Thursday, September 26, 2013

Today's Practice for Photoshop Artistry

A little practice....haven't done much since I fell last week....yes, I had a little meeting with the sidewalk on my morning walk.  I think everything is okay although my left knee and my ribs on my right side are definitely aware that a crash happened.  
Here I went for a vignette effect on both these images.

I edited this image below for a more grainy look with the help of texture and Topaz Restyle.  I masked it and removed some of the grain but decided I liked it better with all the grain intact.





Monday, September 16, 2013

Shiny New

I debated whether or not to do this post of our newly upgraded kitchen counter, because I can't seem to get good images.  
The granite is so shiny the lights reflect on it, and the room is too dark if I turn off all lights.  The granite is prettier in person....it has some black, gray and dark red (amost a bordeaux color), and the red does not show up in my pics.  In my "before" post I promised to post the "after" results.  
Because there was so much going on with the granite, I decided to do plain subway tile on the backsplash.
I'm happy with the clean look....there is no longer a bottle of liquid hand soap on the counter, since there is a soap dispenser.  It fills from the top, so that's a good thing, as Martha would say.  I debated forever on stainless vs. porcelain sink.  My friend/advisors were equally divided.  I even ordered the porcelain and then took it back and ordered the stainless.  I'm still getting used to it.   I think I like it, but I tend to be meticulous, so water spots make me nervous.  I know..... you're all laughing!! Now the only appliance that is not stainless is the oven.   I refuse to replace it to the tune of $1800.  It works fine, and it will do!  All in all, I'm delighted with the updated clean look.
Life is grand.  The weather could not be more perfect....mid to high 70's, very little humidity.  I feel lucky to live in Southern California!  I hope you all have a great day.  Thanks for visiting.

Friday, September 13, 2013

Maori Mannequin

I call her "Maori Mannequin" because the texture makes her look like her face is tattooed.  The mannequin image is courtesy Morguefile.com.  After watching Sebastian Michaels' exercise in layers, I decided to try with my own textures and brushes.  I also took advantage of Topaz Labs B/W and Adjust.  I played with this for the better part of a couple hours, and I could still do more.  
Woohoo!!! This class is so much fun and so creative.  Can't wait for the next video to see what other great ideas Sebastian has for us.
Oh, this is the original photo.......