"Acoustic Guitarist on Brick" PE5 - PhotoPaint - A Last Gasp!

Acoustic Guitarist on Brick

I have reached an impasse. With this blog, I have tried to educate many in the use of certain graphics programs. Now I must admit that I am unable to keep up with the Newest and Best of the programs being used now by many. This blog has grown obsolete as have my graphics programs.

Over 175,000 plus page views and almost 1,500 posts I find myself faltering in my efforts to use my personal workflow and the programs I use to create a truly exceptional experience for you, my readers.

I just can't find time to continue or reasons to keep posting to "gatzkART!" any longer.

I must allow my past efforts to remain for those who wish to explore all the posts here for their own reasons.

I want to thank those who were regular visitors to this blog. Your interest in my digital visual artwork and music has been greatly appreciated. Priorities change, advances march on and sometimes one finds oneself at a loss.

Please return and use this blog as a retrospective of digital artwork and music made with great enjoyment and a desire to share. It will remain until the curators of older and lost artifacts on the Internet fade away.

I will not delete it, but it will, from this time forward, become inactive.

Sincerely yours,
Kirk Mathew Gatzka
Digital Artist and Independent Musician

"How to: Street Musician Classical Guitar" PE5 Plus

Street Musician Classical Guitar

From an online free photography site, I saw and chose A "Street Musician Playing a Classical Guitar." I saved the original photograph to my computer and opened it in Corel Painter Essentials 5 (PE5.) 

Here I selected the picture for digital painting. I used the Watercolor Sketch setting with some Grain. I chose the Opaque Acrylic Brush and painted it. After it completed the digital painting I used the Soft Cloner Brush to add back in some details to the face, hands, and guitar. I then saved the large file as a bitmap image file.

I now opened the piece in Paint.NET. I found and selected a painted wood texture file. I added this as a new layer resizing it to fit the whole image. I applied the property Lighten to it while reducing the Opacity to 88%. It added a complimentary touch to the image. I also added my signature as a layer sizing it and placing it in the lower right-hand corner. I merged all the layers and saved this iteration.

Next, I resized for display. 72dpi, 1220 X 813 pixels, with compression set to 90%. I saved this file as a JPG with a new name.

I have been endeavoring to learn a new song from Joe Bonamassa (Bad Company's tune,) "Seagull." I played it on my Martin DRS1 and sang along. One stanza in the song is odd to me, that is where the Seagull gets shot down. I don't own guns or shoot anything, so I, for myself, sing it "I'll Never Shoot You Down!" Seeing that I will never record the song for publishing, I did not think that the authors would mind so much. It is just a small change for my taste.

I continue to practice on the Martin and have let my 12-String set for a while. I will bring it out after I get more used to playing my newer 6-String.

"How to: Alone with Her Thoughts" PicsArt Plus and Recording Setup Noise

Alone with Her Thoughts

I recently found this photograph of a young gal "Alone with Her Thoughts," by this magnificent Tree. I wanted to try some experiments on it with my computer software. I first chose the PicsArt App and used a Local Boost Tool (enhance,) next I applied the Effects FX HDR1 tool. With this tool, I upped the Unsharp Mask and upped the Saturation. Then I used the Curves tool to add color depth. I adjusted the Brightness to -20, and the Hue to -23.

I went to Mask, to add some Texture using the property Multiply reducing the Opacity. Again in Mask I added the Black Border. I used the Text tool to select my font and added my name and year.

I saved that iteration and opened it in Corel's PhotoPaint. Here, I increased the saturation again by 25. I saved the file. I Resampled for display at 72dpi, 1220 X 813, an Optimized JPG with 75 Compression, 25 Smoothing. I saved with a new name.

I did have some time this Sunday afternoon to practice playing scales on my Martin DRS1 6-String Guitar. I again was using QuistJam Backing Tracks on YouTube through my Line 6 PodXT Live and headphones as to not disturb my wife or the neighbors.

I also did some reading on "Electronic Noise," that troubles my PC setup with the PodXT Live. I believe, through my reading that I have two culprits for noise. My RCA cables are not shielded and the fans of my PC add noise when I use the Microphone. I may have another problem with unshielded USB cables and the main USB cable from the PodXT Live to the PC may add to noise or hum problems. Interesting reading with some expensive solutions ranging from $20.00 to $630.00.

