Feneur's Experiments

Experiment 138: Eye

2011-04-22T16:15:00.000+02:00

(Click the image to view it larger)

Seems like I have to give up any regular postings in the styles project, at least for now, have started working and don't have enough time to do it on a regular basis, at least not with all the other things I want to do :P I'll try to post an image every now and then though and if/when I have more time I might continue with the regular postings. For now I've created this Good Friday inspired piece as a general experiment, it's created using only gradients and warps (and resizing layers, and made easier thanks to smart objects, but apart from that :) ).

Another bonus while I work on other things

2011-02-25T00:59:00.002+01:00

(Click the image to see it bigger)

Am still working on other things, but after seeing today's Photoshop User TV episode I got inspired to do the above. Or rather, I got an idea for how to do things better =) Or at least simpler. I'm using just a layer style to do what Dave Cross there needed two smart objects and a filter to do. Read on for more info on how I did it.

Read more »

Bonus experiments

2011-02-13T16:37:00.001+01:00

As you may guess I took a break from the 100 Styles series this week as well, and I'll most probably take next week off as well. As a small bonus while you wait I've taken these past experiments and posted them for your enjoyment. Both utilize Smart Objects to a large extent, but I haven't considered them worthy of their own posts, but together they're interesting enough in my humble opinion. If you're interested in knowing more about how they were made, please post a comment and I'll tell you more.

A break

2011-02-02T19:33:00.001+01:00

I'm taking a break from the 100 Styles series this week, not only did last weeks posts go into this week, but more importantly I'm going to take some time to fix some other things. More info will come later, but as a clue I can tell you my website has got a "Down for maintenance sign"...

100 Styles 20 - Shadowy Creatures - Shadow

2011-02-01T02:01:00.001+01:00

Shadow effect (Click the image to see it bigger)

A simple name, and some simple layer styles, but what really makes this effect are a couple of Smart Objects. Read on for info on how I created this shapeshifting shadow, as well as to be able to download the PSD file (just a style file doesn't really cut it for this effect).

100 Styles 19 - Shadowy Creatures - Shadow text

2011-01-30T00:48:00.001+01:00

Shadow text effect (Click the image to see it bigger)

What is left when you remove the text? Is it just the shadow? Today's effect is the shadow of a text in either case. Makes me wonder what's left to explore for the last image on this theme tomorrow, but that's a question for tomorrow. Read on for info on how the effect is created and to be able to download the style file to experiment with yourself.

100 Styles 18 - Shadowy Creatures - 3D again

2011-01-28T01:45:00.001+01:00

Another Pseudo 3D Effect (Click the image to see it bigger)

Played around a bit, and ended up creating another pseudo 3D effect, this time using the Inner Shadow and Drop Shadow to create a nice, soft look. Read on for more info on how it was created as well as to be able to download the style file to experiment with.

100 Styles 17 - Shadowy Creatures - Pseudo 3D

2011-01-26T00:44:00.000+01:00

Pseudo 3D effect (Click the image to see it bigger)

Today I'm using a Drop Shadow to create a Pseudo 3D text effect, so shadow yes, creature no. Read on for more info about how to recreate the effect, as well as a chance to download the style file to experiment with yourself.

100 Styles 16 - Shadowy Creatures - Shadowy Creature

2011-01-25T00:43:00.001+01:00

Shadowy creature effect (Click the image to see it bigger)

This weeks theme is called "Shadowy Creatures", and will feature just that, or at least something vaguely related. (It's more likely that there will be a shadow related effect without a creature than a creature without a shadow though. So, a focus on shadow effects in other words.) To start off the week I've taken the theme quite literally and created a shadowy creature: a creature made of a shadow. Read on for info on the effect, and to download the style to play around with yourself.
Read more »

100 Styles 15 - Lovely Lines - Water

2011-01-24T01:17:00.001+01:00

Water effect (Click the image to see it bigger)

To finish off the week I've chosen to interpret the "lines" in yet another way, this time I'm thinking of the lines around the text in this water-like effect (though there is a stroke effect as well, so there's actually multiple meanings to it). Read on for info on how the effect was created and to be able to download the style file.
Read more »

100 Styles 14 - Lovely Lines - Wavy Lines

2011-01-23T02:11:00.002+01:00

Wavy Lines effect (Click the image to see it bigger)

Something not too different from yesterday, using a Patter Overlay to create a text effect. There are a bunch of different things, and another use of the Hard Mix Blend Mode. Read on for the details and how to download the style.
Read more »

100 Styles 13 - Lovely Lines - Stripes

2011-01-22T00:20:00.000+01:00

Stripes effect (Click the image to see it bigger)

I'm stretching the concept a tiny bit here with stripes rather than lines, but if you want to be strict there is a line per se in the stroke around the letters. Read on for info on how the effect was created as well as some tips for how the background was created. As well as to be able to download the style of course.
Read more »

100 Styles 12 - Lovely Lines - Abstract Multi Lines

2011-01-18T23:07:00.001+01:00

Abstract Multi Line effect (Click the image to see it bigger)

Following up on yesterday's post in two ways, first because the above effect is also utilizing other effects than the Stroke to create lines, second because it's in a small way inspired by something I realized yesterday, more on that below though. Read on for more info on how the style is created and to be able to download it.

