ARTHUR BISHOP
Well-known member
Superbly done
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Seemingly the bird of the moment.. (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter birdboybowley
- Start date
birdboybowley
Well-known member.....apparently so ;)
Cheers Tim - have now dug it out of the cupboard and have been looking at it and keep wanting to do something with it...just not sure what! Needs something - as I said before, keep wanting to put some shadows across the bare trunk as it seems a little stark....aarrgghhh! What does everyone think?
solitaryVSong
Well-known member
Not that I have any answers but I wonder why you're thinking about shadows? Do you think that will add to the sense of space, volume, or is it more just for design?
The only reason I ask is that maybe it gives us a better clue as to what you find lacking. I don't see any problems at all myself. But I 'think' that there's a sense of roundness to the right side of tree that isn't so obvious on left. So if you want that then maybe something on the left to make it seem rounder? On the other hand this might not have anything to do with what you're looking for -- always the danger of giving advice
The only reason I ask is that maybe it gives us a better clue as to what you find lacking. I don't see any problems at all myself. But I 'think' that there's a sense of roundness to the right side of tree that isn't so obvious on left. So if you want that then maybe something on the left to make it seem rounder? On the other hand this might not have anything to do with what you're looking for -- always the danger of giving advice
Strandman
Well-known member
On the other hand this might not have anything to do with what you're looking for -- always the danger of giving advice
I'm thinking its the largeish emptyish pale area of exposed wood? If that's what's bugging you, then another chunk of clinging on bark positioned down a bit and right a bit from the top Nuthatch might be enough to do the trick.
birdboybowley
Well-known member.....apparently so ;)
Cheers guys.....something to think on. Can see what you mean by the flatter side Ken and Ed, yeah another bit of bark would help I think. Was going with shadows as in the bottom right (which I think I've cut off as the photo wasn't that straight!) there are a lot of twiggy branches in the background so was thinking about some stripey shadows...but then again, it might just 'busy' it up too much..hmmmm, maybe I'll just put it back in the cupboard and not worry about it for a while longer...!
colleenc
Well-known member
I agree with you Ads, I would love to be at this point, where my birds are picture perfect and now I go on to more subtle things. Looking at this both Ed and Ken have good points.
I messed with these things in photoShop and got some good results, esp taking down the contrast on the left side so the tree goes "around" more and becomes less attention getting. Also toned down the contrast by the shadow the bark makes in the upper right, because the contrast is so great there, more than any other part of the painting, it becomes a strong focal point, brains are hard wired to see that contrast thing, before any other visual cue except movement, a survival thing.
Putting bark on the other side, worked but gave it a heaviness the bare trunk does not have and a lot had to be changed to balance things, the shape of the bare bark the reddish layer etc...... so shadows worked well but they change the focus, the birds become more part of the environment, and we "discover" them more....not a bad thing. And it added to the beautiful complexity of the work.
One more thing is that tiny sliver of bg on the right, if you change things you may want to see what happens if you change it from one narrow even strip to a less regular shape, it strangely is an essential part of the work and messing there really changes how we relate to the space.
All this can be done in PS to try it out without much work, then your artists eye can tell you what you want to do. Hope you find something useful here.
Admire your work very much
I messed with these things in photoShop and got some good results, esp taking down the contrast on the left side so the tree goes "around" more and becomes less attention getting. Also toned down the contrast by the shadow the bark makes in the upper right, because the contrast is so great there, more than any other part of the painting, it becomes a strong focal point, brains are hard wired to see that contrast thing, before any other visual cue except movement, a survival thing.
Putting bark on the other side, worked but gave it a heaviness the bare trunk does not have and a lot had to be changed to balance things, the shape of the bare bark the reddish layer etc...... so shadows worked well but they change the focus, the birds become more part of the environment, and we "discover" them more....not a bad thing. And it added to the beautiful complexity of the work.
One more thing is that tiny sliver of bg on the right, if you change things you may want to see what happens if you change it from one narrow even strip to a less regular shape, it strangely is an essential part of the work and messing there really changes how we relate to the space.
All this can be done in PS to try it out without much work, then your artists eye can tell you what you want to do. Hope you find something useful here.
Admire your work very much
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Well i know what i'd do Ads.....[seeing as you feel the need for a 'slight' adjustment to what is already a marvelous picture]...!
I wouldn't stick any radical 'new elements' into composition....i'd just gradually bring up the warmer tones..[pinkish/buff]...in the 'bare wood' to right....[just some subtle tones to perhaps bring out hints of an underlying pattern]...?
ps....please feel free to 'cheat' again and bring out more old paintings....this one is fantastic and a joy to behold...:t:
I wouldn't stick any radical 'new elements' into composition....i'd just gradually bring up the warmer tones..[pinkish/buff]...in the 'bare wood' to right....[just some subtle tones to perhaps bring out hints of an underlying pattern]...?
ps....please feel free to 'cheat' again and bring out more old paintings
....this one is fantastic and a joy to behold...:t:
birdboybowley
Well-known member.....apparently so ;)
Cheers guys! Like the tone idea User and Colleen, please feel free to post the 'messed around with' pic here, I'm not bothered and would be good to get an idea of what it looks like as my computer skills are limited to typing, shouting and slamming the mouse on the table to get things working quicker.....!
