Exercise in Digital Painting

This is a very large file. Took my DSL at least 1 minute to load the large view. In the large view you can see the details, not in the regular view. So if you dare, view large. I played with this using multiple filters & textures in both PS and various software. I patterned the light and color balance after one of my favorite painters, Vermeer, "The Girl with a Pearl Earring". I'm attaching a small image for light and color comparison. Just so you can see what I was after. Oh what fun it is to play! Geez... I wish I could paint! The kids knew ahead of time this is what I was going to do, so they did dress appropriately and I did adjust the studio lighting to the best of my ability to recreate what we wanted. I can tell now I needed more top left light. Hum.... another day!:)

Well Jayme, I can only speak to you from my experience in televsion broadcasting, since I am not a portrait photographer. On one hand, I like the composition very much; the concept has potential and the two front lights model the subjects nicely. On the other hand, this seriously needs a backlight, no doubt about it. If I saw a scene like this on the screen, I would be calling the studio crew to replace a burned out light. My only other reservation is that there seems to be a pronounced cyan cast to this, especially in the hair. Perhaps about 05R would take care of it. Regards.

Walter- I agree whole heartedly re-cyan cast. My very, very first attempt at anything like this. Definitely needed a light upper right, just slightly to light the hair. But.... as I was doing this in PS, I measured the color casting with the web copy of the Vermeer. It is very close. Maybe the framing has a negative effect here too. Did you view it large for detail?

 

But of course, just a fun exercise in digital painting. Thanks for giving me your honest opinion, perfect

assessment!

Well,I am not competent to comment on the technical aspect of the image. But I like the composition.

I think you got pretty close to what you were trying to do. Isn't PS great???

OK ... I've had some time to look at this image and think about it.

 

Just to help qualify [or disqualify?] my comments: before cameras and film, before computers and digital data, I was [am] an artist. I have been painting and drawing for as long as I can remember. I wouldn't call myself good at it, but somewhat better than average ... maybe?

 

Having said that, I think that the paint-like quality that you created on this image is amazing! You definitely have to look at the large file to appreciate the effectiveness of the result. Up close, it looks every bit like brush strokes on canvas with well thinned oil paint.

 

Rarely [if ever], even from the hand of masters, is the level of realism and detail as great as that of a photograph [duh!]. The thing I always bump up against when trying to do what you've done is that it still looks "too real" to my eye, too perfect. Even the photo-realists [you know, those artists who use airbrushes to paint "chrome" so real it looks wet?] can't fool my eye under scrutiny. I can tell it's painted [at least from the work I've seen so far].

 

Also, whenever I paint, I am not constrained by reality. I can pull elements that I find particularly attractive and embellish them, bringing them out of the "noise" of the background. The same can be said for weak areas, I can repair/strengthen the deficit.

 

In painting, I don't have to think about where the lamp is [i paint from my head, not a model or scene], I simply produce what "looks good" to the vision I have stored on grey [and I DO mean grey!] cells. I don't think about color, it's my painting and I can make it whatever color I want! And, I don't think about being absolutely perfect in form or shape, but rather suggest it.

 

I've never come up with a way to take an image and build into it those inherent imperfections that occur in painting. The same issue lives in what you've presented here, but you've come FAR closer than I have ever been able to.

 

At the end of the day, for what you were trying to accomplish, you've done a superb job. Maybe you can fire up that genius of yours to take it the rest of the way!

 

db

~

 

This is nice...just love his expression.....I think we will be seeing more photos of this couple????

you can create a backlight effect if you would like by creating a new background using lighting effects to brighten the area for the backlighting, then cutting and pasting the subjects into the new background and erasing any extraneous black around the subjects from the new layer you have superimposed on the new background you have created.

Thanks Don- You are right, you must view it large to see what I was trying to accomplish. I envy you, I have always wished I could draw &/or paint. I can see it in my head but putting paint on canvas is not something my hands can recreate. Essentially, I did hand paint this with the computer, starting with the base photo, something lots of artists do, take a photo and then paint from the photo. PS & other software are such creative tools. I particularly love doing the hand colored photos. Take away color and add back, like I did with Ethan & Michaela. I find that so satisfying. I bought a Wacom tablet and am practicing with this. Quite a difference from working with a mouse. The background needs more subtle lighting I think. A work in progress.

 

Thanks AK, Kim & Sarah And yes, you will be seeing more of them. I said above that in the images I took of her alone, she was stiff and nervous. When Hugh, our son, got in the picture she just glowed. He has that concerned husband of a pregnant wife look. :) They are a perfect match for each other! Their personalities compliment each other. I think one of the most important ingredients for a lasting marriage. :)

 

Ben- I thought about that. The next time I will add a hair light on the right, I really want the original image as close as possible. Then with different filter & texture layers and hand drawing in the strokes, I think, it will look even more realistic. Practice makes perfect.

you were not kidding when you said view larger! The large version is incredible...love the detail. This looks like a real painting! You have learned and are mastering some creative skills....brava!

Congrats on your retirement! Keep us posted on your new career. Your photos are great and I get the feeling you are very good at dealing with people. I am glad you will be going after what you really love to do. I think this will all fall into place for you!

Sarah- I figure since I have been dealing with the public for over 22 years, and seeing them basically at their worst (RN), This has got to be easier. My favorite part of Nursing was a short stint I did in Labor & Delivery. As long as all went well, it was such a joyous occasion, I wish I could have photographed the expressions on the parents faces when they saw their child for the first time. But I have these images permanently imprinted in my mind! I had the opportunity to be the one to notify the family in the waiting room too. What a joy. Of course this was long before ultrasound and they were waiting to find out if it was a boy or a girl. Amazing reactions! Just priceless expressions. All this, right there in the back of my mind.

