Challenge #129

[Grant]

Pat Coggin Has proposed this weeks Challenge. Sort of looks like Attack of the Thriller Tomato. Ladies and gentlemen start your tablets.

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Since my hard disk failure I have had some wonder Challenges
suggestions submitted by a few people . I need more suggestions from more
people to be able to mix up the choices. Please send me *your*
suggestions for the Challenges. Part of what makes the Challenge great
is your input. Also please don't forget he Photo Challenge as
presently I have only one suggestion although it is a great one but I do
need more.


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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.

* 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.
--
Grant

Home Pages: http://www.cavesofice.org/~grant/Challenge/index.html

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

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Creativity is so delicate a flower that praise tends to make it bloom, while
discouragement often nips it in the bud. Any of us will put out more and
better ideas if our efforts are appreciated.

Alexander Osborn (1888 - 1966)

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[Wendy]

Well ... how is everyone doing with there Challenge Entries?

Its gone very quiet so I guess you are all busy doing them :)


Wendy

[MikeH]

Wendy,

After a few weeks absence I will be sending an entry for this one...

Mike

[Grant]

They must be working like Trojans as I almost have enough for two full pages and still more than an hour to go before curtain time.

Grant

[Wendy]

Grant ...

Wow that is good going :)


Wendy

[Grant]

The first entries are now posted and they are wonderful. Oh and we are already up to page 3. :D

Grant

[Wendy]

Just of to check them out ... :)


Wendy

[SarahMB]

WOW! I checked out the challenges. Everyone is showing their creative talents.

Wendy I like the Moon picture. Did Jodi give her secret away how to make light shine thur cracks?

Keep up the good work everyone.
SarahMB

[Pauline]

Hey, I just sent mine in and asked Grant if I was the first!!! :lol: It seems I'm way behind. You people on here are too darn quick. It doesn't help that I couldn't find the bloody image to begin with. Well I had fun with this one anyway. Please no one ask how I did the border. I don't have a clue!! I was checking out filters, changing backgrounds, etc. I didn't even have it on it's own layer. I guess I was just working to hard to pay attention.

Now let's hope I can come up with some more ideas. I will resist looking at what is up there at least until I get one more done. :lol:

[willpresley]

This challenge I accepted -- still want to do more, perhaps in the morning since I'm an early bird (up before the birds start chirping actually) -- what I saw was impressive to say the least.

[Grant]

Pauline

While we should all work at our own pace it may be of interest that from the time I up loads the Challenge 6:47 it was only 7:30, a short 43 minutes when the first entry came in.

Grant

[Pauline]

6:47 AM??? Sheesh...........No way I can be beating that person's record. I have to have a shower, breakfast and walk the dog BEFORE I can play on the computer. I'll just be happy with getting one sent in tonight then. :lol:

I am going to try and do one on PSE and one in Painter to help me get better at painter, but it sure is tough changing from one to the other when you're new at it. I look for tools that "aren't there" in Painter, but I spend way to much time in ps, so this should help me balance and learn the other program. Still pondering.............. :roll:

[Grant]

Pauline

No that was PM i put them up the night before.

Grant

[Pauline]

Well geeze, then I'm waaaaaaaay behind. I'll be keeping that in mind next week and will hunt the picture down!!

[Pauline]

Watch out Wendy I'm catching up to you for speed. Second entry just sent. I must say I had a lot of fun with the "tomato family". It was a fun little creative piece that I did in painter. I am a much better painter in real life, but the digital stuff is all new to me, so I'm still trying to figure out all the brushes and what they do.

Now I wil reward myself by checking out the current entries and then head to bed! :lol:

[Pauline]

Wendy why is it before I even scroll down and see your name I can spot yours?!! I love the first one with the planets. Too cool, and what a fantastic job on the world tomato globe.

Some fantastic entries so far.

Gary.........you must let go of last week's challenge........it's over. Don't worry, I did notice you incorporated the tomato. Great job tying the two together.....will this be a theme of yours from now on? Combining previous with current challenge.

[GaryK]

Pauline

I don't think it will be a recurring theme :lol:. I just had the background from a tut I was trying and I wanted a spaceship..and I found one.

Hey....I'm pretty proud to be only living one week in the past...usually its decades :lol:

Gary.

[Wendy]

Sarah,

The light beams are an adapted from an underwater tut by Bert Monroy. What you do to make them is create a new layer above your image then use one if the selection tools to draw one "triangle" ... next either fill it with a pale shade or use a gradient on it.
Gaussian blur it and reduce the opacity
Do the same thing for each one.

... and that is it :)

Wendy

[Wendy]

I will do some reviews on the images ... but it will probably be early next week.

I'm still working on another one and I don't like to look at them until I have finished :)

Wendy

[Wendy]

Right then ...

... you have all been so quiet today. Must be lots of entries just ready to go to Grant by now ... so I will do my first reviews tomorrow.

Still time to submit another entry :)


Wendy

[Jodi Frye]

I have no inspiration to do this.

[Wendy]

Jodi Frye ... that is simply no excuse !!


:lol: :lol:

Wendy

[MikeH]

I'd better sort mine out quick...

Mike

[Wendy]

Mike,

Do you mean to say that you haven't done one yet ... :shock: :shock:


Wendy

[MikeH]

Wendy,

It's work in progress... well I've downloaded the image :lol:.

Mike

[Wendy]

Mike,

Sighhhhhhhh :( :(

Wendy

[Grant]

Jodi

Where is your spirit of adventure just think of the challenge in turning a lowly tomato into a steaming primavera sauce on top of some home made pasta. Oh don't forget the Parmagiana Reggiano.

