PAF Alert and a Free Texture

Hi Everyone!  Hope this note finds you well.

The May edition of Photo Art Friday is only about a week away - May 2nd/3rd. Where does time go?!!!

The optional theme for the May edition of PAF is COLLAGE.  There are so many ways to make a digital collage - thought I would give you a few examples to spark your imagination for YOUR contribution to PAF, if you choose to follow the theme.

This is the most basic form of a digital collage - with different photographs displayed in rows. It does require some 'shuffling' around of the photos to produce an appealing arrangement.

Here is a collage where one photograph edited with a variety of different textures and manipulations are placed together, helter-skelter, to produce a collage. This kind of collage requires you to place and size each image in the position you want it to appear.

A collage similar to the one above, but where I have used the main edited photograph as the background and then took cropped pieces of that same image and placed them on top.

A digital collage where the black background takes up one third of the image and is then used to feature a poem that I like.

This collage is composed of only two photos - one of tree branches and a macro of pink petals.  In Photoshop I placed the petals on top of the branches to produce a pretty semi-abstract effect. Here the collage process is morphing into a composite more than a collection of photos. Collage is more a collection of photos placed side by side, where a composite is about using the different photos to compose (composite) a new piece entirely.

This is a collage/composite that you saw recently on this blog.  The digital components are a texture, a photo of leaves, and a photo of a bouquet of flowers.  Don't forget that you can use textures as a component in your collages.

Here is a piece of photo art where I digitally 'collaged' many different images together to form a new image. The components are:  brushes, buddha, butterfly, flower, moon, bells - all placed on one of my backgrounds. This is a collaged composite!  :)

Another example of a composite where I use my own photos of buildings, singer, and photos from the web of a soldier crouching in grass, a man walking on sidewalk - all placed on textured background. (When you include images you find on the web in your collage work, do make sure that they are in the public domain and that you are not infringing on copyright.) These last two forms of collage or composite require more work and ability to use masks to remove unwanted parts of the various components.



Of course, I'm sure many of you can think of even more creative ways to make a collage.  But for those of us who are new to the process, this gives a few examples of what can be done for the theme 'collage'.  AND you have a whole week to experiment with it!  Remember, you have to be patient with yourself and your editing program!

Perhaps a new texture would help you get started with a collage.  Here is a free texture that could easily be used as a background if you choose to create a composite piece of artwork for the May 2nd/3rd edition of Photo Art Friday.  Enjoy!

To download your free copy of pdpa Musique texture, simply smile and click HERE.  :)  

See you next week!

New Textures With Blend Examples

Popping in to share the new texture sets that have been added to my two shops.  Two of the sets are ideal to use as backgrounds in photo art composite creations.  They can be found, of course, in the Background Textures Shop.

Four new sets have been added to the Mini-Sets Texture Shop.  Each set has at least one texture that looks like beautiful stained glass.  Below you will see a few examples of just what these textures can do.

A screen shot showing photograph of an orange tiger lily that has been transformed to black and white (background leaves and flowers were erased).  New texture Stained Glass 3 from the pdpa Designer Deco Texture Set is applied to edited photograph.

Photo and texture blended in Color Burn at 100% opacity.  No further edits applied ... yet.

 Blended in Screen at 60% opacity.  Two stylets from Rad Lab and Poster Edges were also added.

New texture Stained Glass 1 from pdpa Designer Deco IV Texture Set.

Blended in Multiply at 100% opacity.  No further edits ... yet there are many possibilities, just want to stick to showing what you can get using only Blend Modes.  Where there is further editing, I tell you what it is.

 Blended in Darker Color at 100% opacity.  No further edits.

 Blended in Screen blend mode at 100% opacity.   Using a mask to remove texture from flower would be my next step here.

 Blended in Difference at 100% opacity.  No further edits applied ... yet.  A levels adjustment could bring in more light and I might even try sharpening.

Blended in Exclusion at 100% opacity.  No further edits ... yet.  An application of the filter Poster Edges could help camouflage the areas of the blend that are cloudy.

Blended in Luminosity Blend Mode at 75% opacity.  I love trying Luminosity blend mode when I am applying textures.  Sometimes you get something really surprising and lovely.

New texture Stained Glass Sky from the pdpa Designer Deco IV Texture Set. 

