Graphic Art and the Locomotive.

[John 2]

The original plus another PP'd version the image used to produce the water colour version recently posted. The technique lends itself particularly well to architecture (if you like that sort of thing) but I thought I would try it here. I quite liked the result but comments very welcome.

Fuji X + 55-200mm Zoom @ 55mm

1. Original Image.


2. Graphic Treatment

[ionian]

I'm not a big fan of this effect - a personal opinion only, but I can see that you've created a naturalistic painted effect that is successful.

However, if it were mine, I'd be wanting to make it feel more like a painting. I'd clone out the safety stickers on the front of the engine, and probably the driver as well as the passengers further down the image. Then I'd think about increasing the effect - it feels like it's a little underdone at present, are there options to increase the brush size etc? The trees in particular feel too naturalistic to me, and the train itself could do with some broader strokes. The smoke looks fine.

Lastly, I'd consider the frame - a white background with no shadow border would feel more like a painting to me, and if you can create a rough edge to the image then even better.

Having started by saying that the watercolour effect is not my favourite way to process an image, I can really see it working superbly with a little more play in your pp software. It's a lovely image, with bold lines.

Edit: just read down the forum and seen the original processed image, which is much more in line with my feelings about applying this technique. I understand that you were going for something more natural here, sorry for not reading down far enough before wading in!

[Shadowman]

Nicely done, very dramatic colorings.

[John 2]

Thanks Simon and John for the feedback. Simon, this isn't a water colour attempt. The water colour version is here:

Art and Locomotion.

The technique really tries to replicate inking over an image (which might of course be a water colour) to give it a harder edge. No brushes were involved.

[Mike Buckley]

The difference between the two images is best appreciated by viewing them in the Lytebox. Very nicely done!

[bnnrcn]

Both look great .A very nice image and a very nice interpretation of it

[Wavelength]

I like them; original is more favored....

[Geoff F]

The original is good; possibly framed a fraction on the tight side but not really a problem for me.

With the previous artistic version I was rather put off by the way the scene was processed into a somewhat blurred pastel type of image, but the train numbers remained totally sharp. That seemed a bit unrealistic to me. So I much prefer this second artistic rendition which is sharper all round.

[Sergio M.]

Fantastic looking locomotive and it appears you are having fun doing alternative processing.
A lot of food for thought.

Sergio

[IzzieK]

It must raining over there you way, John (or your wife grounded you or the time being...) that is why you decided to sit down in front of your computer and paint away. I prefer the first version even though there isn't much difference between the two. I believe I know what you are trying to do here. If you are playing with Nik's Colour Efex you will have more options to choose...

[John 2]

Thanks all for the additional comments.

Geoff, I agree with you in fact purists will say that you should include the whole of the smoke plume. When I originally posted images of this locomotive I used an image that had more room but rather than post the same image twice, I selected a different frame.

Izzie, no Nik effects here. It's all done with layers.