Elevate Your Art Magazine, August 2021

AUGUST 2021

E L E VA T E Y O U R A R T Bi-Monthly Magazine Featuring Photoshop Artists

featuring

DE N IS E C AUCH I C AT H S MI T H

Reviewer

Mem bers of the review team are integral to the success of hundre ds of P hotoshop art i st s. H i g hly trained, they provide over 15,000 video reviews a year for me mbe rs of Beyond t he Brushe s.

Vid eo feed back is the key to success for many who are new to P hotoshop pai nt i ng!

Feat ured

A r t i s t : Ma r ie He lyar m a r i e h e lya r p h oto g rap hy.com Mar ie c h al le n g e d h e r s e l f to p a i nt a n i ma g e f rom s c ra tc h . S h e u s ed a referen ce i ma g e b u t sketche d freeh an d to add h e r ow n f lair an d u s ed C olor P i c k er for h er pa let te. T h es e sweet d a i s i es were cre a te d w ith B r us hy Go o dn e s s an d B ra yer. S h e s pi ced t h i n g s u p by ex per i ment i n g w i t h t h ei r b r u s h s et t i ng s .

W EL COME... ....TO THE AUGUST EDITION OF ELEVATE YOUR ART MAGAZINE! Have you ever sat outside in the summer, enjoying the smell of the garden and the brilliant blooms, and wished it could be like this all year round? Of course, if it was, you wouldn’t appreciate it half as much.

Our art is the same. The seasons of growth, fulfillment, harvest, and rest are as important to us as to the blooms in our gardens. So, enjoy the summer of brilliance while you can and appreciate that you need to experience the rest of the cycle to become a better artist.

In this issue, you’ll be able to enjoy the brilliant blooms from our featured artist and other contributors - and learn how to deal with the barren seasons as well.

Michelle

C OV E R I M AG E BY Cynthia Gosselin C y nt h i a took t h i s lu c ky s h ot i n New Ha mps h i re.

T h e li g ht i n g on t h e s on g s pa r row a n d lu pi n e wa s h a r s h , b u t s h e s of ten ed i t to b r i n g ou t t h e b es t fea t u res of t h e b i rd a n d t h e f lower. T h e b es t pa r t ? S h e g ot to u s e h er fa vor i te b r u s h , Br u s hy G ood n es s , for t h e ent i re pa i nt i n g .

Ma g a z ine © M iche l l e Pa r s l ey, M. Ph oto g . , M. A r t i s t , C r. , C PP St u d e nt im a g e s © re m a i n w i t h e a c h i n d i v i d ua l a s n ote d .

Screen captur ing a rt wo rk fro m t he m a g a z ine for yo ur ow n us e - w h et h e r p e r s o n a l o r co m m e rc i a l us e - i s a vi olat i on of th e a rt ist s’ co py rig ht which is p un i s h a b l e by Fe d e ra l f i n e s of up to $ 1 5 0 , 0 0 0 p e r i m a g e .

P le a se b e re sp e ct fu l of t h e co py r i g ht of t h e a r t i s t s . T h a n k yo u.

Featured Rev Wel

Artist Fea

Wh

A rti s t: Evie Shoeman

Evi e was visit ing her co us in w h e n th is p ic ture caug ht h er eye. S h e cou ld n’ t k eep h er eyes f rom d a r t i n g over to s ee i t a nd knew s he ha d t p ai nt i t. Lu ck ily, her co us in g ave p e r m is s io n an d th e or i g i n a l ph oto! It g oes w i t h ou t s a y i n g t h a t s h e wa s t h r i lled w i t h Evi e’s fi na l pi e ce .