100 Styles 11 - Lovely Lines - Basic Lines

2011-01-18T02:42:00.000+01:00

Basic line effect (Click the image to see it bigger)

This weeks theme is lines, and it's important to notice that it's "lines" and not "strokes", as strokes isn't the only way to create line, and as evidenced by today's post, not always the best way to achieve the effect you're looking for. With that said, let's not waste any more time on words, read on to get info on today's effect and to be able to download the style file.
Read more »

100 Styles 10 - Gradients - Pearls

2011-01-15T01:59:00.000+01:00

Abstract effect (Click the image to see it bigger)

Today we've come to the final gradient, it's only indirectly using a gradient, but still, it's an option if you need five gradients. Now this effect doesn't, but it's a reminder that things can be used in ways you don't think of if you just judge them after what the description says they do. (Now, in one sense the above image includes a large number of gradients if you count the individual representations, but I mean in the sense of places where you can use gradients.) Read on for info on where this gradient is, as well as for how to recreate the above image, and to be able to download the style file to experiment with yourself.

Read more »

100 Styles 9 - Gradients - 3D Frame

2011-01-14T01:26:00.000+01:00

3D Frame Effect using a gradient on the stroke (Click the image to see it bigger)

Today's effect is described by my sister as "lovely unstructured and weird", and "the colors disagree so much that they agree". Say what you want, but in either case it's a demonstration of what you can do with a gradient in the Stoke effect, as well as a bunch of other effects. Read on for more info on how it's done and to download the style file.
Read more »

100 Styles 8 - Gradients - Wood

2011-01-12T20:54:00.000+01:00

Wood grain effect (Click the image to see it bigger)

Today it's all about the Inner Glow filter, at least for the main effect, which consists of two shapes, each with an Inner Glow layer style applied to them, one with a gradient and another without. Read on for more info on how it (and the background for that matter) was done as well as to be able to download the style file to experiment with yourself.
Read more »

100 Styles 7 - Gradients - Fire

2011-01-11T23:31:00.001+01:00

Fire effect (Click the image to see it bigger)

Today I was playing around with the default gradients and the Outer Glow effect when I came upon this effect. Or rather the beginning of it as there is more to the above image than the Outer Glow. Read on for info on how I created the above effect and to be able to download the style for yourself to experiment with.

Read more »

100 Styles 6 - Gradients - Ball

2011-01-11T00:56:00.000+01:00

3D ball effect created using the gradient overlay effect (Click the image to see it bigger)

This week I'm going to try and answer the question "In how many places can gradients be used in Photoshop Layer Styles?". Though to make it more interesting I'm off course not just going to do it as a list, but try to find more interesting effects than that. Because of that this is probably not going to be the best place to learn the basics of gradients in Photoshop as I intend to try and experiment to do things I didn't know about before. (That said, I'll try to explain things where I can so everyone can at least reproduce the effect, and hopefully learn something in the process as well.) Starting off the week is a way to make a simple circle look like a ball, just using the Gradient Overlay effect (and a stroke around it, but that's just icing on the cake).
Read more »

100 Styles 5 - Black and White - Chess (Text effect with background)

2011-01-10T01:00:00.000+01:00

Checkerboard text effect + background effect (Click the image to see it bigger - I really recommend you do this as it's hard to make out all the details in the tiny preview image above.)

To compensate for being a couple of days late I offer a bonus style for the background in this image, enjoy :) (Though admittedly part of it depends on an effect on the text layer, more on that in a moment.) Now it's not every day you need a checkerboard effect, but I'm going to try and put some useful tips into the description so it's worthwhile even if you're not needing this specific effect.

Read more »

100 Styles 3 + 4 - Black and White - Photo effect with scalable snow

2011-01-07T05:10:00.001+01:00

Photo Effect with scalable snow

Again it's two styles in one, the first one is an interesting way to use a layer style to turn a color photo into a black and white photo, the second is an easy, reusable, and last but not least scalable (as well as movable) snow effect.
Read more »

How to load a custom style into Photoshop

2011-01-04T05:48:00.000+01:00

For each post in my new series "100 Styles" I will post the file needed to recreate the styles in that days post, this post describes how to load that file into Photoshop to be able to use it and experiment with the style. The screenshots are from Photoshop CS4, but the process should be more or less the same in older/newer versions. Also, I'm using the Windows version of Photoshop, but as far as I know the only thing that's different on a Mac is that the dialogs look a bit different so that shouldn't make any difference. First download the file to a place that's easy to find, the Desktop is usually a good place (you can delete the file as soon as you've loaded it into Photoshop, so no need to be afraid of cluttering up the Desktop).
Read more »

100 Styles 1 + 2 - Black and White - Text Effect with background

2011-01-04T05:00:00.001+01:00

Text effect with background

As you may guess from the title this is the first of what will (hopefully) be a 100 posts where I experiment and showcase different effects you can create with Photoshop Layer Styles. I want to do this both to challenge myself and to provide something for others to be inspired by and learn from. The former will be achieved by me trying something new in each "stylistic experiment", and the latter will at least be helped by me posting screenshots of the settings used - as well as providing the style files for anyone interested to download and check out and experiment with.

