iPhoneography Mission #9

Mission #9: Admire the color palette of butterfly wings.

Let's start with an iPhone video, shot while out for a run:

Zebra Longwings on Porterweed

This week I found a mixture of real and faux butterflies. This Zebra Longwing on Porterweed was shot with the native camera and no processing:

Zebra Longwing on Porterweed

The following images were shot with the Hipstamatic. I used the Melodie lens paired with Kodot XGrizzled film:

Tree Nymph in Sunrays. (The Tree Nymph is my all-time favorite butterfly)

 Painted Wings

Tall

Monarch on Mexican Vine

I did change the lens/film combination a couple of times. These were shot with the Hornbecker lens and Ina's 1969 film which I thought was a good combination for the morning light:

 Black, White & Red

 Eyes

 Halloween Color

 Malachite on Fence

Monarch Wings

And a few random selections:

 Shade of Blue

Lens: John S

Film: DreamCanvas

 Glittering Pink

Lens: Salvador 84

Film: Ina's 1969

Luminous

Lens: Melodie

Film: DreamCanvas

And finally, let's end with a video too!

Emerging

I love anything to do with butterflies so I really enjoyed this mission! Here is the next one:

Mission #10: Make a cup of tea and follow the color saturation of the water.

Adventures in Watercolor

Still continuing on with the watercolor lessons and this week I discovered Yupo Paper. I originally purchased the Yupo paper for work on the Doll Dreams but decided to try it out for an original watercolor painting.

Yupo is a slick, tree-free paper that is 100% waterproof. How can you paint watercolor on waterproof paper?
It's not as hard as you would think! Yupo allows you to "clean up" and correct watercolor mistakes which you can't do on traditional watercolor paper. Once dry, the glossy sheen of the paper adds another element to the painting, making the colors pop.

I've only done one painting, a self portrait of sorts since it was an image of myself in the outfit and pose that served as the idea. I originally sketched it into the Moleskine for my Sketchbook Project (OMG..due in January!) for my pages on Hyde Park in London. I then decided to sketch it in pencil on regular watercolor paper and then again on Yupo paper in ink. You'll probably see more of this image in the future as I also did one sketch on canvas to paint in acrylic and yet another to paint entirely in Photoshop and Painter XI. Maybe I'll even do one in oil! :)

Here is the one on Yupo paper:

Feed the birds, tuppance a bag

Ink & watercolor on Yupo paper

And here it is, scanned and taken into Photoshop to be "messed" with:

Here I've added a texture by Jewell to give a dreamy feel and one by Shadowhouse Creations to add some depth. In addition, I've done some more painting using one of the watercolor brushes in Photoshop. It made me long to get back to painting digitally. Remember the Phoenix? That was damn good! Or how about the Pinup I've YET to finish. But instead, I did another watercolor this week. I painted a cock! Hey now dear readers! Shame on you! Get your minds out of the gutter! :)

Until next time, creative hugs and painterly kisses!

iPhoneography Mission #8

iPhoneography Mission #8: Notice the position of your feet.


I had a hard time remembering to "notice the position" of my feet. Unless my feet were in the act of doing something, where they were the star of the moment, so to speak, I completely forgot about them. Maybe it's because I've lived with these feet for 46 years. Maybe it's because my feet always hurt and I've gotten good at ignoring the pain. Whatever the reason, feet are feet and unless you have a foot fetish, they ain't nothing to write home, or in this case, blog about. But, here ya go anyways...my weekend as told by my feet!

Morning Coffee

Out for a Morning Run

Pool Soak

Driving Miss Laura

(I just noticed as I posted this...the date on this image is the date Alice passed away, my husband's birthday. Every other time I've taken a shot with this retro-dating it's been "Sep 81". I think it's Alice's way of saying she's here hanging out with us tonight.)

Afternoon Break on the Patio

Waiting

Mountain Pose

Let's move onto a mission that is more aesthetically pleasing:

Mission #9: Admire the color palette of butterfly wings.

The Week in Traditional & Digital Art

Actually, all of these with the exception of my watercolor lessons were done last week but due to my mother-in-law passing away, I wasn't able to find the time to blog and post them. So, here ya go...just some fun in the art room!

Patches & Crow

Mixed media on canvas

Hello?
Arcylic & colored pencil in art journal.

