"We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if mankind is to survive."
Albert Einstein

All rights reserved copyright 2008

Sue Henry Photography - 2008.  All rights reserved.  Please do not use without permission.

I have been a little under the weather the past few days and have not been out to shoot.  That has left me with digging into the archives; creating something new from something "old."

Texture credit - flickr user "Ghostbones"

When's the last time you smacked one around?

Have a great weekend :)

Here is something I painted many moons ago when I took a Watercolor Class on how to create textural effects.

This one, when done, reminded me of choppy water, so that is how I painted it.

The painting itself is not meant to be terrific, I was just learning how to create the effect.

Although it is kinda Van-Goghish.  Starry Nightish.  Sorta, kinda.

In Graphic Design there are six basic elements that are used in order to have a good design. The six elements are space, line, shape, value, texture, and color. Each one is used to create an image that is pleasing to look at as well as to convey a message to the onlookers. Each of the elements will now be explained further.

First element is space. It is the foremost element used in design. Space can be positive or negative. It can be thought of in size and scale such as what is the design going to be displayed on. Space can also be thought of as a 3-D image.

The next element is line. Perhaps when thinking of lines the first image you see is a grid. Which is typically an intersection of horizontal and vertical lines. That is a correct assumption. But lines can be much more than a grid.  Lines can be curvy, zigzag, implied or dotted. Line is the boundary that defines a shape.

Next we have shape. Shape is used to build elements on a page or create patterns. Shapes can be either positive or negative. A shape is an area that is enclosed by a line. Shapes can either enhance an object or move the viewer’s eye through and around the design.

After shape we have value. Value is the lightness and darkness of an object. Different degrees of value can be achieved by varying the lightness and darkness of a color which bring contrast to the design. Mood can also be created with value. Lighter values bring about positive moods where darker values are associated with negative moods.

Texture can be used to give life like details to an image. It can be used to make an empty space more interesting to look at. Texture can be used to simulate a specific surface. Texture can also be over used and take away from the intended look of the design.

The final element is color. Color has several properties; hue, value, and intensity. Hue is the actual color. An example of this would be the actual hue for pink is red. Value is the variation of the lightness and darkness of a color. Finally the intensity refers to how saturated the hue is (or its richness). Color can be used to bring about a certain emotion in a design. And it can also make one object stand out from surrounding objects. Color has an array of uses in design.

These are the basic elements of design. I have barely scratched the surface of what can be accomplished with each of these elements. Used individually they may not have much impact. But when combined, each element can have a significant impact on a graphic design project.

If this article was interesting to you maybe my free color report may also be of interest. Just click on this link Color Report and get your copy now. Or click on the link in the Blogroll.

Right now just be aware of your surroundings, what you like, what you dislike and why.  Do you associate some colours with memories of childhood?  Does a fragrance thrust a picture in your head from another time? 

I wonder if the difference between artists and everybody else is the awareness of their surroundings and the things that remind them of another time.  Use your 5 senses (touch, smell, vision, taste, hearing) and soak up everything you can.  All this can also bring 'home' back to you when you get to Canada:  you will be able to visit in your mind.

If you find unpleasant memories showing up, that's okay, too.  All this can be edited and made into something.

I personally think that the world is already full of ugliness:  why on earth would I want to add to it by making an ugly piece of jewellery?!  But, dark smelly places like dungeons, back allies and the like can be interpreted through your artistry into something of value.  In so many places around the world human life has no value:  who cares that a 9 yr old in Thailand is turned into a prostitute?  I care.  Let's make life worth living - Let's make something beautiful.

Niki, do you carry a picture in your mind that, when you think of it you can feel the breeze on your cheek, the smell of the earth, the calmness of spirit?  You might, without realizing it.  My picture is one I took in Algonquin Park (al-gon'-kwin), a large nationalpark in Ontario on a fall morning.  Everything about that day was special:  I had just left a friend living in Ottawa (Canada's capital city) and was travelling in my mother's car on the return journey to my parents' home.  The air was perfectly still and mist was rising on a pond by the side of the road.  I could smell earth and wildflowers and leaves.  The water on the lake was like a mirror and on the far shore, surrounded by evergreen trees, was a maple tree.  It was blazing red and it's reflection could be seen in the mirrored water. 