Grant

[Grant]

Mike

Downloading is a start in the right direction.

Grant

[Wendy]

My goodness everyone has been buy this week ... its only Monday and we are on page 7!!

Alex ... Nice animation in No 1 but it has a sort of sinister look !!!. Mind you I scare easily :) No 2 really would make a great poster !!

Anne ... its Mr Tomato Head !!. Good theme and very nicely done.

Pat ... Oh that does look good. Great colours and the pattern is brilliant ... how did you do it?

Ben ... Been soup making I see!. Good can and you have done a great job making the label.

Bob ... That is good, really well done with the bite. The edges are great and it looks so real. I did have to smile at the love apple (see one of my images)

Brice ... No 1 is nicely superimposed. I do like the way you have let just a little of the stitching show through it makes it look more realistic and its a good punch line!! Well No 2 just made me laugh ... first time I have ever seen a snowman made out of tomatoes. Very well done and great idea !

Chis ... Wow No 1 is so good. Are you sure you didn't just wait until it decayed and then photographed it ??. On a serious note I would really like to know how you did it ... I think I can see some plastic wrap in there but what else? No 2 is stunning, it really does make a great image ... its brilliant!

Cliff ... Good work with No 1 on the extraction and the shadow also the background is really good. I especially like the little sun lurking in there. How did you do that background? No 2 made me laugh ... Ummm new computer called the tomato :) Nice theme and once again a great background.

Danielle ... Nice work on the photo cube.

Dave D. ... Its quite small so difficult to see the detail but I think I see not only the ball substitutes but faces in the crowd too ... nice idea !!!

Dave H ... Now that has an amazing look ... it almost looks hand painted. Its a very interesting technique and I would love to know did you did it? Like the use of duplicate images and changed colours in No 2.

Dick ... Oh No 1 is very different. I looks like you made a pattern out of the light ... but how did you get it to look like that? No 2 has an almost water colour painted look to it ... it very good.

Flar ... When I first saw your image it just blew me away. It just looks wonderful. I'd love to know how you achieved the effect but I suspect that you used a lot of different techniques. :)

Gary ... He looks like a space recovery vehicle rescuing space debris ... very nice!!

Gerald ... Excellent use of the image in No 1 ... it must have taken you ages to do all those different techniques. It makes a very good overall effect. .... and how did you get that effect in No 2??

Lucy ... Nice work on the tomato ... and the bite out of the board just finishes it off :)

Malcolm ... What an evocative image ... the B&W wet street with bright red tomatoes bouncing down it is so good. and then continuing the theme with them bouncing gentle in the sea ... you have done both of them so well !

Marilyn ... Now that isn't at all your usual style ... it makes a wonderfully dramatic images and t he text is just right for the effect :)

Mary Lou ... Excellent slicing of the image and very well put together to form a face. How did you do No 2 ... it almost looks totally hand drawn and an interesting background effect in No 3.

Melissa ... Five nice images my favourites are No 1 and No 4 . I really like the brilliant colours you have introduced into No 1 ... it is so vibrant. How did you manage to do that? The Sci Fi effect in No 4 is excellent, great colours and a very nice theme indeed. Well done.

Patti ... Oh that is well done ... excellent blending. It just looks as though it was always there ... in fact if I had just seen it as an image I would have said that the whole thing was real. Great work!!

Pauline ... Good use of the image, it fits the theme very well. No 2 is nicely done, good tomato man and I especially like the little tomatoes on the vine :)

Rita ... Oh that is lovely, beautiful colours and a great effect. How did you do it?

Bob ... Brilliant stamps and those perforations are simply excellent. How did you do them?. Neat little touch with the face :)

Robin ... Like the blending into the clouds in No 1 but No 2 is my favourite ... that plate is great how did you get the pattern to sit on it so well.

Tab ... nicely done. I love the way you have repaired the damage!!. The whole thing makes a great image.

Terri ... Very nicely done .. the decay looks very realistic ... nice touch with the drips ... but he is just too cute for words ... look at those eyes :)

Tom ... Four beautiful images. A very neat effect in no 1 ... you have even managed to make the tomato look soft and pillow like. No 2 ... well the curtains are great and just wonderful reflections. The effect in No 3 is stunning, it really looks like a filled glass ball ... how did you do it????? No 4 has some excellent little touches in it ... my personal favourite has to be the tomato in the wine glass. Very nice indeed :)

Tony ... Well done on putting the tomato into Lara's mouth :)

Will ... I like the Curse of the Vampire tomatoes theme .. its a great idea. Exploding it in No 2 is different ... I don't think anyone else came up with that. Well done!


Wendy

[Wendy]

Mike ...

Haven't seem yours yet??? I got a little bit carried away this week :oops: :oops:


Wendy

[Tom M]

Hi Wendy, I liked your tomato/globe, the way that South America fits next to the stem scar. Also #4.

I wasn't going for a glass look on my #3, but I'll take it.
I put the tomato on it's own layer then used the smudge tool.
Did a random magic wand selection and copied that to a new layer.
Put a drop shadow on each of the two new layers..

For some reason, when I use the Wacom mouse with the smudge tool, I get an in focus smear; But when I switch to the pen it is a blurred smear. :?:

[Wendy]

hi Tom ..

The tomato globe wasn't too difficult really ... I did a tut the other week to create the world and I had saved it still in its layered state. I just made the two fit together, changed the colours of each individual layer from blue to a tomato colour, reshaded it and then dropped the opacity of the tomato.

I was surprised at how well the colour came through :)

I was totally blown away with your No 3 it made me think of a glass globe filled with shiny metalic strips ... really brilliant effect !!

Wendy