ELEVATE YOUR ART MAGAZINE: December 2022

DECE MBER 2022

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

featuring

Je nny Fr o 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

Mar i e He lyar m a r i e h e lya rar t i s t .com.au Mar ie c h o s e to d o a f reeh a n d s t u d y f rom a referen ce ph oto ta k en i n t h e e a r ly 1 970s of h e r an d h e r f i r s t h u s b a n d on a t ree- felli n g opera t i on . Her i n s pi ra t i on fo r t he pa i nt i ng cam e w h e n a f r i en d wa s g oi n g t h rou g h ph oto a lb u ms w i t h h er a n d s a i d i t looke d l i ke a Fred r i c k Mc Cu b b i n pi e ce .

W EL COME...

Human beings are creatures of habit. We have our favorite foods, favorite shoes, and even our favorite…brush?

Yes, we, as artists, often have a favorite brush. The favorite brush in the organic painting world is protected like a tre asured best friend that you know will depart long before you’re ready to let them go. Wearing out a favorite brush is both a good and bad thing. Bad because, as a favorite, you know you can rely on consistent, predictable strokes. But the loss of a favorite brush can also be a really great thing.

How? In this issue, we’ll explore why it’s both good and bad that Photoshop painting brushes never wear out.

Michelle

C OV E R I M AG E BY S he i l a Te nne s i ns t a gr a m . co m /s he i l ate nne s S h ei la wa s i n s pi red by P h i li p A lex i u s d e La s z lo wh en h i s pa i nt i n g of Q u een Eli za b et h a s a you n g g i r l wa s pu b li s h ed on Beyon d t h e Br u s h es . Wa nt i n g to emu la te h i s por t ra i t u re s t y le i n h er own pa i nt i n g , s h e s et ou t on a q u es t . I t h i n k t h i s i s on e for t h e b ook s !

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 fo r 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 l e 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.

CONTENTS p1 p2 p7 p14 p25

Featured Reviewer: Marie Helyar Welcome from Michelle Embrace Discomfort Artist Feature: Jenny Froh Rufus is a LIAR!

A rti s t: Jana Hoffmann ja na hoffmann.eu Jana stru ggled with p aintin g fab r ic , s o w h at b ette r wa y to g et b et ter t h a n pra c t i ce? It s ta r ted of f wi t h ju s t t h e fab r i c. T he n, s he found the bou qu et of p e o n ie s an d kn ew s h e h ad to c rea te a s t i ll li fe. It f i lled h er h ea r t to k n ow s h e i mplemented eve r y t hi ng sh e’s lea rned so fa r.

M ASTH E A D & CO N TR IBU TO RS MICHELLE PARSLEY PUBLISHER HANNAH PARSLEY COPYWRITER CATH SMITH EDITOR ARTICLES: JENNY FROH

IMAGES: SHEILA TENNES MARIE HELYAR JANA HOFFMAN KELLY O’KEEFE BEKKIE HARPER ANN LAUWERS RUSSELL KINERSON JENNY FROH JENNIFER WYNNE VICKIE BOLDUC SHELLY ELLIS EVIE SHOEMAN TRACY MUNSON SHERRY PRATT DEB RICE ANN GRAY DIANNA RUCKER ROWENA CHERRY

A r t i s t : Ke l ly O ’ Ke efe w w w. ke l lyo ke efe p h oto g ra p hy. co m Ke l ly h as do n e a por t ra i t s es s i on w i t h Rea g a n a n d h er b ea r eve r y s e as on . T h ey a re a ll eq u a lly a d ora b le, b u t i n ter ms of Re ag an b ei n g a t rooper, t h e w i nter por t ra i t ta k es t h e cake ! Ke l ly an d Rea g a n’s pa rent s a re exc i ted for t h e ot h er s e as o n s’ s e s s i on s , w h i c h h opef u lly won’ t b e q u i te s o cold .

EMBR ACE DISCOMFORT

As an organic painter, I dread the day a favorite brush wears out. Once I latch onto a brush, I give it extra care, washing and preserving the bristles carefully so as to p rolong its life for as long as possible.

Inevitably, the day always comes that I must concede — the brush has seen better days and should be retired.

Giving up a favorite brush is hard. It feels like my work shifts with the loss of my trusted tool. Sometimes, the shift is in a positive direction. Other times… not so much.

