First Tryout Images Using Art Rage 4

[Stephen Lo Piano]

Okay, I'm behind the times yet recently upgraded from 2.5 to 4.
I was able to plug in the KPT filters for use in this program as special effects and started experimenting. After a few rounds using the paint bucket and gradient options available in 4 and some paint brush strokes to create a movement style effect I added some KPT filter effects that worked with this program. Adjusted the several different layers of opacity and came up with this image result.

The KPT filters are an older plug in software program from the XP generation of software. Nice feature with this Art Rage 4, the ability to use certain special effects plug-ins.

[Stephen Lo Piano]

I did some portraits with Art Rage 2.5 and 1 yet this was my first attempt at painting something in portrait style with 4.
I like the expansion of the palette knife options to create a wider diversity of styles in blending effects. Noticed how this knife tool works very well with the paint tube option.
On my computer some of the variants in the knife run very slow in application yet that may be the result of using an older outdated computer and operating system (Windows XP).

Well anyway making the best with what is available I came up with this first tryout portrait painting.
The person in this image is someone that was in a music recording popular rock music band. Can you guess who this is?
If you can guess who this is correctly then I did a fairly good job of painting a likeness of this person.

[pai]

Wooot ! Nice you painted this great portrait used the newest version. That hair must be taken you long time to do. So details. Yes, the newest version has so many stuffs and improved a lot on the paints and knife, that mainly my favorite tools. and oh, you should try that Symmetry tool, very very fun to play with. I like a lot. Well, there are too many new things to try out, even I haven't finished explored the full use of this newest version. Hope to see more of your work, Stephen

[Stephen Lo Piano]

Here's another portrait of the same person as shown in the image above.

Working on a third portrait that I hope to post upon some level of considered completion. The third one will be a portrait of this person later in life at an older age.

[Stephen Lo Piano]

Okay here's my modern art piece, the title of this image is "My Rothko"
Now what the hell, I saw a painting that looks similar to this one he painted years ago that sold over the past decade in an auction for 73 million. I believe the title was "Muave".

Did my image here in 5 minutes. First took the Art Rage Paint Roller tool and created the background on one layer.
Then I added layers and used the Selection Rectangle Feature in Art Rage to create the orangish rectangular shapes you see and darker middle one, adjusted the opacity on the layers to 50-60 to allow some streaks of canvas layer to run through..
After flattening the image into one layer took the pallette knife and used the Just Blend Color setting option to break up the straight rectangular shape of color created by the Selection Rectangle shapes.
There you have it something that looks like a Rothko.

I could seriously use a few cool million bucks at my age and economic status right now, (could buy a new computer and new software to start). Would like to spend my retirement in a nice place with an art studio and a decent new car.

So here goes, the "My Rothko" Auction:

Anyone out there willing to bid a million dollars,
Do I hear (or for the internet see) a million: one million, one million, one million,
Do I see two million: two million, two million, two million,
Do I see three million: three million, three million, three million.
Going once, going twice, going three times!

I understand that rich people like to hide their assets by investing in these type of Rothko paintings, so being this is a computer generated image instead of a natural media painting I'll show you a way to hide your monetary investment in this image. You'll get a .jpg, .png, .bmp, or .tif copy of this image, and if your using a Windows operating system you can right click on the mouse while selecting this file and then choose properties from the menu. Once in the properties window select summary, there you can write in how much you payed for this image and keep this investment secret by encryting the file allowing you to have a track record of your investment. In fact I could make a couple dozen more of these Rothko type images and you could start a ledger system in the Properties Summary by simply debiting the title of the painting and crediting Cash.
Now all you high financiers do I hear (or better yet see) four million!

This of course is not a serious attempt to sell this image instead just a little humor, yet if someone were willing to buy for a few million I am serious about needing the money. I'll even donate some of it to charity.

One problem with this image, I actually started this canvas in a landscape shape and then used the Canvas Positioner to rotate the image 270 degrees. Tried to save it that way yet found the .ptg and .jpg were saved in the original landscape view. Is there any way of rotating images in this program and saving them in the rotated position? Since I could not find a way to rotate and save in that position the task was completed using another software graphic arts program.

[markw]

The only real difference between your work and a Rothko version (digital aside) is your name. Which brings us sadly to the conclusion that the art is not what's important here but the name on it.
You could try changing your name to his but then I fear all sorts of lawyer types might start to get involved!

As for your canvas question, well you can't rotate the canvas as such to change the aspect ratio but it can be done.
Say your painting is Width:100 x Height:200 and you want it the other way round, go to Edit > 'Crop/Expand Canvas'.
In the window that opens, first and importantly, deselect 'Preserve Original Aspect' and then change the Width:100 to 200, hit OK. Your canvas should now be a large square with your paint work going across the middle of it.
Next, back to the 'Edit' menu and go to 'Transform All Layers…' Hover your cursor over one of the corner Transform handles to get the rotate arrow and rotate everything round to how you want it and when ready hit the return/enter key.
Now back to the 'Edit' menu once again and re-choose 'Crop/Expand Canvas', deselect 'Preserve Original Aspect' again and then change the Height:200 to 100, hit OK.
If I managed to make all the above clear enough, you should now have effectively changed the paintings aspect ratio the same as if you had rotated the canvas.

[Peter Pinckney]

Hi Stephen

long time no see................................I'm knocked-out by the first painting...................if you couldn't sell that one there's no justice in the world of "art

Good to see you again.

[hildee]

How did you do the hair? I'm fascinated to know...it looks like a 3D preset? Very cool!

[Stephen Lo Piano]

The hair was done with several paint tools: pencil, airbrush, oil paint, and palette knife.

I'm working on a third portrait of the same person some years later in her life.

Also have an update on the first one, decided to improve the neck area in the portrait.

No one has guessed the person I have attempted to paint in these portraits.
I will reveal this person's name here Christina Amphlett, the lead singer of a 1980's rock band from Australia called the DiVinyls.
I actually attended a 3 day rock concert in Devore California back in 1983 called "The US Festival 83", the DiVinyls opened the 3 day event, got to see and hear a performance by them at the festival.
I have been looking for a good clear photo shot of their performance at this festival on the internet, would like to make a painting of them (Christina lead singer) with Art Rage.

Unfortunately Christina Amphlett passed away last September from breast cancer, only 53 years of age. I was disappointed to find this out, still love listening to The Divinyls music CDs and records I bought in the past.
Wow how time passes and things change.

[D Akey]

Wonderful stuff Stephen!!!!!! I find the Rothko inspired stuff rather intriguing as well. Always a treat seeing what you're doing. As Peter Pinckney is fond of saying: