"Searching the Archives - Vintage Dot Matrix and Photograph"

Amelia - Dot Matrix Digitized

Film Photo Scanned In

I am showing a Vintage Dot Matrix Female Portrait to begin with. I did this on a Tandy Color Computer with a Dot Matrix printer. I scanned in the results and saved them for future examination. It may bring back some memories of those of you in the early days of home computing. Amelia was a fictional person I drew on the computer using a Kola Pad if my memory serves me right, if not it was a mouse drawn image. In fact this may have been done on an Amiga Computer! Memory fails me.

Candy Apples is a film photograph taken in the 1990's and scanned in. I think I was using Windows at the time on an IBM type PC. I do remember this trip to the Ingham County Fair near Lansing Michigan.

Memories for all to conjure up thoughts of early computing!

"A Rainy Day at Peggy's Cove" Corel Painter 11 - Paint.NET - Filter Forge

A Rainy Day at Peggy's Cove

A challenge photograph from the Painter Talk forum. I downloaded the photograph and opened it in Paint.NET. There I used the Effect Ink Sketch with the color set to zero for a black and white image. I saved that and opened it in Painter 11.

I selected various Watercolor Brushes native to Painter and painted away at differing sizes. I used a Bristle brush for the Rain - like sky adding the yellow highlights and the reflections in the water. Saving that iteration at display size I opened from Picasa 3.9 update to Corel PhotoPaint.

Here I added my signature and used Filter Forge's Photo Effects Vibrance for punching up the colors. I saved that file to share here. Be sure to click on the image for the larger view. Thanks for your interest!

Listening to Eric Clapton Unplugged from YouTube.

"Colorful Digital Abstract" Corel Painter 11 - Plus

Colorful Digital Abstract

I began this image as a photograph of Colored Glass in many forms and hues. I was browsing in Picasa 3.9 and went to an assignment folder from PainterTalk and found this and other photographs.

I opened with Corel PhotoPaint and resampled it to a display setting. Then I used the Tone Curve for some depth to the image. I saved that iteration in a New Folder. Clicking on it in Picasa I opened it with Corel Painter Photo Essentials 4 and auto painted it with the Modern Painting settings, I saved that iteration. To open in Corel Painter 11 I used Copy the Full Path in Picasa, then I used Corel Painter 11 to paste the Open path in the Open image window. I cloned the original auto painted image.

Using the clone I opened the Warp Image tool and using that brush like setting I warped the painting to a completely abstract piece. I selected the Artist Sargent Brush and painted lines upon this abstract. I next applied Surface Texture using Image Luminance for more brushstroke texture. I saved that iteration.

I opened with PhotoPaint and added my signature. I then resaved the display size piece.

It has been some time since I have done a Digital Abstract like this and I enjoyed playing with the original brightly colored glass photograph. Sometimes you just need to create abstractions.

"Head Games - Victorian and Other Heads - Plus a Touch of Italy""

Head Games

Today I used a photograph for the background garnered from Canon's Image Gateway, as I am an owner of Canon equipment. It is a photograph from Italy. I downloaded this file then opened with Paint.NET and used the Ink Sketch on it with light color.

I also had recently gotten an image of Victorian men and a woman from Free Digital Vintage Clip Art's blog. I saved the altered background and reopened with Corel PhotoPaint. Here I pasted and resized the image of the Victorians and erased what I did not want in the image. I also applied the Dust and Scratch tool to them.

I browsed in Picasa 3.9 to a photograph of myself and my wife singing Karaoke and placed it behind them, also cropping and erasing what I did not want of the photograph. I applied the Tune Blur to that using Gaussian Blur at a very low setting.

I searched my Dover Clip Art folder with Picasa and found other faces to add to my conglomeration of differing times and places. I cut pasted and erased what I did not want and took the faces without color and added sepia like tones. I used Filter Forge's Photo Effects Sepia with an object mask on two of them.

I used the Tint A Lot brush for the tan on the building. Then switched to the Replace Color Brush for the details, using a light blue color.

I added my signature and saved the large file. I resampled for display, used Corel PSP Pro X3 to add the ornate frame and saved that iteration.



