Showing posts with label textures. Show all posts
Showing posts with label textures. Show all posts
2.21.2016
4.05.2015
1.30.2015
out of the box
Within this first month of the new year, I'm trying hard to stay true to my words for the year - dig deep
To look beyond the surface...to explore new avenues...follow a different path...
I've been pretty surprised by my efforts...
discovering a few skills and abilities that I didn't know I had...or had merely forgotten...
Taking a different approach...not relying on the tried and true...
In my year-long Photoshop artistry class, AWAKE, I have surprised myself by taking photos of images that normally would not interest me...and then editing them in new and different ways...leading to an end result that I liked more than I thought possible...and revealing an insight that broke free from my standard artistic view...
The assignment was to take several photos of an object, each from a different angle...I merged this assignment task with another assignment, which was to focus on how we saw our artistic life...as I took my morning walk, I was struck by the row upon row of boxes of this apartment building...and how I would hate to live in one of those boxes...as I combined two of the views of the building, I struggled with how to make each stand out yet blend together...exploring some of the blend modes in Photoshop that I never use (hard light for example) yielded the effect I wanted...masking, blending, and layering helped to bring the entire composition together.
going off in a different direction...sometimes the best way to go...
joining the group over at kim klassen's Friday Finds...where my find is the exhilaration of taking new trails and leaving the path behind...
and speaking of new trails...did you read about that I'm taking the Art Party on the road...to Portland, OR...
want to know more? get all the details here...
To look beyond the surface...to explore new avenues...follow a different path...
I've been pretty surprised by my efforts...
discovering a few skills and abilities that I didn't know I had...or had merely forgotten...
Taking a different approach...not relying on the tried and true...
In my year-long Photoshop artistry class, AWAKE, I have surprised myself by taking photos of images that normally would not interest me...and then editing them in new and different ways...leading to an end result that I liked more than I thought possible...and revealing an insight that broke free from my standard artistic view...
The assignment was to take several photos of an object, each from a different angle...I merged this assignment task with another assignment, which was to focus on how we saw our artistic life...as I took my morning walk, I was struck by the row upon row of boxes of this apartment building...and how I would hate to live in one of those boxes...as I combined two of the views of the building, I struggled with how to make each stand out yet blend together...exploring some of the blend modes in Photoshop that I never use (hard light for example) yielded the effect I wanted...masking, blending, and layering helped to bring the entire composition together.
going off in a different direction...sometimes the best way to go...
joining the group over at kim klassen's Friday Finds...where my find is the exhilaration of taking new trails and leaving the path behind...
and speaking of new trails...did you read about that I'm taking the Art Party on the road...to Portland, OR...
want to know more? get all the details here...
1.27.2015
Getting ahead of myself
The weather here the past couple of days has been very springlike...almost lulls one into thinking warmer weather is at hand...but I know better...its only a tease...
I'm so sorry for those of you who live on the East coast...stay safe and warm...
Since the weather was cooperating, thought I'd better get outside and clean up the garden...a task that didn't seem to happen this past fall...
My two large hydrangea bushes in the backyard garden are already budding...figured I could snatch one small branch...
Keeping it simple...edited with 2 layers of kk texture unleashed
and one version edited with textures and overlays gleaned from my first session of AWAKE,
a yearlong Photoshop artistry class...
Joining the group over at kim klassen's Texture Tuesday...camaraderie and photography at its best...
I'm so sorry for those of you who live on the East coast...stay safe and warm...
Since the weather was cooperating, thought I'd better get outside and clean up the garden...a task that didn't seem to happen this past fall...
My two large hydrangea bushes in the backyard garden are already budding...figured I could snatch one small branch...
Keeping it simple...edited with 2 layers of kk texture unleashed
and one version edited with textures and overlays gleaned from my first session of AWAKE,
a yearlong Photoshop artistry class...
Joining the group over at kim klassen's Texture Tuesday...camaraderie and photography at its best...
