Here's looking at you kid - Eyes from Filter Forge

The Eyes have it. Feel free to download any of these eyes if you can use them in your own work - they are in .jpg format and are on a white square of 300px. I will be making some in .png and .svg for the site over the coming days so there will also be an opportunity to buy more eyes if they are your thing.

I am a huge fan of Filter Forge and I have blogged on this subject a number of times, in fact I used to run a dedicated blog on the subject but now I spend too much time actually using it to dedicate my time to blogging on the subject all the time. Having said that I'd like to boost my Make Snake Policy over at Project Isabella Graphic Workshop by adding the odd post or two regarding some of the creation processes that I go through to develop characters, clipart and graphics.

So last week I put a lot of hard work into developing little characters with walk motions for Scratch and other programming tools and I'll be going into more detail about that next week but I needed some eyes. So this is an ideal opportunity to get searching the Filter Forge Library (not that I need an excuse!) and see what I could find. This filter at the moment strikes me as the most suitable. It is a filter called Cartoon Eyes by Redcap submitted in 2009 and I will no doubt be giving it some hammering over the weekend. I did tweak the original and removed an option called "Diminish Eye Size" as I didn't need my eyes diminished. Keep an Eye (oops a pun) on the Filter Forge website at the moment they keep having absolutely mad sale reductions on the price of the software which can be bought outright or as a subscription.

Next week I'll let put together a post on how these eyes get used.

Change My Name

Although I can hardly say

Everywhere I went people knew my name
Written on my face were the scars of fame

quote Trading Yesterday - Change My Name

I did think it was maybe time to change the blogs name to something that suited me and the thing I get up to a little better.

So "Impromptu Art" has now been renamed "The Secret Life of a Lollipop Lady" where I get to describe all the things I get up to creatively to learn and develop my business Project Isabella Graphic Workshop 

I have some posts lined up regarding activities on Scratch the fun I am still having with Filter Forge and Carrara and all this to proof to the new small children at the crossing that I don't actually stand there all day!

Day 3 - Freebie Wallpapers all Sizes. Is it A Crazy Alloy?

It's the third giveway making this Day 3. Today's wallpaper I have called Is It a Crazy Alloy? I didn't put any out yesterday as I discovered that the list of dimensions I have needed to be extended, tomorrow all the renders should be done and all wallpapers should then be available in over 30 different sizes to suit all devices.


Is It a Crazy Alloy? by Kay Patterson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Day 2 - Freebie Wallpapers all Sizes. Tribute To Peacocks.

Yesterday I kicked off a batch of downloads of free wallpapers that are configured to work with a whole variety of screen size. Yesterday I started things off with something I like to call a Swirling Blue Nebula and today I am going to continue with another full screen pattern batch.


Tribute To Peacocks by Kay Patterson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Day 1 - Freebie Wallpapers all Sizes. Swirling Blue Nebula

So yesterday I gave away a free follow me football, today I thought we should carry on with some more rampant generosity. I could say in deference to the follow me football that today I am going to kick off a  15 day spree of High Definition, good quality crafted wallpaper that is sized for many devices.
Today then would be day one of the wallpaper giveaway and this one I'd like to call Swirling Blue Nebula



Swirling Blue Nebula by Kay Patterson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Swirling Blue Nebula is a glossy, luscious image and should make any device look stunning.

New website blog on Filter Forge launched

Well I said I'd do it and you can get it here. http://filterforgefrenzy.com

Filter Forge Frenzy

Blue Chicago Skyline

I made a decision this week to start a new blog dedicated to one of my passions. That being Filter Forge. A year ago (not that long ago in my blog timeline but significant in the normal passage of time), I started a rather lengthy post that started like this.

"I’m taking time out today from creating and giving free stencils for Artrage to talk about Filter Forge. I have mentioned it a lot while creating the filters and when I have made up example work. I was introduced to Filter Forge in a very round about way. I am a fan of Geekatplay.com and I put in request for some training to use Mapzone which is a free filter making tool which is very powerful but has a steep learning curve – so steep in fact that I never really got off the ground with – I may yet push on with that – I don’t like to be beat!"

