This is a digital mixed media painting. The entire image was created with digital media, starting with a scanogram of vintage objects, and ending with a photo editing program.
Step #1: Scanogram
If you’re not familiar with a scanogram, it’s basically a photogram, but created on a flat-bed scanner versus a photo enlarger. The objects are a Tower vintage camera from eBay and several black and white photos from my grandfather. He was a shutterbug back in the day, and I love repurposing his photos.
Step #2: Painting
I used the My Brushes app on my iPad to do the painting effects. This was done with the free app, which I have now upgraded to pro (for $4.99, which is a steal for this great app). Unfortunately, the program crashed on the last edit and I was not able to retrieve it. I like this app because you can bring in a photo to paint, and then you can either keep it in or take it out and just have your painting. This is a nice feature for people like me who can’t draw. I draw stick people, and even they’re pathetic ones.
Step #3: Coloring
I used Photoshop Touch to add the vintage sepia tones and to crop out the black paper edges. It’s not the full-blown PS, but it’s nice to have some of those features on your iPad.
Step #4: Framing & Effects
Some people think this might be taking it too far. I like playing with the photo effects programs. I decided to give it an old, vintage look by adding some scratches and a photo border. I used Pixlr-o-matic on my iPad to add these effects. I like this program because it’s easy to use and has a great interface.
Notes:
Here’s the original scanogram next to the final image. This whole project spanned several days, although the time it took from start to finish was probably around 3-4 hours.
