Here’s another “mini-challenge” to play with in the Photo-based Art category until the next offical challenge is posted here (http://www.retouchpro.com/challenge/index.html).

See "Information and Guidelines below" if this is your first mini-challenge.

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PHOTO ART: Mini-Challenge #20 - Edwin's Birthday Girl

Edwin (aka: RedAlert) graciously consented to using this great picture of his daughter for this mid-week special edition mini-challenge.

Check this thread (http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3568) to see the terrific job he did to improve the quality of this adorable pic.

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It's OK to lick the frosting off your fingers on this one! Have FUN!

~DannyR~

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INFORMATION AND GUIDELINES

Unlike “official challenges” for this forum which can be found here (http://www.retouchpro.com/challenge/index.html), this one will be self-contained within this thread. It is intended as an opportunity to engage in this artform until the next official challenge is posted.

The rules are more-or-less the same:
* It’s a challenge, not a contest -- intended to provide opportunities to experiment, share methods and/or techniques and, most importantly, have FUN.
* Everyone who participates is a winner.
* There’s no expiration date.

GUIDELINES:
1. Use any method, application(s), style(s) you like:
. * Convert to sketch, grayscale, abstract, watercolor, oil painting, pen-and-ink, Conte crayon, impasto, van Gogh or any style of your choosing
. * Add elements from other images (collage) or replace the background
. * Hand painting? Tracing? Freehand? You bet. Always appreciate entries of this nature.
. * Apply filters from your favorite application(s) or tweak it with 3rd party plug-ins
. * Feeling animated? How about flickering candles or frosting blown all over the table?
. * Any or all of the above

Bottom line:
How you create this masterpiece makes no difference. Whatever floats your boat as long as you follow guideline #4 in the process.

2. When done, reply to this thread and attach your work (don’t forget the 100kb size limit).

Note: Multiple entries OK if you’re so inspired.

3. By all means include some verbiage on how you achieved your masterpiece so others will benefit from your skills and experience. Make it as descriptive as you like. Grammar and spelling will not be graded. Priority given to content, not how it is written.

4. Have fun.

:)

OOOOOOOOh, how I dislike being the first one! Nothing like being hung out on the line to dry:) I thought this photo wonderful for a painting of course:) The little girl is just adorable! I tried to get this down to posting size and notice I have lost some quality, especially in the shading of the face:( I used PhotoShop, Painter Classic, and the frame is courtesy of PhotoImpact 5.0 Thanks for this WONDERFUL challenge:)

wanda

Just beautiful, Wanda! She looks so delicate. The frame completes it nicely.

Phyllis

I wanted to illuminate her just with candlelight, so I used lighting effects to get an oval light, blended a few layers to brighten the candles themselves while darkening the edges and turning her skin tones yellower and darker, then "painted" her with the paint daubs filter. Finally selected an oval and filled around it with white.

Phyllis
www.innographx.com

WANDA:
Well, I'm GLAD you were first. This is a wonderful interpretation. The textures and strokes showed up fine on a 15" monitor. I'm sure they'll look even better on my 21"! (lol) The frame compliments the subject rather than detracting from it.

PHYLLIS:
Your idea to have the candles be the source of illumination is brilliant -- and nicely executed, too. Paint Daubs worked well in this case. Painterly texture w/o the usual unpleasing over-distortion.
This is your conscious speaking: "Let's see one using Painter 7...Let's see one using Painter 7...Let's see one using Painter 7. :)

:)

Phyllis thank you:) Love your entry, so warm and inviting. The soft glow of light that bathes her face one can almost feel. Wonderful:) Oh, I also like the way you did the oval, Cool. Don't you ever sleep:D

Wanda

Danny, thank you! Appreciate your feedback:) I'm not really a big fan of frames. However, I'm not willing to discard the idea altogether:D I think they work well if they're used carefully and don't distract from the main focus of the composition. Oh, don't you sleep either:dizzy:

Wanda

The little girl's chubby and rosy cheeks reminds me Renoir's paintings of the same subject. So here's an oil rendition after Renoir.
I hope it looks appropriate.

