America's Top Pandemic

Tune in every day at 5 pm EST for another installment of the hottest reality show on television, America's Top Pandemic. You'll be confounded and amazed by the wacky antics of the whole gang, including His Gracious Lord of Light the Royal Emperor, The Angel of Death, minion Renfield, Lord Voldemort, Randall Flagg, and don't forget those crazy new additions to the team, the four horsemen of the apocalypse.

Weird Times Indeed

Here's some new music to add to your pandemic soundtrack. Nine Inch Nails just released a pair of albums online, Ghosts V and Ghosts VI. NIN are always great, and have aged as a band like a fine wine over the years.

MUSIC – WHETHER LISTENING TO IT, THINKING ABOUT IT OR CREATING IT – HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE THING THAT HELPED US GET THROUGH ANYTHING – GOOD OR BAD. WITH THAT IN MIND, WE DECIDED TO BURN THE MIDNIGHT OIL AND COMPLETE THESE NEW GHOSTS RECORDS AS A MEANS OF STAYING SOMEWHAT SANE.

Old friend and SF jam partner Tom Dimuzio also just released SLEW TEW, A Compilation of Compilation Tracks 2003-2017. Check it out.

Create Every Day

“Artists are well practiced in self-isolation,” says a Guardian article on tips for utilizing your lockdown time creatively. “Creativity is a bit like exercise. Since everyone is stuck inside, why not use this time to play around with ideas or techniques you’ve always wanted to experiment with."

I encourage all of you to put together a daily art practice. You will be amazed by how quickly you will progress. By putting in the time, you will perfect your craft.

My Plague Year, a18

Grabbed a V4 oil paint preset, and then knocked this out pretty quickly. I executed a pretty generic art strategy, successively reducing the brush size and max path length in a series of auto-paint cycles.

I then slammed through some Gradient Lighting variations using a low Mix setting. I interspace sharpening steps between the different gradient lighting octave passes to pull out better definition. So i'm building a multi-octave gradient lighting effect on the fly by manually manipulating Studio Artist ip op effects.

We are living in a Stephen King novel

The bestselling contemporary horror novelist has difficulty understanding why authorities did not see the coronavirus crisis coming, or take the necessary precautionary steps. Who will be our current day Randall Flagg? Or is he already in control?

Martial Law

Maui police now giving out citations to people hanging outside looking to exercise saying they are in violation of public health emergancy rules.

Honolulu Star Bulletin reports homeless and 'scary types' taking over parts of Waikiki, who's current ghost town state makes the post 9-11 drop off in visitors look pretty insignificant. What i remember most about that post 9-11 era was Mayor Harris putting together free parking to encourage residents to stop by. So we'd go down and drink at the old Ilikai outside ocean view bar while crazy continuous 24/hour cable news coverage was playing on the bar tvs and military jets flew overhead. 

So yeah, this time is very different. I mean, the Cheesecake Factory is empty.

About that image. I started with a wet glossy oil paint preset from my V4 Collection. Then used extreme locally adaptive thresholding effects to build structure. Add some Smart Contrast effects. And a few other hand tweaks.

My Plague Year, a17

Using the Temporal Difference Matte to process a folder of curated coronavirus images instead of a movie file. Working with hand generated selection mattes to add enhancement and modulated warp effects to appropriate areas of the canvas. In my plague year.

It's always trying to get you, get you

Supreme Lord of Light lashes out at PBS NewsHour correspondent Yamiche Alcindor in today's press briefing. "Why don't you people, it's always trying to get you, get you..." Is most gracious one referring to the virus?

Emperor is then asked to respond to the decisions of some network affiliates to cease airing the daily coronavirus task force briefings due to the inability to fact-check his statements in real time. In a surreal twist, he likens the ratings of the briefings on the deadly pandemic to Monday Night Football or the finale of the The Bachelor. "Our pandemic reality show is #1, we're doing a fantastic job here."

Welcome to the Team

Stable Genius and Light of Our Eyes Lord Emperor welcomes the four horsemen of the apocalypse to his coronavirus task force team. “You four horsemen have the unwavering support of the entire nation, the entire government, and the entire American people,” His Holiness says.

Don't be afraid to experiment with hand drawn selection masks to restrict image operation effects to specific locations of the canvas. Remember to feather the selection before you do this for best results. I used this a lot in this image to help focus the lighting where i wanted it to land in this image.

Mission Accomplished

Supreme Ruler of Light flies himself and a gaggle of reporters to a big ship, where he declares "Mission Accomplished", and gives the 'all clear' signal to an anxious nation. Even now the four horsemen of the apocalypse appear to be on the horizon to reign in the new era.

