Tag: flowers

AI Art

Growing Orchids 101

Michele B. Naquaiya
My first collection of phalaenopsis orchids and propagation techniques I’m trying

It’s been a hard year. I have been ill often, I’ve had 3 surgeries and a general feeling of not belonging to many…or any positive energies. I have a small garden area that “came with the house” as they say here in Mexico. The first two years I babysat 18 trees (I can’t remember the name of them now). They were weak, grew sporadically and kept dying. The ones that grew, moved up into my roof and caused lots of damage. Darn. I finally took them all out and designed the narrow long space with lovely ceramic pots and lots of flowers, concrete pavers and lava rock. That was almost two years ago. That garden has now found it’s legs and is doing pretty well.

I wanted more…what woman doesn’t. I don’t remember how I got started with orchids, but it was what a missing element I was looking for. The picture here is my house entry where there is shade, room to house my electric trike and table and chairs. These are my first orchids and the beginning of a new adventure and I’m hooked. I’ve been learning, and trying to remember everything I’m learning. It’s been a struggle but this new adventure is making me happy so I’m going for it. I finally have something new and exciting and at last, something to write about.

AI Art

It’s ok to play with florals in AI

Michele B. Naquaiya

I hereby give you permission to play with the basic flower and see what you can come up with. Maybe just chill a little and start to have a little fun with color and design. The first image is my original semi-abstract watercolor. The rest are just a sampling of ideas and variations on the theme. Just by changing a few color combinations, tweeking the prompt and experimenting with different styles; I believe anybody could find wonderful uses for these glorious, joyful and slightly abstract modern floral designs. The basic app is created in Freepix.

My original watercolor, 20×16″

Here are just a few samples from AI to have a little fun with. They just represent a few basic styles, a few various color palettes and a little imagination.

This version is sticking very close to the original, that’s how I like to begin variations
These flowers are a little more exotic with basic color changes.
An about face is achieved by a dramatic color change in the prompt
I’m loving the green and white palette, I could think of a dozen uses in a mock up
I’ll choose this for a huge wallpaper, omg, I can just see the drama in a small room.
This is subtle and a more focused subject matter, maybe fabric?
Black is a fabulous background. Here, soft pinks and oranges are moody.

I hope you have fun playing with flowers. It’s soothing to the soul. After all, nature is a valuable and powerful source of inspiration.

flora and fauna, patterns

Red and green abstract floral

Michele B. Naquaiya

green-mandala-intense-low

I’m loving abstract flowers again.  This one is a combination of watercolor and intense markers. It’s interesting on its own and it gets wild as a repeat pattern.
These kind of paintings to me are more like drawings and they are an in between mix of media which is really fun.
Here is the link to purchase on over 80 products.  my goodness…

AI Art, flora and fauna, Illustrations

A few tulips

Michele B. Naquaiya

tulip-combo web

I have not been posting here in a long time as I have been filling every day with remodeling a house in Mexico.  The project has taken literally 100% of my time.
I also no longer have hi speed internet.  When you rent, the wi fi belongs to the owner of the property.  Upon moving, I lost my wi fi.  This is a difficult concept to grasp but I had no choice in the matter.  Now that I own a home here, with proper procedures, I can get on a waiting list.   I plan to get good service which will be fibre optics as soon as I can but
that is dependent upon many technical and administrative goals to be achieved and a time element I have no control over.  I won\t
go into details but it is complicated to say the least.  Life in Mexico is very easy for some things and very complex for others.  Also the town I live in is putting up all new transformers and poles.  The new poles aren’t completed yet.   We seem to have lost power on a weekly basis for months now but it is slowly getting better.  The main drag is being completely overhauled and redesigned to be safer and more efficient.  It’s hard when there is only one street in an out of town.   For now at least I have something
which at times can be as slow as ancient dial up.  I may be posting photos of the remodeling I’ve done to my cute little abode.  It will depend if I have enough energy. ha

These are little watercolors done out of my head and I’m just putting them here as a
test so I don’t forget how to type or upload anything. chuckle. chuckle. It ain’t so funny. So it looks like this house demands another full month of my time.  I’m shooting for the bulk completion at the end of July.  Since the onset of Covid 19, social distancing, etc. I miss my blog as its primary function for me is to keep a record of what I’m doing here in the progress of my art and watercolor painting.

Lots of people have really suffered with this horrific pandemic and I have only felt a little discomfort from time to time.  I don’t and won’t complain.  I keep my workers employed and that is my contribution to the Mexican labor force that is so loyal and hard working.  They have families to feed and life is normally a struggle anyway so this is super hard for them.

I am going to try to draw every day even if it’s for a few hours.  I miss working on my tablet, my originals on paper and anything I am used to.  I am painting some paper mache animals and masks a friend made for me.  It will be a gringa’s view of a traditional craft.

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