tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80371484023279680142024-03-04T23:29:53.057-08:00DA! Desktop Anime Design BlogThe design and update blog for DA! Desktop AnimeMing-Linghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485785992097542669noreply@blogger.comBlogger90125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037148402327968014.post-52642547563821446012011-03-26T12:32:00.000-07:002011-03-26T12:32:14.984-07:00Tears for Japan fundraiser completeThanks to everyone who participated in my Tears for Japan fundraiser campaign!<br />
A total of $163 was raised (I rounded) and donated to Save the Children Federation.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE02y_8FhGMmyEFh9CQIMl0Iy5bqf9RkOz6KwakA-F6zyMbKzd8U4BJeQRv7snnghu24IGX_wWr2WcppvkM5CKLNQsqYEf6GUlihymzbm3w40oO4KBgDg4RTc5pAoAqMqYB0Xg7txbNORR/s1600/tearsforterra-donation.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="138" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE02y_8FhGMmyEFh9CQIMl0Iy5bqf9RkOz6KwakA-F6zyMbKzd8U4BJeQRv7snnghu24IGX_wWr2WcppvkM5CKLNQsqYEf6GUlihymzbm3w40oO4KBgDg4RTc5pAoAqMqYB0Xg7txbNORR/s320/tearsforterra-donation.png" /></a></div>Ming-Linghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485785992097542669noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037148402327968014.post-6351559706670338972011-03-19T17:48:00.000-07:002011-03-19T17:48:41.637-07:001 new wallpaper (Toward the Terra - Tears for Terra)1 new wallpaper: Toward the Terra - Tears for Terra (Art Nouveau)<br />
<blockquote style="background-color:#DDF5C6;border:1px solid #AABB88;padding:6px;">I started this wallpaper over a year ago, having finished the character artwork trace fairly quickly. It then sat on my hard drive for many months as I never got around to completing the Art Nouveau-styled frame for it. Then, last week the Northeastern Japan earthquake and tsunami struck… I wanted to show my support for Japan, so I looked through my work-in-progress folder and found this. It was oddly fitting, seeing Jomy and Physis mourning for a home they never had, while many Japanese mourn for a home that is lost… [<a href="http://desktopanime.com/walls_show.php?wid=282">more</a>] </blockquote>Ming-Linghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485785992097542669noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037148402327968014.post-45278255983601180112010-05-25T05:28:00.001-07:002010-05-25T05:28:29.029-07:0010 yearsHoly cow. DA! Desktop Anime turns 10 today.<br />
I want to say more, but I've just gotten in from a 2 week business trip. And I'm going to bed.Ming-Linghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485785992097542669noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037148402327968014.post-72156187950991677362010-05-25T05:26:00.000-07:002010-05-25T05:26:30.807-07:001 new wallpaper (Lupin the Third - Catch me if you can)1 new wallpaper: Lupin the Third - Catch me if you can (Art Deco) <blockquote style="background-color:#DDF5C6;border:1px solid #AABB88;padding:6px;">Another wallpaper with some Art Deco sensibilities. This one is based off of the fabulous opening sequence to Catch Me if You Can. At first I was going to use Bebop characters (which also has a classy Deco vibe to the art) and was going to call it "Bebop if you can", but the more I thought about it, the more Lupin fit, what with Zenigata vs Lupin's crew... [<a href="http://desktopanime.com/walls_show.php?wid=281">more</a>] </blockquote>Ming-Linghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485785992097542669noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037148402327968014.post-35730901467018681582010-04-11T01:55:00.001-07:002010-04-11T01:55:44.622-07:001 new wallpaper (Tonari no Totoro - Travelogue 02: Ride the CatBus)1 new wallpaper:<br />
Tonari no Totoro - Travelogue 02: Ride the CatBus (Art Deco)<br />
<blockquote style="background-color:#DDF5C6;border:1px solid #AABB88;padding:6px;">Second in my Art Deco Travelogue series. To recap, I absolutely love Art Deco travel posters, so I wanted to create a series of wallpapers of travel posters for the Anime world. This one features the Fast - Friendly - Fuzzy service of the Cat Bus from My Neighbor Totoro... [<a href="http://desktopanime.com/walls_show.php?wid=280">more</a>]<br />
</blockquote>Ming-Linghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485785992097542669noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037148402327968014.post-61588176979713895532010-02-14T07:16:00.000-08:002010-02-14T07:16:39.907-08:001 new wallpaper (Okami - Zodiac: Tiger)1 new wallpaper:<br />
Okami - Zodiac: Tiger (Ukiyo-e)<br />
