Be an Artist! Make Art! Anywhere! Anytime!

Okay, so the above's a bit on the morbidly beautiful side -- we personally think. It was simply done by having a little bit of vision, a plan, and implementation. It was part of how I went about to be an artist.

The above might not be the best example of how easy it is to make your own art. But maybe it'll inspire you! Who knows! It required two stock images and a lot of editing. Editing is something you don't really have to worry too much about, though... not these days, not for some easy-to-do projects.

Wait. Let's start at the beginning. The beginning is always a great place to start:

You have it in you. This desire to create. To make.

To see the world in a different view, capture that view, and then share it with others. It's never been easier to get into art these days. I call it 'digital art'. Maybe because that's what others call it too. But I have a broader definition than they do.

Often, when a designer talks about digital art, they'll be referring to things such as using an iPad Pro pen, and digitally drawing and painting a picture on the device itself. That takes dexterity and mastery which a lot of us don't possess.

(Helped with an app called Monster AR.)

But almost everyone has a creative spark in them. And they unleash it in different ways. Such as flair in the kitchen, or how they match their fashion to create a unique look for them. And a lot of other people say they don't have it in them, that they're not so inclined.

Nonsense! We were gifted with creativity as humans.

Whether you believe in us being made in God's own image (in which case, His ability to create is surely reflected to some degree in all of us).

Or you believe we evolved into this specific species (in which case, creativity is literally what saved us from being made into sabre-tooth cat snacks*), you can agree creativity is an inborn part of our nature.

*"Ugh, put sharp rock on stick. Tie. Next time we face Long-Tooth, no one die."

There we go. Something quite elegant, done purely on a smartphone. In fact, all examples here come from iPhones, unfortunately, as those are the personal examples I can provide. Still.

What is cool about this is the original picture was a bit uninspiring. Just a normal photo. Then, through an app called BeCasso (Free, on Apple App Store), I was able to give it some... inspiring... look about it.

Basically, a dull photo was put through an art app, and the right "filter" was found. This filter, called Adams, really highlights all the lines in the picture.

Oh yeah, lines, architectural lines and natural lines, can be used to quite powerful effect in a photo. And one thing they do well is contrast with the rounded shapes, including our non human-eating cat, who is both apparent and demure at the same time. There's a sense of pathos in this simple pic.

All by using the right app, filter, and, of course, shot, you can capture something stunning.

There's beauty all around you. Sometimes, it's the really little things we don't notice that, when captured in the right light (literally and figuratively), really spark our imaginations.

Waterlogue is another favourite of mine. You can take simple, quiet moments, like a mate trying his best to "mate" on social media, and capture that as a photo. Again, as a photo alone, it might not be that interesting.

However, an app like Waterlogue gives it that real, waterbrush vibe.

But these little pieces you'll be creating are only as good as your eye for opportunity. Literally.

Moments are great opportunities. Moments are... well... just that... they're these moments that happen in life: the mom tired at the end of the day, but still helping her six-year old with his homework. Or someone looking excited at their phone as they see all the likes they received for some Insta post.

Moments... human moments. But nature moments, too. Like the glistening on jacaranda trees after a summer thunderstorm, as the sun shines once more. Moments.

(Or pinecones surrounded by jacaranda leaves on an overcast day. Done with BeCasso's oil painting filter.)

Find them. Capture them. It's the sublime that makes the best art. People are often so focused on the weird and crazy to tweet and bleet, they forget about the little moments that make up this fantastic thing called life. Existence.

Or you can get really creative. Such as painting on various separate pages in their own specific colours, cutting them out, forming layers with them, then shooting with your phone's camera.

So they look almost like they're all part of one piece. But you can still see they're cut-outs so you...

...put the photo through a filter.

This is what you can come up with:

A landscape! Done with BrushStroke in this case, with a few settings played with. And don't let anyone ever tell you that using filters is cheating or unimpressive!

It's about the envisioning of a creation and making it happen within the means at your disposal. That's what counts.

For most people, this is directly tied to their smartphones.

They're full-on art kits if you want them to be -- and the point is to express yourself. Whether the tool to do so was the charcoal of our cave-dwelling ancestors or the electric energy that powers our apps, doesn't matter.

And if you really get into it, there are some really useful (and free!) programmes that can give you intricate control over your final creation. Such as by using GIMP (for both PC and Mac computers), which is complicated in the beginning to help realise your vision, but becomes more fun and easier with time. Like, well, everything. Except, anytime you hit a hurdle, you just need to Google the answer.

Then you'll even be able to make fake movie posters featuring your cat as an intergalactic warlord -- if that's your thing.

(It's my thing.)

Now, we'll show you a host of fun examples:

Here we are, at the Old West. How was this done? Well, if you're a gamer and you're especially into vast-open world games with vistas and views, you have some great opportunities for lovely art.

Like in this instance, I had my game character ride to a certain location, turned the in-game camera to a view I felt was right, turned off the Head's Up Display (for non-gamers, that's just the term for all the information we see on screen, like a health gauge, map, etc.), and took a shot with my iPhone.

Then, again, I used BrushStroke to give it a painted vibe. And I printed it out.

The result? An almost melancholic "painting" of a time long past.

Another example of using video games to find inspiration for something scenic for the soul. This time using an add-on feature to BrushStroke containing a host of illustration-style filters. Printed out up to A4 size on photo paper, and it's a delightful addition to your room's wall. Even works in the lounge.

(The first game is Red Dead Redemption 2 and the second is Horizon: Zero Dawn -- both excellent and beautiful games.)

Another of our favourites, this was done using a combination of ToonCamera and BrushStroke. That's our office cat -- well, former office cat, as we now work at WeWork. Except maybe not for much longer with the pandemic going on.

And while this picture may or may not go viral on Insta, if this was your baby-kitty, it's certainly a precious keepsake memory for years to come.

Especially if you print it out.

There are even print shops that will put your favourite pieces onto large canvas frames for you. Actual, real art. And all it took was finding the right moment in time, looking with an artist's eye, and the help of a few apps.

Whoah... what's going on here? This was actually a simple charcoal-pencil sketch which was then photographed and put through an app called Inkwork. It's about the surrealism more than anything. A strange bird-man.

Appropriately framed, it might be fun for the guest toilet. Have it hang on the door.

But the point here is, you can actually do some of your own basic work, even if it be a bit sucky in "real-life", and do something interesting with it using your smartphone. We personally find this piece can be mesmerising, but it's also a very personality-dependent piece. And it's definitely ominous.

Another example of opportunity for interesting shots turned into art. This is at the Pick n Pay on Nicol at their underground parking. Just by choosing the right angle and shooting just so, there's a fun interplay between the concrete architecture and the nature outside.

The photo itself isn't nearly as fascinating as this BrushStroke filter applied piece. Especially when you play with a few of the settings during the really simple editing process. Like saturation levels and contrast.

So you see, with your smartphone, you can be an artist anytime in anyway you want!

It literally just requires some imagination and a creatively-curious mind. I.e. "I wonder what will happen if I shoot a pic from over here..?"

(And yes, sometimes a picture is good enough on its own that it doesn't even require an art app. It's photo art already.)

Even if these specific apps aren't available on your particular device, there are surely others similar enough to get results like these.

Go on! Be creative. Be an artist. And most importantly, enjoy yourself.