"Raw!" Grunge Digital Collage - Corel PhotoPaint - Filter Forge

Raw!

I returned to Grunge Guitars Digital Collage for this image. I browsed in Picasa 3 to a folder with rust textured images for the background. I opened with Corel PhotoPaint and resampled boosting the dpi from 72 to 256 in increments to enlarge the texture.

I used the Tune Blur on it, both the Directional Blur and Soften, then the Unsharp Mask to keep some textural detail. I browsed to an image of a 12-String guitar and placed it with the property Color Burn. I selected my Dover Publications folder and used the music notation, with Color Burn and reduced the opacity to 69.

I scanned in a image of three guitar players from an old magazine and used the Threshold to change it's transparency. Selecting the white areas with the Wand tool I applied a Hubble Telescope image to the unmasked areas.

I added a Victorian corner to the upper left hand corner. And I scanned in a scrap of a poem entitled "Raw!" that I wrote in 1996. I angled the poem and used Color Burn to make it transparent.

I applied Filter Forge's Photo Effects Vibrance and also a Grunge texture and slight frame. I turned down the grunge filter and upped the stains before I applied it to the piece.

I finished with my signature and saved the large file, then resampled to display here as today's image.

Listening --- Kirk Mathew Gatzka --- I'm Raw

"I Am More!" - CorelDRAW - PhotoPaint - Filter Forge

And I Am More!

Another bit of poetry from the same time period in 1996 during a period of illness. It was originally titled "I Are," I updated it a bit to make it as current today as then. It's principle is that one cannot be fully known judged by our outer actions. We essentially are more than that. Larger than life.

"I Am More!" now looks like a stick figure on a grunge background. Done in CorelDRAW I used a font called Calibri Bold. I applied the Fit Text to a Path using curves made from the ellipse tool. And I turned on the grid and snap to the gird for balancing the text phrases.

I grouped all in CorelDRAW and copied to the clipboard and opened PhotoPaint and pasted as File New From Clipboard again at 75% of the large original size for working on it.

I used Filter Forge's Photo Effects Grunge for a light grunge look and feel. I saved the large file with my signature and resampled for display.

Listening --- Tom Petty - Don't Come Around Here No More

"Self Worth" - CorelDRAW - PhotoPaint - Filter Forge

Self Worth

I've been scouring some of my Journals of writings for Poetry to publish here as grunge posters. I ran across this one from March 24th, 1996 entitled "Self Worth." 

I opened CorelDRAW and NexusFont, a font finding program and found this one called Century Schoolbook Bold Italic. In my Journal the poem was written with the verses angling down the page. So I duplicated the style here with type.

I went and found a grunge background from my folders in Picasa 3 and copied and pasted it, then rotated it for a portrait display. I placed it behind the text.

Next I wanted a shadow behind the main text phrases so I grouped the text in it's angled state and duplicated it, using a yellow on brown. Grouping the background and the text I copied to the clipboard and opened with File New From Clipboard in PhotoPaint at 75% it's original size for working purposes.

I applied Filter Forge's Photo Effects Grunge to the image to make it stained and framed. I added my signature, saving the large file then resampling to display size.

Listening --- Archie Roach --- Life is Worth Living

"Begin The Dream" - CorelDRAW - PhotoPaint - Filter Forge

Begin The Dream

Back in May of this year I wrote a poem about "Begin The Dream." I was looking through my song lyrics and poetry and found it again. The poem focuses on the Dream and Reality and which is which, or both the same. In any event I made a grunge typographic image of it.

I opened CorelDRAW and also the poem (in Notepad) I pasted the poem on an imported grunge background I got from a Twitter message link (a zip file of a handful of backgrounds.) I took the title and the last two verses of the poem and enlarged them and duplicated them for a dark on light effect.

I grouped the text and the graphic and copied to the clipboard and opened PhotoPaint, using File New From Clipboard I pasted the file at 75% of it's original size which was large.

I used Filter Forge's Photo Effects Vibrance on the image for an increase in tone. I then used the same Photo Effects Grunge for the additional texturing and framing. I then used the Tone Curve to add a bit of depth. I saved the large file, resampling for display, adding my signature to complete the piece.

Listening --- The Cranberries --- Dreams

Aqua Guitars - Grunge - Poetry

I combined a aqua painted, rusted metal background with an image of two guitars. I added some paint drippings and splatters for the grunge effect. And I added a snippet of a poem about Rainfall and watercolors.

I used PhotoPaint, opening up each photograph and copying the pencil sketch (done in Paint.NET) of the guitars to the clipboard and after resampling the textured piece and rotating it lengthwise, I combined them with Object Properties> Subtract> to allow the textured background to show through.

I created a large black border using the Image> Papersize> feature, centered of course. The poem does not rhyme at all, so it is not fodder for a songwriting opportunity. But it conjures up some nice imagery.

Listening --- I Want To Today II --- Kirk Mathew Gatzka

Local Barn - Pen and Ink - Watercolor - Painter 8

More pen and ink and watercolor in Painter 8 for today's image. This is another photograph taken by my son Keir M. Gatzka. I like the current motif of decaying buildings and this fits that category well.

I followed much the same techniques as in the last couple of entries. Using Paint.NET for the pen and ink filter. This time color tuned all the way up and the ink pattern tuned up slightly.

Taking this image into Painter 8 I selected the runny bleach brush and used varying sizes for the watercolors.

