My Creative Images Promoting Digital Photo Artistry and Digital Photography
www.mycreativeimages.com
Issue 36 (March 2021)
Welcome to the Mycreativeimages Magazine Issue 36 of Mycreativeimages sees the Editors introduction being hijacked by one of the artists, Joyce Simpson. Joyce was asked to share her thoughts on sharing her artwork on the web...........over to you.... I have been part of the Living The Artistic Life community that formed the foundation of this magazine for the last 12 months and for a long time I’ve wanted to see my work published on the internet. Finally, after much procrastinating, my website launched on 6th February and my artwork was made available for the world to see. For anyone else in two minds about launching a website I suggest you just dive in feet first just like I did. Not only is it satisfying but it helps bring home the reality that you are an artist and provides a platform for fans and prospective customers to visit and view your work. Many artists in this publication link to their own websites, so ensure to click on those links and check out some more of their work. If you are hesitating to share online or submit your work to magazines, don’t, just go for it. The feeling of having your work published, both here in Mycreativeimages, or via your own website, is beyond words. Its time to show the world who you are! ---
CONTENTS Bernie Tuffs 4 Claude Trew 10 David Walker 14 Artist Exhibitions 18 James Hurley 20 Hand Embellishing 22 Joyce Simpson 24 Julie Cowdy 32 Keeley McCleave 38 Susan Jones 46 Sue Waterhouse 48 Vivien Capper 52 Zara Bampton 56
As an artist I’m constantly looking for new ideas and techniques, for example I’ve been told if you begin to lose your way with the piece you are working on try turning it up-side-down, this will give it a new perspective and perhaps spark some fresh ideas. Also, this past month I have been working specifically to create contrast and help the viewers eye to move around a piece of work. It was fascinating to see how introducing some differences in shape, size and shade enable the artist to guide the viewer around their work. On that note, this month sees some interesting articles from Featured artists outlining their experiences with Exhibitions and Embellishing artwork. So dive in and enjoy the photo-art created by an amazing group of artists. Joyce Simpson Photo Artist
Cover Artwork by Bernie Tuffs https://www.facebook.com/bernadette.tuffs All images in this publication are sourced / created by the artists, unless otherwise stated on their websites or social media pages and as such must not be copied or sold without the express consent of the artist. This publication is created and owned by James Hurley, ©mycreativeimages.com 2020. Please feel free to share the magazine but do not make changes to any of the content.
Hand Embellished Photo-Art
mycreativeimages.com
Bernie Tuffs Hello! I’m Bernie and I live in the little seaside town of Margate and having lived here all my life, I couldn’t live anywhere else now! I’m continually inspired by the scenery here, with skies and light that so excited famous artist J.W.Turner, who said of this area, “…the skies over Thanet are the loveliest in all Europe”. Apparently, a love of the sea stayed with him all his life and I can well understand that! Painting with light holds a real attraction for me - the gentle light that is still strong enough to dispel darkness. I’ve always been arty, progressing from childhood sketching, through gouache and then oil painting, then paper crafting and scrapbooking which led me to digital scrapbooking and finally to Sebastian Michaels and Photo Artistry. Now I feel I’m home and am having so much fun with my art!
https://www.facebook.com/bernadette.tuffs 4
You Do You
Healing Her Soul
Perpetual Balancing Act
Claude Trew I retired a few years ago, and since I had more free time, I decided it was time to expand my photo art skills. I have been a member of my local camera club for many years, but I wanted to branch out in areas of photography that would be more artistic and outside the style of photographs that are most successful in club competitions. With this in mind, four years ago I joined the international online Photoshop course “My Photo Artistic Life” created by Sebastian Michaels. I have never regretted my decision and I am still a member of this vibrant and artistic FaceBook community. A few months ago I joined another online course “Elevate your Art”, this time learning to paint with Photoshop’s mixer brush. My vision is, one day, to be able to paint images which will look like oil paintings. You are welcome to visit my website to see some samples of my Photo Art.
www.claudetrew.com 10
In Full Gallop
Curious Tiger
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What’s That
David Walker Time passes…sometimes slowly…sometimes more rapidly. PhotoArt evolves…sometimes slowly…sometimes more rapidly. During lockdown for Covid 19 both time and art have been slower than usual! I think we can all relate to time during our enforced stay at home mode…feelings that could be moving towards a depressed state of mind…perhaps increased loneliness…perhaps boredom… perhaps one of the many other things that affect our daily life? Lockdown has different implications for the PhotoArtist. You have fewer new photographs to work with, inspiration (or your muse) can be negatively affected, less chance (well no chance really!) to physically exhibit your works, broadband speed reduced because so many working from home, less live feedback from other artists to name but a few downsides. For me there have been some very positive upsides:•
New programs developed that direct your skills in new directions and enabled some of your images to now be used in a different way
•
Time to sort out you photographic catalogue (over 140,000 images) and discover long forgotten shots that can be developed into new PhotoArt
•
Clean up your computer so it works faster
•
Take more time watching on-line learning, from new sources, to further evolve your skills
•
Taking time out to read and listen to music and thereby evolve your muse
•
Realising that you spend too much time on matters over which you have no immediate control, politicians, of every type, have a real responsibility to make things better for our world…but so often they think of nothing but themselves and how they can personally benefit…I’m awfully glad that I am an artist!
