by successfulbob | fine art photography, fine art portrait, people photography, photography creativity, photography education, tuesday painterly photo art
Tuesday Painterly Photo Art – Paul Tumason
It’s fun to find new art and artists (to me) once you start poking around. I’m happy to share Paul’s painterly photography work with you today on the Successful-Photographer blog.
Paul’s Thoughts on Painterly Portrait Art.
“A portrait describes what the subject looks like in a painting, a photograph or a sculpture.
Portraits might include other objects which help to explain the subjects, A portrait, like all art, is something to “read”.
Cristi & the Boys Painter Art – © Paul Tumason
Cristi & the Boys before – Notice that Paul is starting with a very nicely posed and lit image before he begins the painting process.
I enjoy being engaged with the story of the subjects. Of course, so much is left to our imaginations, but the artist gives us clues about what the subject is thinking, what they do, or the emotions held deep inside them, what they feel about themselves, and of course, what they look like.
Some of us just think of the likeness that shall be portrayed, But to me, it’s what the subject tells us in confidence about themselves that makes portraiture so interested to me. Yes, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.
An extraction from and image and treated with a pastel feel – © Paul Tumason
Original ballet capture – © Paul Tumason
On the creating my “painted” images, I start with my photograph, not always a formal portrait, as I like the candid type of unaware subjects. Like every one of us, we have particular likes and dislikes, and preferences. We just like certain things. I find this hard to explain: but I’ll attribute it to human nature.
I try to make everything left in the image count for something.
The painting process for me is to soften some things, leave some sharp, lose some edges, define as little as possible while leaving as much as possible for the viewer’ imagination.
‘Ellie’ – © Paul Tumason
‘Ellie’ before – See how the artistic treatment in the after image simplifies the scene and brings the subject forward. © Paul Tumason
Much of my work is for my enjoyment. I like to print images, sometimes to study, but often to show to prospects, hoping that they would really like them and commission me to do a portrait for them in this style. In a way, it’s a method of marketing and separating myself from the competition.”
Paul has taught portraiture, including composition and lighting to photographers since the 1980’s including some Corel Painter classes here and there. He doesn’t work at this as a regular gig. If you are interested in Paul’s style, let him know if you’d like to have a class. He would love to schedule something for you. Otherwise, you are always welcome for a brief phone conversation to talk about our painterly art, or if you’d like to hire Paul as a tutor.
Learn more and view Paul’s work at www.tumasonpaintings.com
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
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by successfulbob | fine art musician portrait, graphic design, Lumix GH4, Lumix GX8, Lumix Lounge, musician photography, people photography, photographer of musicians
Jackie Venson at Sound Bites Grill
Sound Bites Grill has a new addition to the ‘Wall of Fame.’
Jackie Venson and her band were enshrined at the SBG Wall last night.
Here are Jackie Venson and her band in art form.
Here’s how it looks on the Wall. The autographs are done in advance on a white piece of paper with black Sharpie pen. I’ll show you all the elements used to create the final image below.
The ‘Wall of Fame’ image is created with photos captured during the live stage performance in the Sound Bites Show Lounge. Each performer is tracked on stage individually. Then they are extracted from the background and placed into a new environment. Texture, shadows, glows along with sharpening, blurring parts of the combined images are all combined in Adobe Photoshop to create the final art piece. Capturing the musicians during the live performance gives the final art image a stronger feeling of emotion created during the performance that a static image just doesn’t have.
Here are the elements for the final image. Layers and Masks along with Blend Modes were utilized in creating the painterly look.
Images are currently being captured with the Lumix GH4 or Lumix GX8 cameras. I enjoy that the sensors have enough density range to allow a single capture of the harsh LED lighted scene. A slight adjustment in post production using Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) of bringing down the highlights and opening up the shadows makes for a well-exposed photo. In previous cameras due to the extreme light variations, there was a need to capture three images and blend them together to achieve the same result.
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
PS – Can’t wait until Jackie, Alán Uribe on bass/backvox and Rodney Hyder on drums come back for their next show at Sound Bites Grill
by successfulbob | fine art photography, fine art portrait, people photography, photographer profile, photography, photography creativity, tuesday painterly photo art
Tuesday Painterly Photo Art
Angela Blankenship – M.Photog., CPP
Angela came to my attention as a recommendation* from a past featured artist, Heather Michelle Chinn. When I went to look at Angela’s work on her website I was immediately taken with more the painting techniques. Entranced by the pure emotion, I saw coming through in her work got me to get in touch with an invite to the blog.
‘Words of Painterly Wisdom’
The only words of wisdom I have is LEARN, LEARN, LEARN.
