Photo Art Friday, December 6th - 8th

Hey Everyone - it's time again for PHOTO ART FRIDAY, our monthly virtual photo-art vernissage - an on-line gallery where you can 'hang' your photo art and then 'hang out' to enjoy the work of other digital creatives like yourself.  If you have never linked up - please join us!

The gallery doors always open early (Thursday), so you have about four days during which you can link up.  That gives everyone time to create a piece of photo art, if one is not ready right now.


Before we get started, I just learned about a new course on how to use Photoshop (CS or Elements) to create "stunning photo art", by Sebastian Michaels and want to give you a 'heads up' about it.

The course is "Photoshop Artistry".  While I love grunge artistry, if you are not 'into' it don't worry about the word 'grunge' in the name of the course (see image).  From the example images on the Photoshop Artistry page, it seems to me that you will be able to create any style of photo art that pleases you after taking the course.

One of the blurbs about the course says:


"Go from merely editing your photos to creating awesome photo-art compositions fit for print and canvas.  This cutting edge course will awaken your creative genius and reveal the secrets the pros use to create stunning works of art."



It sounds like a really comprehensive video course that gives you lifetime 24/7 access, plus lots of bonus textures, brushes and frames for your photo art creations.  Best of all it is being offered at 1/2 price ($147) for the next few days.  And - even more, Sebastian offers a 60 day, money back guarantee! Get all the details HERE.  

While I would love to take this course, I have not taken it ... yet* ... and so cannot yet personally vouch for it, but it sure sounds like something that would be great for aspiring photo artists.  I believe it has been offered before, so if any of you took it or are taking it now and wish to review it in your comments - please do!  And, if you sign up please tell me and tell Sebastian I sent you!

*Update:  I'm signed up for the course now and what I have seen so far looks fabulous!

The optional theme for December's Photo Art Friday is OPEN/OPENING/OPENED.  Of course being December, one could think of 'opening' presents, but the presents aren't opened yet - in fact, if you are like me they aren't even wrapped!  So I chose to share a couple of images from my archives that fit this theme:

An image of a restaurant in Old Montreal with its door open, beckoning weary tourists to come in and relax a while.  The original photo before digital editing and addition of a couple of my textures is below.

Love the red fire hydrant and the red industrial equipment under the window that match the trim paint and the awning in this pic!

An image of an open-armed woman procured from the web, placed upon one of my textures, and finally, digitally manipulated to create a blurred Orton effect.

Did you know that someone, somewhere did a study that showed seeing open arms has a strong, positive physiological and psychological effect on humans.  So when loved ones arrive at your door this holiday season, why not open your arms to welcome them. That way you'll assure that they'll be feeling good before the festivities even begin!


Here is a texture for you that fits with this month's theme of all things 'open'.  It's a vintage looking cluster of notes and envelopes. You could use it to make a piece of photo art to feature here, if you want!  However you choose to use it, feel free to add it to your personal collection of textures.

To download your complimentary copy of pdpa Dear One texture, click HERE.

Our next Photo Art Friday showcase will take place in 2014  -  January 3rd - 5th.  Since many of you follow the blogging tradition of choosing a word to inspire and motivate you through each new year, how about having an optional theme of:

An image that features the word (or phrase, if you prefer) that you want to guide, inspire or motivate you through 2014.  

If you are not into 'guiding words' or optional themes you are always welcome to share any piece of photo art that pleases you.



Wishing all of my participants and readers the happiest and healthiest of holiday seasons.  I look forward to sharing our Photo Art Friday tradition with you in the new year!

some 'goodies' for you....

Hi dear friends ...

Just a quick post to remind you that Photo Art Friday is just 2 weeks away (December 6th).  It seems that this monthly virtual showcase is harder to remember than a weekly one.  Oh well ... for now it will remain a monthly get-together to share our art.

