Challenge 58: Stupid Shiny Volvo Owner

[little albatross]

"The wasting of finite resources is everyone's business." - Edward Cullen in Twilight

The fun news: This has nothing to do with Twilight. Or oil. Or cars. I was trying to think of a title for this challenge, and Edward popped into my head.

The funny news (funny for ME, at least): I'm cutting everyone off from the convenience of resources provided by other people. What does that mean? Well, I'm probably making this up as I go along, so bear with me.
I want something you can practically say was entirely all your work. I want your entries built from scratch, sort of. Because there's nothing wrong with using other people's resources. I do it all the time. And using, say, Nikki's textures doesn't make your piece less unique or special. But at the same time, I would think it lacks a certain uniqueness. Does that make sense? (Probably not. :lol: ) The resources other people generously provide are fun to work with, and can help make your piece special, but they are not custom-made for your specific work of art. And that's where I'm going with this. I'm looking for people to take a bunch of raw materials (and their program's default tools) and make something finished, polished and complete out of them.

This doesn't mean I'm looking for something "simple" just because I've limited you in some ways. I mean, sometimes, the only way to achieve "simple" is through too many layers to count :xd Or you can have something completely crazy, complicated looking only working with a couple of elements. It all depends on technique. I'm not limiting how much of anything you use. I want you to be able to use whatever available elements, and be mindful of composition, lighting, coloring, and texture. All of that should work together to give your piece unity and wholeness. I'm not even looking for a certain concept in your art, or for a specific style. I'm just cutting you off from outside help, in a way.

Guidelines - just an attempt to define what I want a little more clearly ;)

Images - Well, obviously, you might want those :p You can use any images you want, as you normally would. I was not going to be cruel and limit those! That means manips are okay too, as long as you do it yourself :)

Default Tools - Not a requirement, but you can do SO MUCH using just what your program gives you. Shapes, filters (as long as you don't go overboard), brushes...hell, even Photoshop gives you some decent patterns to work with!

Stocks/scans - It would be cool if they were your own. But as long as they're untouched, still in their raw form, you can use any you want (from anywhere). I actually encourage the use of stocks, not just as backgrounds or for manips. Sometimes, the subject of the stock could be completely indistinguishable, but still serve a purpose (such texture or perspective).

Brushes/Patterns - Only your own. As long as you make them using only your program's default tools, or again, stocks/scans in their raw form.

Gradients - I'm never going to know if you use your own or not. But I would like you to keep in mind that if you do make them yourself, you have *that much* more control over what they do. Also, now would be a great time to explore other methods of coloring ;)

Textures - As long as they're your own. I don't want to see other people's textures in your art. I would LOVE it if any textures you used were made specifically for your entry, but it's okay if they're not. And if you go ahead and make a brand new texture for your piece, the same rules apply: default PS/PSP/etc. tools and untouched stocks or scans.

Other - Um, any fonts you download elsewhere are acceptable. And you don't have to make up the text yourself (song lyrics/quotes are okay, as usual!) Also, it's always okay to refer to tutorials if you're looking for a specific technique. But pieces made entirely from tutorials aren't as cool, because...well, would it be fair to win an award if you got a step by step guide on how to make it?


Really, though. I probably wouldn't know if you use an extra texture or a brush from somewhere else, unless it's that recognizable. So I'm trusting the honor system.

Rules

Deadline: Four weeks from now, February 29 :D WOO! Leap year :2party: (I'm on PST time, just for the record)

Entries: However many your hearts desire :) Wallpaper sizes are good, though irregular is always welcome!

Fandoms: Anything. TV, Film, Book, Celebrity, Fashion, Stock, etc. If there's one you've been dying to art, now would be an awesome time ;) Explanations would be awesome, if your art has some convoluted concept. Or if you just feel like explaining what's going on. I mean, you could even go on for a few paragraphs about a celebrity wallpaper :lol: So, if you feel you need an explanation, go for it. (And keep in mind that *I* may not know what's going on in the piece.)

Stealing from Bre, I would love your entry to have a title. I don't care what you call it, just call it something.

There shouldn't be a huge need for a resource line, but if you used stocks or scans or tutorials (for coloring, for example) from somebody else, it would be nice to know. Not a requirement, though.