I love the movement and family connection portrayed in this portrait by © Angela Blankenship
Seek out someone, or couple people, whose work you appreciate and ask them to help you develop your own vision through the skills they have and can pass on to you. I spent time with some fabulous digital painters, Mona Sadler – Coastal Pet Portraits and Heather Chinn – Heather the Painter, who were gracious enough to help me begin and develop the skills needed to be able to create merited work. I had merited images at IPC within a year of learning to digitally paint.
Before/After ‘Such a Bright Child’ © Angela Blankenship
Nothing replaces one-on-one teaching. I also suggest bringing as many of your ideas and vision to the “teachers” so they can help YOU create YOUR OWN style and art pieces. Tear out images in magazines you love. Hang them on your wall and start to see the similarities in the work to which you are attracted. This can help you notice a style and assist the mentor to guide you in the skills needed.
Heirloom Petite Portrait Before/After ‘Dreamy’ © Angela Blankenship
Heirloom Petite Portrait Before/After ‘Protected’ © Angela Blankenship
I always knew I wanted to create portraits that went beyond a straight photograph. I don’t think I’m fully at my potential, but am thoroughly enjoying the process of getting there, thanks to the help of some giving teachers. I will be forever grateful to them. I remember I got teary-eyed with appreciation after my first lesson with Mona, who taught me basics to get started using Photoshop for digital painting. Heather helped me bring my vision of hand-tinted and styled headshots to life which has brought me clients that I would not otherwise have had along with some excellent sales. These images are sold and marketed under the banner Heirloom Petite Portrait www.HeirloomPetitePortrait.com
Walk in the Woods © Angela Blankenship
Don’t be afraid to ask that special artist to help you develop your work.
www.abphotography.info Angela’s main website
www.HeirloomPetitePortrait.com (my website for the Heirloom Petite Portraits)
Angela Blankenship
Bio…
Energetic and driven are words that describe Angela. With five kids, 20 years as a full-time psychology professor, Certified Professional Photographer and a Master Photographer degree which was earned in four years, Angela is definitely focused. Angela owns AB Photography, a portrait studio established in 2008. Currently located on the main street of quaint downtown Nashville, NC. She is dedicated to creating classic children’s portraiture.
Angela’s Mentor’s websites
www.heatherthepainter.com Heather Chinn website
www.coastalpetportraits.com Mona Sadler website
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
* Do you have a recommendation for an artist you believe would be appropriate for this Tuesday Feature? Let me know!
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by successfulbob | fine art photography, fine art portrait, people photography, tuesday painterly photo art
Tuesday Painterly Photo Art
Heather Michelle Chinn – AKA “Heather the Painter” Corel Painter Master Elite, Corel Certified Painter Educator, Golden Artist Educator, M.Photog, M.Artist, CR.
Completely captivated!
Came across the first image in this post when I was judging an imaging competition for Professional Photographers of America (PPA). It was obviously in the Artist category, but it was such a fantastic portrait that contained an incredible personality. I loved it! Great skill was needed to make this fantasy piece believable.
I have since been exposed to more of Heather’s work, and she shows why there are so many credentials following her name. Another image, in an entirely different style, cemented the fact I wanted Heather to be featured in this blog about Painterly Photo Art. I won’t tell you which image, but know that “Leo” is one of my all-time heroes in the art world. Here’s Heather.
Learning Corel Painter
Creatives wanting to learn Corel Painter, and traditional oil/acrylic painting often ask what they can study to learn how to produce stronger paintings. Studying traditional artwork in a style that moves you is the key! Look at the same elements used to judge the International Print Competition** and you can see how it translates into a more PAINTING-focused list:
Here we go!
Impact – Does this grab the viewer/collector for a long time and stir emotions by using the following elements?
Technical Excellence – Are your brush strokes varied to a degree where not everything looks like mush, or “matchy-matchy?” How are your shadow/highlight transitions accomplished in blending or laying varying levels of colors next to each other? Is the texture interesting and supportive? Are the brush SIZES supporting and appropriate? Are objects correctly proportionate?
“Letters to Penelope” © Heather Chinn Photography
Creativity – Is this something “new” that viewers/collectors haven’t experienced before? Is it a different take on a theme?
Style – Does your heart and soul show through your art? Is it an accurate expression of the real you? People can tell. If it’s you, it shows.
“Defiant” before/after © Heather Chinn Photography
Composition – Does the layout of choices such as value range, lines, subject shape weights, etc. support your story? Does it keep the interest of the viewer without them knowing why?
Presentation – Is it presented in a way that best supports the painting? IE: Frame choice? Hanging height with lighting choice? I rarely use thin frames, and try to find frames that are at least 4″ in width or matches the subject’s face size. Is it best presented on paper or canvas? Watercolors, pastels, charcoals, and more modern interpretations read beautifully on papers. I’ve found traditional paintings are best received on canvas. It’s up to your style and taste. Is it hung at eye level? Is it well lit?
