"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.

"How to: Freehand Oil Pastel with Watercolor Paper Texture" Corel

Freehand Oil Pastel with Watercolor Paper Texture

Today I spent some time looking through some Older Freehand Drawings of mine done in various mediums. I found a color Oil Pastel Drawing of a Fictional Man's Portrait I had done, without a date on it. I know I had done it some time ago, but don't remember what year I drew it in.

I had just recently received some very nice Watercolor Paper Textures from Stockvault's Friday Freebies. I wanted to use one as they are new to me. I opened Corel PSP Pro X3 and went to my Textures folder, selecting one I loaded it into PSP Pro X3.

I then scanned in the Freehand Oil Pastel Drawing into PSP Pro X3, with Acquire Twain. I scanned at full color. After it loaded into PSP I resized it to 75% of the original, copied it to the clipboard and pasted as New Layer on the Watercolor Textured Paper. There I adjusted the placing for best effect and viewing, size matching the size of the Watercolor Texture Paper.

I then applied the Layer Property Multiply for transparency to allow the Watercolor to show through. Using Adjust, Smart Photo Fix I altered the Layered Portrait. Settings were: Brighter +23; Shadows -30; Highlights +20; Saturation +50; Focus Original 50; these were to my satisfaction and applied. I merged the two Layers.

I then loaded my Signature File, copied to the Clipboard and Pasted as a New Layer onto the image. I Sized and Placed the Signature, applying the Layer Property Multiply, and merged that with the piece. I saved the piece as a 300dpi RGB 8 bit JPG file.

I looked at it enlarged in Picasa Viewer and decided it needed a small Black Border, I added that at 10 pixels wide. I saved the large image again. Then I resized for display on the blog and other Social Media.

If you like the piece please Share it to Facebook, Twitter, or Google+, or any other Social Media you use. If viewed on a Computer you can share it in multiple ways as a link. Be sure to click on the Headline to make certain you are sharing only this particular post. I you desire to browse my other artworks and posts click the HOME button and scroll down to the Tag Cloud for reference to differing subjects, or use the Search tool for specific searches.

While you scroll down on the pages you will notice my CDBaby Kiosks of some of my Music. The first one will play four songs in a row in Full Preview, the entire songs! Or you can select from the other CDBaby Kiosk for 30 second Previews of all my songs currently available on CDBaby. Select "Playlist," for Full Previews of these other tunes.

"10 Minute Digital Collage - Textured Young Lady" Corel

Textured Young Lady Portrait

Another 10 minute Digital Collage is the subject today. I opened a Texture from Stockvault Friday Freebies of Yellow Painted Concrete in Corel PSP Pro X3. I also opened a portrait of a Young Lady from the Morguefile Free Photos in Paint.NET. In Paint.NET I changed the image to a Black and White photo, I applied the Artistic Ink Sketch, Coarse pen to that.

Saving that I opened it in PSP Pro X3 and placed it as a layer on the Texture. I adjusted the size of the Young Lady to fit the large Texture. Using the property Multiply I added transparency to the portrait. I added my signature and then upped the Saturation Vibrancy. I merged the layers and removed EXIF information from the image. I then simply resized for display. I adjusted the Curves to add depth to the piece and saved it.

All in all it took around 10 minutes and a tad to complete this Textured Digital Collage of the Young Lady.

"10 Minute Digital Collage - Woman and Wood" Corel

Digital Collage - Woman and Wood

A 10 minute "Digital Collage - Woman and Wood." I used Corel PSP Pro X3 in Windows 10 to create this Digital Collage. Two photographs, one from the Morguefile Free Photos and the other a Texture photograph from Stockvault Friday Freebies.

I opened the dark Woman's Portrait in PSP Pro X3 and used the Threshold tool set to Outline White for the face, hand and hair. I opened the Wood Texture and copied it to the clipboard. I pasted as a new layer into the Woman's Portrait.

I adjusted the large image to show it's interesting cut wood natural lines. Then I applied the Saturation Vibrancy to the wood. I also used the Curves tool to lighten the wood colors a tad. I placed it where I wanted it and merged the layer using the property Multiply. I added my signature as a layer and merged that then saved the large 300dpi image.

I then resized the image to display size for this post. It only took 10 or so minutes to create this piece. Two Photographs, One Program.

Took longer to describe my process and workflow!

"Painted Concrete and Young Woman" Corel

Painted Concrete and Young Woman

This image of a Young Woman started as a photograph from Morguefile Free Photos. I also used a Yellow Concrete Texture from Stockvaults Friday Freebies.

I opened the Texture in Corel Painter Photo Essentials 4 with the Modern Painting set. Saving that large iteration I opened it in Corel PhotoPaint. Once there I also opened the Young Woman Portrait and applied the Threshold tool to it. I adjusted for white space, leaving enough detail for face recognition.

I copied that to the Clipboard and Pasted as a layer over the Yellow Concrete. I sized to fit and used the property Multiply for transparency before I merged the two layers. I added my signature and saved as a TIFF file again.