Texture and white cosmos photograph blended in Difference at 80% opacity.  Poster Edges added and 2 stylets from Rad Lab were added to add more light and warmth.

 Blended in Difference at 90% opacity with no further manipulations ... yet.  :)

Same photo and texture blended in Luminosity at 75% opacity with Poster Edges as finishing touch.

Screen shot of application of new version of a previous texture, now called Asian Delight from the pdpa Graphic Design Background Set.  The bowl in the photograph is blue and is sitting on a green banana leaf that came with a big bouquet of flowers.  The two were blended in Difference at 90% opacity.  A levels adjustment was applied to bring in a bit of light.

 I really like this piece and will play with it a bit more in the future.

Thank you for looking at the above examples of what can accomplished using a few of the new textures I have created for you.

Back soon with some encouragement and ideas for the May edition of Photo Art Friday on May 4th/5th. The optional theme for May is "collage".  Why not begin to work on it now and then when PAF arrives you will simply have to link up.  Since we are still voting for our favourite piece each month, you have a chance to win a two-texture-set prize. Please join us!

New Custom Texture Sets!

Have you checked out the two new texture sets that are now in my Mini-Sets Texture Shop?  They are great for photo art creation - incorporating French text and some with a unique scalloped vignette.  I've applied a few of them to photos so you can get an idea of the effects possible using them:

 pdpa Heirloom Vignette texture from the pdpa Potpourri de Paris Texture Set.

Heirloom Vignette texture from Potpourri de Paris Texture Set, blended in Luminosity at 60% opacity.

bz photograph of bouquet of white roses

 Heirloom Vignette texture from Potpourri de Paris Texture Set - blended in Hard Light 70% opacity.

Blended in Screen at 85% opacity.

 photograph sharpened (some background brushed with black)

Gold Scalloped Vignette texture from Designer Preferred Texture Set, blended Screen -75% opacity.

 Je Chante Ma Foi texture from the Potpourri de Paris Texture Set, blended in Screen at 70% opacity.

 Written In The Sky texture from the Potpourri de Paris Texture Set, blended Hard Light -65% opacity.

 To The Bone texture from the Designer Preferred Texture Set, blended in Hard Light at 85% opacity.

 Linen Patch texture from the Potpourri de Paris Texture Set, blended in Screen at 80% opacity.

As you see most of my photographs blended best with these textures using either Screen Blend Mode or Hard Light Blend Mode.  The one exception was the first flower/texture image where I used Luminosity Blend Mode.

Do check out these textures - I know you will love them!

PAF FAV winner

The voting on the images submitted for the April edition of Photo Art Friday is complete. Kim Stevens of Picking Poppies received the most 'favorite' votes. Kim, please let me know which of the three texture sets from the PAF FAV page you would like and I will send it off to you. Congratulations, Kim!

Only eight submissions received favorite votes and Kim was the overwhelming fav.  So please don't worry if in the re-ordering of the images done by InLinkz, your image comes near the end of the grouping. You are in good company because the majority of images did not receive votes. Just trying to soothe any bruised creative egos out there!  :) There's always next month.  You can start working on a photo art collage now!

I'll post again near the end of April to remind you of the date and theme of May's edition of PAF.

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Photo Art Friday, April 4th - 5th

It's time for the April, 2014 edition of Photo Art Friday!

You are invited to link-up any photograph that you have transformed into a piece of art with your editing.

Every month we have an optional theme or challenge that you can follow if you choose. For April the optional theme is "Quirky Selfie".

We are going to continue the voting for our favourite piece of photo art again this month. The option to vote will begin on Saturday, April 5th at 6:00 p.m. EST.  The voting button will remain available until Sunday, April 6th at 6:00 p.m. EST.  That allows 24 hours in which you can return, review the submissions and vote for the one that is your favourite.

When the voting is complete, In-Linkz will have rearranged the images revealing the one that received the most votes and the 'runners-up'.  Most of us will not receive votes and will appear in a random order after the vote-getters.

The artist who receives the most FAV votes will be able to select one set from three texture sets designed as prizes for the PAF FAV.  View the three texture sets from which the 'winner' may select one, here.

Once the voting period begins you will not be able to link up your art.  That means that you will have from Thursday, April 3rd at 10:00 a.m. EST to Saturday, April 5th at 6:00 p.m. EST to post your photo art. That's the better part of 3 days in which you can link up.

A photograph taken in a gallery window.  A metal sculpture of a pear looks like it is a part of a ring on my finger.  I converted the image to black & white, sharpened it, and added poster edges and a border.  A panel in the image was used to add some 'quirky' text.

The next Photo Art Friday will be May 2nd - 3rd.    

The optional theme for May will be: 

 PHOTO ART COLLAGE

A couple of great new texture sets have been added to the Mini-Sets Texture Shop.  A post featuring some of them will appear next week.

An InLinkz Link-up

Is your photo art ready?

Hi Everyone!

Just popping in to remind you that it is almost time for April's edition of Photo Art Friday.

The doors to our virtual gallery always open early on the Thursday and will stay open for three days.

You can share any photograph that you have edited into a piece of photo art.  We also have a optional theme each month and for April the optional theme is "Quirky Selfie".

If you are just discovering Photo Art Friday and would like to join in, you can read the guidelines for participation here.  Don't be shy ... we're a friendly, welcoming bunch!!

It's been a while since I have offered a texture freebie, so here's a new one for you.  As with many of my textures, it is not a generic selection that will enhance any photograph. This texture is really designed more to help you make art from your photographs. You will have to find the right photo to match it with - but when you get the match right you will be thrilled with the result. Experiment with various blending modes/opacities and you will get some unexpected surprises!  Enjoy.

Download your free copy of pdpa Strands of Sunshine texture here.

In spite of getting a flu shot this year, I have been 'felled' by a nasty flu bug.  Have been in bed for 8 days now with chills, fever, aching bones, wicked sore throat (like razor blades in my throat!) and now a bad cough that interrupts sleep.  Just working on this post has made me feel out of breath and clammy.  I was really counting on the flu shot to protect me ... but guess it can't offer protection from all strains of the flu.  A culture of my throat revealed it was not strep throat or a bacterial infection so could not get any help from antibiotics.  Anyway, the worst is over - thank goodness.  Hope you have been able to avoid getting a flu this year.

Looking forward to seeing you and your photo art creations later this week!!!

... and the Photo Art Fav is ...

Hi all you amazing photo artists!!!  

You really out did yourself with the submissions for the March edition of Photo Art Friday!  Incredible photo editing work!

Did you vote for your favorite image?  The image that received the most "FAV" votes was entitled "Painted Velvet" by "teragram". Congratulations!  (Teragram, please send me an email telling me which of the Texture Prize Sets (#1, #2 or #3) you would like to receive.  You can view the choice of Texture Prize Sets here.)

You can see in the PAF post that InLinkz has reordered the images according to most votes received. Several of us received no votes, so the last half of the re-ordered grouping really means nothing. Don't worry if your image appears near the end.  All images in the last half of the grouping received no votes. So we're in great company if we find ourselves there!

I really should send a prize set to each one of you - you all certainly deserve a prize for such amazing work - but that would defeat the purpose of our new voting option. So please accept my virtual applause and my "BRAVO!"

I am also requesting an "Encore!" on the first Friday in April. The optional theme for April is "Quirky Selfie". It is a very flexible theme. Your selfie can be your shadow or your hand holding flowers, etc., etc., ...  Be as creative as you like. You can read more about April's theme here.

NOTE:  A few people notified me that, contrary to the information I wrote in the post, they could not link up on Saturday or Sunday. My bad.  :(   I made an assumption that later arrivals would still be able to link-up their images even once the voting began. Apparently not.  

I've never used the voting option for InLinkz before, so there was a little learning curve. I'm sure there were others who were thwarted in their attempt to link-up and who left disappointed - and said nothing. I apologize to each of you.

If you came to Photo Art Friday with the intention of linking up and were unable to do so, please email me to let me know at bonnie dot zieman at gmail dot com. I'd like to apologize personally.

I promise to be very clear in April about the duration of the link-up and then separately the duration of the voting. The last thing I want is for people to spend time creating a beautiful piece of art and then not be able to submit it. Again ... so sorry.

Have a wonderful week!

Just a reminder that all texture sets in both of my shops are discounted by 25% for the entire month of March. Take a peek here.