I was born and grew up in a city in Ontario 40 miles from Toronto that used trolley cars (we called them street cars), and I used them many many times. That was back in the 1940s and 1950s. They looked almost exactly like this one that I took a photo of in a museum town in China. Ain't nostalgia grand?
Speaking of nostalgia, I'm returning to that ancient village where I took photos inside the stores, posted them on the weekend article a few weeks back, (perhaps you remember the Foo Dogs in front of one of them) . Here are some of the things that were outside of those stores. First of all, the entrance gate to the town:
Streetcar service in San Antonio officially ended April 29, 1933, though some cars remained in service occasionally through the July 4th weekend. This was due to slow delivery of new buses and a higher than expected rate of breakdowns of buses.
Car 300 was presented to the Witte Museum on Sunday, April 29, 1933 with great fanfare. The car was run onto the museum grounds under its own power and parked. (Witte Museum is the precursor, and an important part now, of the San Antonio Museum Association.) Old 300 was left outside, with little maintenance, until 1948. It then received housing and a superficial restoration, including filling rotted areas with plaster. Traction motors, air compressor, and resistors were loaned out to another operation during World War II and never returned. In 1968, after the San Antonio World’s Fair, a Transportation Museum was developed at the downtown fairground. Car 300 was again placed on outdoor, unsheltered display until 1980, by which time it had a rather terminal case of rot.
The initial 1980-81 restoration ultimately required the use of car body 311, which had been scrapped in 1933. It had been placed under a metal shed and served as a woman’s residence until 1978, when she entered a rest home. Mrs. Rhoda Billings donated her home for this restoration. 300’s interior fittings and brass window sashes were used in this restoration. Broad-gauge New Orleans trucks and traction motors were acquired in Shreveport and “standard gauged,” which means that the wheels were spaced 4’ 8 1/2” apart to fit on standard tracks. The original 4-foot gauge trucks are held by San Antonio Car Co. to place under another San Antonio car to be restored.
Old 300 is still the property of the San Antonio Museum Association. However, it has been in the Pacific Northwest for more than 10 years. For about five years, Old 300 ran on the Willamette Shore Trolley line from Portland to Lake Oswego. Then for the next five years the trolley went to Gales Creek, where another restoration was begun and Old 300 ran at the Glenwood Trolley Park. The Glenwood Trolley Park was shutting down operations when the City of Astoria was made aware of the availability of Old 300. Old 300 was leased from San Antonio for five years at $1 per year, and brought to the MERTS facility in December 1998 for restoration.
The most recent restoration of Old 300 was completed by an all-volunteer group of Astoria residents during the first five months of 1999. Considerable wood rot on one side below the windows was repaired. The exterior canvas roof of the trolley was re-covered, the interior bead-board ceiling installed, and the electrical systems repaired. The interior and exterior were painted. A diesel generator was acquired, and the generator trailer fabricated. More than $20,000 was raised (and spent), and nearly 3,000 man-hours were donated. As motormen and conductors, we all share a burden of responsibility not only for the safety of our passengers, but also for the continued preservation of Old 300.
Probably just an old decoration, fleur de lis have been used as architectural details and decorations for a long time...
When we lived in EZ Bay (Elizabeth Bay) every morning I'd have coffee on the veranda and the lorikeets would be there on the railing waiting for a handout and making a lot of noise. Ah, good memories.
Morning Raven...yes plus being by the sea I have the best of both worlds...all within five minutes drive from my home. And throw in the koalas we are cooking with gas.(Very lucky)
I have a Microsoft Access MVP friend who lives in Bendigo, and we had a lot of interesting conversations about where we each lived. I learned a lot from her about Access Database development. The area where she lived looked very nice. It is good that you have such nice Koala's that call your area home.
Oh yes...a lot of Aussie parrots are very destructive I am afraid..
Corellas are one of the worst...chew thru car windscreen rubbers, eaves on houses, crops, tennis courts, power transmission boxes and black out thousands of people...
They are very intelligent and follow the wheat trains from up north down to the harbour here...
They worked out the wheat falls out of the carriages on to the tracks...free food... they follow the tracks for hundreds of kilometres. And head back north when the trains stop.
The famous Red Cars of LA were a great form of mass transit and the last of them went out of service in the early 1960s. The Port of Los Angeles has brought a few back and they are currently operating in the harbor area.
Is your daughter one of the Rockettes? Your images reminded me that when I was 16 years old I went with my parents to NYC and besides touring the UN building and watching the iconic Krishna Menon speak, seeing the original cast Broadway performances of Guys and Dolls and The King and I, we went to Radio City Music Hall to watch the Rockettes dance.
No, but when she first saw them on the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade when she was 3 she said she wanted to be a Rockette. I promised her that day I would take her to see them. The following year she decided Ballet was for her and she began dancing (which lasted until she was 25 and was struck with a debilitating disease).
30 years after I made that promise I made good on it & we went to NYC and saw the Rockettes. It was something I will never forget and hope the trip was as special to her.
We are planning a return trip to see Moulin Rouge.
The flower and butterfly are from a shot taken over the summer. The sky is from a few days ago and has a graduated light filter applied from top to bottom.
The flower and butterfly were cut out with the classic tool set on PaintShop Pro 2022, but the following images were a test of the new Artificial Intelligence Background Remover.