<blockquote style="background-color:#DDF5C6;border:1px solid #AABB88;padding:6px;">Happy New Year! Today marks the start of the year of the Tiger, so how about a new Okami wall featuring a tiger? [<a href="http://desktopanime.com/walls_show.php?wid=279">more</a>]<br />
</blockquote>Ming-Linghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485785992097542669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037148402327968014.post-24806862589942296772009-11-22T02:17:00.000-08:002009-11-22T02:17:16.733-08:001 new wallpaper (Vocaloid - Singing Through the Noise)1 new wallpaper:<br />
Vocaloid - Singing Through the Noise (Grunge)<br />
<blockquote style="background-color:#DDF5C6;border:1px solid #AABB88;padding:6px;">I chose this scan because somehow I liked the style (when I later found related scans and learned they were all by Miwa Shirow, I figured out why -- I like Shirow's bold lines and use of black.) Anyhow, a trace to clean things up, and then it was time for grunge... [<a href="http://desktopanime.com/walls_show.php?wid=278">more</a>]<br />
</blockquote>Ming-Linghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485785992097542669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037148402327968014.post-47753957464346721552009-11-22T01:55:00.000-08:002009-11-22T02:18:05.724-08:00Back to the old grindSo I've been away from walling for nearly a year. This isn't that I've completely stopped walling, it's that I needed a break, and real-world obligations became more important.<br />
First, I'd been making roughly 1 wall per month from 2007-early 2009 (this was down from about 2-3 walls per month in years past.) That's actually quite a bit of walling considering I have a full-time job and a desire to have a social life. I felt obligated to keep walling at that speed because I had done it for so long, and it was beginning to weigh down.<br />
Additionally, work suddenly turned up a notch. There was a major new <a href="http://toolbar.google.com">Toolbar release</a> (version 6), and I also picked up responsibilities for <a href="http://www.google.com/chrome/">Chrome</a> which had several launches (although I did get to sneak in a few of my own designs in the Google-created themes gallery, which is awesome.) I also went to New York for a week to kick off themes in Google Spreadsheet Forms (again, I added some of my own designs in the mix -- Zen Spring is every~where♥.)<br />
All of a sudden, in spring of 2009 I was asked if I was interested in working from the Tokyo office for a year. The branch of our team that handles Asia/Pacific requests needed some help and was hoping to get a seasoned webmaster out of HQ, and asked for me.<br />
To which I almost immediately said, "Sign me up!"<br />
The next few months were spent getting ready for the move (paperwork) and transferring some projects to others so I could take on new ones in Tokyo. And then, I moved!<br />
It's been a busy few months transitioning over, finding an apartment, figuring out how to pay the utility bills, and meeting all the awesome people in the Tokyo office. Now things are finally settling down, and I'm ready to get back to some walling!<br />
I don't expect to be able to match the 1 wallpaper/month speed I had previously. I'm not going to try to. I'm just going to make walls when I feel like it. I have some ideas and I'm going to fly with them as I see fit. So sit back and relax, and perhaps subscribe to the feed for updates (or add me to watchlists on Minitokyo or AnimePaper) because I'm still here, and I still mean to stay.<br />
Also, I have totally, utterly missed DA!'s Nth birthday in May. I'm working on a new layout right now, actually. Maybe it'll be up in time to celebrate 2010. It's always good to start the New Year off with a clean slate, right?Ming-Linghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485785992097542669noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037148402327968014.post-11781263184825591422009-06-10T21:53:00.001-07:002009-06-10T21:53:49.576-07:00The state of the siteSo obviously I haven't been making any walls lately. I've been busy with work, and a whole lot of it. Toolbar, Chrome, and Docs have all had numerous launches, and I've also been working on a variety of other projects. I have also recently bought a Nintendo DSi and have been rediscovering my love for SNES RPGs, as well as a love for BBC America programming. I haven't even turned on my desktop computer in several months, doing all my stuff on my work laptop.<br /><br />I'd like to continuing making wallpapers, but right now I don't feel a whole lot of motivation. Maybe I'll find some inspiration when...<br /><br />I move to Japan!