Challenge#195

[Grant]

Charlie Young has presented a challenge that is a bit Hallowe'en. I do hope you like it and have a really scary time with it.

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http://www.cavesofice.org/~grant/Challenge/Challenges.html

Present and Past Challenges will remain Until tomorrow at 7:00 pm the then
the Present will be Past and new images will be posted as Present.

* Important notice to all the new people in this forum. This is not a
close shop you are all invited to submit an image. If you don't think you
are good enough this is your first mistake, I think most have found that
working on the Challenge has improved their personal level. So young and
old, hot shots and cool dudes now is you time to post.

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[chas3stix]

In case anyone wanted to know.......
The gargolye statue in challenge #195 sits in front of the "Bishop's Palace" which is a historical building in Galveston,Texas. Just scary enough for the season.....no?
Chas

[chas3stix]

Hobbs Gobblins!!!!
All of you have done a bang-up-job!
Chas

[Red Sky]

Bill- Why did it have to be their dog? Why not the adopted gnome? The tragedy!

[chas3stix]

Wendy,
Great late-night horror flick theme....:) Has that gargoyle have bad breath or what? :)
Chas

[kevq]

Hi,
does anyone know if Grant is away at the moment? I have sent my attempt for this challenge twice and it still hasn't been posted.
If Grant isn't away I'll have to check my email.
Kev:confused: :confused:

[BobWarren]

Some nice work on the griffin this week:

ALEX B: Great cloning as usual -- love the 'sox' on the griffins in #1.
ANNE T: I like the oriental feel the the rectangular framing in the branches gives #1. Is that the cutout filter in #2?
Great snow job in #3.
BEN M: The fluid gold look is outstanding.
BILL Z: Alas, poor wienerdog -- nice work on the fence.
CHARLES Y: Good work on the colorization.
ELLEN H: Love the way you used the leaves as background and emphasized the eyes.
JODI C: The harvest moon backdrop is great.
KIMIOO: Great use of the forest scene, nice application of the veined marble surface and wonderful light beams.
LAURA B: Nice insertion of the griffin behind the tree -- evil eyes, too!
MALCOLM D: Wow! Love the use of the wing feathers to make petals -- great image.
MARILYN L: The jeweled necklace really caps the revamped statue -- I like the way you used the wings as background texture as well.
PAT C: Nice work on the spirit mist -- what did you use for your background?
PAULINE W: Nice work on the flames and skull, but the ghost is just great -- any hints on how you did that?
RED S: I count four challenge subject in amongst the rocks -- any more hiding? Displacement maps, perhaps?
RITA G: I like the 3-D effect you achieved with the jack-o'-lantern -- nice work with the shadows.
ROBIN L: An impressive set of images -- did you scan in the bottom of a glass vase to get the root patterns? Nice work on the clouds and lightning in #1.
TAB A: Love the spiders and the niche setting.
TOM M: Wonderful patterns -- what did you use to create the gem-like coruscations on the griffin?
WARD G: Pink with birdies! I love the irony. Great job on the jack-o'-lantern carving in #2. The starfish in #3 is nicely done.
WENDY W: Have to love the light fractured skulls -- neat concept. Now for #3 we need a little song from the Aldridge Sisters to go with that bubble machine, ah one and ah two...

Bob Warren
http://www.rewarren.com/challenge/chl195.htm
RANDOM GALLERY:
http://www.rewarren.com/challenge/random.html

[Ward Grant]

Some nice work on the griffin this week:
... WARD G: The starfish in #3 is nicely done...

Bob, thank for the comments. I can always count on learning something from you--this week being Griffin for the name of the starter image. I see you turned yours into a KISS starter kit in your #2.

My "starfish" was my first attempt to use Version 5 totally, just to get a feel for any differences between it and V3. I'm about a week into the trail period and so far I think I'll upgrade.