Here's an original photo, the removed flower on a gradient background for contrast, and a close up of the edge quality produced by the AIBR.
I think it produces a cleaner and more accurate cut, but it's not as user friendly as the classic tools are. The brush can't be made as large (probably because the analyzing AI uses lots of resources), and the zoom and navigation controls are click-to-use only (no mouse wheel zoom and pan for some reason), but I can still see it being the preferred option for certain things. That's a pretty clean edge if you ask me, no pixel cleanup necessary.
It is hard at times to keep the names straight between all the great artists here. I do the same at times. But, I always check the name of the person I am replying to at the top of the reply window to make sure I get the name right.
Over the past week I've become interested in manipulative editing. I've been going through Google images and looking at other people's work, especially the fantasy and surrealism stuff. Some of it is really impressive, but far beyond my current skill level. It sure piqued my interest, though. I think I'm going to keep playing around with this software and see if I can't increase my ability a bit.
I appreciate what you did with your picture, Dig, and I like it a lot. Although it is, of course, quite different, I think it is somewhat in the same vein as a piece I posted early in the spring, which has a bit of a surrealistic quality.
I'm just knocked out by how you illustrated "Butterflies are free", and I don't just mean technically, but the whole concept - it should be submitted to some contest because it's bound to win a prize..
One thing I like about learning new software, is that it also helps you to expand your artwork ideas. With each new door I opened in PowerPoint, my ideas for different types of artwork opened as well. That is the great thing about getting new software, not only growing in your artistic skills, but, growing in your ideas of what you can do with what the new software has to offer.
And of course, there is the great fun to using the new toy and all that comes with.
Thanks, Dig. I was thinking of it as being somewhat Impressionistic or Post-Impressionistic, but I can see psychedelic, too. It's a combination of effects. When I've been working with my photos I've been using various effects until I get a combination that I like. This one included an effect called "Paint Strokes" on PowerPoint as well as using different levels of sharpness, color saturation and color tone. Also, the figures of the two girls were actually cut out from another photo I took where they were standing in front of a modern building and I put them in the park.
It's guaranteed that dev will see it as psychedelic!
You are most welcome, G. It is one of my favorite software to use for my artwork, and as you can see, it offers so many different types of editing and creative features. I'm very glad you like it.
I would like to see you try something different. Having read your explanation to Dig, I would like to see what happens if you were to plant the two girls on the impressionistic background you posted above, but sharp clear images of them in B&W. I think it would have a kind of unusual "contrary" effect.
The Boston one resembles a Toronto streetcar. (internet photo) Even though I lived in Toronto for almost half a century, I don't think I ever rode on one - either drove or used the subway.
Thank you, Buzz. The most important part of creating my artwork, is to allow the viewer to determine for themselves what they see in the artwork, not to tell them what they should see. Not everyone sees the same thing in any artwork, and if trying to tell the viewers what they should be seeing, and what their own interpretation of it is, can cause confusion between what their actual interpretation is, and what they think they are supposed to be seeing.
It also gives them the opportunity to indulge in their own artistic juices. Yes, some may think they have none of those, but, in fact, what their eyes see does have some sort of effect on them.
I'm humbled by people who know the names of all those flowers and plants. I guess your garden is proof that you've got to be tough to survive in Texas, (except the steaks, like the one I enjoyed in the Dallas Traildust, but now that I think of it, although it was bigger than the plate it was served on, not one ounce of it survived).
We have similar weather here in the Inland Empire in So Cal. I can remember one year it was 100 degrees on Christmas Day, then down to mid 60's by New Years Day.
A town that I lived in for a while as a kid was the home of Greyhound Bus. It was started there to take the iron ore miners from town to the mines, many did not have cars as the vast majority were immigrants. There is a museum there now with some classic old Greyhound busses, including a 1914 Hubmobile.
And you do it so very well, Mac. Not only beautiful, but, open to door to Fantasy Land, so to speak. This type of your artwork never ceases to intrigue and fascinate.
Although the other photographer's composition depicts a moon-bonfire, I prefer yours, with the people contemplating the moon at their feet. Excellent work on your part.
I probably should have made my moon a little orange-ish, like the other person did. It doesn't really match the color of the light on their faces from the original campfire, does it?
It doesn't seem to be that noticeable, Dig. The bright moon and its glow tend to be the center of attraction, which it should be. I think you did a very good job. I really like it.
Thanks, Kavika. Being a horse lover myself, I wanted to show the close connection Native Americans have with their horses. Even those who are not Warriors have a close connection with their horse. They both trust each other, and depend on each other in so many ways.
The photo was taken by a neighbor. The Boys are back to Stone Creek, they come back every December this year a few showed up mid-November. They will be around until March/April.
Skimming the water of Lake Arlington (actually it's a big pond) in our complex. One of six.
They are so beautiful. All we have here in our complex are Ravens. We don't have any open water areas, so we don't get the various water birds. When I visited Ft Meyers FL it was great to see the different sea birds all around. It gave the area a real fantasy atmosphere. (grin)
That's about the time they start showing up here. I never would have guessed that pelicans would fly so far inland, but then I saw them with my own eyes while fishing years ago. Huge flocks of them, too. I guess they breed in the wetlands around the Osage River and other places.
