Vintage Tractor and Farm Implements - ArtRage Oils - PhotoPaint - Paint.NET

I had this older image that I had done in Paint.NET using the Ink Sketch filter at 800 x 600 pixels. I took the image and resampled it in PhotoPaint to 1024 x 768. I also used the wand to select the white sky and filled it with a sunset.

Saving that I opened it in ArtRage 2.5 edition and using the Oils brush I painted the tractor and the background, using the tracing paper. I resized the Oil brush various times and ended up with a simple oil painted file.

I reopened that in PhotoPaint and also opened the 1024 x 768 image of the ink sketch. Copying that to the clipboard I pasted it into the Oil painting. There I resized it to fit the larger ArtRage file. As an object (layer) I selected the property Multiply to add some transparency to it. I merged both images. Now I had a painterly image with pen and ink details.

I adjusted the image with the Tone Curve, lightening it up a bit so the colors and brushstrokes would show better. I used Filter Forge to add a watercolor frame narrowing it to allow more image to show. To this I added a 10 pixel black border.

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Now playing: Kirk Mathew Gatzka - You Gotta Be Crazy
via FoxyTunes

Custom Hot Rod Pick up Truck - ArtRage - Lightroom Trial

While I am testing out the Adobe Lightroom 2 Trial version (full version sells for around $299.00) I am trying it on several differing images.

This image was first of all painted in the Free ArtRage with oil brushes. I added back in just enough detail using PhotoPaint to overlay the original photograph with transparency. I added the frame using Filter Forges' Freepack Frames. Then I saved the image.

I opened the piece in Adobe's Lightroom 2 Trial version and adjusted the Tone Curve, Saturation, and gave it some depth increasing the Shadows a bit.

I really like this program and would like to own it, but it doesn't fit the budget for now, maybe somewhat later. I love the way it brings out details and deepens the coloring and effects the lighting. Makes the image really POP!

I don't have the credits for the original photographer, so if you recognize it let me know so I can give full credit to them.

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Listening to: Kirk Mathew Gatzka - Mischief Maker Makeshift Taker
via FoxyTunes

More Rust - Some Green - ArtRage 2.5

I've done paintings of this Dodge Truck previously, this time I used ArtRage 2.5 Starter Edition. Using the Oils brush I painted a loose image of the truck. Using PhotoPaint I took a copy of the photograph I used for the painting and added back in some detail of the truck and the overgrown greenery surrounding it. I used the object property Multiply to make the photograph transparent so as to see the Oils brushstrokes.

I resized the image for the web and am sharing the results here. I continued to use the Rust color theme for this old truck is completely rust covered. The greens make for a nice contrast against the Rust colors. You can see the Oil brush especially in the front tire, wobbly and green.

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Listening to: Rusty Truck - Everytime
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Another Portrait in ArtRage 2.5 Starter Edition

I have decided to do a few portraits in ArtRage 2.5 Starter Edition. Here I used the Crayon, Pencil, Oil, Chalk brushes to create this portrait.

I used the Trace function in ArtRage and began with the subject in Crayon on a rough canvas background. I did the whole figure in Crayon first adding details back in with the Pencil. I darkened the outline with Chalk.

When I was done I used PhotoPaint to add back in some other details like the ear, and necklace.

I used the Chalk and the Oils for the background, again I have a loose image.

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Now playing: Kirk Mathew Gatzka - Like I've Never Been Refused
via FoxyTunes

ArtRage 2.5 Starter Edition - Portrait

I have an older version of ArtRage that I used quite a bit in 2007 for some Custom Cars images. So I recently went and downloaded the newer ArtRage 2.5 Starter Edition which is free but does not have all the tools that their $80 version has.

I used the Oil brush for painting and the Palette Knife for blending on this portrait I painted. It is very loose in execution with little detail. I like the way that the Oil brush works and had an enjoyable time with this piece.

I opened a photograph using the Trace mode, and used that as my model. Setting the colors to use the palette from the photograph I resized the brush and started painting.

After I painted with the Oil brush I did some blending with the Palette Knife tool. I recommend ArtRage as a very good traditional media painting program. The free version is fun, but limited, the full blown version does have a trial demo download that I have yet to try. But for the price - you can't beat it.

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Listening to: Jeremy Fryc - Oh green! don't fail me now.
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ArtRage - continued - with PhotoPaint assist

Another painting done in ArtRage in 2007. I have used this image before in a collage I did, using it as a line drawing. Here I display it as it is originally. From a photograph by my son Keir M Gatzka and used as tracing paper in ArtRage.

I used all oil paint brushes for this piece. The assist in PhotoPaint was when I used the original photograph as an overlay object to bring in some highlights. Specifically the headlamp and the grill and emblem on the hood. I applied an opacity change to the overlay to let the details show lightly.

