"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.

"Woman Portrait" PicsArt App Pixabay

Found a new listing of free to edit sites. Chose Pixabay and selected this Woman Portrait.

I saved it and opened it up in the PicsArt App. I applied a Artistic pastel filter, and saved it. Then I hand selected colors to paint with using different types of brushes. Hand painting on the Tablet Galaxy Tab S 8.4 is a lot of fun.

I use a Stylus for the hand painting. It is a little awkward but I think I have been doing this fairly well.

I have been care giving for a family member of late. So I post on the blog using the Blogger App. Still learning and enjoying the apps that I am using.

I have not been able to play the guitars,  neither of them. There is a time to keep quiet and a time to make music. I have found that I am writing a bit of poetry. This is a good time for me to do it.

Soon enough I will be playing guitar again.

"Redheaded Gal" PicsArt App

I did another image of a Redheaded woman portrait in PicsArt App on my tablet. I used a Pastel filter first,  then I added a line drawing on the image by hand. I also added some blended color with the different brushes.

I really like the App thus far,  as I continue to grow in learning how to use it. I'm sure that as time passes I will improve.

Nonetheless this is a great influence on my tablet created artworks. This was another #free to edit photo from the PicsArt community.  They have many more to select from.  Different types of people, things, and objects to choose from. 

A continuous improvement cycle.

"Windswept Woman and Blue" PicsArt App

I have been using free to edit pictures from PicsArt App, on my tablet. I layered the Woman using a Sketch filter set to Multiply over an enhanced Blue photo of a set of what appears to be shutters.

I'm continuing to work with my tablet for experimental art. I am using a Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 tablet. I have a stylus for sketching, but did not use it for this post.

I have Autodesk Sketchbook, and PicsArt App. Also a interesting app called Motion Portrait for animating faces.

I am not sure about sizing the images on the Tablet yet. If you want to coach me let me know what I can do.

I will be receiving the Martin DRS1 for a gift. I have it now and I have found jam tracks on YouTube by QuistJam. Practicing scales by ear as I jam with it. I am using the Line 6 PodXT Live and my PC set up to do so. Enjoying the new guitar and the jams. Now I need a new guitar amp! It is always something.

"How To: Test of CamStudio and Painter Essentials 5" by Kirk Mathew Gatzka

"How To: Workflow - Young Man and Woman Portrait" Corel

Digital Watercolor Young Man and Woman Portrait

I truly appreciate the fine portraiture I find at Unsplash Free Photos. I found this Grayscale Portrait of a Young Man and Woman there and downloaded it. I wanted to ply my Digital Visual Art Skills to this image, so, of course I did.

I opened the large file in Corel Painter Essentials 5 and began:

• I selected the Watercolor Sketch set
• Photo Painting Brushes
  • Bristle Oils Cloner
    • Size 15
    • Opacity 88%
  • I hand cloned the eyes and mouths
  • Photo Painting Brushes
    • Straight Cloner
    • Size 21.7
    • Opacity 100%

Saving that large iteration I opened it in Corel Painter 11 and began to paint by hand:

• Digital Watercolors
  • Dry Brush
    • Size varied starting at 29.7
    • Opacity 20%
    • Grain 100%
    • Diffusion 0
    • Wet Fringe 10%
• Background Sky painting
  • Broad Water Brush
    • Size Varied starting at 13.2
    • Opacity 29%
    • Grain 58%
    • Diffusion 0
    • Wet Fringe 50%
• I also used the Liquid Ink Brushes for lined details
  • Coarse Camel Brush
    • Size Various
    • Opacity 100%

I once again saved that larger image and opened it in Corel PSP Pro X3:

• Smart Photo Fix
  • Brighter +28
  • Shadows 0
  • Highlights +10
  • Saturation +10
  • Focus +57
• Hue and Saturation
  • Vibrancy +20

I added my signature, sized and placing it, before I saved the large Final piece. I then resized for display to 801 X 1200 Pixels, 72dpi, JPG file format.

I used Picasa to create the short Movie of the photo steps as the were taken. I have yet to use Camstudio with Windows 10 (free version) to create a YouTube video of my steps and creation of an artwork. 

I did my editing from my short notes I took as I worked on this image, hoping that others can learn from my efforts. Admitting that some of my Corel Programs are older ones, Digital Artists can get the flavor of the workflow and apply it to their current Programs. Most of my writing took place in Open Office the Open Source product. Some additional writing was done here in Blogger's editor.