CONTENTS

viewer: Marie Helyar come from Michelle Learning to Bloom ature: Denise Cauchi Rufus is a LIAR! hen You Hit the Wall

to

p1 p2 p5 p9 p22 p25

M ASTH E A D & CO NTR IBU TO RS MICHELLE PARSLEY PUBLISHER HANNAH PARSLEY COPYWRITER CATH SMITH EDITOR

ARTICLES: DENISE CAUCHI HONORING THE OLD MASTERS CATH SMITH WHEN YOU HIT THE WALL

IMAGES: CYNTHIA GOSSELIN, MARIE HELYAR, EVIE SHOEMAN, CHRIS O’NEILL, DEB RICE, DENISE CAUCHI, VICKIE BOLDUC, PAULETTE CASSIDY, IRENE BOWERS, KIM WEHNER, CHELLY HALL, DAGMAR WOLDERECK, KELLY O’KEEFE, BEKKIE HARPER, CATH SMITH, KATHY TERRY

L E A R N I N G TO B LO O M

Have you ever really observed a blooming plant?

They start off all green and lush, and then, slowly, over several days or even weeks, a bud forms. Just like magic, POOF! that tiny little bud explodes into a bloom — a gorgeous, fragrant bloom that is absolutely captivating. But if you continue to observe, what was once a pristine bloom slowly begins to fade until it is fully withered and gone. But not to fear! Another bud and bloom will soon emerge to take its place.

Over and over again, the cycle continues with blooming plants.

Learning to paint in Photoshop is a lot like becoming a blooming plant. In the beginning, you’re all lush and green — making great progress but not really blooming yet. Then, there’s a spark of “ah ha!” when you really grasp a new technique.

Before you know it, that newfound skill has formed into a bud! As the technique begins to really settle in, your painting explodes into a beautiful blossom just beaming with your newfound skill.

Bu t, just like a flowering plant, that bri lliantly mastered skill begins to fade and give way to a new budding skill. You may find yourself suddenly feeling as if

your talent is withering and dying just as the blossoms do. In reality, this feeling is the normal ebb and flow of being an artist.

To be a successful artist, you really should become a lifelong student of your chosen media. There is risk and reward involved in this. The risk is routinely feeling as if you should feed your art pen to the dog and never paint again because your skill appears to be withering and dying. But the reward… oh the reward! There is nothing that can take the place of truly bei ng in your element and living at the cutt ing edge of your career. Creating in ways that have never been seen before in history is truly blooming!

Michelle

CLICK HERE TO TRY A SAMPLE LESSON

Arti st: Chr istine O’Neill Chri sti ne fou nd inspira tio n in th e p aintin g s of fe l low com m uni t y members. Sh e de c ide d to s e le c t an im ag e a nd sty le ou t sid e of her co mfo r t zo n e . Takin g th e o p p ortunity to experiment w ith s eve ral of th e texture d b r ushes ma d e the experie n ce al l th e m o re e n j oyab le .

A r t i s t : D e b Ri ce Deb f i t t i ng ly na m e d t h i s “M u s ta ng Ca nyon.”

I n s pi red by Ma y na rd Di xon a n d Ed ga r Pa y ne , s h e d ec i d e d to fe a t u re t h e i n c re d i b le s i ze , b ea u t y, and color s of t h e Na va jo ca nyons .

Her fa vor i te a s pe ct wa s t he le a d hor s e n ot i c i n g t he l u s h gra s s a n d s h a de before hi s compa ni ons . B r u s hy G ood n es s he l pe d m a ke t h e pa i nt i ng s pe ci a l .

ARTIST FE ATU R E

D E N I S E C AU C H I H ON OR I N G T HE O LD M ASTER S

D E N I S E ’ S S TO RY I S O N E O F S T R U G G L E A N D T R I U M P H . AT A YO U N G AG E , H E R T E AC H E R TO L D H E R S H E WAS T H E WO R S T AT C O LO R I N G . S O, D E N I S E N E V E R ATT E M P T E D TO A D D C O LO R . . . U N T I L N OW !

Ar ti s t: D eni s e Ca u chi

Denise was a career triple-certificate registered nurse, but photography was her passion. After breaking her back, she struggled to do photography. Over the years, her love of Photoshop had grown, and she searched to find a new creative outlet.

That’s when she found Beyond the Brushes and joined at the end of March 2020.

Joining Beyond the Brushes was a leap of faith because Denise had never painted before. When the teacher told her that she was the worst at coloring the teacher had ever seen, it created a mental block about adding color TO ANYTHING. Though that teacher’s voice has become Denise’s Rufus, she now strives to prove that teacher wrong.

