Post 188: The Bad Boy of Photoshop Smarty-Pantsery

The Bad Boy of Photoshop Smarty-Pantsery

Many artists use Photoshop right? Some use it to tweak their designs before transferring the composition to the canvas for painting or for manipulating their photography. Then there is James Fridman, who took Photoshop to the stratosphere.

Humor, the Best Medicine

I discovered James on Twitter a couple of years ago and quickly became a fan. Have you heard of him? It seems that people would request James to alter something in a photo, even wedding photos, and he would "fix" it for them. Just not the way they had anticipated it to be fixed and he did it hilariously.

 

https://bettermanly.com/psflops/8/

 

Which one do you like best?  

 

Photo by Call Me Fred on Unsplash 

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Local Art: Visit us at Stonebridge Open Space Arts at 15000 Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, VA - Open Wed to Sat 12-7 and Sun 12-5
The Prince William Art Society is a 50-year old non-profit art group in PWC for the the appreciation of fine art throughout the county and Northern Virginia.

Want to know how to get involved at OSA? If you are an artist (18 or older) living in Prince William County, or a are a member of a PWC art group, you are welcome to get on our next art show's emailing list. Send it to us, OR come by the gallery to find out more.

Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership

Thank you for visiting, and remember to Share, Follow, and Comment!

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Author: Donna Liguria
An artist member of PWAS in Woodbridge, VA specializing in acrylic painting. She paints landscapes, seascapes, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at https://DonnaLiguriaArt.com & her Blog at https://donnascavepainting.blogspot.com/.

Post 187: Summer Spotlight on Art Winners at Open Space Arts at Stonebridge

Summer Spotlight on Art Winners at Open Space Arts at Stonebridge

The current art show at the Open Space Arts gallery at 15000 #140 Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, VA is running between June 26 and August 14, 2022. Each art show we have the visitors vote on their favorite art piece and drop the little cards in the box. Well, the public voted and we LOVE announcing the winners! Hmmm, a lot of purple and blues...something to think about??!!

You Came, You Saw, You Voted

And this is how you voted your favorite art pieces currently hanging at the gallery:

1st Place Blue Ribbon - Tom Payne for ”Last Hope”

2nd Place Red Ribbon - Fatima Farzana for “Dreaming in Purple”

3rd Place White Ribbon - Scott McDonald for “Midnight Dunes”

 The gallery is FREE to visit, so while you are shopping at Wegmans - well before you buy that ice cream, come by Open Space Arts - across from DSW, next to Ulta on one side and Barnes and Noble and the Loft on the other. Have you visited yet?

Leave your comments below and try NOT to post anonymously!

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Local Art: Visit us at Stonebridge Open Space Arts at 15000 Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, VA - Open Wed to Sat 12-7 and Sun 12-5
The Prince William Art Society is a 50-year old non-profit art group in PWC for the the appreciation of fine art throughout the county and Northern Virginia.

Want to know how to get involved at OSA? If you are an artist (18 or older) living in Prince William County, or a are a member of a PWC art group, you are welcome to get on our next art show's emailing list. Send it to us, OR come by the gallery to find out more.

Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership

Thank you for visiting, and remember to Share, Follow, and Comment!

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 Author: Donna Liguria

An artist member of PWAS in Woodbridge, VA and Artistry Spin Blog Admin, specializing in acrylic painting. She paints landscapes, seascapes, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at DonnaLiguriaArt.com, Donna's Etsy site and her Blog at Donna’s Cave Paintings.

 

Photography/Video Credits: 

Donna Liguria

Post 186: Composition 20. Avoid Mergers

Composition: Avoid Mergers

This is Part 20 of my series on Composition

Color, Tone and Border Mergers

Mergers are when key areas of the main subject are overlapped, making it appear weird and should be avoided. Sometimes you can avoid a merger just by moving to the left or right before snapping the photo so that it doesn't look like that branch is growing out of the side of someone's head. Or that rock doesn't appear to be the person's overly large foot. 

In photography, we should avoid cutting off people, whether in half, their head or feet, or have someone cut off by the border of the image. These are border mergers and they just aren't the best way to take the image. It is better to leave space around the people or the main subject.

Alternatively, the angle of the viewer - their perspective could be higher or lower angle to avoid weird mergers with whatever is in the background. 

Something in the image that is very bright or very dark will draw the eye as discussed in previous Composition posts. Although the use of both is important in a composition, you don't want it to distract from your subject either. In photography, you may be able to crop the image to get a better focus on your subject.

