Feeling Blueish

*This post was written long before the events in Boston however, “feeling blueish”  is an apt title for today.

Photoshop has a very cool feature found under Image>Adjustments>Variations.  I’ve clearly been experimenting with Variations.

Since color can dramatically change the way a piece is viewed; the way it feels, Variations helped me decide how to convert my black and white bird-children to a more eye-catching color to prepare for sale on Blue Canvas.  Since then, I’ve gone conversion wild,  playing with several new pieces.

Which one do you prefer?

Photo Friday

Image

Cordoned Off/KiDs aRT

Anna, an elementary school student and burgeoning artist, rose to the challenge in this cordon off  assignment.  Essentially, I ask a student to take a paper frame and zero in on anything she finds interesting in the room.  The task is to cordon off a section of a 3D object, focusing in on any part that may be pleasing, then to reproduce  that composition in detail, using Gouache on illustration board.  Not only did Anna capture her subject beautifully, but she learned a lot about color.  In fact, this is Anna’s first piece rendered in full color.

The only problem with the work above is in its presentation. This  is my blunder. Unfortunately you are unable to see just how well Anna studied her subject, because I neglected to shoot it from Anna’s point of view,  Instead , I shot the subject from above. This is a perfect example of the student teaching the instructor a thing or two about paying close attention to her subject 🙂

KIDs ArT

As promised earlier in the month, here is Samantha’s completed acrylic painting.  Clearly, Samantha is not afraid of rendering her darks and lights.  She’s a natural with values. However, translating black and white into color is a little tricky.  This is not a problem for Samantha. She dove right in with complementary colors.  They pop with energy when placed together, as you can see in this piece.  Sam didn’t stop there, she added drama with her stylized interpretation of the scene.  The design work in her  composition pulls each element together beautifully.  Samantha’s painting welcomes the viewer to step right in, pick some apples and enjoy the warmth of the scene. Very nice work.

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Remaining Marketable

This isn’t easy to admit.  My work is well, sort of old-fashioned.  At least, it’s not HOT.  Not a big deal, I can change, except I really don’t want to.  Let me back up a bit.  What I love to do, is not as marketable as it could be, and I am really not at all good at what seems to be winning the children’s illustration awards in 2011. The style is spacial, heavily designed, and far less realistic than mine.  Some of it is stunning.  I simply gape.  Some of it in my humble opinion, is boring.  The work that I’m not crazy about is lacking the charm, emotion, and magic that I look for in a children’s book or app or magazine.

I enjoy working digitally. Photoshop has become a great friend.  And, I’m open to working in any kind of medium, so no problem there.  I do not want to be left behind, and I want to grow while remaining true to what I love. So, I’ll be posting some new work with a more inclusive age range, a little distortion, a different color palette, and a lot more space.  I’ll also be experimenting with texture and line drawings.

I’ve no idea what will evolve.  Please let me know what you think, especially if  you are a young person (five to about forty:>).  Seriously, all of your comments are always helpful and appreciated.

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