Image-a-day other visions geometric magic (and a challenge)

Although I do this everyday, taking a tiny watercolor painting and creating digital magic continues to astound me.

Using Photoshop, I scanned in Puzzle Pieces #1. After posterizing it (more Photoshop magic), I created #2 and #3 by copying and flipping the image horizontally and vertically. I take great care to line up the flipped images each time because each new image builds on the previous one. Once the lines are off, I have to start all over again.

Then, the fun begins. Once a pattern is set, then I get to use Photoshop's magical tools.

Red Puzzle Pieces.

Green Puzzle Pieces

Blue Puzzle Pieces

Puzzle Pieces Invert Two

Puzzle Pieces Invert One

Puzzle Pieces One

Image-a-day and the OTHER VISIONS challenge

With nearly 300 images, the collection of digital "other visions" will comprise the the bulk of my 2012 Image-a-Day project when it is complete. I welcome suggestions for organizing and cataloging these images. 

Prizes!

The prizes: an "other vision" poster in your choice of design for the two best suggestions. Deadline: October 22, 2012.

Where are OTHER VISIONS now?

Some are at the nanoscapes website under "other visions." A small number of the designs are on products at zazzle.com, and others are on fabric and soon on wallpaper at spoonflower. Find a Puzzle Pieces Postcard at zazzle.com now.

Because I post each day, my Facebook and Pinterest friends can see all of the images in date-of-posting order.  

Beginning on October 25, 2012, "other visions" designs will begin a limited rotation on this website. I have defined three categories: fabric, tiles and stained glass, and wallpaper.

Herringbone Geology - a new nano-d

Original Herringbone Watercolor

Herringbone Geology could only have been created with Photoshop®, the new power tool in my lifelong learning toolbox.

Until a few months ago, I had  been using Photoshop® to document and upload art to the nanoscapes and small friends websites, and for entries for exhibitions and contests. I wish I could remember why I decided to fool around with images, but I can't, and I will celebrate the happy accident forever.

Herringbone Geology began as the tiny 5x7-inch original watercolor above. I experimented and created many different colored images, and tried,unsuccessfully to work out patchwork designs that I liked.

Light Purple

Very Red

Patchwork: eh?

Green

Yellow-ish

Herringbone Geology

BREAKTHROUGH.  I took a single deep purple block, duplicated it, horizontally and vertically flipped it, and created a new single block. Using the language of quilters, I "pieced" some blocks together to create Herringbone Geology.

An 18x 24 inch Herringbone Geology print on fine art paper made with archival ink is available at nanoscapes. Contact sgainen@gmail.com  directly for a larger print.

Ohio-Tennessee Glaze: new nano and new tool

Tiny Tines Work in Progress

Trilobite: Four by Five

In the spirit of cooks and their knives, carpenters their hammers, and gardeners and their tools, I find that Photoshop is my new favorite creative tool.

Roller Coaster Work in Progress 1

Roller Coaster Work in Progress 2

During the past few weeks I have begun to explore Photoshop C-4, taking a single image and playing with colors and spaces, making small friend Theresa Trilobite into  Trilobite: Four by Five. I spent time in Photoshop yesterday with Roller Coaster, an unfinished watercolor that creates beautiful patterns, and with Tiny Tines, a work in progress based on part of a large salad fork.

O-T Glaze #1

O-T Glaze #2 (flipped)

O-T Glaze #3 (rotation 1)

I face a dilemma now.

Ohio-Tennessee Glaze, the new nanoscape which I began on a Pass the Baton trip to University of Akron and Vanderbilt law schools, is finished in its life as a watercolor. It now presents a delicious Photoshop challenge: which way does it look best? Let me know what you think.

O-T Glaze #4 (rotation 2)

Admittedly, this is not a bad problem to have.

But between you and me and the mouse, O-T Glaze has not yet really begun its Photoshop journey. In these four images I simply (I can say that now) flipped and rotated the original without changing any of the colors. Options: color, no color, textures, posterizing, and much, much more...Can't wait.

Commerce Note: Prints of Trilobite Four by Five are available through imagekind.com your choice of sizes and framing options.

Balloon Sampler 2011: miracles of Photoshop

Balloon Sampler 2011

5x7" Balloon Post Card Painting

I have been using Photoshop primarily for storage and organization for my watercolors for the past few years, but this afternoon, I stumbled into the 21st century and began to explore its astonishing capabilities.

A quilt with sampler blocks

As someone who spent half a lifetime looking at samplers in which quilters and needleworkers practiced stitches and alphabets, and created ever-more complex quilt patterns, I felt a kinship with their energy and gratitude for this amazing tool.

Beginning with a 300 dpi scan of a 5x7" watercolor on 140# paper, I copied the image over and over again, experimenting with posterizing, gradients, channels, filters, curves and more. I created a 22x22 blank square and then dropped in each of the copies, re-arranging, adding, and deleting. When I ended up with a 3x4 row image, I deleted the excess blank canvas, added a signature, and I was finished.

Making a quilt or a piece of needlepoint can take weeks or months. Beginning with a finished painting, which, admittedly took about six hours to paint, the Photoshop exercise took about an hour.

This was way too much fun, and I look forward to learning a lot more about Photoshop, and multiplying and manipulating the color and energy inherent in original nanoscapes.

Balloon Sampler 2011 is available in two limited editions of five each, signed and numbered through the nanoscapes website:

• 20x20 inches, matted:          $75.00 
• 10x10 inches, matted           $50.00