<br /><br />I will be working from Japan for a year starting in August, helping out our team in Tokyo. This is a big change and I'm really excited, and also kind of freaking out over all the stuff I need to wrap up before I do so. Definitely not going to have anything out before then. Maybe afterwards. Time will tell.Ming-Linghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485785992097542669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037148402327968014.post-2586149894889752562009-02-24T16:09:00.001-08:002009-02-24T16:10:59.821-08:00No wallpaper for FebruaryUnless I manage to either a) freeze time or b) steal a TARDIS, there's not going to be a wallpaper for February.<br /><a href="http://www.google.com/press/annc/20090224_toolbar6.html">This is what's been keeping me busy all month</a>.<br />I may just manage to squeak out a new iGoogle theme, but February <i>is</i> a short month...Ming-Linghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485785992097542669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037148402327968014.post-28028619430793407412009-02-20T11:35:00.000-08:002009-02-20T11:47:20.200-08:00About the iGoogle Papercuts themesI have been fielding an increasing number of emails lately about the designs behind my <a href="http://www.google.com/ig/directory?q=mlouie+papercuts&type=themes">iGoogle Papercuts themes</a>. Most of these folks are interested in somehow acquiring the designs for their own uses, whether as prints or for art projects. I figured I'd write this post now, so I can just direct future emails to it.<br />All of the designs (floral and animal) are traced from the art resource book, <i><a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=p7wGAAAACAAJ">Chinese Folk Designs</a></i>, compiled by WM Hawley and put out by Dover Publications (although it looks like it may have been published by <a href="http://books.google.com/books?q=chinese+folk+design+hawley">others</a> as well.) The book contains some 300 different designs, including many more floral and animal designs as well as some Chinese characters (hanzi), landscapes and buildings, and even some of the Eight Immortals and other important religious figures. They're white designs on a solid background, making them easy to manipulate via computer, copier, or old-fashioned tracing paper.<br />If you would like to use these designs, I would highly recommend finding this book at your library or book store. I got mine from a used book sale and it has proven to be a valuable investment.<br />Because these designs are not my original designs but merely taken from this book, I cannot (and will not) provide posters, cards, or other prints for sale. In the future, I would love to create my own set of papercut designs inspired by these classics but, alas, that is a project for another day.Ming-Linghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485785992097542669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037148402327968014.post-57461637372290536232009-01-21T20:28:00.000-08:002009-01-21T20:29:24.091-08:001 new wallpaper (Okami - Zodiac: Ox)1 new wallpaper:<br />Okami - Zodiac: Ox (Ukiyo-e)<br /><blockquote style="background-color:#DDF5C6;border:1px solid #AABB88;padding:6px;">I've been wanting to make a series of Okami walls that features each of the Zodiac animals for a while now, and what better time to launch this than at the beginning of the Year of the Ox... [<a href="http://desktopanime.com/walls_show.php?wid=277">more</a>]<br /></blockquote>Ming-Linghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485785992097542669noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037148402327968014.post-83320955503047598972009-01-06T10:14:00.000-08:002009-01-06T10:16:54.780-08:00Internet PopularI'm #5 on iGoogle's hottest themes listing today! I don't think the first two count, either, as they're the first two for all listings.<br />I wonder how long this will last...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht3vPcBgY18LPQR71_LG7os5mZwBIHs4_1YJ6B5sqT4GAx3OaF2m3skTOelBQXBSEvB2Pll_9WMofdSuRdVnaNPI3aOGbCZT1rHLR0BUFP9zGc828D8GSAcgeEru9Q0LX048JuKmsthoIJ/s1600-h/igoogle-num5.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 190px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht3vPcBgY18LPQR71_LG7os5mZwBIHs4_1YJ6B5sqT4GAx3OaF2m3skTOelBQXBSEvB2Pll_9WMofdSuRdVnaNPI3aOGbCZT1rHLR0BUFP9zGc828D8GSAcgeEru9Q0LX048JuKmsthoIJ/s200/igoogle-num5.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288246299776559458" /></a>Ming-Linghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485785992097542669noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037148402327968014.post-63788594900558010972009-01-03T12:20:00.000-08:002009-01-03T12:16:28.901-08:00Travelogue series planningI recently finished the <a href="http://desktopanime.com/walls_show.php?wid=276">first</a> in what I want to be a series of Art Deco-styled travel posters. Here's a list of other walls that I'm thinking of for the series.