My plan is to do one each week day until I'm finished, which means that unless something unexpected happens you can expect five per week (each week on a different theme) the coming 20 weeks. I'm going to start off by somewhat breaking that order and post two styles today (as it's technically the second day of the week even though I still haven't gone to bed the first), but in general that's how things will be.

Read more »

Experiment 137: Christmas experiment

2010-12-29T18:34:00.000+01:00

Plaster sculpture

For Christmas this year I wanted to give my sister something special, and since she likes playing instruments and other music related things I thought I'd create a small sculpture for her.

Experiment 136: A room with a view

2010-09-11T00:38:00.000+02:00

Created in Camera Raw and Photoshop CS4

A "happy accident": I overdid the sharpening and liked how it interacted with the texture and noise in the image.

Experiment 135: Who's the child now?

2010-05-21T17:02:00.003+02:00

Created in Photoshop CS4 Extended

Experimenting a bit with the Distort-Polar Coordinates filter today.

Experiment 134: Waves of conscience

2010-05-18T10:23:00.006+02:00

Created in Photoshop CS4

Experimenting with actions and transformations, and the Lens Correction filter!

Experiment 133: Bird of Paradise

2010-05-14T08:28:00.003+02:00

Created using Photoshop CS4 Extended and Apophysis 2.02

Been a while since my last real experiment, but here's another. Hope you enjoy. At least I enjoyed creating it, and that's the main thing :)

Dissection of an image

2010-05-09T21:05:00.012+02:00

Today I thought I'd dissect the above image (the header of my - hopefully - funny site http://www.alien-jobs.com/ ). Hopefully you'll find it interesting, and perhaps even learn a bit about Photoshop.

I don't remember the exact steps it took to arrive at this setup, but in any case, at the bottom there is a layer which looks like the above (it's actually two due to the process through which I ended up with this image, but it could be done with one layer). It might seem like a plain blue box, and that's the base, but at the edges there's a 1px stroke with a special gradient (you might have to look at the larger version to see it). You'll see later that it's made to fit the strokes around the menu bar while at the same time fitting with the tone of the rest of the header.

The city is in overlay mode to fit in with the background color while still letting both light and dark values affect the end result. If you're interesting in knowing how I did it please leave a comment, but in short it's a simple Blender scene + some very basic Photoshop created planets in the background.

Here the menu bar background is added. It's just a shape layer with a solid color and a Gradient Overlay layer style to add some simple depth.

Here's another subtle addition: two lines 2px wide, with a Gradient Overlay layer style that's adding the high-light in the center. The lines consist of two colors: one that's a brighter shade of the main color of the menu bar background, and the other is almost black. The almost black line is topmost on the top line and at the bottom of the bottom line. These small lines add some nice dimensionality, and now you can see where the gradient from the top image fits in the big picture.

And now for the finishing touches: the type. The website name + slogan is in the font Andika Basic (can be downloaded for free from http://scripts.sil.org/andika ). The slogan has a simple Drop Shadow layer style. And the website name has got a slightly more complicated layer style. Easiest to see is the huge Outer Glow in Linear Dodge blend mode, but there's also a slight Drop Shadow and a 1px Stroke which together adds some dimensionality to the text. If you want to take a closer look at the later layer style feel free to download it: http://feneur.com/fdad/Alien_Jobs_Blue.asl

To install it go to Edit-->Preset Manager, then choose Styles from the drop-down list. After that it's just to click the Load button to the right and navigate to where you downloaded the file and select it + click ok and you have installed the custom layer style and can check it out and use it in your own projects.

Updated Experiment: Blue elements (Underwater scene)

2010-03-14T21:05:00.005+01:00

Created in Photoshop CS4 Extended using a Wacom Intuos 3

Thanks to some comments on Facebook I decided to work a bit more on this image, and this is the result of that. I think it's much better now, and hopefully those who suggested I'd work more on it will agree.

Experiment 132: Stairs

2010-01-27T14:10:00.006+01:00

Created in Artrage 3.0.5 using a Wacom Intuos 3

Created in Blender 2.49

I wanted a background image for my new blog: ~~oneruleaday.com~~ [Discontinued, the image can still be interesting though.] and thought an image of stairs would be fitting. I first created a simple model in Blender to help me decide on an angle and lighting, and then used the render as a guide for the painting I created in Artrage. The Artrage painting was done with its new watercolor simulation, which in my humble opinion is great (Artrage 3 is the first version that's got the watercolor simulation so I'm sure it'll improve even more, and I wouldn't say my image is the best when it comes to showcase how realistic it is, but I still find it really nice to be able to do all these things in a computer program. It doesn't dry in the same way real paint does either so it's easier that way as well ;-) One don't get all these edges all over the place that one does in real life if one isn't quick enough.)

Experiment 131: Pig or The Ghost of Motivations Past

2009-11-25T22:46:00.002+01:00

Created in Artrage 2.5 using a Wacom Intuos 3

Decided it was time to play around in Artrage again, it was a while since the last time I did that. And after some playing around this creature started to appear.

While on the topic of Artrage I've got to say that I'm really looking forward to the next version that's just been announced, sounds really interesting.

Experiment 130: Underwater scene

2009-11-06T19:22:00.002+01:00

Created in Photoshop CS4 using a Wacom Intuos 3

Have been working on and off on this for some weeks now, and while there are some things I'd probably do differently in case I'd start all over I'm satisfied with it the way it is so now I post it here :-)

Experiment 129: Purple and gold mask

2009-11-05T20:32:00.001+01:00

Mask created in papier maché.

