There are two versions of this painting, so make sure you see them both. This first version was what I ended up with after painting in Art Rage 3.0. I did the entire image using only the watercolor tool, and was very pleased with the results. However, I thought it lacked something, so I exported this image with its various layers as a Photoshop document, and did some more work in that program. Here’s the results of that…
This definitely gave the image some punch. I used a couple of iStock images I had on a resources disk from Photoshop Creative magazine; one image of tree branches in autumn and the other a circuit board. The first obviously went in the upper left corner of the pic. I ran it through the water color filter, then faded in the edges using the maple leaf brush in Photoshop, then added more maple leaves to work it into the background a bit more. The circuit board image I had to work on a bit more; inverting it, colorizing it, and again fading in the edges using a layer mask and a few textured brushes (the maple leaf and one of the oil brushes).
I also overlaid some texture photos, again from my Photoshop Creative resources disk. And you can see the final result.
I always say I plan to take more time to do art. It’s hard to find that time given my current workload. But playing in Art Rage made things rather simple; just a few minutes here, a few minutes there, and then about an hour this evening finishing up the effects and postwork. We’ll see if I can pull this off again in the near future.
Very nice! You are quite a talented artist, Helen.
And the question is: when do you find the time? 🙂
Marci,
I’ve been sneaking in a few minutes here and there all week. This one wasn’t hard to draw, to be honest. I’ve had enough practice cartooning that I was able to sketch out the robot and butterfly and then just play around with the watercolor tool in Art Rage.
I’d like to do more complex images, things that are more realistic than cartoonish, but I need more practice time for that. But maybe if I continue to steal a few minutes here, and a few minutes there…
Glad you liked the image!
TBH I liked the simplicity of the first image more. Personal preferences, and all that, Helen.
Steve,
Actually, that doesn’t surprise me. I like both images, but for different reasons. The first is simpler and cleaner, while the second emphasizes texture. I can’t say which I really prefer right now. I’ve often made two versions of a piece of artwork and kept both because each has its strengths and both turn out quite nicely.
Either way, I’m glad you liked the first image!