Listening --- Peace and Quiet Again

"A Waiting Lady" Digital Collage - Corel PhotoPaint - Corel PSP Pro X3

A Waiting Lady

Today I used some Vintage Clip Art I recently got from online along with Flaming Pear's textures. I opened Picasa 3.9 and browsed to my Flaming Pear folder and selected a texture called "branches." I opened with Corel PhotoPaint and increased the file size by increasing the dpi to 300. I then used the Unsharp Mask tool on it for a bit of sharpness.

I converted this bmp to an RGB image and used Replace Color giving it a blueish cast. I browsed to my Clip Art folder in Picasa 3.9 and found the Marie Antoinette like lady and copied and pasted her into the texture background. I erased much of the image leaving only the lady. I also added the dress making piece to the image.

I Replaced Color on both then added the globe and books and scrolls, copying, pasting erasing, coloring again. I searched for an appropriate corner symbol and did the same. I used the property Multiply on all the pieces of the collage. Saving this I opened with Corel PSP Pro X3 and where I applied the Saturation Vibrancy to boost the color and Curves for depth. I added the ornate frame to match the elegance of the lady.

I resized for display in PSP saving both sizes of the image.

Listening --- Little River Band --- Lady

"I Love You" Digital Collage - Corel PhotoPaint

I Love You

This Digital Collage started as a freehand drawing done by my Daughter when she was very young. It showcases her artistic abilities from a very young age.

I added the Alphabet in various styles and fonts, along with some Dover Publication Clip art. I applied the Tone Curve and slightly increased the color saturation to boost the color just a bit. You can tell the paper is old with it's stains and it has some water damage to it. All in all it scanned in very clearly.

I saved two copies of the image at its largest size and two at display size.

"Series 66 #7" Digital Collage - Last in Series - Corel PhotoPaint

Series 66 #7

"Series 66 #7," is the last in this series of Digital Collages about collaged Faces. I used Corel PhotoPaint, CorelDRAW, Painter 8, and Picasa 3 to create today's image.

I began with a freehand trace of a face from an old photograph done in Painter 8 before I had gotten Painter 11. I then browsed in Picasa 3 folders for faces to select features from. I found a group of black and white scanned in portraits and selected the eyes, ears and mouth from disparate images. I then placed them accordingly.

I used the magic wand to select parts of the face and image and filled with radial gradients the hair and face and neck. I then selected the background and filled it with a space photograph.

Browsing again in Picasa 3 I found 2 color palettes and copied and pasted them into the image using the property Multiply to add transparency. I opened CorelDRAW and typed in the "66," and "#7," at a large size using the fonts Basketcase and 321Impact. I copied and pasted them into the collage.

I added my signature, saved the large file, and resampled for display.

I have enjoyed creating this series of Digital Collage Faces and learned some new techniques, especially erasing sections of pasted in pieces of the image. I hope you have enjoyed the series as well.

Listening --- Jethro Tull --- Part of the Machine

"Series 66 #6" Digital Collage - Corel PhotoPaint

Series 66 #6

I found time today to create another in the "Series 66 #6," I may create one more of these for a total of "7,". Again I used Corel PhotoPaint, CorelDRAW, Corel Painter 11 and Picasa 3 for the making of this image.

I scanned in the background and opened it in Painter 11 to warp the color swatches and to add a paper texture to it. I saved the large file and opened with PhotoPaint and used Picasa 3 to locate sources to use to create the face. I selected for the eyes and nose a digital painting I did in Painter 8 sometime ago. I opened another digital painting for the mouth, also done in Painter 8. I used the Tone Curve on the cut and pasted pieces to boost the color depth.

I browsed to my Dover Publications folder and found the swirling frame and added that. I also located the woman playing the violin and added her playing right into the ear of the face. I had selected the hair, ears, chin for the face from a photograph taken by me with my Canon Rebel XTi.

I did not scan in as much from other sources as I had on others of this series. I used what sources I already had on my Hard Drive. I finally added my signature and saved the large file then resampled for display and sharing here on the blog.

Yesterday I uploaded the first 5 in the series to my Fine Art America (see the link below) account to allow them to be available for sale. I will also add this one as well.