Still in PhotoPaint I adjusted the Tone Curve for some punch to the colors. I then resampled for display. After I did that I decided to add a Film Frame using Filter Forge Frames.

If you haven't listened to any of my songs on CDBaby, scroll down to the lower portion of the blog. I have two kiosks for playing my songs. The first plays three songs in Full Preview and a Bonus track. The second kiosk you select the song you wish to hear by selecting the graphic below the current song being displayed. All should be Full Preview so you can listen before deciding to purchase. Comments are welcome.

"Butterflies with Woman Textured" Corel Digital Collage

Butterflies with Woman Textured

"Butterflies with Woman Textured," started with a background texture from Stockvault's Freebies, a Photograph of a Young Lady with a black background, and a piece of Dover Publications Sampler Clip Art.

I opened Corel PhotoPaint and loaded the Texture first. I added a layer of the Young Lady, which I trimmed off the corners from the photograph. I also applied the Threshold tool to add some white space for transparency (using the property Multiply.) I moved the Young Lady to the lower right hand corner and merged that layer.

I searched for a piece of clip art I could apply to the collage. I found one of Butterflies and Flowers. I opened that, copied it and pasted it from New from Clipboard. I scaled to fit the Texture. I merged that along with my signature and saved the large iteration.

I used Filter Forge's Photo Effects Vibrancy to boost the colors. I saved again. I reopened it in Corel PSP Pro X3, there I boosted the Saturation Vibrancy for more punch to the color. I resampled for display.

Musically speaking, my Lead Guitarist is on vacation, so I haven't heard back from him as of yet. I am hoping that he can improvise a good lead line for "I Still Remain," my newest song. In the meantime I am looking at a Blues Dialect lyric I wrote recently, and endeavoring to put it to music with chords and melody. Stayed tuned for more information on the release of the new song.

"Blue Woman in the Woods" Corel

Blue Woman in the Woods

Instead of doing some Digital Painting, I wanted to do some Photography Texture Blending. I found a Womans Portrait from Morguefile, and a Texture from Stockvaults Friday Freebies. I began by opening the Woman first in Corel PSP Pro X3 and adjusted the Threshold to darken it. I then opened the Blue Texture file and layered it over the Woman. I sized it to fit the portrait. I then added to the image by adjusting the layer opacity properties. I upped the Saturation Vibrancy for the Blue Texture to stand out. I saved that file as a TIFF file format.

I opened the Woman in Corel PhotoPaint and used a differing form of the Threshold to allow some flesh-tones to show, along with the white space. I opened the previously Textured file and layered the two, using the property Multiply for transparency. I added my signature as a layer and merged them all.

I ended up with a multi-textured piece, with wood bark and the Blue, along with some Flesh-tones on her face. In the end I blended four or five layers to create this piece. "Blue Woman in the Woods." I saved that file iteration. I resampled for display and saved a final for post image.

NOTE: My New Song: "Wait Until Morning," is in process at CDBaby.com, I will be posting it soon. Keep in anticipation for this love gone wrong song.

"Hazel Eyes with Map Textured" Corel

Hazel Eyes with Map Textured

I began today's image with the Hazel Eyed Woman's Portrait, from Morguefile. I opened the file in Corel PhotoPaint. I sized to screen, and then applied the Threshold tool to it.  I left quite a bit of her hair and the left background the same. I saved this file.

I used the Wand tool to select white space created by the Threshold tool. I then loaded a map file into the fill tool, and using that I filled the face and neckline.

I used Filter Forge's Photo Effect Vibrancy on the face with the Map to add color.

I opened a burgundy Texture file from Stockvault and copied and layered that over the rest of the image. I reopened the same base Portrait and Cut out the lips and eyes and placed them on the image, merging all layers. I did use the Tone Curve on the lips and eyes to deepen the color as well before merging.

If you look closely at the Map, you will see the, "Vicinity of Detroit, Michigan" as well as part of "New York, and Cincinnati."

NOTE: As a reminder my Songs (singles) for sale at CDBaby all allow you to hear the full song now prior to your considering buying them. Feel free to have a listen to them. Comment if you wish. If you have a CDBaby consumer account you can Review the song on it's page.

NOTE2: Take a look at my new Facebook Page and Please like it! https://www.facebook.com/KirkMathewGatzka.Music.Art

"Two Women Dual Textured with Map" Corel

Two Women Dual Textured with Map

Another image with layering of a Public Domain Map, showing Michigan and surrounding areas. The Dual Textures are the Map and a Stone Texture from StockVault. (The brownish tint to the Map is the Stone Texture.)

I began with the Women ( from Morguefile) in Corel PSP Pro X3, I used the Threshold tool for white and black space. I left enough detail to satisfy me for their faces and hair. I next copied and layered the Map with a slight change with Curves for the depth of colors.

I selected another Stone Texture and adjusted the darkness of the Stone to a light color before applying the property Burn (or was it Dodge?) one or the other. This gave the brownish tint to the Map.

I added my signature and merged all layers, saving the large iteration. I viewed the full image and found that the Map made a nice border for the sides but too much white on the bottom. I opened in Corel PhotoPaint and added a black border to the entire image. Here I also resampled the image for display with compression set at 75 and smoothing at 33, with the JPG Optimized. I saved that and then posted to "gatzkART!".

