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Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Variations on a Theme

Since I've spent most of my time these last couple of months researching the where's and how's of putting this blog together, I've not spent very much time actually working on art. I thought for this post I'd talk about a design--or rather, several designs--I made earlier, all from a single, seemingly boring, picture.

Here's the original:


Roof Shingles from Neo-Victorian structure


These are roof shingles on a garage that accompanied a house built in a Neo-Victorian style. I liked their shape, the subtle color variations and how they all tied together with sturdy black outlines. Not quite so boring when you take time absorb the details. And while it didn't show up very well in the original image, these shingles were bathed in sunlight and reflecting it in their textured surface.

One of the first things I did once I got this shot into Photoshop was to turn up the color saturation and WOW did it pop! Blues, greens, yellows, and reds materialized as if chips of colored glass had suddenly been scattered, melted and fused.


Roof Shingles colorful edit, blue green turquoise orange


From there I shifted the hues and distorted the shapes, playing like a child with Play-Doh.


Roof Shingles colorful edit, pink purple turquoise green Roof Shingles colorful edit, pinks gold rust purple
Abstract photo edit arches, blue green turquoise orange "Stained Glass Vortex" abract photo edit blue green turquoise orange


Something about this image kept pulling me back, and these are among those that followed:


"Throb" multi-colored abstract photo edit pink "Chasing Tails" abstract photo edit blue green purple yellow


... and even this, where I pieced together copies of a distortion to make this lovely tile.


"Kaleidoscope in Pink" abstract photo edit pattern pinks yellow purple


I feel the rich detail gets somewhat lost in this last one, given the diminished size and the attention drawn by the overall pattern, so I may have to return to it one day and pull out a portion to put in the spotlight.

In the meantime, too many other ideas beckon...

Thanks for visiting and please come again!

(By the way, the last four designs here (hover mouse over the images for titles)–"Stained Glass Vortex," "Throb," "Chasing Tails," and "Kaleidoscope in Pink"–are all available on many products at nharveyart on zazzle.  "Chasing Tails" is also available as "Swirling Seas" in which the design is predominantly blues and greens.)

2 comments:

  1. I really like what you did with this photo! I adore going in abstract directions and you've done some awesome stuff with it. I haven't played with morphing my stuff yet on PSE, only on apps. I can see that's the next thing I want to do. I also like the kinds of products you chose for your abstract designs. I'm going to have to go back on Zazzle and add some products that they didn't have back when I was setting up my store. Do some spring cleaning! Thanks so much for coming by and commenting on my blog today. Meghan aka FireBonnet

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    1. Thank you too for visiting here! Yes, I find the abstract designs seem to lend themselves better to many products, since fitting a picture onto something like a phone case can be a challenge in including the essential elements and keeping a balanced look. I hear you on spring cleaning... often I make a product and think it doesn't quite do justice to the art, but leave it holding on to the idea that I don't want to second guess anyone's preferences. At some point though, I should go in and weed those out if they haven't sold. Take care, and I'll be keeping an eye out for your creations.

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