Cyanotype

 Cyanotype -  alternative photographic process .

Unlike dark room process, cyanotype images are developed in the sun; the process is simple but rather unpredictable, you have to experiment a lot, and,to me, this is the best part. I really enjoyed my first day of "cyanotyping".

What I did this summer

I’ve been missing for a while.  You see, I went around the corner of the learning curve and I got lost.  It was an awesome adventure…something akin to Gulliver’s Travels.  Except instead of various worlds, I visited a variety of image techniques.  

I’ve been busy chasing these bugs, inspired by Doug Landreth:

Painting in Photoshop,turning photographs from this:

to that:

Converting images to B&W:

I learned a lot about B&W conversion from the David Nightingale online course. The course is packed with information not only about B&W photography but also about Photoshop workflow.

Gluing papers:

And also cracked up everyone in the house by producing self portrait using polaroid transfers:

More later.

Russian diary - Peterhof.

Near St. Petersburg, are the spectacular parks at Peterhof.  Representing nearly two centuries of European aristocratic fashion that was built to the very highest of standards, these parks are remarkable for the variety of style encompassed in their layout and features.

One of the most amazing features of Peterhof parks is the unique fountain system that requires no pumps.  The fountains are supplied by a gravity fed water system.  The water follows a 22 kilometer system feeding fountains along the way and

skillfully placed to exploit the natural slope of the terrain.

Today, Peterhof with its 150 fountains and 4 cascades is known as “The Jewel of Russian Art”.

A new direction

Painting in Photoshop class gave me so many ideas about new directions I can explore.

First, I started with the revision of some of my old photomontages.

 Sometimes when you use different blending modes to combine multiple layers the colors get out of control in a “not good” way.  Now, by using the painting techniques (color mixing brushes, art history brushes) I have full control over colors and textures.

Also, when printing a large size print you are limited with the original file resolution. Not anymore, painting over the image allows you to enlarge it up to 500% with no visible pixilation. Here are three of my old photomontages altered by painting in Photoshop and a new one created with the same technique.

"Transit of Venus"

I also have a number of photographs of old abandoned shacks, and I started to think about giving them new life after visiting a photo exhibition “From Russia with love” where I saw a series of photographs of old Russian “dachas”, masterly done but somewhat depressing.  I’m thinking about using the shapes of the shacks and treating them with color. 

Here is a rough example of how I’m going to do this, and I already see how this concept may develop into a more complex work. Cannot wait to get my hands over the Wacom tablet.

Russian diary- Tsarskoe Selo.

One of the places I really wanted to visit while staying in St. Petersburg was Tsarskoe Selo. I spent so much time there with my parents, and after becoming a parent I spent time there with my kids. But this was the first time when I was able to see the Amber room, one of the wonders of Catherine Place.

The palaces and parks at Tsarskoe Selo (Tsar Village) were established as a country retreat by Catherine I, in 1717. Originally a modest two story building, later it was completely redesigned on a scale to rival Versailles. The resultant palace, completed in 1756 is nearly 1 km in circumference, with elaborately decorated facades and interiors which are no less spectacular.

The landscaped gardens, created in the late 18^th century, were the first of their kind in Russia.

During World War II, Tsarskoe Selo suffered extensive damage. 

The view of the Palace after Nazi occupation.

The Amber room was dismantled by Nazis and to date, its fate is unknown. The original Amber room was decorated with amber mosaics panels, surrounded with gilded carving, mirrors, Florentine mosaics and further mosaics of Ural and Caucasus gemstones.

The recreation of Amber room took over 20 years, the restored room is a truly unique monument, and a testament to the painstaking care of the craftsmen who worked on it. Unfortunately photography is not allowed in the room. These, found on Google, give you an idea of its grandeur.

You may see more pictures here.

Happy Birthday America!

Painting in Photoshop: week 4 and a bonus

Here it is - the end of Painting of Photoshop class.
During week four we used different color mixing brushes,Topaz filters and HDR toning. As a bonus we had a project which combined Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop techniques. The amount of information I got from this class is incredable, and there are so many ways to use it in my projects. That is very exciting.

HDR toning and color mixing brushes.

Dori effect.

Using Topaz Adjust filter.
Image provided by Marie.

Abstract - image from deviant art, background from Marie Otero.

Graffiti fish - combination of Illustrator and Photoshop.
Image provided By Marie.