So as is normal, the ups and downs of life carry on, regardless of the happenings in our world. I prefer the positive half full approach to the negative half empty approach. Sometimes my art has suffered but on the whole I think my artistic renderings have improved during these difficult times. Things can only get better and better, we have been through the worst!
https://www.vista-foto.com/
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Beach at Booby’s Bay
Love Birds
Red Flower
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Infill Housing by Antoni Gaudí (Casa Batlló)
Red Flower
Leadenhall Market
Artist Exhibitions T
his month David Walker kindly agreed to shared some of his experiences with entering exhibitions, which is all part of parcel of becoming an established photographer / photo-artist. His artwork “Perhaps the Most Beautiful Resting Place in the World?” was shortlisted for the 2018 Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition. The artwork was on a canvas 120cm by 80cm, which made for an interesting experience when taking it in person to the Academy using the train and underground! Unfortunately, despite his adventure transporting his artwork to the exhibition Davids artwork did not make it to the final exhibition but revels in the status of “short-listed - not hung”! The original photograph is of Laide, a small village in the northwest of the Highlands of Scotland, looking out over Gruinard Bay towards the peaks of An Tellach. A truly beautiful part of the British Isles.
Perhaps the Most Beautiful Resting Place in the World?
The work is enhanced (perhaps more accurately “embellished”) by Ann Slim, a local friend and artist, who incorporates minor colour touches in acrylic media, where appropriate, followed by an overall covering in clear acrylic which adds further brush marks and depth. The whole work is then varnished in the traditional way. This embellishment creates a unique finish to the art. Just to turn up at the Academy during the very limited period was exciting in itself. There are several thousands of pieces submitted and perhaps only 1,000 are short-listed and then about 75% make it to the final exhibition. Artists and the Press make for a busy and intriguing atmosphere. This enhanced Davids hunger to continue to find more similar venues to display his art in. As a result David has made further submissions in 2019 and 2020 “Stayin’ Alive, say NO to KNIVES” (a joint entry with the Knife Angel Sculptor Alfie Bradley) and “Mara Dawn and the Disappearing Elephants” but neither made the short-list. Both entries were embellished by Ann Slim.
Stayin’ Alive, say NO to KNIVES
For new works, David has taken to undertaking the embellishment process himself.
Mara Dawn Elephant Montage
https://www.vista-foto.com/
In addition to the Academy of Art David has displayed works at several different sites and events. To give some ideas for other aspiring artists these have included • • • • • • • • • •
Curborough Festival of Artists Several Local Hostelries (one permanent display, about 10 limited displays) Three Local Libraries Local Restaurants Local Supermarket Antique Shops Local Fetes Local Church Local School Local Galleries
Works have been published in the following media • Widnes RUFC Annual Programme • Lichfield Mercury • Living the Photo Artistic Life • The Fisherman • Creative B&W Artistry • Heaven Art Gallery • Orenda Gallery • Pepino • My Creative Images magazine
Curborough Festival
Curborough Festival
Shenstone
Curborough Festival
Shenstone
James Hurley James is a Photo Artist that captures landscapes photographs as well as painterly portraits either in the comfort of his home or on location. He is based in Huntingdon, near Cambridge, and has a passion for incorporating his emotions and frustrations into surreal artwork and painterly landscapes. James is a self-taught photographer and Photo Artist he loves photography and the digital mixed media approach to artwork. His artwork ranges from simple colour corrections in landscape photographs to enhance an image, to a complex piece of art that is made up of multiple images blended together with textures and masked out with brushwork. This month James continues to exploring the fun side of photo-art which and is presenting a single image created for one of his grandchildren. “You don’t take a photograph, you make it.” Ansel Adams
https://www.mycreativeimages.com/
20
Hand Embellishing Giclee Prints
by James Hurley
As with most creatives simply printing your work and adding it to a gallery frame isn’t the end of the story, it gives me immense satisfaction to hand embellish some images to give them that extra special something and create artwork with added wow factor. Don’t get me wrong, I love most of my art, but some of it screams out for that extra flourish. Thats where hand embellishments come in. This obsession started with choosing a suitable paper, something that can be printed on a Canon 100 pro ink jet (or similar ink jet printer, such as the iP8750) that would allow me to apply paints, wax, faux gilding sheets and varnish. I tinkered with various brands, including Canon matte paper and Marrutt Matte. After many prints and varnish tests I settled on the Marrutt Fine Art paper, as it offered the right texture with good colour enhancements after a few thin coats of varnish or wax. Obviously matte paper gives a totally different result to a satin or gloss paper. The colours are muted and dull, but this is where the varnish comes into play. By applying a couple of layers of varnish with a roller or soft brush you