Listening --- 3 Doors Down --- Duck and Run

"Series 66 #1" Digital Collage - Corel PhotoPaint

Series 66 #1

"Series 66 #1," is a Digital Collage done using scanning with my Canon MP495 and a number of different sources. I created this face using the disparate parts from these sources. It is much like regular collage work only you cut and paste on the computer. I used Corel's PhotoPaint and Canon's scanning software.

I have a man's nose and mouth, drawn woman's eyes that I duplicated and flipped, a man's hair and ears and a woman's eyebrows. The jaw line was taken from another source and carefully trimmed and sized for the image.

I added the distinctive type of DaVinci for some texture at the bottom of the image, with a drink and a symbol on top of the writing.I saved the large file and resampled for display after adding my signature.

Listening --- Bob Dylan --- Series of Dreams

Grunge Typography - Stained Typefaces - Digital Collage - CorelDRAW - Picasa 3 - PhotoPaint - Filter Forge

Click for Larger Image

Grunge storytelling is the topic for the image of the day. I opened Picasa 3 and went to one of my folders containing some of my grunge backgrounds. Using the Ctrl key I selected seven grunge textures and made a large Collage of them. I saved that file and opened CorelDRAW.

I pasted the large image into CorelDRAW and made it fit an 8" x 10" size. I opened my web browser and went to Fillerati.com and selected some text from Edgar Rice Burroughs At the Earth's Core.

I added the text to the image, using for the background text paragraph the Bedini typeface, I force justified the yellow text. I liked the phrase at the end of the paragraph and copied that for the large text.

"His attitude was of one who waits for the miracle to come to him," I thought was an interesting phrase. I selected the typeface Abadi MT Condensed Extra Bold and enlarged it. I set it at force justify and small caps in black.

I duplicated the phrase and made it white and offset it from the black type. I saved the large file and resampled it to use online. To add the grunge look and feel as even more evident I used Filter Forge's Photo Effects Grunge and tested out varying effects. I selected to lessen the grunge increase the stains and applied it to the whole image.

As an aside topic, I got out my Seagull 12-String guitar the other night and tuned it to an open "G" tuning that I've never used before. G G D G B D is the string set up for this tuning. I did some improvising making up chords and using a couple I had found. After a long dry spell musically it was enjoyable to be playing again!



Listening to: Abra Moore - Four Leaf Clover

Two Digital Collages - Paint.NET - PhotoPaint

Click for Larger Image

Click for Larger Image

I had a couple of more photographs of my Grandson and my Daughter and I decided to do two digital collages with them. I opened with Paint.NET and selected Effects> Collage Paint for the first image and it allows selection of a folder of images, along with the size of the collaged images. I made my adjustments to the selections and let the collage build with images of guitars and other images.

On the second image I opened Paint.NET again and selected a folder full of photographs of my grandson. These made the collage image, if you look closely at the larger images you can see some of that detail.

As the second image's background was dominate I opened with Painter 11 and used the Suminagashi grainy brush on the background. I saved the large file and reopened in PhotoPaint. I used the selection tool to select the background and applied the Local Equalization tool to it. It made the image of my Grandson stand out more.

For both I used the Tone Curve to make adjustments to color depth and saved the large files. Then I resampled to a smaller size for the web. I added my signature to both and saved the smaller file sizes.

Listening --- Pink --- Family Portrait

Cup Saucer and Silverware Freehand Design - CorelDRAW - PhotoPaint

Click for Large Image

I found an old sketch I had done, from 1998 and I scanned it into PhotoPaint. Copying it to the clipboard I opened and pasted it into CorelDRAW.

Using the freehand tool I traced the objects, deleted the scanned sketch, and then filled them with gradients of varying color. I added the text using an AvantGarde Md BT typeface with the exception of the number sixty-six for which I used Adolescence.

I again used fillerati.com for the text in Deutsch from Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. I force justified the text and sized it to fit the object. I added a black border and then a table top with the polyline tool.

After I placed all objects in order, I grouped them and copied to the clipboard.

Back in PhotoPaint I opened as New from Clipboard and saved the large file. I resampled for display and added my signature.