<br /><b>In progress</b><br />Macross: Shot of a valkyrie flying through the sky, maybe over a generic cityscape.<br />Kino no Tabi: "The Empty Country". Vista of the Empty Country (abandoned buildings). Scan from Novel 8.<br />Allison: "Majestic Littony River". Vista of the Littony River (important in novel 1 of Allison) with an airplane (w/Allison and Will) flying over.<br /><b>Thinking about it</b><br />Last Exile: Vanship. Over a cityscape? Possibly with the Silvanus.<br />Big O: Paradigm cityscape, with Big O in the background.<br />Gankutsuou: Paris spaceport, with spaceships taking off, rest of Paris in background.<br />The Cat Returns: Kingdom of Cats vista, focused on the tower.<br />Escaflowne: A pair of matching but contrasting posters, perfect for dualscreen setups. Fanelia vista, with Escaflowne in background. Zaibach vista, with Guymelefs in background.<br />Cowboy Bebop: A vista of one of the rings that is used for interplanetary travel, with Bebop, Swordfish and/or Redhawk.<br />Ghost in the Shell: Tachikoma, in a cyberscape?<br />Katamari Damacy: Vista of a city getting pwned by a katamari<br />Utena: Vista of the school (as seen in the movie with its sweeping/moving parts)<br /><br />Hmm, got a lot of work there...Ming-Linghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485785992097542669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037148402327968014.post-50209643414918105352008-12-30T21:35:00.000-08:002009-01-03T12:16:10.040-08:001 new wallpaper (Uchuu no Stellvia - Travelogue 01: Your road to the stars)3 wallpapers in one month? Must be the holidays!<br /><br />1 new wallpaper:<br />Uchuu no Stellvia - Travelogue 01: Your road to the stars (Art Deco)<br /><blockquote style="background-color:#DDF5C6;border:1px solid #AABB88;padding:6px;">One in what I hope to be a series of Art Deco styled travel posters, encouraging you to visit the farthest reaches of the anime world, because Art Deco has the classiest-looking travel posters, and I love the style so. First up, why not take a voyage to Foundation II: Stellvia, your road to the stars? [<a href="http://desktopanime.com/walls_show.php?wid=276">more</a>]<br /></blockquote><br /><br />I guess I am giving up on the whole walltip for every wall thing. Maybe I'll just post random walltips? Later?Ming-Linghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485785992097542669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037148402327968014.post-40003613949620343342008-12-21T00:08:00.001-08:002008-12-21T00:09:04.371-08:001 new wallpaper (Terra e - Peace on Earth)1 new wallpaper:<br />Terra e - Peace on Earth (Celestial)<br /><blockquote style="background-color:#DDF5C6;border:1px solid #AABB88;padding:6px;">Happy Holidays (2008) everyone! Instead of a standard snow-laden wallpaper with anime characters in Santa hats, I thought I'd do something a little different - a standard Holiday message of peace and hope for the world. I must admit I have no idea what this series, Terra E, is about...[<a href="http://desktopanime.com/walls_show.php?wid=275">more</a>]<br /></blockquote><br /><br />Still no walltips. Maybe later.Ming-Linghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485785992097542669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037148402327968014.post-38019096955936259242008-12-15T00:45:00.000-08:002008-12-15T00:46:43.495-08:001 new wallpaper (The Big O - Obey Giant [Robot])1 new wallpaper (finally!):<br />The Big O - Obey Giant [Robot] (Minimalistic)<br /><blockquote style="background-color:#DDF5C6;border:1px solid #AABB88;padding:6px;">Perhaps one of the most iconic works from the Obama campaign is Shepard Fairey's "Progress" (later "Hope") poster. In homage to both Obama and Fairey, I wanted to make an anime version. The simple use of colors reminded me of the Big O soundtrack art. And hey, it's a different Big "O"... [<a href="http://desktopanime.com/walls_show.php?wid=274">more</a>]<br /></blockquote><br /><br />P.S. I made this wall in about 2 hours... so I'll have to think of a relavant walltip later.Ming-Linghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485785992097542669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037148402327968014.post-33751336637389012762008-11-22T12:26:00.000-08:002008-11-22T12:32:27.305-08:00No wallpaper for NovemberI won't be able to finish a wallpaper for November, mostly because I'm housesitting at my parents and don't have access to my desktop where all my files and art programs are stored. My dad does have Photoshop, but the walls I'm working on include at least some vector component, so they'll have to wait.