Kirsti Näntö-Salonen
December 2024 - Behind the Wallpaper
Original
Original 2
Original 3
About the Image(s)
Here is ”Behind the Wallpaper”. As soon as I stepped into the room with the partially ripped wallpaper in an abandoned building (Orig.1), I knew that I had stumbled in a scene for many stories to be revealed, and this is the first of them. The background (Orig. 2) is a mirror image construction of a Spanish cork oak forest at dawn, and the squirrel (Orig.3) comes from a near-by park. I spent a day and a half trying to get a reasonable cut-out of his bushy tail against the low-contrast background - I wonder if it is the Affinity Photo software, or if it just was an unsuitable image to work with? I found a set of fur brushes for animal images that someone was sharing in the internet, and used one of them on the outline as a rescue attempt. I think, though, that the halo round him might be ok for an animal jumping out from a magical forest? - First, I erased the part of the wall where the paper had ripped off, copied the remaining frame and pasted it on the forest, and added the squirrel and his shadow. I added the average blur layer to tie it together, and a little vibrance and saturation on the squirrel to help him separate from the background, but I wonder if it was too much?
15 comments posted
Hi Kirsti, what a great idea and concept. Love it. Wouldn't change a thing in the composition as its all in the right place and it tells a story which I like.
I played around with it as I usually do, and have a couple of suggestions.
1. If its a fantasy composition the tree colours are fine but if not they dont look real. Need to desaturate the purple and magenta to zero, They go the grey - fine. The green grass needs toned down again reduce saturation to taste.
2. To create an inside outside feeling. reduce ther contrast in outside and increase the inside. Lighten the outside and darken the inside.Reduce inside saturation that was increased by the contrast.
3. The Squirrel tail - new layer sample fur colour reduce opacity and paint in the tail to taste. With clone brush take samples of grey background and paint away white halo around tail. Inrcrease sharpness of the whole squirrel to make stand out from outside and inside.
Hope you like these tips. See my Mock-up attached. Cheers. Posted: 12/02/2024 16:26:12
I played around with it as I usually do, and have a couple of suggestions.
1. If its a fantasy composition the tree colours are fine but if not they dont look real. Need to desaturate the purple and magenta to zero, They go the grey - fine. The green grass needs toned down again reduce saturation to taste.
2. To create an inside outside feeling. reduce ther contrast in outside and increase the inside. Lighten the outside and darken the inside.Reduce inside saturation that was increased by the contrast.
3. The Squirrel tail - new layer sample fur colour reduce opacity and paint in the tail to taste. With clone brush take samples of grey background and paint away white halo around tail. Inrcrease sharpness of the whole squirrel to make stand out from outside and inside.
Hope you like these tips. See my Mock-up attached. Cheers. Posted: 12/02/2024 16:26:12
I'm keeping a copy of these tips, Bruce. Thanks! Posted: 12/17/2024 15:34:47
Thank you very much again, Bruce! I am so happy for all the things I am learning from you! I love the inside-outside trick - it makes all the difference in the sense of depth and dimension. I made a quick revision on the squirrel tail, and I can see that it is going to work, too. - I think that I'll keep the fantasy trees for now, maybe adjust the weird colors a bit, but is most valuable to know how to neutralize them so beautifully. Posted: 12/02/2024 19:58:05
I am a fan of surrealism, and this composite certainly fits in the surrealism genre. I will put Bruce's suggestions about inside versus inside lighting and contrast in my Digital dialogue folder for future use. They will surely come in handy. The only comment that I can add is that, thanks to you, I'm going to tear down the wallpaper in my bathroom and have some surrealistic fun! Posted: 12/02/2024 22:30:56
Thank you, Alan! - Be sure to document every step of the bathroom project, I am thrilled about the result! Posted: 12/04/2024 15:47:25
Kristi, I'm amazed at your creativity with this one. I enjoy the symmetry of the mirrored-forest against the crumbled wallpaper. At first, I wasn't sure you even needed the squirrel, but it's always a good idea to have some type of subject rather than just a landscape.
Bruce's inside-outside trick adds a lot of depth, so terrific!
I personally like the colors of the forest, though I think you can play a bit with the wallpaper if you wanted to really go fantasy.