Aaandd....PM me if there's anything else I've missed. And even though I rambled on there for a long time, I probably HAVE missed something. So any question is worth asking :)

[~*Marilyne*~]

awesome challenge jj ! :D

First time using my own stocks :D I like the "mysterious" aspect they give to the wall and I think Ghost Whiperer fits well :) I also used that weird "black & white + colors" thing that you might have seen on some of my walls before. It's so simple to do and it's also one of my favorite ways of coloring :)

Ghost Whisperer
http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa75/Marilyne_22/gw2_200.jpg
1024x768 (http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa75/Marilyne_22/gw2.jpg)

pics : PAAP
fonts : Dafont
lyrics : My Chemical Romance

[LRae12]

oooh, what a great idea for a challenge. I haven't used ALL my own stuff for such a long time...:xd It was fun to open up all of my old textures and brushes that were collecting dust, so to speak...:p


Credits:

Picture: hmmm...the pic I got off of some Smallville site, I'm so sorry but it was ages ago and I just don't remember (I think I actually may have gotten it off of google images! ) If you want to see the original subject look here (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v213/LRae12/kreuk27.jpg)
Textures: Mine
Brushes: Mine & My PhotoStudio
Font: Bakersville Old Face & Edwardian Script ITC (both of which came with my computer)
That's it! :)

Title: Sitting Pretty

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v213/LRae12/allminesmall.jpg

800 (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v213/LRae12/allmine2.jpg)

[debbiefm]

Superb idea for a challenge. :2party: I had so much fun thinking of stuff to do, because I always use other people's stuff when doing my art, and this challenge has actually helped me learn more about what photoshop has and what you can do with them.....well with a little help from some tutorials on shapes:D

I've decided to do 2 pieces about Friends which is one of my fave programmes and I've never got around to doing some art, so now is as good a time as any. Not much to say on the pieces except I used the customs shape tool a LOT and photoshops default filter.

ENTRY ONE

The One With The Ice Cream Sundaes
http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/9743/theonewiththeicecreamck5.th.jpg (http://img89.imageshack.us/my.php?image=theonewiththeicecreamck5.jpg)

Images: friendscafe.org

ENTRY TWO

The One With The Hot Chicks
http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/6329/theonewiththehotchickshx1.th.jpg (http://img89.imageshack.us/my.php?image=theonewiththehotchickshx1.jpg)

Images: friendscafe.org

[amy1234]

1st Entry
This challenge is such fun, I love using light textures and gradients, but i am hopeless at making my own so this pushed me to do so.
And for the first time ever (accept images) every things mine :D:D:D
Its from One tree hill, and if no one knows what I am on about it Lucas and peyton, Lucas has just won a basketball game against peytons boyfriend and Lucas's brother Nathan and once he's won he goes over to peyton and says "Ill be seeing you" and the whole story behind it :)

Ill be seeing you (http://sweetescape.misplaced.co.uk/onetreehill/wallpapers/Ill%20be%20seeing%20you.jpg)


2nd entry
Well for this entry I worked on it a lot more, making textures and light stocks to go with it, even some gradients and brushes:2party:, I went down some woods the other day, took some pictures and used them too. So this entry is more my own than the other one. Its about Haley's and Nathens's first kiss, and I loved this scene so I just had to art it, the quote used is just one that has always stuck with me and I'm pretty sure that its from one tree hill too.

All you need is one (http://sweetescape.misplaced.co.uk/onetreehill/wallpapers/all%20you%20need%20is%20one.jpg)

[~*Marilyne*~]

I'm really enjoying this challenge ! :2party:


For this entry (feat. Alyson Hannigan) I had a lot of fun creating new patterns and textures (from my stocks) ! I also used the custom shape tool a bit and default fonts (Monotype Corsiva and Arial Black) and finally added some of my doodle brushes :) Oh ! and I also used my recently-made gradients :D


Alyson Hannigan
http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa75/Marilyne_22/aly_200.jpg
1024x768 (http://left-unspoken.net/shadowoftheday/aly.jpg)
picture from Daydreaming

[slaycandy]

First Entry!

This is a piece from Moonlight and it's from the latest episode, so am going to stick it behind spoiler tags just in case!



Still Human
http://left-unspoken.net/radiance/walls/moon/112-01.jpg
Size: 1024x768 (http://left-unspoken.net/radiance/walls/moon/112-01-1024.jpg) 800x600 (http://left-unspoken.net/radiance/walls/moon/112-01-800.jpg)
Credits: x (http://www.moonlight-love.com/)

Basically in this wallpaper I wanted to show Mick looking into the mirror to see a human looking back at him (this is the image to the right, and the rest of the piece is Mick as a human) and as he sees himself as a human, he sees himself bathed in this light - like this burden has been lifted, and it's to signify his life again. But at the same time I wanted a lot of dark undertones, considering this is a temporary cure and he is still technically a vampire, and technically dead, so I did want a darkness to be looming around him. But I also wanted to highlight the pain of being human again, the price he has to pay, and to show that while he had longed to be human, he had forgotten what it was like, so I really wanted to focus on these aspects, hence the image choice. :)

As for resources, I used my gradients, some from set 12, and one from one of my first sets, aww. Textures are mine. The white dotty, scratchy one is part of a new set of textures I've been meaning to upload for ages now, lol. Only thing that isn't mine is the images, credited above from Moonlight Love - Ehlwyen gave me this fantabulous link, ;). Oh and all the lighty things are just blurred images, so no light stocks used or anything.


