My Grandmother always used to say... "You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear"! And in general I've found that to be hearty counsel which has stood me in good stead over the years. (Particularly when it comes to cheap shoes and men! ahem...)
I find often though that the same solid counsel does not necessarily apply to photographs, things that capture your eye, be it for shape or form and then you look at the picture after downloading it and go Ugh.... and Ugh again....and wonder what the dickens you can do with it.....
So here's a Sow's ear photo that I took recently in Germany. I knew I like the lines, detail and figured it had to be good for something..... and this is where it went....
.....straight out of the camera
then some cropping, added texture, ridiculous over sharpening, a duplicated layer inverted layer blend modes applied....
then I had the bright idea to turn it into a circle.... some square selections, copied, pasted and masked to get the effect that I had in mind...reminiscent of a fabulous round stained glass window....
and finally I took it all one step further and had a bit of fun making a few Kaleidescopes.....
And aren't I glad that I didn't consign that puppy to the Trash bin!!!! :-)
Here's hoping your week goes well.....and that the next storm looming is nothing more than a Teacup full.
Beautiful - all of the versions!!!!
Hope you are getting back to 'normal' and this next storm is just a cool breeze!!! :)
Posted by: Tera | November 06, 2012 at 09:27 AM
Clock-like! That's what I like about the fourth one! It's more architectural and mathematic.
I'm not commenting about this again.
Posted by: Chris | November 06, 2012 at 12:24 AM
I think I like the first and the fourth images the best. The fourth one looks more iridescent, and the first is more Mandala like.
Posted by: Chris | November 06, 2012 at 12:22 AM
Okay, seriously. I want a mural of this.
The gold grid just pops out!
Talk about mosaicky! This is a sight-fest.
Posted by: Chris | November 06, 2012 at 12:20 AM
Just love it.Great photo of our hill.OXOX M
Posted by: Mother Bear | November 05, 2012 at 10:17 AM
It reminds me of a mix between a mandala and a God's Eye. Beautifully done.
Posted by: Joanne Thieme Huffman | November 05, 2012 at 09:11 AM
That's funny, I've heard that line from my Dad and Mum growing up, I took it to heart as well :-)
I can't believe what you did with that photo! amazing skills and imagination girl!
Posted by: Bren | November 05, 2012 at 07:04 AM
It takes a good farmer to pick the best sow. great transformation! I hope the weather forgets both of us! enough!
Posted by: lyle baxter | November 05, 2012 at 06:58 AM
WOW MARIE!
They are all divine "silk purses"! Really extraordinary - did you add up the hors spent pixel pushing? An artist friend of mine is so meticulous with her record keeping - she keeps count of every 15min block she spends on a piece.
It just reminds me of how slack I am.
So glad that you are all on the road back to normality, and you have a new found skill of olive oil lamp making to boot!
Posted by: Cindy Lane | November 05, 2012 at 04:23 AM