Post your arts and crafts!

No Necronomicon, but the good people at Oberon Design have a lot of apparently high-quality leather e-book covers. I ordered the Da Vinci in Saddle for the Nook yesterday and will let you know if it's worth the $75 once it arrives.

PandaEskimo wrote:
Mystic Violet wrote:

For drawings and photographs, well, that's a whole different story. There are programs and techniques that can help with deciding which colors to use but I haven't done an image piece yet.

I don't know that it would get the same level of results, but a simple way to make a pattern with Photoshop would be to take an image file, resize it to Width X Height in beads in Photoshop (Adjust Image Size) and then do a Save For Web as a Gif and pick the number of colors you want to use. You can also choose the colors in the pallet part of that window and see the image change.

For example, you could make a 100 x 100 bead image with 8 colors. Then zoom in on Photoshop with that image and use it as a guide. Don't resize the image to a larger size since you'll lose the pixelation.

Thank you so much! I had no idea that the color palette could be selected through Photoshop. I would create gifs in ImageReady but it was still difficult to decide which beads to use without manually drawing over the image in each color. This is brilliant! Thanks again!

You can lock colors in to the palette. It isn't the best way, but you can start at say 32 colors, select the ones you want for sure, then select 16 colors. You can also manually change each one, and sort them by hue and darkness so you can eliminate similar shades.

To get the larger image, I zoom in in Photoshop and take a screenshot then paste that into another file.

Minase wrote:

No Necronomicon, but the good people at Oberon Design have a lot of apparently high-quality leather e-book covers. I ordered the Da Vinci in Saddle for the Nook yesterday and will let you know if it's worth the $75 once it arrives.

Yeah, I looked at that site and thought, "All of this stuff is insanely awesome." Then saw the prices and thought, "All of this stuff is insanely overpriced."

Minase wrote:

No Necronomicon, but the good people at Oberon Design have a lot of apparently high-quality leather e-book covers. I ordered the Da Vinci in Saddle for the Nook yesterday and will let you know if it's worth the $75 once it arrives.

I had a look and couldn't resist. One Sky Blue Hokusai Wave for me and one Red Wild Rose for my GF.

They're actually pretty close to me. I may go up and pay a visit if the covers are a good in real life as they look like online.

Does photography count? Im not sure if the links will work as Im a new user and I dontthink I can put in tags yet. Ill try though:

IMAGE(http://torvaterra.zenfolio.com/img/v4/p320846274-3.jpg)

IMAGE(http://torvaterra.zenfolio.com/img/v1/p177537669-3.jpg)

IMAGE(http://torvaterra.zenfolio.com/img/v3/p456441274-3.jpg)

IMAGE(http://torvaterra.zenfolio.com/img/v2/p667200487-3.jpg)

I have my site set up in case anyone wants to browse: http://torvaterra.zenfolio.com/

I should dig up some pictures of my paintings. Hmm. That might be a project.

Moggy wrote:

I had a look and couldn't resist. One Sky Blue Hokusai Wave for me and one Red Wild Rose for my GF.

They're actually pretty close to me. I may go up and pay a visit if the covers are a good in real life as they look like online.

Those are beautiful. I'm now seriously considering getting a Kindle DX so I can get one of the covers.

disdainful wrote:

Does photography count? Im not sure if the links will work as Im a new user and I dontthink I can put in tags yet. Ill try though:

IMAGE(http://torvaterra.zenfolio.com/img/v4/p320846274-3.jpg)

IMAGE(http://torvaterra.zenfolio.com/img/v1/p177537669-3.jpg)

IMAGE(http://torvaterra.zenfolio.com/img/v3/p456441274-3.jpg)

IMAGE(http://torvaterra.zenfolio.com/img/v2/p667200487-3.jpg)

I have my site set up in case anyone wants to browse: http://torvaterra.zenfolio.com/

Those are excellent. Where did you go to photograph the tigers? What equipment are you using (camera and postprocessing)?

Katy wrote:

Those are excellent. Where did you go to photograph the tigers? What equipment are you using (camera and postprocessing)?