increase the depth of colour and bring out the details and textures of the photo-art. It needs practice and patience to apply the varnish, such as this Liquitex Professional Satin Varnish for example if you pour the varnish onto the print you will leave marks on your image. Using a roller or a foam brush and carefully applying very thin layers you can create a smooth fine layer of varnish. Obviously there are endless extra embellishments that you can apply to a print, such as creating a Deckle Edge which you then decorate with paint such as Liqutex Acrylic Ink and then applying the finished work on a mount board which can then be framed. Taking it further, I am experimenting with adding texture using a gloss medium , simple brush strokes on areas with heavy texturing in the image, texture stencils and hand embellishing with an oil paint knife to create a border or frame around the image. I have also tried applying a burnt faux gold leaf to areas of the print, initially to create frames around the image but also to pick out specific elements of the artwork. To do this you need an adhesive to apply the gold leaf and patience and boy oh boy the residue of the gilding doesn’t half get all over the place! Based on my first attempts, which look absolutely awful I think I need to practice more with this option. I can see the potential, I can see using smooth areas of pure gold on areas of some prints will add some stunning effects, but I need to master these techniques before I offer it on a finished piece......practice, practice, practice........
https://www.mycreativeimages.com
As well as mounting images on art board, I am also mounting embellished prints on birch cradle boards of various sizes and most recently I have been cutting mount boards from ply wood and either staining or burning the wood to create one off finishes. Next up I will combine these techniques with encaustic wax. With art the sky is the limit and the joy of creating is incredibly addictive and relaxing and I hope you enjoyed finding out a little about the extra creative processes that go into my artwork. Images from my small and messy workspace, excuse the mushrooms they are for another project!
Painted cradle boards and burnt hand cut ply
My small workspace with some items that I’m experimenting with
Faux gilt leaf - messy first attempts proving that I need more practice
4 layers of matte varnish, a painted deckle edge hand mounted on a black card photo board ready to frame or display on an easel.
Note: the links in this article open Amazon products and should you make a purchase it will result in commission being paid to the article author.
Joyce Simpson I am a Photographer and Digital Artist and February 2021 saw the launch of my very own website. In preparation I did lots of research around building a website, using social media, such as Instagram, as a way to boost my online presence, not to mention all the ins and outs of search engine optimisation. I’m please to say that now the website is up and running I can get back to spending more time being creative. I also found a little bit of time to follow a kick-start challenge to improve my understanding of some basic principles of creating art. I combined this with the knowledge and skills acquired on my Photo Artistic Life journey which resulted in my piece entitled Abstract Sea. This is something very different for me and was created using just one image of a calm rippling sea.
www.joyce-simpson.pixels.com
Keeping A Tight Hold On Her Heart
Sea Of Hearts
Guiding Lights
Abstract Sea
Julie Cowdy (ARPS) The restrictions of Lockdown conversely opened up opportunities that I would not have expected. I believe that the creative amongst us, who have a passion for photography, have been in a better position to make something positive out of the period of isolation. I had begun a project photographing hanging fruit, flowers and vegetables. It began with a tress of garlic bought from a French market in summer 2019. It wouldn’t stand up, wasn’t shown to advantage lying down, so I strung it up and suspended it over a canvas. During the next fifteen months, much of it spent at home either in England or France, and with a lot more time to occupy, my ‘Fruits of the Earth’ project evolved with the seasons. I played around with various ideas and finally it came to fruition in the form of tromp l’oeil creations, combining old paper, envelopes, text and textures I submitted them to the Royal Photographic Society as a fine art portfolio in November 2020 and was successful in being awarded the Associateship level: ARPS. My success was covered in the regional press and I have been invited to exhibit my portfolio at the Yorkshire Arboretum when it reopens after lockdown. Recently I’ve kept busy framing up my prints in readiness.
https://www.facebook.com/Julie-Cowdy-Photography-640242869458291/
Beetroot
Bullace
Garlic
Sunflowers
Framing botanicals
Keeley McCleave I studied illustration at art college, so there is a story-telling feel to most of my work. During the summer I re-discovered my love of illuminated manuscripts and was inspired to incorporate some richly detailed page borders in some of my compositions. I love the way borders can draw the viewer into an image and help tell the story. More recently my attention has turned to the festive season and I have had fun playing with different aspects of a British Christmas, drawing on folklore, historical costumes and traditions. I love Christmas, so always find it a springboard to creativity! I hope you enjoy my work, as much as I enjoyed creating it.