"How To: Young Woman's Digital Watercolor Portrait" Corel

Young Woman's Digital Watercolor Portrait

I liked yesterday's Image quite a bit, so I found another Young Woman's Portrait on Unsplash Free Photos. I began adjustments in Picasa 3+. I first did Auto Contrast then I went to Brightness, there I increased the Highlights a bit, decreased the Shadows, and Increased the Color Temperature. I selected Saturation and increased the color some. Then I used the HDR tool, Low Radius, Medium Strength, zero Fade, and applied that. I saved the Large image.

Next I loaded the modified piece into Corel Painter Essentials 5. Selecting the Detailed Watercolor, I Set to Digital Watercolor Brushes, Diffuse Water Brush, Size 4.7; Opacity 100%; Grain 30% with Concrete Paper. I Digitally Painted the Young Woman's Portrait.

Still in PE5 I selected the Watercolor Sketch set with the same settings for Brush, Grain and Paper. I applied those settings to Digitally Paint over the Detailed Watercolor. Next I chose Photo Painting Brushes, Camel Oil Cloner Brush, Size 24.2, Opacity 72%, using this I retouched the Eyes, Ear, and Lips for some detail enhancement. I saved this iteration.

Using Corel PSP Pro X3 I opened that painted file and applied the Adjust, Smart Photo Fix. I set the Brighter to +28; Shadows to -30; Highlights to -10; and More Colorful to +20 with Sharper to +60. I added a Signature Layer, sizing and placing it I merged the Layers. As I wanted to mirror yesterday's image I went to Image, Picture Frame, and selected a Moss frame, outside image and merged that layer. I also used the Saturation Vibrancy set to 33 to punch up the colors one more time. I saved the Large iteration at 72dpi, RGB, 8 bit, JPG.

Per usual I resized the image for display here online.

It's time to ask again what format for my Workflow do you like better? The Outline Style or Narrative Style? One thing I haven't tried yet is combining the Styles using the Outline for the detailed settings and Narrative for explanations. I may try that if I get some feedback from You my Readers. Which do you prefer? Leave a Comment to reply.

"How This was Done: Digital Watercolor Woman's Portrait"

Digital Watercolor Woman's Portrait

Grabbing a Woman's Portrait from Unsplash Free Photos I began adjusting it in Picasa 3+. I applied the Ortonish tool and was surprised to find a Textured, Vignetted, image. I saved that Large piece and opened it in Corel Painter Essentials 5.

There I selected the Detailed Watercolor setting, Rough Paper, Digital Watercolor Broad Brush, and painted it. I saved that iteration. I loaded it into Corel PSP Pro X3. Here I applied the Curves to add depth to the colors, also ran the Saturation Vibrancy at 33 on the image.

In PSP Pro X3 I loaded a Watercolor Paper from Stockvault's Friday Freebies, which happened to be the same size and portrait shape as the Digitally Painted Woman's Portrait. I copied the Portrait to the clipboard and Pasted as a New Layer to the Watercolor Paper. I had adjusted the Watercolor Paper with Curves as well, more depth to the color. I selected the Portrait and applied the Property Multiply to it. This allowed the Paper to show through with some transparency on the Portrait.

I opened my Signature file and copied and pasted as a New Layer to the two other layers. I sized and placed the signature, applying the property Multiply for transparency. I merged all Layers to one. Still in PSP Pro X3 I selected Image, Picture Frames, and picked a Rose colored frame with the setting outside the picture. I merged that as well.

I saved the Large iteration, then resized for display a 300dpi RGB 8 bit JPG.

"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!

"How I Created This - Woman Guitarist Portrait" Corel

Woman Guitarist Portrait

Today's color photograph is from UNSplash Free Photos. I downloaded it yesterday from my email notice I get from them with free photos to use. Out of about 10 images I selected this one, "Woman Guitarist Portrait."

To begin I opened the photograph in Corel PhotoPaint and altered it to a 16-bit Grayscale file, saved that image. Then using Picasa's HDR tool I upped the Strength and Radius for a grainy, HDR feel. I saved that as a separate iteration, this was a large file about 16.4 megs.

I opened it in Corel Painter 11, a Legacy Product, and began painting the Woman. I appended the Earth Tones Palette and the Flesh Tones Palette to the basic one. using the fleshtones I painted her face using the Digital Watercolors Broad Brush. before I switched to the Coarse Dry Brush I painted most of the Woman and Guitar, leaving the background for later.

I used a number of pastel colors for the first layer on the background, adding colors as they suited me, and trying for a balance in color composition. About the only color I chose from the color photograph I started with, was the Burgundy Red of the Epiphone Special SG Guitar. I added a splash of tones throughout the Woman's Portrait, and colored her eye gloss for effect.

