Shadow Birds

Shadow Birds 1 & 2

Did these two a while ago, but I forgot to put them up here. I like the use of blends in these two. The second one reminds me of Victorian Valentine cards for some reason.

Twins

Twins

Here is a quick ArtRage that doesn't seem done to me yet. For now I will take some time and add to it tomorrow. I haven't had much time these days to work on any art. Christmas break is coming soon.

Another Blend With ArtRage

Bird Girl


Bird Girl Screen Capture

I am still at it with the blend modes in ArtRage. Been away for a while, but thought I would try my hand at it again. I must not be done since this one came out looking much like the others. I like the whiteness of the bird's head in this one -- a bit of a gull-look to it.

Expressionistic Blends

Lots

Tried to be more expressionistic with my use of blends in ArtRage. Lots of erased layers in a variety of blend modes here. I wanted the face to become part of the piece more. Some of the faces from the last few days look too digitized.

Robots

Pale Robot Girl


Robot Girl

Still experimenting with the blend modes in ArtRage. Reminds me of my first experiments where I had one face good and the other evil (Dark and Light, Aug 08).

Reversal Blends in ArtRage

Reverse


Blue Reverse

Played around with Blending Modes again. This time I used the Difference mode in layers for the face. I duplicated the face and added another blend on top. Not sure off hand which ones are layered for "Reverse." I think I will be experimenting some more with layered blends when I have the time.

The marks on these two are from the ArtRage that I worked on this last Friday. I used just the background "Tartan" without the face and butterfly to add textures to these two. There is also an under layer made with tube paint feature that I "smashed" down a bit with the marker tool.

Tech Look

Tartan

Tech

Here are a couple of ArtRage works that I experimented with this evening. There are many layers, some with different blending modes. I like the way the reds glow. I added the butterfly and face from some of my earlier work. The butterfly is in an under layer in normal mode. The face is in shadow mode with a little bit of light color in the under layer so the eyes show.

Inner Form

Form 2

Abstract image in ArtRage. Again, maybe coming from my thoughts about my sick dog.

Abstract Form

Form

Layering again. Abstract again. This time the colors are more muted. Textures are more apparent. I see some inner body stuff. My dog is sick, so maybe I am thinking about the internal workings of the body. Inner landscape?

Watercolor Effects With ArtRage

Abstract Landscape

Here I tried to achieve the look of a watercolor with ArtRage software. I used the oil paint by turning the settings to thin and lowering the pressure. There are multiple layers, one of which is a black. The dark under layer made the reds and blues near the center of the composition darker.

Still Dark -- Male This Time

Cat Man


Dog Man

I used a male face with earlier images of a cat and an abstract dog. Still playing around with the blending modes in ArtRage.

Yellow Eye

Yellow Eye

Darker yet. This face is ready for jungle work, maybe.

Green Eye

Green Eye

Getting a bit mean here. I erased out areas in an under layer to get the cutout effects in ArtRage. I took out the blue eye and added a lizard eye.

Blue Eye

Blue Eye

Another face using the tint and shadow in blend mode.

Light and Dark

Princess


Fiend

Here are two faces altered in ArtRage using the same image from a picture on the Internet. One looks very fairytale princess, while the other is sinister and a bit masculine. I used the highlight feature on the first and the shadow on the second.

Noh

Noh

Here is a combination of a bunch of ArtRage work that I have done. The cat from a couple of days ago added to the three quarter face.

One, Two, Three

One


Two


Three

New background, same faces from past ArtRage work.

ArtRage Cats With Mouse

Cat


Cat 2


Cat 3

Today I sketched my cat on top of my monitor using the mouse. I am looking into purchasing a sketch pad, but they are a bit pricey. I have gotten better with mouse control over the years, but I still make lines that I do not intend to make. I am sure my digital work would look different with a pen.

Recently, I joined the artists over at Ambient Design in their gallery forum. I have had a good time looking at others' work and posting comments. I placed a number of works there myself.

Softer Three Quarter ArtRage

Softer

Had some fun with the taper on the airbrush feature in ArtRage. It makes a delicate line with a tapered end. I used the Three Quarter PNG file face again as a layer.

Homage to Warhol

Warhol

I went to an old portrait PNG file for this one (Another Three Quarter Face, Mar 08). I layered some colors and made the lines with the eraser. It reminds me of Andy Warhol's silkscreens.

