New print – Toyon

Members of the Learning Center just received an article about how I created this new print in the Extraction series:  Heteromeles arbutifolia – Toyon.  This California native shrub is flowering profusely in my garden and cried out to be photographed.

A PhotoBotanic Extraction is a plant illustration from nature, isolated from its background to showcase its botanic features.  I keep a hint of the garden in the final rendering to show it is not simply an artist’s illustration but a real, naturally beautiful plant.

Now that it is finished I can say how much I need to learn about this extraction process.  To remove the background, to isolate it with a selection mask in Photoshop, is a very tedious process that does not seem to have any short cuts.  If not done cleanly, small lines and edges peek through around the blossoms.

Before and After Slider

 

Available as reproduction prints and note cards in the Store.