I tried out one of the techniques in the "One-Click Wow!" book to come up with this effect.

"One-Click" is not an accurate title, by the way.

Jim

Angue, just wonderful:) I think you pegged Renoir, and it looks more than appropriate! Wow, and how did you do that:question:

Wanda

JB, you've certainly come up with a masterpiece with this one:) It reminds me of an old painting by one of the "Masters". I want it for my wall!! I also want that book:D You have to tell us how you did it, you can't sit there and tease us you know;) Beautiful!!!

Wanda

Well, I applied angled strokes to my first entry. I used the eraser to erase some of the harsh angles. After that I have no idea what I did. I was trying to do the faded thing and everything got messed up. Things weren't doing what they were supposed to be doing and ended up with this. Not what I had planned. I have no idea how it's going to look. Oh well, what the hey, you live and learn. Well, some of us do:D

Wanda

Wanda,
As Bob Ross would often say, "There are no mistakes, only happy accidents".

I usually start by duplicating the background, inverting color (same as getting a negative image). Change mode to grayscale without flattening. Set top layer's mode to color dodge. Do a gaussian blur 9.0 . The image is now like a line drawing.

Changing mode back to RGB, I use Art History Brush using Wet Brush 60 pixels and setting brush dynamics (http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/attachment.php?postid=29687).
Big broad brush for bakground and smaller brush size for details.

Here's another version after (Mary Ellen Carter) Cicely Mary Barker. Almost same steps as above but using lower opacity and Artistic Roug Pastels as the last step.

[FONT=times new roman]I don't know why the image was not attached. Will repost immediately below.[FONT=times new roman][I]

Here's a pastel rendition after (Mary Ellen Carter) Cicely Mary Barker.

Angue, thank you for the info. You certainly got a beautiful effect that's for sure. I'm just beginning to learn how to use the Art History Brush. You got some really impressive brush strokes, I love that. I had to smile when you mentioned Bob Ross as I was one of his followers. Never missed a show, as a matter of fact I have some of his shows on tape. He was wonderful and made it look so easy. I liked his "happy little trees" too:) Again thanks, and thanks for your entry, I keep going back to look at it it's so well done:)

Wanda

:)
Angue, Wow, love the pastel. Just too Coooooool:) How long have you been using Photoshop, you seem to handle your tools VERY well. I'm rather new at it, feel like a bull in a china shop:D

Wanda

Angue, your Renoir is AMAZING! What program did you use? How did you paint those wonderful brush strokes. Was it just straight painting in the lines of a sketch version, or some quicker method?

Jim, your "one click" result certainly looks like it took more than a click (or two or three). It's lovely, and I haven't seen that style from a filter method yet.

Wanda, I love your second pic in the oval...makes a perfect frame for her.

Phyllis

Anjue, wonderful, hard to choose which one I like better but guess it is the renoir.
Thank you so much for giving your steps, I for one really appreciate it.

Jim, outstanding, I too am curious which page in the one step wow you were on?
I went to the seminar and have the book, cd and believe me, nothing he demonstrated or in the handouts came close to your example. Would love to know which effect it was you were following, thank you.

My apologies to everyone regarding referencing my second rendition to Mary Ellen Carter. I did not want to mislead anybody. It was late last night (1:00AM my time) and that name stuck in my mind for no apparent reason other than the fact the artist I wanted to mention also had three word name. I should have said
Cicely Mary Baker (http://www.ortakales.com/illustrators/Barker1.html) . The rendition also reminded me of Jesse Willcox Smith (http://www.bpib.com/illustrat/jwsmith.htm) .

Then I realized we also have a member named Mary Ellen Carter. Again my apologies especially to Mary Ellen Carter.

Tony

Originally posted by platscha@cs.com
I too am curious which page in the one step wow you were on?
Would love to know which effect it was you were following, thank you.

The effect from the "One-Click Wow!" book I referenced begins on page 79 (Paint & Clone Presets). I used the Pattern stamp and one of the Wow watercolor brushes.