 

 

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash 

 This photo cut off the man's arm and you are not sure who or what the main focus is - the baby, the man or the greenhouse. This is all besides the lighting is very bright and shadows are on the man's face. The poor child needs sunglasses.

 

Photo by Tobias Mrzyk on Unsplash 

 Spot the oddity here? One person has 2 heads and 3 legs. The photograph may have worked better if the shot was with each person separately defined against the background.

 

Typically, we could take a photograph of our subject and then crop it down later to display the best part. Its definitely easier to remove what you don't need than to add.

 

A funny merger in real life that I have seen is sitting at the dining room table with people and there is a painting or photograph framed and hanging on the wall, often exactly behind the person at the head of the table. So it looks like the person is IN the picture which can be pretty funny. Have you seen a funny merger too?

For further reading:

Merge Into the Background 

Photography Rules of Composition: Eliminate Distractions

 

7 PHOTOGRAPHY MISTAKES I see all the time by Nigel Danson

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This is part of a series of blog posts on the guidelines, or rules of composition. Look for all of them in the Search this Blog feature at the top right by searching for the word "composition". I hope you enjoy the posts!

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Local Art: Visit us at Stonebridge Open Space Arts at 15000 Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, VA - Open Wed to Sat 12-7 and Sun 12-5 – it’s free to see the artwork! Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership

Thank you for visiting, and remember to Share, Follow, and Comment!

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Author: Donna Liguria
An artist member of PWAS in Woodbridge, VA specializing in acrylic painting. She paints landscapes, seascapes, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at https://DonnaLiguriaArt.com & her Blog at https://donnascavepainting.blogspot.com/.

Post 185: Composition 19. To Capture Subject Essence, Simplify

Composition: To Capture Subject Essence, Simplify

This is Part 19 of my series on Composition

To simplify is to get rid of all the foo-foo and fluff and break the photo or the design down to its purest form. Hence, the essence of the subject tells its own story. Your design doesn't need random stuff unless it is about random stuff. 

This could include simple backdrops, zooming in on your subject, changing the camera location sideways or up and down, changing the lighting, or editing the design to let the subject do the talking.

 

Photo by Ruth H Curtis on Unsplash  

Photo by Ruth H Curtis on Unsplash
 

Additionally, I came across this video by the Paint Coach - Chris Fornataro - its very good on how and why he composed the painting the way he did.

The Truth About Painting Landscapes From Photos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oJUjiNtlK0

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This is part of a series of blog posts on the guidelines, or rules of composition. Look for all of them in the Search this Blog feature at the top right by searching for the word "composition". I hope you enjoy the posts!

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Local Art: Visit us at Stonebridge Open Space Arts at 15000 Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, VA - Open Wed to Sat 12-7 and Sun 12-5 – it’s free to see the artwork! Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership

Thank you for visiting, and remember to Share, Follow, and Comment!

---

Author: Donna Liguria
An artist member of PWAS in Woodbridge, VA specializing in acrylic painting. She paints landscapes, seascapes, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at https://DonnaLiguriaArt.com & her Blog at https://donnascavepainting.blogspot.com/.

 

Post 184: Composition 18. For Depth and Dimension Use Layering

Composition: For Depth and Dimension Use Layering

This is Part 18 of my series on Composition

Try adding layering to your artwork and photography. Composition with layering is stacking 3 or more elemental layers to your design that adds depth, dimension, a sense of space. These layers include whatever is closest to you in the foreground, a distinct middle ground and finally a background.

Foreground

The details, textures, and colors used in the foreground can include objects and/or people. It could be including the beach sand and footprints in the design of an ocean scene. The foreground could be seeing details of rocks and/or flowers before going into the middle ground.

Middle Ground

Whatever is between the foreground and background can be just as interesting as the foreground and can include the actual object or person that is the subject.

Background

The background may or may not be out of focus and is obviously whatever is the furthest away from you. The background may be the sky and the farthest mountain line in the distance. A layer of fog behind the foreground detail and mid-ground subject may emphasize the design and give that depth needed.

 

Photo by Robin Melliger on Unsplash  

I spot about 4 layers in this photo above, how many do you see?
 

 

Photo by Patrick Bald on Unsplash 

 

A dark wooded foreground leads into several layers of blues in the mountains then to the orangey sky in this photo. The sense of space is fully felt in both of these photographs. Although simplicity in design is typically a very great way to capture and show you subject, looking for a way to layer the design can make for an impressive photo or art piece as well.