Distrub: A Different Direction in ArtRage

Disturb


Disturb With Close Up Lips

I decided to leave portraiture behind tonight and brought back the lips from last winter (Feb and Mar 08). (I found that I had made a stencil of the lips and saved it.) The initial ArtRage is done in grays, but I added some transparent color in multiple layers and resized it for the second one. The area above the dominant lower lips was a bit too messy for me, so I added another layer and smoothed out some whites with "stitching" on top. The lines are just the roller feature with one click of the mouse for each stitch.

More Women

Woman Version 2


Woman Version 3

I added some background to the woman that I worked on earlier tonight. Version 3 is more defined compositionally and looks iconic while version 2 is more "windswept" -- less defined in terms of specific space.

Woman Simplified

Woman

I simplified the image of the woman by erasing out much of the hair and edge of her shoulder. She looks like she has a scarf on her head instead. I also corrected some of the bone structure of her face and opened up her eye by erasing out her upper lid and adding the whites of her eye. She looks like she is thinking of something. I am not sure how she feels about it. I don't think she knows herself yet.

Plain Face No Butterflies

Plain Woman

Tried another face tonight and liked the plain, grayish-green background with it. I tried a bunch of other stuff, but this one just wanted to stay simple.

Another Butterfly ArtRage

Hat and Collar

Here I have taken the image of the woman and added a butterfly hat and collar. She looks better with the dark around the face. I like the negative shapes made by the wings too.

Butterfly Hair

Butterfly Hair

I made a few changes to the butterfly for this ArtRage. I used the same altered face from yesterday but made the butterfly larger. The butterfly blends into a layer of black and looks like the wings of the butterfly are part of her hair. The white areas around her head add needed contrast.

New Butterfly Face

Three Butterflies Yellow


Three Butterflies Purple

I took another face from the Internet, altered it, and added a different butterfly image. I decided to use the three images together to make a better composition. I wanted the whole face and couldn't get it it to have nice negative shapes -- so I made multiples.

Butterfly Team

Butterfly Team

This ArtRage uses the combined faces and butterfly in a softer background. I layered the face imports so the wings were blended into the softer background. The team name comes from the swimming cap look that the two faces have. One on the red team and the other on the blue.

Butterfly Collection

Butterfly Collection

Tried another one tonight. Did this one on a very dark background. I duplicated the layer of the two faces and the blue butterfly and slid it out to the edge. I then duplicated that layer and flipped it horizontally. Not sure I like this one (the faces seem too high), but I like the brown colors of the face with the blues of the wings.

Many Butterflies

Butterfly Combo


Butterfly Green


Butterfly Fade


Butterfly Silk

I decided to push this butterfly theme a bit more by adding a butterfly image from the web to my two overlapped faces. I used past background ArtRage images and added the butterfly and faces in layers. I erased out parts of the face to show the wings more in "Butterfly Silk."

Butterfly

Butterfly

I put two faces together to make a butterfly shape. The red blotches remind me a bit of an earlier lips piece called "Pops" (Surreal Lips, Feb 08). Again, I thought that I was done with this face. I will be done with it when I am done.

Fury

Fury

I thought I was done with this face, but I am posting yet another. This background was initially done with the darker reds etc. on the bottom. When I added the face, I transposed the background layer and flipped it vertically. The red looks like flowing hair.

Still More Faces

Face with Creature


Creature


Pink Tartan


Combo


Combo 2

Still playing with the face in profile. The "Creature" background is an abstract drawing-painting that I worked on tonight. I didn't plan for it to have the "face" added as a layer, but it ended up with one anyway. The black lines and the soft erased areas work with the lines and whites of the face.

"Pink Tartan" is a result of smearing around the colors and erasing out areas of the under layers. I don't see any of the original background showing in it. Not sure I even like this one. I don't use this blog as a place to put my best work, though. I see it as a place to post all of the stuff that I am working on at the time. What works is a decision for later -- if I ever put them on my website or print them for a show. For now...

"Combo" and Combo 2" are a combination of "Punk" from yesterday and "Pink Tartan." Not sure the hair works, but I like the dark red contrasting with the rest of the piece. In the second one, I smeared out the tube paint from the under layer with the palette knife.