Katana Topple's Inkscape Vector Art, Video and Random Photography

Adobe Illustrator Vector Art: First Gradient Mesh Artwork

noreply@blogger.com (Katana Topple) — Sat, 20 Oct 2012 04:14:00 +0000

Hey, peeps. It's been a few so here's a little update. While I was resting my arm/wrist, I decided to look through some scrap work. I found this old gradient mesh test image I did a while back. You can use Google to find out more about gradient mesh. To summarize, with g.mesh, you can get really realistic vector art images by using a grid technique. I started a few years back when I used a trial version of Adobe Illustrator. The idea was quite attractive but time consuming. This is my very first mesh accompanied by the wire mesh. I wasn't sure how to export the wire outline as an image file. So, I just took a screen capture of it.

Yep..I know it's nothing really special. But it was a start. From what I hear, the Inkscape team is working on a gradient mesh tool of their own. However, I wanted a program that I could use now (the AI trial has run out). I searched for other vector programs and came across one called Serif Draw Plus. I looked into it and decided to give it a try. There's a free starter edition that comes with gradient mesh! Pretty cool. I will probably always be partial to Inkscape having used it for quite some time now. All this has me thinking if I should get back into meshing. I will look into that possibility. Anyway, that's it for now. Later!

Vector Art and Arm Soreness

noreply@blogger.com (Katana Topple) — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 16:42:00 +0000

Hey, peeps. Just a brief update. It would seem I have a mildly sore forearm. I'll be resting it for a while. Before this, I was retouching old vector art files I haven't bothered with for a while. Hopefully, I'll be able to show those to you soon. I'll try to get back on track as soon as I can.

Canon 60D Photography: A Sunny Day In Fort Myers, Florida

noreply@blogger.com (Katana Topple) — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 21:23:00 +0000

Camera: Canon 60D
Lens: 18-55mm
Aperture Priority @ f/5.6
ISO Speed: 100
Shutter Speed: 1/1600

A sunny day in Fort Myers. I was able to capture a sand castle someone had just made. Two birds were picking away at the rubbish on the ground (probably looking for food). Not much else to say about this one. This is a cropped and resized version of the original photo. I added slight curves to image.

Canon 60D Photography: A Small Lizard

noreply@blogger.com (Katana Topple) — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Camera: Canon 60D
Lens: 50mm f/1.8
Aperture Priority @ f/9
ISO Speed: 100
Shutter Speed: 1/100

I noticed this lizard one day and got as close as I could to get a picture of it. It remained still for a little under a minute. I'm surprised it stuck around that long. This is re-sized and cropped version. Some color curve tweaking was also used.

Canon 60D Photography: Torn Up Chicken Breasts

noreply@blogger.com (Katana Topple) — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 04:38:00 +0000

Camera: Canon 60D
Lens: 50mm f/1.8
Aperture Priority @ f/7.1
ISO Speed: 250
Shutter Speed: 1/60

Leftover chicken breast and hot sauce. It was good. :)

Canon 60D Photography: Almonds and Honey

noreply@blogger.com (Katana Topple) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 06:28:00 +0000

Camera: Canon 60D
Lens: 18-55mm standard kit lens
Aperture Priority @ f/5.6
ISO Speed: 400
Shutter Speed: 1/3

..some almonds and honey. Yep, all that was around. It was alright. It'll hold me over for now. Anyway, I thought it made for nice "everyday" photography.

Canon 60D Photography: Charlotte Harbor, Port Charlotte, Florida

noreply@blogger.com (Katana Topple) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 03:41:00 +0000

Camera: Canon 60D
Lens: 50mm f/1.8
Aperture Priority @ f/16
ISO Speed: 160
Shutter Speed: 1/60

This is a picture I took with my Canon 60D a while ago. It's a pier out in Port Charlotte, FL that's totally run down. At the other end, you can see there is a bench for one to sit on. Sure, you can have a seat. All you have to do is swim across. Or you could hop from one wood beam to another until you reach the other end. :S

But anyhow, it made nice photography. This is a cropped version of the photo. I did some tweaking to it (color curves, color correction).