Thank you! Those two tigers are both from the Bronx Zoo, but taken at different times. Most of the other images of tigers in my portfolio are from the Philly Zoo as they had several cubs that I watched grow up. The otter is from the Lehigh Valley Zoo and the leopard is from the Philly Zoo. I do have some shots taken in the wild too, of hawks and other birds of prey as well as porcupines and critters local to PA.

I only have a Canon Xti right now. I really want to get a 5d2 or at least a 7d. While Im wishing, maybe Ill win the lottery and get a EOS 1D Mark IV. For lenses I switch between the Canon 70-200mm f4 and the Sigma 70-300 Macro DG APO f4-5.6. For post processing I use Photoshop CS4: adjust levels (or curves) as needed, unsharp mask, increase saturation, increase contrast, and if needed I adjust the highlights/shadows.

The landscapes made me miss central PA -- I went to Bucknell University, and Rochester is way too flat in comparison.

Thats the one thing I like about PA is the mountains. Ive been wanting to see or move to California for a while. I have it set in my mind as a warm mountainous area. Which would be my ideal native habitat I think. Most of my landscape shots were taken on Hawk Mountain near the summit, which is a great migration spot for birds of prey. They get thousands of hawks per season. But they fly so high up, its hard for me to get a good pic.

Go Philadelphia! Also, the Philadelphia Zoo was the first in the US, or so they claim.

So I received my Oberon cover and overall I like it.

Negatives:

My main complaint was that the color isn't quite what I expected from the website. I thought it would be lighter brown.
It's heavy.
It's just a little bulkier than I expected, but I can always take it out of the case if I need a slimmer package.

Positives:

This is an incredibly well-crafted, classy piece of gear. Everything screams quality. I really wish they'd had a Necronomicon!

It has an inner sleeve and felt on the inside for screen protection. I don't have any worries about my device when it's in the case.

My daughter and I had a blast Sunday, 2/28/10, at a slab workshop. I was a little hesitant to bring her, but she jumped right in and got her hands dirty and was a big help. Todd and Lilly at Sanctuary Bonsai ran the workshop and beside Marlene and I, there were 3 other students.

Here are some pictures of us working on the forest grouping:

Placing the trees.
IMAGE(http://i956.photobucket.com/albums/ae50/marsman61/Bonsai/Slab%20Workshop%202-28-10/d82adda9.jpg)

Getting the spacing right.
IMAGE(http://i956.photobucket.com/albums/ae50/marsman61/Bonsai/Slab%20Workshop%202-28-10/f61bba39.jpg)

Setting up the soil-dam and tie-downs. We put a layer of micro-foam down. Todd had noticed that the roots on other slabs had all died back where they touched the rock. He figured the heat of the rock had killed back the roots and the micro-foam may provide some protection. We had one wire tie-down epoxied into the center of the rock and used bamboo to add wire tie-downs.
IMAGE(http://i956.photobucket.com/albums/ae50/marsman61/Bonsai/Slab%20Workshop%202-28-10/41862471.jpg)

Trees planted and wired down.
IMAGE(http://i956.photobucket.com/albums/ae50/marsman61/Bonsai/Slab%20Workshop%202-28-10/a8133c5b.jpg)

Moss and accent rocks added.
IMAGE(http://i956.photobucket.com/albums/ae50/marsman61/Bonsai/Slab%20Workshop%202-28-10/6a039f4b.jpg)

Final product.
IMAGE(http://i956.photobucket.com/albums/ae50/marsman61/Bonsai/Slab%20Workshop%202-28-10/DSC_0019.jpg)

Pretty cool. All it needs is some tiny people who are battling in the woods.

PandaEskimo wrote:

Pretty cool. All it needs is some tiny people who are battling in the woods.

kinda like this guy?
IMAGE(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3632/3548095226_9e0b9dfe0d_b.jpg)

Neat stuff! I need to go bump my chainmail thread. I took a break over Xmas but I've been doing a lot of work since then. I stopped bumping it because of camera issues and I didn't want to bore you guys with endless text updates.

