PHOTO ART: Mini-challenge #68 – Artists' Favorite Creation(s) or Something New

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

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Artists’ choice:
Since August 2002, we've had 66 previous mini-challenges. Surely during that time there have been 3, 4, 5? images that you created where you thought, "Hmmm -- this one I REALLY like."

This is your chance to pick and post your favorite creations. Don't be bashful.

Or, if you're feeling especially creative (and you've got the shopping done, gifts wrapped, etc.), post anything new that suits your fancy. Subject(s) and method(s) up to you.

How’s THAT for flexibility! :)

Have fun.

~DannyR~

I've been making all of my gifts this year. This is one of my creations (which will be given in a real frame rather than this digital one, but I felt the digital version needed something around it or it would be lost in the great white expanse of the web.)

This was created using a "pencil sketch" technique that was described by Lisa Neal on the dpreview site - with contrast masking and lots of layer masks thrown in - and sepia tone added at the end. (I started with one of my photos from the Mekong Delta region of Viet Nam, which I would be happy to post if anyone is interested.)

Jeanie

Chuck, If that is one of your creations that you really like, I'm not sure I want to see the ones you don't like! :tongue: ;)

Jeanie

Now that is cool!! :D

Jeanie

I have post just 3 pics, cause im new, but i want to put this one

Ka-El, I'm glad you posted. I love that version of yours too! :D

Jeanie

I rather liked this. (http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=25885)
:wavey:

BK -- beautiful! I like it also - very much.

Danny, do you know that there is no retouchpro version of mini #12 original boat picture posted, just this link to it:

http://www.pbase.com/image/1737520

I wonder if you did post the actual picture but the termites ate it, just as they ate my old sunset version of the boat down the page. I noticed it today and re-uploaded a pic to go with the post, which was intact except for the missing link...even had comments referring to it so I know it was there at one time. Odd. Maybe you should check through all the old minis to see if termites got any other pictures?

Phyllis

Chuck, love it. Second one, that is...LOL!

Kael, great effect...unusual and very dramatic.

BK, I do too! That was, in my opinion, a difficult challenge, and your rendition is a great one.

My favorite all time mini was the boat "Last Chance" in mini #12:

http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3574&perpage=20&pagenumber=1

And my favorite personal version of it was this rainy day version:

http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=28200

Followed by this night view:

http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=28438

Phyllis

I had a hard time deciding which is my favorite. In the end I chose one that was very simple but very bold. It's the one with the boat on the dock. (http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/attachment.php?postid=27083)

Tony

Here is something new.

here's my "something new" entry, I created the image in Terragen, then used my watercolor action and did a bit of tweaking with some brush stroke filters etc.

- David :)

Kael, that's an unusual and very effective treatment of the rose.

Tony, that boat dock pic of yours is great...one of my favorites in that challenge.

David, I can't believe you created that...wow! GREAT job!

Phyllis

Thanks Phyllis! Terragen (http://www.planetside.co.uk/terragen/) is a really fun program to play around with, and it outputs some pretty impressive stuff. (plus, it's freeware!)

- David :)

Originally posted by d_kendal
Thanks Phyllis! Terragen (http://www.planetside.co.uk/terragen/) is a really fun program to play around with, and it outputs some pretty impressive stuff. (plus, it's freeware!)

- David :) But alas, not for MAC.

HOWEVER, I DO have Bryce...
:wavey:

Very nice, Phil! I've got bryce 3, isn't it a great program? which version do you have? For Terragen, there actually IS a Mac version, but it's still in beta. you can find info and a link to the download here (http://www.planetside.co.uk/terragen/mac/)

- David :)

Kewl! Thanks!

I have bryce 4. Still haven't REALLY explored all that it can do. Just use it for creating quick mountains and landscapes or water.
:wavey:

Yeah, I do the same thing in v3. there's tons in there! the reason I was asking what version, is because in v5 there's apparently a big new tree creation module, and I was wondering if you had used that in the one you posted, but I guess not.

- David :)

Kael I love the rose, totally different from al others.

David nice work.

Chuck, I love your first submission, somethimes I think that my life is worth about that.

Phyliss God I love the last two last chance, the colors are awsome.

Hard to pick. Joey & Jake first Samantha second

My second one

Probably this should go elsewhere, but I thought I'd keep it with David's comments on Terragen because that's what I used to make the basis for this - watercolored in PS7.
:wavey:

EVERYBODY: A nice collestion of "favorites" or new creations. Take a bow! :bow:

- - - - - -

PHYLLIS:

RE: "Last Chance" mini.

