Take your #art pen for a walk...

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If you recall, the week before last I wrote about the free creative course being run by Kate England at MarmaladeMoon.com
One of the tasks was to write a word and hide it with doodles that ran to the edge of the page (I'm simplifying here, you need to sign up for more info ;)
I can't always hold a pen so though I managed to begin a doodle I wasn't able to finish filling it in...so I did another one with my finger on my iPad using Art Rage. I filled it in with Meritum Paint.

It reminded me of an art activity that I used to do with children - taking your pencil for a walk across the paper, the pencil never leaves the surface and you must keep it moving. Then you fill in the spaces in between with patterns. Some of the results were amazing and it tells you a lot about the person doing the drawing...and there are a variety of adaptations possible.

Anyway - layering was the next step. Photographing the doodle and adding to it, looking at it in different ways... I've kind of gone my own route here because I'm struggling with the heat and energy is almost non-existant.

Coincidentally I'd doodled, photographed and apped sketches earlier last month...so the images with this post are -
The ink pen doodle after apping,
The digital doodle after apping,
And some of the stages along the way including two of my earlier photographed doodles.

Percolated Spin Art

I've been experimenting with Spin Art and Percolator. The updates to Percolator have made it so much more versatile than it was in the beginning and it's worth checking out not just for it's strong graphic quality but also as a means of adding texture to your digital art.

I'm terribly forgetful when it comes to resizing and watermarking images before upload, but these two apps make it much easier;

iWatermark
iResize - this lets you change the dpi too, and do batch edits. Can't believe I only just found it... I need to try to spend more time at iPA...

Much to my surprise I've ended up with a series of Percolated spin art. If you're curious to see the series so far in it's raw state - sign up for my newsletter and I'll send you the password to my online sketchbook.
(What I need to do is add it to the confirmation email you get when you sign up - that way you don't have to wait for me to check my mailing list. Just email me if I'm being tardy...it's a spoon shortage rather than a lack of interest.)

Happy Sunday (or whatever day you're reading this.)
Sx

Bats and bins... #iPhoneArt

One of the images included in this weeks collection of creations, I found when going through my photos, (yes, the 4S has arrived so the change over is occurring.) and was about to delete it. See if you can guess which one and if you agree.

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Anyone curious about what apps where used to create a particular image, just leave a question in the comments and I'll answer.

I'm still playing with two lots of images at the moment. Some of the Fluid Motion screen shots from the iPhone cover design I posted last week and the photographs that I took when down at the Albert Dock. Two of the Dock images are included in the above; a close up shot of a dressed up shopper and another from the lobby of the Tate gallery.

Here's the sequence that I went through to achieve the Fluid Motion image that's first in the gallery;

So the apps were, going from left to right, top to bottom -

Fluid Motion, Segmentix, Percolator, then I combined 2 and 3 with HDR Fix to create 4. Lego photo is 5 and the final image is 4 and 5 blended with HDR Fix.

Oh...and Happy Halloween!

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(Number 2 is a .gif )

* For some odd reason some of the thumbnails are blank...? I've tried deleting and re-uploading but it makes no difference.

 

the Creative process - collaboration

It's entirely possible that you're fed up of hearing about the Appit! monthly challenge at iPA...but like the Muses' challenges there's something undefinable about working with someone else's vision. So far all I've worked with are photographs and as I write this it occurs to me that I'd like to play with someting that someone else painted. The place to start with that is where I started at in college I suppose, with some 'art' that's out of copyright. It's an old tradition after all.

So far I've not truly collaborated. I've worked with a photograph taken by somebody else and other artists have used the same photo as their inspiration too and it's fascinating seeing how differently we approach things. Or how similar the results sometimes are. You get a glimpse of the human condition...how we're socialised...the differences in perspective...how our past artistic habits inlfuence the directions we go in. Is it a good thing to keep going along the same track? Or follow your instincts? Or push at the barriers? I'm using art as therapy so perhaps the direction I need to go in will be different to someone consumed by their muse...I'm not drafting this and then editing it. Sorry dear reader, it would never get done if I did that. And I'm writing it in Posterous, which is dumb because I don't have the safety net of a spell checker. Not good. Hang on a mo...

Okay that's better. I'm in the safer embrace of google now. Where was I? Collaboration was the title, but my musings above reminded me of a conversation I had with Prof Kassabian, (who wrote this 'Hearing Film'. The cover of which she detests by the way.) We were lamenting the lack of value that society places upon the arts and humanities. She mentioned an article about Google , which I found here which is a little ray of light, but that was in my mind when I read a blog post via Twitter about how mobile photography is making vast numbers of people without artistic talent think they have a creative gift. When clearly they don't. But who says? (BTW I'm sorry I can't find the blog link, I'll go through my twitter stream later) Then a little later the same day I read this by Adrian Graham, lamenting how mobile photography is turning everything into a popularity contest and that the boundaries of photography aren't being pushed because of it. Even my fibro brain knows that these things aren't closely connected but it's started me thinking. Or trying to anyway. I've always believed passionately that if education gave the arts equal value in the curriculum that people would have more confidence and more skill at creating. And that the world would be a better and richer place because of it. 