She doesn’t think she is there quite yet, but I would say she is taking long strides and validating her artistic aptitude.

When Denise began her artistic exploration, Norman Rock well held a special place in her heart, and she bought one of his sketches several years ago. Michael Cheval’s work is a newer indulgence in her love for painting and fantasy composites. However, th is series was inspired by the old masters.

Denise admires the way they paint and wanted to try it out with a modern twist. In her search for references, she came across free stock images of paintings from the late 1800s. She had so much fun painting the first one that she just had to paint more.

painting the background and altering the light source to better suit her reditions of these paintings. Though she loves all of the brushes, Brushy Goodness played a key role in completing this series. Denise bel ieves in selecting the brush that accommodates what she is working on at that moment. But besides Brushy Goodness, she does love the Greasy Blender and the Skin Blender.

For her color palette, Denise allowed the original to guide her selection for the flowers, but the background color was selected with one purpose: to make the flowers pop. And did they ever! It’s no wonder Denise was able to finish this series creatively satisfied. She enjoyed eve ry step of the process (even if it was timeconsuming), and the final old-world look is something she loves. She did admit that this series really brought into play the lesson on breaking the edges to give depth of field to your image. Though originally a lesson that didn’t contain her fondest memories, it did come in handy.

If Denise could share any advice, it would be to “Lose detail and paint loosely.” It’s something she struggles to do but has helped her to develop as an artist. She is grateful for everyone who has helped along her journey, especially Michelle and the review team.

Denise meticulously clone-painted the flowers and even painted freehand in small areas. Her biggest modifications involved

D E N I S E N E V E R PA I N T E D B E FO R E B E YO N D T H E B R U S H E S .

A N A DVO CAT E FO R C R AW L I N G B E FO R E YO U WA L K , S H E D O E S N ’ T WO R RY A B O U T H OW LO N G I T TA K E S . S H E TAC K L E S H E R S T R U G G L E S O N E S T E P AT A T I M E .

A r t i s t : D e ni s e Ca u chi

A r t i s t : De ni s e Ca u chi

Ar tist: D eni se Ca u chi

A r tist: Vickie Bold u c htt ps://ww w.jvph oto s. co m Vi ck ie fou nd the p e r fe c t m o de l in h e r l ife lo n g f r i en d ’s d a u g hter. T h ey v i s i ted t h e s t u d i o for con cept s h ot s V i cki e wa nted to pa int . Af te r s eve ral o utf its , s h e de c id ed to u s e fa b r i c r i g ht of f t h e b olt . T h e you n g la d y ’s look , pos i t i on, a nd cu rves fell into place w ith th e fab r ic drap in g e le g a nt ly a c ros s h er.

A r t i s t : Pa ul et te C as s i d y Pa u lette kn ew th is p ic ture was m e ant to b e a pa i nt i n g wh en s h e f i r s t took i t . It sy mb oli zes h er g ra n d d a u ghte r ru nning into th e l ig ht at a p ivotal p o int i n li fe. T h e Ba c k g rou n d Br u s h es h elped w i t h t h e b u s h es , w h i le G re a sy Blen d er a n d Br u s hy G ood n es s were u s ed for t h e f i g u re and gra s s .

COMING UP IN

AUGUST

H ISTORY OF ART

The History of the World’s Most Stolen Painting

ELEMEN TS OF ART

Size

A rti s t: Irene Bower s, Master Ar tist, PPA; Ca l ifo rnia Ma ste r P hoto g ra p he r, PPC www. i renebower s.com I ren e combined bod y p ar ts an d th e b ird to de p ic t th e g i r l g a z i n g i n won d er a t h er fea t h ered f r i en d . For t h i s i ntent i ona l p racti ce, she experimente d w ith as m any b r us h e s as pos s i b le d u r i n g t h e c rea t i on proces s . Her s i s ter, wh o i s a ls o t he gi r l’s gran dmot her, , cou ld n’ t h ave b e e n h ap p ie r w ith th e o u tcome.