And that post went on for a significant period (a verbose post because I was excited) with some follow ups. I still use Filter Forge consistently and still with mad enthusiasm. So from now on Filter Forge ramblings will have a special place and I will introduce that tomorrow.

Blue Chicago Skyline was created from a photo using Filter Forge

How I treated the Blues with Filter Forge

From previous posts you will know that I have found Filter Forge a fantastic tool that I use regularly for art both 2D Digital Art and for developing materials for 3D art. In this post I wanted to mention one other way it has helped me.

In the summer of last year my chaotic life took some even more catastrophic turns. I lost my job, the dog died and I lost my home – any one of those events was enough to put me in poor spirits but all 3 together in one season left me in a precarious emotional state. I blogged a little about it at the time, but not a lot as clearly I was too busy being in a mess and for some time had no internet connection!

Creatively I was burned out and I was having strange visions and quite dark thoughts. Part of me wanted to draw or digitally create the dark pictures in my head to exorcise them but then I rethought that approach and realised that it may not be helpful to my emotional well being to actively focus on the darkness.

So I turned to Filter Forge and chose 2 colours – Yellow because it represents light which can signify goodness and hope. Green because it is the colour of growth and life. I focused on making patterns with these 2 colours – the tasks had to be simple as my mood was making it very hard to concentrate. I limited my palette to focus my thoughts. I already knew how to use Filter Forge and in these sessions I was not creating filters I was simply messing with the basics of the package, tweaking and clicking

At the time I did not feel hopeful or joyful but continued to make patterns with these things in mind. I stored them all in a folder and the ones I liked best I submitted to RedBubble. Some of them are now my favourite work.

The rhythm and patterns and colour I found very helpful and I know there is such a thing as Art Therapy and I wonder if I accidentally self prescribed some Art Therapy for myself in these hard times. Looking back I doubt anyone else could have prescribed better.

If your creativity dries up due to stress, tiredness or depression I personally would recommend downloading the trial version of Filter Forge if you don’t already own it, grabbing some of the nearly 6000 free filters – and then click through and make yourself something beautiful even if you don’t feel it.

Filter Forge is marketed as an Adobe Photshop plugin but it can be run on Corel Paintshop Pro or as a standalone program.

I will over the next few weeks be returning to Filter Forge and have a look at how it is used.

I am quite aware that this may all sound a schmolzy or some such word – but the truth is often stranger or more icky than fiction.

Why I use Filter Forge nearly every day.

I’m taking time out today from creating and giving free stencils for Artrage to talk about Filter Forge. I have mentioned it a lot while creating the filters and when I have made up example work.

I was introduced to Filter Forge in a very round about way. I am a fan of Geekatplay.com and I put in request for some training to use Mapzone which is a free filter making tool which is very powerful but has a steep learning curve – so steep in fact that I never really got off the ground with – I may yet push on with that – I don’t like to be beat.

Geekatplay.com responded that at that time they weren’t considering mapzone training but they would be putting in some sessions on Filter Forge. I must say I was actually a bit disappointed because Filter Forge wasn’t free and was a Photoshop plug – which at that time I didn’t use. I watched the training anyway which was fascinating and learned that Filter Forge would also plug into Coral Paint Shop Pro AND would run stand alone. Now that I could handle! So I set to and downloaded the trial version.

The trial version is a full version unlimited for a month – which is fabulous as you can get stuck in using the repository of nearly 6000 filters made by the Filter Forge users and Administrators and you can start making your own, use them and submit them to Filter Forge Library for others to use.

When you submit a Filter to the Filter Forge Library it’s use is monitored and if it is used to a High degree (High User – HU) you get a point – and yes POINTS DO MAKE PRIZES! In fact you can win copies of Filter Forge – brilliant!

