Monthly Archives: December 2014

One Hundred Images challenge

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For 2015, I challenge myself to create 100 images using the software GIMP. I got an early start and I’m up to image 4.

I’m already starting to feel more at ease with the software, and excited about the things it can do. However, I still feel annoyed when I get stuck. There’s so many things I know how to do in Corel Painter Essentials that I can’t do in GIMP yet.

GIMP 1

The background gradient and crescent moon layer are modified from a photo. The blackish vegetation is one of the “texture brushes”, using different sizes of the same brush. There’s 2 layers of vegetation, and I made the tree-ish things in the back layer more faded, using the “opacity” slider.

 

GIMP 2

Just messing around with the different “brushes”! I wanted to try each one, but only got 2/3 of the way through the list before running out of room.

 

GIMP 3

This started with a paisley background, which I found online (Google images “fabric + blue paisley”). To lighten up the left side I used the “dodge” tool, and darkened the right side with the “burn” tool. Then I selected an elliptical area and modified the color (hue, saturation and lightness).

 

Girls and Minecraft, a quote

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http://www.themarysue.com/aisha-tyler-gamer-culture/

Later in the discussion Tyler also brought up a story she heard on public radio about how playing video games at an early age causes kids to be more interested in computer science when they get older, and how Minecraft in particular is drawing an exceptional number girls because of its focus on creation and world-building. “The more girls that play Minecraft,” she noted, “the more girls get really curious about how these worlds work and how they’re composed.”