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pixelillustrator
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"Darren Edwards"
# Statistics
Favourites: 6; Deviations: 108; Watchers: 22
Watching: 5; Pageviews: 7826; Comments Made: 117; Friends: 5
# Comments
Comments: 33
Hi Darren, I enjoyed looking at your gallery; some great airbrushing skills.
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Hey thanks! I used to do it full time. I had a shop and airbrushed full time. Now I do computer graphics mostly, but I get in a few paintings every year.
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You've got some good work. I am inspired to going back and doing figure work again.
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Hey Darren, thank you for addin one of my shots to your fav's. I sue appreciate it my friend.
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I have done a lot of stained glass photography from some projects earlier. Unfortunately I have lost most of that from a hard drive crash.
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Since you said that..
What do you think of the angles? and the processing job..
Be honest Darren.. I ain't no softie, and I would like to know your
honest opinion.. You see any room for improvement? ?
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First what I like about this is the concept. You isolated one aspect of the church and made it the focus. Those windows just jump right out. Improvement... I don't think I could make improvements, but since it is digital there are areas to play with.
-streaked semitransparent copies of the windows to give a streak of light.
-contrasting the background to stark black and white
It's a good image and concept, I'd like to see a series or these.
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Great, I appreciate the review and comment!
I did try the shot with the stark black and white background. It looked good, but on and accident, I layered the original copy over the top and had it set at 25% opacity. IT gave the church a hint of color, which caught my attention. I do wish I would have stayed with the black and white, and I still can, I just won't post two of the same shots here. It irritates me, and I can only imagine what other would think..
On the semitransparent copies with a streak of light.. Not sure how to accomplish this.
I am actually working on a series of these. It just takes time to get permission from some of the priests and ministers to photograph the church's..
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How much of your work is digital after the shot? How much photoshop do you do?
Show a print of this and you should get permission for a shoot in about any church.
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It depends.
Some is simple contrast and the usual sharpness.
Most of them I adj the white balance to where the shot was supposed to be
as I have yet to buy one of them darn cards..
Then there are some that I do a lot to, such as the church..
But most of them are the simple and usual adjustments.
You know.. That is a great Idea.. I never thought of showin one of my actual shots..
HUH.. Who'd a thought..
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Your picture speaks for itself.
Select out a window, copy it into a layer, use the motion blur filter adjusting the angle to an angle of light, then use layer opacity at around 10-25%. This may give a dramatic stream of light.
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Oh.. Hell that is a good idea.
I will work on that and see what I come up with.
Thanks Darren.
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Your words and art are references to times of change. I can't even imagine how you do what you. I'm been shaking my head while reading the description of how you accomplish the art you do. It is absolutely beautiful. I would have swore that the saddles in pictures were photos until I read your description. As far as the family property goes, I've been there too, lost the ranch in Costa Rica and all the life style that went along with it. It near broke my heart at the time, but now, years down the road, the lessons were difficult yet necessary. I feel for what you are going through and wish you and your family well.
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I think that art comes out of knowing a technical skill to the extent that it becomes fluid. I really did dream of becoming an illustrator when I first started out as an artist and learned airbrushing obsessively. By the time I got it down in the early '90's I saw that computer graphics were the way. I make my living as a designer and the painting I now do just for myself.
As far as my families ranch... My father is in the position of giving away his life's work to his siblings, lawyers to fight the siblings, or the bank. At least he has choices.
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Hey Darren,
Recon I'll keep this simple, I stared at your paintings for a while and tried to figure out how in the world no one knows about you here.. amazing.
I will be watching to see what comes next.. Incredible work pard.. Truly incredible work!1
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hey ranch,
thanks! That is quite the complement. I'm only occasionally active here and don't promote. I may try to do more this winter.
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Well, If you don't mind, Since the work you do is incredible,
I would be honored if you would allow me to feature you and your work
In my journal.
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wow, ya, that would be great! Maybe this will be the push I need to finish the 9/10ths done painting I was last working on and post it here.
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Great !!!
I will have it up on sunday.
If you have suggestions on which pieces You want featured !!!
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Hey, I don't have a preference, point out what you see.
