"The Black Cat" - Edgar Allan Poe

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This week’s Sunday Postcard Art challenge was “Edgar Allan Poe.” I based my postcard on The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe.

Notes to myself: Poe's Memorial Grave and map for Baltimore.

"Seated - Lord Frederick Leighton" - Gothic Arch

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This week’s Gothic Arches challenge was “Lord Frederick Leighton.” I created a modified arch for this. The painting, titled “Seated,” is by the artist Lord Frederick Leighton.

"Harvest" - Greeting Card

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The GC25 Gingersnap Creations challenge due by Nov 1 is “Harvest.” I created a greeting card with harvest women as the theme. I continue to have problems with my print out and scan being on the “washed out” side so I need to work on this.

“Rhinoceros” - Credit Card

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Capital One® credit card approved the rhinoceros design I submitted and I now have my first image credit card. But it looks kind of bland compared to the third one I made so I’m thinking of changing once 30 days have gone by. (You can change your image after that, if you change your mind.)

"Orange and Black" - Gothic Arch

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This week’s Gothic Arches challenge was “Orange and Black.” I created my own arch for this, and experimented with patterns and textures. The (altered) woman is by the artist Sir Edward Burne-Jones.

“Long Ago And Far Away” - Credit Card

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This week’s Three Muses challenge was “Long Ago And Far Away.” The first thing that popped into my head was Star Wars, and the opening lines about a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. (That’s one of my favorite movies!) So I wanted to do something “cosmic” and I ended up making it as a credit card size image. I recreated the symbolic shapes I used in the numerology theme, because they make me think of something timeless. And I made a primordial type galaxy background to go with it.

The credit card “theme” started because Capital One® credit card claims you can upload your own image for use on their credit card, as long as it complies with their standards requirements, but they rejected the first one I created and submitted. So I created this one, as a backup in case they reject the rhinoceros one I submitted as my second image to them.

I’m still very far behind on challenges and looking/commenting at everyone else’s.

"Engineers Card" - Credit Card

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Capital One® credit card claims you can upload your own image for use on their credit card, as long as it complies with their standards requirements. I created this Engineers Card using Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man, which is in the public domain and in widespread use worldwide, as well. Yet they denied approval of my image, for the reason:

“Material that could infringe on the copyright or trademark rights of another party, including branded products, marks, or business names

If you believe that you have been declined in error, please call us”

I called them, and I won’t go into the details of the long, circular conversation I had with their representative, who kept mentioning copyright, and finally said that I needed the artist’s permission to use the image. I had already stated the artist was da Vinci, the year the image was created, and that it was in the public domain and therefore not a copyright violation. I asked her how was I supposed to get the permission of an artist who had been dead for more than 70 years, and that by copyright law, I didn’t need to.