If it doesn't work as a photograph try a painting. Part one of 2 (sort of anyway)

Okay so second blog about this, but it took me several sessions to finish. I documented each session to record what I managed to get done.  I have gone back to work after surgery so I finished this a while ago, and just got around to blogging. 

One recommendation I do have after doing all of this... MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ENOUGH SPACE TO HANG IT!!!  I made this picture into a 4'x4' painting.  With all of the work on my walls already I can't find a place to hang this huge piece.  But it is rather nice though, definitely worth the effort.

Enjoy, I will definitely be doing the gridded enlargement again, I love the results!  I have been a critic of this form of drawing because it seems so labor intensive.  But when doing something as intricate and precise as portraiture it is extremely necessary. Freehanding this would have not been nearly as successful.

I am starting to do some photography of around town and of my travels.  I am playing with macro in floral photography and some architectural studies. 

Another thing that I'm learning is photo editing.  I just learned how to correct photos.  I was able to remove a huge lightpole out of the middle of this picture, although I screwed up and saved over the original so I don't have the original reference picture. 

This is the edited photo, there was a huge light pole in the center. Now it's GONE!

Sunsets are gorgeous and they go fast, so if you see one take the time, stop and get it on film.  I drove from one side of town to the other, it took 15 minutes and by the time I got home the light was gone.  It's probably not a good idea to drive and snap pictures, but thank goodness for stoplights.

If it doesn't work as a photograph try a painting. Part one of ?????

I really like the photograph, but it's just a little fuzzy, just enough that it won't work enlarged.  So what do you do?  I am in the middle of my most ambitious project to date.  I am enlarging a 8"x8" picture to a 4'x4' mural.  I will document the progress via blog.

First step is to grid the work surface. I tried something new, I've never tried this before, but the concept is good.  I took powdered charcoal and a heavyweight cotton string and a tupperware containter.  I loaded the string with charcoal and with my husband's help snapped lines on the painted masonite.  I had premarked the masonite at 6" intervals.

Next I drew in the squares and the picture started to shape up.  With careful observation, and drawing the picture is extremely close to the original picture. I was pleased at how easy it was to draw an accurate drawing. 

Once the picture was drawn, I started painting.  I think I made a mistake, but I will continue and do my best to pull it off.  I should have started with the skin tone, but I started with the hair. My husband the other talented artist in the family has said her skin is too dark, but I have a great midtone.  Now I just need to accentuate the lights and darks.  I lay in the values, and then stand back and make adjustments. It's hard to fix one area when it is only half finished.

I'll keep you updated.

Confessions of an Artistic Insomniac: Using photographs to make paintings.

I don't know if it is the fact that I have been house bound for 4 weeks almost, the fact that I have to lay down a lot because I push too hard and over do things after having major back surgery, but I cannot sleep. I have had a LOT of difficulty sleeping for the past 2 weeks. I stayed up until 6am last night, or maybe better yet this morning. I am just NOT tired. I don't know if it helps that I'm watching a really interesting series on Netflix, or what, but I just can't sleep. I broke down a couple of weeks ago and started drawing in my sketchbook, pictures of Maddi when she was very little. I just needed to stay busy, I mean seriously when cabin fever sets in, it's all you can do to not go a little nuts. So what do I do? I taught myself to knit, started drawing, painting, photography, cleaning house, doing laundry, dishes, etc. And part of the point of this blog was to document the realms of art and photography, and how one generally will inspire the other.

So yesterday was a bit of a turning point. I got inspired, in a fit of insomnia inspired genius. I've been staring at this watercolor paper that my husband got me for a gift, and most people that create have experienced this before, but I had NO idea what to draw or paint. I had done a little sketch from one of the pictures that I took, and stared at it for a couple of days frustrated at what I thought was going to look awful. But last night I took the sketch, made a couple of adjustments, and broke out my daughter's watercolor paints, you know the cheap ones that we used in elementary school in the pans, not the artist squeeze tubes. And I just started painting.

And as I worked, it took shape, and I was excited. I played around with the shading to make it a bit more dramatic, but I have to admit that I'm pretty impressed with the final results. 

Out of curiousity, if anyone is reading this, I have to wonder if they find the most daunting task when doing a piece of artwork, is putting something or anything on that blank paper. The blank paper is when I usually freeze. If I can get an idea on paper somehow, it turns out looking pretty good, it's just broaching the blank stage.