I changed to the Liquid Ink Airbrush Brush to begin to bring the focus upon the Woman Guitarist. I utilized that for a bit and switched to another Ink Brush for more line making. I chose color tones that I had not yet used for this portion of my painting.

I saved the iteration as a 16-bit color JPG, in it's large format. It was still only 72dpi. I opened the file in Corel PSP Pro X3, another Legacy Corel Product. Here I added Saturation Vibrancy to the image for some brightening of the colors. I also added a layer for my signature and placed that, merging layers when done. I then used the Image Information and added a Title, My Name and Date. In Resize I altered the piece to 150dpi and sized it for display here.

If it loads more slowly than usual, please let me know and I will stick with 72dpi in the future. Don't forget to click on the image for a much larger view. (Use F11 in your browser to make it a bit larger, F11 back to the standard browser setting.)

Comments, Shares and Pluses (on Google+ or Comments here on the blog,) are welcome. "Plus One Me," as Daria sings it!

"Blue Eyed Woman in Red with Book and Tea" Corel

Blue Eyed Woman in Red with Book and Tea

I found on the Internet, another free photograph site called Unsplash. I subscribed to their site and I selected a "Blue Eyed Woman in Red with Book and Tea," photograph to create today's image.

Being that it was a large image I cropped to focus upon the Woman and details. I did this in Corel PhotoPaint. I saved the cropped photograph. I wanted a Pastel look and feel to the piece.

I opened it in Corel Painter Photo Essentials 4 and used the Pastel Drawing set, not changing any of the settings. I touched up the eyes with the Soft Edge Brush. I saved that large iteration.

Opening in Corel PSP Pro X3 I used the Smart Photo Fix tool, deepening the Midtones and increasing the color. I added more punch to the Red with the Saturation Vibrancy tool. I saved again, then added my signature, resized for display and saved the final image for posting.

"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.

"Azure Eyes Digital Collage" Corel

Azure Eyes Digital Collage

NOTE: I have made adjustments to the New Song: 'Wait Until Morning,' with CDBaby. It is currently unavailable for the Full preview listening or purchase. As soon as I can I will have this corrected with them. They operate on business days, so it may take some time, Please be patient.

Today's image is a Digital Collage with Texture Blended Photography. The Woman Portrait is from Stockvault Free images and the Texture from their Friday Freebies. I opened the Woman in Corel PhotoPaint and applied the Threshold with color, made slight adjustments and went from there. I opened the Blue Texture and copied it and layered it over the Portrait. I used the property Multiply with some Opacity alterations on the Texture.

I liked the Azure Eyes of the Woman and wanted to show them fairly clearly. I decided I to make this more of a Digital Collage, I searched my Dover Publications Sampler images. I found the Two Flappers and added the layer with the property Multiply, erasing a line which surrounded them. Now with the Flappers on the left hand side, I balanced out the composition with a Floral Corner Accent. I merged all of these. I added my signature, and resized for display. Oh, and I had opened the large iteration (a TIFF file,) in Corel PSP Pro X3 adding Saturation Vibrancy for the Azure and colors brilliance.

"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.

"The Couple" Corel Painter

The Couple

I created today's image with the following:

• Corel Painter Photo Essentials 4
• Corel Painter 11
• Corel PSP Pro X3

The portrait was from Morguefile. I applied the Watercolor Sketch in Essentials 4, digitally painted in Painter 11 and upped the Saturation Vibrancy by 18 in PSP Pro X3.

I added my signature and resized for display here. 

The new song I am working on the first recording draft was over 8 minutes long! It also is not as uptempo as I want so it is time to revise! Fun times ahead.

"Woman and Blossoms Watercolor Collage" Corel

Woman and Blossoms

Two freebie photographs from Morguefile were used to create today's piece. I opened the Blossoms photograph in Corel Painter Photo Essentials 4. There I used the Detailed Watercolor setting for auto painting.

I saved the Watercolor image and reopened it in Corel PhotoPaint. I opened also the Womans Portrait in PhotoPaint. I layered the Woman over the Blossoms with Add as the property. As she was Sepia toned this gave her some transparency. I then used the Flip Horizontally tool on the blossoms and the woman.

I grabbed the eraser tool and erased around the Womans Face to get rid of white and dark areas I did not want. I did this with some abandon to add some abstraction to the piece. I took the Womans Face and fit it near the fork of the branch on the lower right-hand corner.

Since Spring is almost here in Michigan, I wanted to create a floral image, with a Womans Portrait.

Please have a listen to my latest release "Collision Warning," the second in a series following "Blind Guide." It cost nothing to listen - Click on the Play button to the Right to hear it. The third single is to follow later this month. Time when one is called to account for one's actions, to pay one's debts or to fulfill one's promises or obligations, is the basis of the coming release.

