ELEVATE YOUR ART: Winter 2023

W IN T ER 2023

E L E VA T E Y O U R A R T Quarterly Magazine Featuring Photoshop Artists

featuring

V ICK IE BO LD U C

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

C at h Smi t h c at h s mi t h ar t i s t .com Th is s im p le s t i ll li fe ca me a b ou t a f ter C a t h n ot i ced t h e ref lec t i on s i n t h e bow l from t he ye l low n ap k i n . S h e g ra b b ed a ph otog ra ph a n d s et to pa i nt i n g , wa nt i n g to pla y w i t h t he color a n d ed g es to c rea te s omet h i n g s i mple b u t ple a s i ng.

W EL COME...

If you’ve ever worked as a photographer, I’m sure you’ve had this experience… You photograph a portrait session, and when the client leaves, you open the images on your computer.

While there might be one or two you like, primarily, it’s a feeling of “blah.” Sound familiar?

Have you ever gone back to a session like that months later?

I have and let me tell you, it was an eye-opening experience!

Fresh eyes totally changed my perspective on what images I should have presented to the client!

Paintings also often look better with fresh eyes, and that is the topic of this quarter’s edition of Elevate Your Art Magazine.

Michelle

C OV E R I M AG E BY B e k k i e Ha r p e r Bek k i e’s f r i en d s ent a pi c t u re of h er i n c red i b ly c u te g ra n d d a u g hter, a n d w h o cou ld res i s t t h e sweet fa ce of Da i sy ? Not Bek k i e! T h e g i f t over w h elmed t h e fa mi ly ’s eyes a n d h ea r t s , es pec i a lly Da i sy ’s g ra n d mot h er.

Bek k i e ju s t en joyed ma k i n g a c h er i s h ed g i f t (a n d t h e oppor t u n i t y to u s e Br u s hy G ood n es s s ome more. )

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 p28

Featured Reviewer: Cath Smith Welcome from Michelle The Power of Time Artist Feature: Vickie Bolduc Rufus is a LIAR!

D eb sna pped a shot of h e r daug hte r-in -law an d h e r f i r s t g ra n d c h i ld . S h e wa nted t h e foc u s to b e on t h e n ew love of a m ot he r and h er ba by, so the e m p h as is is o n th e m oth e r ’s lov i n g fa ce. Br u s hy G ood n es s wa s h er g o- to for t h i s pa i nt i n g .

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

IMAGES: BEKKIE HARPER CATH SMITH DEB RICE RHONDA HARLEY SUE ANDERSON SHELLY ELLIS JANA HOFFMAN VICKIE BOLDUC TANYA GRIFFIOEN ANN LAUWERS RUSSELL KINERSON LESA CLARKE ESTHER BYRT KATHRIN NEWMAN KIMBERLY GUARDIPEE JANICE BATTERBEE AUTUMN CALVERT KRYSTAL HISE Art ist : De b Ri ce

A r t i s t : R h o n d a Ha r l ey h a r l eys f i n e a r t . co m Rh on d a fell i n love wi t h t h i s d og wh i le v i si t i ng he r fa mi ly i n G eorg i a . Look i n g for a n i ma g e to pa i nt , s h e k n ew s h e h a d to pa i nt t h i s prec i ou s d og for he r cou s i n . S h e ex per i mented w i t h d i f ferent br u s he s a nd lea r n ed f rom t h e rev i ewer s a b ou t h ow color s w i t hi n t h e i ma g e a f fec t t h e mood of t h e v i ewer.

T HE P OW ER OF T IME Paint, post, paint, post, paint, post…

This is the pattern we see in Beyond the Brushes for most members. I get it. Painting is exciting! I really, truly LOVE how excited our members are to paint! However, this fast and feverish paint/post pace is hampering a very important part of artistic development.

retrospect and this is a skill that should be coveted!

Retrospect.

“Listen to the paint.”

In some ways, this is a failure of the media we as Photoshop Artisans use. We don’t have to wait for paint to dry. We can fully express our initial thoughts about a piece without the paint slowing us down. It satisfies the “gotta have it now” part of our brains that our modern society cultivates.

I say it all the time to students. However, it’s difficult to hear what the paint is saying when you are painting at a feverish pace.

When you slow down the creative process, that is very often where the magic happens.

However, working slowly has its perks. An un intended benefit of working in oil is that it forces artists to slow down. Truly exceptional artists don’t paint in a single sitting and immediately put the artwork out to the world as complete. The simple act of working slower unwittingly teaches the art of

A recent example of this in my own work is the charcoal style image you see above with our farm dog, Frost and our most recent litter of piglets.

