Author: kmgunnart

Computer-Generated Digital Floral Art

Published on by kmgunnart12 Comments

As I mentioned in my previous post, I have been playing with digital art in the form of text-to-image software. I must say that trying to coax nice flower bouquet images from the program has had its ups and downs. While not quite as grotesque as some images, there are a few head-scratchers until you realize both flowers and fruit are spherical shapes. Yes, I’ll get to that image soon enough, while also showcasing a trio of digital floral images I actually like.

Bouquet of pretty tulips done digitally

large art print of Vase of Tulips in a family room mockup, with magenta-purple flowers in a white vase on a wood table, with two yellow tulips to provide a pop of contrasting color
Vase of Tulips, square format digital floral artwork available as art prints

An early win (and it does feel like playing a word game) for me is this lovely square-format piece I simply call Vase of Tulips. Anyone who has read more than one blog post from me knows I am rather unimaginative when it comes to naming my artwork. As always, if you buy a piece you are free to name it whatever you like. I had not specified much for this text prompt, so getting a large bouquet as opposed to a small one, and getting two complementary (and realistic!) colors for the blooms was a pleasant surprise. Add in the single flower lying on the table top partially obscured by the pretty white vase, and I was so pleased. The lighting is both realistic and dramatic.

Purchase this digitally-created floral

As is the case for all the digital art pieces, there is no original. I am open to painting this in more traditional media if you’d like to commission me to do so. You can order art prints from small to ego-boosting BIG from my Pixels shop. To get this image printed on apparel and accessories for the home, visit my RedBubble shop.

Romantic pink tulips bouquet

mockup of large art print of Pretty Pink Tulips hanging behind a small table next to a window letting in sunlight
Pretty Pink Tulips hanging behind a table next to a sunny window

After a couple dozen failures from the software, I started playing around with different modifiers. I finally scored a lucky “roll of the dice” with this pretty pink bouquet of tulips done in the Romantic style that I personally adore but have not yet tried my hand at achieving. (I’ll need to fix that sometime this year.) The only part of this piece of floral digital art that gave me pause was the single pink petal floating in the air along the left side. Other than that, the software managed to get the right combination of dramatic sunlight coming in through the window. It’s mostly (but not completely!) correct with the highlights on the flowers, and the overall effect is quite pretty.

Buy a print of Pretty Pink Tulips

No “original” exists since this is digital art, but you can buy an art print from small to impressive from my Pixels shop. If you are inclined to wear my art instead of framing it, my RedBubble shop has a wide range of apparel (and swag for the home) with it printed on it. Right now, I am on the fence as to whether or not I’d like to try my hand at recreating this on canvas or paper.

Slightly surrealistic Pink Peonies

I did try several species of flowers for a wider variety of floral bouquets, but the results were – at best – mixed. While the software generated a nice bouquet of white daisies in a nice ceramic pitcher, it set that pitcher on a gloomy flat rock instead of a table. Attempts to coax images of mums and chrysanthemums resulted in either unrealistic colored flowers, or a very drab composition. I tried red poppies in November, but did not like how those looked either. The one success (that is not roses or tulips) is a bouquet of pink peonies.

square-format digital floral artwork Pink Peonies
Pink Peonies, floral digital art in square format

While it has most of the elements correct – the size of the peonies is “larger than life.” We had two pink peony bushes at the house where I grew up, and while they are not small flowers they are not quite this big either. I’m not sure of the physics of putting flowers this big into such a small vase without it tipping over. This one is the best of the bunch the software generated.

Links to buy prints of Pink Peonies

Once again, no “original” exists off of my hard drive and the site’s server. You can buy an art print for your wall from my Pixels shop in whichever size you desire. Over at my RedBubble shop you can find it printed on apparel and accessories for the home if you prefer your art to also be practical.

The bloom is off the digital art flower for me

Back in the comments section of my first blog post on digital art, blogging buddy Jim Hughes predicted that the novelty of this form of digital art will likely wear off. I have to admit; he called it. I find myself putting in fewer text prompts these days. Far too much of the output I get is disappointing when it isn’t blatantly wrong.