Whenever I get crazy (who, me!?) or bogged down, I think of that day and that tree and my spirit is regenerated. 

Do you have such an experience?  Being able to put it into words helps when you sit down to write your biography and your artist statement.  Your biography:  who I am, and my credentials.  Your artist statement:  what inspires you and the intended reaction to your work.

We have lots of time to get the bio and statement into words.  For now, just look around and savour your experiences.

You will have questions, well you better have questions.  Anybody reading this is welcome to join in with their comments and questions.  Learning is a collaborative effort:  I will be learning from you just as you will be learning (I hope) from me.  Just ask them here, in this blog.

Hope your family is settling down again after your niece's accident.  How lucky she is to have such a close family all her own.

..............Helene

ooh....

this image is semi-final... as in i'm done with the 3d assets and textures etc, but not so sure bout lighting / composition etc

but first the base mesh (which was provided) and the zbrush displacement map :D

and here's an alternate version with no subsurface scattering (the red in the feet) and no spec highlights (compare the front feet)

After my recent visit to the Colonnade with Jo Ann I decided to go back and revisit the self-portraits I did at the same location (when I was shooting HDRs of the columns) back in February.

I suggest you go back and revisit some older photos you took and see if they would benefit from a new process you've learned, a new software you acquired, etc.  You may find a hidden treasure!!

All of the images below were re-processed today with newer techniques I've been working with:

(reminder you can click on of the horizontal any images to view them larger)

This is "Serious Jen"-- yes, she's in there too under all the silliness. :)

You don't always have to erase the texture away on the subject.  This one worked well leaving it as is with just a lowered opacity.

3 different versions of this one:

And the same photo above with all 3 textures on top of each other:

My Mom :)  Ooooooh I love this one!

Mom - you're sizzling here!

Thanks Heather for the lovely verse!  It's become one of my favorite quotes to live by:

]]> http://captainwright.wordpress.com/?p=15 Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:40:24 +0000 Captain Wright http://captainwright.wordpress.com/?p=15 I just recently figured out how to use the Blender 3D modeler, which I had been struggling with for a while due to lack of effort.

Right now I am attempting to render a simple, roughly made model. Remember that it's my first time.

The problem that I have, however, is that I can't automatically create a material file.

I painted my model using the vertex paint tool, but the colors don't show up in render unless I apply a color to the objects. There are certain lines I painted on the object that I want to show up, but I can't unless I can make a material file. Any help?

A patch of yellow flowers hanging out in the middle of the woods.

Close up capture of an insignificant pinecone.

If you have been following my Dining Room Makeover, I am sooooo happy to tell you that it is 90% done! I painted into the wee hours a few weeks back after work and shopped in record time to find the final things I needed to at least have it 90% done for the graduation party. Sorry it took so long to get you more details, but I have been really busy getting a new product out. I'll tell you about that soon! I'll have more pictures in a week or so, but here's a sneak preview.

Since my last post I have finished the paint, found carpet and had it installed, purchased really beautiful fabric for the chairs (for $39.00 I might add!),  decided on draperies (which are bought and hung) and found a perfect oversized picture to pull it all together.

I still need to re-upholster my chairs, purchase a chandelier, hang the medalion, and take some more pictures. I'll give you more details too! In the mean time...here's a sneak preview.

The carpet is a cut/loop combination in gold with a diamond pattern. Since the room is monochromatic (one color with varios shades of it) I made sure to pull in lots of patterns and texture for interest. The silk drapes are ready made from linens and things in a large plaid pattern of ivory and gold. They were $89.00 a panel, 96 inches long and fully lined - not a bad deal!

Above you can also see the reversible fabric for the dining room chairs. Of course our beloved Beanie had to get in the picture. He's a cat that my son brought home from college one day that somehow became ours. My new neighbors actually asked me the other day if our invisible fence would work for beanie. Apparently, he is quite social  thing and greets their indoor cats at their window every morning. He's even left a few moles at their doorstep, which anyone who has cats knows tha it's his way of saying welcome to the neighborhood. Tell me, how can you not love him back? Anyway, back to the dining room.

