Make a Parent Proud (Another Christmas Card)

Sorry for delay since the last posting but it is Christmas after all. Like everyone, we've been quite busy around here. Brother- in- law is here from St. John's and there is last minute shopping to do. It was only last week that we got our cards in the mail which brings to us to our latest and maybe most popular project....turning a winter photo into a Christmas card. Today's examples are of my mother's and mother-in-law's homes that I've transformed from dull overcast shots to bright and cheerful holiday scenes. Many steps went into making these cards and I'd love nothing more than to explain the process but as I mentioned, we're quite busy. If you'd like a detailed explanation, please leave a comment and I'll get back to you as soon as time allows. Remember, to see the pics at full size, just click on them.

From this

To This

From this

To thisBoth parents were quite taken with the remakes and have requested a box of cards for next Christmas that they can send out to their friends with a possible inscription...

"From My HomeTo Yours".

Reconstruction & Enhancement

I was asked by my mother-in-law to see what I could do the with only picture she had of her and her father. Two major repairs were in order...One to repair the upper left section marred by a photographer's finger and the other, a case of artistic license on my part. Put a new face on the gentleman. This was accomplished by borrowing his face from another photograph.
To repair the darkened area, I reconstructed the terrain to what I imagined it might look like. With that repaired, I wondered what coloring the photo might look like. This is one area where I haven't dabbled too much in but the outcome, I believe, wasn't too bad.

...to this

...and finally

What A Long Strange Trip It's Been

With the Herdman Collegiate 30th Reunion only eight months away I thought I'd have a go at some of the pictures from the last reunion in 2000. I may add to this post from time to time so check back for further updates.

Picture Yourself In A Favorite Photo

Perhaps you have have seen a photo that you wish you could be in. Placing yourself in a photo with a rock star or movie star can be great fun. In the first example below, I have replaced Kramer with my brother, Mart. The second example is me revisiting my old smoking habit. The trick to getting this to work is to pay close attention to the blending of colours and the shading. It doesn't have to be exact but it should look as authentic as possible. Have an idea for a picture? Leave a comment and we'll see what we can come up with.

From this

To this

From this

To this

How To Make A Christmas Card

So, today we want to make a Christmas card for friends of ours. The first thing we are going to need is a photo to use as a template for our card. I found this one on the web and have blurred out the subjects faces to protect the innocent. Next we must determine whether or not the photos of our friends are high resolution enough to use, or are we going to have to do a faux effect to hide our photographic inadequacies. (Maybe Santa will get me a digital SLR some day.) Paint it is! Paint is great for hiding low res flaws and to be perfectly honest, I love the look. Next we add some texture, text, a sparkle to Santa's glasses, a Christmas ornament and presto...we're done.

Start with

add
add
...and voila!

(click photo to enlarge)

Aging Photographs

Occasionally, clients will ask me to take their photo and age it to make it look as though it were forty, fifty, a hundred years old. They usually have an specific look in mind so many variations may have to be offered before a final print is made. A few techniques available are fading, burning, crumpling, adding lines, hairs, grease or dust or a stain such as coffee or wine. Tearing of the photo is also an option but may not look as authentic once printed. With all the requests for improving a photo, it's fun to destroy one every now and again.

Folk Alley: Folk Music, Traditional Music, Celtic Music, and World Music

Folk Alley: Folk Music, Traditional Music, Celtic Music, and World Music: "

John Gorka and David Francey

Listen to the second in our on-going series, 'Live From Folk Alley,' featuring singer/songwriters John Gorka and David Francey from the 39th Kent State Folk Festival at the Kent Stage in downtown Kent, OH.

Click here to listen.

And hear a stream of Eliza Gilkyson's 'Live from Folk Alley' concert recorded live in September at the Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland."

*Use Winamp to listen.

Paint Effects

Paint is one of my favorite effects. Painting a picture and then tweaking it using various other effects can capture a mood that a regular photo can't. It also allows changes to be made to the photo that look more natural. Items can be added or removed without it looking too manufactured (photoshopped).

CD Covers

Here you'll find a few CD covers I've done up for friends.
Unfortunately, some the best were deleted shortly after completion.