[chas3stix]

HELP!!!
The AAG is picketing my house....:( (AAG= Amalgimated Association of Griffins)
They're fed up and tired of being called gargoyles.....Greivances have been filed with the National Labor Relations Board. This is one Holloween I'll never forget..:D
Chas

[Robyn]

Hi Bob,

Thanks for taking the time to comment. The 'root' pattern I used was originally tree branches made into an orb. I cheated a bit with a couple of the images on this week's challenge as I already had these 'tree orbs' from something else that I had done! :)

TomM............I'd like to know you did that too??

[Jancy]

Hi Everyone,

I was playing around with Grant's Challenge 195, I really don't know to much about this. IF i have the nerve I may send it (if it's not to late). If I decide to do it - do I just email to challenge@cogeco.ca ? :o

Jancy

[chas3stix]

Hi Jancy,
You can always add your challenge creation to your gallery.
Chas

[Robyn]

Go on Jancy.........send it in (yes, to that address).........and if it is too late then do as Chas says. And don't worry about getting nervous submitting an entry, there is no right or wrong and we are all at different levels.

[Grant]

Just a short note. Work has been crazy and has become worse. With driving i am now away from home 16 1/2 hours a day 7 days a week. I love to do the Challenge do keep them coming. To help me try to name them correctly. size them properly and not send them zipped. For what is worth graphic files do not fair well zipped as they are already compressed and sometimes grow larger when zipped.

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[Jancy]

Well I put it in my so called GALLERY! maybe I will send it. I just can not get over how wonderful everybodys photos look. I am actually embarrassed to do this!! :o :o :o Maybe I'll get some imagination for XMAS!!!
Jancy

[Robyn]

Jancy...........DO NOT BE EMBARRASSED, no need to be..........it looks good! Now that you have broken the ice I expect to see lots of Grant's challenges from you in the future.

[Robyn]

Grant we know that you are a busy guy, and I'm sure I speak for all of us in thanking you for keeping this challenge going. It's a great way for us to push ourselves out of our comfort zone.

[AngelicKim]

Jancy, I think it looks great. Send it in. I didn't have time to do this one but I have been looking at the entries and yours is just as great as the others. Go for it.

[Jancy]

You guys really know how to make a girl feel good! I DO think things like this actually will help me learn! Do I HEAR laughter in the background????

Just a reminder Nip/Tuck starts in 5 minutes!
Thanks Again Everyone,
Jancy

[chas3stix]

Jancy,
The breakout with the shadow and solarization really make your creation click!
Chas

[Jancy]

Thanks Chas :)

[Tom M]

Hey Bob.
coruscation, I like that!

From the bottom up;
1. Original layer.
2. Layer with that curves setting to make it look silver.
3. Duplicated it, applied gold colored gradient map, difference mode.
4. Inserted a photo of some rusted metal, then the displace filter, hard light mode.
5. Duplicated that and changed to soft light.

Blended with layer masks.
Flattened.
Highlighted some areas with a white, color dodge brush, 10% opacity.

Larger version of my Challenge image, here. 250kb . (http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/8849/195lhu1.jpg)

http://img329.imageshack.us/img329/3007/layerska5.jpg

[kevq]

Jancy,
looks good to me.
Don't ever worry about what you submit, you won't get any nasty comments or snide remarks on this forum.
Kev:) :) :)

[Robyn]

WOW Tom...........thank you very much for that. I'm printing it out to keep for future reference. Your work is ALWAYS FABULOUS and it is interesting to see a visual like this on how you have done a particular project. The larger image is VERY impressive.

[e-mailsucks]

Jancy, that is an excellent entry you did. Don't hang your head on that one, it's very good. Don't have a clue how you did those effects, but very impressive.

Brian :)

[Pauline]

Bob, the 'ghost' was from an excellent tutorial in Photoshop Creative #13. It was written by Sumon Rudd who is a subscriber to the magazine.

The 'short' version of creating the ghost is to make an outline selection on a new layer and then go to filter>render>clouds. You then take a large soft brush and erase the interior section out and leave a soft outline. Some work is done on the outline with the smudge tool to soften it.

The original outline is selected again and the process is repeated. Oh the layer blend mode is also changed to screen. This was done about 3 time and then a final layer of clouds with a lower opacity. A bit of outlining with gaussian blur applied and lens flare on the head.

