Mobile Art Monday Poppy Pods

It's time for a mobile edit tutorial of sorts. Life threw me a curve the past 12 months but perhaps I can get back on a more creative track. 

I like using 'real paint' and making 'gelli' prints on paper. I take photos of these and sometimes they will find a place in my photo edits. These are the two images I worked on in Leonardo on my iPhone.

After a little experimenting with blend modes on the two prints, I ended up duplicating the red layer and set the blend mode to hard light on the second copy and shifted its position. Then I turned the yellow/green layer into black and white (Under Fx-Threshold), moved it to the top and set the blend mode to multiply. Shown in this screen shot of the Leonardo app.

 I opened it in Snapseed to crop and save for future use.

While playing around with this image of poppy pods in Snapseed,,,

I discovered the app now did double exposure. That basically means you can add an image layer and change the blend mode to get a new look. So I imported my edited gelli print and played with the blend modes til I found one I liked.

I wanted to ‘outline’ the pods a bit for more definition, so I opened the original in iColorama. Style>Edges>#8 Apply. Adjust>Levels adjusted the Gamma and Max Input to lighten any gray areas. Saved to camera roll.

In Procreate I layered the Snapseed double exposure and the iColorama ‘sketch’, setting that layer to multiply causing the white to disappear. I reduced the opacity some and on a new layer drew in additional lines and erased what I didn't want.  I also did my version of cloning which was cut and paste on areas that should have been cloned out before editing.

I found a quote that I wanted to add so in the app Over, I added the text layer.

Not quite satisfied, I imported that image back into Procreate and moved the whole thing to the left. Then duplicated it and moved the left to the right side and flipped part of it horizontally. After many more duplications and moving pieces around (including the text), I ended up with this.

A couple days later I decided to add the falling seeds in Procreate using the stipple brush. (I felt it was quite appropriate for the quote and I love their little seeds.) Then I added the extra piece in the lower right corner which was also made from several gelli prints.

Next time I'll show you some editing tricks with gelli prints. Can't wait!

Have a great Mobile Art Monday!

Early Morning Thoughts

As I laid in bed this morning with one eye open, I began remembering hubby's comments on yesterday's glorious sunrise (which I missed). I hopped out of bed, peeked out the window and OMG, the sky was pink! Throwing on my clothes, I dashed out the door only to find it was fading fast. 

Oh well, I also wanted to capture my newly found 'old barn'. Just 2 miles away and in the city limits, it had been too well hidden by tons of farm machinery and junk until just recently. The corner was purchased by Walmart last year, much to the dismay of the rich folks that built new houses on the north side of the street. Now it was exposed in all it's glory. 

Since the sun was still behind the clouds, I first stopped for coffee and a breakfast burrito to go and went to park pond where I intended to just sit and BE (Finally, my word for 2015). I shot photos of the geese, other birds and the burr oak acorns. I gathered up a grocery bag full for still life shots and decided to process and post a sunrise photo for Instagram. 

(Mextures app)

While cruising my Instagram feed I found that my still life shot (from yesterday, second photo) was chosen along with @7seasphotography for the #mystillsundaycompetition that Kim Klassen hosts. I had such overwhelming emotions about this. These thoughts came to mind, I wrote them down and decided more artists need to hear this. It's still shaking me to the core.

(Snapseed, retrolux filter, Over)

Back to the barn, This shot was taken a few days ago in bad light and with a nasty sun flare. This is one of 5 totally different edits I did in Stackables and Lenslight. You'll have to tune in Monday for all the details on Mobile Art Monday.

Linking up with Barb for App Happy Wednesday. 

Linking up with Kim for Friday Finds.

Choose with No Regret

I've wanted to do the PhotoHeart Connection for awhile and seem to always miss it.

This past month my heart has ached for Fall. Where I live it doesn't show up until November and this year we had an early snow and freezing temps to mess things up. A lot of my usual places didn't look good at all. That forced me to search out new territory. 

Somehow my expectations must have been set too high. Perhaps I should revisit last years photos. Maybe they're not as good as I remember. 

All this pining for Fall has affected my lack of moving into the Christmas decorating mode. 

But I've decided I'm just going to dwell where my heart is, and I'll get there (to Christmas) eventually. I found this photo I had posted on Instagram that voices it perfectly. 

With no regret.

iPhone, iPad edit, DistessedFX, Over

Linking up with Kat for the Photo Heart Connection.

Peonies of Grief

The tornado at Moore, Oklahoma took the lives of many yesterday including children at 2 elementary schools.

DistressedFX, Snapseed, Over, Photoshop

Kim Klassen texture Teatime, Overlay 61%

Sometimes it looks like chaos.

But it'll be ok.

Linking up with Texture Tuesday.

Aspects of Learning

It's interesting to discover things about yourself. This can be good and bad....
I do much better at taking classes where I can just watch a video and do it. This year I've signed up for classes that require me to stop and think, much to my dismay.... It causes me to procrastinate about even READING the lessons. (what is the stumbling block that mind (or heart) seems to throw up when it comes time for such things.)
My most recent class was an expensive one (compared to all others I've taken) and I really felt that it would be a turning point in my photography. (And I'm over a week behind)
Well, this morning I had 2 hours free and just had to MAKE myself go somewhere, get coffee, sit down and read and contemplate and write, as I went through it.
Hallelujah! Break through! I actually made great notes as thoughts came to mind while reading. By the time I finished, the questions listed at the end had pretty much been answered.
Another thing I've found hard in this class is that discussion is held in a Flickr group. This is a new habit I'll have to get into. I post photos occasionally, (I'm much more regular on Instagram, as in daily.) But now that 2 weeks plus have passed, I have tons of 'reading' of discussions to catch up on. And as I finally begin to read I get to know everyone, but unless I join in and post or comment, no one gets to know me. The good thing is I already 'know' a few of the gals and am at least familiar with many others. Mostly from IG or Kim Klassen's texture groupies.
So... my main goal for this class is to LEARN, learn more about what I want to shoot, the second is to get to know the others better.
And yes, I believe this will be a turning point in my photography. Thanks to Kat Sloma.

Snapseed edit on iPhone

PicTapGo, Snapseed,  Glaze, Over

iPad edit Nothing better than a great chocolate cookie, some hydrangeas, coffee and a little morning light.