets out her paints each Spring and transforms a dull gray and dirty world into a rainbow of glorious vibrant colours.

Another of my joys is photographing such beauty. And then attempting to convert those photos into digital paintings. Here are a few of my humble attempts from this year's crop

Some can be found in neighbours' gardens.

Tulips and daffofils

Golden Petals

Purple Cress (Aubrieta deltoidea)

And some are found at the flower stalls at a Farmers' Market.

Flower Burst

Osteospermum

Collerette Dahlias


I hope I have with my humble attempts conveyed what I see when I look at Mother Nature's beautiful paintings.

Remember that clicking on any image on this page will open the image in my Smugmug site where you can view a larger version. Please use your browser's "Back" button to return to the Blog.

These and other digital paintings can be seen in my Smugmug Photo Art gallery and may be purchased in various formats from my RedBubble Digital Paintings & Watercolour Collections.

Please feel free to leave comments here on the blog, in my Guestbook or in the photo gallery.

Thanks for looking. And please stop by again.

Spring Flowers

Each year, as Winter reluctantly leaves and Spring eases gently into season, the flowers return.

One of the first to appear in my neighbourhood is Glory-of the snow. Its full common name is Lucile's Glory-of-the-snow; Lucile being the wife of the Swiss botanist Pierre Edmond Boissier according to Wikipedia

Lucile's Glory-of-the-snow (Chionodoxa luciliae)

Next, typically are the crocuses.
Crocus

Then Daffodils appear. First in Malls being sold to support charities, but then in local gardens.
Daffodils

One of the most interesting (to me) flowers appears about the same time as the Daffodils. Those are the Grape Hyacinths. Tiny little blue/purple flowers, they are best appreciated when viewed up close.
Grape Hyacinth (Muscari)

You know Spring has hit its full stride once the tulips bloom.






I hope you found at least one image to your liking.

Remember that clicking on any image on this page will open the image in my Smugmug site, where you can view a larger version. Please use your browser's "Back" button to return to the Blog.

Other floral images can be seen in my Flowers - 2011 gallery. Please feel free to leave comments here on the blog, in my Guestbook or in the photo gallery.

Thanks for looking. And please stop by again.

Line Art

Wikipedia defines line art as "any image that consists of distinct straight and curved lines placed against a (usually plain) background, without gradations in shade (darkness) or hue (color) to represent two-dimensional or three-dimensional objects. Line art can use lines of different colors, although line art is usually monochromatic."

It goes on to say, "Line art emphasizes form and outline, over color, shading, and texture. However, areas of solid pigment and dots can also be used in addition to lines. The lines in a piece of line art may be all of a constant width (as in some pencil drawings), of several (few) constant widths (as in technical illustrations), or of freely varying widths (as in brush work or engraving).

"Before the development of photography and of halftones, line art was the standard format for illustrations to be used in print publications, using black ink on white paper. Using either stippling or hatching, shades of gray could also be simulated."

I love the simplicity that line art shows. I learned a while back to create digital line art images based on original photos using PaintShop Pro. Here are a few I've created over the past several years.

First, some B&W versions . . .

Blomidon Inn - Wolfville, Nova Scotia

St Benoit du Lac Abbey, Austin, Quebec

Sometimes adding a single colour adds interest . . .

Yellow tulips II
Dianthus
Then there's Sepia toning . . .

Indian Harbour, Nova Scotia
Hotel Nelson, Place Jacques Cartier, Old Montreal
Or you can go full bore with a multi-coloured version. . .

St. Paul's Anglican Church, Trinity, Trinity Bay, Newfoundland
Grand Hotel - Malahide, Co. Dublin, Ireland

Whatever your preference, I hope you found at least one image to your liking.

Remember that clicking on any image on this page will open the image in my Smugmug site, where you can view a larger version. Please use your browser's "Back" button to return to the Blog.

Other Line Art images can be seen in my Line Art images gallery. Please feel free to leave comments here on the blog, in my Guestbook or in the photo gallery.