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Medea
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Circe
Morgana le Fae
The Transformation of Medusa
Morgana le Fae
Envy
Susan Jones My name is Susan Jones I have loved photography all my life, though I was rejected from the photography class at school due to not having my own SLR camera. About 20 years ago a bought a DSLR and haven’t looked back, I love taking photos, mostly studio but as often as possible getting out and about, particularly London. I have been using Photoshop for a few years, and to my joy found Sebastian Michaels Photoshop Artistry courses and then Awake and have learned so much about Photoshop and continue to learn every day. I love the program, I love changing plain photographs into fantasy colourful worlds. I hope you enjoy looking at my work as much as I enjoyed creating it.
https://www.instagram.com/sulisloveswater/
Shine on me
Sue Waterhouse I was given my first DSLR camera for Christmas in 2013 and very quickly became addicted! fortunately, I was lucky enough to take early retirement at the same time. From 2013 to 2019 my husband and I split our time between Spain and Portugal in the winter, travelling in our motorhome, and the UK and France in the summer. This provided lots of opportunities for many styles of photography. I am very new to the world of Digital Art and 12 months ago I had only occasionally ventured into Photoshop to remove unwanted items from my photographs. When the first lockdown was introduced in March, I decided I would use some of the extra time that we were spending at home, working to improve my Photoshop skills. Discovering the Photo Artistry course and more recently the AWAKE training has made me appreciate and enjoy creating digital art as much as I enjoy digital photography. I enjoy using photographs I have taken over the last few years and creating digital art from them. I also use models and digital assets provided within the course materials. As I am still at the start of my creative journey I have not yet found one particular style that I prefer….maybe I never will!
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Nuts
Smile
Light in the night
The Seer
Vivien Capper Hello my name’s Vivien and I’m from the beautiful county of Kent, England though currently living on the coast near Rome in delightful Italy with its exciting, lively way of life and vibrant colours and designs. I started out as an artist in 1982 developing Indian ink artwork of a variety of subjects especially figurative artwork and abstract floral designs, then progressed into creative photography and digital artistry thanks to Sebastian Michael’s amazing courses at ‘Photoshop Artistry’ and the advanced courses ‘Awake’ and ‘Kaizen’. My inspiration is drawn from my love of nature, figurative artwork and Italian design using many textures, patterns and colours. I’m thrilled to have some of my artwork in various publications including: Living the Photo Artistic Life, My Creative Images and have had various artworks mentioned in the Shift Art Challenge and was thrilled to win the challenge with a piece called ‘The Mysterious Cobbled Street’ in 2018. Now in 2020 I am concentrating on a series of Fresco-style Art taking my inspiration from Italian Frescos. This involves a lot of patterns, swirls, designs and colours and adding them to the model. Most of my models are from my Photoshop Artistry and Awake courses and the Colby Files.
http://vivienartdesign.com
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Spring is on the way
Flamingo adventure
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Spring in texture
My Creative Adventure - ‘Vivien’s Creativity Lab’ There are so many things to think about as an artist or photographer, not just the creativity. When you print and sell an artwork it’s always good to include a Certificate of Authenticity and a thank you note when you send it to the buyer. Make sure it’s in your brand colours with your brand logo if you have one and make sure you package the artwork beautifully! You’ll also need to date and sign the certificate together with other information regarding the artwork. If you would like to download the complete tutorial and a free example of my sample Certificate of Authenticity, please click here to see the sample and receive more art tips. Have a lovely week everyone. Thank you for your patience and reaching the end of the article! Next month I’ll be talking about branding (you can download my free mini-guide to branding here) and marketing your artwork or craft items. In the meantime enjoy viewing this lovely creative magazine. You can also follow my blog, if you like, for more creative ideas and tips or just to ask me a question – the link is here
Zara Bampton Originally from the UK, I now live with my husband, 4 dogs and 2 cats in rural France. I have been interested in photography for many years and now my life has slowed down, I am able to spend more time with my camera both outside and in my studio. I am fortunate to be surrounded by beautiful countryside and medieval towns and buildings. At the weekends I like to rummage at vide greniers and brocantes on the hunt for interesting items to photograph. I have always wanted to give my photos more of an artistic feel, but until recently I didn’t have the knowhow to do so. Towards the end of last year, I enrolled on the Photo Artistry course and then the AWAKE course and although I am still in the early stages I have started to gain sufficient skills to create digital art from my photos.
Cheese Slice
Scissors
Sieve
https://issuu.com/mycreativeimages
M e t v IImages ae My CCreative Promoting Digital Photo Artistry
