| » Forum Index » The Friday Challenge » Topic: Contest 126: Decorate the tree |
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Posted on 21/12/06 3:22:01 PM |
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james
Surreal Spoofer Posts: 1194 Reply  |
Re: Contest 126: Decorate the tree
Pushing my luck perhaps  |
Posted on 21/12/06 5:25:07 PM |
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Deborah Morley
Makeover Magician Posts: 1319 Reply  |
Re: Contest 126: Decorate the tree
A Merry Christmas to everyone and thank you Steve for taking the time for this forum. And here's to next year.  |
Posted on 21/12/06 5:34:13 PM |
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pauline
Centenary Challenger Posts: 213 Reply  |
Re: Contest 126: Decorate the tree
I really wanted to participate in this one but sadly didn't have the time.....Got it started and that was it. So Merry Christmas everyone! I have my Mom coming today and probably staying for a week, so I won't have much computer time. _________________ Pauline |
Posted on 22/12/06 08:23:06 AM |
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Steve Caplin
Administrator Posts: 6935 Reply  |
Re: Contest 126: Decorate the tree
Glad to see everyone firmly getting into the festive spirit this week. Some very innovative approaches to decoration! Cat got in first, with a rather magical set of candles floating down the river: there's an eerie hidden light source here too, and a good amount of mist and sparkle. The tree blends well into its surroundings - far happier released back into the environment! Stefan has given us a Japanese theme, with paper lanterns hanging from the branches - and is that Mount Fuji in the background? I like the way the lanterns have been buried in the foliage, but not sure about the soft edges. I'd brush those rather spiky leaves in with a spatter brush on the Smudge tool, in much the same way as we do hair. Either that or cheat: take a bit of leaf from the edge of the tree and stick it on top. A truly tiny Bonsai from Eggbox, with even tinier little fairy lights to decorate it. A great effect, and the Japanese background certainly works well here - but shouldn't we have even a hint of a glow around those lights? Sorry you had so much trouble with the cutout, Ted. I thought the Background Eraser would do this one easily. An excellent alternative to electric lights in the second entry - there's something horribly familiar about the scene... In typical fashion, GKB has set himself a mammoth task this week: a snow globe, complete with reflection, refraction and even a reflection on the table top. This is a nearly impossible job, Gordon! But a great attempt: the reflections in the globe do give it a sense of surface. The reflection in the table top, though, needs looking at: a reflected sphere will stil be a sphere! The only solution here would be to take all the elements and rearrange them one by one. And you'd still be doing that in the New Year... Great refraction in the second entry! A very graphic interpretation from j.harvatt, with a neatly treated tree and the most minimal decoration I've seen to date! The vertical lettering is in true Japanese style, too - a nicely consistent image. Hope his ankle gets better. A great series of trees from dave.cox, with thousands of little Bonsais disappearing off into the distance. It's a good stab at the perspective, but you do need to take account of the shape of the pot! Assuming it's more or less rectangular, the sides should point to the horizon, rather than inwards. Good news is, you'd only have to do this once! I like the decorations, though, and I do think $5.99 is a bit of a bargain. Ben Mills seems to have come across a tree that grows its own decorations - now there's a great idea for Christmas! Very colourful, and the way some of the balls are concealed within the branches is a great touch. A very festive offering from mguyer with a tree that sits happily in the snow. A couple of rather curious clumps of snow on the tree itself: the Smudge tool could have done wonders here! Cute baubles, though, and a well cut out Bonsai. An interesting approach in the second entry: has someone let off a can of shaving foam? A great gag from 2bfree, whose decorations made of nuts do seem to be attracting an astonishingly wide range of exotic wildlife. The tree first perfectly into its woodland setting, and the birds are well arranged and concealed within it. Good work! A first entry from newcomer yx_Tay, who has given us a beautiful little Bonsai with baubles, decorative bows and even a couple of gifts underneath. A great shadow, too! The only change I'd like to have seen here would be the base a little more buried in the snow: with a tree that size, it must weigh a ton! Far better removed, as in the second entry. Welcome to the forum, however your name is pronounced. (Interests: pen spinning and Photoshop? In that order?) I see Rip Van Santa has dozed off on the job again... maiden's tree is liberally festooned with tinsel and lights - and a very interesting tinsel technique there, Becky. There's a slight flatness to the tree: perhaps the tinsel should curve down slightly? Your Santa does sit rather well there, though. What was he doing originally? Interestingly, james' tree seems to have sprouted