My Plague Year, a16

Food shopping takes on new meaning. As you search the half empty isles for items that aren't there. While moving quickly to stay away from anyone else in the place. In my plague year.

Generation C

Ed Yong always writes great science columns for the Atlantic. I quote from a recent one below.

Rich, strong, developed, America is supposed to be the readiest of nations. That illusion has been shattered. Despite months of advance warning as the virus spread in other countries, when America was finally tested by COVID-19, it failed.

A new Generation C will be born into a society profoundly altered by COVID-19.  Gen C’s lives will be shaped by the choices made in the coming weeks, and by the losses we suffer as a result.

We are all Edward Hopper paintings now

The Guardian says, "With his deserted cityscapes and isolated figures, the US painter captured the loneliness and alienation of modern life. But the pandemic has given his work a terrifying new significance." Interesting read as we all sit and social distance.

My Plague Year, a15

His Supreme and Humble Being of Light listens as his minion Lord Renfield explains why the spike in unemployment applications is actually irrelevant to current events. Next they will detail new team member Angel of Death's plan to fill all the churches with crowds of believers for Easter services. All part of the daily clown show. In my plague year.

Throw them into the fiery pit

Breaking news. His Most Excellent One orders his second in command Lord Voldemort not to call or give cake to governors who aren't appreciative of His Most Gracious Ones's coronavirus efforts.

Isolation Favors Art

Jerry Saltz has some words of wisdom for our new world order.

Creativity is a survival strategy.

You don't need fancy supplies.

Be willing to be embarrassed.

There is no wasted time.

Draw it out.

Don't Worry

Authorities assure us all is well. Keep in mind the words of former Wells Fargo CEO Richard Kovacevich, who says "Some may even die, I Don't know." As Frank Rich says in the same article, "A society reveals a lot about itself, heroic and not, when confronting a plague."

Nobody Thought

It's a direct quote from today's installment of the royal clown show.  

I was going to say more, but the title really does say it all. 

Et ita fit.

My Plague Year, a14

Another installment of the daily clown show. His most excellent one stands to the side as the Angel of Death briefs the nation on the latest developments. American moves to the head of the line, most cases ever, we are number one, we are number one, bigly. "Effects of the virus are so insignificant, i didn't even know i had it until i entered the afterlife and took this new position here on the clown team", says Angel of Death.

Kimmel Reveals All

Jimmy Kimmel reveals he is actually Zondor, from the planet Meglanon. I mean, it's the same source image used in this post, just a screen capture of his current show. Used a magical MSG preset to generate this from a very normal looking source photo. Pressed Action. And it was done.

I actually like Kimmel's show better in the new format. Broadcast from his living room with the opening credits drawn by his kids. It is sincere and heartfelt, something we need more of these days. Search for Kimmel on youtube, latest nightly episodes are there.  You can watch it using a Roku on your tv, that's how we watch it here.

Same for Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers late night shows. The opening of Seth Meyers show was great, because all of the band members are playing the intro together using Zoom while still social distancing in their collective individual apartments. The internet as it was conceived to be used.

Power Outage

Lights went out here last night. So then our various elderly flashlights stopped functioning. Glad it is back on this morning. Kudos to the people climbing the poles to keep things running during all of this craziness. Fortunately the executive branch doesn't coordinate that response, or they would just be telling us we had it wrong, the power was not out.

My Plague Year, a13

Another glorious daily briefing from the Lord Emperor. His most excellent one and his associate Renfield give us the good word. Mission accomplished. Hugs for everyone. Buy stocks now. None of this ever happened.

I'm loving building the border framing effects interactively by hand these days. There are endless variations you can dial in based on your mood and the characteristics of the rendered canvas you are working with. Select, feather, then mask composited interactive manipulations to build up the effect.

Terminate Them

Texas republican urges grandparents to die to save the economy for the children. So take one for the team pops. Why not you first buddy. Show us that you really mean it

I started with a MSG source abstraction effect. Then used a series of Color Edge image operation effects that overlay on the canvas to build back some of the source image structure. Working with different Smooth EFX  and Smoothing settings as i dialed back the thickness of the edge lines.

This is, A Closer Look

Seth Meyers, A Closer Look, broadcasting from the hallway in his apartment. Maybe he will do the next one from his bathroom as his wife is trying to sleep.

More paint synthesizer automatic photo collage, using an image folder brush of curated coronavirus imagery. And you can use the Paint Synthesizer Macro Edit commands to generate a paint synthesizer effect like this in one click to configure the Editor settings, then one menu command to setup the image folder brush to point to your images.

My Plague Year, a12

Jimmy Kimmel Live, broadcasting from his living room. In my plague year.