I learned that proper Grounding is also an important key to reduction of noise with electronic components. I have some investigating to do now with my current setup. 1) I have the PodXT Live connected with a basic quality USB cable. 2) I have the Speakers and Headphones connected to a Technics SA EX320 amplifier, using the Phono Aux output with the unshielded RCA cables.

I can either plug in the Shure PG58 Microphone in (on a boom stand,) or plug in my Guitar into the PodXT Live. I can't do both at the same time. I have two other input jacks on the PodXT Live, one for an additional guitar pedal, and an Aux input for playing MP3's through the system. The MP3's would not be recorded onto the DAW or recording software I use.

Curiouser and curiouser.

Step by Step: Bluegrass Guitar Session at the Library" PE5 Plus

Bluegrass Guitar Session at the Library

I have another Guitarists photograph to share after I worked on it digitally. The "Bluegrass Guitar Session at the Library," is the image for today's post.

Working on my computer I opened the large photograph in Windows 10 Photos. I enhanced the image and added some shadows to it, saving it with a new name.

My next step was to open it in Corel Painter Essentials 5 (PE5.) Here I selected the Illustration settings. I grabbed a brush from the Pencils, Pens and Markers called the Thick N Thin Marker Brush. I digitally painted the image as an Illustration.

I then added back in some details, like the strings of the guitars, the hands, and faces, painting by hand using the Soft Cloner Brush. I wanted to add some texture to the image so I applied the Apply Surface Texture tool.

I selected a coarse paper type, adjusting the Lighting with a quiet flesh tone color. This added warmth as well as the texture to the piece. I saved this large iteration at 300dpi using the same name.

Now I opened the file in Corel's PhotoPaint. I adjusted the Hue to 0, the Saturation to 25, and the Lightness to -10. I added my signature layer to the file, sized and placed it and merged the layers. I saved that iteration with a new name.

For my final steps, I used PicsArt. I applied a black lines border Mask from PicsArt. I used the Tool Curves to add depth to the colors just a bit. I saved that file with a new name.

I had used the large file to make changes in PicsArt, so I had to resize the image for display. I did this in Paint.NET 72dpi, 1220 X 813, 75 Compression, I saved this with a new name.

Be sure to click on the image to observe it at the large size for detail and texture. 

Musically, I have been practicing on my new Martin DRS1 6-String Acoustic Electric Guitar, acoustically without amplification. I have been working on accurate finger placement for my chord playing. Along with that, I listen to Backing Tracks from QuistJam on YouTube, playing scales by ear trying out differing keys and leads. It is improving my playing as I do this, really enjoying the time spent.

"How to: Guitar Man in Vintage House" PE5 Plus

Guitar Man in Vintage House

I selected another Guitar Man and a Vintage House photographs I found free to edit online. I opened the Guitar Man in Paint.NET and used Edit to Select All of the photograph. I applied the Eraser Tool and hand erased all the black background. I saved this with a new name as a PNG file to keep the transparency. .I closed that file and then opened the Vintage House photograph.

It was the interior of the older house used as the background layer. I applied the Effect Ink Sketch lightly to this. I reopened the PNG file and stretched to fit the large interior photograph. I had copied it to the clipboard and pasted it as a new layer.  I merged all layers, then I saved this file.

Next, I used Corel Painter Essentials 5 (PE5.) I adjusted the color of this large image with the Equalize tool. I then selected the Modern Painting setting with a Dry Bush and digitally painted the image. Afterward, I hand painted back in some details using the Soft Cloner Brush. I saved this iteration.

I used Corel PhotoPaint to Add my signature layer, saving this large image. Then I resampled the piece to display size. 72dpi, 1220 X 813 pixels. I decided to add one more Effect. Using Distort, Wet Paint I added dripping to the entire piece. I saved this for display with a new name as a JPG file with 75 compression and 25 smoothing.

"Digital Watercolor Acoustic Guitar Player" PE5 Plus

Digital Watercolor Acoustic Guitar Player

Continuing with a series of Acoustic and Electric Guitar Player images I share this one today. I believe that I did get the original photograph through Pixabay, free to edit.

