A Great Master Inspires

Vincent Van Gogh was a Dutch post-Impressionist painter whose work became known for its rough beauty, emotional honesty and bold color. His oil-on-canvas painting titled Vase With Twelve Sunflowers recently became a source of inspiration for me.

I challenged myself to create a contemporary version of his Sunflower Series using digital photography and Photoshop. After step-by-step experimentation, I’m happy to say I successfully achieved my creative goal.

Channeling Vincent Van Gogh's Sunflowers

My “Masterpiece” Process

Here is a brief overview of the steps I took to create my Van Gogh inspired “masterpiece.”

Materials

Since I already knew the subject matter I wanted to shoot, my first task was to find the necessary props. Rather than use fresh sunflowers, I chose to purchase a bouquet of silk sunflowers from a local craft store. They were very realistic looking, and I liked how the stems allowed me to bend the individual flowers into any position I desired. I also knew the size and shape of the vase I wanted and was lucky to find one at the same craft store.

Setup and Composition

I arranged the sunflowers in the vase and shot them on a table against a white foam core background. Knowing that I wanted to incorporate two bold colors during post production, I chose to shoot from an angle that would incorporate both the table and background in the image.

Post Production

First I cropped the image to my liking. Post production then basically involved selecting a specific area of the image, copying it to a separate Photoshop layer, and adding a layer mask before making any adjustments. Here is a breakdown of the areas I worked on individually.

The Background

The background was the first area I selected. After copying it to a new layer and unlinking the layer mask, I selected a turquoise foreground color and filled the background with it.

I then selected a slightly different shade of the same color and used the Brush Tool to paint random strokes onto the background.

Once I was done painting the strokes, I used the Marquee Tool to select a small area of the background. From the Filter Menu I then selected Distort>Twirl. I repeated that process until every part of the background had been altered to my liking.

The Table

I knew I wanted the table to be a different bold color. To do this, I selected the table and copied it to its own layer. Just like with the background, I selected a slightly different shade of the same color and used the Brush Tool to paint random strokes onto the table.

Once I was done painting the strokes, I used the Marquee Tool to select a small area of the table. From the Filter Menu I then selected Distort>Twirl. I repeated that process until the two main areas of the table had been altered to my liking.

To create a bold line between the background and table, I then clicked on the New Effects Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers palette and selected Stroke from the menu of choices.

The Vase

Next, I selected the vase and copied it to its own layer. To enhance the detail of its lines and edges, I clicked on the New Effects Layer icon and again selected Stroke from the menu of choices.

Finishing Touches

Before continuing, I merged all of the layers by going to the Layer Menu and selecting Merge Visible.

To intensify the edge detail within the overall image, I then went to the Filter Menu and selected Artistic>Poster Edges. I carefully adjusted the sliders to achieve the look I wanted.

Voila! My masterpiece was now complete. But my creativity didn’t stop there…

If Van Gogh Painted An Abstract Orb

After completing my version of Van Gogh’s sunflowers in a vase, my thoughts turned to modern graphic art. If Van Gogh were alive today and wanted to paint an abstract orb of sunflowers, what might it look like? I suspect something like this…

If Van Gogh were to paint a sunflower orb.

Note: If you don’t know how to create an orb in Photoshop, but would like to learn, my recent article for The Art of Macro Photography will take you step-by-step through the process.

Van Gogh Inspired Kaleidoscope

But would Van Gogh stop with an orb? I think not. He might actually take things further still if he were around today. Perhaps he would embrace the art of symmetry and continue to transform his love of sunflowers by painting a kaleidoscope version such as this…

A Van Gogh-inspired kaleidoscope

We’ll never know what Vincent Van Gogh might have created if he were alive today. All I know is that whenever I see sunflowers, I will now think of him and whisper a silent, “Thank you,” for being my inspirational muse this week.

~ Liz Mackney

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Orb Photography

For this article I am assuming you already know how to create an orb in Photoshop. If not, don’t panic. If you are unfamiliar with orb photography and the Photoshop steps used to create one, you should first read my Oil & Water Orb article that I wrote for The Art of Macro Photography. There you will find the 5 easy steps needed to create an orb. Fair warning — it’s addictive!

Let’s Get Started!

First you need to create 4 separate orbs. If you already have some made, great! If not, get crackin’! Fun awaits!

For this particular orb project, I recommend using four very different colored orbs. As for their subject matter and pattern, that is strictly up to you. Once you have created or chosen the four orbs you would like to use, put them in a separate folder on your desktop for easy access. Now roll up your sleeves and get ready for the next stage in your orbs’ transformation.

Step-By-Step in Photoshop

Create New Document

1. Before we can create the final orb from your four separate orbs, we first need to create a totally new Photoshop document. To do so, go to the Photoshop menu at the top of the screen and select File>New.

2. When the New settings window opens, give your new document a Name. I called mine 4 Orbs. Now enter the pixel dimensions you want for your final orb. Note: I entered 2848 x 2848 pixels to match the largest pixel dimensions of one of my four separate orbs. I then entered 300 pixels for the Resolution to make sure the file will be suitable for both web and print.