“Elysium” © Heather Chinn Photography Original photograph Tammy Bevins
Color Balance – I believe this is crucial to a painting being successful. If you look at well-known pieces by the Masters such as Monet’s waterlilies, John Singer Sargent’s portraits, or the brilliant works by Vermeer, you’ll see not every color in the spectrum was used. That can be overkill unless it aligns with your style (more modern). The aspect of BALANCE is of paramount importance. Are the colors overall easy to view for a long period, or does the saturation scream at you? Does the harmony and balance of colors playing together work to support the message? If you look at a Sargent portrait and take it into Photoshop and look at the colors used, you’ll find very few super saturated colors are used. Saturated colors were reserved for pops of “surprise.” Limit your “aha!” color moments for a more pleasing, easy-to-look-at-for-a-long-while masterpiece.
This links to an excellent post on color theory: http://www.oil-painting-techniques.com/color-theory.html
“Culvarious” before/after marketing piece – © Heather Chinn Photography
Center of Interest – This absolutely has to support your story. What are you trying to say to the viewer? Is it about the portrait of the face, or maybe a secret message about the surrounding props? Leading lines, lighting choices, highlight placement/shadow placement can all subconsciously lead the viewer here. Brushwork can also lead to the center of interest by refining your strokes and intensity of detail into the area you want the viewer to “land” and stay awhile.
Lighting – This absolutely must support your story, again (seeing a pattern here?). Dramatic lighting on a fresh newborn baby speaks of ominous tones or dramatic backstory. If you study the popular Old Masters paintings, you may notice two things: direction lighting (versus flat lighting), and an element of backlighting make for STUNNING paintings. Flat lighting is harder to paint, in my opinion. There is no clear definition of highlight placement. It works for some artists. For me, I tend to love clear, defined highlights that come with direction lighting, and a backlit/hair lit portrait. Is the lighting the most flattering to your subject?
“Divinely DaVinci” – © Heather Chinn Photography (This image ROCKS! ED.)
Subject Matter & Story Telling – These are pretty self-explanatory! What the heck are you trying to convey in your artwork? Is it clear?
Technique – Balance your colors. Balance your brush texture. Varying degrees of blending/hard edges will make for a very interesting painting. There must be some tension of contrast between your elements.
“Oil Interpretation Marketing Piece – © Heather Chinn Photography
Heather’s Extra Tips
I would recommend getting lost in art museums, gallery showings, Pinterest, Behance, and playing with paint! Take screenshots of images that move you. Put them in a single folder, and then go through this list trying to find similar elements between your favorite artwork? Do you find you’re drawn to more monochromatic paintings? More bold colors? Flat lit? Directionally lit? Strong lines, or soft, blended, peaceful scenes? Is there similar brushwork? Is there a dominant color family consistently used? Is there a consistent subject matter?
Maybe if you can find similarities, you can apply those to your masterpieces! Even if you don’t paint in your studio, when applied, these elements will grow your portraiture.
Heather’s Headshot – © Heather Chinn Photography
Happy painting, Heather
———————-
Heather Michelle Chinn was born with a paintbrush. From early on she would paint anything with any medium within reach from food to nail polish. Her earlier masterpieces were painted inside closet walls and eventually translated into professional murals in Fredericksburg, Virginia. For several years, Heather painted whimsical watercolors for the international stationary company Mon Petite Chou.
Heather is an experienced presenter in live and recorded demonstrations. She has been teaching Corel Painter and mixed media at multi-day workshops, live seminars and webinars, and PPA affiliate schools all across the country for the last eight years. Known for what is consistently called her “calming” manner of speaking, being graceful under pressure, concise and thorough, with easy-to-follow Corel Painter tutorials. Heather is a natural educator across multiple platforms.
Two of her ethereal paintings of children, “Little Miss” and “Not A Girl, Not Yet a Woman,” were featured among 135 artist’s work out of thousands of entries in Ballistic Publishing’s first Painter book. Heather’s masterpieces are consistently featured in the prestigious, annual PPA Loan Collections where only a small percentage of the world’s best photographic artwork is selected among thousands of entries. Interviews and artwork have been featured in multiple Showcase Collections, French Photography Magazine, Digital Photo Pro UK, After Capture and the Official Corel Painter Magazine. Recently, Heather’s work and collaborative efforts have been published in Painter Showcase, a collection of several worldwide digital artists’ masterpieces available at Amazon.com. Her belief that anyone can easily use Corel Painter to create their own keepsakes led her to a speaking platform at the beautiful Phoenix Symphony Hall for the Professional Photographers of America’s International Convention in Phoenix, Arizona in January 2014. Heather made her television debut on Lifetime Television’s “The Balancing Act” in April of 2014.