If you’re a member of Beyond the Brushes, you may have been watching live on Zoom as I began this painting… in color. Because I have practiced the art of retrospect for

many years, I could feel that something wasn’t quite right in the initial painting. I ended the live demonstration by saying I didn’t think the painting was complete and I’d come back to it at a later date.

I put the painting away for a month — something almost unheard of in the Photoshop painting world.

After a month’s break, viewing the painting with fresh eyes, I could see clearly what I needed to do. The media was all wrong. I should have created this piece in charcoal! As any instructor worth their salt will do, I admitted my error and allowed members to watch me live on Zoom as I pivoted the work to the final piece you see above.

Had I chose to work at the feverish paint/post

pace that has become the norm with Photoshop artists, this final outcome would never have happened. I would never have given myself the time to see it with fresh eyes. The time away from the piece made all the difference in the world!

How can you add the practice of retrospect to your own work?

It is a skill that should be yearned for and refined to make you the best artist you can possibly be!

A r t i s t : S ue A n d e r s o n ht t p s: //fine a rt p h oto g ra p hy 1 8 . my p i xi e s et . co m / f i n e - a r t / Su e’s friend h ad a h o r s e train e r wo r kin g w i t h on e of h er K i g er h or s es , a n d S u e fell i n love w i t h h er com pos i te of a stock im ag e an d h e r f r ie n d’s p ic ture . It wa s a n o- b ra i n er to ta k e i t to t h e n ex t level, a n d t h e t ra i ne r ’s s ur p r is e an d exc i tement ma d e i t a ll t h e more wor t h i t .

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 wa s d oin g th e tur p s le s s o n s an d wanted a d d i t i on a l pra c t i ce. I n li eu of copy i n g a n old ma s ter, s he wa s inspired by a co nte m p o rar y ar tis t. Takin g a pi c t u re of t wo va q u eros , s h e comb i n ed h er i n s pi ra t i on wi t h he r s tr iv in g to e levate h e r ow n ph otog ra phy a n d to cont i n u e evolv i n g i n s t y le.

Art ist : Ja na Hoff m a n n j a na hoffm an n . e u Ja na got ou t in -2 0 ºC we ath e r o n a p o lar n i g ht i n Finnish La pla nd to p h oto g rap h th is re in de e r. Even if it wa sn’t tr ue , h e r m in d re m e m b e re d it lo ok i n g lik e it s h e ad was til te d b ac k s m il in g towa rd t he moon . Th an ks to B eyo n d th e B r us h e s , s h e felt ca pa b le of tur n in g it into w h at s h e a lwa y s e nv is i on ed .

A r t i s t : Vi cki e B old u c

ARTIST FE ATU R E

VICK IE BOLDUC T H E JOY S HE S HA R ES V I C K I E DA B B L E D I N A C O U P L E O F G R O U P PA I N T S ES S I O N S , B U T N O N E O F T H E M H A D I N S T R U C T I O N . T H E D ES I R E TO E L E VAT E H E R A N D H E R H U S BA N D ’ S S T U D I O P H OTO G RA P H Y I S W H AT B R O U G H T H E R TO B E YO N D T H E B R U S H ES I N SEPTEMBER 2019.

Arti st: Vick ie B old u c

After several attempts to find instruction on how to paint in Photoshop, Vickie couldn’t find what she had in mind. Then, she stumbled across the Elevate Your Art in-person workshops. Unfortunately, none of those were ever at a convenient time for her, so she kept searching but to no avail. When she saw that a perpetual online course was going to start, Vickie immediately signed up. For Vickie, there has been no turning back, and she finds continuous joy and amazement with how far she has come.

Her inspiration for this series came from several directions, but the seasons of th e year and of life were Vickie’s biggest source. In anticipation of newness in life during spring, flowers blossomed. On the sunny and windy days of summer, times reminiscent of blowing

dandelions and the wind blowing through her dress swept through her mind. They brought with them memories of youthfulness, being outdoors, and enjoying life. Vickie remembered the days of having her horse, Tootsie, on her granddad’s farm.

At the end of the summer, Vickie’s life took a sudden turn with a great loss. The fall ended up being a blur. As the cold weather crept in, Vickie went out on a limb and bought new Christmas ornaments with words of inspiration.

From the doldrums of winter, a chickadee painting brought joy. A true testament to Vickie’s character can be heard in this simple yet beautiful statement, “Although it has been a hard season, among all of the hardships, there is still joy to be found, joy to be seen, joy to be shared, and joy to be painted!”

And the joys of this series? They were abundant. Vickie had a model come in, and knowing Vickie wanted to paint something with a long flowing dress, the model knew just how to pose to match what Vickie had in mind. For the chickadee, Vickie gratified herself by working freehand to do the greenery.

Throughout all of the paintings, she was elated to fin d she was able to use her favorite brush, Brushy Goodness. The variety it offers helped bring the best parts into view.

