The Virtual Paintout is in Cape Town

The award-winning art blog The Virtual Paintout is in CapeTown, South Africa in March.

Cape Town on Google Maps

I'd never looked before at the configuration of Cape Town on a Map.  It reminds me a bit of the Bay of Naples scenario and I wonder if they too have had a big caldera out to sea in the past - inbetween Table Mountain and the Kogelberg Nature Reserve.

There's a terrific range of art being generated from urban to rural.

Instructions on how to participate can be found on Bill's blog - see Cape Town - March 2011

This is the South African National Gallery- but nothing apparently to see.  I'd have liked to see what South African landscape art looks like.

The Virtual Paintout is in Boston, Massachusetts

The award-winning art blog The Virtual Paintout is in Boston, Massachusetts this month.  The area is basically everything inside the 128 / 95

Map of Boston Massachusetts - everything inside the ring road Highways 95 / 128

I passed through Boston a couple of times on my visit to New England in 2006 and remember that most of the time I had my eyes glued to the traffic signs to make sure I navigated my way round "the big dig" and got to and from the airport without going in the wrong direction!

However I also stopped in the middle of Boston and went to see an exhibition about artists sketchbooks at the Fogg Museum and walked through Harvard Yard.

I've just discovered through trying to find it again on the map that the Harvard Art Museums have a major construction project underway to "facilitate the centralization of the collections, galleries, and curatorial staff of the Fogg Museum, the Busch-Reisinger Museum, and the Arthur M. Sackler Museum in one state-of-the-art facility" at 32 Quincy Street.

Think I might go and try and find the Boston Museum of Fine Art instead.........

Instructions on how to participate can be found on Bill's blog - see Boston - January 2011

Virtual Paintout December - in County Clare, Ireland

Spanish Point Rinn na Spáinneach - County Clare

This is my regular monthly plug for the Virtual Paintout.  This month the paintout is in County Clare.  As always the Virtual Paintout post explains the rules which must be observed if you want to participate. 

The key things you need to do are:

• the image has to be at a resolution of 72 and no larger than 1000 pixels on the widest side
• each artist must now include the URL of the location that the artwork is based upon

Wikipedia has rather less to say about County Clare than I was expecting however the map is very helpful for indicating which bits of Google Street View you can view.  Basically it's everything above and nothwest of the River Shannon.

Here's are some Places in County Clare from a website which is keen to portray what's there.

• Cooraclare
• Cliffs of Moher
• Cree
• Doolin
• Doonbeg
• Ennis
• Ennistymon
• Kilkee & Loop Head
• Kilmihill
• Kilrush, Killimer
• Labasheeda
• Lahinch
• Liscannor
• Lissycasey, Cranny
• Miltown Malbay
• Mullagh
• Quilty
• Spanish Point

The place I find intriguing is The Burren with its 90 odd megalithic tombs.

Another place which is interesting to view is Spanish Point (see top) which is where many of the ships from the Spanish Aramada were wrecked in stormy weather in 1588.  According to Wikipedia Those who escaped from their sinking ships and made it safely to land were executed by Sir Turlough O'Brien of Liscannor and Boethius Clancy, High Sheriff of County Clare.

Virtual Paintout October - in Mexico

A view of San Miguel de Allende - courtesy of Wikicommons

This is my regular monthly plug for the Virtual Paintout - but a little later than usual.  At the beginning of the month my prime concern was what I was going to be wearing at a big family wedding!

This month Bill Guffey has taken people off to San Miguel de Allende which is about as central as you can get in Mexico.  According to Wikipedia this is a historic town founded in 1542 that has become an attractive tourist destination for wealthy Mexico City residents and a large number of American and Canadian expatriates who are mainly retired. According to the town's website it's one of the world's top tourist destinations - although I have to confess to never having heard if it before.

Anyway, armed with that information, you can have a look round the town via Google Maps and Streetview.  This is the link to the relevant post - San Miguel de Allende - October 2010

This is the link to the big map - View Larger Map

You can participate until October 31st - after which Bill moves on to a new spot.  Make sure you read the rules for participation carefully if you've not taken part before - or you'll kick yourself - because submissions not following the rules will not be posted! :)

Manhattan hosts the Virtual Paintout

Bird's eye panorama of Manhattan & New York City in 1873

The Virtual Paintout is in Manhattan Island, New York - September 2010 - continuing the island theme which Bill has been following of late!  (see Prince Edward Island, Hong Kong, Hawaii and the Canary Islands).  Will he run out of islands any time soon? ;)

It's open for participation from September 1st till September 30th.

You are free to travel Manhattan Island this month from the southern tip to its northern boundary at the Harlem River. As you'll see by studying the map, the river starts at the northern most point of the island near Inwood Hill Park, then traverses in a southeastern direction, separating Manhattan Island from its neighboring borough of the Bronx.

I found some links to help orientate me look for a spot to draw

• Manhattan - Wikipedia which produced the image at the top.  Which set me thinking as I've been thinking for awhile now that the satellite view gives scope for high level topological views so I might explore this as an option
• Manhattan Parks
• Big Detailed Map of Manhattan - which explains Manhattan
• Manhattan Neighbourhoods
• Maps of Building Heights and Land Value, plus theoretical and zoning-based maps of underdevelopment, all from www.radicalcartography.net
• Images of Manhattan on Wikimedia

As always the Virtual Paintout post explains the rules which must be observed if you want to participate

Bill Guffey and Virtual Paintout on Canadian TV

Congratulations to Bill Guffey and his Virtual Paintout project which last night featured in an interview with Mark Kelley on the Connect Programme on CBC News (Canada).  I guess this month's location of Prince Edward Island generated some interest!

Click the link and then slide the bar over to just about the 00:49:15 mark to watch Bill's part of the show.

Virtual Paintout August - in Prince Edward Island

A view of Newfoundland from Prince Edward Island

The place which the Virtual Paintout is visiting in August is Prince Edward Island - off the coast of New Brunswick, Canada and very close to both Newfoundland and Nova Scotia.

Prince Edward Island (PEI or P.E.I.; French: Île-du-Prince-Édouard, Scottish Gaelic: Eilean a' Phrionnsa) is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population (excluding the territories). The island has a few other names: "Garden of the Gulf" referring to the pastoral scenery and lush agricultural lands throughout the province
Prince Edward Island - wikipedia

These are the links to:

• The August post/thread about Prince Edward Island - which includes paintings from those who have contributed to date
• This is the Large Google Map
•  - what you have to do next is

...drag the little Yellow Man onto the map, let go while he's over a blue area, and start exploring. Find an interesting subject/area. Change it all you want. Or paint it straight up as you see it. Instructions are in the sidebar to the right. Any questions, ask 'em in the comments or email me directly.
Bill Guffey - The Virtual Paintout: Prince Edward Island

The image of the lighthouse in my screen capture from Google Maps Streetview is....

20 minutes east of Souris. East Point Lighthouse is situated on the extreme eastern end of Prince Edward Island where the mighty tides of the St. Lawrence and Northumberland Strait meet to create a show of nature's force. As one of the Island's itinerant lighthouses, the East Point Lighthouse has been moved several times due to poor positioning of the light and continuing erosion of the coastline.
Lighthouses of PEI

The rules

The rules are simple but must be adhered to:

• participation for this virtual paintout finishes on 31st August 2010
• the location must be a picture from Google Streetview (not a photo linked to the spot) 
• each artist must now include the URL of the location that the artwork is based upon
• the image has to be at a resolution of 72 and no larger than 1000 pixels on the widest side
• you cannot post to the blog direct - you have to send your pic to Bill Guffey 

Links:

• Prince Edward Island - government website
• Prince Edward Island  - tourism website
• Prince Edward Island - wikipedia

Virtual Paintout July - in Hong Kong

 A view of Hong Kong from.......

This is exciting!  The place which the Virtual Paintout is visiting in July is Hong Kong.  These are the links to:

• the July post on The Virtual Paintout
• the big map - basically it's Hong Kong if there is a blue line.  The rest is China.
• information about Hong Kong

More things to note from Bill Guffey- and he starts with a new one

IGNORE THE BLUE DOTS! It appears that Google has now added every user submitted photograph to the maps in the form of blue dots. Make sure your reference comes from the actual Street View application and not a photograph. Thanks.

The key things you need to do are:

• the image has to be at a resolution of 72 and no larger than 1000 pixels on the widest side
• each artist must now include the URL of the location that the artwork is based upon

My initial trawl suggests finding good viewpoints might take some time but can be worthwhile.  The view at the top was about my 10th go at finding a location

Hawaii - Virtual Paintout in June

Hawaii (extract from Google Maps)

The Virtual Paintout for June is Hawaii!

This is a link to Bill's Virtual Paintout blog and the thread of the Hawaii Virtual Paintout in June 2010.  


View Larger Map

There's lots to explore in Hawaii. Beaches (of course), urban scenes, farm scenes, beautiful vistas, etc. Currently only two of the islands have Street View available. So wander around those two all you like and find that perfect spot. 

Please be careful to note the following in Bill's post

It is necessary to stress the importance of a couple of rules. One is the image size issue. It states in the rules in the right sidebar on this blog that the image has to be at a resolution of 72 and no larger than 1000 pixels on the widest side. Submissions not following the rules will not be posted.

Also, each artist must now include the URL of the location that the artwork is based upon.
If your submission doesn't show up on the blog, please check the list near the top in the sidebar entitled, "Don't see your submission? This could be the reason..." Thanks.

You might also like:

• Virtual Paint Out (February 2010) - San Francisco
• Stavanger - the Virtual Paintout in March
• Canary Islands - The Virtual Paintout in April 
• The Czech Republic - Virtual Paintout in May

The Czech Republic - Virtual Paintout in May

The Charles Bridge in Prague

The Virtual Paintout for May is the Czech Republic - which I'm very excited about as I've actually been to Prague (Praha). 

The Charles Bridge is a popular landscape motif for painters in Prague.  On one memorable day I nearly froze in late September while painting the Charles Bridge plein air under some trees on the banks of the the Vltava River - that's that bank on the right of the river in the above image of the Charles Bridge in Prague! 

I do recall the slivovitz breaks for some internal central heating which were different to say the least!

This is a link to Bill's Virtual Paintout blog and the thread of the Czech Republic Virtual Paintout in May

Please be careful to note the following in Bill's post

With the popularity of this project growing monthly (143 submissions in April), it is necessary for me to stress a couple of rules. One is the image size issue. It has always stated in the rules in the right sidebar on this blog that the image has to be at a resolution of 72 and no larger than 1000 pixels on the widest side. Submissions not following the rules will not be posted.

A new rule that started in April 2010, is that each artist must now include the URL of the location that the artwork is based upon.......

If your submission doesn't show up on the blog, please check the list near the top in the sidebar entitled, "Don't see your submission? This could be the reason..." Thanks.

Old Volcanoes in Gran Canaria

The Virtual Paintout in April - my contribution
coloured pencils on Saunders Waterford HP
copyright Katherine Tyrrell

This is my interpretation of the landscape which can be viewed from the street in front of 35 Lugar Diseminado la Degollada, Tejeda, on Gran Canaria in the Canary islands - it's quite something! I liked it because it's got that combination of the weird contours you can get with volcanic geomorphology and the acid greens often seen where cultivation occurs.

I think this is also the view of what is left of the central cone of the extinct volcano which is Gran Canaria. The location is close to the centre of the island and the view is towards the very centre.

The Canary Islands are located off the coast of Western Sahara and Morocco, Africa. The Islands are located on a volcanic hotspot, away from plate boundaries. The island chain is approximately linear with a rough decrease in age of the volcanism is recognized from east to west.

Volcano Live

What I like about the The Virtual Paintout and using Google Maps Streetview to find a view to draw is it is almost exactly like what I do in real life.

Being a geographer from way back I almost always study maps before trying to find new views. Given I can read contours I can often find good places to draw just from studying the map. Not always though. Many is the time I've got there only to find that trees completely obscure the view!

When I'm using Streetview I start by studying the map and then try various locations. I then spend ages going backwards and forwards trying to find the 'perfect' perspective. Just like I do in real life when I'm sketching plein air and hauling ` sketching stool and backpack backwards and forwards as I try to find where to put the stool down!

It all feels very familiar! :)

How is it for you?