These old buildings at one time had a usefulness that was needed and it is a shame that many of them are no longer used. It shows a move from a more agricultural based economy to the current information era economy, with factory work in between.

It is odd that as they stand now they have a charm to them a nostalgic charm that appeals to the eye. Put out to pasture as it were they hold interest and your attention. One can imagine them bustling with workers and hay and animals. Times long gone now.

Decaying barns imply
Times not so long ago
Workers at their tasks
Then resting in the snow

Now no one goes there
Only cameras capture
Moments of contentment
Simple lovely rapture

Paint and painting gone
The planks falling apart
Shadows build an air
Of a majesty of art

Listening to World Cafe Podcast --- The Clientele

Grunge Guitar Collage - Songwriting Musings

Today I am sharing two new guitar based images complete with chord progres-
sions and lyric snippets and drippings. I created them using PhotoPaint and the available features that allow me to add each piece into the digital guitar collages.

I have been working on two new songs and I added some of the lyric snippets and chords from them cutting and pasting from MS Word documents. I place the Text tool into the image and paste the snippets and selecting them all I add font, color, angles and drippings.

I do most of my songwriting on the computer now, I don't keep a journal, I write lyrics in Notepad or MS Word. Sometimes the chord progressions comes first then a melody then lyrics, other times I write lyrics and the chords and melody come afterward.

I structure the song as I go, rhyming, verses, hopefully a bridge, and a good melody. I use various chord progression tools I have found online and printed out to help come up with a progression that works well together.

The two songs, "I'm Counting On You," and "I Need You My Friend," were written differently. I started with "I'm banking on you," first of all with the first song, changing it to "Counting" later as I worked on it.

The second song began as a poem written at my daughter's house, then I altered it as I added a chord progression from my tools I have adjusting the chords, lyrics, melody after the lyric was in written form.

Songwriting is a work of flow and concentration, coming as it does intuitively. It is funny how many revisions can take place during the process. For "Counting," I wrote and recorded about 5 different versions before I was satisfied with the song. "My Friend," took less time and was recorded only twice before I had what I think is a pretty good tune. And with that one I cut a chunk of lyric out to the beginning poem to make a manageable song.

Lately I have been encouraged to write and record using a simple, clean approach to my presentation of the song. Vocal and Guitar only, recorded without any leads or background vocals or drum beats. I think this simplification has helped as I had been too concerned about production technique that it was hurting the songwriting.

Musically I have been enjoying the process immensely as I work on new songs and chord progressions and look for the elusive "bridge."

Listening to ---- "I Need You My Friend" ---- Kirk Mathew Gatzka

Red Supra Boot - How Do You Value Digital Art?

Recently the discussion came up, again, as to the value of Digital Visual Arts. Even after decades of the practice of making digital visual art it is still devalued by some, as it is not done with the more Traditional Media. Oils, Canvas, Acrylics, Watercolors, Pen and Ink, Pencil, etc.

I have been creating Digital Visual Art since the mid 1980's and the question is still being debated, as it was from the beginning. I believe that the issues of permanence and longevity are at the seat of such a debate. I for one do not doubt the validity of the creative visual art made with digital tools, and believe that they have intrinsic value.

Much of my work is accomplished by deliberate action and planning, it is not computer generated, but created by myself, an artist. I have the composition, the colors, the subject matter well in mind like any traditional artist does, as I do my act of creation of visual art. This is definitely part of a traditional approach to the visual arts.

Also, my music, my songwriting, and recording it on the computer is done with forethought and creativity. It is not computer generated music. It is done with traditional values based upon my musical roots.

I believe that Digital Visual Art is only a choice of tools of creativity, thoughtful, deliberate, and full of value. But I am not an art critic nor a judge at an exhibition of art. I am simply a creative person, an artist, that has chosen digital tools to work with.

The debate will continue as it did with each new art movement, shock, chagrin, disbelief, acceptance, value. As long as society has these digital tools art will be made, enhanced, planned, and executed by artists in the digital form. Much like traditional visual art is.

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Now playing on Windows Media Player: Kirk Mathew Gatzka - Can't Find My Way Home Cover
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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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Poem About Writer's Block - Guitars Collage

I am struggling with a slump for writing new songs so I did an exercise in writing about being blocked. Here is the result:

Mystified
Stupefied
Simply stunted

Generation of ideas
Escapes my mind
Pouring over unsteady thoughts
Without anything brought

Blockade
Roadblock
Writer’s cramped

Purification of ideas
Escapes my mind
Pouring over unsteady thoughts
Without anything brought

The question begs when
Where have my thoughts been
It always starts with begun
And all I have to do is sung:
“All I have to do”

Mystified
Stupefied
Simply stunted

Generation of ideas
Escapes my mind
Pouring over unsteady thoughts
Without anything brought

The question begs when
Where have my thoughts been
It always starts with begun
And all I have to do is sung:
“All I have to do”

Mystified
Stupefied
Simply stunted

Generation of ideas
Escapes my mind
Pouring over unsteady thoughts
Without anything bought
Or sold – Or sold – Or sold

I did re-record "When the Stars Go Blue" cover after Tim Mcgraw's version. And my wonderful wife likes it so I am guessing I did pretty good on it. I did play and sing on two tracks to add a fullness to the recording using an R&B Vocal model. It gave it some reverb and sounds nice. A differing version of the song, of course.

I have something else to work on today so no guitar work or songwriting efforts for now.

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Now playing on Windows Media Player: Gordon Lightfoot - The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald
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