 I have to say that yesterday I had a creative break!  I am starting a pretty ambitious piece.  I took the portrait I love so much of my daughter and am blowing it up from essentially a 8"x8" picture that I cropped, and making it into a 4'x4' mural.  I will be documenting that process.  I'll admit I really overdid it today, but I got the board (masonite) primed, and the grid lines snapped on there in charcoal.  And I took some plexiglass and gridded the picture, so I will probably start drawing tomorrow.

I'll keep you posted. 

Depth of Field: What do YOU focus on?

So seriously I did a science experiment when I was a kid on depth of field. I'll admit that it was my dad's idea, and I really didn't get it at the time. I lined up a bunch of bears and took photos at different f-stops.  I still have a time understanding how to use it to my benefit.

Well last week I met an amazing photographer who shows his work and gives lessons on photography. He gave me some hints and tips and I am finally getting it! The look I want is achievable using various means. When dealing with longer distances, the f-stops make a difference.

 When dealing with closer distances, I'm finding more success using the macro mode. I finally figured out how to zoom the lens in macro mode. The reason I find this more ideal is because macro mode exaggerates the limited depth of field. What this means is I can take pictures closer up and blur the items in front, and items behind the object I want to be clear.

The trick is to figure out what you want to focus on, and make that the sharpest and clearest part of your picture.  
 I'm sure there are lenses out there that will do that much easier, but since the camera I'm using doesn't have the option to switch out lenses, I have to make do with what I have. But I'm not complaining, because I have figured out a way to get what I want.

 I took some neat pictures of daffodils today, I love the flip up and swivel display on the camera, although I still had to squat, I didn't have to lay on the ground to take a decent picture, I could still see the composition.

Coloring photos

There are 2 ways to color a black and white photo.  The first and traditional method is using transparent oil paint.  Of course this has extra expense to deal with.  The second is to use photo editing software and color in the areas that you have selected. 

The first way is to take and print out a black and white photograph, apply a thick layer of photo prep spray, then use just a tiny bit of color on a Q-tip and apply the color in thin layers very carefully not to press too hard. If you press too hard, it will mess up the layer of spray that was applied, and then the paint won't stick.  Although this is the traditional method, it takes too long to prep, apply, and dry.

So onto the second method.

The second method is much simpler.  I use GIMP software, it is a freeware photo editing program that is very similar to Adobe Photoshop.  It has all of the filters and editing tools, I will be working with another photographer, and we are going to compare the software, and see if there is any discernable difference between the software.  I basically converted the photo to grayscale and saved it as a new file.  Once that was done, then I changed the new file to RGB and it stayed black and white, but whatever color I used showed up.  Then using the spray painting tool with very low opacity, I started adding thin layers of color to selected areas.  The trick is to use color minimally.  If you get too carried away, you may as well just have left the picture colored.

Colorizing comes in handy when the photo is too dark and lightening the photo causes strange pixelation.  By using the spray painting tool it's easy to retouch, colorize, and smooth out the pixels.

Macro: The art of the small details

Okay so I'm not great at this yet, I finally have a camera that is capable of close up photography.  I am used to composing larger still life setups, not delving in for detail.  This is a new approach that will take some time to perfect.  So far it's in the testing phase. 

I printed out several pictures yesterday, and I've found there is definitely a difference in how a picture looks either on the viewfinder or on the computer screen as opposed to the physical photograph.  James my husband picked out a few that he wants to draw, as have I.  He likes the pictures of our daughter, and I like the still life photos for future drawings/paintings. 

One thing I am fully aware of that will need to happen very shortly, is I need to get my tripod out and use it for all future macro photography.  Most of the photos that I took I had to delete due to blurring.  And if it is blurred on a small scale, it will be blurry blown up.  I'm finding that the pictures that I printed, they looked fine on my computer screen, but on close inspection of the finished photo, there is some minor blurriness. 

 I downloaded an app on my Ipad that was really neat, it's Photography 101, and has tons of informative lessons on how to get the camera to really do what you want.  I need to start studying that so I can improve.  My composition skills are not bad, but I am still unsure of my camera.  It has great features that I know so little about.  And the only way to really be a great artist and a great photographer, is to know your tools.  You have to learn how to use the tool so that you don't have to think about what you are doing, it needs to be second nature. And there are two ways to learn your tools thoroughly, one is by experimenting and pushing the creative envelope.  The other is to study, learn from others who are better than you, and pick up the skills they have to teach and put them into practice.  I look forward to blogging about what I learn.  Because what I learn and how I put the insight into words, may help someone else who is learning, just like me.