Watch for it. Remember to Scroll down to my CDBaby Store and listen to any of my singles released thus far. Most of them are only four minutes long, not taking up too much time to listen to. Enjoy!

"Woman Laying Down Portrait" Corel Painter

Woman Laying Down

I selected this photograph from Morguefile to Digitally Paint. I did not have to adjust the colors as I opened in Corel Painter Photo Essentials 4. There I auto painted using the Watercolor Sketch settings. I saved that iteration and opened in Corel Painter 11.

There I used a Gouache Bristle Brush with low opacity to begin adding some different color to the image. I added color to the face, the background, and her blouse. I also added white and light brown to the eyes. I appended the Flesh tones palette to the color palette and began using some of the light flesh tones. I added some to the face, and also to tie the composition together I added to the blouse.

I switched to a Blender Brush and did some softening of the bristles. I left the roughness of the eyes outline and eyebrows as I felt they looked painterly.

I saved that iteration and opened in Corel PSP Pro X3. There I added my signature and a Platinum Frame as layers. I merged all layers and applied the Saturation Vibrancy and a Paper Texture to the piece.

I also played a bit with Curves for some depth to the colors, Everything was complete and I saved the Large iteration. I Resized at 200dpi to display size and saved with another name. Here you see the result.

Be sure to  click on the image for the larger view! You will see the texture better as well as the image details. This is one more in my current series of Digital Painting with Corel Painter. I am enjoying this series very much, as I hope you are as well.

Note: As for my Music I am still allowing patrons to hear the full songs at CDBaby, before considering a purchase. I feel this gives one a better idea of the songs and is beneficial. 

In March, I will be releasing a series of songs that deal with the trouble one can have with Self-centered people. A song about such a person, A warning song, a reckoning song. Then I will finish with a song about the wonderful world around us, as healing takes place. 

"Bright Eyes Womans Portrait" Corel Painter

Bright Eyes Womans Portrait

Continuing with my series of Digitally Painted Portraits I selected a Woman's Portrait. I first opened in Corel PSP Pro X3 and created an RGB Grayscale image. I saved that large file and opened it in Corel Painter Photo Essentials 4 and auto painted it with the Watercolor Sketch settings.

After saving that I reopened it in Corel Painter 11 to Digitally Paint it using my Wacom tablet attached to my computer. I adjusted the Round Tinting Brush and began with some selected colors. I knew I wanted this to be a bright colorful painting, so I stuck with a palette that had just what I needed.

I spent much time on the face and eyes, keeping it bright. I did some blending with a blending tool. When I was satisfied with the face, eyes, and hair I painted the Background using a Chalk Brush. I used a form of Burnt Sienna for the base color. I also chose a light texture for the Chalk.

I switched to a Gouache Brush and an Indian Yellow, still using the texture, and painted around the Womans head. I narrowed the brush size and added some Indian Yellow to the Hair. Finishing with that I saved the large iteration with another name.

I opened it up in PSP Pro X3 again and layered my signature. Using the Effects Texture tool, I chose a paper texture for the entire image. Every layer was merged.

I had attempted to make the Eyes Hazel with blue, green, light brown, and yellow. I felt they looked just as I had wanted them, thus the "Bright Eyes Womans Portrait," Title.

"Map of NYC - Young Woman Portrait" Corel

Map of NYC - Young Woman Portrait

I was reading the other day that longer written content is getting greater attention on the Internet. This was according to some Marketing statistics. More words more attention.

Personally I have not experienced this phenomenon. I try to be fairly concise with my posts, to be fair to those who have a lot to read online. After all, we have Facebook, Google+, Twitter, News, and other things like videos to keep up with. I include myself in that statement.

I have almost used up my current Public Domain Maps. I will be searching for more if you are aware of any leave me a comment with a link I can follow.

Here, I have taken a Young Woman's Portrait and merged it with a Map of New York City. I used Corel's PSP Pro X3 to create this image. I imported the Young Woman first. Then opened and copied to the clipboard the Map, pasting as a new layer. I played around with the Curves of the Map, using Multiply as the property to add the transparency needed to see the Young Woman.

I wanted a full-color image so I did not use the Threshold tool for this piece. I added my signature as a layer, then I merged them all to one. I saved the large iteration then resized for display saving that with a secondary name.

According to Grammarly, I have slightly more than 237 words in my post. Was it long enough to keep your attention? Or, did I need more written content? What is your opinion? As this is a Digital Visual Art and Music blog, I think that the main focus is the image. 

Remember to click on it for a larger view! Thank you for your time and attention.

"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