I opened the photo in Corel Painter Essentials 5 (PE5.) I first applied the Equalize tool, setting the Black to 18% and the White at 100%, with the Gamma upped to 62%. This action gave me more color depth and fullness.

Next, I used the Watercolor Sketch settings with the New Simple Water Brush. I digitally painted the photo and saved the large iteration. I examined the results of this, and I found it pleasing to the eye.

I now opened it in Paint.NET, and here I increased the Saturation to 110. I also added my signature as a layer. I merged the layers down. I saved that image.

Opening it in PicsArt App on my Smartphone I used the Tools Enhance at 92 with Saturation set to 20. I applied the Effects FX, HDR1 blur at 25, unsharp at 1.0, saturation at 0.46 with the fade set to 25. I saved that iteration.

Simply saved the image for display, 72dpi, 1220 x 813 pixels, at 75 compression, giving it a new name.

A few simple steps to create a nice looking Digital Watercolor.

"The Lone Street Musician" PE5 Plus

The Lone Street Musician

Another photograph of "The Lone Street Musician." I liked the image from the beginning. A Street Guitarist, possibly a singer as well, presenting himself in a corner of a plaza.

I opened the file in Corel Painter Essentials 5 (PE5.) I began by applying the Pen and Ink Drawing settings. I tried one brush but it was not very clear, and I wanted a clean, bright Pen and Ink look. So I set the Brush to the Dry Ink and painted again. This gave me a better drawing.

To add to the Ink Drawing, I selected the Detailed Watercolor setting. A soft light brush was chosen the New Simple Water Brush. I digitally painted again. This gave me a Pen and Ink Watercolor image.

The next step was to increase color depth of the piece. I selected Equalize from the Effects. There I set the Black Point to 21.2% and left the White Point at 100%. I altered the Gamma to 60%, and this punched up the color. I saved this large file with a new name.

Next, I opened the file in Paint.NET. I selected the Line Brush at 3 points, with a Backwards slash setting. I hand painted a light border with the brush. I opened my signature file, copied it, and added it as a new layer. Using the property Multiply, I then merged the layers. I saved this file at 100% compression.

I now only needed to Resize the piece for display. I adjusted it to 72dpi, 1220 X 1049, with 75 as the compression. I saved this file with a new name.

"How to: Red Espresso" PE5 Plus

Red Espresso

I have recently found a few new free to edit photographs from Pixabay, Picjumbo, and a few others. I had an email to myself of the sites which I promptly deleted today upon doing some email clean up. It is a listing from Kim Garst's Blog online. So I hope I can find it again.

I did not keep track of the source of this photograph I chose to digitally paint, but it was a large file size with great dpi and depth of colors.

I first opened it in Paint.NET on my laptop. I did some Adjustments using Curves for depth and increasing the Saturation to 110. I saved this file.

Next, I used Picasa's HDR tool with light settings for that sharp look and feel. I saved again.

I reopened the image in Corel's Painter Essentials 5 (PE5.) Here I selected to do an Oil Painting with Acrylic and Oils Brush: Opaque Detail Brush. It was a small brush which gave the oil painting much detail. I saved the file with a new name.

I added my signature layer in Corel's PhotoPaint, and saved this iteration. Then I resampled the file for display here. I used the settings 240dpi 1220 X 813 and saved with a new name. An optimzed JPG with compression at 75 and smoothing at 25.

With the Oil Painting having a white surrounding area I decided to add a Frame. I used Picasa's Museum Matte tool, giving it a red matte. I saved this iteration, slightly larger with the Frame and matte added.

Thus, you have the image for today, "Red Espresso."

"How to: Vintage Rusted Truck In The Forest" PE5 Plus

Vintage Rusted Truck In The Forest

Another great photograph of a "Vintage Rusted Truck In The Forest." I like these honorable old vehicles that have seen better days of service. Here we see that it was labeled a "Resort Beach," service truck.