My last picture for the day is one of the painting I found at Linens and Things as well. I actually saw it first at Kirklands and couldn't decide on it, then saw it when buying the draperies and decided to try it. It's huge, in fact it wouldn't fit in my car and my husband had to pick it up in his truck on the day of graduation. It turned out to be quite perfect with shades of creme and gold. I really like that it is oversized and pulls together the room. I know you probably want to see the whole room, but I can't stand to give you a final shot without the chandelier and new seats. I'll try to get that done soon!

Oh, and here's the graduation girl - hooray for Ashley...my first college graduate! Isn't she fabulous :)

This past May was a turning point in my photography career as Edmarie got married.  I had shown some images in a previous entry that I had changed my style due to inspiration from other photographers that I admired. Those images were from her wedding.

I can't say enough how much thanks I can give you two for giving me the inspiration to start up and go after my dreams.  Forever isn't enough time to thank you both.

I actually overlayed the texture from Edmarie's wedding invitation over her veil. Several people commented to me that they had thought at first that the design was part of her veil....

Occasionally I get the taste memory of the way his tongue tasted and felt as I sucked on it during a passionate kiss.  It tasted like Marlboro lights, alcohol and him. I don't conjure up this memory on purpose.  Sometimes it just sneaks up and surprises me at the weirdest times.

I've discovered acrylics here, in Canada. In my native country, during my art high school years, it was unknown, practically... Artist material were rare, pretty expensive and not very good. No imported colors or paper, no known trademarks... We painted with what was produced locally and acrylics weren't produced... So, I've seen acrylics for the first time about 10 years ago ... I use them since and I'm far from knowing everything about them.
No secret I'm a big fan of acrylics. I love their fast drying, the possibility to work layer after layer, almost immediately. The flexibility, the possibilities for varied textures, the transparent use of "glacis" (transparent, diluted layers of color), the vivid and rare nuances of composed colors...

Texture, especially, is a particularity I love in acrylics. |Sure, one can also have some texture in oil or pastel but nothing could give you the rich, subtle and vigorous textures you can obtain with the acrylics heavy gel mediums...

I hope these two landscapes (inspired by photos from my native Transylvania, near Sibiu) will give you some visual pleasure, a small fraction at least  of the pleasure I had (orgasms!) painting them... It confirms what Cexanne said once: "Dont be an art critic, but paint, there lies salvation"... and pleasure, a lot of intelectual and physical pleasure...

Pour le prochain revival, il faudra quand même que je vous dessine Cobra. Le héros de mon enfance. Le frimeur fondateur. Sans lui, Magnum et Indiana, je ne vous abreuverais pas autant de, euh, vous savez quoi...!

Pour celui-ci j'aime vraiment bien comment l'arrière-plan a tourné. Et pourtant dieu sait ce qu'il est minimaliste...

Buckle up because there are a lot of them to see.  I couldn't narrow down so you're going to see all of the ones that I love from the session.

We were trying to decide what to do on Friday night and I ended up asking Jo Ann if she wanted to do a photo shoot because I had an "itch" to try something new with my lights.

I mentioned the long walk to get to the Colonnade structure (in Princeton NJ at the Princeton Battlefield State Park)  HERE in this post on Friday. Normally I wouldn't have cared about a long walk but I was rolling that suitcase of equipment (that I showed in Friday's post) that weighed as much as a small child. LOL!

We stopped half way to the columns and I took a couple photos:

Then we got to the columns and I set up the one SB800 which I shot through a 45 inch Westcott umbrella (Thanks Mike for the suggestion).

I may be a lighting guru but I love the results that I got.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE this one with the texture!  OH MY GOSH!!

Umm, yeah, this close up is awesome!

Jo Ann, your eyes look great (and my necklace was killer for this photo shoot!) :)

Texture is so yummy!

This location ROCKED!!  I can't tell you how much I loved this place!!

Jo Ann thought she looked like she was at the edge of a mountain here:  :)

This is on my my TOP Favorites of the shoot that I LOVE!  I think it's the light and the way Jo Ann is looking into the camera.

Ummm, yes, I loved doing this shoot!

Jo Ann may not have ever done any formal modeling but she was awesome at this photo shoot!

Yay Jo Ann!

Thank you big time!  I love them!