December's optional theme is OPEN or "opening" or "opened".  However if you have a piece of photo art that has nothing whatsoever to do with the optional theme, please share it with us.  Everyone is welcome to showcase any (family friendly) photo art creations with PAF.

Would a new, free texture give you a little nudge to create some photo art?  Well then, here's a vintage-y texture I made just for you yesterday:

 To download your free, high-res copy of pdpa Vintage Scratch texture, click here.

Here are a couple of photos that I turned into little pieces of photo art using this texture.  It took about fifteen minutes to apply the texture and do the few digital manipulations to both.  Both images had the texture blended in Difference with the opacity set at around 90%.  I then added some Poster Edges to both and a sweet quote to the first one.  Easy peasy!!!

This one obviously needs to have the black line at the top cropped off.  Sorry, I missed that and I don't have time now to go back, do that and reload it, etc. etc. - but you get the idea ...  :)



While I'm here, I HAVE to tell you about a fantastic, time-limited offer from Adobe that is designed especially for photographers.  AND if you like to make digital art from your photographs, this offer will prove to be very tempting!  You get Photoshop CS6, Lightroom 5,  Behance and 200 GB of Creative Cloud space for only $9.99 per month!  I'm in!!!

If you sign on to this exceptionally low-priced plan, when it comes time to renew next year, the $9.99/month fee will not be raised to a higher fee!

The only caution I would add is that you need an operating system that can support 64-bits as opposed to the usual 32-bit.  If you have Windows 8 (or Windows 7 with an upgrade for 64-bit) you are good to go.  Unfortunately, I don't know how that works for Mac users, but the info will be available to you from Adobe.

Here's how Adobe briefly describes their special:

Introducing a special Creative Cloud plan designed for people who love photography. Get the latest versions of Adobe Photoshop CC and Lightroom 5, plus 200 GB of cloud storage, a Behance ProSite for your own professional portfolio, ongoing feature updates, and more. And for a limited time, this great deal is available to you for just US$9.99/month.

Hurry — Black Friday offer ends December 2.  You can learn more by clicking here. Let me know what you think!  :)

Photo Art Friday, November 1st - 3rd

Welcome to the November, 2013 edition of Photo Art Friday.

 P.A.F. is a virtual art gallery where you can hang photographs you have digitally enhanced into an art piece.  Not only can you showcase your art, you can view and comment on the work of many other digital artists from around the world.  The great thing is they will also view your work and hopefully leave a comment on your site.

Each month we have an optional theme that you can use to create your photo art.  This month's theme is "EMBRACE".  Are you going to 'embrace' the theme???

In my last post I have a free texture that you can use (if you wish) to create your art for this or any venue.  If you missed the free texture, you can download it here.

Here are a couple of my digitally manipulated photographs created around the theme "EMBRACE".

 An image of a couple greeting each other in a park.  I added one of my textures and gave an 'Orton effect' to blur the image and protect their privacy ... somewhat.

 Yes, I seem to be stuck on the most obvious form of an embrace!  Here is a couple embracing across a tavern table in Old Montreal.  While the couple sees no one but the other, we can see the reflections in the windows behind them and the quaint, cobble-stoned streets.  A few digital manipulations give a bit of a 'poster' feel to the image.

 Same image as above, further enhanced with warm tones.

Warmed version of the photo with the free pdpa Aged Vintage texture applied.  The texture was blended in Pin Light at 85% opacity.  I applied a layer mask and using a large soft brush made one click over the couple's embrace to accentuate the focal point.




The next and last edition of Photo Art Friday for 2013 will be on Friday, December 6th.  The optional theme for that edition is:

OPEN/OPENED/OPENING

You can apply the theme open in any way you please - the word can be applied in so many ways - can't wait to see how you use it as a prompt for your photo art!

Next Monday The Eagles are in Montreal and my kids bought DH and I tickets for their 'last tour before we croak' performance.  Can't wait!!!  "Desperado ... why don't you come to your senses ..."   :)

Not to worry, I won't be throwing any of my under garments on the stage.  ;)  "Dignity and decorum" will be my mantra for the day.  Oh, it's so hard to act my age and I really don't manage to do so often  ...  Can you relate?

PAF reminder & free texture!

Hi!  Just dropping in to remind you that Photo Art Friday's next edition is coming up in a week or so - Friday, November 1st to be exact.  You can, however, showcase your photo art here from the Thursday to the Sunday surrounding Nov. 1st.

The optional theme, if you care to create a piece of photo art using it, is "EMBRACE".
Can't wait to see the artwork using this theme!

If you need a new texture as a starting point for your photo art creation, I have a free one for you:

To download your free high-res version of this texture, pdpa Aged Vignette, click HERE.

See you next week!  :)  xo

Photo Art Friday, October 4th - 6th

Welcome!

It's time for the monthly showcase of digital photo art, aka
Photo Art Friday.  

The doors to this virtual gallery always open Thursday to give our international participants an equal amount of hours to link up their art.  From this edition of PAF on, the inlinkz button will remain up until Sunday evening, giving you approximately four days to 'hang' your art in the 'gallery'.

The optional theme for this month is the word SKY.  Your photo art can optionally feature sky in any form you choose.

We're having a lovely autumn here in Eastern Canada.  Many of the trees have changed colors and many are already shedding their leaves.  Such a gorgeous time of year!  I always feel so thankful for the sweet, warm, colorful days of this season.

The Canadian Thanksgiving holiday is always the second Monday in October (the 14th this year) - the perfect time for gratitude for the year's harvest.  I also like that that leaves a good 7-8 weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas - time to recover from one holiday feast before the next arrives!


Here are my photo art images that are of or include SKY:

Stretched out on my deck last week, I raised my camera and took this photo of my little piece of sky. Amazing to capture such beauty with so little effort!  :)  Treating the photo in Photoshop gives it a nice abstract feel ... and that was easy-peasy too.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Love the abstract design in this plant caught my eye during a walk.   I had to really crouch down to get the sky as a backdrop - allowing the design to shine.   A few manipulations in PSE make it a little more 'artsy' than it already is naturally.

 Again, sky as backdrop for nature's designs.

Same as above!

Next month's PAF will be Friday, November 1st.  As mentioned above, however, you can share your photo art beginning Thursday, October 31st and the inlinkz button will remain up until Sunday evening, November 3rd.  I will remind you a week or ten days in advance.


The optional theme for November's edition of PAF will be:

Embrace

Use the word 'embrace', or its meaning, in any way that pleases you.  If you feel that the photo art you submit incorporates some form of embrace (whatever the stretch) it is okay by me.  Keep in mind that our themes do not require a literal interpretation - but rather YOUR unique interpretation.  Of course, it goes without saying that all photo art showcased here should be family friendly ... right?  :)

Free Texture and PAF

Just a quick post to remind you that Photo Art Friday opens its doors for your artistic creations in about 1 week -  on Friday, October 4th to be exact.

A few folks missed PAF in September and their comments helped me see that I should leave the virtual gallery doors open beyond Saturday.  So the inlinkz button will remain operative for the entire weekend each month.  Of course, regulars know that the doors always open on Thursday for early birds.  So in reality you can share your artwork from Thursday, October 3rd to Sunday, October 6th - four full days!  Hope you early birds come back during those four days to enjoy some of the other contributions.

The optional theme for your photo art for October's edition is SKY.  SKY any way that you wish to represent it in your photo ART.

I'm still having trouble wrapping my mind around the fact that summer 2013 is over here in the northern hemisphere - although brisk morning temperatures are hard to ignore!

A mini rant about cancer (which you are free to skip, however, do scroll down to pick up a free texture):

Thursday, this week, I will be leaving one of my teeth with the dentist (an extraction!) in preparation for an implant.  Oh joy.  While I'm not looking forward to it, I'm able to keep it in its proper perspective when I think of my husband's recent colon cancer surgeries, my non-smoking daughter's major surgery for lung cancer, and now a son-in-law's upcoming surgery for a tumor (with possibility of being cancerous) in the bladder.  (Daughter and husband are doing well now.) 