Canon 60D Photography: The Rear Cog of a Bicycle and a Rusty Chain

noreply@blogger.com (Katana Topple) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:36:00 +0000

Camera: Canon 60D
Lens: 50mm f/1.8
Aperture Priority @ f/8
ISO Speed: 1250
Shutter Speed: 30 seconds

Hmm..time to change that, right? Anyway, yea..not much to explain here. Just a bicycle chain that is well rusted and the rear cog (a freewheel). I'll be getting a new one soon. This is a resized cropped version of the original photo.

Canon 60D Photography: Rocky Formation on the Sands

noreply@blogger.com (Katana Topple) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 10:39:00 +0000

Camera: Canon 60D
Lens: 50mm f/1.8
Aperture Priority @ f/9.5
ISO: 160
Shutter Speed: 1/90

I was at the shore line and I saw this rocky formation coming out from the sand. Nothing exciting per se but I took a snap of it anyway. It reminds me of those craggy mountains with an old castle on the top..like in a movie or something. Or a broken stalagmites that you find in caves. So, yea..that's about it. Cya later on! Peace! :D

Canon 60D Photography: A Nice Purple Flower

noreply@blogger.com (Katana Topple) — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 04:07:00 +0000

Camera: Canon 60D
Lens: 50mm f/1.8
Aperture Priority @ 9.5
ISO: 160
Shutter Speed: 1/180

A picture of a purple flower I saw in some bushes. This is a cropped image. I applied slight color curves to it.

Canon 60D Photography: Dried Vegetables and Gourda Cheese

noreply@blogger.com (Katana Topple) — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 04:37:00 +0000

Camera: Canon 60D
Lens: 50mm f/1.8
Aperture Priority @ f/11
ISO: 640
Shutter Speed: 2 seconds.

Some dried vegetables with a "cheese wheel". I decided to use a larger aperture just for kicks (meaning the "pupil" of the lens was smaller). Anyway, not really the greatest snack but whatever. I'll get some real goodies tomorrow. :)

Canon 60D Photography: Louisiana Hot Sauce!

noreply@blogger.com (Katana Topple) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 21:39:00 +0000

Camera: Canon 60D
Lens: 50mm f/1.8
ISO: 160
Shutter Speed: 1/250

The top of a Louisiana Hot Sauce bottle. The remainder of the sauce obviously dried over. I like how the dried sauce starts out dark then becomes lighter in color. I thought it looked cool at the moment. Like a volcano lava or something. Photographed against a white background.

Canon 50mm Depth of Field Test

noreply@blogger.com (Katana Topple) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 22:21:00 +0000

I figured I'd make one of these. Nothing terribly special per se. Just a simple test of my 50mm f/1.8 lens. I did a simple DOF (depth of field) test. I found some art supplies and used them as the subjects. So yea.. =)

Canon 60D Photography: Homemade Pizza!

noreply@blogger.com (Katana Topple) — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 00:07:00 +0000

Hey! So, recently, I upgraded my lens. The 18-55mm standard kit has done well for many years now. I'm still keeping it. But I want a faster lens in my arsenal. So, I got the Canon 50mm f/1.8. I'm pleased with the results. I've been taking indoor low light photos lately and the kit lens just don't cut it. The shutter speeds are too slow (especially hand held exposures).

I decided to do a little test. The light source for these photos was a small hoodrange light above an oven/stove. (I color corrected the pics since a dull yellow cast was present).

Aperture Priority @ f/1.8
ISO: 640
Shutter Speed: 1/250

Aperture Priority @ f/8
ISO: 1250
Shutter Speed: 1/30

The shallow depth of field is quite obvious in the first photo. Even when looking at the pizza itself, certain parts of it are noticeably out of focus. The background where the baking sheet ends is blurred out at well.

The second photo was taken at a larger f stop giving a greater depth of field. The pizza is completely in focus and you can make out more of the baking sheet and crumbs in the rear. The shutter speeds I got were terrific. If I was using my 18-55mm kit lens, I would probably get a shutter speed reading of 0"3 or 1.5 seconds..not good for hand held photos.

