PS Graphics - Starting from scratch

[Doug Nelson]

I do OK with restoring and manipulating photos, but I can't do the simplest non-photo design in Photoshop. In fact, I'm in awe of those who can.

I thought it might be interesting to see if we have anyone here who did know a thing or two about 'from scratch' images.

If you have an image you made without any photographic help, in Photoshop or any other image editor, attach it in this thread for us to ooh and ahh at.

Don't forget to tell us a little bit about it, and feel free to watermark it if you're nervous someone might 'borrow' your work.

Remember, no photos (or pieces of photos, or scans of anything, or 'borrowed' images) allowed!

[DJ Dubovsky]

OK. Here goes. I made this along time ago in Photoshop. I started playing around with creating selections on different layers and coloring them with the airbrush to look 3D. Then I ventured into trying filters such as the clouds and noise and created the background. I positioned the shapes and created shadows to give them a 3D appearance and this is the end result. It was really a way to play around with a new program and see what I could make with it. I did that long before I ever started manipulating photos.
DJ

[kathleen]

cool dj!

it reminds me of clockworks that escaped. would love to see it animated, slowly moving in clockwise fashion. how bout a music track too? dj's dreamworks.

what few things i ever made were strictly play and died with my last hard drive, maybe you will inspire me to more.

[DJ Dubovsky]

Thanks Kathleen
That is so funny that you should say that because I did animate it. It was all on seperate layers so I used it to practice animating things. Yes I even had those long peices rotating. Boy do we think alike or what?
Before you say it, no, I don't I have any idea how to upload an animation especially with that many layers. It was before I knew that animations were supposed to be small in file size.
DJ

[kathleen]

quit that! taking the words out of my mouth or thoughts out of my brain or whatever. no, actually, i think it's neat.

that reminds me; i might still have a little tree i animated, my only venture in that direction. the dancing trees again, you know. if i do, i'll try to post it if it be little enuf.

[Vikki]

I think you achieved your goal! They really do look 3D.

[DJ Dubovsky]

Thanks Vikki. It turned out to be a fun thing to do and it made me think about light sources and how shadows and highlights should fall as well as what can I do with expensive peice of software I just got.
DJ

[kathleen]

i made this some time ago following some ideas from myjanie.com. I still have a layered version, so i know i started with an teal to white vertical gradient, and just experiemented strictly with gradients and blend modes. the next layer was a color dodge layer, then 2 difference layers on top of that. then a crystallize layer on top i think.

i loved the colors so i saved it, but feel like i was about as much in control of the outcome as those spin art booths at fairs long ago. talent not required, except maybe knowing when to quit.

[thomasgeorge]

Ok... a bit of humiliation served up with humble pie is a good way to start the day.... I wasnt sure exactly what the fine details of the requirements included or excluded, so I attached a palette with 2 ...#1 was created from a vector oval shape created in PS5.5 , filled with various colors then distorted using the transform menu routines. Stars created on black back ground and the distorted oval dropped into them, duplicated and transformed with skew, etc. Finally a top layer was added, filled with color and noise, heavy blur applied and heavy feathered oval vignette added. #2 was drawn only with the PS tools and the technique is so complex I cant even begin to describe all the subtlities and nuiances of tool manipulation needed to create it. Tom

[kathleen]

is it a clamshell or is it a toilet seat? these are deep thoughts, Tom. and curious re whether #2 was commissioned

[DJ Dubovsky]

Kathleen
Love the colors. If you turned it so the pruple was up it would resemble a palm tree. It's fun to see what comes out of those filters and blend modes. Looks like what you see in an art gallery.

Tom
The only thing missing from your second work of art to make it worth millions is the signature. P-I-C-A-S-S-O
The first one reminds me of a scene in Star Wars. Looks great.
DJ

[thomasgeorge]

Re #2; I am holding the art world hostage..pay me big bucks or I'll create something else. Tom

[kathleen]

see below

[kathleen]

i hunted down my little dancing tree, here enclosed.

nothing fancy but it was fun. bkgrnd layer blue
hill layer with pen and purple fill
noise to both of those layers
moon one big airbrush circle with features painted on
tree drawn on separate layer, skewed for the leaning ones, redrawn for the jumping one, noise to bark
gradient layer for moon light
flattened each position, i think there were four, and animated in image ready.

someday i'd like to make it dance to song of same name. someday. takes a while on my computer before he starts dancing, maybe not on fast ones.