To quote from the site

To get a reward, you must earn a sufficient number of Reward Points. In our current reward program, 1 Reward Point equals 1 High Usage Rank filter. Once a filter attains the rank, it will count towards your future rewards, even if it loses its Usage Rank later.

Here are the rewards you can receive:

• 1 Reward Point = 20% discount coupon for any edition of Filter Forge
• 2 Reward Points = 50% discount coupon for any edition of Filter Forge
• 3 Reward Points = a free copy of Filter Forge Professional Edition
• 4 Reward Points = 5 coupons for a 30% discount each for any edition of Filter Forge
• 5 Reward Points = free lifetime upgrades to all future versions

Filters fall into categories in 2 main camps – 1 camp is where the filter messes about with a submitted image and the other is where patterns and textures etc are created with no image to start on.

These 2 camps are broken down into these categories

Texture Filters

• Building – Textures found in architecture and building, such as bricks, pavements, tiles etc.
• Frames – Picture frame textures.
• Misc – Abstract textures or textures that do not fit into any other category
• Organic – Organic textures such as meat, skin, flesh, leaves, etc.
• Patterns – Textures with regularly repeated shapes, colors, motifs, etc.
• Snippets – Filters that illustrate ideas or techniques of interest to the filter development community
• Stone – Stone and rock textures, natural and processed.
• Techno – Any textures related to industry and technology, such as circuits, rusty metal, diamond plates etc.

Effect Filters - the ones that mess with an image

• Creative – Effects that modify images in various creative ways.
• Distortions – Effects that distort, deform or reshape the original image.
• Frame – Effects that create a frame around the original image.
• Misc – Effects that do not fit into any other category.
• Patterns – Effects that produce patterns based on the original image.
• Photo – Photo enhancement operations and effects.
• Snippets – Filters that illustrate ideas or techniques of interest to the filter development community.

Having played furiously with the downloaded trial I then purchased the standard version (Financial reasons) which was delightful! BUT for me with the programming brain (dying to edit and create my own filters which you can’t in standard version) and wishing to submit images to Redbubble at around the 7000px mark (limited to 300px) it was a bit limiting so I had to save up again and buy the professional version.

I honestly now use Filter Forge nearly everyday – sometimes to do something useful and task driven and sometimes just to play.

Speaking of playing! -- My 12 year old God son came to stay for a weekend the other month. I gather he was a bit reluctant and would rather have stayed at home and hung about with his best mate (as you would!). On this occasion the adults ruled and his stuff was packed up and he came on over to stay. I can’t say I really went out of my way to entertain him in fact on Saturday I had a bit of a bad head from indulging at a party the previous evening and I skulked off back to bed for a bit. What I did do was set him loose with Filter Forge – I have never seen the lad so engrossed! And his Mum when she picked him up was overwhelmed by how much he prattled on about the fun he had had and that he should come round more often!

It was nice to share and that’s what I’m trying to do here.

So ……

If you need patterns

If you need to design materials for characters

If you need funky alien skin

If you want to make stencils

If you want to brighten up your art work and photos

If you want to entertain a teenager

If you want materials for any 3d project

If you want to self medicate pattern making to get over the blues (I’ll explain that one another time - probably next week)

If you want some fun and excitement

Then download Filter Forge – try out the trial version and see what you can come up with.

Look out for Blurtsmum – I’m in there and I have a few filters.

Hope to see you submitting filters.

You light up my life - with free artrage stencils

I'm going to post this set of free stencils today and then tomorrow I'm going to take a break and have a chat about the product I used most in developing the stencils and one I use everyday. Filter Forge This set of stencils is about adding light or the illusion of light at least - I worked with flares of light the other day and on this post I'd like to share beams of light. I'll continue the following day with some more intricate beams and a set of organic patterns by some eight legged friends.

Playing with arty stencils.