It ta kes a while to find a new favorite, and in that awkward, in between time, my work feels like it’s in a constant state of uph eaval.

It’s uncomfortable.

One of the things that I fell in love with

Photoshop painting for is that the brushes never, ever wear out. If you have a favorite, you never have to give it up. It will never fail you. Your work won’t ever have to feel like it’s in a state of upheaval.

But is that a good thing?

If you’d asked me five years ago, I’d have given you a resounding, “YES!” My style is solid. I have a predictable palette of colors. My clients know what they’re getting when they commission a painting because I have been producing consistent work for years, in part because my favorite brush never wears out.

What I’ve come to realize is, when tools never wear out, it’s very easy to get too

comfortable. I can paint on autopilot, without really having to think about what I’m doing because I’ve done the same things for so long. While consistency in style is a good thing, stagnation is not.

It would be so easy for me to just coast along at this stage of my career. I have commissioned work coming in regularly. I love teaching. Life is good. But what I know is this: A comfortable artist is a stagnant artist.

I make a concerted effort to try new things, to find new techniques, and dare I say, to find a favorite new tool that can never wear out. I keep pushing myself because if I don’t, one day I’ll wake up and realize

I’ve been too comfortable for too long.

My message to you, Photoshop Artisan, is never get so comfortable you stop pushing forward.

Deny yourself a favorite tool if you must.

Being uncomfortable brings growth and growth is the opposite of stagnation.

Embrace discomfort!

A r t i s t : Tra cy Mun s o n ht t p s: // t ra cy m un s o n p h oto g ra p hy. co m Tra cy ca u ght th e m o o d to p aint w ith m uted b lu es a n d g ra y s . Her fa vor i te s a t i n h en , L i n d s a y, b eca me t he perfect su bj e c t. S n ap p in g a w ide -an g le pi c t u re wi t h h er ph on e h elped Tra cy g et t h e s h ot s h e n eed ed eve n w ith L in ds ay s ittin g r i g ht n ex t to h er on t h e a r m of h er c h a i r.

A r t i s t : S h e r r y Prat t ht t p s: //s h e r r y p rat t p h oto g ra p hy. co m / Sherry figu re d w ith fo ur kitte n s an d a l ittle g i r l, wh a t cou ld g o w ron g? A n d oh b oy, wa s t h a t i nt u i t i on ri g ht !

After a Fine Ar t p h oto s e s s io n , th is p h oto g ra ph ca u g ht h er eye. S h e followed h er b ra i n’s a r t i s t i c d ema n d s , a nd thi s i s t h e d eli g ht f u lres u lt !

A r t i s t : Rus s e l l Ki n e r s on , P h D r s k i n e r son @g mai l.com Rus s e l l le ar n e d s o m e n ew tec h n i q u es a n d r u mma g ed u p t h i s b ea u t i f u l ca pt u re of t h e Oza r ks a s hi s can didate . He s ketc h e d t h e s cen e wi t h Br u s hy G ood n es s a n d u s ed t h e Tra n s lu cent S ha d ows br u s h fo r th e c lo uds an d fo g . T h e Br i s t le M u lt i - P a i nter b r u s h s er ved a s h i s s ec ret wea pon for pa i nt i ng t he

A r t is t : Je nny Froh

ARTIST FE ATU R E

JENN Y FROH I’ M A L L IN

J E N N Y FO L LOW E D M I C H E L L E ’ S WO R K T H R O U G H H E R P R I N T C O M P E T I T I O N Y E A R S . O N C E S H E L E A R N E D A B O U T B E YO N D T H E B R U S H ES , S H E J O I N E D I N O C TO B E R 2 0 2 1 A N D WAS A L L I N !

That sense of esprit de corps isn’t something new to Jenny. Becoming a pet photographer made perfect sense because she has been “all in” on that aspect of her life too. Rather than music, you will probably hear a snoring Pug if you go into her studio. Her dogs are her muses, and they follow her from room to room. But the connection doesn’t stop with her own dogs.

Jenny loves to view and encourage others’ pet photography. Her favorite book is Dogs by Tim Flach, and some of her favorite pet portraits were created

by Timothy Martin. Being a dog person, loyalty is something central to Jenny’s life. In fact, if she could pick any brush, it would be Greasy Blender because it is her most used and very reliable. Active and dependable describe Jenny to a T. Speaking of that, Greasy Blender again came into play for this series and maintained its title as the favorite. Jenny’s paintings were inspired by her desire to be more whimsical and create something the camera couldn’t capture. Yet even though that was the goal, the camera still had to be involved. The two dogs walking were a client-provided image, and the others were all of her own original captures.