<br />In the meantime, I'm working on a bunch of iGoogle themes. I just finished a <a href="http://desktopanime.blogspot.com/2008/11/new-igoogle-skin-coming-soon-snowflakes.html">snowflake one</a>, and I'm going to create a <a href="http://patterns.ming-ling.net">Japanese paper pattern</a> theme to complement the <a href="http://www.google.com/ig/directory?hl=en&type=themes&url=mlouie-igthemes.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/papercuts/papercuts_daily.xml">Chinese papercut theme</a> I already have up. I'm also in the planning stages for a separate site for my themes, since they're all just using a wiki page on Google Code which is very plain.<br />I'm hoping that Gmail themes will be opened to the public with an API similar to that for iGoogle, because I'd love to make themes for Gmail as well. I've already made a few themes internally (a port of the Tetris theme, a green floral variant of papercuts, and a glossy theme like the DA! v10 layout) and I'd love to make these available to the public.Ming-Linghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485785992097542669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037148402327968014.post-53316418357260720302008-11-21T17:06:00.000-08:002008-11-25T10:22:07.584-08:00New iGoogle Skin coming soon - Snowflakes<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNgAZ1Pq5UkOQSKvURp3avQDDVThA8ggQuPyjd2ejrk7nfkEVPcTKKNz38ZpsZgXUM1MxJrC9yb_AerBBtHFyHAnEhyUE6ZRYjZM9UAlv0rzV4lHm3t4vyusDD79anRpzlyA2CGNzgrAO9/s1600-h/screen.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 54px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNgAZ1Pq5UkOQSKvURp3avQDDVThA8ggQuPyjd2ejrk7nfkEVPcTKKNz38ZpsZgXUM1MxJrC9yb_AerBBtHFyHAnEhyUE6ZRYjZM9UAlv0rzV4lHm3t4vyusDD79anRpzlyA2CGNzgrAO9/s320/screen.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271286321195687362" /></a><br />I've created a new iGoogle skin - wintery blue snowflakes. You can see a preview in the <a href="http://www.google.com/ig?skin=http://mlouie-igthemes.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/snowflake/snowflakes.xml">iGoogle sandbox</a>. It's submitted to both the iGoogle and inThemes directories, so it should be available publicly in a week or so.<br />I made this snowflake graphic for a set of <a href="http://docs.google.com/templates?category=21&q=snowflake+theme&sort=hottest&view=public">Google Docs holiday templates</a> and figured, why not also create an iGoogle skin with them?<br /><br /><b>EDIT: 11/22/2008</b><br />This theme is now available in the <a href="http://inthemes.com/detail.php?id=317">inThemes directory</a>.<br /><br /><b>EDIT: 11/25/2008</b><br />This theme is now available in the <a href="http://www.google.com/ig/directory?type=themes&url=mlouie-igthemes.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/snowflake/snowflakes.xml">iGoogle directory</a>.Ming-Linghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485785992097542669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037148402327968014.post-62840595454660258762008-10-21T23:38:00.000-07:002008-10-21T23:50:44.195-07:00Walltip: "Let Sleeping Wolves Lie" WalkthroughToday's walltip is a quick walkthrough of "Let Sleeping Wolves Lie".<br /><b>Step 1: Vector trace</b><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS-N3RrOpbU19Wvo768tPQBOYCYdZCn2YlV_y8olzLIVgXmYbEhmOHGYDZ45OuL4AJFG3GLxWsxKCgZsv4LWrPK9jYvrEaDsp3iWOAJCu5zXHOb7oXHvf2RQmA1f-xjpJgg8YSWNMRzS7H/s1600-h/okami_sleeping1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS-N3RrOpbU19Wvo768tPQBOYCYdZCn2YlV_y8olzLIVgXmYbEhmOHGYDZ45OuL4AJFG3GLxWsxKCgZsv4LWrPK9jYvrEaDsp3iWOAJCu5zXHOb7oXHvf2RQmA1f-xjpJgg8YSWNMRzS7H/s200/okami_sleeping1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259864392975702098" /></a> This is a pretty straight forward step. You go into a vector program and you trace your images. I started with Amaterasu of course, and then built the rest of the scene around her. I traced varying elements of the waterfall image and placed them in appropriate places. By tracing, I can make sure all the elements match and are consistent with each other. You'd never know there was supposed to be a shrine in the image now!<br /><br /><b>Step 2: Mix with original image to get colors</b><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdUuRSGkn25BtUIk0noNbl7yguXL43IgJZ1YVXLpXzugqHDN3nZGy7fhYZTm4wbi76Tvk8-TYMDd370MngAv-qpR8TRwFvQgkV5f5jjILhmfdpEAWsVoUuhpEBLmHroch8iQCmsdf918Sm/s1600-h/okami_sleeping2.