Nicely done! Posted: 12/03/2024 20:14:43
Bruce's inside-outside trick adds a lot of depth, so terrific!
I personally like the colors of the forest, though I think you can play a bit with the wallpaper if you wanted to really go fantasy.
Nicely done! Posted: 12/03/2024 20:14:43
Thank you, Matt! Ill definitely try to play with the wallpaper, although I think that the contrast between colorful fantasy and bleak reality with the faded colors and mold stains may add to the story? Posted: 12/04/2024 15:57:23
Kirsti, I will join the group in appreciating how creative and interesting this image is. I am a big fan of portals of all sorts. I agree with Bruce's suggestion about darkening the room as it enhances the dimensional aspects of the image. Since the bunny is the subject I wonder if you could punch sharpness or contrast slightly. On my screen things are a bit fuzzy but that may be due to compression for submitting. Posted: 12/09/2024 03:01:08
Thank you, Brad! You are right about fuzzy: the only truly sharp original is the room. The forest shot that I love so much was taken in the first light with long exposure, and there was a darned out-of-focus branch in front that blurred the top of the image. I cut off the worst part by making the mirror image, and tried to clone off most of what remained. There is also a touch of the Topaz Buzz Sim filter on top to conceal the efforts. - I thought that it might not matter in a magical forest, but I can see the problem. I wonder if a nice layer of mist to hide the treetops might help? Posted: 12/09/2024 06:18:19
Kirsti, It's a minor point. Given the magical quality of the image I'd just leave it. Mist might help but could be more distracting. Posted: 12/09/2024 15:19:31
Thank you, Brad! You are right about fuzzy: the only truly sharp original is the room. The forest shot that I love so much was taken in the first light with long exposure, and there was a darned out-of-focus branch in front that blurred the top of the image. I cut off the worst part by making the mirror image, and tried to clone off most of what remained. There is also a touch of the Topaz Buzz Sim filter on top to conceal the efforts. - I thought that it might not matter in a magical forest, but I can see the problem. I wonder if a nice layer of mist to hide the treetops might help? Posted: 12/09/2024 23:17:56
This is brilliant, Kirsti! I love the peeling wallpaper and the enchanted forest it reveals. I think the mirror image of the trees works really well, giving me a sense of magic as well as having its symmetry play nicely against the peeling wallpaper. Your little forest creature is just adorable, and I think adds to the story (is it the reason the wallpaper is torn?).
I don't have any suggestions to add, just a comment that I think Bruce has given some great ideas above. Posted: 12/17/2024 15:33:53
I don't have any suggestions to add, just a comment that I think Bruce has given some great ideas above. Posted: 12/17/2024 15:33:53
Thank you, Peggy! I totally love the idea of the squirrel's role - it give a whole new twist to the story! Posted: 12/17/2024 18:46:52
Hi Kirsty,
What a wonderful inside-out image you've created! The peeling paper on the wall provides the perfect frame for the wooden scene, and the squirrel truly adds the finishing touch.
I see what you mean about the challenges blending the squirrel's tail into the frame. I think Bruce gave you an excellent suggestion on how to blend it more effectively.
Personally, I love the color palette in the forest. My only suggestion would be to slightly desaturate the greens and blues, as they appear a bit unnatural on my screen. However, I really enjoy the touch of purple-it reminds me of the Jacaranda trees in bloom back in Sydney.
Well done!
Posted: 12/19/2024 09:03:38
What a wonderful inside-out image you've created! The peeling paper on the wall provides the perfect frame for the wooden scene, and the squirrel truly adds the finishing touch.
I see what you mean about the challenges blending the squirrel's tail into the frame. I think Bruce gave you an excellent suggestion on how to blend it more effectively.
Personally, I love the color palette in the forest. My only suggestion would be to slightly desaturate the greens and blues, as they appear a bit unnatural on my screen. However, I really enjoy the touch of purple-it reminds me of the Jacaranda trees in bloom back in Sydney.
Well done!
Posted: 12/19/2024 09:03:38
Thank you, Maria! I am so glad you like the colors - I think that you are right about the blues and greens - my final touch with the Sponge brush was probably too much. Posted: 12/20/2024 17:01:52