I really like the colors that ArtRage brought to the image, the light greens were unexpected with so much rust on the truck. The lines of the grill were a challenge, I made the oil brush as small as I could to get a finer line. The overlay helped here bringing back some details (see larger image.)

Still haven't had time to do any music but it is constantly before me as I work on these other projects. Stay tuned.

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Now playing on Windows Media Player: Kirk Mathew Gatzka - Eleanor Rigby Cover
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ArtRage - Revisited - Rusty Truck

I love old rusty trucks as subject matter. They make you reminisce about the days when they were working vehicles. What they might have hauled and who may have used them.

I have another ArtRage image that I used a photograph as tracing paper and the oil brushes and the pastels and textures. The bulk of this piece is light colors which make you focus on the old rusty truck in a field retired and out of commission.

I really like the impasto feel of the oils here and the textures of the pastels. It's a rough image of a roughly used vehicle that is well past it's prime. I imagine it as a farmers truck used on a farm. I don't know why but it just seems so.

As the last image I posted this was done in 2007 as I was experimenting with the free ArtRage program. I love the looseness and incomplete details of the piece. It lends to the feeling of decay and uselessness of the old truck.

Listening to music quite a bit lately. I have been very busy with other projects so I have not been songwriting of late. Nor have I been painting as much so I have reviewed my older works and displaying a few of them in my posts. I hope to be creating more with music soon and of course digital painting is on my mind as well.

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Now playing on Windows Media Player: Kirk Mathew Gatzka - Hello Hello
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ArtRage Painting Oils - GMC Truck in Winter

ArtRage 2.5 is now available for only $25.00 US. For today's image I used the free version of ArtRage from a couple of years ago as you can see the copyright date on the print is 2007, that's when I did this painting.

I am not affiliated with the ArtRage folks but I really like the program for painting. It imitates oils and pastels very nicely. And you can't beat the price for what you get.

You are able to load an image to use as tracing paper and paint over it. It does a great job of being true to the colors of the traced image. This one is from a photograph taken by my son Keir M Gatzka.

I love the impasto feel that the oil brushes give you in ArtRage, they are very intuitive to work with and just plain fun. This image reminds us that winter is not too far away. I for one am not looking forward to it. It is a beautiful season, no doubt, but it is so cold and not my favorite season. I like the late Spring and Autumn. So I am enjoying the weather we are having right now.

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Now playing on Windows Media Player: Kenny Chesney - On the Coast of Somewhere Beautiful
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Grunge Chic - Sweet Decay

Well I joined another forum yesterday. It is called PainterTalk and is for digital artists using Corel Painter and other tools for creative activities.

I have had a warm welcome and hope to learn some more about using my Painter 8 program.

I also downloaded Pixxara's TwistedBrush Open Studio while I was online. I wanted to experiment with another free painter program.

I created the textured background for today's image with it. I have an image I did in ArtRage, another free painter program, that I opened in Painter.NET, yet another free program, and used the Effects> Artistic> Ink Sketch> filter on the image. Copying to the clipboard I pasted it in PhotoPaint where I already had the new background opened.

I stretched to fix the 1024 x 768 texture and used the object property Multiply to add it to the piece. I added some paint splatters and Grunge fonts for interest. Oh yes, I did use the Image> Adjust> Tone Curve to darken the texture I made in TwistedBrush.

All this changing of programs may be unnecessary for others but it stimulates my imagination and I find it a challenge to use the different programs for their strengths.

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Now playing on Windows Media Player: Metric - Love is a Place
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Classic Mustang - Recording

"Mustang Sally" was a hit song many years ago as I am sure some of you remember. This blue Mustang is another painting done in ArtRage, the detail on the engine was tedious to get it right, but worth the work.

I hope you are enjoying the Custom Cars motif I have been displaying. The paintings were great to work on and produce with the aid of digital painting programs like ArtRage.

I have a few guitar images I have garnered from the Reference Library on WetCanvas that I will be experimenting with soon. I do love a good guitar piece and like creating them.

As I was practicing yesterday on the guitar, I found a couple of Beatles tunes that I have had for some time, from the old OLGA website. Chords and words together.

I decided to record two of them as covers, "If You've Got Trouble" and "I'm Looking Through You." They both turned out pretty good but I like the second one I mentioned the best.

I had to capo up to the third fret to sing it. Without the capo it was way to high a vocal for me to sing, even though I have a fairly high singing voice, my range is OK. I don't know if I would be considered a tenor, never had anyone tell me if I am. I don't know the names of all the vocal ranges well and where I appear on the chart.

You can always have a good time with a Beatles song. They wrote some great tunes.

