Illustration Friday - Jump

Today's theme for Illustration Friday was Jump. This made me think of The Fool card in the tarot and that is the exact card I pulled for my daily read - how cool is that!! So here is my Fool card and my take on the theme Jump. The Fool card is the first card in the tarot and it signifies the beginning of a journey or a leap of faith.  Well my guy has just taken a major leap of faith but if he wants to get to the castle he needs to start his journey with that first step.  He also has his trusty dog to accompany him but I am not sure if that dog is going to Jump!

Earth Day - 2012

Earth Day - 2012

I wanted to make an image for Earth Day but I wanted it to be positive.  So here you go - I can almost smell the fresh air and feel the sunshine. Let's all work together to keep our earth a beautiful and healthy place - please!

Heart

So I am spending time today to try to really understand clipping masks.  I think I have it now but I am going to play around some more until I am absolutely sure!!  I found a few tutorials - this one looks good. You can find anything you want to know on the Internet - amazing.

Illustration Friday - Heights

Who's afraid of heights. Not me!

So the theme for today's Illustration Friday is heights.  I have a ton of ideas but not a ton of time - so this is what I came up with. I'm not afraid I am soaring with the birds way above it all - free. 

Corner Still Life

Corner Still Life

This is my favorite lamp and is on my pie cabinet in my hallway.  My walls don't look like this but with Photoshop they do. I have had this little duck for a very long time and he is a nice addition to this corner still life. 

PA Barn

PA Barn 2012

We have a house in North Eastern Pennsylvania - at a lake.  I love to ride around up there and snap pics of the old barns.  Here is one of them with a little Photoshop magic and a lot of layers.  I think it is more interesting than the real picture.  I like to paint the barns in watercolor but I am enjoying painting them in Photoshop just as much. One of the things I liked the most on this barn was that red door. 

Pretty Lady

Love the expression on this girls face - helped along with Photoshop of course.

The Lake

Lake Ariel 2012

One of my favorite places the view across the lake from the cottage.  I took this pic last year I would guess - had to be in the summer with all the green.  Just playing around with textures in Photoshop for a bit tonight.  I was up the lake last weekend - windy and cool but still beautiful. 

Bay Head

Bay Head Beach - 2012

I live on the Jersey Shore about 10 minutes from the ocean and all the cute little towns.  One of my favorites is Bay Head - here is a recent image of the Bay Head beach just waiting for the summer people to come back.  I love the beach front houses and can imagine how wonderful it would be to wake every morning to the sight and sound of the sea.

Illustration Friday - Puzzled

So I haven't done an Illustration Friday in a very LONG time. Since I am trying to get back into digital work I thought I would try the theme for today which was Puzzled.  I thought the image of puzzle pieces was just to predictable so I came up with this instead.  I was thinking of parents that just cannot understand their son -  not too sure if it works but it is a start.

Music Speaks

Music Speaks

So you know on FB how people post those inspirational messages - well I hate them and try to avoid them at all costs.  Well today one caught my eye and I just had to make a related image.  The quote was "Where words fail music speaks".  Somehow I found that interesting - don't know why.  I didn't have a lot of time today to explore this so I just made up a quick image in Elements. I wish I had more time to do something more colorful - like speaking music but for now this will have to do.

Tree Texture

Another pic from my morning walk.  I love the texture on tree trunks - this one was beautiful.  Image work in Photoshop Elements.

AM Walk

                                                               

We have a nice walking path in the community where I live - it is about 3 miles around and I walk every morning.  The trees are all flowering and sprouting and I snapped this pic of seeds on a maple tree this morning.  I played with it a bit in Elements - I love the colors.  It was a good walk today - I do my best creative thinking when I walk.

My Little House

I bought a new house here in NJ last year - the bottom photo is the house - the top is the same photo that I was messing around with today in Elements.  I really liked the look of this house like an old bungalow so I thought a nice sepia photo would do the trick in making my new house look old!! I love the look and think I will do some more old photos.

Dandelion

I go for a walk almost every morning and spring has come to NJ - in fact most of the trees have flowered and have leaves already. We had a very warm March this year.  What I noticed today was the large number of dandelions out - I swear if we had a nuclear war dandies would survive and probably thrive. I know they are a nuisance but they are rather colorful sitting all over the green grass - especially a large field - the yellow is so bright against the green. This image is my tribute to the dandelion - created in Photoshop elements.

While many people think of the dandelion as a pesky weed, herbalists consider it a valuable herb that can be used as a food and medicine. Dandelion is a rich source of vitamins A, B complex, C, and D, as well as minerals such as iron, potassium, and zinc. Dandelion leaves are used to add flavor to salads, sandwiches, and teas. The roots are used in some coffee substitutes, and the flowers are used to make wines.

Time

Well I have done a bit of work on the blog - a new header and a bit of customization and I think it is looking good! This is my next image - created in Photoshop Elements. It has a few layers - clocks, an hour glass even a bit of ocean and sand - it is my attempt to suspend time.

Time where does it go?  Good question and one that I am asking myself a lot more these days.  I find the older I get the faster time flies. I remember being young and adding a few years onto my age to make me at least seem older.  Now I am shaving off years - too bad it doesn't help much.  You are what you are.  Sometimes I wonder if time has actually sped up or it just seems that way.  I honestly do not know where the days go - and it is not like I am getting a lot accomplished.  Summer is coming and I do even less in nicer weather - I guess I just need to slow down and enjoy my life before it passes me by.

Easter 2012

This is my first post in my newest blog.  I have decided to create a blog separate from my fine art and my jewelry.  So now this will be my forth blog, crazy maybe.  I used to do a lot of digital art work and I really enjoyed it so I have decided to get back into it again. This is the first piece I have created - it is my Easter greeting for 2012 - I cannot tell you how much fun it was to make this image and how good it feels to get backing to doing something creative on my computer.  Since this will be a digital blog more or less I need to make a nice header and do some customization but for now this is going to have to do.

A little about the image - I created it in Photoshop Elements and it has quite a few layers and blending modes. I am very rusty so I will be looking for info on the internet and I will be going back to some of my books - I think it is amazing how you forget what you know - I guess it is true unless you use it you lose it. I hope to create some nice interesting images and I hope to have a lot of fun along the way and just maybe learn something useful too. Sounds like a win-win situation - so let the journey begin!!