Experiment 128: Split Personality

2009-10-24T00:30:00.010+02:00

Some plaster sculptures. The above was begun like eight years ago, but I didn't finish it until today. The below was created a couple of years ago, but I like it more. I have some more things I'm working on though, and wanted to finish the above before continuing on with new things.

Experiment 127: Mother of cities

2009-09-28T01:08:00.003+02:00

Created using my camera, Photoshop CS4 Extended and my Intuos 3

Another example of seeing things... I took an object, photographed it, and manipulated the image a bit (adding the sky) and now it's something completely different.

Special Experiment: Coloring a flower...

2009-09-01T22:22:00.004+02:00

This is a bit special, though it might not look too special compared to some of the images on here... The thing is that I've not come up the idea for this image myself, it's based on a drawing by a friend of mine, Amish, who drew this: http://img194.imageshack.us/i/drawingforrhods.jpg/ and since I found it kinda intruiging I asked him if I could try and color it. And the above image is the result.

Experiment 126: Dancing petals

2009-08-17T23:21:00.004+02:00

Created in Photoshop CS4 Extended

Another "happy accident", or perhaps not all that accidental, a lot of fun experimenting before I got to this though. (If anyone is interested I can provide a bit more detailed description ;-) )

Experiment 125: Waiting for the storm

2009-08-11T15:41:00.005+02:00

Created in Photoshop CS4 Extended using a Wacom Intuos 3

After seeing a tutorial I got inspired to create a drawing, and this is the result. As I really haven't done much like this I'm really satisfied with it. I want to add that I've "cheated" a bit when creating the lines, I took a photo of myself and traced which I used as a basis. Naturally I've edited the lines a bit, I don't have that kind of beard etc. I recommend clicking the image to see the larger version as some details are lost in this smaller image.

Experiment 124: It flashes by

2009-07-28T20:47:00.008+02:00

Created in Adobe Flash CS4

As a continuation on my last post I bring you this (very) simple flash file. It's my first attempt at creating something in Flash, so please be gentle on me :) Feel free to guess what it is I'm working on in this project, though I guess later posts will make it far easier (I'm deliberately only showing things which doesn't really give away anything). No prices, but it could be fun to be the one who guessed right ;-)

Experiment 123: Bright memories of the future

2009-07-21T17:41:00.002+02:00

A digital photograph enhanced with the help of Photoshop CS4 and a Wacom Intuos 3

It's been a while since the last experiment, but this is just the first of several images of a bit larger experiment... There's more to come in other words. And just to clarify, the image is not only an experiment in itself, but the subject matter is a bit of experimenting for the future...

Experiment 122: Desert sun

2009-04-27T20:18:00.004+02:00

Created in Artrage 2.5 using a Wacom Intuos 3

Playing around a bit in Artrage. Inspired by a tutorial on the Artrage forums.

Experiment 121: Flow or control

2009-04-04T23:47:00.004+02:00

Created using Photoshop CS4 Extended and Artrage 2.5 using a Wacom Intuos 3

Played around a bit in Photoshop with a pretty basic round paint brush and a bit more intricate smudge brush. Then over to Artrage for some pencil fun :-) Seems like this weeks trend.

Experiment 120: Purple flower

2009-04-03T23:52:00.003+02:00

Created in Photoshop CS4 Extended and Artrage 2.5 using a Wacom Intuos 3

After watching the latest video tutorial about custom brushes from Planet Photoshop I got inspired to play a bit with custom brushes and ended up with some interesting shapes. When I wanted to add some pencil strokes I had to use another program though. Perhaps it's possible to get a good simulation of an ordinary pencil in Photoshop too, but I don't know an easy way so instead I used Artrage (a really nice program for simulation of different kinds of natural paint, without having to clean any brushes etc ;-) ).

Experiment 119: Eternity stops time (longer version...)

2009-03-16T18:40:00.002+01:00

Created in Adobe Photoshop CS4 using a Wacom Intuos 3

Wrote a little poem and thought I'd make an image as a background for it :-) The tip for how to make the clouds was found on Abduzeedo .

Experiment 118: Eternity stops time in the middle of now

2009-03-12T19:23:00.004+01:00

Created in Photoshop CS4 Extended using a Wacom Intuos 3

This was truly an experiment in the best sense of the word, I started out painting a little with just one of the default brushes and then applying some filters, copying layers, painting a bit more and changing blend modes and so on, this was the end result.

Ett matigt experiment (In Swedish)

2009-03-10T18:06:00.003+01:00

Jag kanske borde ändra beskrivningen på vad bloggen innehåller, har varit många inlägg på sistone som inte stämmer överens med vad det står i beskrivningen. För tillfället får den stå kvar dock, men om det fortsätter så här får jag kanske ändra det.

Jag gillar att laga mat, och även om det kan vara skönt att ha ett recept att följa så är det kul att experimentera lite. Idag tänkte jag dela med mig av ett experiment som jag gjorde i söndags. Jag har i och för sig gjort det tidigare, men det var så gott så jag ville testa igen och se om det var en tillfällighet ;-) Jag misstänker dock att det kan bli ännu bättre, så om det är någon som har något tips på vad jag kan göra bättre till en annan gång så tar jag tacksamt emot dem.