What's happening with all this cancer everywhere - and in so many young people too??!! 

I've had blogs for a few years now, and during that time 5 bloggers that I followed and exchanged comments with have died of cancer! 

Seems every time I turn around I'm hearing about someone else I know who is battling this pervasive disease!  It just was not so prevalent 25 or 30 years ago.  Really - what's happening?!!!!  

It makes me quite suspicious about all the prepared foods we consume - the genetically engineered wheat in our breads, the unnatural breeding practices with chickens*, the liberal use of hormones and chemicals in our meats and dairy products, etc.   Not to speak of the for-profit greed that governs all the decision-making in these monolithic industries that control the 'science', evolution, growth, harvest, preparation, packaging, shelf-life and distribution of our food.  It seems large industries are willing to sacrifice the quality and duration of all forms of life if it means more profit.  (*Did you know that chickens only need to be allowed out of their cages for a minimal period of time each day to be called "free range"?)

And is it simply a co-incidence that huge pharmaceutical companies have a pill for every and any ailment that might be a result of what we consume?  And is it just a co-incidence that U.S. insurance companies and  health-care companies are fighting to keep health care as a for-profit industry that mops up the mess made in our bodies by the foods we consume?  

Yes, when everywhere I turn someone else has come down with another form of cancer, I do get a little suspicious ... sort of.  :-/

Okay, the rant stops.  I feel a little better now ... sort of.

~~~~~~~~~

On a less sombre and frustrated note .... here is a free texture for you. :)  I may have released a similar version of this before, but I think the warmer tones and pared down script will please you.  Enjoy!  (If you do appreciate these free textures I design for you, you can say thank you by following this blog if you are not a follower already.)

You can download pdpa parfums de paris texture by clicking HERE.

Photograph of gerbera daisy with the addition of texture pdpa parfums de paris processed in Linear Light at 70%.  Poster Edges Filter was added with opacity reduced to 60%.

I'll have an eye out for you next week in the PAF virtual gallery.  See you then!

Photo Art Friday, September 6th - 7th

Hello my Lovelies!

It's time to prepare and hang your digital photo art in our virtual art gallery, aka as Photo Art Friday or PAF.

If you are new to Photo Art Friday, you can read the guidelines for participation here.

Please remember that the central focus of this linky party is to showcase photographs that you have digitally manipulated into a piece of photo ART.  While you may feel (as I sometimes do) that your photo is more beautiful than the artistic version of it, we still want to see your digital ART work here. The great thing is you can always display the photo your art piece was created from, in your post. That way, we get to enjoy both!

The OPTIONAL theme for this month's Photo Art Friday is "WATER".  You can share photo art that contains any form of water, if you choose to go with the theme/challenge. But you always have the option to share any piece of your photo art.

If you need a texture with some water droplets on it to make your piece of photo art, I released a free one for you here.

I chose to 'artify' photos of plants/flowers with droplets of water on them:

This photograph of variegated leaves does have droplets of water on it.  However, because the texture was blended in Difference they appear green.  After the texture application I ran this piece through RadLab and used the stylets, Boutwell Magic Glasses and Cool As A Cucumber.  A soft application of the filter Photo Edges completes the artistic manipulations.  You can see the components that make up this piece in the spread below.

 The photo art, one of my pdpa script textures and the photograph of leaves with water droplets.

A macro shot of a nasturtium flower with water droplets, transformed in Photoshop without any texture or RadLab application this time.

The next edition of Photo Art Friday is scheduled for the first Friday in October - the 4th. As always, I will give you a little 'heads up' warning a week or so before.


The optional theme/challenge for October will be:

SKY

Your photo art should contain some element of sky (clouds, sunrise, sunset, rainbow, blue sky, etc) ... easy peasy!  :)