Listening --- Mike and the Mechanics --- Another Cup of Coffee

At Complete Demoralisation - CorelDRAW - PhotoPaint - Filter Forge

Click for Larger Image

This image is entitled "at complete demoralisation," was created in CorelDRAW and adjusted in PhotoPaint. I followed the same basic steps as I had with my last two images. I like the motif and decided to do another image like them.

I opened CorelDRAW and imported from my Fractals folder three differing modified fractals. I resized them and placed them.

I went online to fillerati.com and copied a partial quote from H. G. Wells, "War of the Worlds," and placed that on the imported fractals. I used the typeface Benguiat Bk BT for the text phrase. I forced justified the full quote, using the color navy blue.

I added a portion of the quote in large text and placed it on top the image, this time straight across the page. I duplicated that quote in a Cyan color to offset from the black. This was center justified. I also set the character spacing at 33 and the line spacing at 85 percent respectively.

I grouped the pieces together and copied to the clipboard. I opened PhotoPaint and pasted as New from Clipboard then saved large file, closing CorelDRAW. I then resampled the file for display.

I went into Filter Forge's Photo Effects Grunge and selected a variant. I adjusted the stains and amount of texture for that grunge look and feel, without overpowering the image. This also placed a frame around the full piece.

I added my signature to complete the piece. I saved the image to share here.

Listening --- Kirk Mathew Gatzka ---When Our Eyes Met

As Soft As the Stuff They Sailed Upon - CorelDRAW - PhotoPaint - Filter Forge

Click for Larger Image

This image is entitled "as soft as the stuff they sailed upon." was created in CorelDRAW and adjusted in PhotoPaint. I followed the same basic steps as I had with yesterday's image.

I opened CorelDRAW and imported from my Mayang's Textures folder three differing texture photographs. I resized them and placed them.

I went online to fillerati.com and copied a partial quote from Edgar Rice Burroughs, and placed that on the imported textures. I used the typeface Abadi MT Condensed Extra Bold for the text phrase. I forced justified the full quote, using the color green.

I added a portion of the quote in large text and placed it on top the image, this time at an angle. I duplicated that quote in an orange color to offset from the light yellow. This was left justified.

I grouped the pieces together and copied to the clipboard. I opened PhotoPaint and pasted as New from Clipboard the large file, closing CorelDRAW. I then resampled the file for display. And from my Dover Clip Art folder I added a Vintage young lady image.

I went into Filter Forge's Photo Effects Grunge and selected a variant. I adjusted the stains and amount of texture for that grunge look and feel, without overpowering the image. This also placed a frame around the full piece.

I added my signature to complete the piece. I saved the image to share here.

Listening --- The Beatles --- Yellow Submarine

Art Deco with Bauhaus 93 Typography - CorelDRAW - PhotoPaint

Click for Larger Image

I received in my inbox today some Dover Publications Samples. Among them were these great Art Deco designs. I opened my Dover sampler folder after saving them and selected four designs. I opened PhotoPaint and from Picasa 3 I copied and pasted them. From PhotoPaint I adjusted the individual pieces and then opened CorelDRAW.

I placed each image in the new graphic document. I then selected the typeface Bauhaus 93 for my typography. I merely spelled out Art Deco and selected bright colors for the letters. I outlined each with a complimentary color to make them stand out a bit more.

I selected the rectangle tool and placed one behind all the Art Deco pieces and Bauhaus 93 text. I added the phrase "typography Bauhaus 93," in a small size to name the typeface used.

I selected all the pieces and grouped them together and copied to the clipboard. Back in PhotoPaint I opened with File> New from Clipboard>. This gave me a 6" x 9" 300dpi graphic of the grouped pieces. I added my signature, saved the large file as a jpg, then resampled to display here.

Listening --- Jethro Tull --- Part of the Machine

Some Typography Play in CorelDRAW and Painter 11

Click for Larger Image

I've been looking at a lot of Typography Art lately and was compelled to play with some. I opened CorelDRAW and created the image above. I used some very basic typefaces and tried to make as interesting an image as possible with them. I worked in black and white for the greater part of the image creation and used the Polyline tool for the black design in the lower right hand corner.

