First Night Design | “How far that little candle throws its beams!”

Such fun! Zazzle have started producing candles. What could be better than to show you a candle that matches Spring Passion because you will, of course, be needing candles to go with that exquisite meal you will be conjuring up on Valentine’s Day for the person you adore.

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“How far that little candle throws its beams! So shines a good deed in a naughty world.”
[Portia in The Merchant of Venice, William Shakespeare]

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Take care and keep laughing!

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First Night Design | “I Must Have Flowers, Always and Always” #Valentine

Spring Passion Greeting Card © Sarah Vernon

Photograph © Sarah Vernon. Flowers, 30-08-17. Processed in Topaz Impression with the Impasto filter and painterly touches added in Photoshop.

Spring Passion Drawstring Bag © Sarah Vernon

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“I must have flowers, always and always.” Claude Monet

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Spring Passion would be suitable for any occasion, not least Valentine’s Day. Sometimes the simplest image is the best.

Spring Passion Mug © Sarah Vernon

Lots of other products available at the following galleries:
Redbubble
Zazzle US
Zazzle UK
Fine Art America [14 fulfillment centers in 5 countries]
Saatchi Art

Take care and keep laughing!

First Night Design | Bembridge Lifeboat Station #Art #New

Click to buy Bembridge Lifeboat Station framed print (Fine Art America) © Sarah Vernon

As some of you know, our summer holidays as children were spent in Bembridge on the Isle of Wight where I now live. The other week I trundled round on my mobility scooter visiting my favourite haunts. This shot of Bembridge Lifeboat Station through the trees is just where the steps lead down to the beach and to the exact spot we invariably used for swimming.

It is true the original photograph is rather appealing and some of you on Facebook have already seen it as my header but true to form, I had to play.

I used two textures from Design Cuts — a yellow-based and a green-based one. I ran the photograph through Topaz Impression three or four times to produce different effects. I chose to layer ‘Cezanne 1’ and ’Cavedweller’ (as you do) and blended them with the textures to produce a digital painting. I hope it pleases you as much as it did me in its creation.

Click to buy Bembridge Lifeboat Station tote bag (Fine Art America) © Sarah Vernon

Part of a paper read to the Ladies of Shanklin Evening Institute, October 1951.

“It is quite possible that some among you are quite ignorant of everything connected with Lifeboat work […] I have no intention of going back into remote history, or to the founding of the Institution in 1824.  Moreover, I expect you will think that I have gone back quite far enough if I commence with the time of your grandfathers, and I select that particular time because it was then that the proud reputation of the Lifeboat Institution was built up, on the great hearts and stout muscles of the grand old men who served as crews for the small pulling and sailing lifeboats stationed round our coasts.  But to really understand the heroism of these grand old fellows, and to give them full credit for their marvellous rescues, and for their self-sacrificing efforts, one must be possessed of…” Bembridge Lifeboat

Available at the following galleries:
Redbubble
Zazzle US
Zazzle UK
Fine Art America [14 fulfillment centers in 5 countries]
Saatchi Art

Take care and keep laughing!

First Night Design | Harbour Parasols #Art #New

You have no idea just how peachy it has been to create a piece of art with my new vision after spending so many months re-blogging earlier pieces and promoting those which have sold. My heart and soul are leaping with joy. Just as well in view of the unconscionable state prevailing in the UK after a general election. I am reminded of my favourite quote from erstwhile US President Jimmy Carter (and there are many to choose from) which says it all when one thinks of Prime Minister Theresa May’s parentage: the daughter of a vicar no less. “If you don’t want your tax dollars to help the poor, then stop saying you want a country based on Christian values because you don’t.’

Harbour Parasols Framed Prints © Sarah Vernon [Redbubble]

The original is a photochrom from the Library of Congress of the entrance to the harbour at St. Malo in France taken between 1890 and 1900. I duplicated the image, ran the jpg through the Topaz Impressions Abstraction II filter, which I added as a third layer before topping with one of my yellow textures. I made use of a variety of Photoshop blends such as Darken, Lighter Colour and Screen.

Available at the following galleries:
Redbubble
Crated
Zazzle US
Zazzle UK
Fine Art America [14 fulfilment centres in 5 countries]
Saatchi Art

Take care and keep laughing!

First Night Design | The Windmill #Art

This is an extremely early piece when I was only just beginning to realise what textures could do for a photograph. The windmill, from Wikimedia, is on the Île de Noirmoutier, an island that lies off the coast of France, and I used a filter from Snap Art, one of my background textures, and one from Skeletal Mess.

Buy The Windmill © Sarah Vernon [Crated]

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Windmill or no windmill, he said, life would go on as it had always gone on–that is, badly. Animal Farm by George Orwell

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The Windmill 3 Ring Binder

The Windmill Pack Of Standard Business Cards
The Windmill Postage

Available at the following galleries:
Redbubble
Crated
Zazzle US
Zazzle UK
Fine Art America
Fine Art England
Saatchi Art

Take care and keep laughing!

First Night Design | Wings over the World

The pleasure of creation is infinite and Wings over the World was immensely enjoyable to do.

Using Photoshop, I began with a coastal scene from Unsplash.com, a good site for free images.

I overlaid this with another Unsplash photograph by  Oliver Berghold  of seagulls, which I set to the ‘Hard Light’ blend mode.

I followed with a texture from 2 Lil’ Owls in ‘Multiply’ mode at 82%.

The next stage was selecting only the seagulls from that photograph and making these into a separate layer to go over the texture. This I put in ‘Multiply’ mode at 61%.

The final touch was a Kim Klassen texture in ‘Colour Burn’ mode.

The resulting image is below. I’m rather fond of it. I hope you are too.

Wings over the World © Sarah Vernon. Available on cards, posters and wrapped canvas.

Available at the following galleries:
Redbubble
Crated
Zazzle US
Zazzle UK
Fine Art America
Fine Art England

Take care and keep laughing!

First Night Design | Perfect for Cucumber Sandwiches

Valley Rose Serving Trays

Day at the Exhibition Serving Trays

Femme Fatale in Sepia Serving Trays

Take care and keep laughing!