The kittens were fosters and had their

picture taken in a studio set up using studio lights on seamless paper. The Great Pyrenees mix and Chihuahua were captured outside with natural light.

Finally, the mouse on the cat on the dog was a composite of both indoor and studio photographs. For this one and the client-provided image, Jenny worked freehand to paint the backgrounds. It added more to the story and helped create the whimsical touch she was hoping to accomplish. An extra dash of whimsy was added by Jenny following the advice to loosen the edges of unimportant areas and bring more attention to where she wanted the focus to be.

For the color palettes, Jenny naturally gravitates toward unsaturated colors that bring peace and serenity, so soft and calming colors were her focus.

While creating the paintings, Jenny had a blast and couldn’t remember any negative parts during the process.

Instead, she got to relish in making her clients happy and learning to use brushes in different ways. For example, using the Hair Brush to create grass blades! This experience is similar to what she has encountered in Beyond the Brushes. She has loved all of the lessons and found each and every one to be challenging and important to growing

A P E T P H OTO G R A P H E R FO R OV E R 1 2 Y E A R S , J E N N Y WAS R E A DY TO E L E VAT E H E R A R T. E V E N W I T H N O P R I O R E X P E R I E N C E PA I N T I N G , S H E FO U N D O U T B E YO N D T H E B R U S H E S F I T L I K E A G LOV E .

H T T P S : //J E N N Y F R O H .C O M

A r t i s t : Je nny Froh

A r t i s t : Jenny Froh

Ar ti s t: Jenny Froh

A r t i s t Rowe n a C h e r r y fa ce b o o k . co m / I m a g eI n at i o n by Rowe n a Rowena find s p e aco c ks fas c in atin g . Th ey were i nt rod u ced i nto t h e wi ld w h ere s h e li ves , s o s h e g et s to se e t he ma t ing d a nce s , b aby p e afow l , an d eve r yth in g els e. Her d og s n a g g ed s ome ta i l fea t h er s f rom a ma le wh e n t hey f ir s t m ove d in , a n d Rowen a k eeps t h e plu me i n a va s e.

A r t i s t : Je n n i fe r Wy n n e www. j e n n i fe r w y n n e p h oto g ra p hy. co m Jennifer photo g rap h e d th is m am a fe e din g her b a by wh en s h e wa s i n Keny a i n 2 018 . T h e protec t i ve pos t u re a nd loving eyes sp o ke to h e r h e ar t. It to o k a w h ile b efore Jen n i fer ’s pa i nt i n g s k i lls were u p to t h e ta s k , b u t n ow, t hi s p aintin g h o n or s lov i n g ma ma s of a ll s pec i es .

A r t i s t : V i c k i e B o l d uc : ht t p s : //w w w. b o l d uc f i n e a r t . co m V i c k i e wor k ed h a n d - i n - h a n d w i t h t h i s you n g la d y ’s m ot he r.

For h er s en i or por t ra i t , t h e mot h er wa nted s omet hi ng m ore t ra d i t i on a l ra t h er t h a n tod a y ’s t ren d s . Af ter d i s c u s s i ng , t he mot h er pi c k ed t h e ou t f i t a n d a pos e. T h en s h e g ave Vi cki e c rea t i ve li cen s e for t h e res t . T h ey ma d e a g rea t te a m !

r a i L

RUFUS IS A

Rufus is a tricky fella. He knows you need to constantly push for new skills and techniques. He knows it’s a great idea for you to set favorite tools aside. He knows exactly how to manipulate the circumstances to u ndermine your success.

You, as an artist, know logically that being uncomfortable with a new tool is a good thing. The uncomfortable feeling is your skills expanding. Rufus knows this too, but being the rascal that he is, he will swoop in and fill your mind with doubt.

Nobody.

Who can look at your work and tell exactly what tool(s) you’ve used?

Nobody.

Rufus is right. That’s what makes him such a tricky rascal. He takes half truths and espouses them as pure fact. Half a truth is still a lie! Eventually, if you listen to Rufus, if you fall into his trap of comfort, your work will suffer. You’ll become stagnant.