chocolate Easter eggs instead of baubles - and the presence of the deer seems to bear that out. Looks much more nutritious and tasty, though. I like the animation in the second entry, but wonder about the flashing lights in the shadow. Is that right? Would they cast bright spots on the wall? And I do find it a little odd that the tree casts a shadow, bur the table doesn't. Layer missing here, perhaps? Vibeke's grandchildren seem to be making a regular, Hitchcock-like appearance here - not that there's any problem with that. Great to see so many forum regulars popping up in the decorations! A gorgeous entry from Tom, and I think it bears a little dissection. The sense of the spherical nature of the globe has been created in two ways: through the curved window reflection (a sure-fire clue) and the ver slight curved highlight on the right hand side. Note, too, how the snow fades towards the edges, giving a sense of the thickness of the glass. The subtle but convincing refraction on the lettering does, of course, add greatly to the effect. There's plenty of extra detail in here as well, of course: the polished plinth, the faint air bubble right at the top of the globe, and so on. But the point I'm making here is that the globe itself is in fact a very simple construction, and one which you could all reproduce with ease. It looks more complicated than it really is - and that, I think, is the essence of Cheating. A subtle and entertaining entry from Glen - the missing chunk of tree popping up neatly as a hat decoration. And what a great photo! More magical realism, this time from Whaler: I particularly like the way the tree has been backlit, which - as anyone who has tried the technique will know - is a tricky technique to pull off effectively. Beautiful caves, enticingly lit. Charming! A rare excursion into animation from Michael Sinclair, with a twinkly golden tree (very nicely achieved, that) followed by a rather intriguing twinkling tree in the second entry. Great shine on the bulbs! Noted animal lover jwhite demonstrates his fondness for all things cudly with, er, a mound of dead rats about to be eaten by crocodiles. Did you pull the wings off flies when you were younger, John? But it's such a startling and well achieved image that it's hard to complain! It's that table from a couple of weeks ago popping up again in Neal's entry - and very pretty it looks too. Seriously, this is a great piece of work: those lights really twinkle, the glow is excellent, a thoroughly convincing job. I must study your glow technique in more detail! A beautiful star effect from Deborah Morley, who has also created a rather impressive reflection. The shadow at the base of the pot is another good way of concealing joins, and does the trick nicely here. Happy Christmas! |
Posted on 22/12/06 1:16:49 PM |
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jwhite
Collage Critter Posts: 274 Reply  |
Re: Contest 126: Decorate the tree
Yes, but only the ones I ate. |
Posted on 22/12/06 6:07:51 PM |
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dave.cox
Marquee Master Posts: 518 Reply  |
Re: Contest 126: Decorate the tree
"It's a good stab at the perspective, but you do need to take account of the shape of the pot! Assuming it's more or less rectangular, the sides should point to the horizon, rather than inwards." Oops! Missed that detail, but I see what you mean now that I look for it. Thanks for your comments Steve! Happy Holidays to All!!! |
Posted on 22/12/06 8:04:42 PM |
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GKB
Magical Montagist Posts: 3882 Reply  |
Re: Contest 126: Decorate the tree
Thanks Steve, I had seen the problem with the table top reflection and was thinking out the best way to fix it but the Christmas shopping at Sainsbury's beckoned. I'll be too busy trying not to break my legs skiing over the New Year to take part in the next one - but then, if I did break them I could get a laptop into the hospital and ........??? Happy New Year and best wishes to you and all the forum members. I've very much enjoyed the challenges set. Gordon |
Posted on 22/12/06 8:42:17 PM |
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Tom
Texture Technologist Posts: 401 Reply  |
Re: Contest 126: Decorate the tree
Thanks for looking, Steve. I now have a new word to use, "plinth". 
Happly Holidays. |
Posted on 23/12/06 00:44:06 AM |
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stefan
Detail Demon Posts: 401 Reply  |
Re: Contest 126: Decorate the tree
Thanks Steve, MERRY CHRISTMAS to everyone... |
Posted on 23/12/06 09:36:06 AM |
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josephine harvatt
Gag Gadgeteer Posts: 101 Reply  |
Re: Contest 126: Decorate the tree
Merry Xmas all! _________________ I'm not really bad - I just draw that way |
Posted on 24/12/06 02:50:05 AM |
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maiden
Golden Gif Gagster Posts: 471 Reply  |
Re: Contest 126: Decorate the tree
In my pic, Steve, Santa was the usual grotto Santa sat in down in a chair. I had to chop off his limbs and reorganise them using the Free Transform Tool
Yes I agree about the lack of curve on the tinsle I did try using the smudge tool but it just created a blurry mess. |
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