EYE FOR THE UNUSUAL

Watermarks. The white residue from overflowed water became the image for layering with modes.

Creating Abstractions with Photography is one more way of collecting imagery to use for layering with modes with Photoshop. (process described throughout the month of June)

Collecting interesting papers and images for collage can also be enhanced by letting your imagination notice imagery in close-up view! Photos of ice crystals on a window, or crazing of old paint can expand your collection. Noticing a spill on a glass tabletop where several plants get light from the south window, led to photographing the pattern, and using it to create imagery. The spill became more noticeable as more overflows occurred, and dried so the residue built up in layers. It looked like wax. I even cautioned friends not to clean it up.(The water mark was cleaned off after photos were taken)

Finally I took four pictures of the watermark, from different perspectives, three with the flash, and one where the flash did not go off. Then I processed them on the computer, copying them into  one Photoshop document. The stains were cut away from the plant part of the image, and included some of the dark of the table, and the negative shadows around the plant leaves.

I forgot that it is important when working on a project like this to keep the background completely open. If the images are merged, they cannot be moved around or changed again, nor can a layer be copied into another document without the solid background coming along with it. I found a way around my mistake, and will show that later on.
Actually, I explained it on my Montage blog today. To see how that worked, use this link to that site, post dated July 6, 2014. 

The four different angles were put into different layers, flipped, up, down and sideways over the open background. One was repeated in a fifth layer. More possibilities remained for placing the shapes in other configurations.

The shapes were arranged, so that the composition could be layered in Photoshop as a continuing experiment for use with modes. The dark forms resulted from the photo when the flash failed to go off. The contrast is dramatic, and seems quite amazing and other-worldly to me. Please Note: The Jpg image below has recorded white where transparent would appear in a Photoshop document.

Watermark Abstract created from repeating a photograph of a water stain, by flipping horizontally and vertically. Unfinished.

More variations from these shapes will be shown on the next Post.

Writing and Images on this post are the Copyright  © of Ruth Zachary.

SUMMARY OF LAYERING EXPERIMENT SERIES

Chippewah 13 b. Design 13 variation with three dark panels, using same settings. Note: Elements of the composition were copied and pasted at the edges to anchor the design and suggest continuity beyond the edges.           ©  by Ruth Zachary

OBSERVATION SUMMARY of the PREVIOUS SERIES OF SIX PARTS :

1 Changing the mode of top layers affects the appearance of all layers beneath.

Tip: Keep a permanent copy of the PSD documents you start with, so

            you can recover steps that may get lost as you work.

2 Changing one or more layer modes will affect the composition. To save each version you like, it must be saved as a separate document and closed.

           

Tip: With each version, Save As a JPG file, Naming each piece saved.  The document you are working on will retain its layer order, left in the PSD mode. You can also save each version as a PSD file, but if you merge layers, you may not be able to return to the multi-layered file you started with, unless you saved it in that format in a separate place.

3 Changing the position of each layer can affect the entire appearance of the composition. Techniques to use with Modes;  reversing layers, flipping layers vertically, or horizontally, moving a layer, making some layers larger or smaller, reducing the transparency of one or more layers, distorting the configuration of one or more layers, or cutting openings in some of the layers and then changing the modes.

4 Changing the order of the layers top to bottom can affect the entire composition.

           

Tip: Be sure you know the memory limitations of your version of Photoshop with your computer, or it can freeze up. More than 4 layers at a time can be very memory intensive. Making changes and closing the PSD document periodically will  ensure that your PSD working document will be saved as long as you do not merge the layers. Experimental versions can be made as long as you like the    results.

5. The Artist is in charge of making a satisfactory composition.  The Computer is not the Creator. Imagination is required to experiment with new techniques. The process of choices, large and small is almost like handwriting… ultimately it results in the Artist’s style, experience and competence, uniquely different from any other person’s work.

6. These experiments can be carried much further. As each layer is brought into the sequence, changing the contrast, color range, and other settings on individual layers can produce even more variations of the compositional options, available with the original layers at the beginning.

Writing and Images on this site are the  © Copyright of Ruth Zachary.

