A little paint here, a little ink there...

I have a pile of papers that have "art" on them, but not art that is good enough to stand alone. It just needs help. Like this pear...
 

The shape wasn't bad. It was the colors that just weren't right. I had nothing to lose, so I started painting out the background with white... and then blue, several different blues. It was getting better. I added a little stamping...

and then I went with some of the little tricks that add depth and interest to blah. The piece was getting better.
 

I used my white pen to line a few details. Love that pen.

And finally, it made me happy enough to use it for some guerrilla art.

 Yep... it's pretty good. I like it.

The value of viewfinders

It's hard to explain. More than sometimes, but less than often, I can spend a day covering paper with color. It's fun, but it's also frustrating, because I don't have any final products that are good. They're just kinda' ... colorful.

Like this group... I look at them and think, and the point would be?

 

At times like this, I pull out some of my favorite tools - my viewfinders.

 

These hand cut gems are worth their weight in gold. They can be tilted or moved vertically and horizontally around the questionable piece of art to block out distracting extras and allow the eye to focus on only what shows through the window. This allows me to find usable colors, shapes or objects in an otherwise throw-away piece of work. 

So I worked over this... 

and this...

 

and sent both pieces to the Photoshop chopping block. 

This is the final result... a blending of the two pieces. The pear was cropped and flipped. The "t" art yielded the colors on the right.

 

 I added a few more embellishments to each printed copy - stamped handmade paper strips, marks made with various paints and inks - just to make each card front unique. (A tip of the hat to
Seth Apter who taught me that enough is never enough. There are always more little marks to be added.) Each of the final two pictures were taken under different lighting. Hence the change in colors.

  

 

I'm happy. I love taking the not-so-great and making them usable. Practical does have its place in life after all.

Rejoice evermore.    I Thessalonians 5:16

Pantone, Peotone, and the world of color

No doubt you've seen the Pantone brand. The company has been around for many years and describes themselves as the world-renowned authority on color and provider of color systems and leading technology for the selection and accurate communication of color across a variety of industries. If you ever had any question about any color ... go here.
 
Pantone came to my mind last week as we traveled through northeastern Illinois. Most of our driving was through small and medium towns filled with homes typical of the Midwest... nothing out of the ordinary. Pantone experts obviously don't exert their influence in small town farm communities.  

But then we drove into Peotone, IL (pop. 4, 142). I instantly thought of Pantone, and looked around for color!

 

Alas, there was none to be found ... until we turned the corner and got closer to downtown. Suddenly brilliant colors broke loose!

 

 

I think I captured the most brilliant bursts of color in this small town. Each bright building made me wonder who took the first bold step? Who is the brave soul that chose that particular green to cover such a very large building? Did alarmed neighbors call the mayor to object? Is this just the beginning of a trend as little Peotone, in the shadow of Chicago, strives for attention? 

And then for the most pressing question ... how do the residents pronounce Peotone?

Blessed are they that dwell in Thy house: they will be still praising Thee. Selah. Psalm 84:4

Oh, and by the way... Happy 8th birthday to cHim Prints! Yay! Still here.