I grouped the entire image together then copied it to the clipboard and pasted it into PhotoPaint and converted it to a jpg. Saving the large file I opened it with Painter 11, creating a new layer and filled it with the golden yellow background. I switched to the beginning image layer and used the property Multiply for transparency. Switching back I added paper texture to the colored layer, then dropped all to merge the layers. I again saved the large file to resample in PhotoPaint for display here.

Listening --- to the birds outside my windows --- beautiful

Built up Textures - Design for Life Series - Painter - CorelDRAW

I started today's image in Corel Painter 11, I selected custom textures and some from Flaming Pear. I used the Variable Chalk brush and painted the textures, overlapping and created an 8" x 10" image.

I saved that image as a jpg and opened it in CorelDRAW. There I placed the text using Arial Rounded Bold. I extruded the text by 3 and that gave it some depth.

I added the quote from Will Rogers and balanced that with the "Design," text. I converted to bitmap and reopened in PhotoPaint as a 300dpi image.

Here I used the Tone Curve for depth and increased the saturation for a color boost.

Using Filter Forge's frames I added a film frame. I added my signature to complete the piece.

I am not certain how many more of the Design for Life series I am going to do. I did some Art Deco and Art Nouveau pieces. This one is more up to date image of the same theme.

Please feel free to share on Facebook or Twitter, and my Google +1 button in the upper left corner I appreciate any sharing you may do. Thank you.

Thank you as well to my followers and those of you on RSS or email feed and Twitter. We've passed the 15,000 plus pageviews and we appreciate your continued interest in gatzkART! up dates.


Listening --- Kirk Mathew Gatzka --- Time

Design for Life - Live for Design - Art Deco - CorelDRAW - PhotoPaint

I opened CorelDRAW and scanned in two pieces of Art Deco from E. Benedictus' Art Deco Designs book to begin this image. I continued with my Design for Life and Live for Design motif for today's image. It's beginning size was approximately 7" x 8".

I adjusted the Tone curve and saturation of the colors. I used the typefaces A Bite, Basketcase, and 321Impact for the text. I looked for some interesting words for the text to include and opened a Text file named simply 98.txt.

To my surprise it was a Project Gutenberg text of a A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. The opening words so aptly described the creative process, as it is an up and down roller-coaster at times, that I selected them for this piece. I saved the large file. Converted it to bitmap and reopened in PhotoPaint.

I added the ladies faces from some Dover Clip Art samples I found browsing my Dover folder in Picasa 3. They add some balance and a classy touch to the whole image.

I added a thirty pixel border of blue and my signature. Re-saved the large file and resampled for display here.

Listening --- Gordon Lightfoot --- The No Hotel [Live]

Digital Art Academy Digital Collage in Painter Lesson 2

My second lesson Digital Collage piece is being shared today. Digital Art Academy's Journey in Collage is taking me places I have not yet gone in Corel Painter 11. I am enjoying the making of collages as I always have liked the process.

Learning new techniques is much fun, along with their own frustrations on doing them correctly. I am enjoying the lesson plan for working in Painter. I like learning new things!

I selected a number of pieces of Dover Clip Art for placing in this collage. And used some of the artwork supplied by DAA.

Listening --- dj matrix --- Castles in the Sky

Design for Life - Live to Design - Art Deco - CorelDRAW - PhotoPaint

A simple fairly clean designed image for today's Design for Life theme. It may have taken more time than it appears to have to create this piece.

I started out in CorelDRAW by acquiring and scanning in a cropped Art Deco floral motif from E. Benedictus' Art Deco Designs book. I added the text phrases after some thought. I wanted to encourage creative thought as I worked at each phrase.

I used the following fonts, not in any order of appearance: Twentieth Century Poster 1, Colonna MT, Banjoman Open Bold. I worked to fit them for a lively design.

After I chose and placed the type I selected all and grouped the objects and Converted to Bitmap. Then I copied to the clipboard and opened with PhotoPaint.

Here I browsed my Dover Clip Art and found the Megaphone Man whom I copied and pasted into the image. I used Replace Color on him and Multiply for transparency. I stood him balanced with one foot on the "L" in "Live," placing the large end of the megaphone at the center of the pink flower.

I had saved the large file and then resized the image for display. I did add a twenty pixel border to frame it.

Listening --- Creed --- What's This Life For?