Challenge #157

[Grant]

What do you think ... want to try for a fourth year of Challenges?

Nancy Marti has entered a very Art Nouveau type statue. It should be fun so have a great time with this one.

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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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[Ward Grant]

Nancy
Could you please tell us where the picture was taken? I am hoping a little more background will give me some inspiration

[NMarti]

Ward,
The monument is in front of the public library in the city park. It is dedicated to the early settlers of the city/county and each person on the monument represents the accomplishments of the settlers (industrial, agricultural, artistic and -on the back side- spiritual). The library addition was designed to compliment the art nouveau style of the monument. It is quite stunning from inside the library as the windows "frame" the monument.

Hope this helps.

[Ward Grant]

Nancy,
Thanks for the information. Great framing with the columns and roof in your picture.

[NMarti]

Thank you Ward. If it helps any - I have an alternate shot in my gallery showing a reflection of the monument in the window.

[Grant]

The first images are now being posted they are all great. They are posted early as I am off to a Scotch tasting evening in a few minutes.

Notes for viewing.

1). Clicking on the thumbnail will open a larger image.
2). Clicking on the larger image will advance you to the next larger image.
3). If you are using Internet Explorer F11 will toggle a full screen view

... gives the images a view they deserve.

Grant

[Ward Grant]

Tony,
Absolutely mesmerizing entry. Very nicely done.

[TonyW]

Ward: It kind of mesmerized me too ;) . I started out intending to do something else and got so messed up with transform perspective that I just got playing around with it. I need to read up some more on perspective as I made a lot of mistakes and I can see all of them :( . Decided to take a break and submit it anyway - mistakes and all.

Tony

[NMarti]

Tony
I think it's awesome. Really messes with the eyes. I'm blown away with some of the images - never thought the monument had so many possibilities.

[Ward Grant]

Butch: I could not help but think of this image when I was looking at your entry for this week's challenge. Nice way to work in a rocketship.

Grant: I'm up for another year of challenges.

http://img280.imageshack.us/img280/8772/drstrangelovemoreslimpickens20.th.jpg (http://img280.imageshack.us/my.php?image=drstrangelovemoreslimpickens20.jpg)

[karen donnybrook]

Yes please Grant, do continue with the challenge. I have just started doing them and am learning a lot about PSE4 by trying different things for each challenge. :)

[Daviskw]

Yes Ward.... Doctor Strange Love I believe...lol.. That is exactly what I was thinking of when I put my Daughter on top...lol

Darn we are oooooollllllddddddd!!!!!

Butch

[Grant]

Yes please Grant, do continue with the challenge.

The question "What do you think ... want to try for a fourth year of Challenges?" was merely rhetorical. As long as people want to do the challenge I will try to keep it going.

[Daviskw]

Hello Grant

I'm sure it is a lot of work managing the challenges, so I want you to know how much I appreciate your work and dedication.
I am new to Elements and having a lot of fun with the program. I have learned more working on entries for your challenges than in any book or tutorial. Sometimes just doing is the best way, learning from mistakes as I go.
It is great to get the feedback from fellow posters and listen to how they do some of those amazing things with Elements or Photoshop.
There is a great bunch of people participating. They are always encouraging and never mean and always ready to help us less talented to learn.

Thanks again

Butch

[Ward Grant]

The question "What do you think ... want to try for a fourth year of Challenges?" was merely rhetorical. As long as people want to do the challenge I will try to keep it going.

If my teachers had asked more rhetorical questions when I was in school, I probably would have scored higher on my exams.:D

[Robyn]

Could someone point me in the right direction of how to do that swirling glass effect that Terry Noonan has on his last entry.
Thank you.

PS. I've "dipped my toes in the water"and posted a couple of entries in the Challenge. I've always been somewhat intimidated by the quality of the entries, but I've had a go and it was fun.

[CarolLHB]

Hooray for you Robyn! There are very cool:cool:

[NMarti]

Very nice Robyn
You should definitely not be intimidated by anyone else, you did a great job!

[Wendy]

Hi everyone ...

I didn't have a lot of time but I managed to put together some quick comments :)

Alex ... Love the way you have lit it up ... nice animation !!