A rti s t: Kim Wehner

Ki m ca me a cross this tr uc k n e ar Har tlan d, Was h in g ton . Hi s g oa l s i n ce joi n i n g t h e commu n i t y h a s b een to ta k e hi s photog ra phi c a r t wor k C reati ng this a fter only a few m o nth s into th e co ur s ewor k , I wou ld s a y t h a t h e i s well on h i s wa y !

k to t h e next level.

A r t i s t : C h e lly Hall C h e l ly i s s t i ll pu s h i n g t h e li mi t s a n d ex per i ment i n g to h er h ea r t ’s conte nt . S he e n j oy s s eei n g h ow fa r s h e ca n ta k e t h e b r u s h es . Wh a t b et ter wa y to d o t ha t tha n li mi t i n g you r s elf to on e b r u s h t h e ent i re pa i nt i n g? T h i s one wa s d one ent i rely w i t h Bra yer, a n d w h a t a s t u n n i ng ou tcom e !

A r t i s t : D a g mar Wolte re ck fa ce b o o k . co m /fotos byd e e 2 Da gma r d ecid ed o n th is s ub j e c t b e caus e th e re s eemed to b e a s h or ta g e of you n g men b ei n g pa i nted i n Beyond t he Brushes. She pa inted th e fab r ic us in g Gre asy B le nd er a n d en joyed h er s elf ever y s tep of t h e wa y. It d i d n’ t h u r t he r fe e l i ngs th at th e g ent lema n wa s ea sy on t h e eyes .

r a i L

RUFUS IS A

Positive affirmations change your mindset, which in turn can change your artistic life.

take a moment and write down the insults he spews.

Rufus hates them and will do everything in his power to silence them.

He is a monster, and I’m sure what he says won’t be very nice.

Rufus will try to convince you that saying nice things about your own work is prideful, egocentric, hokey, and embarrassing.

But, friend, there is power in calling out a bully.

Isn’t that interesting?

We can easily allow Rufus to bludgeon us incessantly with negative affirmations...

“I’m not talented enough...”

“I don’t have skills like...”

“I suck at...” ...but saying anything nice about your capabilities as an artist feels icky and somehow wrong all at once.

Remember — Rufus is a LIAR. His #1 goal is to convince you that you’re not worthy.

He is an enemy of your success.

When you hear Rufus whispering in your ear,

Once you isolate his mean little voice, you begin to steal his power.

If you turn each insult into a positive affirmation, Rufus’s voice will become quieter and quieter.

“Your brushwork sucks!” becomes “Your brushwork is improving every day because you are diligently practicing.”

It is always necessary to acknowledge what Rufus says.

Sometimes, it may even be painful.

But by acknowledging Rufus and calling him out as the lying jerk he is, you prevent his smear campaign against you from becoming creative scar tissue that will block your growth as a Photoshop Artisan.

Ar tist: Ke lly O ’ Ke efe ww w.kellyo ke efe p hoto g ra p hy. co m Kelly ha d th e p e r fe c t co m b in atio n : a v is i on a n d a wi lli n g s u b jec t . Her n ei g h b or h a ppi ly h elps wi t h wha tever Ke l ly n e e ds , s o w h ile h e r s tud i o wa s u n d er con s t r u c t i on , t h ey s et u p i n t h e g a ra g e. Us i n g na tu ra l light, th ey p ut in th e tim e to g et a ll t h e d eta i ls r i g ht a n d ca pt u re T HE s h ot .

A r t i s t : B e k k i e Har p e r B ek k ie wa nted to in co r p o rate an o ld-wo r ld feeli n g i nto t h i s pa i nt i n g . Af ter h ou r s of res ea rc h a n d d eli b era te s t u d y of old pa int ings, s h e f in al ly deve lo p e d th e b ac k g rou n d . T h i s t i me i nves t ment wa s es s ent i a l i n pu lli n g of f t he ove ra l l lo o k s h e was aim in g to a c h i eve, a n d t h e f i n a l pi ece h a s q u i te t h e c h a r m!

