Wheelbarrows Abstract

[waha]

Sometimes I enjoy playing with colors and shapes. With no particular destination in mind, I let the photograph guide me. More often than not, this process leads to interesting, albeit abstract, designs.

The picture below began its life as a photo of three gaudily painted wheelbarrows leaning against the side wall of a hardware store....

[Donald]

Sometimes I enjoy playing with colors and shapes. With no particular destination in mind, I let the photograph guide me. More often than not, this process leads to interesting, albeit abstract, designs.

I love that someone is bold enough to go with an idea such as this. I keep thinking I stay on relatively safe ground. I like it!

[Lon Howard]

I was trying to ignore the fact that I already knew what it was. At first glance it appeared to be an abstraction sprung entirely from imagination, and attractive in it's own right. But then the grooves in the red one made me think possibly otherwise, and then it got very interesting. I'd give something for a mind like that - not sure what, but something ... very nice, Wayne!

[johnbharle]

Could you post the original so we can see how far you came?
john

[ilovelucydog]

Really an amazing image... very creative.

[waha]

First of all: Thank you all for your kind comments. As a newcomer, I appreciate a bit of positive feedback

As to Johnbharle's question, well, the abstract bears precious little resemblance to the original photo. That's what I find so fascinating: one can start with almost any photo and wake up in "a totally different country."

I can't be entirely certain that the attached photo is precisely the one I used, but--if not--it's very,very close.

waha

[waha]

Oops, wrong picture. Not sure how this happened. (Did I mention I was a newcomer to CIC?) If this try doesn't work, I'll crawl into my burrow for a while.

waha

[slooky]

so how did you do that?

[waha]

Hi Slooky,

I wished I could give a clear answer to your question and describe the step-by-step workflow that led to the abstract image. Trouble is, when I go for an abstract, I don't use a streamlined "workflow." Instead I go into a mode I can only call "playflow." So I quite literally play around with various tools, and when I see something interesting emerging I follow it.

However, there are some tools I find myself using more than others. GIMP, the free photo editor, has a set of filters called Distort, among them Warp. There is also Map, including Bumpmap etc. I think you will find similar tools also in PSE or whatever editor you happen to use.

I apologize for being so vague, but these abstracts flow more out of playful intuition than technique. Sometimes something interesting takes shape; other times I come to a total dead end. That's what the trash can is for.

If you want to have some fun, just make a copy of an image and play with it, using various tools from your editor. You may be surprised where the picture leads you.

Good luck,
waha