When Heather isn’t creating oils and mixed media paintings for her photographer clients, or retail collectors on the easel, she travels the country inspiring and mentoring the budding or professional creatives in mixed media and figurative expression. Her time is devoted and divided between painted commissions, and education. It is said that Heather’s “soul” is often very clearly seen in her work. Her elegant brushwork and transcendent color harmonies capture the ethereal essence of the subject and evoke an emotional dialogue between viewer and painting.
To learn Corel Painter, please visit Corel’s vast library of free tutorials at www.Youtube.com/PainterTutorials
Please subscribe to my Youtube channel at www.Youtube.com/HeatherThePainter
Be sure to subscribe to the newsletter at www.HeatherThePainterStore.com for updates on webinars and workshops! There are in-depth tutorials of step by step training on www.HeatherThePainterStore.com. Heather is available for digital painting and acrylic/oil embellishing private and group workshops, private online training, and speaking.
The top two tutorials that help people who have never used Corel Painter, or have never PAINTED before are the “Intro to Painter” and “Portrait Box Set” available for immediate digital download at www.HeatherThePainterStore.com
Deals for Successful-Photographer readers from Heather until September 1st, 2016
“save25” saves $25 off the new Classical Remixed Backgrounds Collection (even if it’s on sale)
“successful” saves you 20% off any tutorial training (even if it’s on sale)
www.HeatherThePainterStore.com and www.HeatherThePainter.com
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
** PS – Heather’s post comes at a great time and talks about the twelve elements as used in International Photographic Competition (IPC) Judging starts this Sunday and you can watch the process live. Fabulous education even if you haven’t entered images this time around.
International Photographic Competition
Welcome to IPC Live, streaming July 31 – August 4, 2016. Everyone is welcome to watch! If you are a PPA member, login with your username and password. If you are not a member, create an account below, and enjoy the show! Here are the showtimes:
IPC Judging Live Stream: Sunday, July 31, 4:30 pm – 6:30 pm EST; Monday, August 1 – Thursday, August 4, 8:00 am -6:00 pm EST
IPC Live hosted by Booray Perry, Cr.Photog., CPP: Monday, August 1-Thursday, August 4, 10:15 am & 2:15 pm EST
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by successfulbob | fine art portrait, people photography, photography - art quote
Sunday PhotoArt Quote – Chuck Close
Some people know how to smack you upside the head in just a few words.
I often find that the fewer the words often, the higher the impact.
“Inspiration is for amateurs; the rest of us just show up and get to work.” Chuck Close
Pretty sure I have used this quote here before but I believe it bears repetition. If you wait for inspiration to strike you could well be standing on the platform when the train travels past leaving you behind. In my study of artists of all types in looking for inspiration I find that in almost all genres including writing, painting, sculpting and photography, the advice most offered to becoming a stronger artist is just to do it. Of course, you want to practice well but just getting in there and producing whether making mistakes or masterpieces will move you down the road to becoming more proficient at your craft.
Daguerreotype – Self-portrait © Chuck Close
Chuck Close was one of the photographic artists who inspired me with a larger than life portraits printed on various strata. Even though he suffered a spinal artery collapse that left him paralyzed he kept working and painting creating photo-realistic work that continues to inspire me today.
Time to get to work. I still need more practice.
How about you?
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
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by successfulbob | fine art musician portrait, Lumix GH4, Lumix GX7, Lumix Lounge, musician photography, people photography, photographer of musicians
Photography of Musicians at Sound Bites Grill
The Black Market Trust
Photographing musicians during a live performance can be a bit of a challenge.
But I dig it!
If you follow this blog you know I am charged with creating the marketing images for bands who play at Sound Bites Grill in Sedona. Also, the ‘Wall of Fame’ is a record of performers who have graced the stage and is becoming a history of entertainment at the restaurant. To date, there are over eighty art pieces presented on the wall.
Here is the latest.
The Black Market Trust Band
Here is the finished piece as presented on the ‘Wall of Fame.’
While the band is performing, I isolate each member and extract them from the scene and then blend them back together while creating the art piece for the wall. These were captured with the Lumix GX7 and the 35-100mm f2.8 Vario lens. After each member is placed on the new canvas layers of texture, drop shadows, and lighting effects are added to create depth and dimension.
While the musicians are on site, I gather their ‘message to the house’ and autographs for inclusion in the final art piece. These are signed in black Sharpie on white paper. After scanning, using Adobe Photoshop they are imported to the final image, sized and inverted to white text. The Blend Mode of the Layer is changed to Screen. This makes the inverted paper, which is now black disappear with no further selections necessary.
Images for the newspaper are also prepped. I shoot in color but do the prep to black and white for the best printing results. Many times a color image is just changed to greyscale by the paper and using NIK Silver FX Pro 2 makes for better contrast and tones. These were captured with the Lumix GH4 and the 12-35 f2.8 Vario lens.
Black & White photo The Black Market Trust Band
Color image of the BMT Band
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
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