Lemon Fan - SOLD

Still having fun with still lifes.  I'm a big lemon fan.  Aren't you?

Friendly Fruit

One of the challenges of some paintings are the names.  Friendly Fruit?  Well these pears wouldn't be sitting so close to one another if they weren't friends!

Idyllic Seclusion

Another one from the island of Capri.  In addition to visiting the famous Blue Grotto, we took a tour around the entire island of Capri in 2011 when we visited.  It was a pleasant surprise because I had no idea that was included.  Pastels lend themselves to the craggy rocks and colorful eroded areas.  I exaggerate the colors in Photoshop or Paintshop Pro, and use my Oil Painting app to blur.

Transparent Trio

My first pastel still life. The reference photo is from Wetcanvas. The only thing Wetcanvas asks of you when you use the photos is that you credit the owner. I didn't have any real tomatoes, but user Olika posted this gorgeous photo which I used.

Her photo:

There is an app I use to blur photos (versus squinting) to focus on shapes:

My painting:

5 3/4 x 8

Pastel on Schmincke Sansfix. Incidentally, I really like this paper, but it seems impossible to find online in the U.S.

 

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Maine Tidal Marsh

I've never been to Maine, but loved a photo (copyright free) I found on wetcanvas.com.  Wetcanvas.com is an incredibly useful website where an artist may post their work, obtain Q&As as to their art ranging from sculpting to painting and a whole lot more.  Also, wetcanvas.com has a image reference section which includes (and certainly is not limited to) animals, still life subjects, street scenes, people, etc.  The great thing is that the images are copyright free and the owners of the images must accept that before posting them.  I used an image posted by user "Colin" who posted an awesome photo of a tidal marsh and river in Maine.  I painted it this morning and am still using that fun app "Frame Builder".

Painting:

Painting in Frame Builder frame:

Frame Builder

Today I discovered an awesome app called Frame Builder. After seeing eBay artists display their art for sale in a virtual frame, I went on a quest to find a way to do the same. It's a great tool that allows potential buyers (and the artist selling his/her art) to visualize their potential sale in a frame or even just a mat. You can easily change the size or color of the frame or mat just by dragging a slider bar. You can even change the size of the bevel on the mat!

Take this painting I did over the weekend. I like the way it looked in person and even with a simple white mat over it, but the image alone? Not so much.

Enter Frame Builder, et voilà! Much better!

A couple of other examples:

 

Additionally, you can save "templates" so that you don't have to start from scratch. Coolio!

 

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