I see the tools that technology puts into everyone's hands as a good thing. More people are creating than ever before. If mobile phones and iPhoneography sites encourage people to share tips and skills and develop a means of creative expression then I'm sorry but I can't see that as a bad thing. Artists have always needed to make the choice - do I create what I feel/want or do I create what sells? Who's to say that 'chocolate box' art that gives some people pleasure isn't valid? Yes there's a lot of dross out there, but then who am I to decide it's dross? Almost everything is subjective, the arts more than anything require the audience to make a value judgement. I also know that humanity forms groups and that groups make us resistant to change and can foster elitism...but it's a yin/yang thing and I see the benefits balancing out the negatives. 

So, yes the internet seems to be making Art a popularity contest, but I for one am getting a lot out of the potential it has opened up for sharing and learning.

I've not attempted to gather my thoughts in writing very often since fibro hit. My brain can't cope very well and it uses a LOT of spoons. If you've stuck with me this far, thank you. I'm not sure it's been worth your time but I at least have created some semblance of order in my head.

Here's this month's Appit iPhone photo, taken by the peerless Clint Cline (@clix2020) and the initial stages I went through with it.

Paper camera and possibly Segmentix where my first apps, to soften details and bring out form. Then I used Crop Suey to crop out the hand. I used Colour Shadow and then Percolator to give a strong graphic feel to the form.

Then I put the hand through Stripecam before using Kooleido to create a mandala. Then the hand went into Superimpose where I put the mandala onto the hand. Then the colour didn't pop enough for me so I used Camera+ to make it more intense and to give it a subtle border. Which is how I ended up with the image I posted yesterday.

I have a plan...to try to write each Sunday or Monday about what I've created and how and also perhaps to ramble a bit. Think of me as that crazy person that sits besides you on the bus and strikes up a conversation. It doesn't often make sense but sometimes it's interesting anyway. Maybe...

Contemplating creation #art

My plan was to post the work process behind this digital art work...but time has run away from me, so I'll do a longer post tomorrow.

September's 'App it!' has begun and this is my first entry.
Taken from an iPhone photograph by Clint Cline (@clix2020)

Into the fire - red 6 #art

I've returned, after a long gap to my 'Into the fire' (one day it may be a) series.
The background for this image was created so long ago I have no idea how I made it. I loaded it into Art Rage and drew the figure, then flooded it with colour and tweaked the opacity.
Then Scratchcam followed by Photo FX ultra to add texture and light. Somewhere along the way I percolated the image and blended them together with HDR fix. Finally a few Weather FX and a crop.

It's been a long day and this has calmed and relaxed me greatly. Thank goodness for art's many therapeutic qualities...

A doodle for @whichsongtitle #art

An abstract art doodle to brighten your day, as a counterpoint to my introspection ;)

I think the title is "The Meeting Place" but I'm not sure...
Finger painted and drawn in Art Rage, given the circular treatment by Percolator.
I love colour...

Self portrait #iphoneography #art

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Doing a lot of napping and sleeping and resting :sigh: and hoping...yes, hoping. Though it is hard to stay positive when your world shrinks...and hard not to want to hide away. Whether this is conveyed in these two images I have no idea...the viewer decides...is it the viewer who has the power in the relationship or the artist? I guess I know the answer to that...I just need to work at making it true.

#artRage doodle and some examples of #percolator app

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Another doodle, drawn with the bamboo stylus and Art Rage on my iPad. Then I used percolator to make a variety of changes to the image and gathered then together with Diptic so you can see some of the options that Percolator has.
Not sure what order these will post in as I'm using the Posterous app...which hasn't been reducing the sizes of images like it should...

Percolated Doodle

I know nobody will believe me...but it's so hard to leave this alone...just one app. Extra fine rings.

day 17/30 - #iphoneart #30daysofcreativity

The thinker

Abstract 3 - #tinyplanets

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Here it is...given the tiny planet treatment. I put it thru photo artista oil as well, but it doesn't work as well IMHO.

Abstract 1 & 2 #iphoneArt

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We have another art challenge brewing over at Muses' Playground (& it is a challenge. Very different to usual...) Mimulux has already finished and I'm exploring circles in various apps as a beginning.
I put a substrate image through PictureShow then percolated it.
Wonder what tinyplanet will do to it...

Ink space #iPhoneArt

Blue roses #art #digitalArt

I usually put geometric art on to the items I print/get printed...but for some reason I wanted to see if I could do a design based on roses. I'll see what it looks like on a purse tomorrow.
Managed to leave the house and venture out into the glorious sunshine today. Nothing exciting; recycling and a few groceries.
Although I am red eyed and pink cheeked through fatigue, it was nice to manage to do it. #FFs will, alas, have to wait until the morrow. As will everything else...
Sleep well if you read this in the evening, may the sandman bring you uplifting visions. Have a glorious day with your muse beside you if it's the day...