Example of This Process
 Original Photograph I've chosen this image to demonstrate how the process I described in the preceding essay was done. |
 I wanted to get a better background for the dancers before I altered it. I chose to add some blue and green so that the red and yellow would stand out. I'm not worried about getting things too precise because the effects will take care of any imperfections at this stage. |
"Mucking Up" - Divorcing the Image from it's photographic roots
In the following images I used some of my modified filter effects in Microsoft's Digital Image Pro to start to get some abstraction from the original photo, and to create images containing specific parts that I'll want to place in my final image
 V1 |
 v2 |
 V4 |
 V8 |
 DB |
In the following iterations of this image I've created some with detail and others with less detail and more defined brush strokes and medium imprint. |
The Blending Process - Rough and Smooth Offset Each Other
Now I taken the first (v1) and third images (V8) and pasted one a top of the other in Corel Painter. By changing the opacity setting, I can create a synthesis of the two by varying degrees. I can also alter each one individually such as the last frame in which I've darken the top image to bring out more details and chalk texture
 Opacity 75% |
 Opacity 50% |
 Opacity 35% |
 Details in hat |
Refining the Final Image
I decided I wanted a little more details in the face of the dancer. To do this, I masked just the eyes and lips of the DB image, and copied and pasted it as a layer onto the new composite image. I decreased the opacity significantly and adjusted the brightness and contrast, and then used a blending brush to refine the details slightly.
Final Image