Canary Islands - The Virtual Paintout in April

The number of people participating in The Virtual Paintout each month is growing. In March there were 117 submissions and there were over 100 in both January and February. Of course some people submit more than one but whichever way you look at it that's a very big number.

All of this means that Bill Guffey needs to look at ways to make this project and blog an exercise which continues to be pleasureable for him rather than onerous.

Consequently, he's made some changes to how the Virtual Paintout works which we all need to pay attention to. Karin Jurick did pretty much the same sort of thing with her Different Strokes from Different Folks blog so this is pretty much par for the course when it comes to a successful blog project.

Size your picture correctly

With Bill now posting well over 100 entries each month, the last thing he needs is to have to adjust the images of people who don't submit them according to the rules. However I gather from Bill that around a third of the submissions are not correctly sized.

So - if you've not paid attention to the sizing rules in the past, Bill has now highlighted in the sidebar of the Virtual Paintout all the reasons why an image might not get posted. It's worth a careful read!

Don't forget to make a note of the link to your location

Bill has also introduced a new rule - which will help those of us (like me) who find a spot and then lose it again. From now on when you submit your picture you also have to submit the link to the view you used.

I think this is a really great idea for making sure everyone really is participating in a Virtual paintout as opposed to submitting a work they'd already painted - which I gather may have happened.....

and finally....


View Larger Map

Bill Guffey has selected the Canary Islands for the Virtual Paintout in April - which means two islands to look at!

From completed landscape drawing to Streetview

Monterchi from the Via Madonna del Parto
8" x 10", coloured pencil on Arches HP
copyright Katherine Tyrrell

This is the reverse version of the Virtual paintout process. First the drawing and then the Streetview perspective!

Above is a drawing of Monterchi in Tuscany - home of the Madonna del Parto by Piero della Francesco and below is the scene from Streetview of very nearly the place where I got this view. I was stood one row into the vines on the right hand side. The Streetview is from the Via Madonna del Parto.

The Streetview perspective seems to me to be mid afternoon whereas my view was on my regular drive from Citerna to a house near Lippiano - which involved going past this view at about 9am each morning - hence mine has a rather different light and the shadows are different.

I'm tickled pink to see that the very tall post for the vines is still there and is still leaning precariously!



Visualizzazione ingrandita della mappa

Has anybody else gone back to find the view they drew or painted on holiday via Streetview?

Between Bjørnøy and Roaldsøy - looking west

This is a quick sketch and my first ever effort for the Virtual Paintout which this month is painting Stavanger in Norway. See Stavanger, Norway - March 2010 which contains a number of contributions at this mid-point in the month. I find it intriguing that quite so many different styles can work well with an image from Google Maps!

Between Bjørnøy and Roaldsøy - looking west

coloured pencils on Saunders Waterford

I found the most difficult bit to be navigating my way to a spot which had 'a good view' (which translates as something I liked enough to want to draw).

In the end I went for one of the islands and found a narrow bridge which gave me a view in two directions and a choice of topics. I like the red barn-like buildings and the combination of the red barns and the water seemed to me to be typical of this part of the world.

This is the link to where I was - although not quite the place I got to first time round. I forgot where I'd been or to make a note of the link and had to find it all over again!

Streetview is also a neat way of checking out whether somewhere where you think should present a good prospect for plein air work will deliver the goods in reality. Obviously you can't get everywhere - but there's a fair few places you can go.

It is also absolutely fascinating being able to see different parts of the world. I suspect a fair few people may change painting holiday plans as a result of being able to review locations using Streetview!

Stavanger - the Virtual Paintout in March

Image from the webkamera in Stavanger at 14.45 on Monday 1st March

The Virtual Paintout in March is in......Stavanger, Norway - March 2010. There are a few sites which tell you about Stavanger which is a major port at the southernmost tip of fjord Norway - a couple are:

• Wikipedia - Stavanger
• Stavanger-web

It's a pity we can't get a virtual Googlemaps as the weather forecast in English is here. However I did find that Google Maps is very good for finding webcameras - hence the image at the top of this post. I've provided a link to the website host of the webcamera however I'm not quite sure how to credit the webkamera owners as I don't speak Norwegian but if they'd like it to say something different please do get in touch.

