Vintage photo from The Graphics Fairy (where I recently had a good ol' fashioned image-binge), some photos from my own mixed in there, and a good dose of photoshop textures. Mainly, I just couldn't leave that photo alone. It needed to find a way to my desktop. (Phistos have been invading the back of my brain again lately. Re-reading Dorian is not exactly pushing them away.)



In trying to find a certain layer, I turned off the one with the main image in it - and was happily surprised by this! I like it. I suspect it will make an awesome base for other things, as well as being nice just on its own.

Labels: art, photoshop, wallpaper

 
Photoshop day!

I happened across White Flower Farm's website during NaNoNovember, looking for reference pictures for something or another, and remembered how much I'd always loved their catalog. Mom had lots of plant catalogs always around the house, but White Flower Farm always had the best selection of oriental lilies. :) Flipping through their online catalog, I was happily surprised by the quality of their photos, and mentioned to Mom that if she had any old catalogs laying around, I'd love to snag them for reference.



Lo and behold, a few weeks later, a copy of the catalog lands in my mailbox. Thank you, Mom! The spring catalog just arrived, and I spent a good long time pawing through it. They do some gorgeous arrangements of flowers, which are sototally going to influence my own drawings/writing. The catalog is full of unusual and incredibly striking plants, everything is just *really* *freaking* *pretty*. But what really grabbed me were some of the foliage plants and things... and the second I saw the hellebore flowers, I was dying to draw one.



I almost did late last night... I went downtown with a coworker, and while it wasn't a particularly exciting evening, we talked a lot. I haven't had a chance to really talk with her much, but she's one of my favorite people, so I was happy to have the chance to. Unfortunately, she's going through a rough patch - almost done with college, no idea what she wants to do with her life, things at home going downhill, boys being..well, boys, which is to say, emotionally distant and ridiculous. But I'm good at listening, and while I doubt I was able to contribute much help, I know sometimes just having a sympathetic ear and some company helps.

It made me realize though... I've been so insanely lucky in my life. Like, really. Hearing Tom's stories of his high school, hearing stories from my friend and a friend of hers about failed and troubled relationships, all these countless stories around me... and my life sounds suddenly boring next to all of theirs. But while it means I don't have a particularly captivating repertoire of life stories to share... it means I haven't had to deal with all the troubles they have. My home life had its dramas, everyone's does, but really, mine was pretty darn calm. My last couple years of high school were an emotional roller coaster, but whose weren't? I still have no idea what I'm doing with my life, but, y'know, I have a job I don't totally hate - it even sometimes gives me the chance to do what I love. I have a place of my own - even if I can't keep it clean, and doing dishes and laundry drives me bananas some days. And I have the most supportive boy ever, who keeps me grounded and largely sane, and knows I'm crazy but somehow doesn't entirely mind.

So I came in somewhere around midnight last night, all of this filtering through my mind. I was pretty tipsy still, and my mind was too awake to let me sleep for awhile, so I turned on the computer when I came in, planning to try my hand at a hellebore flower. I went upstairs to the bathroom while the computer was booting, and before I came back down, I peeked in to check on Tom.

And he was curled up on my side of the bed, half under the sheets, just, *curled*, his hands tucked up by his chin, sleeping so sweetly and beautifully...

I turned the computer back off, and came upstairs to bed. Didn't sleep for crap last night, but, you know, I didn't entirely mind.

Today, I took him out to breakfast, picked up some veggies to make a nice slow-cooker curry today, and spent the day in Photoshop. Tom's out with DJ, I told him they're welcome to come by around 7 when the curry will be ready, there'll be plenty to go around. I might do some laundry, or might wait until tomorrow. I have Labyrinth on Blu-Ray. (I also have Rattle & Hum on Blu-Ray, and I've had an awful lot of U2 dreams out of nowhere lately.) I have Guitar Hero. I have crochet projects and new Sigur Rós cds. In an hour or two, I'll have some of the promising-looking curry. I'm a pretty darn content little thing. (I also can't stop looking at my drawing. so pretty!!!)

Labels: art, being social, cooking, drawing, friends, life in general, navelgaze, storytime, wallpaper

 
New wallpaper! No particular reason. I was bored with my current one, and wanted to have something new I'd made myself - it's been awhile. So I flipped through my photo stash, and found a starfish shot I took at the aquarium on Long Island earlier this year. It had a nice composition.. and really a nice color.



See? pretty. But, not enough detail stayed put, the light in the place was so weird to try to work with, there was only so much I could do. Couldn't get the camera to focus properly to save my life.



The end result is not what I had in mind initially... but I didn't have much of a plan initially anyway. I wanted to add texture, something old-paper-ish.. but then a bit of tweaking revealed some tiny scratches on the aquarium glass, and I decided I liked those. They were too faint to really do much with, so I added more in toward the end. Photo is mine. Brushes (scratchies, swirly bits, etc) and textures (a pattern fill that's slightly in there, and a watercolor wash that's layered in) are from various sources. Handwriting is mine. ;)

The (purposely) faint writing is lyrics from The Church's "A New Season". (The album it's on is Starfish. Very creative, I know. ;p )

Shaded crystal water, bathed in by God's daughter
Sighing, whispers near, a new season passes here

Sensory gifts to all who come
Soak up the stars and setting sun

Labels: art, photos, wallpaper

 
GRATUITOUS DESKTOP ALERT

Penguins!!!1!



Base is a photo I took on Long Island, cropped to horizontal. Mostly just messed with the lighting, sharpened it all, aaand messed with dark/light more. Then threw in a bit of extra texture just for fun.

Labels: art, silliness, wallpaper