Cezanne's Peach Exploded

[ahutton]

After trying reallu really hard to get a Cezanne effect for this still life that was posted in a Photo-Art Challenge, I had only come mildly close to the right effect. So I started playing with it and I:

1. BLEW the fruit up, using Flaming Pear's SWERVE filter
2. Cut off the green exploded pear out and concentrated on the peach bits, putting the biggest chunk in the left third of the picture.

3. Then I added PSP8 Colored Edges (black)

4. Softened it a tad, and added my ever present carpet texture. Nothing looks finished to me unless it has the carpet texture. (I'll grow out of that eventually.)

It doesn't look a bit Cezanney, but if you tell people the "work" is called exploded peach, they would say, Oh Yeah....

Some nut would buy it if I made a 45" giclee out of it, and he had a huge wall he needed covering, and I charged only $9.98 for it.

Original first

[ahutton]

Exploded Peach Result

Here's the result. Can any of you make a different abstract from the still life??

AmyHutton

[DannyRaphael]

Amy:

Really appreciate you diving into the pool with this one. I don't do abstract often (intentionally, anyway - haha), so here's a stab at something abstract -- abstract for me anyway! It is based on Jasc Virtual Painter effects Watercolor and Drawing.

If you are a Virtual Painter user, check out this action that was used to generate layers A, and B in the attached image.

http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=63885#post63885

Although the final image consists of only five layers (including a top stroked frame layer), note (in the layers palette screenshot that follows) that multiple filters were applied to a couple of layers. For those who are just getting this thing, take heart. Experimenting is part of the process.

~Danny~

[DannyRaphael]

Layers Palette

Layer B was generated by the action cited in the previous post. Layer C is a copy of it to which the Waves filter was applied to give the lines a little wavy effect. Edit > Fade was applied to back off the effect a bit.

The Color Burn blend mode in each layer was (I thought) the most interesting of the blend mode options this time.

My favorite plugin, Microsoft Impressionist was used on a copy of the Water Color layer rendered by Virtual Painter to apply a Conte effect.

You can get a similar effect if you:
* Copy the WC layer
* Apply Pointilize filter at radius 32
* Ink Outlines
* Ocean Ripple
* Blend mode=Overlay and opacity ~25%

[ahutton]

Danny

I think you've definitely entered the abstract age with this one. I like the effect a LOT. Personally I have yet to actually use the VP drawing filter, as the color, even with subtle setting, on it always seems to brash, and I'm too lazy to tone it down.

But I will do so in the future. My prob is that I'm so stuck on PSP8 that I haven't spent the time to learn Photoshop. Something which I must absolutely do nowadays.

Some photo-artists think that abstract is a photo that you apply a filter to and call it an abstract. You still have to apply art theory to it....or we all would be rich.

Let's all try our hand at creating an abstract from the still life. Something where the peach and/or the pear can still be identified if only a little bit. It still has to be interesting from a visual point of view.

Amy

[ahutton]

My second attempt-this time AIMING for an abstract effect (I only blew it into smithereens out of frustration.)

Using VP watercolor effect set at intense for everything, then hit it again with watercolor set at a slightly less intensity. Most people don't realize that you can further adjust VP settings by clicking ADJUST then right click anywhere on the screen and choose adjustment-fine mode.

Amy