"Open Secret - New Song" - Line 6

https://soundcloud.com/gatzka-music/opensecret1

A song for those in a relationship where there are no secrets.

Soon to be on sale on CDBaby.com

My first single there.

Have a listen!

"Blue Textured Redheaded Young Lady" Corel

Blue Textured Redheaded Young Lady

A Texture from Mayang's Textures of Blue Wood and a Portrait of a Redheaded Young Lady are the subject matter today.

I opened the Young Lady Portrait in Corel PhotoPaint. I applied the Threshold tool to it with color left in the image along with white space. I layered the Blue Texture over it and rotated it to portrait instead of landscape. I applied the property Multiply to the Texture for blending with the Young Lady.

I liked the contrast of her Red Hair and Pink Blouse with the Blue Textured Wood. I added my signature and merged all layers together.

Another striking image that required blending of the image with texture. I saved the large iteration and then resampled for display here. I set Compression at 75 and Smoothing at 33 for the JPG file.

"The Stare - Portrait of a Man" Corel

The Stare

Images collected from StockVault and the MorgueFile made today's offering for your pleasure. I opened the Portrait of a Man in Corel PSP Pro X3 and applied the Threshold tool. I adjusted this slightly.

I opened the Free Friday Texture from StockVault and added to the Portrait. I stretched that length wise to fit the Texture. It was a bit wider than it but I liked the narrow confines of the composition. I used the Property Lighten on the Portrait to add the Texture as the main coloring.

I applied my signature in black and merged all the layers together.  I saved the large iteration and resized for display. I decided to use the Curves function and Saturation tool to add some depth and boost to the colors of the Texture I used.

I really like this photographers approach to his subject - straight on for this Portrait of a Man. Thus the title: "The Stare - Portrait of a Man."

"Dear Prudence - Digital Impressionistic Watercolor" Corel

Dear Prudence - Digital Impressionistic Watercolor

This image began as a screenshot of Alanis singing "Dear Prudence." I opened the screenshot in Corel PhotoPaint with New From Clipboard. I cropped the image. Then I saved the large file.

Next I opened in Corel Painter Photo Essentials 4 and painted it with the Watercolor setting, I used the clone brush to make the eyes and mouth clearer. I used Impressionist Brushes setting on it as well.

Saving that I opened in Corel PSP Pro X3, used Saturation Vibrancy set to 11 on it. I also added the Stained Glass frame in Image, Picture Frames. I added the layer with my signature and then merged all to one layer or background.

I had also added some Image Information, Copyright, Title, etc. and saved again. I resized for display and saved with a new name.

I enjoyed Alanis' version of "Dear Prudence," very much and I have not been a true fan of hers, but I did enjoy some of her earlier hits. This version is very different, though it is quite true to the original by The Beatles.

"Blue Eyed Lady Watercolor Texture" Corel - Filter Forge

Blue Eyed Lady
(Click on for Larger View)

I garnered another portrait of a Woman from MorgueFile, along with a few other portraits. I selected this one because of the Blue Eyes and Full Mouth. It is also asymmetrical. More of the focus on her face on the right hand side of the image.

I opened it in Corel PhotoPaint and used the Threshold tool. This actually gave me quite a bit of black on the left side and surrounding the face. I decided to alter that. I found a Texture and using Corel Painter Photo Essentials 4 I auto painted it with saturated water colors. I added this to the image, then realized I needed to use the Wand tool to select the face first, so I did that. I layered them together. I used the Fill tool for the face with a gradient set on radial.

I then reopened the original Woman's portrait and cut the Blue Eyes and placed them one at a time, I also did this with the mouth. I merged all layers and applied Filter Forge's Photo Effects Vibrance to boost the colors and show off the Texture of the Watercolor Brushstrokes.

I felt it needed one more thing. I grabbed a Dover Publication Clip Art Frame with birds. I added my signature to the image and merged layers again. I saved this file with 75 compression and 33 smoothing, an optimized jpeg.

"Grandson - A Little Young to be at a Bar" PicsArt - Corel

Grandson

My Daughter took this picture with her LG Phone. They went to a restaurant for lunch and found that they had added a Bar to the place they went. So it appears that my almost 5 year old Grandson is at a bar. Look closely at the background of this image.

I had her send me the photograph and saved it on my phone. I used two effects filters in PicsArt App to create this image. I emailed it to myself, downloaded it, and opened in Corel PSP Pro X3. here I added the black frame and my signature in white. Oh, yes, I increased the image size as well. I merged all the layers to one.

Simple as that I had an interesting image of my Grandson.

"Vintage Prom Queen Beauty" Paint.net - Corel

Vintage Prom Queen Beauty
(Click for Larger Image
with more Details)

I opened another MorgueFile portrait of a Young Beauty, in Paint.net. I applied the Artistic Oil Paint tool, High on Color and Coarse Brushes. I then took a scanned in photo of a number of young ladies in a Vintage setting, that I had scanned in the other day. I opened that in Paint.net, and selected all and copied it to the clipboard.

I went back to the oil painted Young Beauty and placed the scan as a layer. I adjusted the layer to fit and applied a property for transparency. I then applied the Artistic Ink Pen to the merged layers. I kept the color high and the ink setting low. I saved this large file with a new name.

I opened that file in Corel PSP Pro X3 and added a black border, with my signature as a layer with transparency. I added Image Information and merged all layers. Saving that iteration I opened in Corel PhotoPaint to resample and save compressed by 75 and smoothed by 33, with a width of 1220.