EXPERIMENTS WITH LAYERS USING MODES PART # 6

Chippewah 14. Unfinished.      © by Ruth Zachary                             

CHIPPEWAH 14 Dancing Around White, Layer 3 in top position, Mode - Darken

            Background Layer, Chippewah, Mode - Normal

            Layer 1, KP Mod, - Second from Top position, Mode- Multiply,

            Layer 2, Pale Blue Dawn, second up from bottom, Mode- Exclusion

Chippewah 15, Unfinished.                                                  © by Ruth Zachary.

 

CHIPPEWAH 15 Dancing Around White, Layer 3 in top position, Mode -  Saturation.

            Background Layer, Chippewah, Mode Normal. Four areas were cut out, and      

            left white. If the background was transparent, the effect would be different.

            Layer 1, KP Mod, - Second from Top position, Mode- Color Burn,

            Layer 2, Pale Blue Dawn, second up from bottom, Mode- Lighten.

Chippewah 16,  Unfinished.     © by Ruth Zachary

 

CHIPPEWAH 16  A new unnamed open layer with rectangular light shapes and black

            shapes was created and left in normal mode in the top position.

            Dancing Around White, Layer 3 in next to top position, Mode -  Multiply.

            A Copy of the Background Layer, Chippewah, Mode Normal was made to  

            replace the former Background Layer, which was locked.. The four white cut out  

            areas were selected, and filled with Slate gray. 

            Layer 1, KP Mod, - Now in middle position, Mode- Hard Light,

            Layer 2, Pale Blue Dawn, second up from bottom, Mode- Multiply.

Completing a Composition involves more than just changing modes to alter it from a previous state. Breaking up the major configuration of the elements into three to five parts, (in this case, two unequal parts) is often effective. Shifting the angle to a diagonal tends to suggest a more dynamic landscape, figurative interaction or architecture.

In the future I will  go into more complicated aspects of composition.

But next time, I will post the last part of this series of experiments, #7 noting some of the observations I have made about working with Layers and Modes.

Writing and Images, shown in progress are the Copyright © of Ruth Zachary.

EXPERIMENTS IN LAYERING, USING MODES, PART 5

Chippewah 12 Continued Experiments in Layering, using Modes.   Unfinished.   © by Ruth Zachary

CHIPPEWAH 12 Dancing Around White  Layer 3 in top position. Mode – Saturation.

            Background Layer, Chippewah, Mode -Normal

            Layer 1, KP Mod, - Second from Top position, Mode- Multiply, Changed right  

                 side edge to balance composition. Note, this layer is smaller with space around it.

            Layer 2, Pale Blue Dawn, second up from bottom, Mode- Exclusion

When using this experimental method to create new compositions by layering in Photoshop, the next step after a promising experiment, is to intentionally make changes in the composition. I think the above image could be lighter, and could increase in contrast, with lighter lights, but probably no darker darks.

Because of the contrast shown above, the blue/ purple oval creates a point of emphasis.

The next change would likely be to take a portion of the design and repeat it in a different orientation, by rotating it, and repeat it again smaller, or with an alteration of shape, someplace else in the picture plane, keeping the three areas assymetrical. Uneven numbers of repeated shapes or colors carry the eye throughout the picture plane, without  becoming static, as frequently happens with even numbers
of interest. This change is not shown here. But there are other kinds of adjustments to a composition to make it more interesting. (Maybe a topic for future blog posts?)

One way is to shift the purely flat geometric arrangement to include dominant diagonals.

Chippewah 13,  With a divided layer, plus rotation to create diagonals in the composition. Unfinished.

 

CHIPPEWAH 13 Dancing Around White  Layer 3 in top position. Mode – Saturation.

            Background Layer, Chippewah,  Mode -  Normal

            Layer 1, KP Mod, - second fromTop position, Mode- Difference,  rectangular  

                  shape cut in two parts, rotated  each somewhat, so lines are more diagonal,

            Also Cut out curved openings in several shapes,  to show through to the next layer.

            Layer 2, Pale Blue Dawn, second up from bottom, Mode- Luminosity

The above version is likely one I would complete, with a likely satisfactory outcome.
I like the colors and the dynamic created by the diagonals.

