Brandy Martin's Enchanted Creations

Unicorn Friends

2010-03-05T08:18:00.000-08:00

these are some the photos I fused together to create "Fairy's Friend"

The Legend of Unicorns

It all started when a young unicorn lost his way.

Playing in the woods he took a wrong turn

and then was completely lost.

He stood trembling , sad lost , and alone.

Then out of nowhere a pixie appeared

and took hold of his horn

"Follow me my friend , for I know of one who can help"

announced the sparkling littly pixie

Frightened and uncertain as he was

he followed her along.

He followed the cute little pixie

in all of her pixie dust trails

through the enchanted green woods.

Past the largest of moss covered trees

there sat a beautuful rose fairy .

"Oh rose fairy , can you help me please?"

asked the young creature in his little voice

" I am so tired , and I have lost my way"

"Of course little one"she said

in her magical voice

Then she flew high in the air

and searched all around for his unicorn mother.

And when she found her , she blew her magic light

toward where she stood waiting

"There you are my young friend,

she is right down there waiting"said the rose Fae.

He found his mother there as the fairy said she would be

The unicorns were so grateful

to the fairies.

They promised to carry the fairies

whenever they needed a ride through the meadows.

And Legend has it, that to make sure

that the little unicorn would never loose his way again

The fairies gave their horns the gift of magic

that would always light their way.

The unicorns kept their promise

They run with the fairies on top of their

magical backs.

And that lost little unicorn grew

into a beautiful steed.

who gives the surest , fastest ride of all.

~story by Camomile/P.Anderson

(worded slightly different by me )

" Fairy's Friend"

Enchanted Forest

2010-02-27T09:12:00.000-08:00

Usually I'll take a photo I like ,and work with it for awhile untill I figure out how I want it to look. Sometimes , however ,I'll see one and just know instantly .I guess some photo' s just have a spark of magic that way !

This photo came from a series of shots I took of my girls with the intention of attempting some more mystical mermaid creations(which I still haven't done) . Kaylee , the oldest said " it looks like child porn mom !". When my husband saw it , he just about freaked . C'mon seriously ? She IS wearing a bathing suit after all. So the very FIRST thing I had to do is Paint on a dress !

I painted some make-up , and some hair extensions (most fairies have long hair).The wings came from a photo of a butterfly , which I colorized a bit. and of course ALL fairies have magic Fairy dust all around them ! I love painting the sparly stuff ! Then I painted the foilage and extra vines onto this forest photo and gave it some softness for blending too.Also , all forest scenes should have mushrooms , so I placed an shaded a few.Then finally added the butterfly with simmilar wings to finish the scene.

I entitled this one "Cousins"

Faerie Dance

2009-12-17T17:52:00.000-08:00

FAIRY OF LOVE.
The Fairy of LoveDrop her dust everywhere,Giving dreams, giving hopesReaching out to those who care.
She brings joy to the world,Spreading love throughout,Giving happiness to everyone,Giving to those without.
She works in mysterious ways,Ways that no one can seeOpening your heart,Setting your soul free.
And when you least expect it,A piece of dust falls to your shoulder.And it feels more and more intenseAs we get older.
So the next time you look for love,Let the thought pass by.Because the fairy of love will do her deedAll in perfect time.
~~Author Unknown.~~

Cherry Blossom Faerie

2009-08-28T16:41:00.000-07:00

"If we opened our minds to enjoyment, we might find tranquil pleasures
spread about us on every side. We might live with the angels that visit us on every sunbeam, and sit with the fairies who wait on every flower. "

~Samuel Smiles

This is another fairy I did for a friend . I could not quite get the background put together right for the forest background I was trying to create .Frusterated , I took a break .I walked the length of our neighborhood with my daughter to take in some of the fresh spring air( It was May when I did this one)

The trees were still in bloom . Flowers were abundant after the long stretch of rainy weather .Each neighbor we passed had a different array of blooming flowers and budding bushes in their front yards. It was my daughter that spotted a butterfly resting on a pink blossom and said it looked like fairy wings.

Then,filled with a childs gift of inspiration , I found myself taking this creation in a new direction . I found some photo's of cherry blossom trees , some branches , and a suitable flower perch , photoshoped them together to create an enchanting "cherry blossom faerie"

To ride with Fairies

2009-08-23T20:40:00.000-07:00

"Faeries , come take me out of this dull world , For I would ride with you upon the wind , Run on the top of the dishevelled tide , And dance upon the mountains like a flame."~William Butler Yeats, "The Land of Heart's Desire," 1894

I have been meaning to update my blog here for what few followers I have , but have not matched my intentions with my actions.That seems to be the theme of my world theese days. Full of good intentions , but no will to act on them.The Lack of motivation and positive thinking is quite un-fairie like I must say.So I intend to try harder to be happier , laugh longer , smile more heartedly and act as though I was riding with fairies !

