Sometimes I have some images that I want to add a bit of glitz, glamour, shine and sparkle to, and this collection is perfect for that!  I've create a variety of styles here, most of which are borders designed to add some flair to the edges of your finished art.  A few are more solid, in case you need a larger background area of gold or silver leaf.   Check out the example images below:

Above:  Tiger with gold leaf border applied  Below:  Tiger with silver leaf borders applied

Below:  Flowers with a mix of gold leaf and silver leaf

Below:  On the birds on a vase image below, I applied one of the more solid gold leaf layers to the image and masked that layer entirely away.  Then I reversed my brush and masked the gold back slightly on the vase only, giving just the brass vase a bit of sparkle at the bottom where the highlight on the vase was naturally.  I then duplicated that gold layer and set it to hard light to pump up the shine and sparkle just a little more.

I am SO EXCITED about this new mini pack, Impressionist Spring!  Filled with all the colors of this wonderful season, this collection is amazingly versatile.  I used one or more textures from this collection on all of the images shown here, both as backgrounds and as layers on top in various layer modes and opacities.  The concept of using these textures is the same one I describe in my video on the tutorials page, "Working With The Nature Splash Collection".  There's no reason to be exact with masking on these -- mask away parts of your subjects and bring the exciting, impressionist style texture right into and over your subjects to create a fun, painterly look.

The collection also works well with photos and photo layers when you use Topaz Impression to create painterly effects.  In fact, I've used Topaz Impression on every one of these to some extent.  I've even create a few "human" examples, to demonstrate how well these textures can work with people, too!

The collection began with 12 textures to form the mini pack, but then I thought it would be fun to create some colorful variations of the 12.  Now the collection contains the original 12, plus one color variation of each, to make a total of 24 fun textures in this package.

The new Spring Canvas Mini Pack Collection features 15 simple painted backgrounds, in 15 fun, spring colors.  You can, of course, blend your photos with these background textures, or you can use them as a starting point for your digital paintings, as I've done in the two examples below.  On both of these, I blended away the background of the photo, with the canvas texture underneath.  Then I used Topaz Impression on the photo layer to create a painterly feel for the subject.  For the bluebird, I even took it one step farther.  I took the merged image into Corel Painter and repainted just the bird to make him even more painterly!

A few days ago, I introduced Tall Field of Grass 1 - a vertical scenic background.  Today I'm introducing a horizontal Tall Field of Grass background, so no matter if your original image is vertical or horizontal, you'll have some great grass choices for your favorite subjects!  This one is available in an amazing 24 color tones, some darker and some lighter shades, for a variety of scenes, from dramatic to soft and subtle.  I used this Tall Field of Grass background with one of my recent eagle shots.  Because of backlighting, the eagle was too dark on the underside, and trying to bring all the details out on that shot would simply make for a noisy mess.  Instead, I masked away her background, blending her in with one of the darker toned color choices.  Her underside is still dark, but now the grass beneath her adds interest to the overall image, which wasn't there before.

If you need an interesting place to move a subject to, check out the Tall Field of Grass 1 Scenic Background, available in 20 color tones!  I used this background in a couple different color tones with two of my favorite subjects - the bald eagle and the lion.  The lion was a zoo photo.  I've included the original photo of him below so you can see the transformation.  I masked away his background and part of his body to make the "grass" come through from underneath, essentially then appearing on top of him.  I also used the grass layer on top in a couple of different layer modes in low opacities to add drama and light.  The process with the eagle was the same.

Like this texture/background?  Buy the set of 20 here for only $20.  Commercial Use OK.

When you wish to take your subjects back to those glowing moments in time, this collection will help you do just that!  These eight soft, yet dramatic, textures/backgrounds are perfect for adding a sense of warmth, mystery, and drama to your subjects.  Included in the package are two vintage canvas overlays - one horizontal and one vertical - if you desire to give your subjects a worn or grunge look using the canvas.  Check out some of these examples made with the textures and overlays from this collection:

Below are a few more examples made with textures and overlays from this collection.  For all of these {except the eagle  and turkeys below} I have masked away the background from the photo and used the texture as a background, as well as in various layer modes on top, as I describe in my tutorials on this page.  TIP:  When using these textures in various layer modes on top {multiply, overlay and soft light are my favorites}, it can really boost the golden tones.  If you want those tones LESS enhanced, desaturate your top layers to tone down the golden hues, leaving just the effect and lighting. :)

This month at The Daily Texture is mini pack month.  I will be releasing small groupings of textures each week throughout the month.  Therefore, there will be no new Daily Textures during March, but there will be a lot of fun small packages for you!  The first pack will be released on or before March 7th.  In the meantime, you're welcome to enjoy the very popular Nature Splash Collection, on sale until March 7th!