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdUuRSGkn25BtUIk0noNbl7yguXL43IgJZ1YVXLpXzugqHDN3nZGy7fhYZTm4wbi76Tvk8-TYMDd370MngAv-qpR8TRwFvQgkV5f5jjILhmfdpEAWsVoUuhpEBLmHroch8iQCmsdf918Sm/s200/okami_sleeping2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259864404076061634" /></a> A vector can't capture everything about an image. In this case, there was a lot of great texture in the rock face and island that would not have been feasible to trace, so I matched up those elements of the waterfall image to the trace. I also added some general texture and did a color tint towards yellow, since in the end I want the image to have an aged feeling.<br /><br /><b>Step 3: Blend colors</b><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrI6zw2gaQ97cwpwJ18EKpkiejRbX-HqMvEciVe_8QkSqJw2TdO7P3SJ_amAlKBKYQ9y5YwV8oowQIek58QUF5D8N5MT1XFvGss1SFeJw3bbhB7XsLWzWdCrt_dTyDMAoyOmkm1OKm_GEq/s1600-h/okami_sleeping3.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrI6zw2gaQ97cwpwJ18EKpkiejRbX-HqMvEciVe_8QkSqJw2TdO7P3SJ_amAlKBKYQ9y5YwV8oowQIek58QUF5D8N5MT1XFvGss1SFeJw3bbhB7XsLWzWdCrt_dTyDMAoyOmkm1OKm_GEq/s200/okami_sleeping3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259864402026397410" /></a> A lot of the colors have sharp transitions (from the vector trace) or are messy (aligning the waterfall image with the vector) so I went and used the blender brush in Painter to meld things together. This is prepwork for the watercolor clone stage, as we'll want more gradual color transitions in the watercolor.<br /><br /><b>Step 4: Watercolor clone</b><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZdUCVNHpv9h9Ax7N7GNAfWc7SdoLF2UySxKpd8lxQGCarWBiePav32lFm7Xr3Untdm7q9cm3Cet31wCqwKYpC2aVsrz5bNzgHN_dXO4PlIPVQr2J0CApQFQf0SMdpM0CZPRK5FSGmkpMc/s1600-h/okami_sleeping4.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZdUCVNHpv9h9Ax7N7GNAfWc7SdoLF2UySxKpd8lxQGCarWBiePav32lFm7Xr3Untdm7q9cm3Cet31wCqwKYpC2aVsrz5bNzgHN_dXO4PlIPVQr2J0CApQFQf0SMdpM0CZPRK5FSGmkpMc/s200/okami_sleeping4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259864408695643666" /></a> The image was repainted with Painter's watercolor brush. The outlines are on a separate layer so they remain nice and crisp. There's not much to this step but a lot of work, since I limited myself to a max brush size of 10px (it takes a long time to cover 3840x2880 worth of canvas!) The key to the watercolor is to match the direction of the brush strokes with the color transitions/gradations. At this point I also added in the flowers of the island that I blended out in the previous step.<br /><br /><b>Step 5: Texture and color corrections</b><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRsDyDuFxRf5oVRZfigmeTBAQC64DkYOMxWZMHCyPEuusdPUkVDsciJ90LOUcILxFcmgHQimt9I_sqELcfGXcDgaqv52AIi-8Q2YZC2UzGmcyAMdyBa33XWJiA_VWsZ8QE5LAdPx-7P8AC/s1600-h/okami_sleeping5.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRsDyDuFxRf5oVRZfigmeTBAQC64DkYOMxWZMHCyPEuusdPUkVDsciJ90LOUcILxFcmgHQimt9I_sqELcfGXcDgaqv52AIi-8Q2YZC2UzGmcyAMdyBa33XWJiA_VWsZ8QE5LAdPx-7P8AC/s200/okami_sleeping5.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259864412318640194" /></a> I have a bunch of paper textures in Photoshop from old wallpapers, so I just reused them here. Adding the texture increases the yellow tint (since I am basically adding yellow-colored texture) and this made the water and sky too green, so I did some quick color correction to make them blueish again.<br /><br />And there you have it. 5 easy steps to a great wall... or is it?Ming-Linghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485785992097542669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037148402327968014.post-19668813701212663642008-10-21T23:37:00.000-07:002008-10-21T23:38:23.532-07:001 new wallpaper (Okami - Let Sleeping Wolves Lie)1 new wallpaper:<br />Okami - Let Sleeping Wolves Lie (Ukiyo-e)<br /><blockquote style="background-color:#DDF5C6;border:1px solid #AABB88;padding:6px;">It's been a while, but I'm still here and walling... As you can see, I still love Okami artwork. The image of a napping Amaterasu was too sweet to pass up. She looks so relaxed and cozy... [<a href="http://desktopanime.com/walls_show.php?wid=273">more</a>]<br /></blockquote>Ming-Linghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485785992097542669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037148402327968014.post-33801587078860233912008-06-23T22:31:00.000-07:002008-12-09T18:11:45.565-08:00Walltip: Image databasesToday's walltip is really just that, a tip. One of the things I used in making <a href="http://www.desktopanime.com/walls_show.php?wid=272">Thank you for smoking</a> was floral vector patterns. I already had these patterns - I've used them in the past for a number of other projects. They're really nice -- I traced them out of <i><a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=p7wGAAAACAAJ">Chinese Folk Designs</a></i> (Dover Publications) and have found myself going back to them again and again. Because of that, I put all the different floral patterns into a single file. There's one for Illustrator, which I exported to Photoshop so I can just drag any particular floral pattern I want into any file I'm working with.