Alice & the guys ... very nicely done and what a great effect it makes.

Anne ... What a stunning effect in No 1 you must have lots of layers in that. How did you do it ? ... and great work in No 2. It looks as though it really was there (and what a cute rabbit !!) and how did you do the background in No 3 ... its really good!

Ben ... Nice stained glass window effect. Good use of the image.

Bill Z ... That is just brilliant .. really well done and very realistic. Good work on all of it :)

Bob ... What a good effect .. it almost looks handpainted. How did you do it??? ... Excellent job on No 2. Did you use a gradient on the shield? ... and great colour changes in No 3

Butch ... Good use of the image in No 1, well blended in ... and great fun !! No 2 just has to be my favourite ... its a really good effect and beautifully put together.

Byron ... Excellent work. That texture is just so good ... how did you do it?

Carol ... Well done. A really good image, well put together and a great reflection in your sea :)

Chris ... Very nice work on that one. It just looks so good ...

Donald ... What an interesting effect and nice work on adding the orb in No 1. How did you do the main image ? No 2 is so delicate and I love the way you have introduced the colours into it. I really would like to know how you did that?

Ellen ... You have blended the whole thing together just so well ... it makes a great image. Well done !

Karen ... I do like the effect that you have achieved ... did you use some embossing in there ?

Kathy ... Oh that is a good image and very nicely done !

Malcolm ... Really excellent work ... it looks so realistic and gives a great sense of depth of field.

Marilyn ... Wonderful romantic image you have done in No 1 ... and what a great creation in No 2. Excellent use of the image.

Nancy ... Nice selection you have done there and good use off a gradient overlay .. very nicely done indeed !

Pat B ... That could almost be a poster .. unusual effect and well done.

Pat C ... What a cool effect ... and I would so like to know how you did it ?. Wow the colourization is good in No 2, very delicate and so effective.

Pauline ... Very unusual effect in your entry .. how did you do that?

Read Sky ... Clever idea using the statue as a chess piece ... it works very well. Nice attention to detail with the shadows !

Rita ... Stunning image ... good textures in there and nice touch with the colourization.

Robin ... Wow your no 1 is amazing ... how did you do it? For some reason it reminds me of skulls :) ... and well done with the colouring in No 2

Robyn ... Nice work on extracting the statue and blending the background of No 1 ... I especially like the flag overlay. do I see a displacement map in there? No 2 and No 3 have a great effect ... and are very well done. How did you get that effect ??

Tab ... A strong vibrant effect in your No 1 great colours and good use of techniques. No 2 is so totally different .. clever animation.

Terri ... I like the way you have picked out one small detail and used it for your entries. Very different techniques and so nicely done. How did you do them all ?

Terry ... Some really nice effects in your images this week. Great idea of using and underwater scene in no 1 ... it makes a great image and I especially like the fish swimming around the statue. No 2 is an interesting effect ... how did you do that? No 3 is a great fun image ... lovely colours and wow what a reflection !! but No 4 has to be my favourite. How did yoi do that glass effect and distort it into wings ??

Tom ... Your entry this week is so good. Nice painted effect on the statue, beautiful background effect and those textured leaves are amazing ... how did you do it all?

Tony C ... What a stunning image that makes. I especially like the way you have picked out the flowers and the background is so good. How did you do the image??

Tony W ... No 1 is just so different ... it a clever idea and beautifully done. Its is really very striking !! ... Wow No 2 is even better !! Great work on extending the roof and making the new background. Good detail in there and it looks brilliant !

Ward ... Now that is great blending! .. good use of images and colours. All in all it makes a really good picture. I also like the abstract you have done for No 2 ... carrying the colour on into the pillars just pulls it all together.


Wendy

[Robyn]

Terry ... Some really nice effects in your images this week. No 4 has to be my favourite. How did yoi do that glass effect and distort it into wings ??
Wendy

Wendy,
It must have taken you some time to do all those comments. Thank you.....and yes I did use your displacement map technique.....as to my other entries I just fiddled and hoped for the best....but what fun!

As in your quote above, I too would love to know how Terry did that glass and distorting of wings.......I think it looks stunning.

