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A spooky tree



I tried a little Photoshop experiment that I'm still not sure about.  I think the look of this could be very effective for a spooky piece.  I know it's not Halloween season, but I was feeling a bit morbid because of the loooooong February we're having in New England.

What I'd really like to know is this: if February is the shortest month (and it is), why does it feel like the longest?

Harumph.



Anyway, the best I can figue out, I started with a picture of a tree in a graveyard, layered on a transparent layer of some of the tree detail, added a few morbid lines from Psalm 49, desaturated and played until I liked (sort of!) the look. 

At least I'll probably like it next October... 


Copyright 2010 Cyndi Lavin. Not to be reprinted, resold, or redistributed for profit. May be printed out for personal use or distributed electronically provided that entire file, including this notice, remains intact.

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Eileen The Artful Crafter said…
I like this a lot. I wonder how it would look more desaturated or in sepia.
February 16, 2010 at 8:55 AM
Cyndi L said…
Most of the values are pretty close together, so both sepia and desaturated lose a lot of detail in this particular piece. Starting with higher contrast photos to begin with would help :-)
February 16, 2010 at 10:56 AM
Eileen The Artful Crafter said…
Ahhh, I see what you mean. Thanks for responding.

Mixed Media Artist has been like a self-paced online art course for me. And it's free!

Thanks so much for all your work ;-)
February 19, 2010 at 11:06 AM
Sherri Osborn said…
Thanks for sharing this. Makes me wonder if I could play around with one of my daughter's engagement pictures and some love quotes or something.....
February 19, 2010 at 12:48 PM
Cyndi L said…
Yes! It doesn't *have* to be spooky...it could easily be soft and romantic :-)
February 19, 2010 at 12:50 PM
Margot Potter said…
I'm fascinated by Photoshop and layers are so intriguing. Thank you for your creative generosity!

Cheers,
Madge
February 19, 2010 at 1:03 PM
Connie G. Barwick said…
What a cool project - I think it looks wistful instead of creepy.
February 21, 2010 at 2:49 PM
Cyndi L said…
Thanks Connie...maybe wistful or lonely would have been a better term!
February 21, 2010 at 3:19 PM
Jacqueline said…
If you add a texture in a seperate layer, you can add thta little bit of extra to make it stand out. Like I did in here:
http://exploringart.blogspot.com/2008/09/blind-fool.html
And in this piece:
http://exploringart.blogspot.com/2008/07/digital-collage-empty.html
It is all about playing and experimenting!
February 25, 2010 at 6:15 AM
Cyndi L said…
Yup! I use that texture layer quite often, like in Stone Lily. The instructions are there for anyone who wants to try adding it to a single layer. For more layers...have at it!
February 25, 2010 at 8:57 AM
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