<br />Don't forget to name the different layers in your Photoshop file -- you'll want to be able grab a specific image quickly, and trying to figure out which Layer X you want by the tiny layers palette thumbnail is not a fun prospect. In Illustrator, I just lay all the patterns side by side, but in Photoshop each image is its own shape layer, so I can scale them losslessly in Photoshop.<br />Here are some screenshots of my papercuts files in Photoshop and Illustrator.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxAawNBx0O6Pj37MwhEZ-fjCJ4ars_ooqDNaDcZzhMk0IOJeocbnb7QdehWqb8aKh0M8zdftvgSwOViWptqyzoftXsKPVjQq0KhnQ1hkeu_fmCMIYoz3x5PfXDdJ9EDpkTosCqtu3HshXM/s1600-h/db_illustrator.gif"><img style="margin:10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxAawNBx0O6Pj37MwhEZ-fjCJ4ars_ooqDNaDcZzhMk0IOJeocbnb7QdehWqb8aKh0M8zdftvgSwOViWptqyzoftXsKPVjQq0KhnQ1hkeu_fmCMIYoz3x5PfXDdJ9EDpkTosCqtu3HshXM/s200/db_illustrator.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215318065026370082" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDFy0i9nhWrisNMuKL2RMB1jkB7HBPuI8FXAHNumrOsJmUyW8WFcmxzOR6fPpXoIwNY7CsAKPzGeEdTSjsIPbMmoMMIvYrZ84BdO3JbKTXeFzJMYfp7QGvUU7S1WOezEU28rTKuqhZweWq/s1600-h/db_photoshop.gif"><img style="margin:10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDFy0i9nhWrisNMuKL2RMB1jkB7HBPuI8FXAHNumrOsJmUyW8WFcmxzOR6fPpXoIwNY7CsAKPzGeEdTSjsIPbMmoMMIvYrZ84BdO3JbKTXeFzJMYfp7QGvUU7S1WOezEU28rTKuqhZweWq/s200/db_photoshop.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215318069321337394" /></a>Ming-Linghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485785992097542669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037148402327968014.post-57090340360940272952008-06-23T22:30:00.000-07:002008-06-23T22:31:50.607-07:001 new wallpaper (Lily Hoshino - Thank you for smoking)1 new wallpaper:<br />Artist: Lily Hoshino - Thank you for smoking (Pop Art)<br /><blockquote style="background-color:#DDF5C6;border:1px solid #AABB88;padding:6px;">I am currently working through a backlog of bishounen walls, because dammit, we girls need more bishounen to decorate our computers with. Why should guys get all the skimpily-clad eye candy? Except this isn't a skimpily-clad bishounen. But the smoking. That's sexy, isn't it? [<a href="http://desktopanime.com/walls_show.php?wid=272">more</a>]<br /></blockquote>Ming-Linghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485785992097542669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037148402327968014.post-13756826373516675912008-05-30T23:31:00.000-07:002008-12-09T18:11:46.371-08:00Monster Walltip: Quick Grunge TexturesI'm hoping to start up a new series in this blog called Walltips. They'll be short posts related to any walls I add. I plan for them to range from topics such as techniques used in the walls to discussion of layouts, colors, in-progress screenshots, decompositions, and whatever else I feel like rambling on about. So in today's inaugural Walltip from the wallpaper <a href="http://desktopanime.com/walls_show.php?wid=271">Monster</a>, quick and easy grunge textures!<br /><br />This is a simple technique to grungify a layer or layer grouping. It basically knocks a bunch of holes in the layer so that other layers can peep through. It uses layer masking and some basic Photoshop filters, and has plenty of room for experimentation.<br /><br />1. First off, on the layer (or layer group) you're interested in grungifying, you'll need to <b>add a layer mask</b> (not a vector mask, just a straight up layer mask.)<br />2. Add noise to the layer mask with the <b>Noise filter</b>. Crank it up to the max (400% in Photoshop 7) and make sure that you're using a <b>Gaussian</b> pattern and that the noise is <b>Monochrome</b>.<br />3. Blur the layer mask with the <b>Gaussian Blur filter</b>. The amount of blur you use will determine how patchy the grunge texture is as well as the size and distribution of the patches. Smaller blurs will result in speckled grunge. You probably don't want anything about 5px.<br />4. Adjust the layer's <b>levels</b> from the Image>Adjustments menu. You should see a hill figure, and 3 triangular sliders underneath. You'll want to concentrate all three sliders near each other, as this will create sharper edges on your grunge. If you concentrate the sliders near the left of the hill, you'll get sparse patches; if around the right of the hill you'll get dense patches. Adjust as you see fit.