NOTE: You may noticed I have another Single Tune For Sale at CDBaby to the right. Called "The Roof," it is a three track instrumental done with my 12-String Guitar in the Alternate Tuning of DADGAD. It is a mellow and soothing Tune that builds to a climax. Go to the link and have a listen to a short excerpt about 30 seconds long. You can buy it there or click off the tab to close the purchase page. Thank you for your considering some of my music.

"Taylor Guitar Player Pencil & Texture Blend" Corel

Taylor Guitar Player

I looked through some of my photographs from the Taylor Road Show, at Motor City Guitar, I selected this one. I opened it in Corel PSP Pro X3. There I decided to use some of the Effects available and I selected Pencil for the base image. It created almost an embossed look and feel to the photograph. All my Show photographs were taken with my Canon Rebel XTi DSLR.

I then looked through some new Textures I had received from Friday Freebies StockVault. I grabbed this incredible Blue Texture. I did this the other day and I believe I used the blend property of Multiply with Opacity adjustments.

I also applied Saturation Vibrancy for a slight boost to the colors. I added a black border and my signature, and merged all the layers, saving the large iteration. I added Image Information to the EXIF properties. All the work was done in PSP Pro X3. I resized for display here but did not mess with the default compression or smoothing.

"Tired Man Collage" Paint.NET - Corel

Tired Man Collage

This particular image is of a "Tired Man," with Collage items added for interest. The face is from MorgueFile and the paper texture is from StockVault. The others, the woman, ferns, steampunk balloon, are all from Dover Publications Sampler Clipart. 

I did the majority of the layering and placing of the individual pieces of this little Digital Collage in Paint.NET. I started with the man's portrait, I flipped it horizontally first. Then applied the Outline tool for the reverse color. (It was Black and White to begin with.) I added the colored Paper Texture as a second layer. This placed the Portrait in the upper left hand corner, as the texture was a larger file.

Rather than adjust this I decided to search for some Clipart pieces, to make a Digital collage, on my External Hard Drive. After some time I picked the pieces here at random, hoping the viewer would make up a storyline for the resulting image.

I used Multiply as the transparency property on the layers, including my signature. I did some Curves adjusting still in Paint.NET then saved the large iteration.

I reopened that in Corel PSP Pro X3. Here I boosted the colors with Saturation Vibrancy set at 33, and I again touched it up with Curves for depth. I saved again and opened in PhotoPaint, after adding some Image Information.

In PhotoPaint I resampled the piece for display. Saving the Medium sized image compressed by 75 and smoothing at 33, for display here.

After viewing the image of today, click HOME and scroll down - Please don't forget to View my new video slideshow, a retrospective of some of my 2014 artwork along with a soundtrack of an Original song I wrote and recorded, "Reality Show." It is only vocals and my Seagull 12-String guitar, I wrote the lyrics and used an upbeat chord progression for the song. Simple is sometimes better, I did not add any lead or piano to it. 

Click on it and go to YouTube and like it for me, and comment on the Artwork and the song there if you wish! Thank you.

"Redhead with Flowers Textured" Paint.NET - Corel

Redhead with Flowers Textured

Another Portrait from MorgueFile and a Free Texture Friday from StockVault. I opened the Redhead with Flowers in Paint.NET as a layer. Then I searched for a recent Texture and found one I liked. I opened that also in Paint.NET and copied to the clipboard, pasting it as a new layer over the Portrait.

I adjusted the Texture trying differing layer properties and finally found one and I texture blended the layer with the photograph. I did some slight adjustments to the color with Curves. I also opened my signature file and copy - pasted as a layer to them.

I saved the large file after I merged all the layers. Then I opened with Corel PSP Pro X3 for adding Image Information and to resized for display. I did that and saved the image in a Medium iteration.

I'd like you to listen to some of my Singer Songwriter Alternative Folk/Rock on SoundCloud. At:

https://soundcloud.com/gatzka-music

The first song is the full version of my new single "Open Secret." Which is for sale on CDBaby. I invite you to have a listen and consider buying it.

Comments, Pluses and Shares on Google+ are welcome and any Tweets would be appreciated. Thank you!

"Shy Guy" Corel

Shy Guy

I did today's portrait with a photograph from MorgueFile and Free Texture Friday from StockVault. I really like these photographs of ragged men. Their faces tell stories of a life filled with hardship, you can't help but sympathize with them.

I opened the photograph in Corel PhotoPaint, here I used the Threshold tool on it for white space. I adjusted it for a bit more white space as the lower portion of the image is full of deep colors.

I added the layer of a Gritty Texture, rotated to portrait and fit to the subject. I applied the property Multiply for transparency, allowing it to blend with the man's face.

I added my signature with a new copyright date, in white. Also I gave it a small black border for the top of the image as a finishing touch.

I am enjoying this series of portraits and hope you are as well. Faces and Eyes tell tales we cannot ignore. Love that, don't you?

"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."

"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.

"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.

"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 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!