1.16.2015
A bit of blue
I've been noticing a pattern...
it seems that the color blue has been infusing my creative world...
it started during the summer...
and continued into the holidays...
and seems to be running wild in January...plus check out my header...blue there too...
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and now maybe getting out of control...a bit bright for me...
I guess I just need to look up to be inspired...call it my "blue period"...
it seems that the color blue has been infusing my creative world...
it started during the summer...
and continued into the holidays...
and seems to be running wild in January...plus check out my header...blue there too...
and now maybe getting out of control...a bit bright for me...
I guess I just need to look up to be inspired...call it my "blue period"...
1.01.2015
Welcome 2015
A new day...a new year...filled with promise and possibility...
I don't write out resolutions...it seems so rigid to me...
Years ago I heard about the practice of deciding on a word for the year...I liked this idea...
a touchstone...something to guide my actions during the year...lead a course of action...help to set me straight...
Last year's word was direction...which was apt...I didn't know where I was going - literally...we had talked about moving...but with no determinations, it made it difficult to make decisions in other areas. A month of travel in June settled that question...no moving...a good, sound decision...and from there, other plans, actions and ideas took hold...
So my word for 2015 is actually two words...
dig deep
As I contemplated these words, an image emerged...and spurned me to create...
blending together five of my own photographs comprised the final composition...
pushing me to go below the surface...
explore and examine...
refine and reflect...
to know that there is more than meets the eye...and that a depth of understanding - in regard to my level of commitment as an artist, the refinement of the craft of my skills, the breath of my willingness to encourage creativity in my life and foster the same in others...will be the root of the path I follow in this year...
As it has been since the beginning, this blog will be the journal of that journey...I hope you will follow along...
and the best to all as we start 2015...
I don't write out resolutions...it seems so rigid to me...
Years ago I heard about the practice of deciding on a word for the year...I liked this idea...
a touchstone...something to guide my actions during the year...lead a course of action...help to set me straight...
Last year's word was direction...which was apt...I didn't know where I was going - literally...we had talked about moving...but with no determinations, it made it difficult to make decisions in other areas. A month of travel in June settled that question...no moving...a good, sound decision...and from there, other plans, actions and ideas took hold...
So my word for 2015 is actually two words...
dig deep
As I contemplated these words, an image emerged...and spurned me to create...
blending together five of my own photographs comprised the final composition...
pushing me to go below the surface...
explore and examine...
refine and reflect...
to know that there is more than meets the eye...and that a depth of understanding - in regard to my level of commitment as an artist, the refinement of the craft of my skills, the breath of my willingness to encourage creativity in my life and foster the same in others...will be the root of the path I follow in this year...
As it has been since the beginning, this blog will be the journal of that journey...I hope you will follow along...
and the best to all as we start 2015...
12.19.2014
Unconventional gift wrapping, part 2
I had two conditions for holiday decorating this year...to spend no additional funds on anything needed and to keep it simple...these gift wrap ideas satisfy both conditions!
It started in the fall...I had a lovely bouquet from farmer's market that dried beautifully...yarrow, rose hips, stattice I think...I didn't want it to go to waste...clippings from the yard...lavender, birch twigs, dried poppy heads were added in...
A snip here, a wrap of wire there, a bit of salvaged ribbon...
I ended up with about 12 arrangements...
I knew that I wanted some for gift wrapping...but the rest I stuck among the branches of the christmas tree...
Onto wrapping...I had this roll of paper I bought over a year ago at the Habitat for Humanity store in Yakima (one of my favorites places to shop when I am visiting my sister)...the texture and the lines drew me in...and there seemed to a sheen to it that was appealing...
It was $10 for the roll (a splurge for me) but with 500 square feet, it seemed worth it...and I loved the label...
Next up was gathering something to tie up the presents...can't beat a big cone of string...and a roll of japanese knitting ribbon that my friend Sue gave to me (a freebie she picked up at a yard sale)
Keeping it simple...wrapped present with paper, wound around 3-4 lengths of the knitting ribbon...
tied on one of the dried arrangements...
I love the texture of the ribbon with the subtle stripes of the paper...