Magical Forest Fairy

2009-06-10T11:37:00.000-07:00

"Make Believe"

"Hold your breath and close your eyes,
Squeeze all the magic from inside.
Step through the circle that times defies,
And journey into wonderous skies.
It's time to dance, it's time to sing,
enjoy the peace that fairies bring.
See their world through eyes of wonder,
And on their beauty you may ponder.
Go deep within the wooded ground,
'tis there the secrets can be found.
Enjoy your journey, that begins right here,
Close your eyes and have no fear."

BY JOIE dE VOVRE

What an enchanting child. This little girl of only 3.When I saw this photo in a set that was sent to me for fairy creation , my imagination sparked a roaring flame of creativity. How beautiful she is with her little princess dress , and the devious look in her eyes so absolutely stunning.A special thanks to Noel for allowing me the oportunity to work with your amazingly magical children.

My young angel's first quest for adventure

2009-05-28T04:43:00.000-07:00

"The purpose of life, after all,
is to live it,
to taste experience to the utmost,
to reach out eagerly and without fear
for newer and richer experience."

~ Eleanor Roosevelt ~

As most people that read thees already know , I have two magically beautiful little girls : Kaylee ,almost 13 , and Ashlynn , almost 3 .I have done many enchanted fairy photos of the girls , but I also have a little boy. Sean is 7 , almost 8 , much to old to create a cute little fairy from. But I couldn't leave him out . Using this quote I set out to include him in a new enchantment.

I found myself searching through photos of my son , disappointed that none of them could fit into the realm of fantasy art. Either he had an over sized shirt on , or his glasses were askew and covering his eyes. He is such a handsome little guy with dazling green eyes. Then I ran across a picture of him in the front yard playing with the bubble blower.PERFECT ! He had his glasses off as they needed the suds cleared off , and (for once) the sun was out , so his shirt was off.

Next I had to find a way to fit a scene around him . I would tread very carefully as I could take no chance of having him look feminine ! The bubble wand was removed and replaced with a staff. I decided on angel wings rather than fairy wings , but what to place in the background .? I wanted him to look tribal , adventurous .A young warrior angel seeking his first task.

I came across this great picture created by one of the deviantart artists entitled "Skull Rock" . I blended it with some mossy forest scenes , some rocks , and painted some extra waterfalls and splashes.I then added some light rays , some sparkles , and some glow to the skulls' eyes (though that feature is not that apparent). Finally , I adorned my Son with tattoos just to make extra sure he looked fearless.

Click the photo to see it better.........

Most people don't know that the the backgrounds I use are not all pre-made , and are created by me to fit the feel of the piece. I used many resources once again from deviantart.com and am crediting them here (click to see sources)

grass brushes by *Katikut

skull rock by =moroka

Mossy forest background by ~mysticmorning

Splash Brushes by Baringa of the Wind

Waterfall toutches with brushes by *midnightstouch

Angel Wings by ~bazzabent-stock

Rays of Light by ~LadyVictoire

Fantasy staff pack by *unholy-stock

tatoo Tribal Brushes by =Falln-Stock

sparkle brushes (pixie dust)

Look to the sky

2009-05-14T16:32:00.000-07:00

This morning I made the redundant commute into Bend as I do daily . Tired , stressed and despondant .The morning was cold and cloudy adding to my faltering mood . I took the same straight route as usual through the high traffic , winding streets of the city and made my way to the southernmost portion to drop Kaylee off for school.

As I came around a long curve to some uninhabited areas near the school , I looked up .I forget sometimes why I moved to this small town , but when I looked up this morning something magical happend.It was like a mystical being lifting my spirit when it knew how desperately I needed it !

The clouds were a mixed texture of smooth and long ,flecked with fluffy powder puffs and streaks. Their stunning hues from indigo to white contrased against the vivid green of the pine trees that lined the streets before me.Though the sun was hidden behind this glorious display , one break in these clouds allowed a few rays of it's light to peek through .Sparkling rays of magical light shone down before me , as if heaven itself was singing in all it's glory. Singing "The Clouds are dark and gray now , but the sun WILL shine again !"

We sometimes forget to look up when everything feels like it's seems to be crashing down.I have resolved to look up to the sky , and take in all the glory of natures wonder every time I feel low .To remember that no matter how bleak the the views are before me , it will get brighter , if I just look up !.