What I would like to say about most of the pieces is this:
I grew up on a farm in Montana. It was a homestead and has been in the family for 130 years. My father has worked and sacrificed to keep the ranch together, as that would keep the family together. The ranch was the family heart.
Almost 2 years ago my grandmother died. In her will there were discrepancies. She willed away things that were not hers to give. My father's siblings who have long since moved away are grouping up in legal proceedings that will make up for lifetimes of their bad career and financial decisions. I don't know what will happen to the ranch once the dust settles, but it will be in a diminished state.
So that is the motivation behind some of the more somber paintings.
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God Darren, and this is the place you grew up??
Wish at times I was a man of more influence and could make a difference when it came to affairs like this. But all I can do is sit here a thousand miles away and shake my head. If you are anything like me, and we apparently are nearly the same age, Home and family history are one of the most important thing in my book.
I can understand a bit of what your goin thru. The Kelly family has a ranch down in central Texas, near Athens, used to be more than a league, but over the years, it has been sold of piece by piece and the herd is now near non existent. My late father fought to keep what was left in the family, but that battle ended up severing ties among the family. My brother and I are the two Sole remaining Kelly's from my fathers side. What can you do. That I still haven't figured out.
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I grew up with the thought that "this is the year it could go under, this is the year we could lose it all." Ranch after ranch went under, every year more families moved away. We had to make big sacrifices, but my father was able to keep it together.
Now, with family pulling legal maneuvers for cash has aged my dad more in the last year than the previous 20.
There isn't much I can do. I keep tabs on my family and visit the ranch often. The sentimentality inspired me to create paintings entirely different from anything I had done before. I have another series started of tight shots of old vehicles. This ran out of steam due to being busy from work. I may get back into them this winter.
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It's good to hear you are back at the art.
I hope everything works out and your pa settles everything quickly.
All the best you to you and your dad.
I will feature you this next weekend pard.
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So what does a feature entail? Do you want anything from me?
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LOL.. sorry that gave me a chuckle..
I don't want anything from you pard, just wanted to feature your work.
If you look at my journal, at present there is another artist that I am featuring.
His name is Mario Rossi. Your feature will look similar to his. Take a look and tell me what you think.
This is just my way of sayin thanks to the western artists. Not enough of them.
Sorry for any confusion pard.
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I just thought you might want a bio or artists statement or something.
I only attempted to get work in a western art gallery once, the owner wanted my work but his wife balked later. She had something against airbrush, which is weird as Montana's most famous artist is also an airbrush artist (Monte Dollack).
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Bio and Statement would be great !!
Sometimes folks think they know what everyone wants, and those are the folks in my book that are to be wary of. Her loss pard.
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Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. What you put down was great, I don't think I would really want to add to it. Thank you so much for the mention. I logged in to a LOT of traffic, favorited images and messages today. Thank you, I appreciate the shout out.
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I am glad you liked the post. And even more pleased that you
received the "traffic". That is simply why I do this.
Folks as good as you need to be seen and known about. I am a simple man, sorta nobody, but I always try to do my part.
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You seem to know what you are talking about; a lot of what you said went over my head "though", Probable do to the fact that I'm being asked to get off the computer this moment so I'm pretty much rushing. Anyway it's great to hear from someone who puts a lot of thought into the ideals and process of art.
If possible could you critique my work, because next year is starting for me at my art school and I'm having a hard time deciding what classes I should take?
It probable would not help as much for you to know that the work I do in school I normally donβt put on deviant art, but of course there are few exceptions regarding the four recent still lifeβs I did in watercolor.
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Dom,
I apologize for missing your comment for so long. I have yet to navigate all of dA. I looked at your work. You have excellent observations of details. This makes your still life's stronger than your fantasy work. Working with observable detail will take you further than stylizing any day. I have a big but easily remedied criticism about your compositions. You place the main object dead center, it's much more appealing in the rule of thirds.
Imagine dividing the page into thirds both horizontaly and vertically. The horizon should be on one of the horizontal lines at the top or bottom third, never bisecting the image. The intersections of the verticle and horizontal lines should be where the interesting objects should be roughly placed. i.e. place the head of an object in the upper third in the left, hips in lower left, knee in the lower right- making an "L" thru 3 intersecting thirds.
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