Ingredienser:

Skinkstek

Bacon

Bananer

Soltorkade tomater

Kokosmjölk

Skinksteken skar jag i bitar som jag sedan lindade in i bacon. Sedan lade jag dem i en ugnsfast form, skar bananen i bitar som jag strödde över och klippte sönder de soltorkade tomaterna i mindre bitar och lade ovanpå. Slutligen hällde jag på kokosmjölken och satte in alltihop i ugnen. Till detta åt jag sedan ris, men det skulle nog passa bra även med någon form av potatis eller pasta.

Som sagt så är det fortfarande ett experiment, så jag har inga exakta mått eller liknande. Som jag gjorde i söndags så hade jag ugnen på 225 grader och det var väl inne en dryg halvtimme eller något sådant, jag tog inte tiden. Jag misstänker att det antingen var för varmt/var inne för länge, i vilket fall smakade inte baconen så mycket. Dessutom känns det som att det skulle behövas något mer för att göra smaken lite mer jämn så att säga. Det är hur gott som helst när man får med bananbitar/soltorkade tomater, men när man enbart har kött blir det lite enformigt som det är nu. Om man inte gör något mer för att få smak på det bör man i vilket fall se till att ha ordentligt med bananer/soltorkade tomater. Det är väl dessutom nyttigare om man har mer sånt, så det finns nog enbart fördelar med det.

Testa gärna själv (här gäller inte Don't try this at home ;-) ) och kom jättegärna med tips på hur det går att förbättra den här rätten, vad den nu ska kallas.

Experiment 117: Medieval birds

2009-03-06T21:07:00.002+01:00

Created in Photoshop CS4 Extended using a Wacom Intuos 3

Recently I happened to stumble upon a list of online versions of Medieval Manuscripts and since I really like that kind of style I started to take a look at a few of them (I cannot say I can read Medieval Latin so I'm mostly looking at the pictures ;-) ). After a while happened to find an interesting pattern, and thought I'd do something with it. I've more or less just traced the pattern and put it on a different background, so why do I call it an experiment? Well, one thing about the original image is that the library where the manuscript is put its exlibris on the image (as you can see in the original ), the most important reason is that compared to doing the stuff I usually do, which is far more loose and mostly just throwing lines around and see what I get, this is something I'm not used to. Doing something interesting with a pattern that already exists, and trying to "make it my own". (Not in the sense that I'm trying to say that I'm the original creator, but in the sense that I've added something of my own style, something of myself, in this picture.)

I gotta add that it was kinda contemplative to sit there tracing those lines too, so it sure was a nice experience. I can recommend it ;-)

Something different again

2009-03-03T21:10:00.002+01:00

I have something that I'm working on, but as I'm not finished I'd thought I'd post something else while I work on that. Some years ago I designed the look of the dragon-and-food and my mother (or rather her sewing machine) did the work :-) (The Swedish words on top means "Erik's kitchen")

Experiment 116: A Brilliant Future

2009-02-23T23:59:00.007+01:00

Created in Illustrator CS4 and Photoshop CS4 Extended using a Wacom Intuos 3

Began experimenting with Illustrator's warp tool and after a while and some time in Photoshop this is the result. And though my mistakes show up in the large view (seen by clicking on the above image) I recommend that you take a look at it as the preview doesn't really show some of the nicer details.

And now for something completely different

2009-02-10T13:53:00.007+01:00

(I'm too lazy right now to write this in both Swedish and English so it's just Swedish for now =) )

Fick en liten utmaning av Örjan som gick ut på att man ska ta den sjätte bilden, i den sjätte mappen man förvarar foton i och lägga upp den i bloggen. Sen ska man visst utmana sex andra, men jag får se om jag kommer upp i så många. Dessutom ska man visst skriva lite om bilden man valt också, men det kommer sist, först ska jag utmana vidare:

Anna-Maria - Min syster tar så mycket kort så hon kan helt klart få utmaningen, ska bli spännande att se vad som kommer fram.

Så till förklaringen

Jag hade en tanke att göra en lampskärm i papier maché till lampan som är i min julstjärna, tyckte den skulle kunna få vara uppe större del av året, men jag känner inget behov av att ha julstjärnan uppe hela året. Det blev dock aldrig något av det utan det blev typ så mycket som jag gjorde ovan, kanske framförallt eftersom jag höll på med en rätt stor hylla i papier maché, men jag gjorde en snabb (!) 3D-bild nu idag så ni kan se ungefär hur jag tänkte mig att lampan skulle bli.

Har mina funderingar på att ta några bilder på hyllan, blev helt ok, även om den knappast är speciellt rak, är lite klurigt med stora ytor i papier maché =) Får se om jag kommer på någon mer att utmana, men just nu ska jag iväg en stund så det får bli senare i så fall.

Experiment 115: Red flower, icy leaves

2009-02-07T00:05:00.004+01:00

Created in Adobe Illustrator CS4 using a Wacom Intuos 3

I gotta say I enjoy the mesh tool in Illustrator, and combining it with the transform effect like I do here one can get some really nice results. Expect to see more like this ;-)

Experiment 114: Carrot motorcycle

2009-02-05T22:10:00.002+01:00

Created in Adobe Photoshop CS4 Extended using a Wacom Intuos, a scanner and a carrot

I was a bit bored and wanted to play around a bit in Photoshop so I asked a friend to say three words, the words were carrot, motorcycle and monotone and that got me inspired enough to end up with the above image.

