How I Make These "Artoons".

The "Artoons" on the pages below were all generated in Photoshop. I thought you might be interested in seeing how some of them were created since none of them really existed before, except in my warped mind. I usually start with only a phrase, political statement or a double entendre for my funny artoons. OR If a picture's worth a thousand words, just look at the picture and think of a funny scenario. I usually find (or create my own photos) to support a given premise then look for pictures. In this way, I consider them 'art' (if art is expression) just as much as a drawing or painting in the traditional mediums.

Internet picture of Art from Junk.

For many decades man has produced 'art from junk'. How about art from junk pictures? I never really know how my creations will finally turn out but that's part of the fun.

Each of my artoon graphics start as a blank page and simple elements are added to produce a finished product. In Monday's effort titled "An Even Fifty Bucks? Just One More Squirt!" I took three pictures from the internet. I was careful to find pictures that did not have much artistic value. For example gas station ads or equipment catalog items etc. For my purposes, I was not going after artistic renderings, just basic components. I knew what I basically wanted to end up with. Although the pictures of items in my composite may be copyrighted, I reason that since I am not using them commercially and since they are not being used in any way that would compete or confuse the company's clientele, I could probably get away with using them on my private blog with little likelihood of being contacted by a lawyer.

"Fifty Bucks" contains 4 basic components. The car, The nozzle and hand/arm, the gas pump display and the red 'burst'. I positioned and manipulated the items, then added some text. Often I'll modify the component pictures extensively or use such a small portion that they are not recognizable to even the original creator. Where possible I use my own photos.

In this case, once I had the basic picture, I added animation. This is a somewhat more lengthy stage wherein up to a dozen or so separate pictures are merged together into what is called an 'animated GIF'. This means further manipulation, for example the hand and thumb on the nozzle trigger and the numbers on the pump display along with the timing of the text and the burst. 

 In non-animated "artoons", the job is simpler. For example "Your Big Day..." shows Betty presumably startled to see that her panties may have been forgotten in her costume. The "figures" on the ice would lead us to believe Betty may have been showing off more than her skating skills. The pic contains 4 or 5 elements. The skater, the skater's new head, the panties, and the girl holding them. The text and speech bubble were overlaid.  The original skater personality could have been easily identified, so I substituted a lady's head from a "free image" web page.

Some familiar faces (even Willie Nelson)

The original black and white photo of the 'Gang Members'

Photoshop modified

For the old motorcycle gang in "Why Millennials Don't Buy Harleys" GIF, I had to find 15 new, senior-looking heads (you'll recognize some old stars) to paste on to Marlin Brando and his buddies. Then a few duplications with some added text to make the animation complete.

Old pic from 9 years ago (2010)

Most of my pictures, whether funny or serious, involve some form of Photoshop manipulation, enhancement or composition of more than one photo to arrive at the finished product. Although, for me, this stuff requires considerable time to finish, I find it a good way to create images that exist in my mind and get them out for all to see. The example above is a composite I did nine years ago showing many squirrels at a feeder in the oak tree in our back yard. This scene never really existed, but a series of shots were merged together to form a finished piece.

Take a few squirrel pictures and add them to the scene...

 There are those who may not consider this "real art" but I suppose the same mind-set was in place when the film camera was invented well over a century ago! I view art as an expression of one's thoughts and feelings whatever the method, be it drawing, painting, sculpture, and even music and dance. I find this particular medium convenient for my kind of expression. That being said, I believe the life of this digital art, and maybe, indeed all art, could be limited and likely superceded by advancements in artificial intelligence (AI).  What will models or actors, painters and sculptors do when a computer using AI can generate and produce, in infinite detail, the very nuances of their art from anyone's (or even no human's) mind?

Like it or not, I believe this to be the beginning of what more and more 'art' will look like in the future. Of course, just as with traditional media, there is good art and bad art and that is really ALL in the eye of the beholder. I can never expect everyone to like every picture I produce but I hope you enjoy some of my efforts in this exciting and expressive 'new' digital media.

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