I imagine this Young Beauty daydreaming about her relative in the Vintage Photograph, and her own future. Perhaps a Prom Queen in the making.

"Young Woman - Mayang's Textures - Blended Portrait" Corel - Picasa

Young Woman - Mayang's Textures

I gathered a few more portrait images from MorgueFile and I selected this Young Woman's image. I opened with Corel PhotoPaint and used the Threshold tool on it, adjusting it to display more of her face. I then went online to Mayang's Textures selecting the Paint Textures I found one to my liking and downloaded it to my computer.

Still in PhotoPaint I imported the Texture and fit it to the large image of the Woman. I added it with the property of Multiply and adjusted it's Opacity slightly. I merged the layers, and saved the image

I then opened in Picasa 3.9 to add the Museum Matte and frame. Saving that iteration, I went to Corel's PSP Pro X3. Here I played with Filter Forge's Photo Effects Vibrancy to add a boost to the colors. I also added my signature as it's own layer. I merged them.

I resized in PSP for display and saved again, with a new name.

I like the way her face is prominent, and how her bracelets show up clearly. I am impressed once again with the quality of Mayang's Textures and really appreciate their site.

"Abstract - Beale Street Blues Players" PicsArt - Corel

Beale Street Blues Players

I took this photograph with my Smartphone at Beale Street Ribs, in Fenton, Michigan. This duo was playing Blues with backtracking equipment, and did some originals as well.

I sent the photograph to myself after using the PicsArt App on it to give it the Contours Abstract appearance. I added a light tint to it here as well. After downloading it to my computer I opened it in Corel PSP Pro X3 and added Image Information, and applied the Saturation Vibrancy tool. I also used the golden frame addition here in Images, Picture Frames.

I would have to say that we enjoyed the Live Blues Rock music they played, and gave them a thumbs-up before leaving, accompanied by big smile of approval.

"Young Lady Watercolor Texture - Guitar" Corel

Young Lady Watercolor Texture - Guitar

I got this photograph from the MorgueFile site and decided to add Texture to it. I opened with Corel PhotoPaint and applied the Threshold tool, which gave me some white space. I browsed for a Texture file and finding one I opened that in Corel Painter Photo Essentials 4 to paint it. I used two setting of Watercolors one with Random Brushstrokes and the other Wet on Wet Watercolor.

I saved the color Texture file and opened it in PhotoPaint. There I copied the Young Lady to the clipboard and pasted it upon the Texture. I applied the Texturize property to it for the grayscale look and feel. I then changed the property to Hard Light and gained a bit of Flesh Tone back into the image. I did not merged the layers yet.

I browsed for a large Guitar image and found one. The insides of a Taylor guitar showing the bracing, just as I saw at the Taylor Road Show I attended a while ago. I scaled that image to fit and applied the Threshold tool to it, I used the property Multiply I adjusted the Opacity of that and merged all the layers, including my Signature.

I used the Tone Curve to brighten the image a tad. Then using Filter Forge's Photo Effects Vibrance I gave some more punch to the colors.

I saved the large iteration. Then resampled for display here.

"Young Lady - Lovers" Paint.NET CorelDRAW

Lovers

Young Lady

Programs used for Lovers:

• Paint.NET Ink Sketch tool
• Corel Painter Photo Essentials 4 Modern Painting
• Corel PSP Pro X3 to layer and Merge the Pen and Ink with the Painting
• CorelTRACE Traced and export as native CMX file
• CorelDRAW to place and fix size, convert to bitmap
• Corel PhotoPaint to add signature and resample to display size

Programs used for Young Lady:

• Corel Painter Photo Essentials 4 Simple Watercolor for Texture
• Corel PSP Pro X3 to layer Young lady, use Threshold tool and blend Texture
• added black border in PSP and signature

Please click on each image above for a larger view of each. Comments always welcome. Pluses anguished for! On Google+

Thanks for visiting!

"Sunglasses and Stripes Woman's Portrait" Corel

Sunglasses and Stripes Woman's Portrait

This piece was opened in CorelTRACE first and turned into a CMX vector graphic. I saved it an opened in CorelDRAW. There I added some gradient colors and converted the grouped vector pieces to bitmapped. I copied that to the clipboard.

From there I opened in Corel PhotoPaint, New From Clipboard, it was a very large 300 dpi file. I applied the Artistic tool Crayons to it and then I added a Canvas Texture from Effects. I also used the Tone Curve to give the colors more depth.

Saving that iteration I resampled the image to display size. I added my signature to it and saved the medium sized image with compression set at 75 and smoothness at 33. I opened it in Corel PSP Pro X3 and upped the Saturation with Vibrancy. With Image Information I added Title Copyright, Programs used and saved again.

Feel free to browse my Labels Cloud at the bottom of the page for more Digitaal Visual Art of a variety of styles, including Collage.

"Abstract Guitar Player One" Corel

Abstract Guitar Player One

I attended a Taylor Guitars Road Show and took the original photograph during the show. I used a Canon Rebel XTi. I used my Android Phone and shared the image with Instagram first using PicsArt App to alter it. I used the Pencil Sketch tool, and a sepia filter.

I went to my phone Gallery and sent a copy to myself by email. Taking this image I downloaded it to my PC. Here I used Picasa 3.9 to add a Museum frame and Matte to the image.

