There are chunks of thirty minutes when the baby is sleeping, that are the new “productivity zones” for me. Since I was introducing my mom to ArtRage1, I decided to try it out myself. One of the nifty features is the ability to import a photo and create a new layer with variable opacity, which can then be used as a template for a layer on top of it. I used the watercolor brush and made the following:
The original image is on the left, and the watercolor (with some contrast and exposure adjustments) is on the right. For someone who cannot draw what he sees, this has a huge amplifying effect.
Abacus Noir 