Inspired by the Natural ~ fullfilled by the Technical

Textural and natural things inspire me.  I simply love taking pictures of my wood pile, for instance.  We were unable to use the wood last winter because it was so warm. As a result the bark is coming away from the logs. The cuts are ragged and curling. In Gimp, I did various filters on the pic, with the last one being a "Gimpressionist filter." I found one that looked like threads. What an interesting look! Can't wait to see what this filtering does on pine cones and mushrooms!

All this week I have been thinking about how much detail is involved in the way the Lord dressed our earth and everything in it and beyond it.  When I found the word "Prink" in the dictionary one day, and read that it meant "to dress for show, preen," I couldn't help but think of that being what a designer does, then prints it, and tries to bring it to a place of usefulness or share it in a place which displays its beauty.  God is the author of that.  And I love being a part of his creative spirit. But in this great scheme of things, there comes a time when things need to be revived. That is as much a part of the natural way God created things as new design is.  Revival, Renewal, Re-enlightenment, and Restoration are a part of the cycle of life. It is time that our nation seeks it, that our families seek it, and our churches seek it. The commitments of our forefathers and the dreams of our youth need to be revisited, and the truths of prosperity need to be revitalized. All of the things that make our lives continue on means that we must revisit them and somehow address their needs to be dressed up when they begin to look shabby.  Why do we always get so gloomy when we see the need?  We don't mind buying new clothes, or new food, or going on new vacations. Our world needs some Prinking. Like a bird preening feathers after the rains, we need a resituation everyday of our lives in some way. Let's get "prinking!"
My prayer is that the Lord will abundantly provide. AMEN

Read more:
http://agardencalledgethsemane.blogspot.com/

http://www.mywingsaremadeoffaith.typepad.com/

In my newest learning endeavors, I have been playing with creating brushes and patterns for Gimp projects.  Funny how some things have become so second hand easy, and others still don't click.  Not that it's hard, but that I can't keep the correct sequence in my mind to get the desired results.  But practice makes perfect.  I decided to make a file into which i just put the stuff I was playing with, and I went ahead and made a brush or pattern file that I can take to the gimp files when I need them, instead of just filling up the dialoge boxes with something I might not use often.  This way I can copy them over long enough to use them and delete them when I am not.  I get tired of the same old swirls and curves so I ususallly make fresh ones these days anyway.  But the grungies and scratches, smears and blobs take time to get good results, so it's best to have a variety of them made which are large enough to move them about and use only parts of them.  I discovered that I can use only parts of curls and swirls too to cast shadows and erase out swaths of color.


 

This is a disconnected set of curls,
connect them and they become lace.



I love ceating my own Capital cursive letters.
Roughing them up a bit using several filters and
brushes enhances them.



I designed various settings and styles of this potential brush. 
Filling it with a marble pattern already available in my gimp
patterns gives me a cool look without having to create the pattern.

Gimp Brushes

I have discovered making brushes in Gimp..WOW what a great world of reward for your work it opens up.  Just wondering the best way to reserve the brushes without putting them all in the dialogue box.  Thinking I will save them in a separate file, and move them into and out of the actual gimp file and dialogue as I use them. Still simpler than making from scratch every time, and hunting them in various files.  More on this as I make them.  So many ideas!

Photo Art

In the sixties, I had an English teacher who was only a few years older than we, and she was so much fun. One day she brought in photographer friends of hers to show us a slide show of their work. I will never forget how impressive their black-n-whites of graphic looking things were.  Full of angles and shadows, stripes and boxes, corner to corner off kilter subjects and people hanging upside down.  They made an impression on me and were the first real longing I had to someday get a camera and use it to create art.  This week I had a few opportunities to capture some shots that captured that aesthetic.  If you look around, good black n whites are everywhere.  But the best ones are not where you set the camera to black n white but where the light and darks create a grey tone image with touches of color.  Sometimes a rainy day and some silouetting adds to the effect.  Rocks in water under gray skies for example. 
Another way to make things happen is to dress subjects in black n white or grays, and make sure the background is also a grey, white, or black, and let the only thing in the picture be skin tones and 1 tiny object with a defined color.  Rather than going back to computer colorize the object, make it real. To go one step further, the subject could wear gloves, and colored hose, ( stiped ones are fun,) and a white outfit and hat. Turn the subject away from the camera, and avoid getting any skin in the pic. Really fun artistic prints can be acheived.
One of my favorites is my brother's arched bridge over the ditch near the road at his house. In the early morning sun, it was all grays and whites. Open your eyes to the things around you, and create a black-n-white pic that is taken in full color!  

A wedding bouquet of ivory roses, stephonotis, freesia, and pearl pins
is altered in gimp, to produce a guiled look. 
Romantic and luscious,  uhmmm.

With a little patience...!

This line drawing of packages is actually a font blown up and colorized.  I created the brush in the brush edits box to make the flower like stars. This would make a great little gift card. I even like it in black.

So glad it's Christmas. I hope I can celebrate every day with a little Prinked Ink.