Not shown: Probably I would repeat shapes in the "almost margins" to create irregular extensions in the completed composition. I might also create the finished composition in collage, with possible variations from what is shown here.

Another way to vary the composition might be to cut out organic shapes, as open spaces or as shapes cut out of the image layer showing... in this case, Layer 1 -  KP Mod, shown below

Chippewah 15, Altering the design to improve Composition. Organic Cut-out Areas. Unfinished.

 

CHIPPEWAH 15 Dancing Around White, Layer 3 in top position, Mode -  Saturation.

            Background Layer, Chippewah, Mode Normal. Four areas were cut out, and 

            left white.  If the background was transparent, the effect would be different.

            Layer 1, KP Mod, - Second from Top position, Mode- Color Burn,

            Layer 2, Pale Blue Dawn, second up from bottom, Mode- Lighten.

This is for demonstration only: I would change the color scheme of this arrangement, perhaps add a light valued texture to the white areas, plus add one more organic cutout to this image. This might be a dark shape that intersects the two large cut out areas, creating a point of emphasis. Since it is not finished, and I cannot plan further until more steps are executed, please consider this as an example of how experimentation works, one step at a time and not pre-planned from start to finish. It really is an exciting way to work, and involves risk, because some attempts never work out.

SUMMATION- PART 6 -  NEXT TIME 

Please note: My spelling may not be the best. Since I lost some visual ability a few years ago, I cannot see some letters clearly, and they run into each other, I tend to add or leave out some letters.

Writing and Images on this post are the Copyright © of Ruth Zachary.

WE LEARN FROM OUR MISTAKES. PART 4

CHIPPEWAH 10 , Experimenting with Modes in Photoshop. Unfinished.

 

CHIPPEWAH 10 – This time I ADDED  LAYER 3, into top position. Dancing Around White,  

            Shown below, Mode - Multiply

            Background Layer, Chippewah,  Mode Normal

            Layer 1, KP Mod, - second from top, Mode- Multiply, Flipped horizontally

                    Notice the linear arrangement has changed from the previous orientation.

            Layer 2 Pale Blue Dawn, second from bottom, Mode Luminosity

 

Hi  Blog Viewers –

In the last post, June 4, 2014, where CHIPPEWAH 7 was shown on my blog?  I explained  I would not use that piece as a finished composition, but only to show the dramatic color difference resulting from mode changes. This was meant to show a technique to be helpful to viewers, but not to be an example of a finished composition.

Although I am pleased that Google is showing my Abstract Art posts and my new images,  clearly I do not know the criteria for what is shown, and usually no text accompanies the images  to explain to viewers what is the bad, the good or the ugly.

The next two pieces were clearly much more satisfying, and I would wish one of them had appeared as a promotion, if that was the intent. The image above is closer to being  finished. Not yet done, I would change the contrast, and perhaps lighten it, among other choices, to feel it is complete.

So in the future, I will place the most satisfactory images at the top of my post, and the sequence of changes may not be in order. But I believe that people learn from making mistakes, and others too, can learn from mine. I will not exclude the steps in the development of an art piece, because readers might learn more by showing the problems that come up along the way to the finished work.

But perhaps the better images will be promoted by placing them at the top of the post. If I were having a show of my work, I would certainly want all of them to be as good as I can make them, and I would want all the images to be a consistent body of finished work. That is not the focus of a blog, but rather to share the process of creating artwork with anyone who is interested

I will show the settings and changes, as usual, and hopefully followers can sort this out.

Dancing Around White, Organic Abstract. Another  Textured Layer Adds to the Variations Possible When Changing Modes.

As can be seen, working with more layers allows even more possible variations. Care must be taken to save the originals and the preferred results as separate documents with unique names.  With many layers it is possible to run out of memory, and the main document must be closed and saved to really preserve the changes made. (Photoshop saves 20 steps or more so the artist can go backward, but
that uses memory.) Closing the document preserves it at the stage of closing.

CHIPPEWAH  11, Another  Change in Mode Settings Produced Another Configuration of Colors. Unfinished.

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CHIPPEWAH 11 – Dancing Around White Layer 3 in top position. Mode – Saturation.

