Fathers Day gift from soldier...PLEASE HELP!!

wnabelkmikey · #1 02-24-2008, 07:10 PM

Hello, My name is Michael Oliver. I am currently enlisted in the United States Navy and will be suprising my father and mother with a unexpected return. I would like to give them a gift. A while back, I had a picture that was turned into an acctual hand painting. It was done quite well and my parents LOVED it!... It was very simple. Kinda like the cutout filter in Photoshop, however it had a little more etail that just made it PERFECT for a painting on canvas. Anyway, I would like to paint something for them. I am a fairly experienced painter (I have lots of paints and brushes). If anyone has ANY suggestions at all please let me know. Thank you for your help.

Michael Oliver

OlProfBear · #2 02-24-2008, 10:53 PM

I'm really curious -- what is a soldier doing in the navy?

wnabelkmikey · #3 02-24-2008, 10:58 PM

Well let me rephrase "...from SAILOR..."

DannyRaphael · #4 02-24-2008, 11:42 PM

Hi Michael:

First of all, a sincere thanks for your service. It is greatly appreciated. Congrats on your trip home. I can sense your enthusiasm in wanting to surprise your mom and dad.

It's not clear to me what kind of help you're looking for... Are you looking for assistance on reproducing the similar-to-cutout look you mentioned? Are you wanting to literally paint the final result or craft it digitally using Photoshop or what?

Tell us more about where you're stuck. I assure you there will be many who will be eager to help.

wnabelkmikey · #5 02-25-2008, 12:00 AM

Thanks for the appreciation. it means a lot to us when people are sincere in thanking us for our service!

I would like to acctually paint the final one. Unfortunately I am unable to get a picture of the one that was done for me at an earlier time. It is pretty much the cutout filter in photoshop... with mainly having three colors. I am just un-aware of how the person did it. I attempted it once. Did the photoshop cutout. Went to kinkos and blew it up to 24x30 (the size of my canvas) and then traced the lines on the back with pencil. Then taped the paper down to the canvas and traced the front side of the picture so the previous penciling on the back transfered to the fron of the canvas. I really hope that made sense to anyone who is reading it...LOL.

But Basically i would like a way to create a sort of pop-art picture that i could paint on a canvasfor them.

Thanks again!
Mike

pixelzombie · #6 02-25-2008, 12:43 AM

is this the look you're after?

http://www.melissaclifton.com/tutorial-popart.html

DannyRaphael · #7 02-25-2008, 01:41 AM

Any chance you can upload the image you want to convert into a painting? See link at the bottom of my sig. on that.

What program are you using: Photoshop? (Mac or PC)?

With the 3-color thing, sounds more like an Andy Warhol type look. (Cutout uses a lot more colors...).

Take a look here:
http://www.melissaclifton.com/tutorial-warholphoto.html

Is this in the ballpark?

DannyRaphael · #8 02-25-2008, 01:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pixelzombie

is this the look you're after?

http://www.melissaclifton.com/tutorial-popart.html

Great minds think alike, only yours is faster!

wnabelkmikey · #9 02-25-2008, 09:03 AM

IT is kind of like that... however, it is NO WHERE that detailed.. it is kind of an abstract look. I really wish i could describe it. I am gonna see if someone back home can send me a picture of it. If so, I will post it later on today.

I think i shouldnt have stated this thread without a picture...LOL... but it is basically like the pop art but with far lesss detail and a bit more abstract

0lBaldy · #10 02-25-2008, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wnabelkmikey

a gift. an actual hand painting. very simple. Kinda like the cutout filter in Photoshop, however it had a little more detail that just made it PERFECT for a painting on canvas.
I would like to paint something for them. I am a fairly experienced painter (I have lots of paints and brushes). If anyone has ANY suggestions at all please let me know. Thank you for your help.

Michael Oliver

My suggestion:
Place canvas/paper in front of you... pencil in hand.. START sketching.. Something will evolve! .. then lay paint over the sketching

Use your surroundings and imagination for inspiration (I have used the dogs on a dog food bag to sketch on a canvas then paint)

Asking for suggestions of what to paint could bring anything from sunsets, old barns, soup cans, ticket stubs, hay bails in a field, to bird splatters on the windshield and even when you hit upon the perfect image.. I have found that when laying paint to canvas sometimes the paint takes on a life of its own and the project comes out completely different than your original intention..

I think your parents will love it because it was made for them by you and the painting subject wont matter that much (take notice of the art work posted prominently on the refrigerators in the homes of small children for verification of this theory)
Don't over think your gift.. do it from your heart and they will love it because it is from you!
A single squiggley line across a blank canvas labeled self portrait will be as appreciated as a rendering of the Mona Lisa as long as you did it all by yourself.

This thread http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/scratch-pad/8136-paint-number.html may help some.. there are methods and actions there to help your project using Photoshop

Just my thoughts on the matter

wnabelkmikey · #11 02-25-2008, 04:21 PM

I will definately try it.. It sounds like it can work.

I was doing some brosing and it looks like it can be a Warhol style picture, but has a little more detail.

Anybody? Sorry about the picky-ness =(

wnabelkmikey · #12 02-26-2008, 11:28 PM

These are the images I am trying to achieve... Anyone? Thanks you very much.

DannyRaphael · #13 02-27-2008, 10:35 AM

Mike: a. What program and b. what version are you using? (Photoshop CS? Elements 4.0? What?)

Instructions are program / version specific.

-------------

The examples help a lot.

If you have the image of "you" that you intend to "arty-ize," upload that one too.

wnabelkmikey · #14 02-27-2008, 01:40 PM

Unfortunately I do not have a picture that I want done. I wanted to get the progress started so it could knock it out on photoshop and somehow transfer it on to canvas with paint...LOL

I have Photoshop CS2

If this helps at all.

THNAKS AGAIN!!!!!

DannyRaphael · #15 02-27-2008, 07:03 PM

I found this article (note: pdf format) that might be helpful in transferring the work to the canvas...

http://arte-lessons.com/pdf/transfer.pdf

As noted in my reply to the other thread, experiment with Photocopy, Note Paper and Posterize. Use Google (images) to find pics to practice with until you come up with one of your own.