Place Guides for Orbs

1. To make sure your 4 separate orbs will all be of the same size and proportion to each other in the new document, you need to place vertical and horizontal guides that intersect in the center of your document. This will create 4 distinct quadrants — one for each of your separate orbs.

Create Layers & Place Your 4 Orbs

1. Now it’s time to place your 4 separate orbs into the new document. First, however, you need to create a separate layer for each of the 4 separate orbs. Create a new layer by clicking on the New Layer icon at the bottom of the layers palette. (It’s the icon with the turned up corner next to the trash can icon.)

2. Next, click on a layer to activate it. Note: I recommend working from bottom to top in the layer stack.

3. After you activate a layer, go to File>Place>SELECT ONE OF YOUR ORB IMAGES. After you select the orb image you want to use for that layer, click on Place.

4. The orb will now appear in your new document at full size with a sizing grid activated on top of it. To resize the orb image, hold down the Shift Key, click on one of the corners of the sizing grid, and pull towards the center of the image to reduce the size of the orb photo so that it fits into one of the quadrants on the new document. After you’ve reduced the image to the correct size, press Return on your keyboard to lock it in place. Use the Move tool as needed to move the orb into its exact position.

5. Repeat Steps 2-4 for each separate layer to place each of your 4 orbs into position on the new document. Important! Make sure that each of the 4 orbs completely fill in its quadrant of the new document. There should be no gaps between the 4 orbs in your layout. If you need to go back and make a sizing adjustment, no problem.

How To Make A Sizing Adjustment

1. Select the layer that contains the orb you want to resize by clicking on it.

2. Once the layer is selected, go to the menu at the top of the screen and select Edit>Transform>Scale. The sizing grid will then appear over that orb. Hold down the Shift Key, click on one of the corners of the sizing grid, and adjust the orb as necessary. Use the Move tool as needed to move the orb into its exact position.

Remove Guides & Merge Layers

1. After all of the separate orbs are properly in position on separate layers, remove the Guides from the document by clicking on each line and dragging it back to the ruler until it disappears.

2. Once the Guides are gone, it’s time to merge the layers into one. From the menu at the top of the screen, select Layer>Merge Visible.

The 4 Separate Orbs Layout

It’s Time To Make The Single Orb

As previously mentioned, I’m assuming at this stage you already know how to make an orb in Photoshop, or have clicked on the link to my other article that outlines the steps. Either way, now’s the time to manually do the steps OR use the Photoshop Action you might have previously created to make your new orb.

4 Separate Orbs Become 1 Orb

Before Printing — Increase Canvas Size!

One thing that is often forgotten when creating orbs is its canvas size. You will see when you create an orb that the orb itself comes very close to the edges of the overall image. This is fine for web viewing, but a problem when printing and matting an orb photo. Before you can do that, you’ll need to increase the overall canvas size of the image. Don’t worry. It’s very easy to do.

How To Increase Canvas Size

1. First select the Eyedropper tool from the toolbar.

2. With the Eyedropper activated, click once on the existing background color to select it. You will then see that color appear as the foreground color in the toolbar’s color picker.

3. Now go to the menu at the top of the screen and select Image>Canvas Size.

4. Add 1 or 2 inches (your choice) to both the Width & Height dimensions. The number you enter will increase the canvas size by that dimension each side. Important! Make sure the Canvas Extension Color is set to Foreground. Click OK when done.

Congratulations!

You’ve just created a new single orb from 4 other separate orbs. Best of all, the new orb is now sized for printing if you so desire.

The first time through this process may seem a bit overwhelming, particularly if you are new to Photoshop. However, practice makes perfect and certainly speeds things along. Creating orbs can be addictive. It won’t be long before completing this process seems like a breeze.

Experiment With Creativity

Even though this article dealt specifically with 4 separate orbs, you can experiment with different numbers of orbs as long as they cumulatively form a square. My favorite number so far has been using 9 orbs. I’ve created orbs from 9 different orbs, as well as an orb from the same orb used 9 times. The process is exactly the same as just discussed, the only difference being the overall layout and number of Guides used.

When it comes to orbs, you’re only limited by your imagination. Just remember you need to make sure your new document is a square in order to produce a true circular orb.

Have fun experimenting — and send me a link to what your creativity produces!

~ Liz Mackney

Website

Editor’s Pick Gallery

New England Photography Guild Gallery

Let’s Start With The Basics…

Photoshop comes with a variety of built-in filters. I’m often asked by people just getting started with Photoshop what kind of “fun” things can they create using only the basic filters. Well, that’s easy. Lots of things! I’ll show you what I mean using one simple “blah” photo.

Note: All of the filters mentioned in this article are included with Photoshop right out of the box. Each filter was applied on its own separate layer.

Now, let’s get started.

In The Beginning…

Here’s a slightly underexposed shot of small, pastel-colored jelly beans. As you can see, nothing too exciting (although they were quite tasty). I could have deleted the shot, but I knew it had the potential to become so much more.

