Lowering her eyes
she strums her soul in quiet
contemplating truths

a slim and long neck
with drum-like rounded body
connects the Geisha

breath and innocence
of playful innuendos
teasing all seasons

she chants of flowers
bringing beauty to the heart
as a song of love

After painting a soft wash of neutral colors for the background, I sketched the Geisha so I could create guidelines for painting details. I haven’t mastered painting people without drawing them first. I loved painting this Geisha with her shamisen and contemplative eyes.

– genece hamby, contemporary artist & poet
http://www.shibuistudio.com

still deep in water
a quiet path of small boats
linger along the banks

– genece hamby, contemporary artist & poet
http://www.shibuistudio.com

Torii Gate in the Daylight

Torii Gate at Night

I’ve been playing with soft watercolor washes with the goal of capturing simplicity as an image of beauty. After painting a torii gate in the water during daylight, I decided to invert the file and add a moon above the gate and light dancing off the night waters. It was fun to play with both, day and night.

For the wash, I only used four colors (two shades of blue, a brown and a soft golden yellow) that I laid layers of transparency at various places for effect. Once I completed the wash, I distorted the water below the torii and then applied a Photoshop watercolor filter. For the finishing touch, I added soft lighting.

– genece hamby, contemporary artist & poet
http://www.shibuistudio.com

sultry hearts blossom
arouse the scent of passion
flames a secret love

Normally, I use a the liquify filter in Adobe Photoshop to move and push color into shapes. Recently, someone shared with me that the same effect can be done in Corel Painter X. In this floral painting of one of my favorite flowers, the gardenia, I gave the Distortion technique a shot. It creates pretty much the same effect as Photoshop. It doesn’t mean I’ll stop using Photoshop for certain techniques I love, it means I have more options depending upon my mood. I like working in several programs on all of my works of digital art.

– genece hamby, contemporary artist & poet
http://www.shibuistudio.com 

hot, scorching breath of
rugged land carries stillness
into soft beauty

Painting this desert flower, my thoughts think of Vi from Soul Food who doesn’t just live in the desert, she reflects the majestic qualities of the desert. I added a new brush stroke to create a raking effect for subtle grooves in the flower with the desire to give it a more waxy, tougher cactus petal. I continued painting layers of purple and liquifying the overall flower in that I still wanted to maintain a light, ethereal desert beauty.

at dawn she rises
and emerges from the depth
of a muddy swamp

In this daily painting, using Corel Painter X, my first step was to do an acrylic wash of a deep midnight blue blended with soft dark green for the waters and background. Next, I sketched the lotus flower and lily pads using a soft white and light sage colored pencil. Finishing the sketch, I painted the lily pads in deep sage green and light sage green using watercolor and acrylic brushes. The lotus was painted white and the inside painted orange using an acrylic brush.

Once the main parts of the painting were complete, I closed and re-opened the file in Adobe Photoshop and using the Liquify Filter, I pushed the color of the lily pads and water to create a soft streak effect. I left the flower untouched. I finished with the watercolor filter and adding dots and lighting details in Corel PhotoPaint.

the trumpet of love
yields its beauty and essence
in pink persuasion

Start with a black background, paint green streams of color into shapes of leaves. I used a Watercolor brush to shape the green leaves. After putting leaves on the black background where you want, paint a pink circle ball where you want the main flower to be in your painting. I chose to put mine a little off center.

Now, the fun begins! Open the file in Adobe Photoshop and start using the Liquify Filter to move and push color into a pink creamy bulb (bloat tool) and then the flower.

on blue misty seas
beauty is hidden from view
movement happens here

I’ve been working on new techniques to create water. In this painting, I used Oil Pastels from Corel Painter X to paint a wavy, smeary sea. Then, I used watercolors and flat brush over the sea in a deeper blue. I saved the file and re-opened in Photoshop, using the Liquify Filter to create movement in the color. Back to Corel Painter X, I used an Airbrush brush strokes in soft white. The mountains were painted with layers of color using Oil Pastel, Watercolor and Acrylic brushes. Once the painting was complete, I used the Watercolor Effects in Photoshop to give it texture and intensity.

Oh yes, the soft light on the right side came from Corel PhotoPaint — a technique called “sparkle”.

My goal in landscapes is to create a feeling of sanctuary — a feeling of stillness, beauty and grace.

– genece hamby, contemporary artist & poet
http://www.shibuistudio.com

in serene array
morning dew touches the face
full cheeks, wet kisses 

 – genece hamby, contemporary artist & poet
http://www.shibuistudio.com