Saving that I opened it in Corel PaintShop Photo Pro X3 and increased the Saturation Vibrancy by 33. Then I added my signature file as another layer. I sized that and fit it to the image and using the property Multiply I made the white background transparent. I merged the layers into one.

I ended up with a square image with Abstract lines and texture I saved it with a differing name, which was only a number prior to this.

"Eyes Lips Texture Woman Portrait" Corel

"Eyes Lips Texture Woman Portrait" Corel

In Corel PhotoPaint I cropped another Woman's Portrait from MorgueFile to shoulders and face. I then began to use a playful approach to the image. I applied the Threshold tool to the original crop. I added a texture from StockVault to it, resizing it to fit, and applied it to the white space of the image. I merged these together as one.

I then created a cutout of the face, reducing it in size, I placed it down the dark left side. I decided to add some geometric interest to it. I created two Triangular masks. Which I subsequently filled with a gradient of brown to orange.

I thought the largest of them, on the right side needed some more punch. I cutout the lips and then the eyes, placing them within the colored triangle. Also I added a brown border to the outside of the image. I used my Filter Forge Frames plug-in, for a light film frame. Adding the signature in white I saved the large iteration.

I used the Saturation tool to brighten it a bit. I resampled the image to a display size with compression set to 75 and softness set to 33 and Optimized the final piece. I do like the asymmetrical aspect of the overall image. Makes it interesting and not run of the mill.

"Colorful Digital Portrait - Young Lady" - CorelDRAW

Colorful Digital Portrait - Young Lady

I selected another Young Lady photograph from my MorgueFile research for today's post. I opened CorelTRACE and loaded the large file. I Traced using Advanced Outline. This gave me a native CMX file that I opened in CorelDRAW.

I Ungrouped the traced pieces and then I used differing gradients, and textures, to fill each area. This led to a colorful image of the Young Lady. I added a turquoise rectangle to the back of the pieces. I selected all the traced pieces, and the rectangle, and Grouped them as one unit. I then converted it to a bitmapped file. I copied the large bitmap to the Clipboard.

I opened Corel PhotoPaint and pasted New From Clipboard the copy. I added my signature in black. and saved the large file at 300 dpi. I resampled for display size, compressing by 62 and softened by 33, for a smaller file to load faster.

Be sure to click on the file for a larger view of it. F11 in Chrome will give you a full screen view, F11 back to the regular settings.

Comments are always welcome on experiments like this image. Feel free to browse "gatzkART!" for additional Digital Visual Art, as well as Woodward Dream Cruise Custom and Vintage cars, guitars images, along with other works. See the Labels Cloud by scrolling down to the lower parts of the blog page, Browse the topics and view them with the explanations of workflow used to create the images.

"Young Woman - Vintage Paper - Stone - Painted Concrete" Corel

Young Woman Textural Portrait

I went to the Morguefile site and searched on Free Portraits and found six  new ones to work with. I opened the first one I selected in Corel PSP Pro X3. There I applied the Threshold tool. I ended with a black and white image of the Young Woman.

I opened a Vintage paper texture file from StockVault and added that to the black background. I also opened another texture from them, this time a Stone Texture and added that with a differing property. This left the Young Woman all white.

I saved this iteration and opened in Corel PhotoPaint. here I used the Magic Wand tool to select the white space. Then using the Fill tool I loaded into it another Texture. I filled the white space with that.

I adjusted the colors with the Tone Curve tool for more depth, and saved that iteration with greater compression fit for a blog posting. I reopened that in PSP and added a signature layer, Image Information Title, Copyright, Sources, and Programs used. I saved again.

I resized for display and saved the final iteration.

I would like to thank StockVault and Morguefile for the really decent images they give away free. This allows me great latitude in creating the Digital Visual Art I so much enjoy.

"Stone Textured Woman with Dogs - Horse" Digital Collage - Corel

Stone Textured Woman with Dogs - Horse

As I mentioned I would endeavor to create some new Digital Collage works. I had time to do so with today's offering for your viewing.

I started with a Stone Texture from StockVault, I opened it with Corel PSP Pro X3. There I used the Curves tool to lighten the Stone background. I then opened the Woman with the Dogs and Horse. I used the Curves tool again, this time to deepen the colors of this Dover Publications Clip Art. I also increased the Saturation Vibrancy by 33.

Using Corel PhotoPaint, I opened a page of Dover Clip Art with Art Nouveau Designs in black and white. I selected the Bottom Design and cut that out, saving as it's own file. Then I opened the Vines for the Top Design to add some framing to the Woman image.

I copied and pasted these as new layers in PSP, as well as a layer of my signature. I adjusted the size of each one, placed them in position and then Merged all the layers to one.

I saved the large iteration and resized for display in PSP. Saving that I opened it one more time in PhotoPaint. There I applied Filter Forge's Photo Effects Vibrancy one more time for a boost to the overall colors. I also compressed the file by 70, as it is a 300 dpi image, smoothing is set to 15 I saved the file once again with these settings.

I have many more pieces of Dover Clip Art Samplers on my external drive, to use for additional Digital Collage Artworks. Also StockVault and Mayang's Textures supply me with many types of backgrounds. Look for more of my Collage work in the near future.

"Taylor Guitars Seven - Lightly Textured" Corel

Taylor Guitars Seven - Lightly Textured

One more image based upon the Taylor Road Show. A demonstration of their T5z Guitar, the one the Guitarist is playing in this piece.