We are only 30 miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico. When I go to northern MN there are hundreds of Pelicans on the lakes there and the closest ocean is 2,000 miles away and one of the lakes I stay at is named Pelican Lake.
Here is another photo of The Boys landing and making quite the splash.
Here is an article on it that you'll find interesting. The one point that really stood out to me is that 20% of the white pelican population of North America returns to MN.
Pelicans making annual migration to Minnesota, nesting season approaches
Photo Courtesy: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
(FOX 9) - Pelicans are returning to Minnesota as part of their annual northern migration from the Gulf of Mexico, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
Minnesota is the summer home for 20 percent of the North American white pelican population. The majority settle at Marsh Lake in Big Stone County as well as in Lac qui Parle and Swift counties. As the pelicans move to these counties, DNR officials say many pelicans will make stops at lakes in southern Minnesota.
I'm going to run a gamut of "special effect" images; some will be fairly straight forward, others surreal, or, just the result of messin' with ideas with no original intended outcome …
A fairly simple image to start. Almost a "commercial" - illustration.
Recently Jupiter, Venus and Saturn were in such close proximity to each other, just over the horizon in the southwestern sky right after sunset, that I was able to take a photo of all 3 together with my cell phone camera.
Haha. I really did take the photo of Jupiter and Saturn together with my cell phone camera last December, when there was a "great conjunction" involving the two planets. It was totally awesome. They were closer than they had been for 400 years. They were only 456 million miles apart!
Ok, Buzz. I tried your suggestion. I like it a lot. I brightened up the colors slightly to emphasize the contrast with the black and white figures, but that is as sharp and clear as I could make them.
In the movie The Accountant, when Anna Kendrick told him her father liked the painting Dog Poker which she thought was silly because dogs can't play poker, the Accountant replied that he liked it. He said he likes incongruity. What I like about what you've done, reversing the expected colours that you had done for another photo previously, is because in this case it is unusual, unexpected, a contradiction, and as the Accountant said, incongruous. To me, that is an example of creativity.
I think you may be referring to the photos where I changed the backgrounds to black and white, and then had figures in color. This is the first time I've done the opposite. Raven Wing made the same suggestion as you a while ago after I made my first effort at having the black and white background with the figures in color, so I finally got around to doing it.
I'm still exploring the different things I can do, and having a lot of fun doing it.
Thank you, Kavika. I'm very glad that you like it. I think it was the second or third one I posted in the Anishinaabe group way back when I first started doing the Native American artwork.
You've blended the frame into the image extremely well, and the strong burl oval shape is a perfect match. I think you explained this one to me previously, but my memory is starting to fade. Are the birds spirit guides or protectors of the man lying prone? If I recall what I originally thought, it seemed to me that the birds were attacking the man but you corrected me.
Thank you, Buzz. I'm glad that you like it. Yes, all the birds are Spirit Guides. Working with unique wood burls presents a real challenge. I got lucky with this one
You are correct, that is not a man lying prone that the birds look like they are attacking. It is a large fish that was caught by one of them from the surrounding water. The bears on the opposing shoreline are also feasting on a fish that one of them caught.
I just did this tutorial on the Corel website. I know it's not Halloween, but it looked fun and I wanted to learn more about the software. Tutorials rock, especially when they have videos attached. I learned several new things, including how to make ghosts, and two more ways to make things glow.
That is great, Dig! Both the Ghost, which is totally amazing, and the glow around the moon. Great work!
I also use CorelDraw for some of my editing, along with PowerPoint. It's a great editing tool as well. The is indeed a good deal to learn from the various software videos on the Internet.
Isn't it amazing how the first attempts at layering can seem almost impossible, but, once we learn how it seems so easy. While we may run into a tough one now and then that really puts up a challenge, we can finally find out how to get what we want and have learned even more in the process.
I love the challenges, as it really helps me grow experience wise, and improves my skills. That is what makes it all so much fun.
And you have now mastered a new skill that you can use well into the future, and learned how to use the videos to learn even more skills. You have now set a very good example for others, plus, helped them understand how using the videos can help them broaden their skills as well.
Everything was provided for download in the tutorial. The background and the girl are the only real photos, the rest is clip art, which is why the moon looks cartoonish.
All I did was follow the steps they laid out, one of those 'learn by doing what you're told to do' things. They used a few tools I was unfamiliar with, so it was definitely a learning experience. I enjoyed it. I actually wish they had more big image tutorials like that on their site, but it looks like most of the rest are for other types of projects, various holiday cards and stuff like that.
Thanks, Dig. Learning can be just a lot of trial and error, and can be exasperating in the beginning. But, as you see for yourself, once learned well it can be very rewarding, and fun.
Every photography student I ever taught would hear me begin lesson with the words, “You can’t get it right until you first get it wrong.”
I contend that until a new photographer looks at a photo that is in ways disappointingly or shockingly not what was expected, and asks, “what the hell happened,” he will likely continue taking pictures that cause him to ask the same question.
The disappointing flaws in that picture potentially open the consciousness to the realities that photography is a whole lot more than point and shoot.
“You can’t get it right until you first get it wrong.”
