Monthly Archives: February 2015

Feb 26 2015
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Rule Of Thirds

Big Ben

Weekly Photo Challenge: Rule Of Thirds (Galleries From London)

Big Ben – portrait grid

London Lion – landscape grid

River Thames, looking west – Fibonacci spiral or golden ratio

Feb 23 2015
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One Four Challenge: February Week 4

One Four Challenge: February Week 4

One Four Challenge: February Week 4

Here’s my last edit for February’s One Four Challenge, hosted by Robyn Gosby at Captivate Me. I’m not going to give you a run down of the processes this week as it would be just a bit too much! I’ve used a combination of all the processes used in my first three edits and added the butterflies and flowers using the polygonal lasso tool in PS. My inspiration this week was drawn from a pen and ink design I created many years ago, using a self-portrait to create a playing card Queen of Hearts. My design had been based up a pen and ink drawing that my father had created, during his own college days, of a fairytale style playing card! I hope you’ve all enjoyed my tributes to past works and different mediums as much as I have. I’m still deciding on my image for March but it has been suggested to me that I tackle a landscape. What do you think?

If you would like to pick a favourite (it’s not obligatory!) please use this poll and/or leave me some feedback and suggestions for future One Four Challenges in the comments 🙂

Feb 20 2015
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Travel Theme: Transformation

Early and late stage larvae

Travel Theme: Transformation (Gallery of Butterfly Metamorphosis)

What could better illustrate Transformation than the life-cycle of a butterfly? This is the metamorphosis of Papillio memnon, lowi Druce and rumanzovia, all types of Swallowtail and Mormon Butterflies, as seen at the Butterflies In The Glasshouse event at RHS Wisley Gardens.

Feb 16 2015
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One Four Challenge: February Week 3

One Four Challenge: February Week 3

One Four Challenge: February Week 3

February is flying by and we’re already onto the third week of this month’s One Four Challenge, hosted by Robyn Gosby at Captivate Me. Some of you may have guessed by now that I’m attempting to recapture the feel and look of Fine Art processes that I have used in the past. This month’s edit is inspired by the very short experience I had of print making during my A level studies. I really loved it! I made a series of self portraits using lino, block and screen printing techniques. I’ve tried to capture the essence of those techniques in this pop-art style image.

Photoshop CC
Clean up base
Select Figure with Polygonal Lasso
Refine Edge
Layer Via Copy
Add grey background
Invert Difference Blending (Save Portrait 1)
Invert Divide Blending (Save Portrait 2)
Invert Normal
Copy Figure Layer
Multiply Blending
Invert Screen Blending (Save Portrait 3)

Create New 3×2 Ratio White Background
Copy and Paste in all 3 Portraits
Arrange with right hand figure as 1st Layer
Use Polygonal Tool to select and remove white overlapping areas
Use Soft Low opacity Eraser to blend images

Greater Than Gatsby
Soft Pearl Matte 20%
Reduce Noise
Your New Aesthetic 25%
Brilliant Dance 20%
Vinyl Revival 30%
Painterly Soft 20%
Flatten Image

Lightroom
Use masking brush to reduce clarity and and sharpness to areas of skin while increasing clarity to hair and facial features

Colour Efex Pro
Tonal Contrast Fine
Classical Soft Focus and Diffuse selectively
Colourise Soft Pink
Ink
Pro Contrast
Glamour Glow Cool