I opened it in Corel Painter Essentials 5 (PE5) and used the Effects: Equalize then upped the Saturation Uniform Color to 71%. I saved the large file. Next, I used that image to digitally paint. I chose a Pastel Drawing set for this. I selected a Chalk, Pastel and Crayons Brush the Scratchy Jitter Smooth Brush. After the digital painting I used the Soft Cloner Brush to add back in some details of Rust, and color to the Forest. I saved this iteration.

Opening in Paint.NET, I applied the Effects, Artistic, Ink Sketch lightly. I added my signature layer and merged down the layers, saving with a new name.

In Corel PhotoPaint, I adjusted the Saturation to 23 and used the Tone Curves to add depth. I quickly used Picasa 3+  and applied the Warmify filter to the full-color image. Saving that I used PhotoPaint to resample for display an Optimized JPG, 150dpi, 1220 X 810 pixels, Anti-aliased, Maintaining the aspect Ratio.

I have been using the free program Grammarly while I type my workflow. It is very helpful in Blogger to make corrections on the fly to my descriptions of each step I take to create an image. You can even Ignore a recommendation if it does not fit your narrative style. I recommend it.

"You Won't Get Away With That With Me!" PE5 Plus

You Won't Get Away With That With Me!

I grabbed some very nice photographs from UnSplash recently, free to edit and modify. I had some time on the computer enjoying working on this post. I have done many Older Men images. So I thought, when I saw this photograph with so much personality I had to work with it. A classic Older Woman with Glasses and a Bright Hat.

I opened the photograph in Corel Painter Essentials 5 (PE5.) I began by applying the Effects: Equalize to increase color, then added the Woodcut effect. I minimized the heaviness of the woodcut for a better image. I saved that and used the resulting image to digitally paint. I selected the Watercolor Sketch, admittedly one of my favorites. But instead of using a watercolor brush I chose a Photo Painting Brush: Bristle Oils Cloner Brush.

This gave me a wonderous image. I next used the Soft Cloner Brush to brush back in by hand, some details. Clearer Eyes, eyebrows, glasses and her fantastic wrinkles. I saved that large iteration at 72dpi.

Now I went into Paint.NET and added my signature layer and merged it down. I used the Curves to add some more depth to the colors. I also Upped the Saturation of the colors set at 110. I saved again this time at 150dpi.

I used Corel PhotoPaint to resample for display. I selected an Optimized JPG at 150dpi, 1220 X 915, Anti-aliased, and Maintained the Aspect ratio. My compression was set to 75 and the smoothing to 25, I saved the display image with a new name.

I have been enjoying working on my art on my Tablet. I use a Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 tablet. I like the PicsArt App and the Autodesk Sketchbook App for creating art for blogging, Facebook, Google+ and, Twitter. Still learning to use the tablet for artwork, but having a great time doing it.

I have been jamming with my Martin DRS1 6-String Acoustic Electric Guitar. I found some great Jamming Backtracks on YouTube through QuistTV called QuistJam. First class jamming backtracks, I did subscribe to their feed. I am not a lead player yet, but I am working on learning scales like the Pentatonic Scales and others by ear. By myself and headsets I don't disturb too many in the neighborhood. I really enjoy the A minor tracks a lot, as I can fit the Pentatonics in and practice the scales, and try Improvising around the backing. Now to get an amplifier for some real action!

"Homage to Van Gogh - Sun Flower" PE5 Plus

Homage to Van Gogh - Sun Flower

Among my favorites of Van Gogh's work are his Sun Flower paintings. I found this photograph online (free to edit.) I thought of him right away. I wanted to do a representation of his style.

I opened the photograph in Corel Painter Essentials 5 (PE5.) I selected the Watercolor Sketch set, choosing the Artists Brushes - Van Gogh, I digitally painted the image. I switched to the Colored Pencil Drawing set and used the same Van Gogh brush, painted some more.

I next used the Apply Surface Texture Effect, using Original Luminance for the texture. I saved the large file.

Next I opened the file in Paint.NET and applied some Adjustments: Curves to add depth; Saturation set at 110 for the punchy colors. I added my signature file as a layer, sized and placed it, using the property multiply I then merged the layers. I saved that iteration.