Experiment 113: Sandwich moon over pillow sea

2009-01-28T00:46:00.003+01:00

Created in Adobe Photoshop CS4 Extended using a Wacom Intuos 3

Long time no experiment, so I thought I'd play around a bit with scanning in relatively unusual stuff and creating something with that. Apart from the things created directly in Photoshop (the stars among other things) there are scanned textures from three things: a slice of bread, a pillow and a wooden stand for kitchen knives. A fun experiment, which I can recommend as a way to get fresh ideas (it's of course a good thing if the bread is fresh, and I suggest putting some plastic wrap on the scanner if you're scanning something potentially messy ;) ) and to add something unique.

Experiment 112: Abstract flight

2008-10-17T23:39:00.004+02:00

Created in Photoshop CS3 Extended using a Wacom Intuos 3

Another experiment using gradients and the Warp tool, this time with a somewhat manipulated photo in the background.

Experiment 111: Inner light

2008-10-10T00:18:00.005+02:00

Created in Artrage 2.5.20 using a Wacom Intuos 3

Just playing around a little, I liked it enough to keep it though and thought I'd "show it to the world" here. There's something about these kind of caves with light in the end of the tunnel :-) I'll not be surprised if I'll make more on that theme.

A Special Experiment: Ayer, Hoy y Siempre (Yesterday, Today and Always)

2008-10-06T19:50:00.004+02:00

Created in Photoshop CS3 (elements created in Apophysis 2.02 and Blender 2.47)

Taking a step away from the usual stuff in that this one actually was more of a finished piece, or three if you see it that way -- they do belong together though so I see it as one piece. At the same time it was an experiment in many ways though, so I still think it's worthy of a place here. Hope you enjoy looking at it, and please click the lower image to see a higher resolution version, it makes a lot of difference. (The framed prints are from Zazzle.com by the way, though I framed them myself. Was cheaper to buy frames here than from them, especially as it most probably would have added some to the shipping cost.)

Experiment 110: Planet 2

2008-08-29T20:29:00.003+02:00

Created in Photoshop CS3 Extended using a Wacom Intuos 3

Some experiments inspired by these tutorials: http://gallery.artofgregmartin.com/tuts_arts/making_a_star_field.html and http://gallery.artofgregmartin.com/tuts_arts/making_a_planet.html . As usual I want to add that this is not a finished piece but rather an experiment to learn stuff ;-) (Though, also as usual, that doesn't mean that I don't hope that you enjoy looking at it)

Experiment 109: Planet

2008-08-28T00:57:00.004+02:00

Created in Photoshop CS3 using a Wacom Intuos 3

Not a part in the series =) Playing around a bit with some "space effects". Got some inspiration from these tutorials: http://abduzeedo.com/leopards-aurora-borealis-wallpaper-gimp,
http://photoshop-tutorials.deviantart.com/art/Nebula-Tutorial-T-89263843 and also http://psdtuts.com/drawing/fiery-photoshop-space-explosion-tutorial/

Experiment 108: Doulos

2008-08-25T22:04:00.002+02:00

Created in Photoshop CS3 Extended using a Wacom Intuos 3

Image three in a series. More info about that will come later but for now I can recommend you to take a look at http://www.planetphotoshop.com/lighting-effects.html An interesting video tutorial that inspired parts of this image. And also taught me some keyboard shortcuts I didn't know before, so even if you're not a fan of this type of lighting effect it's a good tutorial.

Experiment 107: Gentium Book Basic

2008-08-22T00:03:00.003+02:00

Created in Photoshop CS3 Extended using a Wacom Intuos3

Image two in a series. More info to come later.

Experiment 106: Gentium

2008-08-20T00:02:00.003+02:00

Created in Photoshop CS3 Extended using a Wacom Intuos 3

As it's getting late I'm not writing much of a description. I plan to make more of a similar kind though, so more info will come soon.

Experiment 105: Clash

2008-08-05T21:56:00.003+02:00

Created in Photoshop CS3 Extended using a Wacom Intuos 3

This one really deserves the title experiment, it's nowhere near being a finished piece, but it was nice playing around a bit.

Experiment 104: French cheese

2008-07-28T19:00:00.003+02:00

Created in Photoshop CS3 Extended using a Wacom Intuos 3

Playing a bit with Photoshops brushes to get a more organic look to it, and playing a bit with prejudices too :-) (Namely that French people would have moustaches and like cheese =) )

Experiment 103: Abstracted fire

2008-07-27T13:07:00.003+02:00

Created in Inkscape 0.46 using a Wacom Intuos 3

Some simple shapes duplicated and edited in size, color and rotation to create this image.

Experiment 102: Fire bean

2008-07-25T00:08:00.004+02:00

Created in Photoshop CS3 Extended using a Wacom Intuos

Experimenting a bit with custom brushes and opacity/flow.

Experiment 101: Boxes 2

2008-07-21T20:45:00.002+02:00

Created in Photoshop CS3 Extended using a Wacom Intuos 3

A friend of mine thought the previous one looked too dark and terrifying =) So I decided to do an inverted version, and then some minutes later I got this :) Please enjoy.