W HEN YOU H I T T HE WALL

BY CATH SMITH O N E DAY, YO U ’ L L WA K E U P U N A B L E TO PA I N T. R U F U S W I L L B E S H O U T I N G I N YO U R E A R , YO U ’ L L LO O K AT YO U R A RT WO R K A N D C O N S I D E R G I V I N G U P. C O N G RAT U L AT I O N S ! YO U H AV E A RT I S T ’ S B LO C K .

I’ve spent most of 2021 building a daily painting habit, so when I hit a wall back at the end of June, it hit me hard. Consistency is something I’ve always struggled with, and I had finally found a daily groove that worked for me. To wake up one day and find I couldn’t paint was devastating.

Artist’s block happens for all kinds of reasons, some environmental (life happens!) and some related to our development as artists.

Symptoms of artist’s block can include not wanting to paint, not knowing what to paint, feeling like your skills are getting worse, and hearing Rufus screaming in your ear, “You can’t paint. You’ll never be able to paint. Why are you even trying?”

I’ve said many times that when you feel most like giving up, you’re on the verge of a breakthrough. That’s not just me being nice.

As we learn, we develop our cognative skills first. Our ability to understand basic ideas and concepts gradually develops into a nuanced insight into each of the many elements that make up a painting - light, color, form, depth, meaning, etc. But our skill in implementing that understanding in our own work still has to develop because we can’t implement something until we can see it.

This skill gap is a major reason for artist’s block. We have an idea we want to implement, but we simply don’t know how.

Understanding what artist’s block is and why it happens is a start, but it won’t help you get through it. Here are a few steps that may...

Be kind The most important thing to do is to be kind to yourself. Recognize this happens to everyone and that you will get through it.

Give yourself some time off Taking a day off now and then won’t break your development as an artist. And it could give you a fresh perspective on your work.

Maintain your habit While a break can be good, it’s important not to lose your groove, especially if you paint regularly. Keep your painting time for paintrelated stuff. Do some admin, catalog your art, get new work up on your website, tidy up your work area. Do busy work so you don’t find something else to fill your val uable art time.

Go back to basics Musicians practice scales for hours, ballerinas work on their muscle memory at the barre 5 or 6 times a week, and artists should be no different. Paint simple shapes - spheres, columns, cubes - every day for a week. Find bargue plates and practice painting the same one every day for a week.

Not only will your skills improve, but you’ll be yearning for something else to paint very quickly!

I was lucky - my most recent block passed after a few weeks. Sometimes, it can take much longer. If you’re going through it, just know that, like everything in life, this too shall pass.

CAT H S M I T H I S A M E M B E R O F T H E R E V I E W S P EC I A L I S T T E A M I N B E YO N D T H E B R U S H E S . S H E PA I N T S B OT H I N P H OTO S H O P A N D W I T H O R G A N I C PA I N T. YO U CA N S E E H E R L AT E S T WO R K O N W W W.CAT H S M I T H F I N E A R T.C O M

A r t i s t : C at h S mi t h , C r, C P P c at h s m it hf i n e ar t .com

A r t i s t : K at hy Te r r y kat hy te r r y p h oto g ra p hya n d f i n e ar t Ka t hy ca ug ht h e r g ran ddaug hte r “ takin g ca re” of a b a by d oll a n d wa s tou c h ed by t h e s ent i ment . Yo u never k now w h e n in s p iratio n w il l s tr ike , bu t a s a well-ver s ed ph otog ra ph er, Ka t hy wa s rea d y to ca pt u re th is te n de r m o m ent . T h e f i n a l res u lt i s ju s t too sweet !

A r t i s t : B e c k k i Ha r p e r B e kkie fe l l in love w ith th is li t t le c h i ld ’s ex pres s i on a n d eyes . S h e’s wor k i n g on g ettin g us e d to th e ar tsy n atu re Br u s hy G ood n es s pos s es s es , a n d b oy, oh b oy, i s s h e g ettin g us e d to it! Fro m the d eep eyes to t h e c u r ly h a i r, i t ’s n o won d er s h e h a d f u n pa i nt i n g t h i s on e.

E L E VAT E YO U R A R T. C O M