I've not much time these days it seems for art or even processing photos but I'm trying! I'm still working on watercolor lessons and have now moved on from painting water (which I was horrible at) to painting snow (which, I'm not so terrible at). Next up is learning to paint earth textures such as mountains and rocks. I bought a new Japanese squirrel hair brush which has seemed to make all the difference in the world. I'm also more comfy now with how much water to mix in with the paint.  Here's a little taste of the snow lessons:

We don't have winter down here but at least I can look at this and think about having hot chocolate while thawing out my toes near a log fire. :)

And finally, I did an iPhone digital watercolor. I snapped a picture of an old painting in a museum and then blew up just part of it. I changed it a bit in Photoshop, adding my own touches (like the birds...recycled art! Yay!). I then used the ArtistaOil Haiku app and voila! Instant watercolor! Wouldn't it be nice if that was all there was to it in real watercoloring?

Down on the Farm

Here's one I did using a shot of my garden:

Wildflowers

Now, if I can just make my actual watercolors look this spontaneous, I would be a happy little painter. :)

Wordless Wednesday: Summer's Last Dance

Summer's Last Dance

I'm going to Wichita...

A little story shot out the window of the car using the iPhone Hipstamatic app.

iPhoneography Mission #7

iPhoneography Mission #7:
Seek out light in the dark

It now seems perfectly appropriate that this mission should show up this week. A week we lost the Matriarch of the George family, my lovely mother-in-law, Alice. Alice was a light in the dark for her family. Through trials and tribulations, she never left her faith. She was a beacon of light in the community as well, helping hundreds through troubles, sicknesses and death. We found a shoe box in her closet. It was stuffed with funeral prayer cards, each one different. She saw hundreds of people pass onward in her 88 years, yet she always had a bright smile and hope for the future. I loved her dearly and she is already greatly missed. I dedicate this mission to Alice, who was, without a doubt, a light in the dark for all of us.

All of these images were taken last night on our way home from Kansas, which was the only time I really had to think about the mission. I snapped these from the window of an airplane and a car.

Lights in Flight

Lens: Hornbecker

Film: DreamCanvas

 Cabin Lights

Lens: Tejas

Film: Ina's 1935

Southern Crosses

Lens: Tejas

Film: Ina's 1935

Final Horizon

Lens: Tejas

Film: Ina's 1935

 Beacon of Light
Lens: Jimmy
Film: Ina's 1969

Light Lines

Lens: Tejas

Film: Ina's 1935

Reflecting

Lens: Chunky

Film: BlacKeys B&W

She was a bright light who loved.

Lens: Jimmy

Film: Ina's 1969

Life moves too fast.

Lens: Chunky

Film: BlacKeys B&W

Beyond

Lens: Matty ALN

Film: Float

Night Watch

Lens: Tejas

Film: Ina's 1935

Sparklers

Lens: Kaimal Mark II

Film: Cano Cafenol

Lighted Reader

Lens: Tejas

Film: Ina's 1935

On Lighted Wings
Lens: Tejas
Film: Ina's 1935

Ah, the iPhone 3Gs is not really made for night shots. But, that's okay because it seems to fit not only the theme of our week but the mood we felt. We felt a bit of darkness and a bit of light. But in the end, mostly light because that's what Alice would want for us. Although it's not an iPhone image, I thought I would post my favorite image of Alice. This was taken shortly after her and Henry married. I love it because I see my hubby's mischievous side in Henry's smile and the smile that Alice has here is what I will remember most about her...how whenever I saw her, she had a smile for me.

As is with life, we carry onward despite our losses. So here is this week's iPhoneography mission:

iPhoneography Mission #8: Notice the position of your feet.


Good luck!

iPhoneography Mission #6

iPhoneography Mission #6

Throw someone or something in the water and evaluate the splash.


Wow, okay...this one was quite a challenge. So much going on, plans being changed, sudden necessary trips arising, no where that a splash could be evaluated, weather not cooperating (Insert sigh here). So, this mission was rushed and done at the last possible minute. Thanks to my hubby for helping me out with this by throwing himself into the pool. :)

Splash Reflections

Lens: Salvador 84

Film: Big Up

 Blue Pool Splash

Lens: Native

Processing: Perfectly Clear & Plastic Bullet

Double Dip

Lens: Salvador

Film: Ina's 1935

 Skewed

Lens: Lucas AB2

Film: Float

 Water Wings

Lens: Lucifer VI

Film: Claunch 72 Monochrome

 Little Flicks

Lens: Lucas AB2

Film: Float

White Out

Lens: Susi (a new lens in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month)

Film: Alfred Infrared

Arm Circle Splashes

Lens: Lucifer VI

Film: Blanko

Whew! Let's move onto the next mission, shall we?

Mission #7: Seek out light in the dark.

Now that should be fun! Good luck!