Yer right... a bunch of images are gone. There was (maybe still is) a problem with the forum software in which if a thread is copied (say to the Testing 1-2-3 forum) and then the duplicate thread is subsequently deleted, ALL images from the original thread are deleted too.

I can't explain why some images are gone and ones later in the thread are not.

Termites...gremlins...bugs I guess. It's a shame many images were lost.

~Danny~

Phili -- good choices. Love the cats, and Samantha's sketch is just lovely!

Originally posted by DannyRaphael

Yer right... a bunch of images are gone. [...]
Termites...gremlins...bugs I guess. It's a shame many images were lost.


So it happened elsewhere too, eh? I guess when I get a chance I'll go through all the minis and see if all my pics are there, and re-upload any that are missing, so that the comments on down the page still make sense. Perhaps everyone can do that, though it will take some time.

Phil, great version of Samantha...very old-fashioned looking...love it.

BK, awesome landscape with terragen. I'm jealous... I want it!

Phyllis

Originally posted by pstewart

BK, awesome landscape with terragen. I'm jealous... I want it!

Phyllis
So go and get it - it's FWEEEEE!
:wavey:

I'm like a kid with a new toy here - Terragen is fun!

Terragen is fun! -- BK

...and makes beautiful landscapes! Oooooo!

I sure did like this one
After the storm (http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=37219)

Probably this should go elsewhere, but I thought I'd keep it with David's comments on Terragen because that's what I used to make the basis for this - watercolored in PS7.
:wavey:



that is pretty neat, never thought about terragen that way before.

Ok my hobby is going to fairs, taking photos or using the customers photos and do then i get commisioned to do these...my boyfriend prints them off for me as i cannot handle the sound of the printer, and we frame them.

include a original photograph of motorbike and also my painting of the motorbike...all done in photoshop...and here is the finished product.

My brother and sister-in-law invited me to the Montgomery Zoo this past weekend; took a lot of shots of various animals, and, of course, my little almost 2 year old nephew. You all probably will not like this rendering, but I had a joyful time creating it. :)

I certainly missed this thread several times over when I browsed this forum. Thanks to whomever resurrected it.

A couple of my favorites are posted below.

Janet

Looks like I missed it, too, Ms. Janet. I'm always working on my next favorite piece, but for right now this is it.
When I tried to attach it, I got You have already attached this file in thread : Creative Portraits: Beyonce Knowles
I don't know how to re-attach it, so here's a higher res version:
http://www.pbase.com/catbounds/image/48288859

Here is one I have not posted, done in Lautrec style.

I kinda like it.

Steve

Steve, that's absolutely terrific. Love to know how you did it.
Alan

steve,

i'm also a fan of your latrec's. very nice.

Craig

Great look Steve. How did you do it?

Cathy :)

Thanks to Alan, Cathy & Craig for the nice comments.

Basically it's Buzz, blends, and brush strokes. I call it the bible method, "Seek And Ye Shall Find." So I can't give you a step by step method. Usually I don't remember all the steps and each image will call for different manips to get the same result. That's where the "seek" comes in. 8-)

Steve

I took a PhotoShop class a number of years ago (three days of intensive investigation of the various tools). Somewhere about Photoshop version 5, I think... Anyway we were given this photo in the cloning tool seminar.

The object was to clone out the extraneous wires and correct the building distortion. The difficulty becomes apparent when you have to clone angles, reflective surfaces (windows with vertical curtains and reflections) and small detail areas (wires and shadows across the balcony railings) and various surface textures.

you did all that with just cloning? that's pretty impressive!

Craig

The clean up was all done with the cloning tool. Of course there was no healing brush back then.

The building distortion was corrected with "Transform" and the distort function.

I had a "state of the art" Mac "clamshell" laptop, but fortunately I had taken my Wacom to the seminar. I was sharing a hotel room with a gal from Jacksonville and she only had a trackpad to work with on her PC laptop. She was miserable without her tablet.

Here's "Contemplation" another entry from my "Images Never Posted" file.

Steve C.

Great shot, Steve. Does the phrase "Wizened old man" apply?

Thanks much.

He's actually 90 years old and a cancer survivor. That would have a tendency to "wizen" one.

Steve

Great shot, Steve. Does the phrase "Wizened old man" apply?

I'm not 90 (yet), but have done the cancer thing. His face has so much character and his history obviously tells us much.

My father-in-law...and everyone should have such nice in-laws.

Thought you might like to see the original.

Steve

I'm not 90 (yet), but have done the cancer thing. His face has so much character and his history obviously tells us much.