....and the key. A little more messing around with the cutout effect, tweaking some shapes, some glare FX...

^this is currently one of my desktops backgrounds, and I plan on getting it tattooed somewhere on me sometime in the upcoming months.

Right on! PM me if you need a referral to a good tattooer in your area...

Ok so... I read your instructions like 5 times and I still have no idea what you meant exactly haha.. But I understood the grayscale mask concept (brilliant!), and just kind of went with the flow, did some things that felt natural to me.. So here's the first "test run" it's more randomized now and has that subtle prism effect. And here's the mask also. And finally made a quick animation to demonstrate the prism effect... or something..

I'll work on the golden borders later,. and try to tweak some more things on the key aswell..

it gets better and better

what about some reflections on the ring around the face?

...and better and better...

Ok, so it was very late and I was super stoned when I typed that explanation. Shoulda just said, "Here's a mask, do your thing."

Being in here is inspiring for tattoos, haha WHOLE lotta inspiration in the nexus.

OK, more scatter, plus some extra twinkle.

I'd be curious to see how this one animates?

^ Has white been decided on by you guys as the official background color of the final product? I noticed earlier you were posting it on black as well, and I found that contrast between the brilliance of the colors and the black to be a bit more in your face and striking than with white.

Eventually when this is done can we organize getting mass availability to any interested Nexians of key/lock holo stickers through some kind of drop shipper or something? It'd be cool when dosing friends to hand them their dose with a DMT molecular universe golden ruby key holo sticker shining at them. Then they'd all be quite literally holding the key to the universe in their hands, and know so through a visual representation of such.

Zazzle.com offers a service like this, where one could create their own stickers mugs t-shirts etc using their own images, then we Nexians could buy them through the marketplace there without the need for anyone person to produce/order than redistribute. Are physical merchandise even part of the plan? Or was it only for like gifs and banners and stuff.

Ok, I am going to be REALLY nitpicky

The lock feels pasted on the crystal mandala - any graphic way of integrating it more? It feels a little like its plopped on the top - a contrast issue maybe (the black levels particularly?)

Again, great work, just trying ta nudge ya's ta make it even GREATER.

cheers,

JBArk

Oh sorry I just noticed I uploaded the wrong mask that didn't quite match up. But actually that slight offset made it seem more gem-like for some reason.. And I see you tried to emphasize it even more.. cool


Compound37, I think we'll test the backgrounds more when it's finished but yeah dark would indeed be more fitting. Or something that onethousandk suggested like being a part of a bigger structure.

And yea I was definitely planning to create some hologram/shiny stickers from these, with a service like the one you linked. Atleast a small batch first to see how it looks. As for other physical merch, people could just do that themselves with services like that.. It's just the sticker that would need a redesign for the hologram aspect.

And also yes a GIF is coming with the storyline Guyo explained on the previous page.


jbark, the whole point of this thread is so we could get nitpicky comments and therefore improvement, don't hold em back! So thanks and I agree, I'll see what can be done.

For the background, I think a blurred geometric pattern would give the feeling of an actual veil/wall in front of you or perhaps a blurred 3D space to give the sense of something else existing behind?

Compound- white is just the background color of our working files. I think it's a foregone conclusion that a black background is most effective... Although we may post the finished version with a few different backgrounds just for fun, including the dark sandstone one that someone suggested.

I like the zazzle idea and will look into it. Also, I have a friend who prints visionary art trading cards (Delvin from Crystal And Spore) who has done hologram cards before- some extremely cool ones. I'll run it by him.

The finished versions we'll post here will be full resolution and copyright free, for anyone who wants to use this image. The only thing we ask is that if you do something really cool with it (embroider it on your jacket, paint it on your van, get it tattooed) please post pictures here.

Jbark: that's not the first mention of that and I agree. A few colored reflections around the circle's edge might do the trick. Nitpick away- that's how we'll hammer this thing into shape.

So back to the drawing board.. In addition to what jbark mentioned, my glyphs were kinda meaningless and weren't even matching the petal frequency, so here's some updates. I'll texturize and integrate it but just putting it out there now so you'll know not to start working on the old design.

I wanted to mention, this forum uses a very strong compression for jpg attachments, and so far I've been able to reduce them using a subtle Surface Blur in PS, but if we keep sending these back and forth the artifacts are just gonna pile up.. So I suggest from now on, in addition to attaching the jpgs for display, we also attach a rar/zip that has all the files in it. Not necessary for sketches like this but for our main working files atleast.

Admit it, you saw the end of the project approaching, and it was making you nervous...

But good point about the frequency/spacing. I guess go ahead and do the sandstone texture and I'll bring it back to where the previous one is in terms of rendering/detail.

I have an FTP page set up- that would be one way of dealing with the compression issue... post them here for fun but keep the working files in the FTP server.

Like the little ornamental flourishes around the glyphs...

So along with the oil painting book, we also sent you a hologram postcard... Imagine this key image getting the same treatment. The guy who had them printed would very likely want to do the key as well (Delvin from Crystal and Spore- he prints visionary art trading cards-very righteous dude). When we're done I'll bring him by the forum and see if he's interested. I think the holo card shows 9 different frames as you rotate it, so that would allow for a lot of color cycling or key movement or whatever.

Haha no it's not that , it's just that every single piece of "art" I've made so far has left me feeling: "Goddammit why did I have to rush it , it could have been so much better.." So I don't want the same thing to happen with this.

I tried to mimic the way you touched up the last one, so you wouldn't have so much work. It didn't really make it seem more attached tho. Or did it.. I dunno maybe this idea just made it worse. I can't tell anymore I've watched that smug face wayy too long to see any changes objectively.. Hmm I guess you're right maybe I am having a mid-project crisis...

But it cheers me up to hear your sent me something hologrammic with the book!

The ftp idea works too, but for me it seems simpler to just upload them here along with the pictures. Unless Trav gets mad for wasting his server space..

Thanks so much for sharing, this colaboration is absolutely brilliant!


And dont stop!

That's great, I do think it's an improvement.

I think that when we bring the key in front of the mandala, we'll still need the outline. I'm also thinking a soft white glow behind the key... Clarify the separation.

Tonight I gotta do a drawing that I'm tattooing on my wife tomorrow... So any work on this will probably happen tomorrow night. I guess all I really want to do is some light airbrush touchup here and there, give the deluxe treatment to the sandstone and to the new little ornamental flourishes. Maybe brighten some of the twinkle effects in the petals. I'll need the uncompressed version first...

I also want to mess around with a soft glow behind the mandala, and a couple dark ambient backgrounds that some fellow Nexians have suggested.

I guess you still need to do your thing with the gold border... But it's starting to look like we're getting close to that extra super fun final animated GIF stage.