Before starting with the above technique, I prepared the photo by first extracting the main subject, simplifying it with Smart Blur, and then following the advice in Steve's (Trimoon) post (paragraphs 3, 4, and 5). That post can be found here:

http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3785

The particular filter I applied to get some brush strokes was Paint Engine's "Arctic Filter".

Jim

Birthday Girl

Duplicate original

Selected Girl, Cake and Background separately and put them in separate layers with Layer > New > Layer Via Copy.

With Girl I selected Filter > Stylize > Find Edges then reduced opacity.

With Cake I selected Filter > Stylize > Trace Contour then reduced opacity.

With Background I selected Filter > Gaussian Blur with a very high radius (about 60). Then I went to Filter > Noise > Add Noise, a good amount. Then went to Filter > Render > Lighting Effects, Style = Default and Light
Type = spotlight.

Changed the direction f the flames of the candles. I felt that if she were blowing the candles out than two of the flames were in the wrong direction. So, I changed that center one and the one on her left by selecting then separately and putting them in separate layers and using Edit > Transform > Flip Horizontal and then Rotate until it looked right

Did a little cloning and flattened.

Don


:cool:

Thanks for the information, will play around with that today if I can get my homework done.

Good job, Don. You are so right about the candle flames! Now instead of just puckering up preparing to blow, she is actually blowing! Nice attention to detail!

Phyllis

Hi foks,

I lost track of this mini art challenge.

Probably during the sumer vacation. Suddenly I rembered it after having some discussion with members over at another subject and I found out that Danny had acutally sent me an invitation to join in. I missed this message completely (hooray for hidden features)

Anyway, I just like to compliment you all with your efforts and masterpieces. It's amazing how good the effect look !

If only I had a super high res version of the picture, I could have it printed and framed as these things are jewels.

Super !!!!!!

Edwin

Wanda,

I just seen your post for this challenge. Seems you are really getting a handle on Painter. Very impressive. :)

Hey all,

I thought I'd get this in before another candle is added. :)

The only filter I used other than what comes with photoshop is uleads "art texture" filter and flaming pears "hue & cry".

The frames were created with the above filters and various blending options and color blending modes.

Looker, excellent rendition...the combination of shimmering textures, the confetti background, the way the confetti spills over the frame....it all works together beautifully.

Edwin, got a new pic of this year's birthday you'd like to share with us? :)

Phyllis

well her birthday is in july (3rd).

Maybe i´ll send some "problem" pictures of my other daughter who will be 2 in a months time.

I´ll start working on some paint art myself too. It seems like fun to me.

Somebody has some good resources (as I´m more of a retoucher than a painter)

Edwin

LQQKER...

Very unique rendition. The frame works very well with the effect and I think compliments the pic.

Did you do the frame with an action or hand craft it?

If the former and it's public domain, how about uploading it? If the latter, how about a mini-tutorial? Tis very slick regardless.

~Danny~

Thank you for your kind words.

No . . .the frame was not an action (I usually don't use actions because I seldom do things the same twice), it's just something that happened for this particular image.

As mentioned, the frame is primarily just the two filters mentioned earlier, using blending modes. I first layed down the Ulead filter then used a color blend mode of "hue and cry" at a ratio of about 50% opacity to give the impression that the colors were part of the frame and background.

The image background is similiar, only I used a few filters to allow the image to have a drape effect (adapt equalize, hue & cry, Sunshine, and midnight to enhance the shadows), I'm not too sure which paint filter was used, possibly a dry brush with about a 60% opacity. A drop shadow was used with layer styles to give the subject a shadow against the drapes.

Cute child. :)

This one was not that hard to do. I did some sharpening and then did an Invert Color Screen (in GIMP, if you do not already have the Script-fu, you can replicate this by duping for total of three layers, setting the top layer to Value. Invert the center layer and merge the three layers) which is as it states; I run the Script-fu which automatically ran on a duplicate layer and then set the top layer to screen. I then flattened and ran Flaming Pear's Pixel Trash. I did some additional cleanup work (some white painting, some black painting and some smudging) and done. :)

Again Lucis and a lot of messing with the smudge tool (not really done that before)

Peter