*hugs*
SJ
xox

[Fuzzy]

Great idea for a challenge :)

It was pretty hard for me as i use everyones stuff, i make nothing of my own so it was fun and difficult at the same time. The first entry is a Mariah Carey one, shes one of my favourite singers so yes... Everything is from me and photoshop defaults, even all the photos. The second entry is Pink, another favourite singer of mine, all mine and the defaults of photoshop except for the photos.

ENTRY ONE:

Sexy Sexy Sexy
http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/9540/mariahcareyentryde2.th.jpg (http://img402.imageshack.us/my.php?image=mariahcareyentryde2.jpg)

ENTRY TWO:

Cuz I Can
http://img167.imageshack.us/img167/6552/pinkentryqz1.th.jpg (http://img167.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pinkentryqz1.jpg)
Credit
Photos: Sweet & Talented.

[Nikole]

Very cool idea. Had to actually make resources (well just two) to use so this was definitely a challenge. Here's what I came up with. :)

I Shine (http://harsh-light.org/wallpapers/actresses/sophiamyles1bte.jpg)

lyrics: glow stars by heather nova

[Kirsten]

Gosh, I can't even remember I even posted here. :| Well anyways, I absolutely love the idea of this challenge because it's a real push towards creativity, so I just had to enter. Here's my first entry, and hopefully not my last. :]

Entry 1: Anyone Else But You
http://comforting-lie.com/thumbs/movies/anyoneelsebutyou.jpg (http://comforting-lie.com/wallpapers/movies/anyoneelsebutyou.jpg)

So, this is a wallpaper of Ellen Page and Michael Cera from the movie Juno... I've been meaning to make this for awhile because I think the picture is the cutest thing ever.
Pic: ellenpage.org, Lyric: Anyone Else But You - The Moldy Peaches

[Jenni Lou]

Since I tend to use a lot of my own resources in most of my fanart, I deciced that to adhere to the challenge in the way you intended, I should just stick to using everything that is mine or part of PS defaults and that way.

The images are ones that I scanned myself. The texturing is actually a PS default pattern. The hearts were made with the pen tool. The stock photos are mine as well. As are the brushes and gradients. And I just used some (admittedly) not-so-creative text I came up with as well, as I deiced I did not want to use any words that came from another source as well.

So, this is Starbuck and Anders from Battlestar Galactica and it doesn't really need more explanation than that. :)

Title: "Starstruck" (haha, I'm so clever. okay, not really)

http://fractured-simplicity.net/daydreaming/fanart/albums/bsg/karasam/normal_kara_sam2.jpg (http://fractured-simplicity.net/daydreaming/fanart/displayimage.php?pos=-1892)

[wenj]

Nifty challenge hun! ....and did I mention KILLER?! Talk about tough on the resource-a-holics like myself who never even look at their own goodies. But, a very welcome and needed kick in fanny at the same time. :hug:

Lady of the Morning
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h59/black_lagoon/wallpapers/ladybigthumb.jpg (http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h59/black_lagoon/wallpapers/lady.jpg)
Credits:
Textures/Gradients/Custom Shapes (My first set by the way! :xd)-Mine
Image: ....I want to say Daydreaming
Lyrics: Styx 'Lady'

Hero
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h59/black_lagoon/wallpapers/herobigthumb.jpg (http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h59/black_lagoon/wallpapers/hero.jpg)
Credits:
Texture/Gradients: My Own
Caps: Captura


A piece from one of my absolute favorite fandoms ever...well, the television portion of it anyways! This sene was actually one of those I knew immediately I was going to have to make a piece for. It was just very moving for me. John was feeling very helpless after being made to not interfere with a classmate's suicide. He knows he is suppose to be a hero in the future, leaving him sort of directionless in the present. He doesn't know how to fit in, how to have a life, how to be the person who becomes the hero. It was a very wonderful moment where in his frustration and anger he is finally realizing that no matter what, he is already the person he is suppose to be.....hope that made sense :)

[Signe]

Haha, this was fun and hard! First I went for a seriuos piece of Sam, but then I was listening to Queen and that always makes me a bit nuts - which is why I have two versions of the same piece:xd One of them (the Queen inspired one) I only add for the fun of it, hehehe.

All I Wanna Do (Queen)
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a334/Pigneso/wallpapers/th_bicycle.jpg (http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a334/Pigneso/wallpapers/bicycle.jpg)
Admittedly, some stocks in my textures are from Image After, but most (like the background stock) were taken by moi. And yes, that is my own ugly handwriting.