Experiment 100: Boxes

2008-07-21T18:50:00.002+02:00

Created in Photoshop CS2 Extended using a Wacom Intuos 3

Playing around a bit with rectangular selections and gradients, mostly. Layer modes and duplicated layers are utilized too.

Experiment 99: Swirls

2008-07-14T23:21:00.003+02:00

Created in Photoshop CS3 Extended using a Wacom Intuos 3

Playing around with a lot of different things, including actions and stroked paths, though in the opposite order :)

Experiment 98: Face

2008-07-13T21:00:00.003+02:00

Created in Photoshop CS3 Extended using a Wacom Intuos 3

Experimenting with two radial gradients and a bunch of adjustments/filters.

Experiment 97: Strange thoughts

2008-07-09T19:25:00.003+02:00

Created in Photoshop CS3 Extended using a Wacom Intuos 3

Playing around a bit with stroked paths mostly.

Experiment 96: Treasures abound

2008-06-24T18:12:00.004+02:00

Created in Photoshop using a Wacom Intuos 3

A somewhat abstract painting...

In other news I've realized that I cannot complete an image each day, and also that few are very good as desktops, I've decided to rename this to Feneur's Experiments instead of Feneur's Desktop-a-day as it was earlier called. Expect to see some more wild experiments in the future.

Experiment 95: Blue cave

2008-06-17T19:12:00.005+02:00

Created in Photoshop CS3 Extended using a Wacom Intuos 3

Some photomanipulation and drawing in Photoshop (+ some filters of course, almost always some filters :) ).
Not sure why I enjoy these "window to another world" images so much, but one might interpret it as a fascination for the unknown while still staying in the space one knows. In any case I hope that you enjoy it too.

Experiment 94: In the universe

2008-05-27T12:41:00.003+02:00

Created in Photoshop CS3 Extended using a Wacom Intuos 3

Playing a bit with filters and other effects.

Experiment 93: Green

2008-05-26T15:28:00.004+02:00

Created in Photoshop CS3 Extended using a Wacom Intuos 3

With a perhaps somewhat uninspiring title here is the latest picture in my series of experiments with the warp tool. (I've used more features in this picture than the former ones, layer masks among others, but am still trying to keep the simplicity.)

Day 92: Flower of hope

2008-05-22T18:51:00.002+02:00

Created in Photoshop CS3 Extended using a Wacom Intuos 3

No matter if we're trying to achieve the impossible or if we're merely trying to survive, we still need to get that silent reminder that there is hope. And while this is no edelweiss it's at least a white flower =)

Day 91: Sunset over the alps

2008-05-21T21:06:00.002+02:00

Created in Photoshop CS3 Extended using a Wacom Intuos 3

An experiment in making an image using only two of Photoshops tools, the gradient tool and the warp tool (ok, true, I did use the move tool too, but I don't think that counts :-) ). And yeah, it's fairly abstract, so don't expect to see any edelweiss in there. (Perhaps I should have added some stylised ones though, just to give the picture that extra touch)

Day 90: Fire from within

2008-05-19T22:32:00.002+02:00

Created in Photoshop CS3 Extended using a Wacom Intuos 3

Within the intricate patterns a fire is burning, the smoke is covering the entrance to the netherworld. The sky is shining, with a radioactive glow.

And all this out of some experimentation in Photoshop :-) And a twisted imagination of course ;-)

Day 89: From the shining

2008-05-16T20:03:00.003+02:00

Created in Photoshop CS3 Extended using a Wacom Intuos 3

A lot of experimenting before I got this result, but well, I hope I learned something ;)

Day 88: Flames in fractal landscape

2008-05-15T21:32:00.002+02:00

Created in Photoshop CS3 Extended using a Wacom Bamboo

Playing with "fractal brushes" again :-) And yeah, fractal landscapes refer to the brushes rather than the landscape, the landscape is not fractal in and of itself.

Day 87: Effects

2008-05-14T21:53:00.002+02:00

Created in Photoshop CS3 Extended using a Wacom Intuos 3

Playing around a bit with some effects, so that's the name of today's picture.

Day 86: The sign

2008-05-13T21:30:00.002+02:00

Created in Photoshop CS3 Extended using a Wacom Intuos 3

Still experimenting with "fractal brushes".

Day 85: A distant reality

2008-05-09T22:00:00.000+02:00

Created in Photoshop CS3 Extended using a Wacom Intuos 3

Sometimes when you look out into space you can see strange things, I'd be surprised if you've seen something like this though :)
This is not at all like what I started out making, but I like the way it turned out so I'm not sorry about that.

Day 84: Interstellar flight

2008-05-08T17:39:00.002+02:00

Created in Photoshop CS3 using a Wacom Intuos 3

Playing with some "fractal brushes" today too, it's great fun so I'd not be surprised if that happens again.

Day 83: Futuristic fractals

2008-05-08T02:53:00.004+02:00

Created in Photoshop CS3 Extended using a Wacom Intuos 3

I read a tutorial somewhere about making brushes from fractals generated by the program Apophysis (http://www.apophysis.org/ ) and got inspired and ended up with this. While there are several things I'd like to do better another time I'm really happy with the way it turned out.

