Photography-Adding A Quote

Using your photo to display a quote is always a fun way to test your ability in photography, so let me give you a quick run through of how I got to this point.

It started with a simple heart I noticed that someone had drawn on the ground that I, being the trigger-happy photographer I am, decided to snap a photo of. But the heart was faded, the stone is far from presentable, and the dirt and pine needles distracted from it, so it was going to need a little help.

I fiddled around with some of the settings and effects (the one above being one of my saved tries) until I found that the reddish tinge went well, and when I cropped, to put more stone in than cracks. Another challenge  was picking out the corresponding quote. Yes, I know there are a lot of fun quotes out there, but you want to try to stick with one that matches the image. Finally, after a lot of messing around with lightness and highlights, I winded up having to go over the heart specifically with brightener to match the chalk text, and that made all the difference. 

Photography-Continuous Collage

I had time to mess with my camera setting during a rainstorm when I came upon the "continuous" button on my Nikon. It takes rapid pictures that create a moving flipbook. I inserted some of them into a collage format using Plixr editor, creating a neat display format. Make sure that the photos stay in the same format and position, especially in this square model.

Photography-Creating An Unicolor Photo

Making one of your photos into a unicolor one is very simple, most photo editing software will have that option, or you can simply adjust the color setting yourself with a little messing around in the RGB formats. But deciding whether or not you should convert the photo to that format is a different story. For one thing it tends to need to be a simple photo, one that you could easily make into a silhouette if you chose, otherwise the sole color would probably make the photo too busy. Also the single color you choose should somehow reflect in the original photograph for a more believable appearance, such as the sky, in this case, expanding to reach the trees.   

Painting-More Pen and Watercolor with Crosshatch

I have recently purchased a new watercolor sketchbook and had fun making use of it's pages. The pen and watercolor technique are simple and easy, even on the go, and I had fun applying the crosshatching technique to it. I would recommend trying it with an actual photograph or an internet photo to compare the lights and darks for the crosshatching. Check out all the rest of my work on my Pinterest Account: https://www.pinterest.com/savannarstewart/

Painting-Mixing Landscapes with Abstract

Now that it is summer, I have decided to work on my acrylic landscapes. For this one I used a bit an abstract look by adding an orange sky to contrast with the blue water. I used a fan brush to add the grass, trees, and white flowers and waves on the water. Make sure for this project to add less detail to the trees, flowers and such the farther away they are. Don't be afraid to use your own fingers for the final touches, like the snow on the mountains. 

Photography- Moving from Background and Foreground

One of the best ways to draw the viewer to the photograph is to give the picture depth, and to do that, you need to learn the areas of a picture. One is called the background, the area of the photo that the viewer can tell is far away, the foreground, what you can see as up close, and the middle ground, what is in between the background and foreground. In this photo, the sky would be the background, the tree in the front is the foreground, and the trees behind it is the middle ground. Like in a previous post, the natural lines in a photograph,  it directs the viewer, except in this case it directs the viewer to the background. Seeing the foreground grow smaller up to the background gives it the realistic perspective.

Photography-Scenic Landscape

 

This photo of a day at the lake was actually taken by a stone age cellphone, if you can believe it. Scenic scenes should often allow your eye to wander, taking a few minutes to notice the details of the picture, such as the people on the right by the tree or the canoe in the lake. To do so, the lines in the photo should lead your eye to a certain target, then guide your eye to the rest of the picture, and it doesn't have to be exact. For this photo, the tree-lined mountains and the jet streak in the sky leads your eye right to the snow capped mountain, making it the first thing you see. Then, the dam and the coastline brings your eye back to the foreground, allowing your eye to pick up on details.

Crafts-Art Journal 3

 

One of the best uses for art journals is expressing your likes at the time you are creating it. That way, you can remember favorite books, movies, and memories when looking back on it. To make it even more special, you can even try switching things up a bit by doing the scene in a different style than it is originally seen. For example, for the "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," I made the key scene with scrapbook paper, pen, and watercolors, writing the book title in the far corner with a calligraphy pen. I even decided to add some gold glitter for the magic effect.

Drawing- Sharpies on Posters- Dragon

Drawing on posters requires three things, a poster board, a sharpie, and a lot of patience. I did this for a friend on a poster cut 12 x 12 inches and even with the smaller space this drawing took almost three hours, primarily spent drawing repetitive scales on the dragon. I would recommend using permanent marker, (I used the fine tip)  but to do a quick sketch in pencil first. I added a bit of crosshatching on the bigger parts, such as around the eyes, the wings, the tail, and the larger scales. Just remember- An artist is not someone who doesn't make mistakes, but someone who can make them look good. If you make a mistake with permanent marker, you can't erase it, but you can fix it to look like something else in your painting.