Photshop can be mindless sometimes.

[Forkboy]

And that's a good thing. I've had a pretty lousy couple of weeks, and Teddy dying was the ultimate sad capstone to the whole thing. I have very few politicians, or even people in general, that I can say I've truly looked up to as someone who can show me how to be. He was one of them. So on top off of everything else, his passing just had my mind all frazzled, and I needed something that would at least distract me a bit for a little while. These were the result.







I had done this last one real quickly when he was first diagnosed, but this is a cleaner, tidied up version that I did yesterday.

[foreigncorrespondent]

1. Forkboy...

...these are bloody fantastic! I especially like the second one. How did you achieve that look?

Here is the latest one I am working on:





I am not sure if I am going to keep it as a nebula and make it a traditional space art piece, or if I am going to use it as a background to either an abstract piece or Wiccan art piece.

[Forkboy]

2. Thank you.

On the second one I just took a small piece of some picture (can't remember of what), then I made a mirror of it so I have a symmetrical image. Then I make two or three more different images the same way, then overlap them all, mess with the transparency and lighting effects, and viola. The whole process is pretty quick, 30 to 60 minutes tops. The fact that two of those weren't symmetrical and were just abstracts I think illustrates my mind that day. I love symmetry, but my mind wasn't up for order on that afternoon. :)

Your image is very cool, and would make a cool layer in one of my pics. Using it as a nebula would be a great idea. Smoke, water, gasses, clouds...these all make real cool details when you mess with the lighting effects. On this pic here I started with a pile of bones and some snakes, but nothing was coming of it. I then added a symmetrical image of the Aurora Borealis on top and suddenly all these greens and yellows popped out. I use a lot of these elements now in at least one layer.

[foreigncorrespondent]

3. If you want my image...

...let me know. I have a larger size of it (this is an actual background for what will be a print when I am done for my CafePress store, so if you want the larger size let me know in PM and I will email it to you. (It is HUGE either 200 or 300 dpi can't remember. LOL

I don't mind sharing my creations, and often create things for people for free. Get asked to do things for Webmasters all the time. And I usually do it free of charge. But feel free to use my image any way you like. :)

Interesting how you created the image I really like, mate. I play with different filters, blending options and layer effects all the time, and can't stress enough to PS newbies to do the same.

My nebula was created by starting with a radial gradient background, and then using cloud brushes and different blending options to get the effect you see.

I love the image you are currently working on as well. You really are very talented in Digital Arts. Have you written any tutorials, or thought about doing any? I have just opened my blog and have started doing PS tuts in there.

FC

[Forkboy]

4. I really just fumble my way through Photoshop.

What happens is I come across something that forces me to learn some new aspect of PS, so I'll spend the day doing just that. I don't think I really know the program well enough to write tutorials (plus, tutorials with swear words probably aren't welcome lol). It's all trial and error (usually more error). I actually know Corel Photopaint a lot better. Most of the symmetrical pics I've done were done in Corel before I moved over to Photoshop more and more. I always learn just enough to get the result I want for whatever I'm doing at the moment. I taught myself a lot after seeing Swamp Rat's awesome pics here all the time. He even inspired me to do a bunch of McCain pics during the election.

Here's a page with almost all my digital stuff on it (plus a handful of actual drawings).
http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.editAlbumPhotos&albumID=366880

If that link doesn't work try starting on my profile page.
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=289831286

Once I'm finished with a pic I don't care what anyone else does with it, even it's making their own picture out of it. I'm always hesitant to use someone else's work in one of my pics (though I suppose using parts of actual photos is still using someone's art...I'll have to ponder this further), but people can do anything they want out of mine. I've never felt right charging for pictures, though I have sold traditional drawings in the past for small amounts (and a bag of weed one time lol). When I was younger everyone told me I could make money with my art, and it took all the fun out of it for me. If I sit down with the intent of making money instead of art I get nowhere. Some people's stuff is clearly good enough that they should be compensated for it, but I can't take my stuff that seriously, especially the symmetrical stuff which is basically real easy to do.

Go ahead and PM your pic and I'll mess with it over the weekend and see if I can come up with something interesting. I plan on being hungover tomorrow so it'll give me something to do. :)

Also, I'll take a link to your blog, as I'm sure you can teach me a thing or two about PS. Finding good tutorials can be a pain as more and more are just dead links now, a lot like trying to find Bryce 5 tuts...they're all gone, and I only know the basics. x(

[foreigncorrespondent]

5. I am self taught with PS as well.

Learned most of what I know by reading tutorials and messing around with the program myself.

Here is the image. I had to end up changing the resolution to 72dpi for this and save it as a png file so as to not lose too much detail like you would saving it as a jpg, but even still it is very large. The origional is over 19megs currently.

Have fun with it.

[Forkboy]

6. Ok, here's two that started with a piece of your picture.

I like the first one, still unsure on the second, but I have no idea where to go with that one. Some gold highlighting on the inner structure would look peachy, but I'd have to actually paint that on, and the Florida/Tennessee game starts soon. ;)

You won't see any of your pic in this one, but it's in there!

[truedelphi]

7. Thanks for sharing yr art. Teddy going had me in a mindless muddle for a month.

It wasn't just him going away - it was that it was the finality. To see that the last of the real Dems is dead. And seeing his funeral brought back the terribleness of the RW atacks on JFK and Bobby and MArtin and Malcolm and teh Chicago Panthers. And the awful Wellstone plane crash.

Is there any way that I can make the Teddy banner you made above into a small enough file to use as my avatar here on DU?

I loved all your work. Say hi to Cheesie for me.

[Forkboy]

8. I shrunk down the Teddy pic but being that small makes it unreadable.

You can't even tell it's him, let alone read the words. I could try trimming it so it's just Teddy without the words. Let me know if you want me to.

Thanks for the kind comments, and I'll be sure to pass along a hello to King Cheezo! :)

[wickerwoman]

9. Those are gorgeous!

I love the first two. :toast:

[Forkboy]

10. Thanks!

:)