[thomasgeorge]

Very cool! Always wondered what trees did at night... Tom

[DJ Dubovsky]

That's real cute Kathleen. Love that little hop at the end.
DJ

[kathleen]

thanks dj it was fun and satisfying to do.

and tom, all i can say is, there is much we do not know

[Sharon Brunson]

I love the dancing tree, Kathleen. It's not just the technique that makes it good, there is such a wonderful feeling about it, like it goes with a story. (I hope that makes sense).

Sharon B.

[kathleen]

why thank you, sharon. what a nice thing to say. i'm sure a (childhood and adult) love of fairy tales plays a big part. i originally had the moon smiling only when the tree jumped, but it was too jerky. thought about making his smile get bigger each frame, never got a round tuit.

[Ed_L]

*All* very nice! Wish I had that kind of talent . But I can make smilies.

Kathleen,
The title "moondance" rings a bell. Didn't someone have a picture of a girl dancing that used that title? Or maybe it was something similar. Very cool.

Ed

[kathleen]

ed,

on this forum do you mean? i don't recall seeing anything like that. it's probabally been used for artwork far superior to mine. and there was a song in the 60s or 70s by that name too, that's my strongest association for the title.

and you know good and well you bring considerable more to the forum than the ability to post smilies, though you do that well also.

[jeaniesa]

I love it Kathleen!! There's not very animations that I really like, but yours really "speaks" to me.
Jeanie

[kathleen]

jeanie

put your ear close to the screen

jeaniejeaniejeanie - hear that?

i'm so glad you like it. thanks j

[jeaniesa]

Originally posted by kathleen
put your ear close to the screen

jeaniejeaniejeanie - hear that?

I do, I do - I swear it! (That's what 17 hours in front of a computer will do to you. )
Jeanie

[Ed_L]

Kathleen,

I had to spend a little time finding it because the title was not accurate. But it was close. I remember the photo because I thought it was such a good one. http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/kmcrimm/v...c=ph%26.view=t

Ed

[CJ Swartz]

Kathleen, that's so lovely!

I'm even more impressed that you drew the tree -- I don't draw or paint a hoot. I love animations!

[Lorraine]

DJ, Kathleen and Tom

You've all submitted great original work.

I started with Paint Shop Pro by making the cutesy things, and except for buttons and borders for web pages, I don't know what people do with those cutesy things.

Anyway, out of all of my...ahem...."artwork," there's only one original that I felt was worth keeping.

It's a vector drawing of a dollhouse that I made from a kit. After creating and distorting the vector shapes, I converted the image to raster for the final coloring and other details. I then saved it as a PSP tube so that it would forever remain on a transparent background. I did use this tube once and that was in the "Cats" gallery submission. Here it is again in a larger size.

PS -- I did get Photoshop for Christmas. For the past few weeks, I've been trying to figure what to do with it by using an online, self-paced course in the basics. I'm also starting formal online classes this week, so I might not be around here as often as I would like to be.

[thomasgeorge]

That looks pretty darn good to me!! Wish I had your talent! Tom

[DJ Dubovsky]

Lorraine
That looks great. Love the detail work you did. So now you join the Photoshop users group. Let us know if you have any problems learning the program. Not that we can answer your questions but at least we can say 'Yup, been there, done that and still don't have a clue"
DJ

[kathleen]

ed-
i felt pretty silly when i realized what you were talking about. i had forgotten about that. i wonder how long sites stay out there if you never use them, cuz i never use that. do they dry up and fall off, reckon?

thanks so much cj. i truly enjoyed making it

Lorraine-
did you actually make a physical dollhouse and then recreate it on computer? that's what i think you said. clever girl, on both counts.

and re ps6 as christmas present - wow - somebody loves you very much. good luck, and don't be a stranger.