Be creative for a second

I want to highlight a book called 'Creative for a second' written by people who suffer from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). In case you are not aware of this condition or maybe your doctor here have not told you of this difficult to diagnose condition, a reliable source can be obtained from here. The entire book and the artworks are available entirely free online, while awaiting printed copies to come. So, do go through it while it is still free!

The works of art are fantastic and varied, comprising many mediums including traditional and digital art, drawing, handicraft, photography, beading and many more. I find the articles written by the sufferers of CFS to be totally sincere and eye-opening. Though targetted for these group of patients, it is also useful for those suffering from secondary fatigue arising from chronic ilnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, chronic skin conditions etc. It is also applicable for people with chronic depression or having emotional turmoil in their lives. CFS is still a condition which is a mystery as to its cause. It remains a diagnosis of exclusion and treatment is geared towards symptomatic relief with no permanent remedy at the moment.

I hope after reading their testimonies and browsing thru their arts, you will discover creative outlet in visual art and even in writing and poetry.

Scarlett Johansson

Copyright ©2008 hiddenstream.blogspot.com

Just a photo retouch.
Guess I'm having scarlet fever!
Note: Since this is my first try in portrait photo retouch, any constructive critique is most welcome! I think I might've just hyperwhitened her teeth - they looked like paste now!

Reference photo
Background from Renderosity.

Blown Away

Copyright ©2008 hiddenstream.blogspot.com

Cyclones and hurricanes, anyone?
Lately, I've been dreaming of people being blown away, roof tiles yanked off piece by piece and flying objects.
This is not a very difficult work although it took me a great deal of time to blend it all together.
I get the greatest pleasure pulling shingles off the roof!

I'm also doing this with the hard hit people of Myanmar in mind - the recent Nargis Cyclone have caused deadly flooding with loss of lives reaching 100,000, apparently because of lack of mangroove cover in the coastal line. The deathtoll in the aftermath of this storm could be even worse due to widespread pollution and infection, either water or air-borne.

All stocks from sxc.hu

Winter Solace

Copyright ©2008 hiddenstream.blogspot.com

Mother Nature has provided many wonderful mountains to marvel at!
This is based on my oil painting Green Pasture posted last year.
I try to make that transformation from traditional to digital with as few alteration as possible.
Ample time spent on brush tip shape and dynamics to mimic my oils, especially the mountain and evergreen trees.

Thanks for watching! :)

Mystery of the Crystal Necklace

Just watched Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Since 'Sex and the City' edged out the latest Indy flick at the recent weekend box office, I thought I'll do a female version of it. Let's call it The Mystery of the Crystal Necklace!

This is a digital/traditional combo. The mountain range, sky and distant trees are part of my oil painting, Blu-Truth which I have posted much earlier

Except for the beautiful model, all other stock images are taken from sxc.hu.

Ships that pass in the night v.2

Copyright ©2008 hiddenstream.blogspot.com

Did some alteration to my previous posting. I decided turn the image into grayscale and layer a golden colour filter on top it. I wasn't happy with the main tall ship (too low resolution) so I've decided to replace it with another stock image.
Stock credit for this posting remains the same as the last one here.

Ships that pass in the night

Copyright ©2008 hiddenstream.blogspot.com

We sat and watched the distant light
Two ships that pass in the night
We both smile and say its alright
We're still here
It's just that we're out of sight
Like those ships that pass in the night

(Lyrics by Barry Manilow)

I'm really shocked today to learn that an acquaintance of mine had passed away due to a cardiovascular event last evening. He was undergoing follow-up in the National Heart Institute. I was halfway thru this when I heard the news. In fact, I just saw his son 2 days ago. He's working in a cafe/bakery while on his school break.

This is a moment of great sorrow. I hope the grieving family will stay strong in this time of tribulation. I shall email this to them real soon.

To the whole family, this one's for you. Listen here

Farewell, my friend.
As for me, this will be another soul searching journey.

Stockroll:

Puffin birds
by http://www.sxc.hu/profile/horsch
Ships
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:TheEnduranceInFullSail.jpg http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Cisne-2g.jpg http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Alex_von_Humboldt_%28ship%29_Grosssegel.jpg
Mountain island church
Galaxy