Though Picasa is not going to be supported with upgrades by Google, I still use it. I opened it and added the Museum Matte to frame the piece. Saving again I used Corel PhotoPaint to Resample the file for display. I used 72dpi, 818 X 1200 Pixels, Optimized, anti-alias, maintained aspect ratio, and saved the display file.

Musically I am working on a new song and I am testing out a Martin DRS1 Sapele guitar to get. My family is going to get it for a wedding anniversary present if I like it. So far I am enjoying playing a 6-String Martin Guitar. I seriously like this Acoustic Electric. I think it will be a great addition to my song writing and improvised lead playing.

"Steps to This: Path To The River" PE5

Path To The River

Back to a Pathways image for today! I selected a Stone and Brick Pathway photograph to work on. I opened in Picasa 3+ and applied the HDR effect, Radius at 50% and Strength was Medium. I saved that file. My next step was to open this file in Corel Painter Essentials 5 (PE5).

I picked the Impression Painting set with the Acrylics, Oils Fine Camel Brush to digitally paint. I added back in some slight details with the Soft Cloner Photo Brush. The Impressionist palette really makes this image stand out. I saved this piece.

Corel PhotoPaint allowed me to apply the Tone Curve adding a slight depth to the colors. I applied Saturation set to 10. Added my signature layer and merged the layers saving the large file.

I used the Filter Forge Frames for a Film Frame on the image. I saved the large file again. I next Resampled the image for display. Set at 72dpi 768 X 1024 pixels, Anti-alias and Maintain the Aspect Ratio I saved to an Optimized JPG Compression at 75, Smoothing at 25 for display size.

A piece of advice for all who work on Digital Visual Artwork. Save your working file frequently! It saves a lot of grief if the program freezes or your computer acts up and you lose some of your steps already taken. If you like to save to the working programs native file format for recovery if the worst happens.

"How This was Done - A Snowed in Cabin" PE5 Plus

A Snowed in Cabin

Even though we have had a mild Winter here in Michigan, we have a considerable bit of Snow coming our way this week. Thus, my selection for an image today. "A Snowed in Cabin," taken from a photograph from Morguefile. I opened in Corel Painter Essentials 5 (PE5).
 
I went to the Effects first. I Sharpened the image, adjusted the colors with the Original Luminance Saturation set to 72%. I saved the large file. In PE5, I clicked on Use Open Image to select the file for Digitally Painting.

I chose a Pastel Drawing set, Chalk, Pastels, Crayons Square Hard Pastel Brush to paint with. Next I hand painted back in some details: Trees, Windows, Log Ends. I used the Soft Cloner Photo Painting Brush. I saved this iteration.

I used Picasa3+ and applied the Museum Matte to frame the image, saving again. Then opening in Corel PhotoPaint, I created a Black 2016 Signature file and saved that with a white background. I copied that to the clipboard and pasted it as a layer into the open "Cabin," image. I merged the layers and saved once more.

I Resampled for display at 72dpi, 1220 X 938 pixels, Anti-alias and Maintained Aspect Ratio. I saved the new file with a different name at 75 Compression, and 25 Smoothing, as a JPG file.

If you enjoy my Digital Visual Artworks Comment, Plus, Like, Tweet your appreciation! All responses will be deeply appreciated! Do so now!

Do you Enjoy Indie Music? Look below to play some of my Original Songs while you view the Artwork.

"How I Did This: Clouds Over Road" PE5 Plus

Clouds Over Road

Selecting an enjoyable Cloud Strew Sky with Road and Fields photograph I opened in Corel Painter Essentials 5 (PE5). I first of all applied some Effects, Sharpened High, Adjusted Color with the Image Luminance - Saturation set to 72%. I saved the file with a new name.

Still in PE5, I chose the Watercolor Sketch set. I decided to use a Digital Watercolor Brush the Coarse Water Brush. After Digitally Painting the image I added back in, with the Soft Cloner Brush, trees, house, details.

Next I Applied a Surface Texture of a Rough Handmade Paper. I used Light controls, selecting Naples Light Yellow as my light, with Simple Lighting Checked. I saved the large piece with a new name.

In Corel PhotoPaint, I added my signature layer, merging it, and added some color depth with the Tone Curve tool. I saved the large file and Resampled the file for display. I set the file for 72dpi, 1220 X 818 pixels, Anti-alias and Maintained the Aspect Ratio, saving with these settings and a new name.

