Expanding horizons -

"The Secret Shed"
digitally manipulated photograph by Mick Mather

- click on image to view full size -

Today's post is rooted in an old photograph of a farm shed that's been almost completely overgrown by weeds and second growth. After running it through the usual array of plug-ins to add a little bit of mood and darkness I used what is called the stitch tool in another photo editor to add volume. I'm not sure how well I'm going to like this since the blog automatically resizes large images and what you see here is a scaled version - click on the image to see it full size.

Fun with fractals -

"Whatever Blows Your Skirt Up"
digitally manipulated fractal flame collage

A new plug-in has entered the array at The Secret Visual Laboratory and I'm still in the middle of playing around with the possibilities it offers. It also gives me pause to go back and use some of the old filters that I use rarely and working on this was quite a bit of fun. The title is a clue to what you're seeing but be prepared to consider a radically different perspective if attempting to discern the human form within. The basic elements are a pair of fractal flames that were layered and sent on to the photo editors, manipulators and plug-ins. That said, this post is one of those completely experimental pieces that managed to escape. Enjoy.

Paying attention -

"She Was A Dark Haired Beauty"
digital collage by Mick Mather

I can't remember how often, if at all, I've discussed my working method. All of my digital images are comprised of many layers, the initial handful being straight cut & paste in, of all places, MS Paint as a bitmap file. Once these early layers are satisfactory, the final image is then sent to a variety of photo editors, filters and manipulating software plug-ins. The first task is to blend and soften edges, or define a few if necessary, preparing things for the final round of manipulation. At this point it all becomes playtime as I add and layer one effect after another. The editors and plug-ins that I use are way beyond the push-button type and every single one of them has a long list of graphic, pattern and stylistic choices - although, from time to time, one of the old single click, preset filters is just what I might need or want. In addition to the array of effects, every editor also has anywhere from a dozen to scores of other settings - brightness, saturation, direction, line thickness and too many more to mention - each one with a gradation of choices in themselves. So, creating digitally is really no different than drawing or painting, one just needs to use and master a different set of tools. Did I just say master? Well, I'm working on that!

More playtime -

"Hive Activity I"
digitally manipulated fractal flame by Mick Mather

I took an old fractal that wasn't really going anywhere, tossed it into my digital drawing software and started to play around. After adding a half dozen drawn elements, carefully layered over the top to obscure the parts I didn't care for, it went into another editor for some well deserved, heavy filtering. The first few rounds of that are almost always experimental but, rather early in the game, out comes this image that reminds me of nothing quite so much as a hive of bees. So, here you have it, enjoy!

NEW from The Mister Existence Series -

"Mister Existence Unleashes the Dog"
digital drawing & collage by Mick Mather

I was playing around again the other evening when tonight's post began to emerge. I ran the base layer through a number of editors, using a few new tools along the way, and then popped it into one of my favorite digital drawing programs. A completely stylized line drawing of Mister Existence was multiplied, layered, knit together and re-layered before tossing the whole thing back into the manipulation blender. By the time I was done, the darned dog was off the leash and about to go for a romp in the park ... I think! :)

Having fun -

"Condos at the Yacht Basin"
montage by Mick Mather

I took my own good advice from yesterday and spent a good deal of time just having fun with another old image that wasn't really going anywhere. After applying an overlay of grids, spirals, lines and a stock graphic I got lucky again and was gaining enthusiasm for what was developing. Not long after dumping the works into another editor - running it through a few more filters and adding another layer - up popped the tiny little yacht basin at Cannes, France. Okay, that's a bit of a stretch given the background grid reminiscent of a seaside, post-modern condominium complex. Now that I think about it, I suppose it could be the pizza I had for dinner that triggered this memory. The best slice I had in all of Europe was in Cannes, overlooking that little harbor. Anyway, it's what I've been thinking about for the past twenty minutes.