..............................Look up!

Kaylee Angel

2009-05-12T19:09:00.000-07:00

In a current age of economical distress , hardships and worry , one can't help but to feel down . Lately I have began to falter myself , and have developed a rather lousy disposition . I don't want to be that person.

I looked to my children this week. The most beautiful creatures on the planet. Once again taking their pictures and finding so much inspiration I can hardly contain myself.

In my previous post I mentioned this photo. It is particularly inspiring in so many ways.I have been working on a magical encounter in heaven with this photo but it is too good to leave it to just one.Enchanting , magical , fantastical thoughts entered my soul as I downloaded this one and I just exploded with creativity....

So I leave you with a random inspirational thought that I found on the net . I think everyone could use a lift right now !

Allow Your Own Inner Light to Guide You
There comes a time when you must stand alone.You must feel confident enough within yourself to follow your own dreams.You must be willing to make sacrifices.You must be capable of changing and rearranging your priorities so that your final goal can be achieved.Sometimes, familiarity and comfort need to be challenged.There are times when you must take a few extra chances and create your own realities.Be strong enough to at least try to make your life better.Be confident enough that you won't settle for a compromise just to get by.Appreciate yourself by allowing yourself the opportunities to grow, develop, and find your true sense of purpose in this life.Don't stand in someone else's shadow when it's your sunlight that should lead the way.

Time

2009-05-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

Some days I wish I could create time. Create my own sparkling river of minutes , enriched with shimmering seconds , that leads to a glorious ocean of magical hours .I could jump right in to it's tender tide when ever I wished , and take in all the sweet time I needed.

As it is , however , I feel that I am constantly starved for time. . I have so many ideas so many fantastical works of art swirling around in my head constantly .Yet I am so busied by all of the requirements of the day , that I am left in famine for what I want to do .

I find myself srapeing minutes of my time for thees images , while they constantly spin around in my head , begging to be released.This particular fairy creation is actually a side piece for another , bigger , project I have been working on .I found myself some extra time while tending to my sick littke fairy in the middle of the night.

It's amazing what good can come from something so dejecting...........

Here's where I started...and I am working on more from this particular super insipiring photo of my girls...

back to basic

2009-04-21T19:04:00.000-07:00

Recently , I have been getting carried away with the intricate details in my work.Butterflies and glitter , flower and mushrooms , moons , bubbles....whatever.I decided to go back to a basic image in order to attract more focus to the fairy herself.

I had a couple of different images to work with for this child. Her photos were the first to strike me when I got the initial photo pack from Angie.She looks so dreamy and wonderfully intriguing .The photo I went with was not my first choice , but the lighting on her face best suited the background I had created for her.

I used a brush preset called 9 skies , and a lotus flower that I downloaded from deviantart.com .(click the hyperlink to see)Brushes in photoshop are the greatest invention .There are some sparkle brushes of my own thanks to Gary Calicott , wing brushes and tiara brushes are also from diviantart.Seriously , you gotta check out this site !

All in all one of my more simpler works of art , but I think that this piece has become one of my favorites !

Deviations ........

2009-04-20T18:45:00.000-07:00

So , as promised , I want to share some of the work I have done with Angie's kids. This was a huge challenge for me as I have never done any photo manipulation with children other than my own.Would exposing other children's inner magic be as facile ? As it turns out , I can .

(at least I think I can )...

During my search for background and accessories , I came across a website called deviantart.com . The site is devoted to artists of all kinds . Here I found boundless tools and resources for doing what I do , as well as some amazing artwork. I have used backgrounds from anaRasha stock , and BellazaArtStock and would like to pay homage to them here.

So thees are some new pieces I put together , again ...the photo quality is poor , but I think

I pulled it off... ??? Feedback would be wonderful !!!!

from this ......

to this.............

and from this .................

to this ...............

Thank you again to Angie for providing the photos and to all the wonderful artists at deviantart...............

Mermaid dreams

2009-04-19T17:11:00.001-07:00

What inspires people ? What makes us get out of bed every morning to endure the monotony of work and repetitious commute ? For me , it is the faces of my three beautiful children. The wonderment and innocence in all they do ( for the most part ). With spring still looming off in the distance here in central Oregon , I had run out inspiration . When at last someone had given me a challenge.

I had been asking family members for months to provide me with some digital images of their kids.None responded. I showed some of my latest creations . Still .... no response.It was when I posted some photos on facebook that an old friend asked if I would create some art with her children.