Still life composition: fruit and florals

One very traditional still life composition going back centuries is to do a floral bouquet with some fruit around it. There is usually some symbolism involved, which I need to research for its own post. Even if the software developers only used art in the public domain, this ought to be an easy subject for the program to generate. It isn’t. Trust me. I tried!

one of the more amusing efforts from so-called AI image-generating software
not quite what I was trying for …

Apparently, so-called AI software cannot distinguish between fruit and a flower. They are both usually spherical, so it jumbles them together any which way. A big element in the program is a randomizing factor akin to rolling dice or drawing a number out of a hat, and this is the element that completely messes up my attempts to get a floral with fruit on a table composition. This is why we human artists are still relevant. We know early on in life that fruit doesn’t go at the end of a flower stem!

While I will likely still play around with the text-to-image software from time to time, I just cannot see it replacing the more traditional version of art. This is particularly true for my rather traditional style of art. I still would like to do up a classical still life involving both a bouquet of flowers and some fruit (on a table and not some gloomy flat rock). I do see it as a way to get ideas for layout and composition, like my yellow roses examples. The results from this program still need to be sorted by and filtered through a living human artist.

Apples and Oranges 2 still life in soft pastel

Published on by kmgunnart8 Comments

After the first still life art in watercolor, I decided day two simply needed to be in soft pastel. Not only because I haven’t recently played with my “dusties,” as I call them, but I also bought a sample pad of Clairefontaine’s Pastelmat, an expensive but highly recommended paper for soft pastels and pastel pencils. I figure an art challenge is a good excuse to try something new, so the apples, oranges, and bowl still life composition needed to be worked up in dusty pastel.

Apples and Oranges 2 still life art in soft pastel
Apples and Oranges 2, still life in soft pastel shown framed and hanging above a kitchen table

Selecting my reference photo

Once again, I looked through the set of photos I took back in October of 2021 for the right one to use as a reference. I almost didn’t pick this one, as I wasn’t sure at first how well the composition would work with the fruit mostly in a line like this. In the end I figured, “Why not?” This is for an art challenge and that is permission to try things that seem uncertain. So here is the cropped version of my reference photo, featuring the apples, oranges, and bowl mostly in a line.

reference photo of fruit for still life on my kitchen table - focus is a bonus when it comes to and photos!
my reference photo of a line of fruit including the white bowl on my kitchen table

Once again, I consider focus to be a bonus feature, and not a requirement. I am most interested in the shapes and shadows for a reference photo of familiar objects. (We got very familiar with these subjects when we ate them!)

Working the still life in soft pastels

I did my basic sketch directly onto the sheet of Pastelmat, as I know I am able to cover up the light graphite lines with the dusties. Soft pastel in particular tends to be quite opaque, so I felt confident as I sketched in the main shapes after lightly gridding the sheet. I had decided before starting that I would “edit” out the background of the photo in favor of more stylized colors behind the apples and oranges. In fact, I also planned to omit the towel and pepper grinder as well, choosing to focus only on the fruit.

First the oranges

I worked on both oranges first, mostly because I knew I would need to turn the mat this way and that to keep from accidently smudging the soft pastel. Actually, I started with a reddish tone they call sienna, not wanting to deal with trying to completely cover a stark white sheet. I used my Mungyo Gallery soft pastels for the blocking in, and even for the shading. My intention had been to use my Stabilo CarbOthello pastel pencils to add in details at the end, which turned out to be barely needed as the Mungyo set worked wonderfully with the Pastelmat.

The three apples in the bowl

Since I had made the previous day’s apples straight red instead of the variegated red and green they actually were, I decided to keep that for this version of the still life series so they look like a cohesive set of pictures. As I worked the color into first shapes then forms, I found myself enjoying the process of laying down dry pigment onto the expensive heavy paper. By the time I had the apples in the bowl looking like red apples in a white bowl, I made the decision that I will only be buying Pastelmat for my soft pastel paintings and drawings going forward.

Coloring the table for the fruit and the background to complement the colors

I had no intention of leaving these apples and oranges to float in a colorful ether, so after I was satisfied with the fruit it was time to color in a table for it all the set on top. A couple broad strokes in brown accomplished the illusion of a table with shadows. I then turned my attention to the background. Getting the background color right was actually a critical component of how successful this composition would be! I needed just the right combination of blue and green, blended just enough to be harmonious but still dynamic enough to stay interesting. It is a fine line, but I think I am getting more familiar with where that line is on each piece.

