80 Followers, and a Freebie!

It's hard to believe I've reached 80 followers! Thanks to all of you. You have no idea how much this means to me. I follow as many of your blogs as I can. If I'm missing anyone, please let me know.

To celebrate, here's a freebie image for you. It's an aboriginal-style pattern I created for an Artful Journaling class assignment. As always, you may use it in your own art, but only for your personal use and not to sell. Please credit my blog if you can. And please don't distribute it as is to others. Enjoy!

Three Muses Challenge: Newspaper

Our challenge was to use newsprint or newspaper in some form in our piece. Here's mine!

"BLACK, WHITE, AND RED ALL OVER"

 

 

 

Image credits upon request.

Inspiration Avenue: Beach Treasures

A theme very dear to my heart! I created this digital piece using photos we took of the ocean at the Outer Banks of North Carolina (where they're now recovering from the hurricane); and some shells we've collected from there. Border is from Hero Arts.

Collage Obsession: Complementary Colors

Altered photo of lilies given to me by my son one Mother's Day. Other credits: Kim Klassen texture.

According to this week's Collage Obsession challenge: "Research has shown that different combinations of complementary colors become balanced when used in different proportions. 3:1 for yellow to violet… 2:1 for blue to orange… 1:1 for red to green." We were challenged to use complementary colors in these proportions (see below).

Take A Word: Time

please click for larger view

I was honored to be asked by Marie to provide the sample for this week's Take a Word challenge. Image credits: joessistah, sherrie jd, rubyblossom, dover, frannie60.

Your interpretations of my piece are welcome! I almost gave it a title, but decided to leave it up to each viewer to form their own impression.

So-Artful Challenge: Bathing Beauties

Image credits: rubyblossom, dover, jeff kubina, digital collage studio, google images.

Sunday Postcard Art: Animal Kingdom

Image credits: graphicsfairy, divas d'este.

Altered Paintings

One of the Flickr digital art challenge sites I participate in has a theme of "altered art" this week. We were to choose a famous painting and change it in some way. I contributed two pieces.

1. "Waiting for Hurricane Irene"
(as Georges Seurat might have painted it)

2. "Klimt's Balloon"

To everyone in the path of "Irene:" I hope you stay safe, dry, and well-fed!

Inspiration Avenue: Sunflowers

This was the perfect challenge for me this week because, coincidentally, I was hoping to receive some photos from a colleague of my husbands who grows sunflowers. I just got them!

Image credits: The image of the field of sunflowers is adapted from photos by Brad Oliver of California. Other credits: joessistah, artfreebies, kim klassen.

Three Muses Challenge: Windows

"Waiting"

The look of concern on this lady's face fascinates me. I wonder...is she waiting for a missing lover? Did her family forget her birthday today? Is she worried about a far-away loved one? Is she wondering if the birds will attack her pretty flowers? Or maybe she's just wondering why her window seems to be floating in the air? What do YOU think?

Image credits: dover (black and white image of woman colored by me), last door down the hall, deviant scrap, graphicsfairy. 

Collage Obsession: Roots

I chose to interpret this week's theme in a "heritage" sense. My grandparents (paternal and maternal) came to the United States in the early 1900's to escape the persecution of Eastern European Jews and find a better life for their families. The old map of Europe and Russia in the background of my collage is from Agile Rabbit Designs. The overlay of the white tree root pattern  is adapted from a photo by "eddi 07" on flickr creative commons. The family photos and postcard are from my treasure trove of family memorabilia, saved for us by my grandparents and parents.  I found it interesting that, unintentionally, the translucent "tree" digital brush images around the edges of the piece form somewhat ominous shadows across the page, seeming to symbolize the increasing dangers for the Jewish people in Europe in the following years. We don't know what happened to some of the people in the older photos shown here (surrounding the center photo).

Take a Word: Old-Fashioned

Here's my take on the "Old-Fashioned" theme: an old-fashioned bathroom scene complete with a vintage bathing beauty! Image credits: flickr collage images, graphicsfairy, digital collage studio.

Sunday Postcard Art: Da Vinci

Image credits: Google images

Three Muses Challenge: Hats

Woman's face is my original sketch. Other credits: Ilene London (background tiles); milla, joessistah, mambus2000, anna corba, beth rimmer, deviant scrap.

Celestial/ Oriental

This week's Take a Word theme is Celestial. I thought I'd combine it with the new Sunday Postcard Art challenge, which is The Orient. Here's what I came up with. Image credits: dover, xyz (flickr creative commons).

Collage Obsession: What's in the Glass?

This week Dian, a Collage Obsession contributor, gave us an image of a drinking glass, and challenged us to use it in an artpiece--in whatever manner we chose. Here's my digital collage.

Image credits: deviantscrap, dover, mikebaird, google images.

 

 

 

original image

Three Muses Challenge: MAPS

 

Image credits: Photos of Tibet mountains and goddess by Ryan Pollack; old map image from The Pepin Press; lion and statue by Finecrafted Designs. 

Take a Word: Faces

Image credits: dover, google images, fiddlette designs.

Collage Obsession: Greed

Rick St. Dennis, one of the members of the Collage Obsession creative team, has been using the 7 Deadly Sins as themes for his challenge suggestions lately. I missed the one on Gluttony (was too busy eating mini Dove chocolates), so here's my take on the most recent one: Greed.

Image credits: graphicsfairy, dover, holliewood.

Sunday Postcard Art: Pirates

I don't believe I've created a pirate-themed piece before. Here's what I came up with. Image credits: google images, dover, rubyblossom.

75 Followers!!! And 2 Freebies!

Never would I have thought I'd reach 75 followers for this blog! Thank you all so much for supporting me in this way. It motivates me and inspires me to know that people are interested in my work and my blog.  To celebrate, I'm posting two freebie images below. In the spirit of summer (while it lasts!), these are two of my own sketches of beach birds, filled in Photoshop Elements with various patterns. Enjoy!

Terms of Use:  As usual, you may incorporate them into your art for your personal use, or for gifts; but not in items you sell. And please don't distribute them in their original form, in any manner. If you do use them in your art, please credit me (Sherry Pollack) and link to my blog if you can. Thanks!

Recent Digital Collages for Flickr Challenge

For the past few months, I've been participating in a Flickr site for digital collage artists. The most recent (and fun!) challenges have been to create a piece in the style of a well-known artist. Here are some of the pieces I've created.

In the style of Romare Bearden (altered photo from Treme TV show)

In the style of Gustav Klimt

In the style of Lynne Perella

In the style of Magritte

In the style of Maggie Taylor

Summer of Color: Orange

This is the last color challenge for "Summer of Color" 2011. It was a perfect, fun-and- light challenge for this summer! No heavy themes, just plenty of color.

Image credits: background photo of Arizona sunrise by Ryan Pollack; dover designs, heroarts digital brush stamp.