The ducks at the pond by my office are all setting their eggs now. Soon we'll have many little ducklings. For my third painting I used a photo I took two years ago. The duck had made her nest right below the bathroom window of my office suite. The photo was taken the day the five ducklings hatched. The sixth egg did not hatch. Here is a small version of the original photo:

For this painting I used the Underpainting Saturate Style as well as Smart Blur. I did not like the original background where the nest was located so added some additional paint then use the Grainy blender to blur the background. After finishing the painting I added Jagged Edges then I applied the Italian Watercolor paper effect. I used Acrylic brushes for the painting. I really like how this one turned out.

My last painting is based on a photo I took in China in 1999. Not only was the day overcast but the digital cameras then had a maximum resolution of 640x480. To compound the problem, I really didn't know how to use the camera as I'd just gotten it before the trip. Prior to using the photo for the painting I lightened it and reduced some of the noise. Here is a small version of the original photo, with adjustments:

I experimented with most of the Style settings for this photo and think I actually applied two of the effects. After doing the initial underpainting I decided to add some color to the leaves as well as mauve flowers on the tree. I also added some blue to the sky then blended that into the background. I used Acrylic brushes for the painting and the Grainy Blender. I am planning on working with more of the paintings I took in China as this technique works well with otherwise bad photos.

This was fun, Karen! I'm looking forward to learning more about these new palettes.