Apples and Oranges 2, second in a series of still life paintings featuring fruit in a bowl, soft pastel on Pastelmat, 24 by 30 cm
Apples and Oranges 2, soft pastel on Pastelmat paper, 24 by 30 cm $100 USD

Links to purchase original artwork and prints

Now for the part y’all have been waiting for: links to buy. The original is on paper made in Europe, which means they measure in centimeters, so if you purchase the 24 by 30 cm pastel piece you will need to have it custom matted to fit standard US frames. The long side is 11 -7/8 inches, while the short side is 9-7/16 inches, so neither measurement will work for a 9×12 inch frame or mat. It’s worth it though! The Pastelmat holds the dry pigment surprisingly well. Seriously, I’ve been playing with pastels off and on since I was seven, and this stuff is the best I’ve ever worked on in over forty years of making dusty, colorful messes.

For art prints, I recommend my Pixels shop. There is a good variety of surface to choose from, and you can get it matted and framed as well if you like. Shipping might seem a bit steep, but the quality of product is high.

If you prefer to wear your art like my mother and sister love to do, then I recommend my shop at RedBubble for the wide variety of apparel styles. I’m also partial to the analog face clocks, even though I definitely do NOT have enough wall space to hang even half of the ones I like. The struggle is real.

Apples and Oranges 2 as an analog clock
Apples and Oranges 2 as a clock

And this concludes the second in my short series of fruit in a bowl for the three work art challenge. If anyone thinks my method of naming to be boringly bland, you have permission to rename it if you purchase the original. Meanwhile, I’ll continue to refer to this still life in soft pastel as simply Apples and Oranges 2.

And with that, I wish everyone a happy new year, and I’ll be back in 2023!

Watercolor still life painting Apples and Oranges 1

Published on by kmgunnart10 Comments

So, I signed up to participate in a short three day art challenge solstice week with the theme of fruit in a bowl. Not even a full second had passed when I already knew what the first artwork would be: a watercolor still life painting using the reference photos from last year that inspired my Apples sketches and acrylic paintings. This time, though, I would only use photos with apples and oranges together in the frame. The bowl requirement excluded a handful of photos, but there was still plenty to choose from.

image of large art print of my watercolor still life Apples and Oranges 1 hanging on a wall over a set dining table
the final watercolor still life painting printed and framed in a mockup – wouldn’t this look lovely over your table?

Choosing the reference photo

Armed with the parameters of the specific theme for this art challenge, I began browsing my collection of photos taken on my own kitchen table with fruit chosen for its appearance. Yes, I actually went grocery shopping for fruit (and some vegetables) for the purpose of getting myself some reference photos that had the layout and lighting to draw and paint. As most of y’all know, I am blogging buddies with a handful of fine art photographers, and my hundred-or-so photos would probably make each of them cringe. I do not claim to be a photog, but sometimes I can get a snapshot that will make a decent painting reference. Focus tends to be a bonus, not a hard requirement. Here is the photo I chose for the first painting.

reference photo for my watercolor painting, a still life with fruit
cropped to how I wanted the fruit to fill the page

The preliminary sketch done in the sketchbook

I have learned from experience to do my gridding and layout in my sketchbook, not on my watercolor paper. Once I am happy with the general line drawing, I transfer it to my watercolor paper with graphite transfer paper. Then I take a kneaded eraser to clean up the lines and lift up any smudges from resting my hand on it.

contour drawing for the basic layout of Apples and Oranges 1, a still life watercolor painting with fruit in a bowl for the art challenge
the preliminary sketch for Apples and Oranges still life with fruit

This is where the progress photos stop, because once I picked out which paints I wanted to use, I got into the art zone and was only thinking about how I would apply the paint to paper. It took more layers than I expected, because apparently QoR brand watercolor paints have a color shift when they dry. I did do almost the entire painting with my newer QoR set, though I needed to pull out the burnt umber from my Turner set because I had evidently forgotten to make sure I had a nice strong dark brown tube when I purchased the colors last time. I’ll need to fix that with my next art supply splurge, maybe in January.

The finished still life in watercolor

I painted this fruit still life (with a bowl) on my 9 by 12 inch watercolor block, which means I did not need to tape a sheet of loose paper to a board. That means the paint goes all the way out to the edges, which is now my preference. I have not sealed it yet, because I am still debating if I should add another layer of pigment to the front apples and orange or not. If you want to purchase the original watercolor still life painting, you can make that decision for me.

Apples and Oranges 1, still life painting in watercolor on paper, 9 x 12 inches
Apples and Oranges 1, 9 x 12 inch watercolor still life on paper, original for sale $100

If you want a larger version, you can order a fine art print all the way up to 60 by 45 inches (before matting and framing) from my Pixels shop. That’s almost as tall as I am on the long side! Or, if you prefer your art printed on apparel or useful accessories for you and your home, check into the swag at my RedBubble shop. Finally, if this one is “close but not quite” for you, you can always commission a slightly different piece. I have a 12 by 16 inch watercolor block now.

Stay tuned here for the second piece in this series, which will not be in watercolor, but will still be named “Apples and Oranges.” Or put in an email address so you can have the next post delivered to your inbox. I don’t seem to be able to keep a regular schedule for publishing new blog posts, so that’s probably the best way to keep up.

December Virtual Art Walk

Published on by kmgunnart10 Comments

This latest virtual art walk post was supposed to have been a “Feature Friday” post, but apparently I picked up an unwelcome microbial hitchhiker when I was up in town earlier this week. I spent Friday feeling worse and worse, but the good news is, it didn’t last long at all and I am back to my old self. That means it is time to grab a mug of afternoon coffee, apply fingers to keyboard, and type out my post for our December edition of the virtual art walks we’ve been doing the past couple months on our art blogs.

But first, an earworm. Typing out the opening paragraph immediately brought this song to mind:

December by Collective Soul
social media graphic for December virtual art walk
social media image for December virtual art walk

December mean winter

At least in the northern hemisphere. Folks in the southern hemisphere are opposite of us, but I have never traveled south of the equator, so for me it means winter. I grew up in the Midwest in the late 70s and through the 80s, so I saw my share of snow and even a couple blizzards. It may be pretty to look at, but the cold just does not do me any favors. However, on the visual side, Jim Hughes up in the great frozen north – er, Minneapolis – has posted up his black and white record of the battle between the ice and the water flowing beneath and even compares it to images by abstract artist Jackson Pollock. I am not as familiar with the abstract works, so will leave that comparison to those who are, but Jim’s photos do make intriguing visuals.

black and white photo of a partially frozen creek up in Minnesota
Jim Hughes’ photo of the partially-frozen creek

December is a time to look back

Being the last month of the calendar year, December is the logical time to reflect on the year as a whole. Steve Heap has been doing monthly recaps recently, and for this virtual art walk he looks back at his November sales, including one of his personal favorites involving the West Virginia University’s mountaineer statue edited into a photo of a particularly picturesque building on the other side of campus. In the comments, the puffin photo seems to be getting most of the admiration, but my personal pick us the Hawaiian canoe photo. Between the colors and the layout, I would be inclined to paint the Kauai canoe scene out of the group.

traditional red and yellow Hawaiian canoe up on the beach on Kauai
Kauai canoe up in beach at sunset

Jo over at Siena Blue is also doing a bit of looking back, this time spotlighting some of her watercolor and gouache (pronounced “gwash” or similar, for those of us who look at French spellings oddly). The bird painting is cute, and hard to believe that is so small – an artist trading card which is 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches. The one that really turned out beautifully is her landscape in burnt sienna and “a shade of blue,” as she describes it. Personally, I’d like to know which shade of blue, but that is probably because I love the triad of blue, purple, and red/pink so much. Either way, the burnt sienna and blue are across from each other on the color wheel, and if you aren’t careful and those two colors blend too much, you will get a greyish-brown color artists call mud. To use complementary colors and have it work without the dreaded mud happening – especially in watercolor! – is the challenge that both keeps us coming back to the studio while saying some very “nsfw” words when it goes wrong.

watercolor landscape painting by Jo Wortman of Siena Blue
unnamed (?) landscape watercolor painting by Jo Wortman of Siena Blue

I also wrote a bit of a look-back post earlier this week, but hey – I had a good reason to do so! For those who missed it, I took first place in the watercolor category at the VA Creative Arts Festival for the second year in a row.

Looking back at trying something new

Sometimes, the December retrospective is all about looking back after trying something new, and new art walk participant Dorothy Berry-Lound’s post is a look back at a new art technique she was inspired to try after watching a YouTube video. (Funny how many of us can get so fired up after watching a short YT vid!) She describes how physical the new technique was for her, since she has fibromyalgia. Hubby has “fibromyalgia-like symptoms,” so I know what that looks like and the fact she decided to do a second painting using the new technique tells me exactly how pleased she is with her results.

abstract art by Dorothy Berry-Lound called Cat Scratch

I rarely “get” abstract art, but the art world is certainly large enough to encompass the entire spectrum from hyperrealism all the way to the most abstract of abstractions. The color combination is certainly pretty, and it definitely looks textured. I’ll also note that it does resemble a few of my practice watercolors that ended up with cat prints across them (phthalo green does NOT lift), but that is about as far as my more-literal mind will go in trying to interpret. Again, the fact she did a second painting using this physically-exhausting technique tells me she likes the end result.