Day 82: Old inspiration

2008-05-07T02:05:00.003+02:00

Created in Photoshop CS3 Extended using a Wacom Intuos 3

I wanted to do something Viking Age style, and here it is
, somewhat inspired by the so called "Mammen style". (Which you can read more about here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mammen_style and see a pic of here: http://www.wadbring.com/historia/undersidor/leksberg.htm#mammen

Day 81: Enter the sphere

2008-05-06T01:44:00.004+02:00

Created in Photoshop CS3 using a Wacom Intuos 3

One could write all sorts of intelligent things about this one, but right now I'm too tired (take a look at the clock ;-) , and that was half an hour ago, and it's AM, not PM).
I'll however say that it's mostly some drawings and effects, but also a 3D model and in the end I took a photo and manipulated a bit.

Day 80: Deconstructing fire 2

2008-05-04T14:49:00.003+02:00

Created in Photoshop CS3 Extended using a Wacom Intuos 3

Experimenting with fire and a different style of image.
Photomanipulation and drawing upon that.

Day 79: Fire and apples

2008-05-03T21:42:00.003+02:00

Created in Photoshop CS3 Extended using a Wacom Intuos 3

If you're looking for the apples I got to tell you that it's the flowers I'm talking about, they're apple flowers ;-)
Photomanipulation and a few effects.

Day 78: Deconstructing fire

2008-05-02T20:34:00.003+02:00

Created in Photoshop CS3 Extended using a Wacom Intuos 3

It's fun to play with fire, and when it's digital it's not very dangerous either.
Photomanipulation and some paths for the "idealised" fire.

Day 77: Balloon over river

2008-05-02T00:09:00.002+02:00

Created in Photoshop CS3 Extended using a Wacom Intuos

Exploring the bright summer landscape in a hot air balloon.

Day 76: Precious flower

2008-04-30T17:52:00.005+02:00

Created in Photoshop CS 3 Extended using a Wacom Intuos 3

Some photomanipulation and other things have produced this
marvelous flower. Growing in an inhospitable djungle few have ever seen it, and even fewer have returned alive to tell the tale of it's alluring temptation and unimaginable smell.

Day 75: A light is shining

2008-04-29T22:12:00.002+02:00

Created in Photoshop CS3 using a Wacom Intuos 3

A light is shining, a sign of hope. It's far too easy to see the things I could have done better, but then I remember that one of the reasons I started this project was to learn and to improve my drawing/painting. And I've sure learned a bit when making this picture, so it's fine in the end :-)

Day 74: Dog and bottle

2008-04-27T15:38:00.003+02:00

Created in Photoshop CS3 using a Wacom Intuos 3

A "slightly" surrealistic image of a dog and a - flying - bottle.

And no, this is no fishing car either, just so you know. I have one more on the way, but since my computer is away getting fixed (hopefully) I'm just using a computer they let me borrow in the mean time and it's not as fast as my computer so I'll just try and do some simpler stuff in the mean time. (I also have some other things I'm prioritizing, but that's another thing.)

Computer trouble - so no picture today

2008-04-10T23:43:00.002+02:00

Yep, I've tried to create an image for today, but there are some major problems with my monitor so... I'll try to get it fixed as soon as possible, but in case there aren't any more pics for a while you know why.

\/\/SWEDISH\/\/
Jag har försökt göra en bild idag, men min skärm har krånglat så mycket så jag gav upp. Ska försöka fixa den, men om det dröjer ett tag innan det kommer upp en ny bild så vet ni varför.

Day 73: Contrasts in life or death

2008-04-09T21:58:00.003+02:00

Created in Photoshop CS3 Extended using a Wacom Intuos 3

And no, there is no hidden car fishing in there. I've stepped away from the theme, mostly because this image (a gift to a friend who had his birthday some days ago) have been taking so much time to create. But also because I like it, of course there are a bunch of things I'd like to do better, but for the most part I'm really happy with it. And just so you don't think I've handpainted this I gotta add that it's mostly edited photos and filters, and a few more "handpainted" details.

Day 72: Cars fishing 2

2008-04-09T01:43:00.003+02:00

Created in Photoshop CS 3 Extended using a Wacom Intuos 3

Not sure what to say about this one :-P An experiment with a lot of stuff, so some parts are a bit "over-the-top".

The car is loosely based on a Swedish brand of candy (you can find some images here: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Ahlgrens_bilar ) Just for clarity's sake I gotta say I'm in no way affiliated with them and this should not be seen as related to them in any kind of way.

Day 71: Cars fishing 1 (This weeks theme)

2008-04-07T21:36:00.002+02:00

Created in Artrage 2.5 (with a small sketch done in Inkscape first) using a Wacom Intuos 3

A car fishing. :)

If you think that the themes get worse by each week, then I suggest that you contact me and say what you want next weeks theme to be ;) (You can do that even if you like these themes of course.)

Day 70: Worms in hats 7

2008-04-06T21:52:00.002+02:00

Created in openCanvas 4.5 using a Wacom Intuos 3

Today you get two worms for the price of one =)

If I wouldn't have had the title all ready for this one as it's part of a theme I'd called it "Imitation".

Day 69: Worms in hats 6

2008-04-05T23:18:00.003+02:00

Created in openCanvas 4.5 using a Wacom Intuos 3

A worm on a rainy day, but as you can see he is prepared.