 

Also, I was usually the person in ICU who also got to tell the family the patient would be OK. These also were such joyous occasions! When there wasn't such joyous news, I always gave them hope, I tend to put those away and feel the empathy, but I realized not every situation can be joyous. Better forgotten or just placed in another brain file. But believe me it's the joyous ones I remember! Crying and hugging and the signs of relief are the monumental experiences. So dealing with the general public is not something that frightens me, it's capturing something just a little different that scares the hell right out of me. Creating for the client (I always want to say patient :) something unique and full of emotion that they can remember for years to come. What I don't want is the memory of me saying "Ok, sit there, smile, look happy" , I actually want them to be relaxed and feel good about the image. Does this make sense?

 

I'm brushing up on my comedy routines! :) I always wear my hair on top of my head much like "Peebles" so that's pretty funny in it's self. Kids love it when I flip my hair at them! :) Parents are another story. I think asking a lot of questions and relaying my experiences as a parent and the funny things my kids did, helps a lot and opens dialogs. For example: Our 4 year old son was playing with my 11 year old sister. They were fighting over the possession of something. My ever understanding mother decided that a flip of the coin would be the decision maker. So she tossed a quarter into the air, telling our son to call it. (of course meaning heads or tails) He looked very seriously and said "Here quarter, here quarter!" Even my 11 year old sister had to laugh, he won the toss! :) He must have got this from his father! :)

 

Or then there's the time I had to make a trip to the local lumber company, (all men of course in those days) Kids in tow. It was hot and we had been waiting for 30 minutes for our lumber. I was thirsty and so were the kids. I spied a water fountain off in the corner. I stepped on the release and heard this low rumbling, but only a tickle of water. Being so thirst, I leaned down to get a drink, then all of a sudden the water erupted into a geyser, drowning me in the face. The kids laughed. After wiping my eyes I looked up to see a sign over the fountain I had not noticed. In large print it said "Old Faceful" The men at the counter were holding their bellies laughing. We were instant friends. It's memories like this that I hope I can draw on to make people feel comfortable & at ease.

Jayme, well I think you are doing this at a perfect time. Your work is very slick and professional. It shows that you love being a photographer. You are retired and young, and you can have a great time doing this, with out worrying about every last dime! You are very lucky to have loved your job as a RN and now move on to something else you love.

I've tried this sort of thing and it ain't easy. I think the touchstone with any medium is 'does the medium get in the way of the image?' To me you have been more successful with him than her as there are some parts (her hair particularly) that seem to draw attention to the digital nature of the image.

Thanks Sarah

 

Colin- I agree about her hair. It needs to be a more subtle transition. It's too blotchy. Lee is a Graphic Arts Designer. I believe I'm going to stick her on this venture. She loves to paint and draw and is very good at it, unlike me. She loves PS and has spent countless hours perfecting her skills. She has taught me so...... much about PS. So.........I think I'm going to get her to work on this, she's really very, very talented!

Hi Jayme, you may have noticed that I like painting and am fascinated by your result. It's remarkable. Only part, as others have said, are the girl's hair. Thumb up.

 

 

Jayme, this is great, I really like the effort, and many others have already said most that can be said about it.

I think the strength with this picture is that you started with a photo that was already very good. I like that for *this* version you cropped out the hand on the belly, so it leaves us guessing what is going on. The result is just great.

One drawback here is that my screen in "only" 1600x1200, and so the large version does not come out at all the way you intended. It seems this was meant to be printed to do it justice. This is a case in which too much of your efforts are lost in the down sampling to a medium screen size. But note that this is not true for the Vermeer. This painting is fantastic in real full size with a lot of detail, but the small version you post (tiny compared to the original) still is clearly a painting. So perhaps, do you think that if you want to challenge yourself more, you could make your alterations so that they come out in a smaller size version as well?

I would love to see the results, so I will keep checking your portefolio (which is always a joy to do.)

I agree Paula- will have to spend a lot more time on this. I actually changed it, making it "blotchy". I have a HD image of the Vermeer and was trying to accomplish a similar look. Obviously, I need to think a little more and work on this. And I have noticed your digital paintings, very, very nice! Thanks for the comments.

Maurik- I probably will not do much more work on this one, but others will follow in the next month or so. I am spread pretty thin at this point but soon, I will have much more tiime to play! Something I love to do! Thanks for commenting.

 

 

nice lighting, and great expression. i like this.

You ain't kiddin' when you say large. ;-) Jayme, if you master this at the same rate you learned lighting, you'll have some happy clients. That said, I miss his arms (my favorite part of the larger crop). Anyway, very nicely done.

first, agree with you, only in larger version then I can see beauty of this image... second, as usual great composition. third, congratulation on your new studio and all the best (hmm... I see you have upgraded to 1DS MKII).

Thanks- Mr. Omar- I have upgraded to the Mark II, I still continue to use bothe the 20D & the Mark II. They are both very comparable, but different. If I know ahead of time I'm going to want a really large image, I use the Mark II, if I am out of the studio I use the 20D most times. Both give excellent images in RAW.

Jamie: I love to try and recreate a 'painterly' effect on a photograph...I will upload two for you to play with in your mind. I'd love to see what you can do with the technique.

Second example

Jamie, you certainly achieved the painterly quality you were looking for, so congratulations. As far as composition goes, however, Vermeer probably would not have placed the man smack in the center, he would have left out the back of the chair and would not have used so much white at the bottom of his painting. He also would not have denied a viewer to witness the interaction between the two subjects (hand on pregnant wife's belly?) In any case, good old Johannes would be honored to know he still is an inspiration to people in this day and age and unfortunaltely he is not around to ask for advice. So, still a nice shot and I really like all of your other work.