Continued photographs from yesterday's post. This is in Keystone of a still part of Snake River.

Shallow depth-of-field shot of flowers in front of Gray's Peak and Torrey's Peak.

Telephoto shot of mountains in the basin of the area we were hiking in on last Sunday.

it was just uv and photoshop skillz, then as an exercise we got given this monster base mesh (which we already unwrapped) and we had to texture it. it's not for marks or anything and we had bout 3 days to do it.

so i used it as an excuse to test out my zbrush / modo / photoshop pipeline....
loads of fun! so we getting the big project tomorrow and i'm excited now that i've ironed out the little bumps working in different apps...

i'll upload a few shots so you can see progress from the base mesh onwards...

and the "final" render

tech details... rendered with physical sun/sky, 4k displacement and normal maps from zbrush, 4k diffuse map from modo/photoshop.  simple shader setup with reflections based on incidence angle to give that nice spec outline...
grass from paint effects :)

The Constraint of the Call, VerseVisions Art; 1 Corinthians 9:16, originally uploaded by Mark Lawrence.

"Woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!" 1 Corinthians 9:16

This painting was inspired by the moving devotions penned and published by Oswald Chambers in the early 1900’s. His powerful book, My Utmost for His Highest, continues to touch my life and draw me closer to Jesus. I hope that this art and verse do the same for you!

Read the devotional from My Utmost For His Highest that inspired this work.

The Constraint of the Call, VerseVisions® Art; 1 Corinthians 9:16. Mark Lawrence, 2008. Digital mixed media on canvas, 36 x 36 inches. Copyright © 2008 by Mark Lawrence. All Rights Reserved

Large contemporary Christian paintings by artist Mark Lawrence of Alpharetta, Georgia.

Giclee Fine Art Prints of this VerseVisions® work are available in the VerseVisions Gallery.

Sue Henry Photography 2008. All rights reserved. Do not use without permission.

Texture credit - Liek http://flickr.com/photos/liek

The following information is taken from The Museum of the American Quilter Society - Paducah, KY

http://www.quiltmuseum.org/index.html

The Museum of the American Quilter's Society is proud to bring, On the Trail of Discovery, five life size bronze sculptures celebrating the Lewis & Clark Expedition, to historic downtown Paducah. The statues are donated by Bill and Meredith Schroeder, founders of the Museum. The Lewis & Clark Expedition statues provide exciting outdoor art, night and day, for downtown Paducah, while the quilt "Mapmakers," by Cassandra Williams, a quilt made in celebration of the bicentennial of the Lewis & Clark Expedition is featured as part of the permanent collection inside the Museum.

The sculptures are a permanent addition to the front lawn of the Museum and link the Museum to the history of Paducah and to Paducah's historic riverfront. On the Trail of Discovery has the following life size figures:

Meriwether Lewis, Co-Captain on the Lewis & Clark Expedition. He is shown in military uniform like the one he wore on the expedition.
Seaman, Lewis' Newfoundland dog, who traveled the entire journey
William Clark, Co-Captain of the Lewis & Clark Expedition. Clark was the mapmaker of the expedition and, like Lewis, was a military man, but was also a frontiersman, and is shown in the casual frontier clothing worn much of the time on the expedition.
A Native American man
A Native American child

According to the sculptor, George Lundeen, who designed these figures, the Native Americans shown here represent all Native Americans who helped Lewis and Clark during their journey. He purposely placed few decorations or designs on their clothing because he did not want to identify them with any particular Native American group. The man wears a "peace medal" with the likeness on it of President Thomas Jefferson. Peace medals were presented by the Co-Captains to the Native American chiefs they met along the way. If you look carefully, you will also find a "coin" similar to the Sacagawea dollar. The Sacagawea dollar was not created until 2000, but the image provides a reminder that Sacagawea, a Native American woman, traveled from Montana to the Pacific Ocean and back with the Expedition assisting the expedition in many ways. The child holds an American flag similar to ones that would have been carried by the expedition.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION ABOUT THE STATUES:
The bronze sculptures were designed by George Lundeen, a sculptor who was born in Holdredge, Nebraska, and now lives and works in Loveland, Colorado. Lundeen went to Florence, Italy, for a year on a Fulbright-Hays Scholarship where he was inspired by the work of master sculptors there to become a professional sculptor. Today, Lundeen is a nationally known sculptor of realistic figures. He has achieved the status of full Academician of the National Academy of Design in New York, the highest professional recognition bestowed on visual arts in America. George Lundeen's lifesize bronze statues can be seen in collections and locations around the world including the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, DC. Lundeen is quoted on the Museum of Nebraska Art website, saying of his sculptures, "As someone views and touches a piece of my work, it is my sincere hope that they will look past that hard surface of bronze to find the life which I try so much to capture within."
[Information taken from unk.edu/mona website.]