Very well said, Mac. And the same can be said of artwork of any kind, even digital. There will be plenty of wrong ones until you learn the right way to get the results you are looking for. And it does not happen over night,
The two P's that I go by, especially in artwork, is Patience and Practice. If one sticks with those two P's, they will find the success they are looking for.
And away we go!
I was born and grew up in a city in Ontario 40 miles from Toronto that used trolley cars (we called them street cars), and I used them many many times. That was back in the 1940s and 1950s. They looked almost exactly like this one that I took a photo of in a museum town in China. Ain't nostalgia grand?
Great photo, Buzz. Looks like it would be a fun ride.
It was on a track around the town, with the overhead power lines, and they gave people rides in it.
Evening..
Trolley car, street car...Nah...That's a tram!!!...
Only city in Australia that has them now is Melbourne...
Love the antique Trolley Car, Mac. Lots of memories are floating around inside.
I worked for San Diego Trolley for 17 years, and rode the Trolley to and from work every day. Lots of fond memories as well.
Speaking of nostalgia, I'm returning to that ancient village where I took photos inside the stores, posted them on the weekend article a few weeks back, (perhaps you remember the Foo Dogs in front of one of them) . Here are some of the things that were outside of those stores. First of all, the entrance gate to the town:
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Nice, Buzz. Is the third photo the Fat Buddha / Budai from Chan Buddhism?
I guess so, it sure isn't a scrawny one, but he does look happy.
Beautiful facades, Buzz. Very interesting as well. Some seem to be telling a story. The one with the picture of a Tree is really lovely.
Not my pics, but I've actually ridden on this one back when we went to Astoria to visit the Maritime Museum...
It's a fun ride, short, but you do get some great views of the bridge.... Unfortunately it's closed down now due to covid...
I wonder why, since it bears the Stars and Stripes, that it bears the French fleur de lis as well.
I don't know why that is Brother, the car does have a history...
Trolley History
Probably just an old decoration, fleur de lis have been used as architectural details and decorations for a long time...
Very nice picture. Whatever you call them, rail cars are fun to ride.
Evening...
I did not take any of these photos..But this is out and about around my town..
The top 2 photos are Rainbow Lorikeets..noisy little blighters but beautiful colours..
The next bird photo is an Eastern Rosella...
When we lived in EZ Bay (Elizabeth Bay) every morning I'd have coffee on the veranda and the lorikeets would be there on the railing waiting for a handout and making a lot of noise. Ah, good memories.
Never use to get the rainbows here but they rolled up about five years ago....and never left..
One good thing is they drove the crows out of the area which is great..
Those are some beautiful birds, Shona. I'm jealous.
Morning dig...yes we have plenty of things here that eat, sting and bite you...
But mother nature also provided us with some astounding bird life and unique animals....so that makes up for it..
Beautiful area you live in, shona. The Lorikeets are truly awesome birds. Their varied colors certainly are amazing.
Morning Raven...yes plus being by the sea I have the best of both worlds...all within five minutes drive from my home. And throw in the koalas we are cooking with gas.(Very lucky)
I have a Microsoft Access MVP friend who lives in Bendigo, and we had a lot of interesting conversations about where we each lived. I learned a lot from her about Access Database development. The area where she lived looked very nice. It is good that you have such nice Koala's that call your area home.
I used to keep them breed them etc, Messiest birds ever and will peel your wall paper when bored.
Oh yes...a lot of Aussie parrots are very destructive I am afraid..
Corellas are one of the worst...chew thru car windscreen rubbers, eaves on houses, crops, tennis courts, power transmission boxes and black out thousands of people...
They are very intelligent and follow the wheat trains from up north down to the harbour here...
They worked out the wheat falls out of the carriages on to the tracks...free food... they follow the tracks for hundreds of kilometres. And head back north when the trains stop.
The famous Red Cars of LA were a great form of mass transit and the last of them went out of service in the early 1960s. The Port of Los Angeles has brought a few back and they are currently operating in the harbor area.
And of course San Francisco's famous cable cars.
Photos are from the internet.
Great pictures, Kavika. Brings back fond memories.
Great start ladies & gents!
Kobe on my lunch break this week
Is that the nap after lunch or the pre-lunch nap?
That's the after lunch nap. He has such a hard life...
♪ It's a hard nap life ♪
Kobe really looks like he is enjoying your lunch break, EG (grin)
Then Kobe HAD to have already had his lunch, or wouldn't he be sitting at your feet looking for scraps?
Radio City Music Hall...taken before going in to see the Rockettes and one of my precious girl in her show dress:
And one of my precious girl doing ballet moves in central park and "singing in the rain":
Beautiful, Veronica
Wonderful pictures, Veronica. Your 'precious girls' do look like they are having a good time.
It is just the one precious girl and she had a great time.
Sorry I missed your mention that it was one of your girls. I'm still young, it's my eyes that are getting old.
Naw - as I reread my wording it should have been here is one of my precious girl - it was confusing - my bad...
Is your daughter one of the Rockettes? Your images reminded me that when I was 16 years old I went with my parents to NYC and besides touring the UN building and watching the iconic Krishna Menon speak, seeing the original cast Broadway performances of Guys and Dolls and The King and I, we went to Radio City Music Hall to watch the Rockettes dance.