I used 75 Compression, 25 Smoothing, with Optimizing the image upon saving.

Artist's Page Link: http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/KirkMathewGatzka

I need you to visit my CD Baby Artist Page, Listen to each of Twelve Tunes in whole (Free Full Previews) and PICK YOUR FAVORITE!

Comment on this below and the Song I will select will be from the total of what ones you VOTED for! That is correct Listen for Free, Vote on your favorite and the one with the most votes will be set as a Free Download $0.00 cost.

This song will be available after February 2016 to allow time for you to select and post (in the Comments) the one you vote for as your Favorite.

If I don't get votes needed to select the song I will examine the TOTAL song plays on CDBaby for each song and select the MOST PLAYED SONG  to make the FREE Downloadable Song. 

Please vote by your listening or by DMing me on Twitter, vote on Facebook or right here. The voting will end on February 29, 2016. Listen for Free and pick YOUR FAVORITE for a $0.00 cost download on CDBaby.com
 

"Red and Black Wood Hauling Vintage Truck" PE5 Plus

Red and Black Wood Hauling Vintage Truck

A little something different today. A "Red and Black Wood Hauling Vintage Truck," is the subject matter. I opened the photograph in Painter Essentials 5 (PE5). There I applied the Equalize tool, Sharpened the photograph and, Brightened it a bit.

Next I saved the file and used the image for Digital Painting. I did a Detailed Watercolor with the Soft Cloner Photo Brush. I next added more color and depth with the Illustration settings, a Digital Wash Brush. I added some line work with the Colored Pencil Drawing set, a Dry Ink Brush. I saved that iteration.

Opening in Paint.NET, I adjusted the Curves to add depth. Also, I adjusted the Saturation at 110. I added my Signature layer and sized and placed that with the property Additive. Merging layers I saved again.

I used Picasa 3+ to Warmify the colors and saved again. I next opened the piece in PhotoPaint. Here I resampled the file to 72dpi, 1220 X 813 pixels, Anti-alias and Maintained the aspect ratio. Before saving the display size image, I applied the Local Equalization tool, used the Tone Curve for added depth set at RGB. I saved the display file with a new name.

I am still learning about using Debian 8 Linux OS on my little Dell 1100 Inspiron laptop. I have tried to attach my Wacom Tablet to it and it worked immediately. I did an eyes and nose sketch with the touchpad and I then used the Tablet and Stylus to draw a full face. I also connected USB to an Epson Printer Stylus Photo 1280 I am trying to fix.

The printer was recognized and it attempted to print, which is the problem as it has not been printing. Blank pages came out. I think the print head is shot. Still playing with the printer to see what cleaning solution will do for it.

Overall my experience with Debian has been good. The laptop is slow to respond, with only 256MB RAM. But it is fun to learn any new computing tricks.

"How To: Dead Branch and Abandoned House" PE5 Plus

Dead Branch and Abandoned House

Pretty much done with my Pathways Series, I perused Morguefile for some interesting photographs. This particular one caught my eye. "Dead Branch and Abandoned House," looked very intriguing. I downloaded it giving it a new name for my file searches. I created a New Folder for more of my new works, including this one.

I opened the large file in Painter Essentials 5 (PE5) and first I applied the Effects, Equalize to lighten some of the colorings, knowing that I would add depth later. I saved that iteration. I selected Use Open Image to select it for painting. My Choice was the Watercolor Sketch (one of my favorites in PE5.)

I went to the Photo Painting Brushes and selected the New Simple Water Brush, and auto painted the image. I then selected the Soft Cloner Photo Painting Brush to add back in some of the Dead Branch Details. I saved the large file again with a new name.

I used Corel PhotoPaint for a few adjustments. I applied the Image, Tone Curve lightening the depth of color. I opened my signature file copied it to the clipboard and layered it onto the main painting. I sized and placed the signature using the property Add for transparency. I saved the large file once again.

I used Resample to make the piece ready for display. 72dpi, 1220 X 813 pixels with Anti-alias and Maintain Aspect Ratio to keep the picture clear.