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Now playing on Windows Media Player: Adam Ant - Wonderful
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Muscle Car and Neil Young

Muscle cars were/are gas guzzlers but they sure are distinctive cars. Many people really like these automobiles and love the classic lines. I did this in ArtRage as I have the others I have been showing recently. Also done in 2007 as a series of 12 images.

I watched an American Masters show on Neil Young last night on PBS. It was very well done. Mr. Young has always been true to his music even when others were what he called "collateral damage", at times. The link above is for broadband users to watch some of his performances.

The show covered his career very thoroughly and had great footage of his performances. I have a copy of CSNY's Music Made Easy for Guitar (basically the DejaVu album) and have covered "Helpless" and other songs from the book. I have included them in my recordings for my family and friends.

I had my wife listen to my newest song effort and she likes it as an instrumental. She felt it was smooth and catchy as it stands now. So I may not add any lyrics to it. The lead I play on it is simple and basic. For those interested in chord progressions I used the following:

G D Em Am D for the main verses
C G, C G, C G, Am-D Am-D Am-D for the chorus
Am7 Em7 D7 for the bridge.

With a basic strumming through the song, I did a quick change on the Am-D in the chorus. If you copy it you will find it a pleasant progression to work through. Enjoy!

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Now playing on Windows Media Player: Neil Young - Falling Off The Face Of The Earth
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Classic Roadster - Songwriting

Continuing with the Custom Cars motif I have shared another Classic Car a Roadster. This was also painted in ArtRage the oil painting emulation program. Based upon a photograph taken by my son Keir M Gatzka.

I did try to sell these images as greeting cards when we had the Omniartz website (name now in other hands). I garnered some interest in the images. People identify with recognizable things like cars. And many like custom cars.

I recorded my new chord progression with the Toneport UX1 and Gearbox. I used two guitar models for the rhythm. One with quite a bit of treble for a tangy sound and one with a bass tone called Archtop Jazz guitar.

I added some simple lead (a Jimi Hendrix fuzz model) playing to it and it sounds very nice. I still have to work out the melody and lyrics. May take some time as it is not coming easy - some songs you really have to work at. I may need to go to the lyrics site for some ideas if nothing gels soon. A little help with a theme or title or chorus would be a great help.

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Now playing on Windows Media Player: Inxs - Mediate
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Classic Station Wagon and GM Reminder

Custom Car images painted in 2007 using ArtRage is my current motif. I have a few to share so I am using them to do so.

Like previously I have taken this from a photograph at the Detroit Woodward Dream Cruise. It takes place every August, with all the custom cars you would want to see and photograph. I like the little GM reminder in the image, the Big 3 are having a troubled time right now, as we all know.

Thousands of custom cars cruise Woodward Ave and show off. They even allow some to burn rubber, but that is kept to a minimum, I guess it is possible that a car would lose control and hurt someone.

Music wise, I am practicing an new chord progression. This was taken from a list of possible progressions from the Internet and I am combining two sets of them with an additional bridge set I made up. I am working on the tempo and rhythm of this progression and it is encouraging thus far. I think it is sounding fairly good. The melody is coming slowly as I practice the chords.

I don't have any lyrics in mind yet. I was also working on a poem about my Dad and Father n law and the similarities in their lives as well as the differences but it is not lending itself to a lyric. No rhyming, just statements about them.

One was a father of five
One was a father of six

Both married for life
They each had only one wife. (here is an unintentional rhyme!)

One was an electrician in trade
One was an asbestos worker in trade.
Both worked in construction.

And things such as this. If I could make up some more rhyming verses it might make for a nice "tale" song. But thus far it doesn't fit the chord progression at all. Maybe in the future I may use it for a song. I find telling a tale a difficult project for a song. Especially with a long poem to work from - too many details for a song.

So I need some inspiration for a lyric for this chord progression. (As an aside I like the spell checker in blogger a lot! Helps me often as I type away reversing letters and just not getting the words right!) Well write on my readers!

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Now playing on Windows Media Player: Iron Butterfly - In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
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Classic Red Chevy

ArtRage was a free painting program that imitates oil painting really well on the computer. Now they have placed a small fee for it on their site. It is only $25.00 and for what you get it is a great price.

I have the free version and did this painting of a Classic Red Chevy. I did it in 2007 as the signature shows. It is a challenging program but it really emulates oils wonderfully.

I thought I would stick with a car motif for a few posts, as I have quite a few images of custom cars I have done. I always augment my use of other paint programs with PhotoPaint, as in the case of the windows, chrome, flames for this image. As well as resampling for presentation here.

I had a family gathering to attend yesterday, a graduation party. There were many in attendance, a good group.

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Now playing on Windows Media Player: Garth Brooks - The River
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