The best part of all though was reaching the finish. Vickie wanted all of them to have soft and simple palettes to lend to the subjects she had in mind. Being able to say “complete” and add the perfect frame made each one truly a finished piece of artwork. Even though there is nothing like the sense of satisfaction and

fulfillment of finished art, sometimes getting started is the hardest part. That was the case for Vickie because she struggles with putting too much pressure on getting it right. She has been working on getting past herself and her self-doubt to take the plunge on seeing how things turn out in the end.

So the greatest piece of advice Vickie can give? Step away! She said, “When I am feeling frustrated or questioning a decision about a painting, the best thing for me to do is step away, get a different perspective, and then come back to it later. I find this is so beneficial in so many areas of life, not just painting. It truly does help to get your eyes and mind off of the painting and then return to it with fresh thinking and clear eyes.”

Arti st: Vick ie B old u c

Ar t is t : Vi cki e B old uc

A r t i s t: Vi cki e B old u c

W H E T H E R S H E ’ S PA I N T I N G TO T H E WO R D S O F WO R S H I P O R T H E B E AT O F 7 0 S R O C K , V I C K I E I S A N E AG E R B E AV E R TO L E A R N . S H A R I N G H E R PAS S I O N FO R P H OTO G R A P H Y A N D A R T W I T H H E R H U S BA N D M A K E S T H E A DV E N T U R E A L L T H E SW E E T E R .

H T T P S : // W W W. B O L D U C F I N E A R T.C O M

s n o i t a l u t a r g Con

K RYSTAL H ISE W I NN ER OF T HE...

Krysta l’s f r ie n d, Male n a D eMar tin i, is a C a li for n i a d og t ra i n er w i t h a lot of h ea r t . W h en Ma len a wa nte d to su rprise h e r s is te r w ith a p aintin g of h er pu ps , G i g i a n d M i a , K r y s ta l h elped h er pi c k t h e b es t refe re nce photo. Sh ar p e n in g e dg e s , addin g h ig h li g ht s / s h a d ows , c rea t i n g tex t u re, a n d recon s t r u c t i n g fea t u res we re ju st a few of th e c h al le n g e s . In th e en d , g ra t i t u d e for t h e g org eou s por t ra i t f lood ed K r y s ta l’s i n box .

A r t i s t Ta nya G r i f f i o e n Ta nya ’s d a u ghte r re s c ue d a n ew b o r n b aby fa w n , a n d h er b a by wa s b or n 3 week s la ter. Ta ny a ca pt u red t hi s g e nt le intera ction an d kn ew r ig ht th e n th at s h e wou ld b e pa i nt i n g i t . T h ou g h t h e fa wn wa s relea s ed w h en i t wa s old e n o ug h , h e r fa mi ly n ow h a s a memor y a n d s tor y to tell.

A r t i s t : A n n La uwe r s w w w. a n a r t i s t v i ew. n et / Ann wa s inspire d by H ur r ican e Ian . S h e wanted to pa i nt s omet h i n g t h a t took a ll t h e movement a n d t wi s ted i t i nto something gle ef ul rath e r th an g r im . H ur r ica n e Ha r r y ca me i nto ex i s ten ce wi t h h er f ly i n g d i r t , wi n d - swept ha i r, un do n e r ib b o n , an d s lob b er to en h a n ce t h e s peed of t h e lova b le d og .

A r t i s t : Rus s e l l K i n e r s o n Ru s s ell wa nted to a pply tec h n i q u es f rom t h e wa r m/ cool les s on s to s ome of h i s fa vor i te s u b jec t ma t ter. T h i s b u l l e l k wa s ph otog ra ph ed a t s u n r i s e on a r i d g e i n Ka n s a s one Ja nu a r y mor n i n g . Ru s s ell u s ed t h e b r u s h es Br u s hy G ood n es s , Opa q u e Hi g h li g ht s , a n d Tra n s lu cent S h a d ows to b r i n g i t to l i fe .

r a i L

RUFUS IS A

“Paint. Paint fast. The more you paint, t he better you’ll be. Don’t ever go back. Keep moving forward. Faster. FASTER!” ~ Rufus If you want to be a really great artist, you should paint a lot. Paint as fast as you can, as much as you can. Start a new project every day.

Never look back. Always look forward.

Every single statement in the above paragraph is a half-truth. ^^^ Read that again.

A half-truth is a whole lie. Telling half-truths is yet another one of Rufus’s tricky tactics to stifle your development as an artist. You have to learn to see his half-truths so you can keep him from his ultimate goal of turning you into a quitter.

Yes, if you want to be a really great artist, you should paint a lot. I one hundred percent agree with Rufus on that. Painting daily, even if only for five minutes is a really great idea.