I've just uploaded a new track to my Bandcamp page -- it's called "daybreak". My earlier tracks have been video-game-ish electro stuff, but this is very ambient, so it's quite a change of pace. If you like ambient stuff, check it out, and if you don't, well, just put it on in the background or something

EDIT: and of course, just as I post it, Bandcamp goes AWOL The track is also on my blog, though.

IMAGE(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4047/4416621468_94cf4ef7e1_b.jpg)

I am now unsure if I should post my arts and crafts here or the 'something you have created thread' thread. /sigh, decisions

Here are a couple scarves I knit and crocheted for my sister and mom a while back. I was pretty proud of the one on the left since I kind of made the pattern up myself. That said, I haven't knit in a couple years despite the fact my g/f owns a yarn store. I really need to get back into it.

IMAGE(http://lh6.ggpht.com/_Kd5UbelCR6s/S5U0vpwKn2I/AAAAAAAAAVw/eVePnEKY6VU/s512/xmas%20scarves.jpg)

The results for The Escapist Webcomic Contest were published the other day, along with all the submissions. Here is mine. As a teaser, here is the logo I designed:
IMAGE(http://dl.dropbox.com/u/393570/Logo.jpg)

Spoiler:

I didn't win.


I also wrote my impressions on the other contributions on this new thread (and got no response). There are some worthy strips, check them out!

IMAGE(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4004/4465205938_72c932021b_b.jpg)

I had to develop a scale to place on my drawings for the 'technical' component of my thesis. My project being based on Alice in Wonderland I decided to play with the idea of scale and produced the above. Screw conventional architecture conventions!

Pretty cool. The only thing I noticed is that a small Alice is next to the bottle (which makes her smaller) and a large one is next to the cake (which makes her taller). I'd think it would be the other way around. Next the the bottle, she'd be large, and next to the cake she'd be small. Otherwise, very cool.

PandaEskimo wrote:

Pretty cool. The only thing I noticed is that a small Alice is next to the bottle (which makes her smaller) and a large one is next to the cake (which makes her taller). I'd think it would be the other way around. Next the the bottle, she'd be large, and next to the cake she'd be small. Otherwise, very cool.

You would be right if it was a literal depiction of Alice's condition prior to consumption. I think this is a scale showing the relative effects of the object pictured.

Just made this over yesterday and today,

IMAGE(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2729/4466913451_f8af16f572.jpg)IMAGE(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2776/4467687482_10349366bc.jpg)

It's the largest I've done so far. I'll probably be replacing the buttons with actual buttons and adding some to the cuffs.

PandaEskimo wrote:

Just made this over yesterday and today,

IMAGE(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2729/4466913451_f8af16f572.jpg)IMAGE(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2776/4467687482_10349366bc.jpg)

It's the largest I've done so far. I'll probably be replacing the buttons with actual buttons and adding some to the cuffs.

That's awesome, and reminds me I haven't played Grim Fandango yet this year.

AmazingZoidberg wrote:
PandaEskimo wrote:

Pretty cool. The only thing I noticed is that a small Alice is next to the bottle (which makes her smaller) and a large one is next to the cake (which makes her taller). I'd think it would be the other way around. Next the the bottle, she'd be large, and next to the cake she'd be small. Otherwise, very cool.

You would be right if it was a literal depiction of Alice's condition prior to consumption. I think this is a scale showing the relative effects of the object pictured.

Woot! You'd be right. I was deliberately vague, you two provided an excellent test bed to see how this scale would be received and 50% isn't too bad. It always surprises me how many people actually have read Alice in Wonderland and how many have learned what they know via acculturation. I certainly thought I knew the story all these years and when I finally read it I was pleasantly shocked how deep and intricate the story is.

Thanks for the feed back regardless if it made any sense :), and Panda your analysis was surprisingly helpful, if I get the chance I will rework it a bit more so that it communicates better to those not familiar with some of the less widely known details of the story. Unsurprisingly I have received similar comments from other and I do need to touch it up.

