a gift ~ ivy antonio

(image copyright ivy antonio 2010)

i'm back! and oh my goodness, you are in for a treat.

i absolutely LOVE Ivy's beautiful ART.

and she is so generously sharing with you today.
in a BIG way

i love when people share!

Please read on to hear how Ivy creates her beautiful digital collage images.

it's INCREDIBLE.
and there's more....

Ivy has also created a pdf of this lovely 'follow your dreams' image.

isn't that awesome?

click HERE to download it.

yeppers.. you can download this beautiful image, print it, frame, it, gift it to a friend...

keep sharing the LOVE.

thank you so much Ivy. i'm so thrilled you are here!

note: personal use only.  please do not redistribute, sell, mass produce etc.

you know the drill.... :)

so with that said... i will hand it over to Ivy.....

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Thank you Kim for having me as a guest I am so honored and humbled. I’ve been asked by several readers about my digital process and I am very happy to have this opportunity to share it with a broader audience.

When I create in digital, it’s not much different than when I create a painting or illustration: there’s composition, value, color theory and lighting. I’m always inspired by images. I usually have a camera on me – whether I carry my Canon EOS 50D (SLR) or pull out my small point and shoot (SONY cyber-shot) which I keep in my purse at all times. I love taking photos and usually try to use my own photography in my art to avoid any copyright issues but when I just don’t have that perfect image I either buy an image online or I recreate it myself drawing it by hand, digitally or a combination of both.
The photo- editing program I love and use is Photoshop CS4. It’s an amazing program because creative options are limitless and I have the luxury editing or canceling my last move easily and quickly.

To start I sketch out an idea or write down my idea and words relating to it to get my juices flowing. In this case, I knew I wanted to create a spiritual, soft and inspirational piece. With a concept in my head I search through my photo library for more inspiration then grab my base (main image) for this piece, a rose. Then I include a texture to add more depth to the artwork, I search my texture collection and pick 3 textures by Kim Klassen (buttermilk, celery and distressed sky). Did I mention I l-o-v-e Kim’s textures and have her whole collection? They are beautiful.

At this point, I knew I wanted to add a human quality to the piece so I set my camera on a tripod and shot a photo of my hands then imported it into the program for editing. I like to use vintage/antique images because I just love the nostalgia and because copyright is no longer an issue with most vintage items. I tend to hunt for old photography, fabric and odd items in antique shops or on e-bay. This bird is from a vintage bird book I found online. I also like to download free brushes online (deviantart.com) to use in some of my art or I sometimes create my own brushes (Kim offers a video on how to create your own brush in Photoshop, an excellent video I watched myself!). The white glow, starburst and outline of the rose are all created in Photoshop to add another dimension to the piece.
When creating my digital artwork I stay away from using straight photography preferring a more vintage/painterly feel.

The bird, pink rose, hands, brushes, textures, text, glowing stars and textures are all on their own layers. This allows me to move and place every element exactly where I want it, moving each image without affecting the other. Finally, I use the textures and change the way the layers interact with each other. I experiment with different modes: my favorite and used in this piece is color burn, screen, linear burn, color dodge, overlay, multiply, hard light and normal. It’s a lot of fun and makes for some great surprising results!

A little more about Ivy:

My Business

Two and 1/2 years ago a sudden turn of events and difficult circumstances changed my path. I left the corporate world as a Design Director and through healing times, set about my dreams of creating and selling my own art. Art had a big roll in my healing and soul searching.

Today I am full-time artist, the recurring and intermingling themes of my art center around my life experiences, my culture, love of animals, people and nature. I enjoy expressing my art in many forms while incorporating my graphic design skills in all my work. Experimenting with graphic design techniques, illustration, and collage work allows me to be a more flexible artist.

I first began as an animal portrait artist and still currently take commission work. I work in oils (recently began daily painting practice) and also have evolved into other subjects and mediums such as mixed media and digital photomontage work.

I feel very fortunate to be able to remain in the art field and continue to work hard on building my art business. Plans of opening an online shop, offering mixed media digital/photoshop e-courses and pursing galleries are in the works.

My blog with varied art http://www.ivyallover.com/

My painting website http://www.ivyantonio.com/

Bio


I am Ivy, a designer, painter and an art teacher with a broad sense of many creative disciplines. I love typography, photography, heavy stock paper, the smell of fresh ink and the buttery feeling of paint.

Art has always been a passion of mine. I knew from a very early age that art was going to be a strong influence in my life. As long as I can remember I have loved observing, drawing and creating. Getting lost in my own world, drawing in solitude was my favorite thing to do growing up.

I have a Bachelor of Arts degree in Graphic Design and a minor in Illustration. I was born and raised in Connecticut to Latin parents from both Colombia and Ecuador. I grew up speaking Spanish as my first language and traveling to both countries during the summers to visit family. Both embracing my culture and traveling opened my eyes to many things at a young age, I know in many ways it influences who I am as an artist. Growing up in rural Connecticut has also influenced me a great deal along with my life in New York City. My love of the outdoors, animals, nature as well as my love of the city, all deeply impact my art.

2 or 3 of my Fav Posts:

hmmm this was hard but I think my fav posts are:
1. Bogey In Red  ~ my favorite dog portrait

2. IF “Paisley” –Wedding Dress  ~  sentimental meaning its my dress and gave me the idea of offering commission pieces of Wedding Dress digital collage to girls makes great wedding gifts

3. IF “Trail” Black Trail in the Gulf  ~ a sentimental graphic piece my contribution to helping the oil spill


Blogs I love

1. http://karinjurick.blogspot.com/
Karin Jurick – inspirational painter and a teacher I took a workshop with in NYC ( I blogged about) love her!

2. http://artandghosts.squarespace.com/
great digital artists

3. http://www.kellyraeroberts.blogspot.com/
great artist, successful business/ecourse

4. http://theblackapple.typepad.com/
great artists and successful Etsy shop!

5. http://www.kimklassencafe.com/
just love you!!

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