No, but when she first saw them on the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade when she was 3 she said she wanted to be a Rockette. I promised her that day I would take her to see them. The following year she decided Ballet was for her and she began dancing (which lasted until she was 25 and was struck with a debilitating disease).
30 years after I made that promise I made good on it & we went to NYC and saw the Rockettes. It was something I will never forget and hope the trip was as special to her.
We are planning a return trip to see Moulin Rouge.
Photo manipulation Phriday?
The flower and butterfly are from a shot taken over the summer. The sky is from a few days ago and has a graduated light filter applied from top to bottom.
The flower and butterfly were cut out with the classic tool set on PaintShop Pro 2022, but the following images were a test of the new Artificial Intelligence Background Remover.
Here's an original photo, the removed flower on a gradient background for contrast, and a close up of the edge quality produced by the AIBR.
I think it produces a cleaner and more accurate cut, but it's not as user friendly as the classic tools are. The brush can't be made as large (probably because the analyzing AI uses lots of resources), and the zoom and navigation controls are click-to-use only (no mouse wheel zoom and pan for some reason), but I can still see it being the preferred option for certain things. That's a pretty clean edge if you ask me, no pixel cleanup necessary.
Very cool, G.
Thanks, but I'm Dig, lol.
LOL and I'm old.
It is hard at times to keep the names straight between all the great artists here. I do the same at times. But, I always check the name of the person I am replying to at the top of the reply window to make sure I get the name right.
I'm old too. LOL!
These are perfection!
Over the past week I've become interested in manipulative editing. I've been going through Google images and looking at other people's work, especially the fantasy and surrealism stuff. Some of it is really impressive, but far beyond my current skill level. It sure piqued my interest, though. I think I'm going to keep playing around with this software and see if I can't increase my ability a bit.
I can't believe I didn't think of this before. Here's the same image from above, but with the flower stem cloned down and out of the main image.
Which one is better?
I like the first one the best.
Hmm. And I was all excited about the stem coming out of the frame for some reason.
Now I'm worried about my artistic judgement, LOL.
Not to worry, Dig. It gives the picture sort of a 3-D effect.
I have no artistic judgement, Dig. You're good, no worries.
To me, the stem out of the photo is incongruous, although I've seen other images wherein it is beneficial. I prefer the first one.
I appreciate what you did with your picture, Dig, and I like it a lot. Although it is, of course, quite different, I think it is somewhat in the same vein as a piece I posted early in the spring, which has a bit of a surrealistic quality.
This is a version:
This is another one I posted at the time for fun:
Here is my attempt at out of the picture 3-D effect I did a good while back...
I'm just knocked out by how you illustrated "Butterflies are free", and I don't just mean technically, but the whole concept - it should be submitted to some contest because it's bound to win a prize..
@Raven
It does have some 3D effect, but didn't you also do some out-of-frame images as well?
Yeah, same vein. Cool stuff, G.
Yes, Buzz. I've posted one here, one of your favorites.
A prize? You mean like $$$?!?!?!!! Cool!!! Haha
And, thanks!
Thanks, Dig.
The flower and butterfly are truly beautiful, Dig. The second flower with what looks like a bee really is amazing. A very nice editing tool for sure.
Thanks, RW. The new software is motivating me to try new things.
One thing I like about learning new software, is that it also helps you to expand your artwork ideas. With each new door I opened in PowerPoint, my ideas for different types of artwork opened as well. That is the great thing about getting new software, not only growing in your artistic skills, but, growing in your ideas of what you can do with what the new software has to offer.
And of course, there is the great fun to using the new toy and all that comes with.
Excellent editing - very professional. The butterfly photo is superb.
This comment was posted when I saw Dig's first post.
This system is so weird - my comments are divorced from the photos they refer to.
Nah, I got you. It says your reply was to comment 9.
Things can can seem separated sometimes when other reply threads go long, but the 'replied to' label always clears it up.
Thanks, by the way.
Girls in Kimonos in a Park in Kyoto
Cool. It looks somewhat psychedelic. What effect is that?
Thanks, Dig. I was thinking of it as being somewhat Impressionistic or Post-Impressionistic, but I can see psychedelic, too. It's a combination of effects. When I've been working with my photos I've been using various effects until I get a combination that I like. This one included an effect called "Paint Strokes" on PowerPoint as well as using different levels of sharpness, color saturation and color tone. Also, the figures of the two girls were actually cut out from another photo I took where they were standing in front of a modern building and I put them in the park.
It's guaranteed that dev will see it as psychedelic!
You did a good job editing the girls in. It didn't even occur to me that they might be from another image.
Thanks again. I think the girls look like they are really in the park. I'm pretty happy about how that turned out.
Great thinking, G. Layering can be a very effect tool, and the different effects offered in PowerPoint really are a great asset to have at hand.
A very intriguing artwork.
Thanks, Raven Wing. You are the one who introduced me to using PowerPoint, so I need to thank you very much for that!
You are most welcome, G. It is one of my favorite software to use for my artwork, and as you can see, it offers so many different types of editing and creative features. I'm very glad you like it.
this is the place I come to trip out now...
I would like to see you try something different. Having read your explanation to Dig, I would like to see what happens if you were to plant the two girls on the impressionistic background you posted above, but sharp clear images of them in B&W. I think it would have a kind of unusual "contrary" effect.
