New Beginnings

[Nancy Bell]

From the early soft gray fuzz of the p-ssy willow bud to the beginnings of the flowers, life stirs anew in the willow branches after the frozen cold of the winter.

Topaz Adjust HDR, medium pop smooth. Pixel Bender. Fractalius. PS rough pastels. Used at various opacities.

[Paul Lagasi]

Very neat effect, like the colors, I might have left a little more room around the bud but that's just my opinion...TFS

[Cheryl Slechta]

Hi, Nancy, you're putting the filters to good use! I like the combination and at first I didn't like the dark area in the upper corner but actually think it balances the dark area under the bud

[Anita Bower]

Love how you brought out the details in the ***** willow. I especially like those little white squiggles. Really beautiful work! I'm not so fond of the stem and the beginning of the next bud. The brightness of the stem is distracting to me, and the dark shape does not add to the image. I do like how you got in real close!

[Nancy Bell]

Good advice, Paul, Cheryl and Anita. Thanks. I was concentrating on the main part and was too hasty with the bkgd.

[Andrew McLachlan]

Hi Nancy, I love the effect on the fuzzy part!