Found this interesting quote today... "You don't know how much artists go through to make it look so easy. It's all in the practice." Lauryn Hill . . It IS in the practice! How many times have you tried something one time and it didn't go brilliantly that first time so you said no to it. But trying it again, and again, and yet again can makes all the difference in not only your own skill level but your understanding of something, the depth of it. Nothing is small. There is a complete and enormous universe in everything and everyone. No matter the thing or the topic or the life there are volumes that can be spoken or understood if only we took the time to see and search beyond the surface. . So when it comes to art, when it comes to using Adobe Photoshop, KNOW that there is a brilliant universe yet undiscovered if only you would take the time to explore it. Practice a little relentlessness in your approach to learning something new so little by little you can master something you are passionate about and have at your fingertips a world of deep exploration and expression. . TODAY'S ASSIGNMENT: Take a look at something ordinary and find a way to visually express it anew... Here's mine... Ode to Breakfast March 1st, 2012

Skull of Frivolity!

Just a little bit of fun using countless stuff from my collection of imagery... The following animation is the basic flow of putting this finished piece together. Of course I did many things along the way in Photoshop CS5 but you get to see the various layers this piece is made from. I used my own created fractals, brushes, textures and more. This is an animation showing all the various layers that went into creating the final image. Start to finish...

BACK IN THE DAY... Once upon a time in the days before digital, I used to create artworks I called "embellishments". I'd make photographs, print them in black and white and use the prints as canvases for my artwork by using pen and ink and liquid dyes to draw on and paint them. Sometimes the images were even cut up and glued back together in layers to create new imaginative worlds. Now with digital that can be done so easily. But at the time it was quite a bit of work though the results were still quite wonderful. This particular art piece I've created definitely harkens back to those deliciously tactile, hand-on days. The colors may be a bit more subtle than much of my work but as you artists know your visual instinct speaks it's mind and you follow. I used a pen tool with my Wacom tablet to draw the lines.

That FIRST creative moment... remember?

Creativity. It's been a powerful force in my life nearly as long as I can remember. Perhaps the first major moment I knew I had a different way of seeing things was when I was about five years old. I had a box of crayons and a coloring book. I was coloring in a bunch of grapes and was using a variety of colors-- all in the purple and blue range. I remember thinking that grapes were not just one color when you REALLY look at them, so that's how I colored them in. My mom noticed and exclaimed to me about it in such a way I knew I'd done something right. I think that was the moment I took on being an artist.

What was your moment? EXCERCISE:
Sit down, sit back, and get comfy. Take the next ten minutes to think back as far as you can about some moment in your past that you expressed something unique creatively. It may be as an artist with finger paints, it may be working on a model airplane, it may be a moment planting in a garden. But it happened. So dig deep into that memory bank of yours and find that moment, breathe deeply into it, look into your minds eye and try to fill out the scene, how it felt, what the day may have been like, where you were, who was with you, what were you doing...

How have you taken that creative moment with you into your life and how does it show up in your life now? Please leave a memory of your first creative moment here in the comments area.

Elvis Lives

Before and afters fascinate me, even in my own work. Had a creative bug last night and pulled together these few simple elements and created the strangely wonderful image on the left-- ELVIS. It actually reminds me of the Steam Punk visual aesthetic a bit, which I find unique and beautiful in it's dark and dreary way. This handsome face combined with these Charr Kissed Visual Toys from my personal Photoshop kit bag were very fun to play with. Comments? Questions? Bring it on!

K.I.S.S. Like Charr, the Photography Workshop, scheduled for April 18, 2011!

Monday April 18th is the next date for the next K.I.S.S. Like Charr Workshop in Sacramento! This is an all-day, hands-on digital photographic art event that's fun, educational and inspirational. Details coming!
Take a peek this video for a look-see at the How to K.I.S.S. Like Charr photography workshop and hear some great testimonials about how incredibly fun and easy Keeping it Simple really is when it comes to working in the digital photography realm.In this class you'll learn some great Adobe Photoshop CS5 tools, work with type and you will create an incredible digital art piece from start to finish! Details and information coming soon. Want to be on the email list? Please let me know. Questions or comments? I'd love to hear from you!

Macro Ring Flash

I love this thing! Talk about simple and fun. Like a ring flash but for on the go kinds of situations. I've been having a lot of fun with mine and even though it says macro-- try it for portraits, yeah! :)