It’s always worth it in the end - photo to watercolour transformation
- Jan 15
- 2 min read
Many people think I’m impatient. True, Sometimes I have a short fuse. And when I want something, I want it now. But that’s more impulsive than impatient. In my youth I loved fishing and could sit for hours on the beach, dangling a line in the water. Having a handy beer or rum and coke (not something I drink today) almost made it worthwhile. Returning home empty handed never worried me.
The images you see in this post reflect another side of me. One of infinite patience.
At the top is the original, taken from a friend’s balcony in Knysna. Their gardener is an excellent worker rather than a craftsman – hence the untidy hedge trim. A strong wind was blowing at the time, lifting the tail of a Cape sugarbird perched on a branch. I took a number of shots and was rewarded with the one you see here. It probably didn’t take an hour and, yes, there was a beer on hand to help me whittle away the time.
Next, I processed the image in photoshop. I cropped it, made adjustments to the light and contrast and I ‘sharpened’ the bird to make it stand out in the second image on this page. It might have taken me 30 minutes to get where I wanted to be with the picture. Hardly time for a beer.
Then I decided to convert the image into a watercolour picture using photoshop techniques. I do this quite often and, to be honest, you either like the results or don’t. I do. Sherryl doesn’t.
The procedure is complicated and I have recorded the steps to assist me in the process. There are over 120 of them. The watercolour version of the bird took around three hours to complete. (I redid the Marico flycatcher that’s in the ‘Water colours by Photoshop’ several times and it took about six hours to finalise.)
Is it all worth it? Yes, I believe so.
PS: Thanks to my photographic coach Martin Barber for a little help with the water colour version.
If you’re curious how this way of seeing unfolds across more images, you can explore the full watercolour gallery here.
Did you know you can own this print and transform it into your personal style items at will?
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