<br />5. Add some randomness to your grunge by using various Photoshop filters on the layer mask. You'll want filters that work well on black/white layers. Some good filters to start out with include most of the <b>Brush Strokes</b> filters, some of the <b>Texture</b> filters and some of the <b>Sketch</b> filters. Play around with their settings until you get something you like. You can apply multiple filters or none at all.<br />6. You're done!<br />Screenshots of me applying grunge to a text layer (which ultimately did not make it into the final wall) based on the steps above, with areas of interest highlighted:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3x2gsVyAxgta1dhdPs4l_WjT1JlOwPVZclONGh7e9JKkHm8rf44H6t_ncHqWAb7-6Ov9X_vul49gxS0iOPMQFYvSiR2A9PvymPWyPpgzSIiVQYcJjdYqNjW5yTNPAKqbGDYn70Qoa1ba2/s1600-h/tutorial_grungetexture01.jpg"><img style="margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3x2gsVyAxgta1dhdPs4l_WjT1JlOwPVZclONGh7e9JKkHm8rf44H6t_ncHqWAb7-6Ov9X_vul49gxS0iOPMQFYvSiR2A9PvymPWyPpgzSIiVQYcJjdYqNjW5yTNPAKqbGDYn70Qoa1ba2/s200/tutorial_grungetexture01.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5206428749026282482" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmbUgze4FZzc2muZeS_XLqVJjSPa3pyUCY3ijkMT2akDKwqW2bTWbh9p3r3f_tkZ2bsnfiyqNvqM2hPqpChSImYANAxGhIhQrWNVAkrJk-AOvfloflNFeSWywFZt8MSHObVJFT5CerW3f5/s1600-h/tutorial_grungetexture02.jpg"><img style="margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmbUgze4FZzc2muZeS_XLqVJjSPa3pyUCY3ijkMT2akDKwqW2bTWbh9p3r3f_tkZ2bsnfiyqNvqM2hPqpChSImYANAxGhIhQrWNVAkrJk-AOvfloflNFeSWywFZt8MSHObVJFT5CerW3f5/s200/tutorial_grungetexture02.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5206428757616217090" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUpzs0x6_0IMVVSphxEkm8tTWL2cI2xKk8bRbQkoEMswL2iLM6XvIVCv-Avx2D2L_K6kO9C5m8WLX1DJIO3QkJJOkLl5ijm3PjawX0tzSJppyzr1PnkxkUEBkM_iez1Us0PnMQyb_zezjG/s1600-h/tutorial_grungetexture03.jpg"><img style="margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUpzs0x6_0IMVVSphxEkm8tTWL2cI2xKk8bRbQkoEMswL2iLM6XvIVCv-Avx2D2L_K6kO9C5m8WLX1DJIO3QkJJOkLl5ijm3PjawX0tzSJppyzr1PnkxkUEBkM_iez1Us0PnMQyb_zezjG/s200/tutorial_grungetexture03.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5206428761911184402" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoXuBky4EmuEfZ48L_WKP3Ecc4OyR6VxYbNca-x9SM88URHiVreSEuNkbCDT4i1wwInfAPlfBYVDyLMzQEZN_bXtgnMwL3PAy8XnLPPIWlR1YOXmrT8gl5LzbiUIWPdVa_N0T4Y1gSEdBf/s1600-h/tutorial_grungetexture04.jpg"><img style="margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoXuBky4EmuEfZ48L_WKP3Ecc4OyR6VxYbNca-x9SM88URHiVreSEuNkbCDT4i1wwInfAPlfBYVDyLMzQEZN_bXtgnMwL3PAy8XnLPPIWlR1YOXmrT8gl5LzbiUIWPdVa_N0T4Y1gSEdBf/s200/tutorial_grungetexture04.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5206428766206151714" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikF8xnV6yC2K3OrT82VOd8wpCXYxxeFCVibb8PAexT23qzDJQZotH2TNry4jx4GZnba9tmFFt70bwIjLNGxl-_0Rv083P5_apiUF1GUOA36hD1Gxc2noO-gzNCR4WhTvqWcSMXaskbDW9k/s1600-h/tutorial_grungetexture05.jpg"><img style="margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikF8xnV6yC2K3OrT82VOd8wpCXYxxeFCVibb8PAexT23qzDJQZotH2TNry4jx4GZnba9tmFFt70bwIjLNGxl-_0Rv083P5_apiUF1GUOA36hD1Gxc2noO-gzNCR4WhTvqWcSMXaskbDW9k/s200/tutorial_grungetexture05.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5206428770501119026" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRgARKFEqu7BCbkt6TRBqHGg65dQU6O5eZ3wT2876ItZ3YgPBOG5qzGoVEa8Q7HWZ6l6-2N1hHjxwJj09EgRz73VHBBEnNfyXY3Ouv7UnKWNTOMu0L1nm2rSdHrm_LoUVEZYv6AUmapQiM/s1600-h/tutorial_grungetexture06.jpg"><img style="margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRgARKFEqu7BCbkt6TRBqHGg65dQU6O5eZ3wT2876ItZ3YgPBOG5qzGoVEa8Q7HWZ6l6-2N1hHjxwJj09EgRz73VHBBEnNfyXY3Ouv7UnKWNTOMu0L1nm2rSdHrm_LoUVEZYv6AUmapQiM/s200/tutorial_grungetexture06.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5206428950889745474" /></a>Ming-Linghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485785992097542669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037148402327968014.post-16628257483243608142008-05-30T23:30:00.000-07:002008-05-30T23:31:21.507-07:001 new wallpaper (Full Metal Alchemist - Monster)1 new wallpaper:<br />Full Metal Alchemist - Monster (Pop Art)<br /><blockquote style="background-color:#DDF5C6;border:1px solid #AABB88;padding:6px;">So I figured I'd celebrate DA!'s 8th birthday with a bishounen wall, and I liked the uber-angsty pose of Edward in this scan and the fact you couldn't see his face. Plus: BELLYBUTTON. Anyway, Ellegarden's alternative stylings are totally super emo-factor and perfect for the wall, so I chose the song "Monster" as the theme... [<a href="http://desktopanime.com/walls_show.php?wid=271">more</a>]<br /></blockquote>Ming-Linghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485785992097542669noreply@blogger.com0