I opened the Canon Rebel XTi photograph in Corel PSP Pro X3 and used the Threshold tool on it. The guitars really stand out in the image. I added a layer of a light Texture, like Blonde Wood guitar finishes. I upped the Saturation Vibrancy. I added another layer of my signature, then using Picture Frame added the Gold Frame. I merged all the layers and saved the large iteration.

I resized it in PSP for display. I saved that and opened with Corel PhotoPaint where I resampled it with Compression set to 50, and Optimization of the jpg. I saved that smaller compressed file.

I will be doing some Digital Collage work soon. Seven images from the Taylor Road Show is a nice uneven number.

Remember to hit the HOME button, Scroll through my Artwork and click to enlarge the images for full impact. (Use that F11 Key to give the fullest view in your browser!) Take a look see at my Labels Cloud for other subject matter you might be interested in. Feel free to browse around my blog, I have over 1,230 posts and multiple images here for your investigation and enjoyment.

"Taylor Guitars Six Textured Grunge" Corel

Taylor Guitars Six Textured Grunge

I reverted back to my photographs of the Taylor Road Show at Motor City Guitars for today's image. I shot this photograph with my Canon Rebel XTi during the demonstrations of their 800 Series Guitars. 

I opened the photograph in Corel PSP Pro X3 and I added four layers,

1. The photograph itself of the Guitarist
2. A Texture of Rusted Paint
3. A Texture of a Concrete Wall from StockVault
4. The layer including my signature.

I blended these using a variety of properties for each individual layer. I applied Saturation Vibrancy to punch the colors. I saved the Large iteration and then resized it, I then used a Plug-in from Filter Forge's Photo Effects on the smaller image. I selected a Grunge Framing with more texture for the white space in the image. I saved this iteration.

I opened this in Corel PhotoPaint and saved it as an Optimized jpg with 50 set as my compression. I recently have found that many of my images I save to post on this blog are not compressed enough and are causing a slower load time for the initial view of the blog. So I will be compressing and Optimizing my image in PhotoPaint (or another program) in the future to improve load times.

Those of you who regularly visit gatzkART! will appreciated this I am certain, and for my new viewers (first time visitors) it will encourage them to come back and view my Artwork again.

"A Straw Hat Young Woman Map NYC" Corel

A Straw Hat Young Woman Map NYC

I got this photograph of the Young Woman in a Straw Hat from StockVault. I am uncertain where I got the Vintage NYC Map from, it may have been Dover Publications.

I opened the Young Woman using the Organizer in Corel PSP Pro X3. The EXIF data says it is an iPhone photograph, It was somewhat washed out, but otherwise had nice detail. I ran it through the Threshold tool and made it black and white, I adjusted the image to show enough of the nose and straw hat as possible. It resulted in some full black space, which I liked. I used the NYC Map, from my Dover Samplers Folder, as a layer and had to do a few things to it. I had to enlarge it, to fit, using Curves I gave some more depth to the colors. After I merged those layers to one I added my white signature.

I also used the Saturation Vibrancy to boost the colors of the Map. I merged the Map using the property Darken instead of Lighten, which placed it in the white space of the image. I added a 25 pixel border in black to make the top of the image fit better. I used Image Information to add Title, Copyright, Programs used, etc. Saving the Large iteration I resized for display to 1200 x 1200 pixels.

As always, please click on the image for the larger view. Comments are always welcome! Don't forget to view other Artworks of mine by using the Labels (tag) Cloud at the bottom of the screen, or the Google Search for my Artworks of various styles and kinds. You are always invited to search through my blog for Digital Collage work and Guitars, and various other images found here.

I had time to update my Acoustic Guitar Community Page to match my blog for consistency. If you enjoy Singer/Songwriter Folk/Rock and music in general Visit my page at AGC! Have a listen. You can scroll down the pages there to see the explanation of each song in my Player. Scroll to the song you would like by using the Next or Previous buttons on the Player. to stop a song or pause it hit the Stop button. Very simple player options. Enjoy!

"Getting Ahead Of Myself - New Blog Background - Header and Textured Young Lady - Grunge" Corel

Textured Young Lady - Grunge

Ahead of the New Year I am trying out a new blog setting for gatzk.ART!

I created a new header with new copyright information for 2015 using Black Ladder font and a Vintage Paper background. I changed colors on my site to warm brown tones. I moved away from the Guitar background. I may try another Tiled Image of a Guitar nature in the near future, I have one in mind I just have to find it among my thousands of images on the external drive.

The image of the Textured Young Lady is a Grunge effort that I worked on today, in addition to the first post for this day. I opened Corel PSP Pro X3 and used the Organizer to find the images I wanted for Textures. I found the Gal's Portrait on my external drive looking for something else!

I also layered the pieces one at a time. First applying the Threshold tool to the Young Lady. Then I added the concrete wall to the background. And I finished off with the Vintage paper. It needed a border so I got one from Dover Publications, added that and my signature in white.

Please, when you visit this blog, comment on the current display of it, and whether or not you like the new settings. I can always make changes to satisfy my viewers needs. Comment below or email me at my Google+ address. (Gmail.)

Thank you!

"Grunge Family Foto - Gustav, Christina, Unidentified" Corel - Mayang's Texture

Grunge Family Foto

I was looking for a Texture in my Mayang's Texture folder and grabbed this Grunge Green, Blue, Rust image for my background. As I searched through my images and photographs I found this one that is repudiated to be of my Family Ancestors Gustav and Christina, with an unidentified young lady. 