You can see the contributions for the Virtual Paintout in the San Francisco area in February in this thread San Francisco Bay area - February 2010

Virtual Paint Out (February 2010) - San Francisco

For those who are minded to join the crowd who are following the Virtual Paint-out blog, the location for February 2010 is San Francisco

I'm going to have a go this month. I got as far as trying to work out how to navigate Corsica last month!

Open for participation from

February 1st till February 28th

View Larger Map

Google Street View and The Virtual Paintout

This post is about:

• using Google Street View to provide artists with landscape painting opportunities and
  
• Bill Guffey's pioneering use of it forThe Virtual Paintout project and blog.

I'm pretty much confined to home at present. I have real problems with balance caused by falls caused by a disabling condition in my feet. Walking on wet snow, slush and ice is a very high risk activity for me. In the past I've had falls on completely dry pavements which have almost always led to six weeks on crutches so any conditions which increase the likelihood of falls are avoided as part of my risk management strategy.

However at least I can get out and about and do walk a lot when the weather is better with a view to strengthening the spaghetti junctions in my ankles. (Believe me = breaking a bone is a complete breeze compared to tearing ligaments and tissue in your feet!)

However many people with disabilities greater than mine don't have the mobility I have. Many people can be confined to their homes for long periods and can have significant problems with travelling to see landscapes and paint. However Google Street View appears to offer some scope for artists to travel in a virtual world and paint in the real world that was never envisaged when this development of Google Maps was created.

Google Street View

Bill Guffey (Bill Guffey), a Kentucky artist, is the person who has been responsible for uncovering the potential of Google Street View.

First he started experimenting with Google Street View to complete a series of paintings, one from each state in the U.S. You can see his Street View State Series on his website. In doing this he contacted Google to find out what was and was not possible.

Using Google Street View as a source is legal - He secured the agreement of Google to the effect that it is permissable for artists to use Google Street View as a reference when working in traditional methods to create art.

All Google requires that if you choose to show the original Street View screen shot on which a painting is based on your blog or website, then the Google logo and copyright MUST be visible in the screenshot. There is no requirement for it to be acknowledged in any way in the actual painting.

Bill has also been complimented by by Google for his inspiring use of their technology.

Bill's use of Street View, to inspire his paintings and to create a virtual community of artists, is a remarkable example that we hadn't imagined but are really excited to see.
Stephen Chau, Google Street View product manager

Benefits for artists with disabilities - As Bill highlights on his blog...........

This opens up an entire world for artists that are disabled and confined to their homes or facilities, or with restricted mobility.

I think this aspect is really terrific for artists with disabilities. It's also the reason why I've chosen to highlight it today given that I'm sitting here and staring out the window at the snow coming down in London!

The Virtual Paintout

Bill subsequently started The Virtual Paintout as a blog project.

The Main Rule

The artist must use a view found through Google Street View as the reference for the painting or drawing. Artwork created from photographs not acquired through Google Street View will not be accepted. User Photos found as thumbnails in the upper right hand corner on some views are not acceptable. Thanks.

To date the Virtual Paintout has visited the following places. If you click on the links you can view the paintings produced by participants as a result.

• Amsterdam
• Baltimore
• Barcelona
• Belfast
• Corsica
• Florence
• Lisbon
• London
• Mexico City
• Nova Scotia
• Paris
• Seattle

Below you'll find an example of a painting produced for the London project. This painting by Gary Nemcosky is of Westminster Abbey from Totley Street in London - and below is the nearest I could get to the Google Street View. Gary is an artist and art educator living in the mountains of western North Carolina - a long way from Westminster! This is a link to his blog post about the painting - Virtual Paintout - London, England and this was his conclusion!

This was a lot of fun to do and I would recommend this kind of activity to anyone

Westminster Abbey
12x16" watercolor on Kilamanjaro 140 lb. block.
Gary Nemcosky

Westminster Abbey from the end of Totley Street
view from Google Street View

So - have you tried painting from Google Street View or participated in The Virtual Paintout?

• How did you find it? What are the pros and cons?
  
• Do you have any tips for others having a go?

Links:

• Google Street View
• Bill Guffey - blog
• The Virtual Paint Out
• Gary Nemkosky - GaryNem