LOL

Prinked to Look Like It's Sewn

From this

to

This:

Thinking about unconditional love this last few days has inspired me to seer it into my brain every way I can. By adding the cloth filtering, blinds filters, and using a three pointed brush that I can rotate to look like blanket stitching, I was able to make the paper effect look like it's sewn fabrics - corduroy on crepe, with the love resembling crisp organza printed with the sixties look felting print. Like dotted swiss only shapes. The girls in my wedding wore an overlay fabric with daisies on it like that. Don't you just love the button and button hole? I really loved the final touch of inserting an antiquing layer over the corduroy.  I can't get over how much this brush resembles stitching.  I just love playing with this stuff! All that love reminds me ~

 I totally LOVE that

JESUS LOVES ME UNCONDITIONALLY



October Was a Busy Month

Apart from getting a nasty put you down cold, it was the anniversary of my Mom's death, my grandson became one year old, and my brother-in-law passed into the arms of Jesus.  I also have two precious neighbors who are dealing with the hardships of life, and threatening medical issues of precious family members.  On top of that I cannot download pictures from my new computer for some reason.  So, all of October was a bust for doing art.  But I did download Gimp for my grandson to use doing a project, and he picked up on what it has taken me 6 months to learn in 30 minutes.  He said his project looked professional, except for the fact that the wizard we used cut about 1/2 inch off of everyone's printed project when it printed and no one could fix it.  At least the hours we spent trying, was something no one else could fix either.  Not good that it takes a computer IT guy to do home work.  But doing work with my grand son inspired me to get back behind the art.  Have been testing over one hundred names for a new blog that will feature some wonderful artists. Only 6 were not already in use, and all but two of those seemed like something that didn't represent us all.  But I thought of a new one tonight so we will see where it goes.  It's Punkin Time!!! I have a gourd to paint. So maybe I will get a picture of that up.  Til next time... C

September Calendar Black N White

Coming Soon

In the next few weeks I hope to get a new blog hub up and am going to introduce you to my artistic friends and family. Each artist has his or her own perspective on art and there will be a variety of media to explore. I am so excited to get these people linked and to share their talents with everyone. In days gone by, American Business was built on people supporting one another by word of mouth advertising, and by buying their products. Communities survive by making commerce personal and productive to that community. But also by bringing in new ideas and sharing common interests.  The world has gotten so big that America is now our common community. And is need of good old fashioned "Capitalism."  But how do you know who to support? Word of mouth. I want to personally commend these people for the beautiful work they do, but also for the wonderful spirit they have, and the greatness of their Character. So proud to be able to present them to you. Can't wait to  get the blog up and going. Initially, purchases of their work will be by personal contact, but in future months, those who wish may direct you to their web pages or online stores. Stay in touch.

Away too long

July has been such a busy month that I haven't even added a single blog.  Still have up the July calendar and haven't put up the August one.  Oh well, I guess it is a good problem to have if you are getting things done.  The old computer has been about to crash I had so many pictures and graphics piling up.  So had to get some of it stored.  Ready to start filling the void. LOL But not tonight. New calendar soon and maybe a pic or two.   But I have definitely been away too long.

Inspiration and Preservation

From the "Monthly Mini Series"
by Cynthia Wilkerson

My inspiration for the Monthly Mini - Florals Calender for July this year was one of my favorite sets of pictures. My mom's garden included the beautiful blues of ZigZaz Spiderwort, which need something to attach themselves to in order to keep jointing upward.  Blooms are produced at each joint, where only two or three florets are open at one time. 

An abundance of other little blooms await their time to open, but hang down on short stems, giving them the appearance of a spider with legs.  The plant stems had attatched themselves to the rusty old fence, my dad errected to keep me from fleeing into the street where my mother couldn't get to me so many years ago when I was a toddler. When I took the pictures, I knew mother was ill, and her time on earth was waning, but I didn't expect to know when the fence was gone. It happened just before Mother passed, and I am so glad she didn't see it.  So the beautiful blooms on the rusty old fence hold a very special place in my heart now.  In their place the city has put a very city like piece of concrete, a sidewalk and a very shiny silver chainlink fence.  Somehow, if any of the spiderwort remains, I don't think it looks as good as it did on the rusty old wire...   :(
C

Changing our look

Please forgive the washed out look of our page.
I am in the process of making changes.
C

Hymns that Bring Peace to My Mind

This is a wonderful old Hymn.  Today I want you to copy this pic. Print it so it's readable, and frame it.  Put it somewhere near your reading chair, or quiet place.  Hum the song and relax.

A little tilted --- and looking good.

It's amazing what lines and dots do for a background.  The mix of the two was a mistake, but how fun did that goofup turn out!!!

2 Blooms of Shamrock and A Pinch of Grass

After taking pictures of my pressed blooms of Shamrocks, which my young neighbor Savanah helped me press, I used Gimp to work filters on the picts.

This one was a version made using photocopy,

and the weave filters:

I can see napkins printed from the weave

and a card  printed with the bottom one.

This is a colorize/invert, and cartoonize version:

Click on the picts to view them enlarged.

Always, C

Red Lilies on a Sunny Morning

Posterizing a perfectly beautiful picture, can add interest, segregate the colors and make the image draw a second glance.  But this also gives an opportunity to use a matt white card stock for the picture, over which a vellum or acrylic with print does very well.
Parts of this picture retain the look of a photo,while others look drawn or painted. The blurring of the background significantly adds to the impact of the blooms. C 

A calendar for June

A Calendar to print with  my permission.

Sometimes, Black n White n Red are so clean looking. Just thinking of Lady Bugs and Bikes in the summer, makes me smile :)