Looking forward to 2023

I’ve already started getting emails this weekend warning that products ordered this far into December may not arrive in time for Christmas, so I suppose it is time to turn my sights to the new year. After New year’s Dat, there is my birthday, and it is the “big five-oh.” Yeah, I’ll be turning fifty, and Friday before the stomach bug jumped me in earnest, my mother-in-law cut my hair in a new style since my friend Keashia said I should try to style my hair like my new internet “face.”

One last December earworm

This one is for my Dad, and my Mom as well, since they probably will both wrinkle their noses at the one I posted at the beginning. Here is a bit of Frankie Valli for some December music.

Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons December 1963 (Oh What a Night)

Award-winning artwork 2022 Creative Arts Festival

Published on by kmgunnart19 Comments

In the absence of an email congratulating me this year, I had assumed I did not win any places for my entries to this year’s VA regional healthcare system’s Creative Arts Festival. As of checking the post office box yesterday, I am happy to report that assumption is wrong. All three of my entries this year took either first or second place! Here is the breakdown of my award-winning artwork. Oh, and the medals in the images? Those were in the envelope, and now hang on the shelf next to my desk.

First place award watercolor painting

snapshot of the first place medal for the watercolor painting Pumpkin Close-Up with on-image caption and inset of artwork
the actual medal mailed to me, with the watercolor painting that won the award

For the second year in a row, I took first place in the watercolor division! Those of y’all reading last year recall I won the first place slot (and advancement to the national competition) with my Flamingo in Rippled Water. This year it is my Pumpkin Close-Up that moves up to national competition – and the original artwork is still available if you would like to hang it on your wall and boast you own a real “award-winning” painting. If the original 10 by 14 inches is just too small, you can order a fine art print large enough to fit most people’s walls at my Pixels store. Or, if you want to wear my art like my mother sister enjoy, check out the apparel options at my RedBubble store.

Second place award winning charcoal drawing

2nd place award winning artwork Two Flamingoes in monochromatic drawing division
Charcoal artwork Two Flamingoes won 2nd place award in monochromatic drawing

Last year, I took first place in the monochromatic drawing category with my white pencil on black paper Dew on a Calla Lily. This year, both Twitter and Facebook voted that I should enter this charcoal drawing of Two Flamingoes, and it took second place. Not bad, and it really IS an unexpected medium for this subject. Most people who draw or paint flamingoes will do so in color.

Want the original drawing to put on display as award-winning artwork? It’s a small 8 by 10 inches, so it will fit into small spaces if need be. If you have a need or strong desire to go BIG, you can always order a larger art print from Pixels. I don’t currently have it up at RedBubble, but may add it in if people ask.

Second place award in oil painting with an oil pastel

Now we get to the award I feel the most pride when I think about it. This would be taking “just” second place in the oil painting division – but with an oil pastel picture! Seriously. I figure the artists who invest in the materials for oil painting and the time involved (because it takes quite a while to dry!) do so when they are confident in their artist skill. Or maybe it’s just me who has hesitated so long. Going up against oil paint on canvas and still winning a medal with my oil pastel on paper feels good.

2nd place award winning artwork Book Reading By Candlelight oil pastel artwork
Book Reading By Candlelight, oil pastel artwork won 2nd place in the oil painting category

If you want the 11 by 14 inch original artwork, I recommend buying it sooner rather than later. My friend Keashia loves this piece, and will be debating anew whether she wants to buy it or not. Want a larger art print? Head to my Pixels shop for those (or a jigsaw puzzle). This image is definitely in my RedBubble shop for apparel and accessories.

Weekly email newsletter starting

If y’all have read down this far, you might as well fill in the little form at the bottom of this post for email subscription and a weekly newsletter (especially for those weeks I don’t get a new post finished!) that I will be sending out on Fridays. It’s been on my to-do list for months, but now it is in place!

Third virtual art walk this Friday

We’re having so much fun doing these virtual art walks, and will do another this weekend. I of course will be posting on Friday so I can do a new Feature Friday. We have at least one new artist playing, so check back in.