Lundeen's design was reproduced in bronze in Loveland, Colorado, at Deane Knox's Knox Galleries the nation's premier monumental bronze sculpture gallery. [Additional information about Knox Galleries found at their website at knoxgalleries.com]

BRIEF BACKGROUND INFORMATION ABOUT LEWIS & CLARK EXPEDITION, 1803-1806:
In 1803 President Thomas Jefferson gained the approval of Congress to create an expedition to explore the land west of the 1802 border of the United States all the way to the Pacific Ocean. The mission of the expedition was:
·To look for a "northwest passage" -a water route from the Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean
·To make an accurate map of the area they traveled
·To learn as much as possible about everything in the area west of our border, including the animals, plants, minerals, climate, etc.
·To make friends with, and learn about, any native people they met along the way, to let them know the United States wanted to trade with them and "be neighborly, friendly, and useful" to them

Members of the expedition were also to keep journals, collect samples, and document everything new they saw along the way. Meriwether Lewis was appointed by President Jefferson to lead the expedition and Lewis selected William Clark as co-captain of the expedition. Preparations began in 1803 with planning, gathering of information, purchasing boats, equipment, food, and other supplies, and selecting men for this trip into the largely unknown northwestern part of the North American continent. Meriwether Lewis brought materials by boat down the Ohio River to what is now the Clarksville, Indiana and Louisville area of Kentucky, where he joined with William Clark and added more men and materials. They continued on the Ohio River, passing what is now Paducah about November 10, 1803. At that time there were no people living in the area that is now Paducah; they arrived at Fort Massac on November 11, 1803, selected additional men and continued to St. Louis where they spent the winter. At least nine of the men who made the trip were from Kentucky or had Kentucky connections. During 1803, the United States purchased the Louisiana Territory from France, making more of the land they would be exploring part of the United States. The trip took even longer than they anticipated. They did not find a water route to the Pacific Ocean. They had to leave boats behind and cross the Bitterroot Mountains on horse and foot. In mid November 1805, they finally reached the Pacific Ocean. They built a fort, spent the winter near the ocean and began the return journey in March 1806. They arrived back in St. Louis on September 23, 1806. On the return trip they did not pass Paducah on their route back.

Although they did not find a northwest passage by water to the Pacific Ocean, they did record information about vast numbers of new animals, plants, native peoples, rivers, and mountains unknown to the scholars in the east. William Clark made an accurate map of the territory they covered. They befriended and learned much about the Native Americans living in the northwest and were aided by them in many ways that helped make the journey a success. The expedition only lost one man and that was to an illness, probably appendicitis. The journals, scientific documentation and specimens, and the accurate map of the territory provided significant new knowledge to eastern scholars.

SIGNIFICANCE OF WILLIAM CLARK AND HIS CONNECTION TO PADUCAH:
Born in Virginia in 1770 (before the American Revolution), William Clark had 5 older brothers who fought for American Independence, including two who died in the process, and George Rogers Clark whose service to the country resulted in his being given the land on which Paducah exists. After the death of George Rogers Clark, William purchased the land for $5. In 1827 he drew the plat map laying out the city of Paducah and named the city after a tribe of friendly Native Americans he had met. The original plat drawn by William Clark is in the Market House Museum. William Clark founded the city, drew the plat map and gave the city its name. Even though William Clark had many accomplishments in his life of service to his country, being Co-captain of the Lewis and Clark Expedition is probably his greatest claim to fame. It is appropriate that he is honored in the midst of historic downtown Paducah by a bronze statue depicting him in his role as Co-captain, On the Trail of Discovery.