If a computer were a car...then i have only just mastered how to take the handbrake off...!!
ps...if you have photoshop then just put your image in....get the 'lasso' tool to draw a border around the area to be tinkered with and then you can play with things like the colour balance or hue saturation [etc] to your hearts content.....
pps...one thing i do know about computers is that 'slamming the mouse on the table' doesn't speed things up...[tho i can sympathize]...
birdboybowley
Well-known member.....apparently so ;)
What if i've not got photoshop.......? Slamming the mouse does make you feel better tho!
birdboybowley
Well-known member.....apparently so ;)
Cheers User - like the toned version so will play around with it....maybe chuck some darker shadows on the left behind the ridges of bark to round it off a bit. Tinker all you want!!
I'll whack some darker shadows where you suggested and put the 'result' on thread in a bit...
timwootton
Well-known member
Actually Ads, having been in the 'don't touch' camp for the duration of this little episode, I think I now see your first suggestion of the shadows of tree-limbs cross the lower portion of the trunk. Your birds are casting fairly strong shadows of their own therefore, although the birds are closer to the tree and are bound to cast a dark shade, it makes sense that in an arboreal environment, there would be the suggestion of other branches. OR - could you bite the bullet and paint a super-focus diagonal twig running from bottom right aiming below the lower bird in the extreme foreground - the added sense of depth may be what you're searching for. It wouldn't need to be much cos it would break the open-ness of the lower portion immediately.
Just a fowt, Guvnar!
Just a fowt, Guvnar!
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colleenc
Well-known member
I was hesitant to do the PS here, but since you gave permission, thought I'd post what I did. Not to say this is it but just so you could see. If you go with User, ( letting go of the bg bit and bringing us closer) then you have a great way to go, adding the light cast shadow.
In my version I hung on to that, changed the shape, brought in more of the reddish bark here and there to bring out the warm of the birds, used the blue tones to darken part of the bare tree, lessened contrast in upper left, and that deep shadow on the right, and also just cropped the top a bit. Even with this I'd like a few cast shadows. If you did User's version I like Tim's idea to give some more depth to the space
I did this just to see what would happen, so it's not a suggestion per se, just one person's view.
2nd att shows the crop
In my version I hung on to that, changed the shape, brought in more of the reddish bark here and there to bring out the warm of the birds, used the blue tones to darken part of the bare tree, lessened contrast in upper left, and that deep shadow on the right, and also just cropped the top a bit. Even with this I'd like a few cast shadows. If you did User's version I like Tim's idea to give some more depth to the space
I did this just to see what would happen, so it's not a suggestion per se, just one person's view.
2nd att shows the crop
Attachments
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birdboybowley
Well-known member.....apparently so ;)
Thanks Colleen...i like the extending of the warmer wood towards the lower bird as it leads your eye to it. PS is great - it's like getting everyone to come round home and slap their ideas onto the canvas...appreciate it all, thanks! There's some pics that need a little outside eyes I think
colleenc
Well-known member
tho I fought it for some time, when I finally learned the basics of PS it has become an super tool for planning comps before hand, so easy to make changes in a few seconds, compared to redrawing the whole thing each time like in the old days. And during painting, if I get stuck it's great to schlep it into PS and try different contrast, or color shifts , or check to see all kinds of little things, so fast without having to mess up the original first, I can make different versions to compare. Don't think I'd be anywhere near the artist I am without it, just speeds up everything. Even if I use photos, by the time I've messed in PS with them they've become more of my vision, and less dependent on what the camera saw.
I agree Colleen about PS........!
It is a wonderfully creative tool and i wish it had been invented long ago when i was struggling with artwork compositions....[i remember too well all that angst trying to get the balance right]...etc...:smoke:!
I bet all of us have pieces of artwork which have merit but are perhaps 'left wanting' in some department...
It is staggering the 'variations' that one can find with a bit of photo-shopping...[and i too like what you've done with birdyboys nuthatches...very pleasing indeed]...!
ps....can you do 'layers' in photoshop Colleen..? I am a complete novice but i enjoy learning the various techniques...
pps...maybe folks hereabouts would like to start a photoshop-type thread just to see what can be done with certain pieces..? [Could always bung artwork for 'tinkering' on my 'images' thread if anyone was interested]...could be good fun....
It is a wonderfully creative tool and i wish it had been invented long ago when i was struggling with artwork compositions....[i remember too well all that angst trying to get the balance right]...etc...:smoke:!
I bet all of us have pieces of artwork which have merit but are perhaps 'left wanting' in some department...
It is staggering the 'variations' that one can find with a bit of photo-shopping...[and i too like what you've done with birdyboys nuthatches...very pleasing indeed]...!
ps....can you do 'layers' in photoshop Colleen..? I am a complete novice but i enjoy learning the various techniques...
pps...maybe folks hereabouts would like to start a photoshop-type thread just to see what can be done with certain pieces..? [Could always bung artwork for 'tinkering' on my 'images' thread if anyone was interested]...could be good fun....
Strandman
Well-known member
I agree Colleen about PS........!
pps...maybe folks hereabouts would like to start a photoshop-type thread just to see what can be done with certain pieces..? [Could always bung artwork for 'tinkering' on my 'images' thread if anyone was interested]...could be good fun....
Have you had a go with a pressure sensitive digi-pen and tablet? Once you've been there, life with photoshop is never quite the same..