Next gift...wrapped with paper...used stickers instead of tape...so much prettier...
the tag is a remnant of torn muslin...the image of my noel bird composition was added with a bit of iron-on transfer paper...just print out your image with a ink jet printer onto the paper and iron it on...its that simple...
Last gift...I constructed an "envelope"...since the paper was heavy duty, I knew that it would hold up to the sewing machine...
After sewing the sides, I used my pinking shears to add a decorative edge...
To secure the flap of the envelope, I punched a hole in the body of the envelope (with a cutting board in between so I wouldn't punch through the back of the envelope) with my awl and then inserted a paper fastener...
Likewise, I punched a hole in the edge of the flap, threaded a length of string and then secured the flap by wrapping the string around the paper fastener...a quartet of french postage stamps in holiday reds and greens add the final flourish...
Festive gifts...a treat for the eyes before opening...
Linking up with Funky Junk Interiors Party Junk...its not too late to be inspired for the holidays...
It started in the fall...I had a lovely bouquet from farmer's market that dried beautifully...yarrow, rose hips, stattice I think...I didn't want it to go to waste...clippings from the yard...lavender, birch twigs, dried poppy heads were added in...
A snip here, a wrap of wire there, a bit of salvaged ribbon...
I ended up with about 12 arrangements...
I knew that I wanted some for gift wrapping...but the rest I stuck among the branches of the christmas tree...
Onto wrapping...I had this roll of paper I bought over a year ago at the Habitat for Humanity store in Yakima (one of my favorites places to shop when I am visiting my sister)...the texture and the lines drew me in...and there seemed to a sheen to it that was appealing...
It was $10 for the roll (a splurge for me) but with 500 square feet, it seemed worth it...and I loved the label...
Next up was gathering something to tie up the presents...can't beat a big cone of string...and a roll of japanese knitting ribbon that my friend Sue gave to me (a freebie she picked up at a yard sale)
Keeping it simple...wrapped present with paper, wound around 3-4 lengths of the knitting ribbon...
tied on one of the dried arrangements...
I love the texture of the ribbon with the subtle stripes of the paper...
Next gift...wrapped with paper...used stickers instead of tape...so much prettier...
the tag is a remnant of torn muslin...the image of my noel bird composition was added with a bit of iron-on transfer paper...just print out your image with a ink jet printer onto the paper and iron it on...its that simple...
Last gift...I constructed an "envelope"...since the paper was heavy duty, I knew that it would hold up to the sewing machine...
 |
| oh look...someone is getting a copy of Inspirational Quotes Illustrated! |
After sewing the sides, I used my pinking shears to add a decorative edge...
To secure the flap of the envelope, I punched a hole in the body of the envelope (with a cutting board in between so I wouldn't punch through the back of the envelope) with my awl and then inserted a paper fastener...
Likewise, I punched a hole in the edge of the flap, threaded a length of string and then secured the flap by wrapping the string around the paper fastener...a quartet of french postage stamps in holiday reds and greens add the final flourish...
Festive gifts...a treat for the eyes before opening...
Linking up with Funky Junk Interiors Party Junk...its not too late to be inspired for the holidays...
10.05.2014
an idea years in the making
I've had this idea for a dining room table that I've been thinking about for over 10 years...
finally I had the time/energy/resources to put into reality the idea that had been been in my head for some time...
After we decided to stay put and not move across the country, we were determined to do the house projects that get put off and forgotten about...until you think about selling the house and then all those things get done. This time we were going to do all of them and then get to enjoy our house for ourselves. I was never a fan of our dining room table...and had always wished for a different table...now was the time to make that idea a reality...
I already had a cast iron table base that I picked up for $15 years and years ago...
when I saw it, I knew it would be perfect for the "someday" table...
I bartered 4 rusty metal table legs for 6 reclaimed fir boards from my friend Shelley who is the Queen of Junk...thick heavy boards...a little worse for being outside for a while...but that's what we call patina...
