Lesson 5 - Creating a Simple Abstract Wallpaper

**Goofy** · June 01, 2012, 03:06 PM

Originally Posted by The Norseman

Is there a way to flip the brushes?

Haha look how much random things we can use

So many epic brushes

As Kameraden mentioned (funnily enough with a quote from me) if you're using GIMP 2.8 you can rotate the brushes by adjusting the "Angle" value in the tool options box. If you're using an older GIMP you'll have to first apply the brush on a layer and then rotate it by using the Rotate tool.

And yeah, on this lesson you can create basically anything you want. The thing you have there is great - intelligent design I'd say. I love the handprint and the abstract "flame" in the middle.

@Bolkonsky: Good work and not a bad wallpaper at all, considering that we're on a basics course. Abstract stuff may not be the world's most awesome thing for some people, including me in some cases, but the techniques are very useful.

@NekoGenijalan: Nice. I like the second one better. The background is very good, but I'd pay more attention to the patterns at the bottom. You should perhaps use more decorative ones and make them less dominant. In general I'd recommend putting the abstract patterns in the middle.

The first one is too bright in my opinion - it would be far better if you added a shadow to the edge areas. Anyways, good job!

Originally Posted by The Norseman

Alrighty another question. How do I combine all the brush layers? Im at step 11 - 13

As edse said, right-click on the layer and select "Merge Down". That will merge the layer to the topmost visible layer under your selected layer.

@The Norseman: Not only is that acceptable but it is very good-looking as well. I particularly like the colour of the pattern on the left, the shape of the pattern at the bottom right and the eye pattern in the middle. Top-notch stuff, really!

@Lü Bu: Wow, that is beautiful! I'm just wondering how much you edited that yourself.

**ForteS** · June 01, 2012, 03:14 PM

Hi again

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**Vaðarholmr** · June 01, 2012, 04:16 PM

Such awfull artwork

But i got to use the techniques.

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**Lü Bu** · June 01, 2012, 04:45 PM

I did use various pictures and than merge them. I will make whole mine from scratch. Once again Im sorry

Edit: Here is one from scratch all by me

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**Willowran** · June 01, 2012, 09:40 PM

i will redo my wallpaper, but i have an overflowing plate at the moment... exams and culmkinatings due. May be a couple days...

Queen Chrysalis? Originally i had thought your runes were ancient nordic, as they look almost excatly alike, however i see in your sig that there are minute differentials. Is that an actual historic runic alphabet, or a fictional?

**Vaðarholmr** · June 02, 2012, 09:27 AM

I try to make them in Elder futhark. But the font i have are a mix of many different versions, so i had to copy-paste and use big and smal letters to get it right. The ones in the sig are a mix of elder futhark and viking-runes (wich i cannot read)

**Shankbot de Bodemloze** · June 02, 2012, 02:22 PM

Right... where to start.

I know it''s a bit bland, but I did have a lot more brushes, but I didn't like it so I got rid of them.

Also, everyone else's seem so much more... better.

Background 1600x900 (Resized)

**Diamat** · June 04, 2012, 10:27 PM

I am not very good at this. But here is something Star Trek themed I made:

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**Hader** · June 04, 2012, 10:52 PM

No idea where I messed up but couldn't get the colors bit to work for the brushes. This is the crap I got.

derp

I'll restart and try another one again soon.

**Willowran** · June 04, 2012, 11:54 PM

Round 2: Fight!

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uhh...i am not sure why the borders are showing up bright blue... in gimp there is a bit of a transparent area around the edges of the image (created by the drop shadow), but this is showing with a bright blue background? confusing...

**King William the Conqueror** · June 05, 2012, 01:36 PM

Not as good as most of them I know

Hope it is good enough

Wallpaper

900th post!

**TheDarkKnight** · June 05, 2012, 06:56 PM

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Not particularly proud of the results but I followed all the directions...

**Goofy** · June 06, 2012, 01:28 PM

Sorry for the delay guys!

@ForteS: Wow... That is absolutely brilliant! Very nice stuff, really!

@Queen Chrysalis: Nice - that is not as bad as you may think. Maybe you should make it a bit brighter and/or colourful.

@Lü Bu: No worries. That is very good, although I'd try to find a way to fill the big black areas at the top and bottom. But the effect you created there is quite cool!

Originally Posted by Willowran

i will redo my wallpaper, but i have an overflowing plate at the moment... exams and culmkinatings due. May be a couple days...

Feel free to do that, although I'm not expecting you to.

@Shankbot12: Very good - I like it. It may be a bit too simple, you know, but the colours are well chosen in my opinion!

@Diamat: Don't be too modest, as your wallpaper is stunning! A butterfly in water (I don't know if that is actually water but it looks like that) makes absolutely no sense but it looks very good.

@Hader: I love the colours, they're wonderful. I don't know if you messed up but I think it was a good thing after all...

Well, really, at the first glance your wallpaper seemed a bit messy to me, but it's actually very, very good.

@Willowran: Good. The colours fit each other quite well in my opinion.

Originally Posted by Willowran

uhh...i am not sure why the borders are showing up bright blue... in gimp there is a bit of a transparent area around the edges of the image (created by the drop shadow), but this is showing with a bright blue background? confusing...

One more time I don't have a clue what it might be. In this kind of images with clear borders you should untick the "Allow Rescaling" box in the Drop Shadow dialog - I think that is the source of your problem, although I can't see why.

@King William the Conqueror: Actually it is quite good. I like the colours and the personal idea you have there. Maybe you should make the mosaic tiles a little less dominant, though. Anyways, it is really good enough.

@Gen. Chris: How come you got it that blurry? Apart from the blurriness it's quite good actually.

It may be that you had set the brushes you used bigger than they are in full resolution - I mean, like 120 % of their size. That may cause the low quality of your splatters.

Still waiting for a couple of people - you should hurry up, because Lesson 6 is now up!

Great work on this lesson, everyone!

**TheDarkKnight** · June 06, 2012, 08:36 PM

Originally Posted by Goofy

@Gen. Chris: How come you got it that blurry? Apart from the blurriness it's quite good actually.

It may be that you had set the brushes you used bigger than they are in full resolution - I mean, like 120 % of their size. That may cause the low quality of your splatters.

I'll share my secret...

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**King William the Conqueror** · June 07, 2012, 07:32 AM

Thanks

**megalitho** · June 09, 2012, 04:24 AM

Originally Posted by NekoGenijalan

I suck at abstract art

dito

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**SonofPeverel** · June 11, 2012, 02:56 PM

Ok, so I really suck at this. I keep having a problem after the anchor layer part (over and over and over and over) So i ended up with this crap. now you all get to be sickened as I have been

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**Goofy** · June 16, 2012, 06:48 AM

Originally Posted by Gen. Chris

No freaking idea

Excellent job boy, you seem to have learned everything I've ever taught to you!

@megalitho: That is not bad, maybe just a bit too colourless. Anyways, that is really good enough!

@SonofPeverel: Wow, the background is wonderful! I love the colour. As to the brushes - maybe you should've made them more ambient. Now they dominate the view, as they're so bright and in the middle.

**Påsan** · June 28, 2012, 12:11 PM

Påsaqn

GIMP'd

Sorry about being so late, my computer have been at maintenance.

Also this is horrible and I hate it. I have no brain for abstract.

**Goofy** · June 29, 2012, 08:37 AM

@Påsan: Great, now just complete the Final Exam. And it's not that bad, maybe just too "sharp" or something. I like the patterns in the middle as well (the gold-green ones).

List of the passed updated.