I decided to punch up the colors and add a frame like look to the piece. I selected the plugin Filter Forges Photo Effects. Here I used the Lomo effect lightly to add some interest to the final display image. This darkened the colors and added a vignette to the image.

"How Did This Happen? My Adventure with Linux - Stone Pathway" PE5

Stone Pathway

UPDATE: I have been able to get Debian 8 LXDE to work on my Dell 1100! I still have some screen issues with funny lines and some missing words on login, but it is working. Added Audacity for recording and it works with a condenser microphone I have. Having fun with Linux issues!

I recently was given a Dell Inspiron 1100 Laptop with only 256MB of RAM and a 20Gig HDD and a CD Reader. Have you ever tried to install a form of Linux on a computer with so little RAM and no DVD-RW? My experience shows it is very difficult! I tried a number of flavors of Linux: Puppy; Lubunto Mini; Debian; and a 45MB version with a forgettable name.

Hours and hours later after Debian gave me a Login Screen. I logged in - OOPS! Something went wrong - White Screened! Not enough RAM I'm certain. Puppy Slackware version - no lettering on window Icons. Did not know what to pick for what, but I had a nice bunch of Icons on the desktop. Lubuntu Mini same story, Icons but with lettering, but CRASH! Not enough RAM! The 45MB version was a command line screen, not GUI, stuck without enough Linux knowledge for that! It Ran, though.

Days later I have now let the project sit for a time, frustrated, I need more RAM and I have a tight budget for toying around with an old laptop. Fun but time consuming and I have neglected my blog!

I decided to continue with my Pathways Series of Images. I selected this "Stone Pathway," which appears to be in a Park. Opening it in Painter Essentials 5 (PE5) I applied the Effects Adjust Color choosing Image Luminance to enhance the colors. Then I used the Equalize tool to add depth to the colors and saved the image.

I selected the saved image to auto paint. I chose the Pastel Drawing, Photo Painting Brushes, Chalk Cloner and Digitally painted the image. Picking the Soft Cloner Brush, I added back in some of the details of the photograph. I saved this image.

I opened it in Picasa 3+ and used the HDR tool with the Radius set low and the Strength Medium-low, and the Fade at 0. I then went and applied the Museum Matte for Framing the image. I saved again.

Next in Corel PhotoPaint, I added my signature layer and merged them. Applied the Tone Curve for more Depth of color. I saved again. I resampled the image at 72dpi 1200 X 823 pixels and set Compression at 75 and Smoothing at 25. I saved with another name for the display JPG file.

This took me a few hours to accomplish, but I am glad to be making Digital Visual Artwork again! I will look into used RAM on sale for that Laptop and see if I can make it work. Someone with a little knowledge of Linux would probably like to own it. If I can just get it working!

"How To: Forest Pathways Continued" PE5 Plus

Forest Pathways

I selected another Forest Pathways photograph for my Series of images of recent days. I like this one for the Trees and the less traveled path. I first opened in Paint.NET and applied the Artistic Ink Sketch tool. I had the color set high, and the Ink Medium. The trees looked great but the sky was washed out a bit. I increased the Saturation from 100 to 123 and this helped the sky colors. I saved the file.

Next I used Painter Essentials 5 from Corel (PE5.) I did an auto painting of the Pencil Drawing with the Pencils, Pens, and Markers, Dry Ink Brush. It was very light. I next switched to the Impressionistic Painting for more punch to the image. I selected a Digital Watercolor Dry Brush and auto painted again. Fantastic colors now embellished the image.

I hand painted some details back in using the Soft Cloner Brush to bring out the trees a bit more clearly. I saved that file.

In Corel's PhotoPaint I opened the Forest Digital Painting and the Ink Sketch I had done earlier in Paint.NET. I copied the Ink Sketch to the clipboard, closed it and layered it on the Painting. I adjusted the layer with Curves to lighten the colors a tad. Then I adjusted the Opacity about 75%. I merged the layers and applied Saturation increasing it also.

In Picasa, I tuned the image by increasing the Shadows. I added a Border and Matte and saved again. In Paint.NET, I Flipped the image Horizontally to have the Pathway Curve to the opposite way, as the other pathways images in the Series seem to go the same way. I added my signature layer and merged the layers. I saved again for the final large piece.