Thanks for looking. And please stop by again.

Some recent Note Card images

Have had some recent fun creating new Photo Art images for use on Note Cards. I previously posted the following example.
Photo Art - Tulip
I've modified my work flow somewhat in the past few months in creating these images with what I hope results in improved final images.

These images were created using Dynamic Auto-Painter (DAP) and PaintShop Pro v9 (PSPv9).

Photo Art - Allium
Photo Art - Alstroemeria (Peruvian Lily)

The following was not processed in DAP, only in PSPv9. I didn't like the background in the original photograph, so I removed it and replaced it with the mauve background you see here.
Purple Irises

Hope you enjoyed the Note Card images.

Remember that clicking on any image on this page will open the image in my Smugmug site, where you can view a larger version. Please use your browser's "Back" button to return to the Blog.

Other Photo Art images can be seen in my Photo Art gallery.Please feel free to leave comments here on the blog, in my Guestbook or in the photo gallery.

Thanks for looking. And please stop by again.

Tulips

I like tulips. They appear soon after the crocuses and daffodils. They appear as splashes of vibrant colours against the canvas of slowly greening gardens.

In previous years, I've driven to Ottawa for the Canadian Tulip Festival where you can see over 3 millions tulips in bloom.
Tulips - Canadian Tulip Festival - Commissioners Park - Dow's Lake - Ottawa
This year, I've been content to simply enjoy the tulips in my front garden.

First buds
Double Tulip
Pink and White Tulip
Even when the Sun does not shine and the World is cool and damp, the tulips still sparkle and shimmer.

Wet Tulip
And as they age, there is still a beauty to be seen.

Past Prime
With all the riotous colours, this shot just screamed to be done as Photo Art.

Photo Art - Tulip

Hope you enjoyed the photos.

Remember that clicking on any image on this page will open the image in my Smugmug site, where you can view a larger version. Please use your browser's "Back" button to return to the Blog.

Other images of flowers taken so far this year can be seen in my Flowers - 2010 galleries.
Please feel free to leave comments here on the blog, in my Guestbook or in the photo gallery.

Thanks for looking. And please stop by again.

It's begun - Flowers, flowers and more flowers

Crocus
Spring has arrived!

Actually it's about 4 weeks early for my part of the world. When the crocuses bloomed back in April, we thought that was pretty amazing. Then the daffodils showed up.

Daffodil
Then, the tulips sprang forth.
Yellow Tulips

Then on April 27, 2010, the snows returned.

Tulips chillin'
Since then, the warm weather has returned and most of the flowers have recovered. Windy conditions and lack of time has prevented me from recording that recovery, but I'll get back out there soon.

Hope you enjoyed the photos.

Remember that clicking on any image on this page will open the image in my Smugmug site, where you can view a larger version. Please use your browser's "Back" button to return to the Blog.

Other images of flowers taken so far this year in can be seen in my Flowers - 2010 galleries.

Please feel free to leave comments here on the blog, in my Guestbook or in the photo gallery.

Thanks for looking. And please stop by again.

Some more of my favourite things

Ottawa Tulip Festival - May 2009
Many coloured Tulips

Back in May, my wife, Marilyn, and I once again headed up to the Nation's capital, to enjoy the annual Tulip Festival. I am always amazed by the millions of tulips on display. A multitude of tulips is another of my favourite things.

For your enjoyment, here are a few images taken during that visit.


Barbados Tulips


Pink Tulips


A rainbow of Tulips


One dares to be different


Thanks for coming along to see the tulips. Hope you enjoyed it.

Remember that clicking on any image on this page will open the image in my Smugmug site, where you can view a larger version. Please use your browser's "Back" button to return to the Blog.

Other images taken during our visit to Ottawa can be seen in my Ottawa Tulip Festival - 11 May 2009 gallery.

Please feel free to leave comments here on the blog, In my Guestbook or in any of the photo galleries.

Thanks for looking. And please stop by again.