Photography

The Difference of a Decade

| Ness

Time is an illusion.

Albert Einstein

There’s a trend going on these days, which I have seen on Twitter specifically, of artists sharing the difference in their work after a decade. Seeing so many people do this, and to see such drastic improvements over time, is inspiring. I didn’t want to just share a couple of images in a tweet, though. That couldn’t quite cover the time in a way that’s acceptable to me.

I haven’t looked at much of my artwork over the last ten years. Before reviewing it, I knew that not much would be there compared to others. I knew it wouldn’t be high in quality and that I would be embarrassed by how bad it all will be. But I also knew that I shouldn’t be comparing myself, or my artwork, to others in this way.

It turns out, though, only one of those things is true. There’s not much of it. However, the quality isn’t bad and it certainly doesn’t embarrass me. I tried to create and succeeded in making new things. Some are more complete than others, and I did my best. That much is evident.

I had, and have, room to improve. And overall, it looks like I managed to do it. I fell down a few times, took a couple stumbling steps back, but in the end my skill in digital art is moving forward again.

Let’s take a look, shall we?

Something New

Ten years ago, in the spring of 2009, I was finishing up a course at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario. It was a two-semester course called Performing Arts Preparation, that I took out of personal interest. I wanted to practice acting, singing, and hoped to become more confident. I did manage these things, and while the year was stressful I do value what I learned and the people I met.

During that time, my health was extremely poor. I wasn’t sleeping and I was always exhausted, depressed, anxious, and spent most of my mental space focusing on staying conscious.

It took a few more years before I got myself into a better place.

I did a lot of drawing during this time. Sketches on paper and only sometimes colouring on the PC with Photoshop. It was intended as a distraction but it was a start.

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Now with Ko-fi

| Ness

My Ko-fi page is now live!

Ko-fi is a platform that allows creators, like me, to be easily supported by fans of their work. Supporters can give a “ko-fi”, which is similar to the price of a coffee, to show someone that they value their work and would like to offer support. It’s pretty great!

If you enjoy my work and would like to help me make more, please consider supporting me on Ko-fi!

As a thank you from me, all supporters are given access to a wallpaper package, containing a variety of sunset photos from my collection of work.

Check out the page to learn more. 😊

Thanks! ❤

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com

September Adventures: Sugar Pine Reservoir Part 2

| Ness

Last week I shared Part 1 of my adventures in Sugar Pine Reservoir, where I visited the area in late September with my husband and mother-in-law. It’s a gorgeous area to spend the day wandering around and soaking in the beauty of nature.

I had heard stories from my husband and his family about how beautiful and peaceful the area was, but had yet the chance in any of my travels to visit the space.

This all changed last month. And I think it’s safe to say it’s now one of my favourite places in California. I want to back!

Let’s get to the photographs, shall we?

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September Adventures: Sugar Pine Reservoir Part 1

| Ness

In late September, my husband, mother-in-law and I traveled to Sugar Pine Reservoir, located in Northern California, to spend the day wandering around. I had heard stories from my husband and his family about how beautiful and peaceful the area was, but had not yet had the chance to visit.

This was all about to change.

In preparation, I purchased a new SD Card for my camera, a nearly-ten-year-old Canon EOS REBEL T3. In previous years, I have shied away from shooting photographs in RAW. My excuse was that SD Cards were expensive and I would rather take more photos and experiment, rather than have to stop early and miss something because I didn’t have card space.

These days, SD Cards don’t really cost all that much and I have no excuse not to ensure I have ample room for the photos I need to take. I never had any excuse, to be honest.

And after editing RAW photos in Adobe Lightroom Classic recently, I don’t think I will ever go back to using only Adobe Photoshop. For photo editing, if I don’t need to edit people out of them or work on a design, I can see myself using Lightroom for most retouching instead. It’s amazing for organization and batch editing. I love it!

Let’s get to the photographs, shall we?

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Editing Landscape Photography

| Ness

This post is based on a similar post I created for Tali Gibson Designs LLC‘s company Portfolio. It was a post that turned out far more detailed than originally intended, and I can see it being relevant here as well. It gives a fair amount of insight into how I photograph and edit photos, as well as what programs I use to do my work.

There are different ways to edit a photo based on how the photo was taken and the intention behind the editing. In the case of landscape photography, there is more leeway in how far to push an image, compared to the subtlety required for portrait retouching.

Photograph taken in September 2019 at Sugar Pine Reservoir in California.

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Learning and Designing and Editing And…

| Ness

The last two months have been busy for me, so there has not been much in the way of content going up here. It’s the kind of busy-ness that’s productive, but doesn’t offer much to show for it in the short-term.

For those who keep up with my devientART Gallery, you will have seen a few designs popping up in the last month or so. That’s a small portion of what has been going on around here. I have much to show you!

Website: Tali Gibson Designs LLC

In July, my husband started up a business, Tali Gibson Designs LLC. Since then, we have been working on creating content for the website to showcase examples of the services we offer through the company. Being a new and small company, I’m both Graphic Designer, Website Administrator, Social Network Admin, and Whatever-Else-We-Happen-To-Need.

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Promotion: Living Room Decor Sale!

| Ness

It’s getting to be the time when students are heading back to school, and that means it’s time to consider refreshing the living space. Whether that room is a bedroom, office space, or shared space in a dorm, it matters not. It’s the season for change.

I think we’re all tired of all of this oppressive heat (unless it’s winter where you are, of course) and are thinking that it’s about time for something… cool. 😎

The Living Room Decor Sale is today only in my Society6 Shop! Please take a look at the details below and please let me know if you have any questions. 😀

Up to 30% Off Living Room Decor

Start: Wednesday, 7/31/19 at 12:00AM PT
End: Wednesday, 7/31/19 at 11:59PM PT

Details:
➡ 30% off tapestries, throw pillows, rectangular pillows, floor pillows, throw blankets, blackout curtains, sheer curtains, wall clocks, wallpaper, wall murals and rugs;
➡ 25% off art prints, framed prints, wall hangings, posters, canvas prints, mini framed prints, mini art prints, metal prints and wood wall art, and…
➡ 20% off credenzas, benches, bar stools, counter stools, side tables and coffee tables.

Featured Products

“Marker Scratch” Wall Clock

From the product page:
Good times! Rethink the traditional timepiece as functional wall decor. You’ll love how our Artists are converting some of their coolest designs specifically into Wall Clocks. Constructed with premium, shatter-resistant materials, with three frame color options.

“Birds and Stars” Rectangular Pillow

From the product page:
Rectangular Pillows are basically oversized Throw Pillows that provide a different look – suitable for the bed or couch. They’re comfy enough to sleep on, and a great canvas for art.

“Painted Sunset” Rug

From the product page:
Allowing you to express your style all over your home with a feature-worthy rug. They’re made from a woven, polyester chenille for a soft and textured look. Plus, choosing from our wide array of designs, you’re sure to find just the rug to match your decor.

Other Products

If there are any photographs or designs of mine you would like to see that are not in the shop, or are not on the items you’re looking for, let me know and I’ll do my best to make those available to you as soon as possible.

Thanks! ❤

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com

Gallery Update: San Francisco

| Ness

As promised in a previous post, the deviantART gallery and portfolio are updated with a number of photos from 2016 when I visited San Francisco. It was an adventure and I can’t wait to get the chance to go back.

I made the trip from Mississauga, Ontario to California to visit my boyfriend (who is now my husband) and his family for a couple weeks around the Canada Day holiday and Independence Day. On July 4th, a group of us went to San Francisco to meet another friend and explore the city.

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