I opened all layers in Corel PSP Pro X3 and did some cropping and resizing of them to create this Grunge themed piece. I used Hard Light applied to the family photograph for transparency. I added my signature layer in white, using the property Lighten for the background making it transparent allowing the signature to show by itself. I merged all layers together.

I added Image Information, Title, Copyright, Programs used. Then, saving that, I resized for display.

I mentioned I was moving away from the Taylor Road Show Photographs for a time. Back to Grunge Textured images and Digital Collage for the present.

"Taylor Guitars Five Impressionist Painting" Corel

Taylor Guitars Five

I opened this photograph from the Taylor Road Show in Corel Painter Photo Essentials 4. I applied The Impressionist set, Colors Impressionist, Paper Basic, Brush Soft Edge Cloner. I added back in some details lightly for balance.

Saving this I opened with Corel PSP Pro X3 and used the Smart Photo Fix, Saturation Vibrancy, and added my signature in black. I then resized for display and also had added Image Information, Title, Copyright, programs used.

I have many more photographs from the Road Show, and I am uncertain if I will continue this series. Five is quite a few, but not too many for our viewers. Here are some links for you:

Taylor Guitars online.

Motor City Guitars online.

"Taylor Guitars Four Pen and Ink Watercolor" Corel

Taylor Guitars Four

Programs used:

• Corel Painter Photo Essentials 4, Pen and Ink and Detailed Watercolor
• Corel PSP Pro X3, Border, Signature Layer, Image Information, Resizing

I am ill today so a short post. This began as a photograph taken with my Canon Rebel XTi. I digitally painted it with the above program. And added the fine touches with PSP, both Corel Programs.

"Taylor Guitars Three - HDR Lomo Chalk" Picasa - Corel

Taylor Guitars Three

I began with another photograph from the Taylor Guitars Road Show at Motor City Guitars in Waterford, Michigan. I opened it in Picasa 3.9 and applied their HDR effect first, then a Lomo effect. I saved that file. I opened in Corel Painter Photo Essentials 4 and painted it using the Chalk Drawing set, full page, Classic colors, Canvas paper, Hard chalk brush.

I then used the hard clone brush to add back in details of the demonstrators and the Guitars and brick wall. I saved that and opened it in Corel PSP Pro X3 where I added a layer for my signature. I merged all layers, then saved the large iteration. I resized for display here.

As you can see I left the audience simple chalk drawing and only focused the detail on the number of Taylor's 800 Series Guitars, and the presenters. The Guitarist was quite good and prolific in differing styles of playing, entertaining the group with each guitar demonstrated. I was most impressed with the T5Z Guitar, which was presented last.

It has the qualities of an Acoustic Guitar but doubles as a great Electric Guitar. I, personally would like this one in addition to my Seagull 12-String.

"Taylor Guitars Two Watercolor Colored Pencil" Corel

Taylor Guitars Two

Like my previous Post this photograph was taken at Motor City Guitars in Waterford, Michigan during a Taylor Road Show. I used my Canon Rebel XTi to take the photographs at ISO 1600.

I opened the file in Picasa 3.9 and adjusted the colors and added a Museum Matte. Saving that with a new file name I opened with Corel Painter Photo Essentials 4 and Painted with the Simple Watercolor, Coarse Paper, Light colors. I then used the set Colored Pencils, Random Brushes, Intense colors on top of the lighter watercolor image. Saving that I opened in Corel PSP Pro X3.

I made some color adjustments and altered the size for display here.

A Doctors Appointment is keeping me from further discussion! Watch for more posts from the Road Show!

Thank You for viewing!

"Taylor Guitars One Modern Digital Painting" Corel

Taylor Guitars One Modern

Had the pleasure of attending the Taylor Guitars Road Show at Motor City Guitars in Waterford, Michigan. They focused on their 800 Series of guitars and also demonstrated a T5z Hybrid Guitar.

I uploaded all the Photographs I took that night to my computer, and opened a couple in Picasa 3.9. I adjusted the tone and color in that program, saving the changes to a new large file. I opened it next in Corel Painter Photo Essentials 4 and selected a painting mode of a Modern Painting, Intense color, Basic paper, Captured brush.

After the painting was finished there I saved it under a new name. That painted Image I opened with Corel PSP Pro X3. There I added Image Information, Title, Copyright, Artist. I also made sure I boosted the colors with the Saturation Vibrancy set at 33. I added my signature and saved that iteration. I resized the image to 800 x 1200 pixels, 72 dpi for display here.

I worked on this late in the night and hope that the posting gets deserved attention. As always please click on the image for a larger view. Also use the Label (tag) Cloud at the bottom of this page for searching for more Artworks I have devoted time to creating. Or use the Search tool for a type of image you may be looking for. Thank you for your interest. Leave comments below if desired.

"Grunge Textured Close Up of a Six-String Guitar" Corel

Grunge Textured Guitar

I had recently gotten two images, one of a group of grayscale Textures, and another of a close up of a Six-String Guitar. Both the Guitar and the Textures I got from StockVault as free images. Using Corel PSP Pro X3 I created today's image.

I used the Texture as a layer with the property of Multiply and blended it with the guitar. After merging the layers I used the Saturation Vibrancy to give punch to the colors on the guitar. The rosettes around the soundhole having coloration in them made for a great focal point.