Blotto The Clown wrote:
AmazingZoidberg wrote:
PandaEskimo wrote:

Pretty cool. The only thing I noticed is that a small Alice is next to the bottle (which makes her smaller) and a large one is next to the cake (which makes her taller). I'd think it would be the other way around. Next the the bottle, she'd be large, and next to the cake she'd be small. Otherwise, very cool.

You would be right if it was a literal depiction of Alice's condition prior to consumption. I think this is a scale showing the relative effects of the object pictured.

Woot! You'd be right. I was deliberately vague, you two provided an excellent test bed to see how this scale would be received and 50% isn't too bad. It always surprises me how many people actually have read Alice in Wonderland and how many have learned what they know via acculturation. I certainly thought I knew the story all these years and when I finally read it I was pleasantly shocked how deep and intricate the story is.

Thanks for the feed back regardless if it made any sense :), and Panda your analysis was surprisingly helpful, if I get the chance I will rework it a bit more so that it communicates better to those not familiar with some of the less widely known details of the story. Unsurprisingly I have received similar comments from other and I do need to touch it up.

Might I humbly suggest the insertion of a reference object that is neither bottle nor cake? Something with which the viewer can compare Alice's relative size. Since the bottle and cake seem to be acting as icons rather than reference points neither can be usefully used as such a reference but they are the only tools available to the viewer. I think that is what is creating the confusion.

It makes sense to me now and I agree with AmazingZoidberg. I think if the cake and bottle were both relative size when next to the Alice, it would make sense. You would make both much smaller. Also, not to be a total jerk, but I think the cakes in Alice and Wonderland were more like tea-cakes (http://www.jesuittampa.org/userfiles/image/Other/MC-Tea-cakes.jpg) while yours is more like a triple layer birthday cake. That last comment isn't meant to point out that you are wrong, just an observation I had that others may also have. At first I thought it was Portal related because of the color scheme and type of cake.

PandaEskimo wrote:

It makes sense to me now and I agree with AmazingZoidberg. I think if the cake and bottle were both relative size when next to the Alice, it would make sense. You would make both much smaller. Also, not to be a total jerk, but I think the cakes in Alice and Wonderland were more like tea-cakes (http://www.jesuittampa.org/userfiles/image/Other/MC-Tea-cakes.jpg) while yours is more like a triple layer birthday cake. That last comment isn't meant to point out that you are wrong, just an observation I had that others may also have. At first I thought it was Portal related because of the color scheme and type of cake.

ya, the portal like cake is the most common comment I have received, thanks all the
same.

AmazingZoidberg wrote:
Blotto The Clown wrote:
AmazingZoidberg wrote:
PandaEskimo wrote:

Pretty cool. The only thing I noticed is that a small Alice is next to the bottle (which makes her smaller) and a large one is next to the cake (which makes her taller). I'd think it would be the other way around. Next the the bottle, she'd be large, and next to the cake she'd be small. Otherwise, very cool.

You would be right if it was a literal depiction of Alice's condition prior to consumption. I think this is a scale showing the relative effects of the object pictured.

Woot! You'd be right. I was deliberately vague, you two provided an excellent test bed to see how this scale would be received and 50% isn't too bad. It always surprises me how many people actually have read Alice in Wonderland and how many have learned what they know via acculturation. I certainly thought I knew the story all these years and when I finally read it I was pleasantly shocked how deep and intricate the story is.

Thanks for the feed back regardless if it made any sense :), and Panda your analysis was surprisingly helpful, if I get the chance I will rework it a bit more so that it communicates better to those not familiar with some of the less widely known details of the story. Unsurprisingly I have received similar comments from other and I do need to touch it up.

Might I humbly suggest the insertion of a reference object that is neither bottle nor cake? Something with which the viewer can compare Alice's relative size. Since the bottle and cake seem to be acting as icons rather than reference points neither can be usefully used as such a reference but they are the only tools available to the viewer. I think that is what is creating the confusion.

Good call, I will fiddle with it and report back