So, yea..I'll defintely be looking for some good photo ops in the weeks to come. Good lens! (and good pizza too). :)

Canon 60D Photography: Closeup of a Pineapple

noreply@blogger.com (Katana Topple) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 16:44:00 +0000

Lens: 18-55mm
Aperture Priority @ f/5
ISO: 100
Shutter Speed: 2 seconds

An up close photo of a rotting pineapple (cropped). It still kinda smelled nice though. Meh.. :\

Canon 60D Photography: White Ibis Bird

noreply@blogger.com (Katana Topple) — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 15:11:00 +0000

Taken with the standard kit lens 18-55mm.
Aperture priority mode used @ f/5.6
ISO: 100
Shutter Speed: 800

This is a White Ibis bird I saw on some electrical wiring. This is a cropped version of the original image.

11-12-2011 Edit: I forgot the letter "a" in the word katana when you look at the url watermark in the photo. I'll correct that shortly.

11-19-2011 Edit: Corrected version uploaded to this post.

Canon 60D Photography: Thorn Apples, Fort Myers, Florida

noreply@blogger.com (Katana Topple) — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 07:38:00 +0000

I believe these are thorn apples (correct me if I'm wrong). Aperture priority. 18-55mm lens used. Taken in while I was in Fort Myers, Florida.

Canon 60D Photography: Celestial Seasonings Green Tea

noreply@blogger.com (Katana Topple) — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 16:35:00 +0000

Taken with the same ol' 18-55mm lens.

A picture of some tea I've been drinking lately. The tea smells quite good, almost candy-like. My only gripe is that the drink has a "dry" quality to it. Maybe it's just me. Other than that the taste is pretty good.

Canon 60D Photography: Laishley Park, Punta Gorda, FL

noreply@blogger.com (Katana Topple) — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 23:50:00 +0000

This is Laishley Park in Punta Gorda, Florida. Aperture priority used. Taken with 18-55mm standard kit zoom lens.

Inkscape Vector Art Illustration Time Lapse Face Portrait Speed Drawing: Akichuu

noreply@blogger.com (Katana Topple) — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 22:04:00 +0000

Finally it's here! My new time lapse vector speed drawing/art published for the Interwebs! This features a Youtuber by the screen name of Akichuu. This is a link to their channel: www.youtube.com/akichuu.

I believe I discovered her while searching for videos of Japan filmed using the Canon 7D. And from there, I randomly looked up Asian related videos and started clicking on related videos to the side of the video page. Long story short, I eventually found Akichuu's channel. I watched her videos and thought they were nice.

So, one day, I felt like making some vector art. I thought Akichuu would be an interesting subject for a vector portrait. I had originally tried vectoring a low resolution 360P screen capture from one of her videos. Yes, I know..you should only vector high resolution images. :x

I still took up the challenge. Obviously, at 360P video resolution, the details aren't as sharp. Also, she was some distance from the camera which didn't help at all. So it was difficult to get a good resemblance. However, I'm not going to give up on it. I'll complete that art piece just for my own satisfaction at some other time.

I had to choose another screen cap. I decided to vector a more recent clip she had done in 720P resolution. While there was poor lighting in the video making the overall image quality kinda "flat", it wasn't an obstacle. So, this is the final result. I'm pleased at how it came out. Tell me what ya think!

Canon 60D Photography: Baby Palm Tree

noreply@blogger.com (Katana Topple) — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 17:48:00 +0000

A baby palm tree in Fort Myers, Florida. I can't recall any of the specs. I'll update if I find them.

Canon 60D Photography: A View of Charlotte Harbor, Port Charlotte, Florida

noreply@blogger.com (Katana Topple) — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 22:10:00 +0000

A nice leafy view leading down to the water below.

Canon 60D Photography: Sea Shell Under the Sun, Fort Myers, Florida

noreply@blogger.com (Katana Topple) — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 03:36:00 +0000

A random sea shell I saw while at Fort Myers Beach, Fort Myers, Florida. This was shot under direct sun hence the harsh shadow. I guess I could of used flash to add fill but I didn't cross my mind at that time.

Canon 60D Photography: Blue Beaked Heron Bird Wildlife Photo

noreply@blogger.com (Katana Topple) — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 22:40:00 +0000

This is a bird from the Heron family (don't know the specific name). I took this in the Port Charlotte, FL area. It kept flying away so this was the best shot I could get of it standing still. I only have a 18-55mm so I had to get somewhat close to get a decent picture (hence it eventually flying away).

Canon 60D Photography: A Red Yellow Flower

noreply@blogger.com (Katana Topple) — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 20:00:00 +0000

Picture of the day time! Standard 18-55mm lens used.