            Background Layer, Chippewah, Mode Normal

            Layer 1, KP Mod, - Top position, Mode- Multiply,

            Layer 2, Pale Blue Dawn, second up from bottom, Mode Luminosity

I would enjoy any feedback from viewers. After all, this is my motivation for sharing my work. If you have questions, please ask and I will try to answer on this blog. Thanks


Images and Writing are the Copyright © of Ruth Zachary

MODE CHANGES IN LAYERS 3

Chippewah 7, Experiment in Layering.         © by Ruth Zachary

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CHIPPEWAH 7- Background Layer, Chippewah. Mode - Normal

            LAYER 1, KP Mod, - Top position Mode Saturation

            Layer 2, Pale Blue Dawn. Middle position,  Mode - Color

The above image may be compared with other renditions shown on the previous post, May 30th, 2014. The mode settings were recorded each time the change produced a significant difference in the image. The main colors above changed from orange tones to blue and green. I would not use the above piece as a finished composition, but only to show the dramatic color difference resulting from mode changes.

Chippewah 8, Experiment in Layering.   © by Ruth Zachary.

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CHIPPEWAH 8- Background Layer- Chippewah, Mode- Normal

            Layer 1, KP Mod, - Top position, Mode -Difference

            Layer 2, Pale Blue Dawn Middle Position, Mode -Luminosity

Mode changes to two different layers produced a dramatic difference from an image resembling the original Chippewah image, to the one above which looks more like KP Mod,  one of the other layers in the experiment.

Chippewah 9, Experiments in Layering Using Modes. © by Ruth Zachary

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CHIPPEWAH 9 – Background Layer, Chippewah, Mode -Normal

            Layer 1, KP Mod, - Top position, Mode - Multiply

            Layer 2, Pale Blue Dawn, Middle Position, Mode -Luminosity

In this case, one mode change was made to the K P Mod layer, but as you can see, the main color scheme has been altered, with brighter colors and with more contrast between light and dark. The design emphasis has changed so much that the two images might seem to be related, but no longer the same composition.

In spite of the seeming ease in achieving so many positive results, the method is not a sure fire guarantee of success. The person creating designs in this way needs to have a good sense of composition, and to be able to see which combinations have produced a promising result. Often after the design looks good, many other adjustments need to be made, with contrast, intensity of color, or placement of shapes.

There are times when I have spent hours experimenting, without producing one composition that met my standards. There were many mode changes that I did not bother to show on this blog, at all.

I would like to hear if anyone is trying similar experiments, and if you have any questions.
Please feel free to leave comments.
 

Please note: The copyright imprint on the web images are for publication here. The finished art work does not contain the imprint, and is named and signed in the normal way. Images and writing are the copyright © of Ruth Zachary.

LAYERING EXPERIMENT 2 IN PHOTOSHOP

Chippewah 5, Demonstration of Layering Using Modes. © by Ruth Zachary

This Post is a continuing demonstration of how Using the same basic layers, and how by changing the Modes of the layers, the resulting configuration of colors, shapes and relationships within a composition can be changed. The initial explanation of these experiments began on the previous post, dated May 25, 2014.

The settings for each mode change are recorded step by step:

 

CHIPPEWAH 5. layer1- Chippewah Background at Bottom , Mode- Normal

            LAYER 1, KP Mod, - Top position Mode - Saturation

            Layer 2, Pale Blue Dawn. Middle layer.  Mode – Darken

 

CHIPPEWAH 6 - LAYER 1 Chippewah, Background, Mode - Normal

            LAYER 1, KP Mod, - Top position,  Mode -Saturation

            Layer 2, Pale Blue Dawn. Middle position,  Mode - Saturation

Chippewah 6 ,  Only Layer 2 in the Middle was changed to Saturation.                                            ©by Ruth Zachary

LAYERING EXPERIMENTS IN PHOTOSHOP

Chippewah, Used as Background Layer for Series. © by Ruth Zachary

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A SERIES OF ABSTRACT LAYERING EXPERIMENTS IN PHOTOSHOP

The Series name, Chippewah, came from a nearly disintegrated year-book cover from 1920. The flaked texture and color appealed to me, and is the background layer in this series. This scan has been used  many  times. 