Jelly beans as originally shot

Add A Little Punch

I had an idea of what I wanted to ultimately do with this shot. To achieve that goal, I first needed to boost the color saturation of the jelly beans. While the pastel colors were nice, I wanted something a bit more vibrant. Even though this is still not exactly an award-winning shot, it was now one step closer to what my mind’s eye envisioned.

Color saturation boosted in Photoshop

Throw In A Little Motion

I decided to put the multiple colors into action. Using the Distort>Shear filter, I configured a wavy pattern and set the jelly beans in motion. I could have stopped there, but I still wanted to add a few more filter touches.

Photoshop's Distort Shear Filter Applied

Give It A Twirl

While the wavy pattern above had a smooth, mellow feel to it, I decided to kick things up a bit more by now applying the Distort>Twirl filter.

Photoshop's Distort Twirl Filter Applied

Now Add A Little ZigZag

Both the wavy and twirl patterns above feature smooth curves. I decided to incorporate a few angles into the design by applying the Distort>ZigZag filter. Just that subtle change gave the image a little edge.

Photoshop's Distort ZigZag Filter Applied

Finish It Off With A Touch of Texture

It was now time to go for the final image as seen in my mind’s eye. This meant changing the filter category altogether. In this case, I applied the Texture>Stained Glass filter and adjusted the size of the “glass” pieces to achieve the look I wanted.

Photoshop's Texture Stained Glass Filter Applied

There you have it. The basic steps on how a fairly boring shot of underexposed jelly beans became a colorful piece of abstract art. Best of all, each of the four separate filter images that led up to the final image could very well serve as abstract works on their own.

So before you discard a less than thrilling image, give some thought as to what else it could possibly become simply by using the basic filters that come with Photoshop.

Have fun playing!

~ Liz Mackney

Website

Editor’s Pick Gallery

New England Photography Guild Gallery

Texture Photography First Catches My Eye

I first noticed texture photography about 6 years ago when I joined BetterPhoto.com. I was new to photography back then, had very little Photoshop experience, and had no idea that what I was looking at was actually “texture photography.” All I knew was that I was seeing some wonderful images that caught my eye because they looked very much like fine art paintings. I had no idea how these images were created, but I knew that one day I would learn the process. That day has finally come.

Being “An Artist”

My grandfather was a wonderful artist. He could paint and draw magnificently. Somehow that particular gene skipped the next two generations. Neither my mother nor any of her five children were blessed with that same innate skill. We were all pretty bummed about that.

But I later learned there are other ways to be an artist.

Mine is through the lens — along with using Photoshop as my “brushes and canvas” to apply textures to my images.

Embracing My Inner Student

At this stage I am a texture student, learning as I go. Each day something new. Each mistake a lesson learned. Each attempt, a new possibility. Every moment, a chance for discovery.

Today is no exception. You never know what’s just around the next corner.

From Fading Flower to Fine Art

I spotted this Easter Lily this morning on my way into town to run an errand. I turned the corner onto another street and there it was in a neighbor’s front flower border. A quick U-turn had me driving back up the hill to get my camera and macro lens.

Upon closer inspection, I could see this Easter Lily was past its prime and fading fast. The white petals were just starting to wilt and featured a hint of brown. In my mind I had a vision of what this Easter Lily could become with the right texture, brushes, and opacity applied.

Fading Easter Lily

Backlit Crocus

I love to shoot small flowers at ground level. This crocus was a natural standout, as the angle of the sun produced wonderful backlighting to showcase the petal detail and tiny water droplets. I deliberately chose a texture color that would contrast with that of the flower. I also chose one with a pale center, as I wanted nothing to interfere with the sunlight through the petals.

Backlit Crocus

Solitary Siberian Squill

This is perhaps my favorite image of the week. This tiny Siberian Squill in the midday sun was a challenge to shoot due to its location. I knew the angle that I wanted — but it required a bit of yoga from me to capture it.

As you can see, the flower’s color and lines are beautiful, as is the delicate, curved shape of the petals. While I had used a shallow depth of field to produce the creamy background, I knew that I could change “pretty” into “beautiful” with the right colored texture and pattern. Again, a careful selection and application of the right Photoshop brushes and opacity helped me to bring my inner vision to life.

Solitary Siberian Squill

Texture Resources

There are many places where you can obtain textures, including creating your own (which I wrote about previously in another texture article of mine). Two resources I like to use are Joel Olives Textures and French Kiss Collections.

So there you have it. A bit of the story behind the images. If interested, they are all available as Fine Art Prints from Fine Art America.

~ Liz Mackney

Website

Editor’s Pick Gallery

New England Photography Guild Gallery

February 25th – March 2nd

Weather you’re a seasoned Photoshop user or someone new to the program, CreativeLIVE is the online place to be this week. The Seattle-based online classroom is now hosting a FREE interactive Photoshop conference all week long. Thirteen instructors bring you over 40 classes that cover everything from retouching and compositing, to workflow and automation, to text and brushes, and much more. Viewing is available LIVE on 2 channels.

Not Available During the Day to Watch?

No problem! Each night CreativeLIVE rebroadcasts the day’s events following the conclusion of the LIVE production. If you think about it, the free rebroadcast actually gives you two opportunities to view that course in the same day.

All Courses Available For Purchase