Boston, Mass.
© A. Mac/A.G.
Looks like a fun ride, Mac. I like the very interesting color effect as well.
The Boston one resembles a Toronto streetcar. (internet photo) Even though I lived in Toronto for almost half a century, I don't think I ever rode on one - either drove or used the subway.
We have a couple that they retrofitted to move around town. Now they mostly go between the casinos.
Nice buses. They had a few of those around Los Angeles some time ago. Not sure if they are still running are not.
Looks like a fun ride (maybe depending if you were a winner).
For this week's Friday contribution......
I would choose not to argue with him, that look does send a message.
Thanks, Kavika. Whatever he says, just say "Yes". (big grin)
You succeed in depicting emotion and attitude as well as "just" an image.
Thank you, Buzz. The most important part of creating my artwork, is to allow the viewer to determine for themselves what they see in the artwork, not to tell them what they should see. Not everyone sees the same thing in any artwork, and if trying to tell the viewers what they should be seeing, and what their own interpretation of it is, can cause confusion between what their actual interpretation is, and what they think they are supposed to be seeing.
It also gives them the opportunity to indulge in their own artistic juices. Yes, some may think they have none of those, but, in fact, what their eyes see does have some sort of effect on them.
That is a very great portrait, Raven Wing.
Thanks, G. Glad you like it.
Stern and steadfast, like the tree behind him. Good one.
Thank you very much, Dig.
Crazy weather in TX here it is December with 80 degree days and 40 degree nights
the grass is going dormant but the flowering plants hang on.
Vinca & Begonias still blooming, green tomatoes wondering if they will ever turn red...
Bottom Coreopsis with red Daphnia? Then yellow and white Lantana
a red Gerbera Daisy, pink/orange Lantana followed by pink and orange echinacea
Flowering succulents
and the hibiscus is still budding and occasionally will bloom for one day.
God Bless Texas
Nice garden split.
Our weather..hmm got one day over 30oC for the entire Spring..
17oC today and 4 days into summer and I have not hit the waves once yet...not happy..
I'm humbled by people who know the names of all those flowers and plants. I guess your garden is proof that you've got to be tough to survive in Texas, (except the steaks, like the one I enjoyed in the Dallas Traildust, but now that I think of it, although it was bigger than the plate it was served on, not one ounce of it survived).
We have similar weather here in the Inland Empire in So Cal. I can remember one year it was 100 degrees on Christmas Day, then down to mid 60's by New Years Day.
It's ridiculously warm here, too. Low 70's the past few days. I actually saw a bat flying around yesterday evening. A bat in December!
Weird weather, but it's supposed to cool off here again next week.
A town that I lived in for a while as a kid was the home of Greyhound Bus. It was started there to take the iron ore miners from town to the mines, many did not have cars as the vast majority were immigrants. There is a museum there now with some classic old Greyhound busses, including a 1914 Hubmobile.
Great story, Kavika. And the picture shows the older Greyhound bus very well.
I like the special effects thing, myself, so …
Far out!
WOW!!!
And you do it so very well, Mac. Not only beautiful, but, open to door to Fantasy Land, so to speak. This type of your artwork never ceases to intrigue and fascinate.
Very well done!
That's awesome!
Now you're making me want to download space shots to play with.
Go for it, Dig. Would love to see them.
Got many more.
I sure wouldn't mind seeing a few of them.
Comin’ up soon.
hey mac, is that sandstone formation in ut or az?
Monument Valley.
Here's a learning experience I just had.
I saw this surreal moon edit on a google image search and wanted to give it a try. This image is someone else's edit from the internet.
.
I managed to find the original on a royalty-free image site and downloaded it.
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I dug out one of my own moon shots.
.
And after a several tries at resizing and combining them and figuring out how to make a glow, here's my version.
That was fun.
Although the other photographer's composition depicts a moon-bonfire, I prefer yours, with the people contemplating the moon at their feet. Excellent work on your part.
That is so great.
Most excellent, Dig. I agree with Buzz, I like yours best. Adding the glow to the moon gives it a very fantasy-like effect.
Thanks guys.
I probably should have made my moon a little orange-ish, like the other person did. It doesn't really match the color of the light on their faces from the original campfire, does it?
I didn't really notice that until you pointed it out, but you're right.
It doesn't seem to be that noticeable, Dig. The bright moon and its glow tend to be the center of attraction, which it should be. I think you did a very good job. I really like it.
Here is one to see us into Saturday.......
Now that is cool, the way they're blended together. Great job!
Thank you, Dig.
Another stained glass window beauty!
Thanks, Mac.
That is one of my favorites, ''The Horse People''.
Thanks, Kavika. Being a horse lover myself, I wanted to show the close connection Native Americans have with their horses. Even those who are not Warriors have a close connection with their horse. They both trust each other, and depend on each other in so many ways.
A fabulous very meaningful image.
Thank you, Buzz.
Beautiful, Raven Wing.
Thank you, G. It was fun to do.
The photo was taken by a neighbor. The Boys are back to Stone Creek, they come back every December this year a few showed up mid-November. They will be around until March/April.
Skimming the water of Lake Arlington (actually it's a big pond) in our complex. One of six.
They are so beautiful. All we have here in our complex are Ravens. We don't have any open water areas, so we don't get the various water birds. When I visited Ft Meyers FL it was great to see the different sea birds all around. It gave the area a real fantasy atmosphere. (grin)
That's about the time they start showing up here. I never would have guessed that pelicans would fly so far inland, but then I saw them with my own eyes while fishing years ago. Huge flocks of them, too. I guess they breed in the wetlands around the Osage River and other places.
We are only 30 miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico. When I go to northern MN there are hundreds of Pelicans on the lakes there and the closest ocean is 2,000 miles away and one of the lakes I stay at is named Pelican Lake.
Here is another photo of The Boys landing and making quite the splash.
They go that far? Sheesh, I didn't realize that. Those things really get around. I used to think they were strictly ocean birds, but obviously not.
Here is an article on it that you'll find interesting. The one point that really stood out to me is that 20% of the white pelican population of North America returns to MN.
Pelicans making annual migration to Minnesota, nesting season approaches
Photo Courtesy: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
(FOX 9) - Pelicans are returning to Minnesota as part of their annual northern migration from the Gulf of Mexico, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
Minnesota is the summer home for 20 percent of the North American white pelican population. The majority settle at Marsh Lake in Big Stone County as well as in Lac qui Parle and Swift counties. As the pelicans move to these counties, DNR officials say many pelicans will make stops at lakes in southern Minnesota.
That is interesting indeed, Kavika. They truly are beautiful birds.
HA! Those two look like they are water skiing! Great picture!
I'm going to run a gamut of "special effect" images; some will be fairly straight forward, others surreal, or, just the result of messin' with ideas with no original intended outcome …
A fairly simple image to start. Almost a "commercial" - illustration.
© A. Mac/A.G.
This one is a bit more "abstract".
Indian Blanket Flower.
© A. Mac/A.G.
More to come.
Nice ones. The fabric texture in the second one is really interesting. That's a neat effect.
Really looking forward to them, Mac. Sometimes those messin' around ones are pretty cool!
I think the Indian Blanket Flower is a very effective creation.
Outstanding start & a THANK YOU to all!
Today, December 4th, my wife & I are married 50 years!
Congratulations and may you have many more
Congratulations to you and Mrs Mac.
Thank you my friend; I am beyond happy that we got to meet in person and hope we do so again.
Happy anniversary to you and Mrs. Mac.
Thank you.
Morning..big congratulations to you both...a wonderful achievement in this day and age..wish you both good health and happiness for the coming year..
Many thanks.
Congratulations to you and Mrs Mac for your 50 years of happy marriage.
You are a very lucky man, and I congratulate you and your wife for your half a century of unmatchable good fortune.
Congrats, Mac. That's really something.
More "special effects".
"Fishermen Heading Out on a Star-studded Evening"
© A. Mac/A.G.
Astounding! A fantasy of the world beyond.
Just wonderful!
Absolutely amazing.
If I recall, the first time I saw that image I posted this song - Catch a Falling Star (if not a fish) (link) ->
Primordial Soup
Bowled me over with that!
Very interesting concept, Dig. Well done!
Very clever, Dig.
Is that how to make moonshine? Your image is very creative and very much fun.
© A. Mac/A.G.
Now that's a moon!
I'd be ''over the moon'' if you could insert that into my ''black water medicine'' (coffee). A request from the Red Planet.
Give me some time and I will add Mars or one of the planets either tonight or tomorrow morning … assuming you post a picture of that cup of coffee.
Come to think of it, I can provide the cup of coffee & some astronomical sweetener. Check tomorrow morning.
That's amazing for sure. Well done, Mac.
Stunning.
What with the recent news about NASA attempting to deflect the course of an asteroid that image is a little scary, but creative of course.
Here's one for Saturday....
One of my very first artworks .....Mother and Child
That is terrific, Raven Wing.
Thank you very much, G. It was my first time using the oval effect on the oval wood burl frame.
Always good to see again.
Thank you, Buzz
"Celestial Bodies"
Recently Jupiter, Venus and Saturn were in such close proximity to each other, just over the horizon in the southwestern sky right after sunset, that I was able to take a photo of all 3 together with my cell phone camera.
Venus always did like to take center stage.
Very well done, G.
Yes, she did.
Thanks, Raven Wing.
Very cool, G.
Thanks, Kavika.
LOL. A bit of Saturnalia on your part, but you could have used the GMC version....
LOL! Nice car, Buzz. But, I like G's version better. (grin)
Nah, I'll stick with the original!
LOL.
Haha. I really did take the photo of Jupiter and Saturn together with my cell phone camera last December, when there was a "great conjunction" involving the two planets. It was totally awesome. They were closer than they had been for 400 years. They were only 456 million miles apart!
Ok, Buzz. I tried your suggestion. I like it a lot. I brightened up the colors slightly to emphasize the contrast with the black and white figures, but that is as sharp and clear as I could make them.
In the movie The Accountant, when Anna Kendrick told him her father liked the painting Dog Poker which she thought was silly because dogs can't play poker, the Accountant replied that he liked it. He said he likes incongruity. What I like about what you've done, reversing the expected colours that you had done for another photo previously, is because in this case it is unusual, unexpected, a contradiction, and as the Accountant said, incongruous. To me, that is an example of creativity.
