An App A Day Keeps the Boredom Away

One of my favorite apps is called Foolproof Art Studio. As many of you know, I love painting on my photos. And Foolproof is an app that allows you control of the paintbrush. Unlike Painteresque or Artista Oil apps (both of which I like very much), Foolproof has you creating every brush stroke rather than having it done for you. So each rendition is one of a kind. Here are a few examples.

This boat floats just off the shore at the Kapuaiwa Palm Grove in Moloka`i, Hawai`i. It has been photographed by countless folks over the years (and in every kind of light by Dewitt and me.) This is a whole new look when painted in Foolproof.

I like abstract works of art and enjoyed "painting" this ocean scene. The color palette is striking - and all from the original photo.

Gal pal Theresa was photographing with me on the beach, so of course, I had to take a photo of her in her element. Then I painted her in Foolproof.

My favorite of our beach day is this minimalist scene of a celadon wave breaking on the golden sand under an azure sky. I liked the original photo and I LOVE the painted one. Foolproof Art Studio is my app of the day.

Smoosh: New Fab Painting App from Pixel Blend Creator

Pixel Blend, a painting app that simulates the process of Time Zero Polaroid SX70 emulsion "painting" is one of my favorite apps. Now, Michael Valdez has come out with its easier to use cousin: Smoosh. (Smooshing is what we SX70 enthusiasts used to say we were doing when we moved the emulsion on the Polaroid prints.) I tried it and I love it! It's intuitive and user-friendly - even if you've never heard of SX70 or Time Zero or heaven forbid, Polaroid.

To test it out, I pulled up a "nothing" shot of a rose that I took intending to paint it one day.

I painted (smooshed) it. Even took out the bug on one petal just by smooshing. Cool. It's still just an ok shot, but the paint strokes are wonderful.

 I finished it off with cropping and adding a couple of textures.

 My good friend and photographer Theresa Souers challenged me to "paint" one of her photos so she could watch the process. (Seriously a bit like watching paint dry - not a spectator sport, but we had wine so it went okay.)

 She had this lovely shot of a beached red canoe, mountains in the background, nature all around. After warming and toning with Tiffen PhotoFX app, I set about painting with Smoosh. I liked it a lot, but decided it needed something (always). So I took it into Painteresque app, which is way too much, but combined both images in IRIS app and voila. We both liked it. Collaborative art, once again.

Painteresque: iPhone Diva’s New Fave App

I was asked the other day what might be my favorite iPhone photo art app. That’s hard to answer - because I have lots of favorites - and they change all the time.

It all depends on what I want to convey in an image, and that usually involves a number of apps for each shot. Sometimes I’ve previsualized - taking a shot with a specific app in mind; other times it’s an organic process of just working a photo until it “feels right”.

Occasionally, I run across an app that is a favorite across the board - for almost any image. While I’m usually not a huge fan of “one trick pony” apps, in the case of Painteresque, I’ve made an exception. Because it is simply phenomenal! So I can say that this week, it’s my favorite app.

Here are a few images to give you a taste of what this yummy app can do.

A view of an entryway/garden in Honolulu.

My friends David and Victoria Ruderman (iPhone Diva artist contributors) have puzzles set up in their great room for breaks from work and art play. I loved the play of light on the boards and the repeat of triangles.

A heart shaped leaf on a ginger lei makes a perfect Hawaiian style valentine.

Outrigger canoes at rest on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii.