22 January 2016

Art

Regular visitors to this blog will remember my vulpine friend, Fred Fox. He disappeared in late summertime and has never returned. Occasionally, we now see a different fox in our garden. I shall call him Beefy Fox because in comparison with Fred, Beefy looks as if he has been on a course of steroids. Thick set neck and forelegs like an Olympic weightlifter's arms, Beefy glares with the malevolence of a thug. One day I hope to snap a picture of him if he will just hang about on our lawn long enough.

Do you like my painting of Fred - based on the small photo? I spent ages on it and went through several unsatisfactory drafts before arriving at the end version...

The previous paragraph is a lie! To make the picture I simply used our version of "Word" from Microsoft Office. Under "Format Picture" I went to "Artistic Effects" and then selected "Cutout" from the pre-sets. It was all very easy and then I increased the number of colours to six. It seems to work. Even Yorkshire's finest living artist - David Hockney has not been embarrassed to experiment with similar computer facilities to create interesting and attractive images. But is it Art?

36 comments:

  1. Never give away your secrets!

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    1. We Yorkshire folk are very honest. That is probably why we are poor.

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  2. Not only a painter but a poet too!! Shall put you on my side bar. Love your header photograph.

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    1. A special honour made all the more special because you are a Yorkshirewoman.

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  3. I was so impressed with the painting you did of your pal, Fred. I think I will completely ignore the last paragraph and continue to think of you as a genius! Which, of course, you are, but maybe not in the art of painting. I love that picture of Fred. You must print and frame it.

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    1. Painting is one of my few talents Mama Thyme. After several hours I could have done pretty much exactly what the software did for me.

      By the way, have you ever visited Victor in Colorado - a former gold mining town?

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    2. No, Mr. Pudding. I have never been there. Why? Are you and your pub friends thinking of restarting the old gold mine there?

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    3. Perhaps there's a plot afoot to hold this years' Laughing Horse Awards there? Such a prestigious occasion is sure to revitalise the area.

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    4. It's just that I saw some images of Victor today - like a living museum reflecting past glories, I would love to go there one day.

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  4. That's very clever YP, and what an honest fellow you are! After your explanation of how you achieved the "painting", I'm wondering why I've just shelled out rather a lot of money on a new set of decent acrylic paints, a couple of canvases and a new set of brushes ! If only I'd known.......

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    1. Much quicker and far less mess CG. Why not experiment as you are also an arty farty person?

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  5. Having no painting (of that sort) ability whatsoever I admire your results however you achieved them.

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    1. I don't know if you have Word or how up to date it might be but maybe you could mess about with it yourself Graham.

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    2. I'm an Apple user YP and although I do have an old Windows laptop I don't have Word on it. I used Open Office in the days when I did use a Windows on my main computer. I'm sure there must be other programmes out there which do a similar job. However before I do that I'll hopefully find time to try the 'real' picture I've had in my mind since my teens. I even bought the paints about 15 years ago!

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    3. I will sponsor you to start that painting Graham! You can show your progress in your blog. You could raise money for a good cause via Just Giving. I am sure that other bloggers would chip in too. There - I have thrown down the gauntlet!

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    4. Sometimes, YP, I think I open my big mouth just too far. It looks like I'll have to make that a priority when I get back from NZ and have had my knee replaced.

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  6. Well you've impressed me with your creative talent. I'm sure Beef will provide you with some entertainment.

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    1. Maybe Beefy has been our garden because of the winter and he is desperate for food. Fred felt more comfortable here.

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  7. Even so, you "painting" of Fred is a fine tribute to him. Dear old Fred. Let's pretend Beefy is his son. :)

    Okay...I'm never ashamed or embarrassed to admit I'm a big sook/softy. No point in even trying to do so!

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    1. You a big sooky softy? At other times you seem as hard as nails Lee! Perhaps we are all liable to contradiction.

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    2. Typo alert - I meant to type "your", not "you".

      I doubt I've ever come across "hard as nails" to anyone, Yorkie. I'm sorry you think I'm that way. I call a spade a spade; I look others directly in the eye;I'm not a hypocrite; I have demarcation lines and I don't suffer fools, lightly or otherwise, but I've never been accused of being as hard as nails...never.

      And as I said, I'm sorry I've come across that way to you; that you've misunderstood things I've written. :)

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    3. "Hard as nails" was meant to be a compliment Lee - related to your natural instinct for calling a spade a spade. I don't think I have misunderstood anything you have written. Like I say we are liable to contradiction and she or he who is hard as nails at one moment can be soft as blancmange in another. That's how it goes and I am sure that this applies to me too.

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  8. hi! i know this is very random but i don't have your email. i am trying to find out where tom gowans is and am wondering if you have any info about him. i am very concerned since he just disappeared. i hope he is okay. when you have time could you drop me a note at: branwyn93@aol.com

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  9. As punishment for lying, you are required to either a) write on the blackboard 100 times: I WILL NOT LIE TO MY BLOGGY FRIENDS or B) impress us by posting pictures of your own actual painted rendition of Freddy or Beefy.
    Off you go now, you've work to do!

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    1. Is this how you treat Hilly's Hubby? Poor fellow! It's Husband Abuse!! Now I've got my chalk and I'm starting to write in block capital letters...

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  10. Aaaaw, poor dear old Fred! He deserves to be immortalized in oil... or pixels.
    There used to be a time when I spent hours on faffing with my photos in IrfanView, which has some very interesting effects. Some of the pictures really looked like pencil drawings or oil paintings afterwards, but there are "metallic" and other effects, too. I've not played with this in a long time, but your post has given me the inspiration to pick it up again.

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    1. It is amazing what these computer nerds have come up with isn't it?

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  11. It looks like a paint-by-numbers!

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    1. I just realized that sounds insulting, but I don't mean it to be. If you aren't familiar with paint-by-numbers, look it up. It really DOES look like this!

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    2. I am deeply hurt by this thoughtless remark Steve! How could you? Boo hoo!

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    3. That's funny, it was my first thought when I saw it, too! Do they still make Paint-by-numbers? I loved it as a kid!

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    4. NO PAINTING BY NUMBERS FOR ME!

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  12. I do remember Fred the fox and felt quite sad when it seems he had disappeared. I was quite impressed by your art work Yorkie and was going to say is there no end to your talents .....??? However you fessed up to its origins, it is still a lovely picture of Fred.

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    1. Thank you Leisha - and no paint on my hands either!

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  13. I miss dear old Fred. You should write a children's book about him, illustrated with paintings of him! (And give me a percentage of the income from it, as it was my idea!) What do you say?

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Mr Pudding welcomes all genuine comments - even those with which he disagrees. However, puerile or abusive comments from anonymous contributors will continue to be given the short shrift they deserve. Any spam comments that get through Google/Blogger defences will also be quickly deleted.

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