Got the boards home, scrubbed them, bleached them, set them out in the sun to dry...
an aside...Atlas work gloves are the best...great rubber grip and flexible knit backside...I love them...
Laid the boards out, moved them around until I had an arrangement where the boards fit snug...pounded in several wood connectors...essentially wood staples that would hold the boards in place while I secured them with three wood braces.
I also laid down the table base so I could mark
the position of the screw holes...
For the table braces, I didn't want to use new wood because the tone would be so glaringly bright...rummaging around, I found several used stakes that once held campaign signs of some candidate we were supporting at the time...I cut the stakes into the desired lengths...the leftover pointed ends might be resurrected into a wood composition art piece in the future...
After determining the placement of the braces, I drilled pilot holes for the screws...wrapping a piece of blue tape around the drill bit gave me a guide to the depth of the hole without drilling all the way through the table top...
Once the braces were in place, I used my electric sander to smooth the rough edges and remove any loose splinters...I debated whether or not to apply any sort of sealant...decided against it for the time being...I like the natural tone of the boards and wanted to keep that rough hewn look...
I moved the table top into the dining room for final construction...
Attached the iron base...noticed that the feet on the legs were rather rough...not wanting to scratch up my wood floors, I cut rounds of self-adhesive felt for a cushion...
Flipped the table over and I was done!
It didn't take long for me to get the chairs around the table and set up a fall vignette...
I love seeing the deep grain of the wood planks...
All the textures and tones that speak an autumn mood...
My new table... the perfect palette for whatever the seasons bring...
Joining the group over at Funky Junk Interiors Party Junk...lots of great recycled ideas...tons of inspiration...
and the Salvaged Style Link Party over at Knick of Time
finally I had the time/energy/resources to put into reality the idea that had been been in my head for some time...
After we decided to stay put and not move across the country, we were determined to do the house projects that get put off and forgotten about...until you think about selling the house and then all those things get done. This time we were going to do all of them and then get to enjoy our house for ourselves. I was never a fan of our dining room table...and had always wished for a different table...now was the time to make that idea a reality...
I already had a cast iron table base that I picked up for $15 years and years ago...
when I saw it, I knew it would be perfect for the "someday" table...
I bartered 4 rusty metal table legs for 6 reclaimed fir boards from my friend Shelley who is the Queen of Junk...thick heavy boards...a little worse for being outside for a while...but that's what we call patina...
Got the boards home, scrubbed them, bleached them, set them out in the sun to dry...
an aside...Atlas work gloves are the best...great rubber grip and flexible knit backside...I love them...
Laid the boards out, moved them around until I had an arrangement where the boards fit snug...pounded in several wood connectors...essentially wood staples that would hold the boards in place while I secured them with three wood braces.
I also laid down the table base so I could mark
the position of the screw holes...
For the table braces, I didn't want to use new wood because the tone would be so glaringly bright...rummaging around, I found several used stakes that once held campaign signs of some candidate we were supporting at the time...I cut the stakes into the desired lengths...the leftover pointed ends might be resurrected into a wood composition art piece in the future...
After determining the placement of the braces, I drilled pilot holes for the screws...wrapping a piece of blue tape around the drill bit gave me a guide to the depth of the hole without drilling all the way through the table top...
Once the braces were in place, I used my electric sander to smooth the rough edges and remove any loose splinters...I debated whether or not to apply any sort of sealant...decided against it for the time being...I like the natural tone of the boards and wanted to keep that rough hewn look...
I moved the table top into the dining room for final construction...
Attached the iron base...noticed that the feet on the legs were rather rough...not wanting to scratch up my wood floors, I cut rounds of self-adhesive felt for a cushion...
Flipped the table over and I was done!
It didn't take long for me to get the chairs around the table and set up a fall vignette...
I love seeing the deep grain of the wood planks...
All the textures and tones that speak an autumn mood...
My new table... the perfect palette for whatever the seasons bring...
Joining the group over at Funky Junk Interiors Party Junk...lots of great recycled ideas...tons of inspiration...
and the Salvaged Style Link Party over at Knick of Time
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