So i'm using an image folder brush that is filled with coronavirus imagery. Source image is frame capture from the Kimmel broadcast. The paint synthesizer is configured to generate the photo collage, painting in the source image with the imagery in the image folder brush. I'm using RGB Mapping for the Brush Indexing. Lot's of image operation effects with low Mix rations to get to the end. Frame is a Frame Partition selection mask of border that i Min composite various Smoothing effects into.

Duck and Cover

So because the world is so stable and calm these days, we just received a Tsunami Warning Alert here in Hawaii. But i don't think duck and cover works for incoming waves. Run like hell probably makes more sense. This guy is ready, he's going to go out preaching heavenly redemption to the unwashed. Before we are all washed clean by a cleansing wave.

Earthquake is a 7.5, so not a threat. If it was an 8.5 or higher maybe you'd want to start worrying a little bit.

The Monumental Indifference

Why are you inclined to interpret nature that way rather than the more cosmically harmonious manner of the Dalai Lama?

I advise you to go outside on a clear night and look out into the universe.

Interesting Werner Herzog interview in the New York Times today.

His Minions Await

Imperial one's many subject minions await his most excellent command.

So this journey took awhile to get here. Started by auto-mask painting up a source image from a curated current news image folder. Then i continued by working with various image operation effects to overlay additional detail derived from both the source image and the painted canvas. And a lot of interactive warp manipulation to get to the end of the race.

My Plague Year, a11

The 24 hour news cycle speeds on in our consciousness ever faster and faster. In my plague year.

Working with soft diffuse vector paint presets that are masked when painted. Like you are painting onto stencils laid on top of the canvas. The selection masks are auto-generated by processing the source image with different image operation effects. You route the ip op effect output directly to the selection buffer as opposed to the canvas. Then you turn on masking when you do the paint action step. Repeat until finished.

Promising Development

Calling it a "promising development,", Dr. Anthony Fauci said on Sunday that alcohol may help people survive the most severe effects of coronavirus briefings. From Andy Borowitz's latest New Yorker report.

Don't Stand so Close to Me

More auto-masked wet paint experiments. Again, don't be afraid to slowly build up your final image using different paint effects. As opposed to just pressing the Action button and then assuming you are finished, or being disappointed if that action didn't get you where you wanted to go. Take the journey.

My Plague Year, a10

Gallery Show auto-mutated Vectorizer effects, working off of a folder of curated topical imagery. Effect build up in canvas over time.

The Ethereal Nature of Being

Working with auto-masked wet paints to build up this image in Studio Artist. Usual subtle application of multiple enhancement effects to finalize it.

Lockdown in Place

Let's all take a deep breath and do a stretch or two as we settle into marital law.

Combination of paint and image operation effects to build the structure. Sometimes i auto-mutate them, at other times i dial in exactly the effect i want n the Editor.  I move back and forth between building structure and dissipating it to build up the background, that i am always overpainting on top of. Using my spanky new interactive warp approach to generating border effects.

Weighing the Alternatives

I started by selecting a paint synthesizer preset category i liked. I then used Gallery Show with the Mutate Current Factory Technique.

So GS selects a random source image from a curated folder of images i created. Then randomly selects 2 different presets in my pre-selected paint preset category, and mingles them to create a mutated preset. That mutated paint preset is then run through an additional GS option that creates a series of successive paint action steps to implement a Paint Strategy.

I also had Auto Mask turned on, using the Random Adaptive option. All of those multiple intelligently designed painting steps are masked by my automatically generated selection mask.

I'm always overpainting on top of the current canvas image (no erasing). So the successive GS paint cycles build up detail in the canvas over time. But detail from different source images.

When i feel the canvas has developed sufficiently, then i switch GS to use a Fixed source. I then start working with different image operation (ip op) effects. I randomize them using that Editor button, then modify the Composite and Mix settings to subtly add additional effect generated detail. I'm randomly building effects that generate things like edge structure, positive/negative space, mass from that fixed source image.

The blood coins were generated by working with the Ellipse Selection option. Using the t and r hotkeys for translating and rotating the selection. Feathering the selection with the appropriate menu command.  Then using that as a mask for an erase to source color.  Then using the mask and Interactive Warp to differentially Darken to create the 3D shadowing for the blood coins.

My Plague Year, a9

Working off of a single source image in Gallery Show. Using the Mutate Current Factory Technique with the Preset Browser set to a specific Category of paint presets. I'm working with Craig Deeley's custom Studio Artist paint presets that were designed for manual painting in this piece (watercolor presets here). Random source masks are generated by GS for each paint pass. So the painted image slowly builds up in the canvas.

