Most Cautious Grebe

[Patti Edens]

This was one of my favorite OOTB themes from the past, so I'm looking forward to seeing all of the creations.

I thought this little Pied-billed Grebe looked cute staring into my camera. As soon as he spotted me, the warning bells went off and he dove. But I got a few shots with his head in profile just before this one and then no more.

The chop is not very original - just my initials. This time, instead of just drawing my chop directly on the photo, I made a brush so I can use it over. The Japanese characters say, "Be Attentive / Caution".

Other than the frame, chop and characters, the only extra PP was DAP Realism and a crop.

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Patti,
I really like what is going on in 2/3 of the image.....but the sky is drawing my eye away. For me eliminating the sky makes this very strong!!! Let's see what others chime in.

[Andrew McLachlan]

Hi Patti, I too like what you have created with this one. I agree with Roman on the sky being a little distracting.

[Patti Edens]

Thanks Roman and Andrew. I hadn't noticed it before, but now that you both mention it, that top part (actually grasses, not sky) is very distracting. I'll have to watch for that in the future. I appreciate the comments.

[denise ippolito]

Patti, Great advice already given. I love your chop and the water colored look to this. Nice pose and colors. This is always one of my favorite themes:)

[Indranil Sircar]

Patti, great way to start the Asian week! Agree with the above comments. I like the water color look to the image. Your chop looks great. TFS.

[Dan Brown]

Hi Patti, Looks good! Good idea to make a brush for your chop(s)! One thing about the chop color, it seems too bright red to me. Duller red would be more traditional for an Asian chop for this usage (kinda like the "Hunts" add at the top of our pages here at BPN!). I agree with the comments regarding the upper part of the piece. If you really want to include it, you could try toning it way down in brightness. As for the calligraphy, I like the style but I wish for smaller characters, as this size is overpowering your subject. You could also try placing the smaller calligraphy in the upper right area for better overall balance. The chop/calligraphy really affect the balance and comp in a piece so I place them on blank layers and then I can drag them around till I get what I like in balance. Good work!

[Patti Edens]

Thanks Denise and Indranil. I will rework it when I get a chance and get rid of the upper part.

Dan, While I'm at it, I will reduce the size of the calligraphy and change the color of the chop. I did put the chop and the calligraphy on their own layers (and hopefully saved the psd?), so this should be easy to do.

I did move them around quite a bit and never could find a place where they were balanced. I was working on a second image last night and having the same problem. Hopefully, as you suggest, the smaller size will make it easier to find a good spot.

Thanks so much for the excellent suggestions and for hosting another round. I learned so much about Asian Art last time and have been reading up again this time. It is such an interesting topic.

[Patti Edens]

Hopefully this one is a little bit better. Still couldn't decide where to place the chop and characters. I ran them all over the place, but didn't find a comfortable home for them. I think by breaking the ROT with the reflection, I just won't be comfortable with the composition no matter where I put them. But, I am happier with this redo.

[Dan Brown]

Hopefully this one is a little bit better. Still couldn't decide where to place the chop and characters. I ran them all over the place, but didn't find a comfortable home for them. I think by breaking the ROT with the reflection, I just won't be comfortable with the composition no matter where I put them. But, I am happier with this redo.

This repost works for me much better than the first! I much prefer the chop/calligraphy position here! The chop color is more what I was thinking but actually could be a tiny bit brighter. And cropping out the top seems to work also! You might consider redesigning your chop with more of an Asian style to fit with your choice of calligraphy.