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Meet Kevin Carden – a photographer and digital artist who has the capacity to turn ordinary-looking living rooms into surreal and enchanting scenes with the power of Photoshop. Having started working with the photo editing software a decade ago, and while it is obvious that Kevin has the skills to transform photographs into magical paintings, he is now eager to share his behind the scenes knowledge with the world.
“I honestly want to encourage all the artists out there to keep being creative and keep trying to learn from others and learn from your own mistakes. It takes a lot of hard work, but it’s very rewarding in the end when you can share your passions and creativity with the rest of the world,” Kevin told Bored Panda.
Kevin Carden is a digital artist and photographer who doesn’t shy away from sharing his creative process. On his Instagram where he has over 319,000 followers now, Kevin offers people the chance to take a sneak peek at the creative process that he goes through before sharing the final version and a side by side comparison of the photo.
“I honestly want to encourage all the artists out there to keep being creative and keep trying to learn from others”
Kevin started playing around with photo manipulation back in 2010, “a few years after I had graduated college.” At first, Kevin tells Bored Panda, he was just editing nature pictures that he had taken before fully realizing how “much more creative you can be with this software.” The photographer began blending multiple photographs together to create “really unique pieces of art” and hasn’t stopped for over a decade now.
“Coming up with creative ideas is usually the hardest part of my process,” the artist told Bored Panda. “I get inspiration from my faith and from themes in the Bible which are so much fun to illustrate. I also get photo ideas from my wife and children as well, and oftentimes I am just illustrating everyday life as a father.”
He finds himself drawing inspiration from various things
“I do have a more defined process that I use sometimes though, especially if I find myself in a block. I might try to look for unique relationships between two opposite themes or use other creative brainstorming techniques. And then sometimes I just get ideas out of the blue, with no real explanation, and those cool photos tend to be the most popular for some reason!” Kevin told us.
Kevin is also inspired by his family and his faith
When asked about what his family thinks of his craft, Kevin told Bored Panda: “It’s definitely a team effort! My wife and two kids are my favorite models of all time. And if I am featured in the picture, then my wife will usually be the one taking the pictures. Since our kids are young, they certainly don’t think these creative art pieces are anything odd. It’s just every day normal life for them. So I tell my daughter that I want to create a picture of her eating ice cream on the planet Venus, she gets excited because she gets to do something fun with her daddy, see a cool photo of herself, and even get a sweet treat in the end. Also, almost all of the photoshoots are in our home, often in the playroom or in our backyard. So the kids feel like they are in their natural setting and they can be themselves.”
Kevin Carden also likes exploring religious themes through his art. “My faith is very important to me,” the artist says. “And, therefore, my artwork is going to convey these themes as well. The Bible is full of so many miracles and supernatural stories that cannot be easily portrayed using only photography.”
“My wife and two kids are my favorite models of all time”
“With the technology of editing software, I can bring those Biblical themes to life in creative and powerful ways. I am burdened by a large amount of cheesy and low-quality religious artwork out there. I am just blessed that God has given me this talent and I want to use it to create high quality and thought-provoking pieces of art.”
“God has given me this talent and I want to use it to create high quality and thought-provoking pieces of art”
All in all, Kevin says that he couldn’t possibly be happier when it comes to his job. “There is nothing more amazing to me than being a digital artist,” he told Bored Panda. “I love being able to work from home, spend more quality time with my family, and spend my “working hours” doing something I really enjoy. There are some days that are better than others though. And nothing is more frustrating than when a project that you are working hard on does not come together.”
“It’s very rewarding in the end when you can share your passions and creativity with the rest of the world”
“I honestly want to encourage all the artists out there to keep being creative and keep trying to learn from others and learn from your own mistakes. It takes a lot of hard work, but it’s very rewarding in the end when you can share your passions and creativity with the rest of the world.”
To see more of Kevin Carden’s mesmerizing work and the before and after shots of it, make sure to follow him on Instagram.
Neringa is a proud writer at Bored Panda who used to study English and French linguistics. Although she has many different interests, she's particularly drawn to covering stories about pop culture as well as history. While not at the office, this Panda enjoys creepy movies, poetry, photography and learning how to play the piano.
Neringa is a proud writer at Bored Panda who used to study English and French linguistics. Although she has many different interests, she's particularly drawn to covering stories about pop culture as well as history. While not at the office, this Panda enjoys creepy movies, poetry, photography and learning how to play the piano.
That's what I got out of it anyway, don't know what the artist's intention was... but isn't that one of the cool things about art? That it is not objective and that we can all see different interpretations in it and get different meanings that speak to us out of it?
They probably asked her to make that face... like she's trying to go out on her own and thinks she knows best and wants her independence and her mom and dad are supporting her but also protecting her from the rain while letting her make her own mistakes because IMHO it looks like that because if you notice she is trying to paddle a canoe on dry land.. but when we are young we think we know everything and sometimes have to make our own mistakes & learn the hard way. Sorry about the run-on sentence! I think it's sweet, the parents remember what it was like to be that age for them and to think you know better and then fall and get back up, hopefully with loving parents letting you make your own mistakes but ready and waiting to kiss your skinned knee and encourage you to try again and let you know that they are there and love you whether you fail or succeed.
If you notice the dad is getting wet but they are both focused on sheltering their daughter and the light is centered behind the little girl, showing she is their priority, the light of their lives, the sun rises and sets on her. Maybe some would find it a bit obvious but still very sweet and effective symbolism. The obvious bit may be an unkind and undeserved thought on my part, but I want to be honest. It's clear-cut and simple and that's not a bad thing here IMHO. Lovely, you can see his family and faith are his primary muses/ inspirations. It's always cool seeing someone excel at something they love & are passionate about. Does he have cards? My mom would love these. Some stuff can seem a little too pandering and sappy IMHO but this feels so genuine and I think he's very talented. Lovely stuff.
That's what I got out of it anyway, don't know what the artist's intention was... but isn't that one of the cool things about art? That it is not objective and that we can all see different interpretations in it and get different meanings that speak to us out of it?
They probably asked her to make that face... like she's trying to go out on her own and thinks she knows best and wants her independence and her mom and dad are supporting her but also protecting her from the rain while letting her make her own mistakes because IMHO it looks like that because if you notice she is trying to paddle a canoe on dry land.. but when we are young we think we know everything and sometimes have to make our own mistakes & learn the hard way. Sorry about the run-on sentence! I think it's sweet, the parents remember what it was like to be that age for them and to think you know better and then fall and get back up, hopefully with loving parents letting you make your own mistakes but ready and waiting to kiss your skinned knee and encourage you to try again and let you know that they are there and love you whether you fail or succeed.
If you notice the dad is getting wet but they are both focused on sheltering their daughter and the light is centered behind the little girl, showing she is their priority, the light of their lives, the sun rises and sets on her. Maybe some would find it a bit obvious but still very sweet and effective symbolism. The obvious bit may be an unkind and undeserved thought on my part, but I want to be honest. It's clear-cut and simple and that's not a bad thing here IMHO. Lovely, you can see his family and faith are his primary muses/ inspirations. It's always cool seeing someone excel at something they love & are passionate about. Does he have cards? My mom would love these. Some stuff can seem a little too pandering and sappy IMHO but this feels so genuine and I think he's very talented. Lovely stuff.
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