I then use multiple low Mix ip op effects to build in additional edge structure and positive-negative space. And i;'e been experimenting with something like a multi-octave compressor effect to finish it off.

What we know and don't know

Interesting quote by Andrew Sullivan. "The one thing we know about epidemics is that at some point they will end. The one thing we don't know is who we will be then."

The Many Moods of Fearless Leader

Beware his wrath! Be very afraid of his ignorance. Be terrified of his minions.

So this gives a sense of how an image might progress as you are working with it over time. A dip into the artistic process.  I used the randomized GS Vectorizer overlay approach described in the previous post. Then when i got to my final source image, i spent a lot of time working with it and the existing canvas to take it to some very different places.

My Plague Year, a8

How did i make this? I start by using the Gallery Show 'Random Vectorizer-Force Overlay' Technique. I'm running single GS cycles from the new GS Toolbar. I undo if i don't like what got overlaid on top of the existing canvas (the canvas image is building up over multiple GS cycles). The source images are randomly being selected by GS from a folder of curated recent news images.

Once something builds up and looks interesting, then i keep that last source image and start adding additional overlay style image operation effects. I pick a particular effect like Color Edge or Rank Edge Filter, hit the Randomize button in the Editor, then see what it generates. If i like the output, then i adjust the Mix and maybe Composite settings for the actual  image overlay i keep. I do this for different passes until i build up enough additional detail. At that point i start into my normal finishing steps.

The frame is a cool new approach i probably did before but had forgotten about. Use Frame Partition selection to just select the border. Then feather the selection, turn on mask, set Interactive Warp Composite to Min or Darken Differential, then do some warps to build up the complex darkened border effect. Adaptively compress and you are finished.

The Cure

In our dreams, in our dreams. Washington Post had interesting article on how the 4 different rapid response vaccine facilities the government funds with big bucks have been totally useless so far in this crisis. Meanwhile, real scientists are working round the clock, as are bio-hackers.  Perhaps the government should just hand over vaccine rapid response to Bill and Melinda Gates. I'd like to see an Elon Musk style 'let's get it done quickly people' approach to generating one very quickly. Guardian article this morning offers a slightly different viewpoint.

Of yeah, the image. I'm auto-mutating Vectorizer presets in Studio Artist's Gallery Show module. Working off of a set of current events curated imagery.

Heart of Darkness

We're headed upriver.  Our destination unknown. Things might get dicey. Better wash you hands.

My Plague Year, a7

More gallery show auto-mutation experiments. Here i'm using randomized Vectorizer presets generated by Gallery Show, along with the 'Surprise Me' option for the auto-masking. So the randomized Vectorizer output is auto-masked into the existing canvas. I'm also randomizing the source color palettes and color memories, since the vectorizer can use them to specify coloring options.

So you run multiple Gallery Show cycles to get to an image you want to keep. After that i start to manually run different ip op effects to get to the final end result.

Everybody Dance Now

So i switched to a more elaborate Gallery Show setup for generating this. I start the GS cycle by randomly selecting a wet water preset from a favorites folder to dab some water wash on the existing canvas. I then randomly select an image from a curated folder of topical imagery. I then randomly select one of the adaptive masking options and generate a selection mask off of that source image. I then randomly select from a different favorites folder of tube-like paint presets. I pick 2 of them and mutate by mingling the 2 selected paint presets That mutated paint preset is then masked while painting on top of the existing canvas.

'I' in the paragraph above means Gallery Show does it automatically. I just press the 'run 1 cycle' button in the new Gallery Show toolbar. If i like what GS did i keep it. If not i hit cmd z to undo. Note that i keep the water wash effect when i just do a single undo.

So that is a single Gallery Show processing cycle. Repeat as necessary until you get to the point where you feel like you have a keeper image. At that point you dive into the image processing section of Studio Artist and start additional manipulations to get to the final finished image.

The Downward Spiral

Feel free to listen to the NIN album as you look at the image. I did.

So more auto-mutation of temporal effects that work with multiple images as their input. The images coming from a folder of ever growing coronavirus news photos. This way of working is called stack filtering. Because you take a stack of images and insert them into an effect that normally works off of a series of different frame times in a movie.

I then worked to build up the dimensionality of the image by using a series of different Studio Artist image operation effects.

Protect yo' Heart

Jennifer Boylan at the New York Times urges us to "Guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it". And to wash your hands.

Image is from a photo of Gabby and Finny. I was trying to put together a raised oil paint preset and ended up with this at one point. Two much white was showing between the different paint strokes, so i loaded a second layer that was a deep abstraction of the image with dark color that fills the entire canvas, then used a Min composite with a partial Mix setting for the second Min composited layer to darken just the white spaces, then flattened back to one layer.