I think you may be referring to the photos where I changed the backgrounds to black and white, and then had figures in color. This is the first time I've done the opposite. Raven Wing made the same suggestion as you a while ago after I made my first effort at having the black and white background with the figures in color, so I finally got around to doing it.
I'm still exploring the different things I can do, and having a lot of fun doing it.
Let it never be said that I run from a challenge!
Kavika wrote: I'd be ''over the moon'' if you could insert that into my ''black water medicine'' (coffee). A request from the Red Planet.
You got it my friend!!
LOL. Now how about an illustration of "When the Moon Hits Your Eye Like a Big Pizza Pie, That's Amore".
Couldn't pay me enough DOUGH.
Very well done, Mac.
Only a fool would ever accuse you of running from a challenge.
LOL, thanks Mac that is perfect and I live it.
Beside live it I also LOVE it.
That's what I thinked you meaned … tanks.
One to start Sunday off....
Outstanding Raven.
Thank you, Kavika. I'm very glad that you like it. I think it was the second or third one I posted in the Anishinaabe group way back when I first started doing the Native American artwork.
You've blended the frame into the image extremely well, and the strong burl oval shape is a perfect match. I think you explained this one to me previously, but my memory is starting to fade. Are the birds spirit guides or protectors of the man lying prone? If I recall what I originally thought, it seemed to me that the birds were attacking the man but you corrected me.
Thank you, Buzz. I'm glad that you like it. Yes, all the birds are Spirit Guides. Working with unique wood burls presents a real challenge. I got lucky with this one
You are correct, that is not a man lying prone that the birds look like they are attacking. It is a large fish that was caught by one of them from the surrounding water. The bears on the opposing shoreline are also feasting on a fish that one of them caught.
I just did this tutorial on the Corel website. I know it's not Halloween, but it looked fun and I wanted to learn more about the software. Tutorials rock, especially when they have videos attached. I learned several new things, including how to make ghosts, and two more ways to make things glow.
That is great, Dig! Both the Ghost, which is totally amazing, and the glow around the moon. Great work!
I also use CorelDraw for some of my editing, along with PowerPoint. It's a great editing tool as well. The is indeed a good deal to learn from the various software videos on the Internet.
Well done!!
Thanks, it's fun stuff. Here's the original photo to show haw far the tutorial went.
WoW!! That really is a huge difference. Layering is really a difficult process for anyone, and you seem to have been able to master it quite well.
Well done!
I found layering confusing at first (last winter), but now it's cake.
Masks, on the other hand... I'm still trying to master those.
Isn't it amazing how the first attempts at layering can seem almost impossible, but, once we learn how it seems so easy. While we may run into a tough one now and then that really puts up a challenge, we can finally find out how to get what we want and have learned even more in the process.
I love the challenges, as it really helps me grow experience wise, and improves my skills. That is what makes it all so much fun.
And you have now mastered a new skill that you can use well into the future, and learned how to use the videos to learn even more skills. You have now set a very good example for others, plus, helped them understand how using the videos can help them broaden their skills as well.
Well done! And a big pat on the back!
I'm actually surprised by how much fun it can be, once you learn some of the essential tools.
Thanks.
I assume you did the editing, but is the original photo yours or is it from the tutorial or elsewhere. In any event, your editing is fantastic.
Everything was provided for download in the tutorial. The background and the girl are the only real photos, the rest is clip art, which is why the moon looks cartoonish.
All I did was follow the steps they laid out, one of those 'learn by doing what you're told to do' things. They used a few tools I was unfamiliar with, so it was definitely a learning experience. I enjoyed it. I actually wish they had more big image tutorials like that on their site, but it looks like most of the rest are for other types of projects, various holiday cards and stuff like that.
Just thought I'd put this out there...
If anyone wants a free photo editor/ manipulator program, it looks like quite a few people are using and recommending something called GIMP.
Here's the Wikipedia article about it
Here's the GIMP website, where you can download it and find tutorials on how to use it
I guess it's pretty popular.
Thanks for the info on the GIMP, Dig. Sounds like good software.
If anyone tries it, let us know here and show us an image edit or two (after you learn how to use it, of course).
And my Sunday contribution.....
Another one of my earlier artworks
Looks great, RW. You're really good at blending.
Thanks, Dig. Learning can be just a lot of trial and error, and can be exasperating in the beginning. But, as you see for yourself, once learned well it can be very rewarding, and fun.
Every photography student I ever taught would hear me begin lesson with the words, “You can’t get it right until you first get it wrong.”
I contend that until a new photographer looks at a photo that is in ways disappointingly or shockingly not what was expected, and asks, “what the hell happened,” he will likely continue taking pictures that cause him to ask the same question.
The disappointing flaws in that picture potentially open the consciousness to the realities that photography is a whole lot more than point and shoot.
Very well said, Mac. And the same can be said of artwork of any kind, even digital. There will be plenty of wrong ones until you learn the right way to get the results you are looking for. And it does not happen over night,
The two P's that I go by, especially in artwork, is Patience and Practice. If one sticks with those two P's, they will find the success they are looking for.
Another one of my favourites.
Thank you very much, Buzz. I'm really glad you like it.
Thanks to all! See you Friday.