Took a few minutes this morning while waiting for my breakfast to settle to have a go with the arty free stencils for artrage posted yesterday. This example here is one of thousands of ways you can use them. In this one I squeezed some (lots actually - I have been taking tips form blurt) white and pale yellow all over and then used the palette knife to spread it but not smooth it over too much. After that I took one of the stencils sized it up to cover my paper and I chose to rotate it too because I fancied the flower at the top right and the stripes at the bottom. I added a layer on artrage so it would be like my bottom layer is dry paint and not wet squishy stuff that would blend with anything new I added -- on this picture I was trying to capture the texture as much as the patterns of the stencils. On the stencil and new layer I squeezed purple paint and spread it with the palette knife. Then I added a new layer and a different stencil - without removing the first. On these heaped stencils and new layer I painted on black with a roller. Then I hid the second stencil so I could return to it later in active stencils if I thought I needed to. (I didn't but I didn't know that then!) Adding another layer I inverted the first stencil I used and using a paint brush with white - I used it again to power up the highlights. Then I stopped and took a look -- I swapped the black and purple layers and changed their blends - I wasn't working scientifically I just tweaked them until I felt happy. This is what I had when I finished in Artrage it's OK but I wanted to add a bit more bumpiness so I took it into filter forge and added in bit of simple bump and then I decided I liked it and left it as the first picture in this blog entry. Now I wasn't making this picture for any purpose so now I need to decide what I can use it in. I may use submit it as a card to redbubble, I may add it as a picture on a wall in some 3d Art. I may use it as a posing backdrop for one of my characters - who know I'll let it rest and come back to it in a couple of days and see how react to it then.

A quick play with new free artrage stencils

Just had a play with the new stencils and filter forge and it has become quite clear that some flocks of birds in stencils would be handy! Here is my very quick doodle. Go on have a go.

stylish winter trees - artrage stencils free

So here is the third part of stenciled landscapes I guess. We have had some smooth rolling hills that you can build up in layers - a variety of skies to use and now for some winter trees -- I do have some more realistic trees I set up as Artrage stencils and an example of those was put out a week or so back (scroll down or flick through the categories or archives and you should unearth those) -- but today I quite like these. These I made today using a snippet filter on filter forge which is on it's last day of sale today - but if you miss it and you are reading this tomorrow or later than you should give the fully functional trial version a go. It is really useful and a LOT of fun. Filter forge is marketed as a Photoshop plugin but it works in Paint Shop Pro too and it also runs stand alone so if you don't have either then still try it. I use mine most of the time as a stand alone program and I use if joyfully everyday. I gave away some shapes the other day as stencils - some of those may make flowers. I think tomorrow we may move on to a whole new look entirely. I hope you have something fun planned for the weekend. Let me know if you try any of the stencils or you wnat any tips with filter forge if you give that a go.

Free stencils for Artrage

I have a set of free stencils starting tonight and 10 more lots too. I uploaded some free stencils the other week if you scroll down you should find them. I made this batch with filterforge this is a filter I have made and haven't submitted to join the nearly six thousand that are on there yet. I'll be doing that later this week. So if you are user you can access that directly. This one filter alone can now create hundreds of thousand thousands of unique files. (Not kidding) Imagine what 6000 premade filters with that power could do to your creativity and then add in that you can start to develop your own like I do! There is a sale on at Filterforge at the moment but it was the Christmas or Holiday sale and will end in 4 days time - (maybe 3 not sure about time zones). I'd be lost without my Filter Forger, it it is fun and an amazingly useful tool. Anyway -- what about those free stencils for Artrage! Well here they are. if you get stuck using them I'll knock up a training session for you -- just put a request in on the comments. And Yeah that can be a training session on filterforge or Artrage or both I guess. By the way these are just .png files right click on them and download them -- you have my blessing - go and create. I'm making hills and skys tonight to upload tomorrow. Blurt loves using them to make landscapes. I'm a fan too.!

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