To resampled the file for display I used PhotoPaint. I resized it at 120dpi, 75 Compression, and Smoothing at 25 for a smaller footprint. I renamed the file and saved for display here.

Just a reminder that I am going to Introduce a New Song on CDBaby the beginning of February 2016. The Song is "I Still Remain." Simple format without much fuss in the mix. Vocals and my 12-String Seagull Guitar Played and sung live into the Line 6 Pod XT Live and recorded on my computer. Look for it's release!

Also a mention for Grammarly the Free Grammar program. I used it to write and correct this blog post in Blogger. It works well and has a Premium version that would enhance anyone's writing. I recommend it.

"How to: Open Gate Pathway Through Woods" Picasa HDR PE5 Watercolor

Open Gate Pathway Through Woods

I tried out some “Video How to views,” for you and am now returning to written steps formatting. I hope you enjoyed the Videos. Comments about the videos as an expession of my work are welcome. Did You like them or find them tedious? Let me know if you will.

I am working on a Pathways motif and today I have one I really enjoyed creating. I used various programs and tools as you will read about here.

I opened the “Open Gate Pathway,” in Picasa and began by applying an HDR effect with the Radius set to Medium and the Strength set Low. I saved the image. Still in Picasa I adjusted the Highlights and Midtones of the piece, saving again. Then I increased the Saturation slightly, saved.

Next I opened the large image in Corel Painter Essentials 5 (PE5). Selecting the Watercolor Sketch set with clone colors from the image picked. I chose the Pencils, Pens, and Markers Grainy Cover Pencil Brush and Digitally painted the piece in this style. After this completed I picked the Soft Cloner Brush to hand paint back in some details on the Gate and Pathway and Trees/Brush. I saved this iteration with a different name.

I opened the piece in PhotoPaint and used the Curves to lighten the depth of color. Next I increased the Saturation of the color by 13 (from 0). I opened my signature file and copied to the clipboard, closed it, adding it as a layer to the main image. I used the property Add for transparency. And I merged all layers. I saved the large file then Resampled for display, using a differing file name.

I listened to a listing of Joe Bonamassa Vids in the background while I worked on this image. I just bring up YouTube and select a list of songs and play them one after another. I especially enjoy his Acoustic versions of Blues/Rock tunes as I work. Nice to have a desktop PC that allows that to take place.

I have a new song coming out in February 2016. It is an Acoustic 12-String with vocals tune. I used little special effects and tried a lead track, but I did not like the result. So it is just myself playing live into the microphone and recording. Keeping it simple, the song's name is “I Still Remain.” Look for it's release!

"Grunge Textured Acoustic Guitar Player" PhotoPaint

Grunge Textured Acoustic Guitar Player

I received a suggestion that I try to reinstall my Corel Graphics Suite 12 with "Troubleshoot Compatibility" The Install worked with a WinXP Service Pack 3 compatibility. So I now have the Suite running under this setting complete with CorelDRAW and PhotoPaint, and the other Suite programs.

I tested the program PhotoPaint only to have it crash as I had too many Large files open. I learned from that to keep my files down to a minimum while working in PhotoPaint. And to save frequently!

I opened an "Acoustic Guitar Player," free to edit photograph, in PhotoPaint. I applied the Threshold tool for white space and minimized colors. I saved this file. Then I opened a Grunge Texture file from the Freebie Fridays Textures I receive from Stockvault. I copied the image to the clipboard and then deleted it from my workspace. I pasted it over the Acoustic Guitar Player image. Here I used the property Multiply and I merged the layers.

I increased the Saturation of the colors a bit and then save this iteration. I now only had a single file open in PhotoPaint. I added my signature layer with open, copy, paste as layer, then deleted the signature image. I resized to fit and used the property Add for transparency. I merged the file and saved again.

Going to Image, Resample I decreased the piece for display, 96dpi, 75 compression, and 25 smoothing, Optimized JPG.

I was happy that I had no further problems with too many large files open in PhotoPaint. That seemed to allow me to be creative yet frugal in my image creation, frequent saving of files as one goes along is very wise.