Graffiti Exposition / Making a Digital Graffiti

Hi there!

Two weeks ago I was attending an international graffiti exposition at old Jaffa port. Many international graffiti artists spread around the dock, and were busy painting on the old walls, trying to make them look prettier and colorful. I was walking around, capturing them working on the graffiti, each one with his own technique and style.

Take a look at some of the gems I've found there, and see some artists in action :

This exposition inspired me to create some digital graffiti patterns, Here is one of them :

I like to create geometrical abstract patterns, and to play a little bit with some filters, in order to make them look more special (I've found that photo filter apps. can be very useful on digital art images).

Take a look at the following steps, and learn how to make simple but cool digital graffiti images.

Draw some geometrical shapes (doesn't have to be super sophisticated) 

Paint between the shapes (try to find matching and attractive colors)

Add a little depth between the shapes

Use photo filter app (instagram, pixlr-o-matic etc.) and choose a "grungy" texture
in order to make the pattern more urban

That's it!  Pretty simple, but very cool.

Thank you for visiting :)

You are welcome to take a look at my Online Store and enjoy (or even purchase :)) my art.

Photography - A Wise Use of Filter Apps

Hi there,

In previous posts I've mentioned that the whole filter apps trend is overused. Many times even the most beautiful filter cannot save the picture from being boring. As I mentioned before, we must maintain the basic photography rules, and the most important : the composition.

When we know for sure that we have a well composed photo, we can use the filters in order to add more ambiance. Remember, we will only use a filter if it would give an added value to our photo, otherwise it might even ruin it.

Here are some photos that I took yesterday, before and after the filter app. I use Pixlr-o-Matic, it's a great app! (What about Instagram? nothing, I just hate the buzz around it :P)

The Original - Black and White

The original photo was shot in black and white. The pose on the couple, their eyes and the hug are creating a good composition. If you isolate them from the rest of the room, you can really see a 'moment' there. After I adjusted a little bit the original photo in Photoshop, The result was this:

Photoshopped - Cropped and Sharpened 

Better already! Wasn't too hard. To complete the atmosphere, I decided to add a metallic filter, just to make the picture more special.

Filtered 

It was just like adding a little bit of pepper to a dish.

Most of the pictures yesterday were shot in Black and White, I especially wanted to create a 70s atmosphere in the next picture. In this one and several other that I took, I was going back to my childhood in the 70s. I was trying to reproduce the happiness, the carefree reality and the innocence in a 2012 child.
Take a look:

The Original - Black and White

This picture says it all. The child's eyes, the smiles and the general atmosphere were perfect for me. No Photoshop was needed there. I decided to run some filters, to find out if I can add more 70s/vintage atmosphere. Take a look:

Filtered

I really love the result. The picture is definitely more special, and unforgettable.

Last one was kind of a joke, I used a wide angle to shoot my jeans and the All Star sneakers. It was silly, I know, but I liked it anyway.   

Original

The perspective on this picture was cool, and of course you already know (or not) that I like the classic Converse All Star . So... in the 70s atmosphere roll, I filtered this one too. Here is the result:

Filtered

Kept it simple and silly in this photo :)

Well, that's it for now. I hope that you enjoyed the post (please share it if you like it:)).

Use the filters apps cleverly!

Feel free to send me comments with links to your filtered pictures, I will be happy to see them :)

And as always, you are welcome to visit my online store or my Facebook fan page for more original Photography and Digital Art.

Thank you for visiting, have a lovely day!

Digital Art - Worn Vintage Style

Hi there!

Yesterday I wanted to create something different from the regular art that I usually do. So I played around, thinking and thinking, and finally I decided to create a Vintage pattern. I was using photoshop to create the basic pattern. I was thinking about circles, squares, some retro colors, and the final result was this :

I was quite happy, but I felt something was missing... the pattern, the colors and the geometrical figures were perfect for me, but I felt the the feel is not there yet, I wanted more used touch.

Suddenly it hit me! everybody is posting vintage-like photos, using apps like instagram or pixlr-o-matic, in order to create an instant retro feel. I don't like to use those apps, but just for this case, I thought, let's give it a try, let's see how those apps will work with digital art.
I just wanted the final touch, and after several experiments, I found the correct one, take a look:

The worn and used feel that I've been looking for!

I could really imagine this pattern on some products, and well... you'll be the judge :

Worn Vintage Style Pillow

Is it true vintage or what? :)

Thank you for visiting my blog, have a wonderful day!

Btw : If you like to see or purchase my art, you are welcome to visit my online store or my portfolio at "The Untapped Source".