Tuesday, December 04, 2012

Postcard from Oakland

This painting is a revision of painting I did almost two years ago (I also shared it here around that same time). One of the nice things you can do with digital painting is start over again or rework an existing image.

And, that is what I did. I kept looking at the original and wondering if I could do better. So I started experimenting…and eventually I came up with this new version. I like it better as it emphasizes the brush strokes (click on the image to see a larger version and you will see what I mean). One of the many advantages of a digital painting software is that it contains hundreds of different kinds of brushes that can be customized…leaving one with a nearly infinite number of brushes to choose from.

This can be an advantage…or it can be overwhelming. In this instance, I created a special brush, then saved it so I can use it again. If I lived another hundred years, I could never become a total master of Corel’s Painter software. It just supplies you with so many possibilties!

Anyway, I’ve always enjoyed digitally painting flowers. I guess it has to do with my innate love of nature and beauty. And there is no better place to capture the beauty of spring flowers that the northern climates of California, Oregon and Washington.

These particular flowers, called Pelargoniums, reside at my brother’s home in Oakland, CA. He is the consummate gardener, growing flowers of all kinds outside, and a wide variety of orchids inside his hothouse. It’s a nice hobby that yields some beautiful results. Each of us have our own ways of enjoying beauty. Mom and Dad would be proud.

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com

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