I was thrilled by the photos she provided. The quality is poor , but the children display such inner magic , that I was instantly gathering supplies to start a new project. She had asked me to make a mermaid.I've never done a mermaid before , but after several days tinkering I came up with this....

Now , the background and feel of the piece was perfect , but with the way the child was dressed , I had a hart time making the tail believable. I used a golf fish , and her tank just wouldn't blend. She need more .... so I made a few adjustments to her hair , a hue adjustment to her tank and tail , and a small splash in the water (thanks to a suggestion by my husband) , and the final project came down to this ....

Thank You to Angie for providing thees pictures....

Welcoming Boscoe.

2009-04-17T17:37:00.000-07:00

Creating images through photo manipulation takes more that just the knowledge of using the software . I happen to have very little knowledge in comparison to many other photographers that I have encountered.I experiment mostly .I find tips for effects on blogs or artist pages. But I mainly FEEL my way through it. Some random thought , image or phrase will spark my imagination and I become inspired to create something magical.

Recently , with only a few fleeting glimpses at true inspiration , I had been unable to create anything truly enchanting. Engulfed by the everyday humdrum routine.For several days I thought about what to do next.I searched the Internet. I searched through books and movies and artwork.I searched my closet and my backyard.The quest for some spark of magic amongst the mundane.Finally , when I realized that I would never find a cure to my own inner battle , I quit looking.That's when I found Boscoe.

Surfing the Internet on another dreary workday , I came across the sweetest face of 2 1/2 year old boxer , licking the face of a small child.Someone was giving this dog away.Immediately I phoned my husband (to ask permission of course) and then went to Madras to meet him.

CRAZY....Boscoe is full of life and energy.He likes to think he's a cuddly lap dog.He doesn't bark , and most importantly , he gets along well with my children and my 3 yr old Lab Sparky.

Ashlynn Absolutely loves having 2 "goggies" she calls them.....

Kaylee thinks he licks too much ..............

Micah is Glad to have more dog hair to clean off his clothes...........

Sean I super excited about having twice the dog poop to scoop !!

As for me , I am elated , and over joyed to have added such a fun loving new family member , now I feel some inner bliss and have come up with some fantastic new creations , which I will share with you throughout the week.........

Thanks Boscoe !

2009-03-29T10:59:00.000-07:00

Today has been particularly mundane . I woke up to a frost dusted morning once again.When we we start seeing the signs that spring is on it's way ?

Not that I mind winter.In fact , winter can be very inspiring at times , but I want to go outside . I want to play with the kids , and take their picture of course . I want to encompass my artwork with the rich colors of spring ,and the beauty of new life...

We here at our house end up lying about , watching tv , or playing video games . Un-inspired , useless , and despondent.

I found myself at the computer before even having a cup of coffee this morning . Looking through those photo's I took a few weeks ago with the new camera. 300 photos and I found maybe 7 or 8 that caught my attention. This particular photo was toward the end of the shoot.My daughter fed up with her little sister and my constant tinkering , laid down and gave me the most contemptuous look . I happen to be shooting at that moment .

I thought the look she gave was somewhat compelling. And , though I was looking to work with a pic of both of the girls , I found myself prepping this photo for today's magical creation.

I took two takes on it. one vintage painting look , and one painted look that I added a reflection of water to.I felt her position in the image I placed her in was too high up and wanted to add a reason for her to be up there.I used a modified version of a photoshop preset action which turned out fairly well.

2009-03-28T11:20:00.000-07:00

Here it is. A blog spot to showcase all of the inspiration behind my work . And...well ........to show off my work.This is completely new to me and Any feedback or suggestions for what you'd like to see here are definitely appreciated.

First , I must pay homage to a friend who has given me all the tools and knowledge to do what I do.Gary Calicott is a genius photographer , and lover of nature . His work is inspiring and I urge anyone who wants to get a feel for life in central Oregon to visit his blog @ http://www.photosnw.com/blog .

Second , I would like to post my favorite creation to date . This is a photo of my oldest daughter.Some days I feel the magic starting to leave her presence as she is almost entering her teen years . Some days , however , I still manage to get a glimpse of her inner wonderment.

A few weeks ago I acquired a new camera (which to be honest is a little too technical for me).It was another blustery day here in central Oregon , so we were stuck taking silly shots inside . The lighting was horrible but I managed to get a few decent shots of the girls. I had Kaylee pose for a few ideas I was playing around with , but in the end , it was just a candid shot that ended up inspiring me.

I used a background that I found at deviantart.com and added some sparkles and glow. I wanted it to look like a new painting on an old canvas , so I created the edging using some combinations of presets that I found at The Adobe website.I think it brought out what I saw in her that day.