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This is part of a series of blog posts on the guidelines, or rules of composition. Look for all of them in the Search this Blog feature at the top right by searching for the word "composition". I hope you enjoy the posts!

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Local Art: Visit us at Stonebridge Open Space Arts at 15000 Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, VA - Open Wed to Sat 12-7 and Sun 12-5 – it’s free to see the artwork! Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership

Thank you for visiting, and remember to Share, Follow, and Comment!

---

Author: Donna Liguria
An artist member of PWAS in Woodbridge, VA specializing in acrylic painting. She paints landscapes, seascapes, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at https://DonnaLiguriaArt.com & her Blog at https://donnascavepainting.blogspot.com/.

Post 183: Composition 17. Framing Draws the Eye

Composition: Framing Draws the Eye

This is Part 9 of my series on Composition

Have you tried a "frame within a frame" in your artwork? Composing your photo or artwork may include an element appearing to be sitting inside another element. Framing draws attention and leads to your main subject, adding depth. It draws the eye in, makes the viewer study the picture/painting longer, adds a lot of interest. Give it a try!

 

 

Photo by Matteo Di Iorio on Unsplash 

 

 

Photo by Omar Ram on Unsplash 

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This is part of a series of blog posts on the guidelines, or rules of composition. Look for all of them in the Search this Blog feature at the top right by searching for the word "composition". I hope you enjoy the posts!

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Local Art: Visit us at Stonebridge Open Space Arts at 15000 Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, VA - Open Wed to Sat 12-7 and Sun 12-5 – it’s free to see the artwork! Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership

Thank you for visiting, and remember to Share, Follow, and Comment!

---

Author: Donna Liguria
An artist member of PWAS in Woodbridge, VA specializing in acrylic painting. She paints landscapes, seascapes, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at https://DonnaLiguriaArt.com & her Blog at https://donnascavepainting.blogspot.com/.

 

Post 182: PWC Artists Got Skills!

Prince William County Artists Got Skills!

A new art show opens at Open Space Arts on Wednesday, June 29 and will run until Sunday, August 14 called "Summer Spotlight on Art" featuring thirty-six Prince William County artists. The variety of art, all the colors, all the styles - it is a site to behold!

Open Space Arts at Stonebridge

Did you know Woodbridge has a new art gallery?

 

Where? 15000 #140 Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, VA open Wednesday to Saturday 12-7 and Sun 12-5

 

If you are stopping in for a bite at one of the wonderful restaurants or doing a bit of shopping at Stonebridge - just up from Wegmans, between Ulta and the Loft - next to the new Barnes and Noble, tucked in across the street from DSW - this is where this surprise is. Come by and step in...to enjoy all of the artwork - paintings, photography, glass works and more by the very talented artists that come from all over Prince William County. Say hello to the folks manning the desk - ask them which art is theirs because many of them do have art up. You are invited to stroll around and relax, then vote for your favorite piece. 

 

Open Space Arts began in November and December of 2021 with the artwork of Prince William Art Society members and then JBG Smith, the management of the space, along with the Prince William County Arts Council, asked the PW Art Society to come back in April 2022 and expand the gallery out to include the entire county. 

 

And that is what we did. This is the 4th art show in 4 months and it is growing! As more artists find out about the gallery, and more people learn that there IS art scene in PWC, we can continue to provide this experience. It is important to support the arts, in all its forms. And these artists have skills!

 

Sneak peek?  

Much better in person and up close and personal. Come by and see the gallery. Sure, all the artwork is for sale, and some art prints may be available for some of the pieces on display too. But as the commercial says - just experiencing the artwork, priceless! We just LOVE to see people say, "Wow!" when a piece fascinates and connects with them.

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Local Art: Visit us at Stonebridge Open Space Arts at 15000 #140 Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, VA - Open Wed to Sat 12-7 and Sun 12-5
The Prince William Art Society is a 50-year old non-profit art group in PWC for the the appreciation of fine art throughout the county and Northern Virginia.

Want to know how to get involved at OSA? If you are an artist (18 or older) living in Prince William County, or a are a member of a PWC art group, you are welcome to get on our next art show's emailing list. Send it to us, OR come by the gallery to find out more.

Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership

Thank you for visiting, and remember to Share, Follow, and Comment!

---

Author: Donna Liguria
An artist member of PWAS in Woodbridge, VA specializing in acrylic painting. She paints landscapes, seascapes, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at https://DonnaLiguriaArt.com & her Blog at https://donnascavepainting.blogspot.com/.

Photography/Video Credits: 

Donna Liguria