However, saying that you should paint a lot is not equal to painting fast and recklessly.

Painting for five minutes with a deliberate practice goal in mind is a lot different than just painting for five minutes. Five minutes of deliberate practice will be far more beneficial than painting in quantity, which brings us to Rufus’s next lie…

Starting a new project every day isn’t always the b est plan. It would be much more beneficial to paint the same subject ten times, finally getting it just right, than to paint ten subjects quick and dirty with no thought to

deliberate practice and improving technique.

The latter doesn’t really build skills. It just creates a body of mediocre work. The former may feel monotonous and like a waste of time, but I can assure you it’s not.

Deliberate practice also dispels Rufus’s lie that you should never look back and always look forward. Saying an artist should never look back implies that one should never repaint anything they’ve already painted.

Hogwash! Artists throughout history have painted the same subject many times in small studies before tackling the final, wall-sized (sometimes life-sized!) painting. Sometimes, you have to look back in order to do better going forward. Looking back is a good thing to do as an artist!

Paint as fast as you can… more lies! Painting fast doesn’t leave any time for retrospection.

This crucial phase of the creative process, when skipped, will often leave an artist’s work either feeling amateur or incomplete. Don’t let Rufus convince you not to live with a painting for a minimum of a few days before putting it “out there.” Those few days will give you fresh eyes to see the work in a different way. Those crucial few days of retrospect can make the difference between a good painting and a great one!

If Rufus were honest, he’d say, “Paint. Take your time. The more you implement deliberate practice, the better you’ll be. Always learn from your mistakes. Never give up. Slowing down is a skill. Retrospect is crucial.”

A r t i s t Le s a C l a r ke ins t a g ra m . co m / l e s a c l a r ke Lesa fou nd insp iratio n r ig ht at h o m e . We l l , o u t s i d e of h er h ome a n d i n t h e g a rd en to b e exa c t . S h e h a s a fa m i ly of hed gehogs livin g th e re , an d th ey’ ve always s eemed li k e ma g i ca l li t t le a n i ma ls to h er a n d h a ve b rou g ht he r m u ch j oy p ot ter i n g a rou n d h er g a rd en .

Art ist : Es t h e r By r t www. e s t h e r by r t . c a

Esther origin al ly was attrac te d to th is im a g e b eca u s e of the moveme nt in th e m o de l’s h air. Th at alon e ent i ced Esther to us e h e r in a p aintin g . Howeve r, i t wa s t h e p oigna nt yet d ram atic p o s e th at h e l p e d to b r ing a s tor y to l ife w ith in h er a r t wor k .

A r t i s t : K at h r i n New m a n w w w. kat h r i n n ew m a n . co m Ka t hrin sta rte d th is p aintin g w ith two o b j ec t i ves . Fi r s t of f, s h e wa nted to b ea r a res emb la n ce to t h e s t yle of Vla d imir Voleg ov, w h ic h in s p ire d h e r. S e co nd , s h e wa nted to c rea te a pa i nt i n g w i t h s ome b a c k li g ht i n g . Looks l ike th e b oxes h a ve b een c h ec k ed of f !

Ar t i s t : K i m b e r ly G ua rd i p e e www.g ua rd i p e e p h oto g ra p hy. co m Kimberly cha nged th in g s up a b it fo r th is p ainti n g . S h e wa nted to c rea te a n i ma g e w i t h a b r i g ht b a c k - li t h i ghl i g ht . To a ccomplish th is , s h e us e d th e f lyin g le aves a n d t h e t u r ps b r u s h es . Wh a t a cool (a n d s u cces s f u l) proje ct !

A r t i s t : Ja n i ce B at te r b e e inst a g ra m . co m / j a n i ce b at te r b e e 1 6 9 5 Ja nice pu rch as e d a s to c k im ag e f ro m Th e C olby Fi les a n d t h ou g ht — w h a t joy to pa i nt a mod el t h a t h a s s u ch gra ce a nd seren ity. C h o o s in g war m co lo r s aid ed w i t h en h a n c i n g t h e mod el, a n d Ja n i ce reveled i n a d d i n g pa i nte r ly to u c h es wi t h Br u s hy G ood n es s .

A r t i s t Aut um n C a lve r t w w w. a ut um n c a lve r t . co m Au t u mn’s fam ily m e m b e r h as a h ard tim e s eei n g mu ted color s , wh i c h li mi t s h i s a b i li t y to en joy a r t . Whe n she ca me a c ro s s th e v iv id co lo r s in th is p i c t u re, s h e i mmed i a tely t h ou g ht of h i m. It d i d n’ t h u r t t h a t s h e wa s al s o wantin g to tr y ou t s ome n ew tec h n i q u es . It wa s a w i n -wi n !

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