I added my signature in white as a layer and used the Additive property to get rid of the background of the signature layer. I again merged all. I save a large iteration and then resized to display here.

If you desire to see more of my Guitar images go to the bottom of this page and select from the Labels Cloud what you would like to see, or use the search tool also found there. Thanks for looking and don't be shy about searching my other images. You will find quite a bit of Digital Visual Artworks of varying styles here!

"Five More Images Near Clare Michigan" Corel

The Trail to the House

Stump With Mushrooms and Ferns

Swamp Woods II

Swan Planter Empty

Windmill Tower II

Programs used:

• Corel PSP Pro X3, Filter Forge Freepack Frames, "The Trail to the House"
• Corel Painter Photo Essentials 4, Corel PSP Pro X3, Filter Forge Freepack Frames, "Stump With Mushrooms and Ferns"
• Corel Painter Photo Essentials 4, Corel PSP Pro X3, "Swamp Woods II"
• Corel PhotoPaint, Corel PSP Pro X3, "Swan Planter Empty"
• Corel Painter Photo Essentials 4, Corel PSP Pro X3, "Windmill Tower II"

I used various steps for each of the above images from near Clare, Michigan. I did them a while ago, so I don't remember everything I did on each. So I have listed the programs I remember using. I most cases I do remember adjusting the Saturation Vibrancy on them to varying degrees.

I am Listening to "Paul Platt" on SoundCloud as I write this blog post. +Paul Platt great sounds for the background while posting. Thanks, Paul!

"Triple Play, Images From Near Clare, Michigan" Corel

Creek Woods Digital Watercolor

Grunge Old Pallet

Small Windmill

Programs used:

• Corel Painter Photo Essentials 4, Corel PSP Pro X3 on "Creek Woods."
• Corel PhotoPaint, Corel PSP Pro X3, Filter Forge Freepack Frames on "Grunge Old Pallet"
• Corel PhotoPaint, Corel PSP Pro X3, Filter Forge Freepack Frames on "Small Windmill"

I used various tools like Local Equalization and Tone Curve in PhotoPaint, Frames from Filter Forge, And added signature in PSP Pro X3. I took the original photographs with my Canon Rebel XTi, near Clare, Michigan. 

My August 2014 Project was a success and I am hoping to post more often to gatzkART!. Look forward to other postings this month. I still have photographs from the Clare, Michigan area, and a lot of Dover Publication sample Clip Art for Digital Collages. 

"Vintage Woman and Horse on Paper Digital Collage" Corel - Dover

Vintage Woman and Horse on Paper Digital Collage

Had some time today to work on this Digital Collage. I used some images from StockVault's Free Textures (the vintage paper background,) and some Dover Publication Samples (Woman and Horse, Florals, and Art Deco Flourish.)

I opened the Woman and Horse in Corel PhotoPaint, here I applied the Tone Curve to deepen the colors. I separately opened the Vintage Paper (I cropped this image,) and here pasted the Woman and Horse, using the property Subtract.

I searched through my collection of Dover sample clip art for the Florals and added them, resizing and darkening with the Tone Curve before merging them. I used Color Burn and Multiply to add them with transparency. I added my signature using Color Burn for a burnt tone. I resized in Corel PSP Pro X3 and added Image Information: Title, Copyright, Sources and Programs used. I added a Mustard border to the image and saved the iteration you see here.

I have been extremely busy this month with an unrelated Project which will conclude at month's end. I am looking forward to creating more Art and playing and recording music with my 12-String Seagull Guitar in the near future. Not counting watching my Grandson!

"Trellises Bark Siding Shed" Corel - Audacity and Line 6

Trellises Bark Siding

A simple post today. A touch of workflow. I took this photograph near Clare, Michigan, with my Canon Rebel XTi. I opened it in Corel PhotoPaint. There I applied Local Equalization and used the Tone Curve for upping the color depth a bit.

I opened the saved large iteration in Corel PSP Pro X3 and flipped the photograph. I added Vibrancy with the Saturation tool. I also added a layer of my signature in white, which doesn't detract from the image a bit. I adjusted the size for display here and saved the medium file.

I have been experimenting with my Music using my Line 6 PodXTLive, and the Gearbox software. I used a drum backtrack that was fast rock and a beginning sound like a jet taking off. I had opened this in Audacity. I recorded E7 A7 B7 riff and also a Am Em G D riff on a subsequent new track with a differing beat. In other words I played around with two drum tracks and used a Clean guitar tone called "Clean Guitar Tone," to lay down a rhythm track through the Pod.

I used a different tone for the lead playing on both tunes. On the Am tune I used the tone Avenge-fold Seven. And on the E7 tune I used a Blues tone setting.

I played the leads, adjusted the timing in Audacity due to the Latency. I ended up with two fun tracks without vocals for my own enjoyment. I am getting used to the PoDXTLive and like it quite a bit thus far. I don't currently have the funds to purchase DAW Software so Audacity is my choice above other free recording software. For a free recording type of software it is very good to use. One of the best in my humble opinion.

"Hummingbird Hook Globe Chimes" - Corel - "DADGAD Tuning Discussion"

Hummingbird Hook Globe Chimes

I have been very busy this past few weeks. I did this image from a Canon Rebel XTi photograph, taken up North in an area near Clare, Michigan. I opened the photograph in Corel PhotoPaint.

I used the Local Equalization tool on it, then applied the Tone Curve, adding depth to the color. I kept my image processing fairly straight forward. I added a Half-Tone frame with Filter Forge's Frames. I saved the large iteration.

I re-opened the image in Corel PSP Pro X3. Here I upped the color with a Saturation Vibrancy Boost. I added my signature as a layer in Black and then a layer in White. I saved the file in display size for this post.

I also have done some work musically. I now own a used Line 6 Pod XT Live for use with my recording. It is primarily a guitar Pod but I attempted to use the Gearbox software (from Line 6) with it and used a Clean guitar setting for recording with my Shure PG58 Mic.

I played and sang the basis of a DADGAD tune and recorded it with Audacity. Though I am still having some Latency problems with Audacity, but have learned a work around for that until I get my settings right. I then recorded, with my 12-String Seagull plugged in, using a setting called Clean Sweep and laid down a lead track.

I re-plugged in my Shure Mic and did some more vocals in a new track. I adjusted the tracks to match, and Mixed and Rendered to a Stereo file. Saving as a large Wav export and then an MP3 export of a different name.

I shared it with two friends and I have been told it sounded like a late 1960's style tune. Which I don't mind as I like the period of my roots in guitar playing and singing. I was pretty impressed with the results of my experiment with the Pod XT Live and Gearbox, recording with the free source Audacity.

"Corel Painter Photo Essentials 4 - Anchorage, Alaska"

Anchorage AK Seascape

Anchorage AK Skyline

On Vacation and had some time to reflect on another vacation in Anchorage, Alaska. I selected two photographs taken with my Canon Rebel XTi. I am using our Laptop, and Corel Painter Photo Essentials 4 to Auto-Paint

I used the settings for two Watercolor Sketchs Auto-Paint, with Rough Paper and tapered brushes. It is an easy exercise to do, with some pretty great results.

Both photographs were taken from the South East of Anchorage, Nice lines and color. One is a seascape. The other is a shot of the city's skyline.

Short Post as the Auto-Paint is done by the program, with little intervention on my part. But the Photographs were taken by me. I hope you enjoy my meager sharing. Click on the images for their larger views!

"Milestone Reached - Over 140,000 Plus Pageviews for gatzkART!" Corel

Skewed Grunge Woman Portrait

"gatzkART!" has reached another Milestone, over 1,200 images and now over 140,000 Pageviews! Thanks to many of you who regularly visit and my occasional visitors. I truly appreciate your interest in my Digital Visual Artwork and Music.

Beginning with a Woman's Portrait from the MorgueFile I opened it in Corel PSP Pro X3 and then I adjusted the Threshold for white space. It is a simple portrait taken in the backseat of a car. So I Skewed the image.

Selecting a Grunge Texture from StockVault's Free Textures I added it as a layer and used the property Multiply to add it with transparency. I also applied the Saturation Vibrancy for added color.

Looking at the image I wanted additional color so I used Filter Forge's Photo Effects Vibrancy, this boosted the colors to a punchy state. I then used Filter Forge's Frames Grunge Frame to add additional edginess to the image. Using PSP Pros X3's Picture Frame I layered in a Golden frame.

Adding my inverted signature to the file I saved it as a Medium sized piece for display. In the Image Information I included some Creator information Title, Copyright, Program and Sources. I left in some of the EXIF information of the original Woman's Photograph.

It is my pleasure to share my Digital Excursions with so many of you, and it is gratifying to have reached another goal I had not anticipated.

I did have some bad news this week. My Line 6 Toneport UX1 of about 5 years is no longer working correctly. So I am not able to use it and the Gearbox or PodFarm software with it to record my music.

I have made adjustments to my on board sound system with RealTek hardware so I can record and playback, view videos, listen to Pandora, etc. But have a higher learning curve with multiple tracks in Audacity due to latency problems. I need another newer Toneport and some new DAW Software to record with, but it may be a while before that happens. Until then I will be endeavoring to simplify my recording with the on board system and my Shure PG58 microphone, along with Audacity.

"Pen and Ink Watercolor Textured Portrait" Corel

"Pen and Ink Watercolor Textured Portrait" Corel

I began this Portrait of a Blonde Young Woman in Corel Painter Photo Essentials 4. I Auto-painted it using the Detailed Watercolor settings, I left them at the defaults. On top of that I added an Auto-painted Pen and Ink layer. I saved this large iteration.

Opening in Corel PSP Pro X3 I applied the Saturation Vibrancy to it for color, as the watercolor was very soft and light. I then searched for a suitable Stone Texture to add to it. This I did. Both the original photographs were from StockVault's and MorgueFile's Free images.

I added my signature layer and resized it and placed it. Then I added a 50 pixel black border and a thin black picture frame in PSP Pro X3. I saved after adding the Image Information, Title, Copyright, etc. I then resized for display here on "gatzkART!"

Though I don't know any of the women depicted in my recent work I appreciate StockVault and MorgueFile's Sharing of the photographs and Textures for my (or anyone's) use.

"Modern Painting - Woman Textured Portrait" Corel

Modern Painting - Woman Textured Portrait

This portrait was started in Corel Painter Photo Essentials 4, my settings were the standard Modern Painting, Basic Paper, Intense Color and Dab Brush. I allowed the program to Auto-Paint the Woman until I liked what I saw and then stopped the Auto-Paint.