[NMarti]

Wendy,
I think everyone did a wonderful job on this challenge. I really liked your interpretation as well - very beautiful colors. I said it in another thread, but I never knew this monument had so many personalities. I pass it every day and now will look at it in a whole new way. I told Grant and wanted to share with everyone else that I sent the link to the staff at the library where the monument is located and they were very pleased with the results. They plan to include a mention of it in their weekly newsletter. I did remind them it needed to be quick, however, as it will be gone next Friday. Great job everyone!

[TonyW]

Wendy: Thanks for taking the time for the comments. They are greatly appreciated. I do always wonder how people achieve some of the effects and interesting to see how forum discussions turn into challenge entries. I find it a great way to learn and experiment with different techniques. Last week was a result of Chapter 6 in How to Cheat in Photoshop and playing around with the transform tool and vanishing points. Might be easier if Elements had a vanishing point filter but really not too hard to do without.

Tony

[Wendy]

Hi Robyn ..

I have posted comments on both forums so if Terry replies on the other one I will copy it over onto this one too .... My guess is that he has used a plug in (possibly :))


Wendy

[Wendy]

Hi Tony ...

I find that I learn a lot from the things other people do ... and most people are happy to share their techniques.

I haven't had a lot of inspiration the last couple of weeks ... it really is getting more difficult to come up with new idea :(

Wendy

[Pauline]

Wendy, I struggled with this one and really didn't seem to have much inspiration. Like you my brain hasn't been producing to many ideas. I was trying to work on the Friday challenge today but just can't function with this pounding headache I currently have! :(

I dug out my blending modes book and picked something I liked.

Dupicate layer and change the blending mode to 'difference'
Invert the difference layer (ctrl I)
Filter>blur>gaussian blur -any radius can be used-start with a low value such as 5 and add more later if necessary

Duplicate the Difference layer

Now duplicate the ORIGINAL layer and move it to the top of the stack and change the blending mode to PIN LIGHT

Invert the Pinlight layer.

Make another copy of the origianl image and drag it to the top of the stack. Change the blending mode to EXCLUSION.

That's it. I had now clue what it would turn out like but I like the effect. It kind of reminded me of stained glass.

[Wendy]

Hi Pauline ...

Thanks for the information ... its a nice technique and it gives a very different effect.

I really have been uninspired for the last few weeks ... I guess some of it is because I have been busy with holidays etc, and I'm now getting ready to go away again (20th Feb).

However ... the Valentine theme has inspired me and I have sent in quite a few :)

Wendy

[Ward Grant]

I really have been uninspired for the last few weeks ... I guess some of it is because I have been busy with holidays etc, and I'm now getting ready to go away again (20th Feb).

However ... the Valentine theme has inspired me and I have sent in quite a few :)

Wendy,
I always appreciate your comments on the entries. Nancy had posted the information that each side represented a different ideal so I did a search on Morgufile for some appropriate images. At the last minute, the idea of desaturating the parts outside the statue came to me--each ideal had no life or color by themselves but join them together and the ideals come to life. Maybe a little too dramatic.

I find myself searching for new ideas each week and I have only been doing the challenges for six months or so. I can't image how artists who have been involved all four years come up with fresh ideas each week.

Oh, I just looked at your Valentine entries--inspired may be an understatement.

[Pauline]

Wendy I'm glad your inspiration came back. I haven't done anything yet. Strangely enough I don't do as well in an 'open' challenge. Maybe something will come to me when I'm trying to sleep.

All I managed to do today was the eyeball tutorial of making eyes move around in a face. It's pretty cool and I want to try it next on a picture of my kids. I wish I'd known the technique when I did Gary's stacking heads!! It would have made my life much easier!

[Carbone]

Pauline, maybe a collage of the people you most love? Or the best looking spots in your town.. ?

Ray

[Pauline]

That might work Ray. So far everyone in the house is in my good books. :rolleyes: Last week I might have had a problem with that!

It's the weekend though so probably won't get much done. I try not to completely ignore the family when they're home. :)

[karen donnybrook]

Yes Wendy, I did use embossing at one stage and (I think) then put a colour mask over it and dropped the opacity and, of course, framed it. I really must take notes when I do a challenge so I can confidently tell you how I did what :D