It wasn't a very difficult process, just a little time consuming. The effect is great though.

Hope this helps.

[Red Sky]

Bob- Thanks for commenting on everyones entries. Actually there are only 2 challenges in mine; the current one and the Zeus statue from 176. It's both his head and the spear. The head on the right was just a profile photo I liked. No displacement maps, just various blend modes and the dodge tool.

[Robyn]

Steven.........yours is just fantastic (AS USUAL).......you are getting better and better. Great work!

[Ward Grant]

Just a short note. Work has been crazy and has become worse. With driving i am now away from home 16 1/2 hours a day 7 days a week. I love to do the Challenge do keep them coming. To help me try to name them correctly. size them properly and not send them zipped. For what is worth graphic files do not fair well zipped as they are already compressed and sometimes grow larger when zipped.
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Grant, I am sure I speak for others when we say how much we appreciate you hosting these Challenges. Hopefully, you'll get back to a more sane level of work soon. In the meantime, please let us know if any changes might help your schedule--posting new images on weekends or perhaps a bi-weekly challenge instead of weekly.

[Ward Grant]

KIMIOO: Great use of the forest scene, nice application of the veined marble surface and wonderful light beams.

Kim, I just wanted to echo Bob's comments on your entry. I was really impressed with the marble-like look you created.

[billz]

Bob and Steven -

Yse, even in dog years the wienerdog was young. Who knows, maybe there will be a recovery!?!?

Thanks for the comments.

Bill

[Ellen]

Thanks from me too Bob for kindly making comments- I love the KISS griffin!
( I was in Chicago 2 weeks ago and was eavesdropping on an architecture tour looking up at the various amazing buildings, and forget now the precise word for the over the top gargoyles on the new library.) The leaves are from a redbud the day before that rude early snow.

All the entries are so fun , thanks especially Tom M for posting your bigger image and all who explain how they got the effect they did..

And of course yet another thanks to Grant for doing this even though he is over worked.

[BobWarren]

Pauline --
Thanks for the ghost directions -- I'll have to try that out.
Bob

[BobWarren]

Ellen --
The Harold Washington Library is remarkable -- unfortunately, the only references I've found to the decorations use the pedestrian term 'roof ornaments' to describe them. The firm that welded them all together has an interesting page at: http://www.weldingworks.com/library.htm
Bob

[Ellen]

Bob,
Thanks for the link.

[Pauline]

If you need help Bob, just PM me. I know the instructions I gave were pretty basic but it wasn't too hard to accomplish. To not have it look quite so structured around the outside, you could even try with a bit of a feathered selection or a selection that isn't so precise. Lots of ways to experiment with this one. :)

[OFD678]

Where to you find the pics of the challenges?
thanks

[Robyn]

Brent.......

Here is this week's challenge link

http://www.cavesofice.org/~grant/Challenge/Challenges.html

Brent...........I've just checked out your gallery, you have some great images! I especially like this one. http://www.photoshopelementsuser.com/gallery/view_img.php?id=13882

[kimi_boo]

Well, I have brain freeze on that one. :eek:

[Robyn]

Kimi.............me too!

[kimi_boo]

Robyn... you do know that means, we MUST do something. :)
That is the Challenge.... right? :o :D

[Robyn]

Kimi..........

Yes indeed we MUST!! I've just this minute opened up the image in PS and I'm off and running...........goodness only knows what I'll spew out the other end! :D :eek:

[laurabel]

Bob! How nice of you to comment on everyone's Challenge rendering! I only now discovered this forum link to the challenge. On those occasions when I've submitted an entry I accessed the Challenge from the Adobe forum. I guess I'd best learn how to use my scroll button when I'm reading message groups. <g>

Anyway, thanks.

Laura

[kimi_boo]

Hi Laura, Welcome to our crazy family. :)

Hope you stick around... this is a great forum.

[Robyn]

Kimi..........both true to our word..... both of us have submitted something (even though we were not inspired)..........yours looks great by the way, how did you do that?