Using the soft clone brush I painted some details back into the resulting face, eyes and mouth. I saved the large iteration. I reopened in Corel PSP Pro X3. I applied the Saturation Vibrancy for additional intensity to the colors. I opened a Free Grunge Texture and copy and pasted as a New Layer. I used the Texture property Multiply to add it.

I did not sign it as it looks a lot like the original photograph from MorgueFile. The texture I believe came from StockVault. I think this is a nice romantic, punchy colors image to share with you.

"Woman and Guitar in a Field with Textures" Corel

Woman and Guitar in a Field with Textures

Today I selected two Free photographs from StockVault. One is the Woman with the Guitar in a Field that you see here. I used Corel PSP Pro X3, opening the original photograph, and used two Free Textures from StockVault as well.

I first applied the Threshold tool to the image for a lot of white space. I then used a Vintage Paper Texture for the sepia toning. I added a Stone Wall Texture for some more interesting contrasts. I then used the Wand tool to make selections of the white space and added a light yellow to the new layer I created from the selections.

I added my inverted signature as a layer, as well as used the Image Information tool to add Title, Copyright, etc.

I saved the large iteration after I merged all layers to one. I then decided I wanted to use a light border and a golden frame to complete the image. I saved again and then resized the image for display.

All work was completed in Corel PSP Pro X3 as noted in the EXIF information. I am getting better at using that program, it can do many more things than I have learned at this point. I am looking forward to learning even more. As I have just invested in a faster Computer I cannot afford to upgrade my programs I use for digital creative artworks. I have to pay off the computer in full before investing in newer programs from Corel.

"Bearded Smiling Man with Texture" Corel

Bearded Smiling Man

Due to a truly busy schedule I have not posted in many days. Having some time today allowed me to create this image and post it.

I got the free Man's Portrait from MorgueFile's site and the Vintage stained paper Texture from StockVault's Free Texture Friday. I opened both in Corel PhotoPaint and cropped them and then pasted as New Image from Clipboard.

I took the Man and I used the Threshold tool on it for more white space, also it highlighted his beard and eyes and mouth. I took that and copied to the clipboard and pasted it as a layer onto the Vintage Paper Texture. I used the layer property Multiply to create the transparency, allowing the Texture to show through.

I used the Tone Curve tool to add depth to the paper color. I added a black border using the Papersize tool. I then added my inverted white signature with drag and drop from a open folder window. Resizing the signature to fit the large iteration, I merged the layers to one, I then saved it. I resampled it to display size for the blog and then began my posting and workflow explanation. I used only two layers for this image, not counting my signature.

"In The Gloaming - Music - Textured Young Woman" Corel

In The Gloaming

A short workflow post today, as I had a busy day. I wanted to define Gloaming for you: it means in the Twilight or Dusk. Do a search on it and it has deeper meaning to it.

I used Corel PhotoPaint and Corel PSP Pro X3 for this piece. I added the Title and Programs used in the Image Information. PhotoPaint, and cropping, cut and paste, removed all the EXIF data from the image.

It is three layers, the Young Woman, a Painted Textured Wall, and some practice Violin Music.

I layered the images with some cropping and cut and paste work. I Distorted the Music with a Mesh tool in PhotoPaint. I added Saturation Vibrancy in PSP Pro X3, and my signature.

Sorry the workflow is not as clear, but a simple presentation of the work done should be adequate for those used to layering and working with such tools.

"Gouache Painted Young Woman with Texture" Corel

Gouache Painted Young Woman with Texture

Using another Woman Portrait from MorgueFile, I opened it in Corel Painter Photo Essentials 4. There I selected the Gouache style of painting with Sandy Paper, Light Color, a Tapered Brush with 360 random rotation movement. I allowed the image to Auto Paint til I was satisfied with the image and stopped it. I saved that large iteration.

I opened Corel PSP Pro X3 and added a Textured layer from StockVault's Free Textures. I adjusted the Opacity of that rusted paint layer. I then copied the Woman's Portrait to the clipboard and pasted it as a layer upon the Texture. I resized the face to fit and cropped the merged layers to focus on the face. I saved that file as well.

In Corel PhotoPaint I added my signature in black, saving again and reopening in PSP Pro X3. There I added a black border to the image, saved, and resized for display here. I had also added a Title, Copyright, Programs used, and Resources to the EXIF information.

I did not mention it earlier but in Essentials 4 I used the soft clone brush to add back some of the mouth, nose and eyes for greater details.

"Stone Textured Blonde Woman Portrait Two" Corel

Stone Textured Blonde Woman Portrait Two

While listening to some John Coltrane I worked on another Textured Portrait. The beginning Woman's Portrait came from my MorgueFile samples. The Stone Texture came from Free Friday's Textures.

I opened the portrait file in Corel PhotoPaint. There I adjusted the Threshold to allow more white space for the Texture to show through. I opened the Stone Texture and then copied the altered Woman's Portrait and pasted it on the Texture. I used the Property Multiply to add it to the blended image.

I selected another Watercolor Texture and overlaid that on the Portrait for additional color. A blend of Stone, Portrait, and greens, yellows, blues, oranges. I added my signature in White and saved the large iteration.

I opened that file in Corel PSP Pro X3. Here I added Image Information, Title, Programs used, Sources, etc. I also selected a painted frame with a black border for it. I used Saturation Vibrancy to boost the colors by a third. I then resized for display and saved that iteration.

I finished up listening to Thelonius Monk and John Coltrane from a Jazzland album. Love that Jazz.