“Your clients won’t like this. It’s too different”

Does this mean it’s not ok to have a favorite brush?

“You can’t learn this new tool and deliver on time. You’re much faster with the old one.”

ABSOLUTELY NOT!

“This tool doesn’t suit your style.”

“Just take your favorite tool and carry on.

Nobody will know.”

He’s actually right about that one… for a while anyway. I really think the idea that “nobody will know” is the one Rufus uses most often.

Who is looking over your shoulder when you paint?

Having a favorite brush is part of being an artist. I don’t know anyone who paints regularly that doesn’t have a favorite brush.

Painting with a favorite brush is a joy!

Favorite brushes make favorite paintings!

Just don’t listen to the lies of Rufus when he tells you a favorite brush is all you need.

Silence his lies and you’ll never have to worry about artistic stagnation again.

A r t i s t : S h e l ly e l l i s s e l l i s p h oto g ra p hy. co m Shelly rece ive d th e 3 -ye ar g if t of th e g o ld foi l a n d a c t i on s b r u s h a n d d ec i d ed to ret u r n to s ome u nf i n i s he d project s. It tu r n e d o ut to b e th e g if t th at ke pt on g i v i n g a s s h e completed a h a n d f u l of projec t s . For t h i s one , s he j us t followed t h e pa i nt , a n d voi la !

Art ist : Ev i e S h o e m a n Evie a lwa ys wa nte d to p aint a yo un g wo m an in a n eleg a nt gown with her hor s e . Ev ie’s co us in h ap p e n e d to b e s ta y i n g at a ra nch in Neb ras ka an d p h oto g rap h e d p ic tu res for h er.

She chose to p aint th is o n e , an d th e c l i ent loved i t !

A r t i s t : B e k k i e Ha r p e r B ek k ie wa s j us t tr yin g to c re ate a m e m o ra b le por t ra i t of t h es e pu ps wh en i t took t h e commu n i t y by s tor m .

She prima rily us e d B r us hy Go o dn e s s b e cau s e of a ll of i t s u n i q u e c h a ra c ter i s t i c s . It wa s won d er f u l for he r to re cei ve s u c h pos i t i ve rea c t i on s .

A r t i s t : A n n La uwe r s ht t p s : //w w w. a n a r t i s t v i ew. n et / If Ann ha d to pick a favo r ite s ub j e c t, an im al s by fa r s u r pa s s t h e ot h er s . W h i le s h e wa s pa i nt i n g t h i s a d ora b le d u ckl i ng , she ima gined tha t it was a c las sy lady w ith a h ig h fea t h er y colla r. S h e even a d d ed i n a li t t le s i d e wa ve w i t h i t s we bb e d feet .

Deb, inspire d by o n e of M ic h e l le’s s ile nt p a i nt s , c rea ted t h i s i ma g i n a r y h or s e w i t h h i s ma n e a n d ta i l flowing in th e w in d. C re atin g a h o r s e th at a ny s ma ll c h i ld wou ld love to r i d e wa s t h e g oa l, a n d s h e h ope s to one d a y in co r p o rate th is h o r s e into a c h i ld ren’s b ook .

A r t i s t : D e b Ri ce

A r t i s t A n n G ray

Ann hu nted u p extra p rac tice fo r th e c h arco al les s on s . Bla c k a n d wh i te ph otog ra ph s a n d pa i nt i n g s a re n ot u s u a l ly wit hin her repe r to ire , s o it was a n ew an d exc i t i n g ex per i en ce. However, i t wa s n’ t ju s t c h a rcoa ls s h e lea rne d . It al s o taug ht h e r m o re a b ou t ton es a s well a s li g ht a n d s h a d ows .

Art ist Dia n n a Ruc ke r, BA , B S , MA a n d NB CT ww w. r uc ke r p h oto g ra p hy. co m Dia nna spie d w ith h e r ar tis t’s eye th e p aint i n g h i d i n g w i t h i n t h e ph otog ra ph . Her v i s i on of w h a t i t cou ld b e ca rried her o nward as s h e b ro ug ht th e ro d eo to li fe on h er ca nva s . Wh a t a g rea t rea s on to s ta r t a pa i nt i ng!

W ith j us t a few b r u s h s t rok es , s h e relea s ed t h e b u ll.

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