            KP Mod was created in Kid Pix. Pale Blue Dawn was another piece made in another Photoshop series of experiments,  named Where Visions Gather. Dancing Around White was another piece generated in the same kind of process. That piece was completed as a collage on a Masonite panel, and no longer looks like the Computer design-study.

Going through the process step by step may help the viewer to see how changes are achieved on the computer, using modes and other techniques, with many possible versions.  Sometimes the process seems easy, but sometimes I spend a whole day experimenting, with nothing to show for my time. In the explanations given below, I have recorded all steps I have tried myself.

I will continue posting these steps on this blog until they are complete.

KP Mod, Used as Layer 1 in this Series. It Was Also Used in the Imagery of the Previous Post. © by Ruth Zachary

The series began with three layers. Layer 2 was named Pale blue Dawn, shown below.

Pale Blue Dawn. Layer 2 of this Chippewah Series. © by Ruth Zachary

Chippewah Series, #4, Bright Sunshiny Day, First Result of Series,  Using Modes with Layers in Photoshop. © by Ruth Zachary

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CHIPPEWAH 4 – layer1- Chippewah  as Background, Mode- Normal.

            LAYER 1, KP Mod, - Top position, Mode -Saturation

            Layer 2 Pale Blue Dawn. Middle,  Mode Normal 

You will see in the nexr few posts, that a great many of the resulting images from this process are extremely varied and in some cases do not resemble their parents much at all. 

Most of the images measure about 14x17" and are 300 dpi in Photoshop.

From four finished pieces to begin with, a total of seventeen images resulted. Although I would not accept some of them as works to display, all the same they do demonstrate the variations adequately to use as an example of How to. Of course you will want to gather your own textures so the results from your own experiments are completely your own.

Images and Writing are the Copyright © of Ruth Zachary.

LAYERING IMAGE CUT-OUTS

-->  On March 30, I explained I was experimenting with  layering methods, using different layer combinations and different modes on the top layers. The textures originally created in low resolution paint programs were then copied into Photoshop as a means for designing, discovering color combinations and for stimulating freedom and play into my process.


I had at that time,  discovered a new technique to use with this methodology, which I hoped to share in the future. It took longer than I anticipated to return with experiments  creating compositions in this new method, because I needed to work on a theme project with realistic images just then, even though the technique worked equally well with both abstraction and realism.

Coins of the Realm 1. Computer Layered Composition  7.5x10" ©by Ruth Zachary

The layers I chose to combine included two textured abstract layers, a third layer with a Kid Pix geometric design, and then a fourth layer containing a scanned image of various coins. I used the select the white background option in Photoshop on the coin layer, to select and cut out the background around the coins just in that layer. In the above version, it is easy to see how the coins were affected by changing the modes of different layers. Some details in the coins are still visible. Working in a small size allows working faster with many layers, because it is less memory intensive.

Coins of the Realm 2. Computer Layered Composition. 7. 5x10" © by Ruth Zachary

The different colors and values were the result of changes in the modes. Even though the coins have a different appearance, the coins remained in the same relationships to each other and to the dominant design of the Kid Pix geometric composition. To save each version, I used "Save As " to preserve the images I liked. Layers were flattened in each saved version.  Paint textures on some layers can be seen on the surface, as well, although the Kid Pix design was mostly in flat colors to start with.

Coins of the Realm 3. Computer Layered Composition. 7. 5x10" © by Ruth Zachary

Changing the mode of the layers then results in other combinations. In this version, the circular motif seems to shift, although the coins did not change position. Also in this version, the coins have no details. This composition is quite different from the original Kid Pix creation, but has more of the flattened color areas like the original. I think this is the one I like best.

What is new about this method, at least to me, is that the coins were cut out and they have a completely different impact, than working with several full sized, fully filled layers. I have carried this on to yet another step, using photographic cut out images. Cut out drawings, paintings, or separated distorted images offer unlimited potential for integrating realistic or semi-realistic images with abstraction.Since this is something I have been working toward, for a long time, I find this to be very exciting! The next step of this process will appear on my Montage Blog soon.


All Images and Writing are the Copyright © of Ruth Zachary.