A Bit on the Way
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a334/Pigneso/wallpapers/th_sam.jpg (http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a334/Pigneso/wallpapers/sam.jpg)
Look above... (except the text which is my own "text" wise, but the font is my fave Times New Roman)

[Jenni Lou]

Entry #2!

Jin & Sun from Lost. So, this is all my own stuff again, of course. The image was scanned by me. And I made some heart shapes with the peen tool and then in turn, made some brushes from them; and obviously I used the pen tool as well to cut the image. I used default PS pattern for some texturing and I made some light streaks with defaults too. And the text is mine as well. So this is all me, baby! :D

And since it is nearing toward Valentine's Day, I took that as my inspiration...

Title: "Psycho Stalker Love" :D

http://fractured-simplicity.net/daydreaming/fanart/albums/lost/jinsun/normal_jin_sun3.jpg (http://fractured-simplicity.net/daydreaming/fanart/displayimage.php?pos=-1898)

[Ehlwyen]

Entry 1: Still Tries to Beat (Twilight Series)
http://www.quicksand.ohstatic.net/thumb/triestobeattiny.jpg
1024 (http://www.quicksand.ohstatic.net/fanart/triestobeat.jpg)
www.imdb.com, www.chosentwo.com(3 SMG pics), www.sxc.hu
Lyrics by Atreyu "Lip Gloss & Black"

Okay, I first have to totally blame your art for sucking me into this fandom. Thanks! :xd

I mostly use my own resources anyway (except pics since those are almost painful for me to make or get into the computer) so for the "finite resources" bit I thought it appropriate to use my own mental image for a scene and then (obviously) have to manip Bella together from several random images since I have no clue where to get good (or wide range of) photos of Kristen Stewart.

This piece originated from New Moon and Bella's reoccurring dream where she is lost in the maze of the forest and how she feels she has this hole about to completely tear her apart.

I went a step further and had her finding her desire of leaving the mortal realm (maze) and becoming Edward's love forever. Even though that's what she believes would make her happy, it's still such a sad and uncertain thing, I had to keep her with the same emotionless face she had without him. Not to mention Edward's reoccurring fear of her losing her soul in the process perhaps leaving her insides equally devoid as she felt without him.

I cannot wait to find out how her decision will ultimately play out.

[Heather]

Woo! This challenge is ab. fab, dahling! I love it! :D

Entry 1 - Burn Your Life Down
**SPOILERS: "Weeds" 3.15 - the most recent season finale. Major spoilers for the last scene of the episode.

http://www.wittycomeback.all-thats-left.net/fanart/Weeds/Weedswallpaper3aaaa.jpg
1024x768 (http://www.wittycomeback.all-thats-left.net/fanart/Weeds/Weedswallpaper3aa.jpg) :: 800x600 (http://www.wittycomeback.all-thats-left.net/fanart/Weeds/Weedswallpaper3aaa.jpg)
Screencaps: Daydreaming/Jenni Lou
Text: "Keepsake" by State Radio

"Brief" Explanation of the Scene (Spoilers, Again):

Nancy Botwin is a single mother who needs to make money. How does she do that, you ask? Why, she sells good ol' Mary J. in her little, "perfect" suburb, of course! Nancy's a pot-dealer, and one of the best in the neighborhood, too. After 3 seasons of chaos, Nancy has finally reached her breaking point.

Fires (indirectly started by her - she ask a guy to help her shake off some bikers and he then lights their grow field on fire, which then jumps the freeway and into Agrestic, Nancy's suburb) are sweeping through Agrestic with a great amount of destruction, like fires in California tend to do, and the netire town is evacuated into emergency shelters. While her family is one, Nancy escapes to have a conversation with the man who started the fire and he basically tells her "After the fire, the people will rebuild, she can start her business again, and then another fire will come and people will rebuild and she can start her business again, etc..etc.." and that it was God's work. Nancy then has an epiphany: she doesn't want this life anymore, especially after the effect it's had on her family.

So what does she do? She hurries back home on a Segway, dashes into her house with a tub of gasoline, and douses the entire living room and kitchen with it. She then calls her brother-in-law and tells him to get her kids ready and that they're moving before grabbing a match from a drawer. She hesitates for a moment, teary-eyed, and whispers to her dead husband "I tried." She then lights the match.

Next thing you know, Nancy's running out of her house and onto the street, hops on her Segway, and speeds off down the road with a huge smile on her face as she burns her house down and starts a new life.

And THAT'S how they ended the fu@#$% season.

Yes, I was shaking. It was THAT overwhelming.

"Brief" Explanation of the Piece (Spoilers, Again):

This entire piece was made using the screencaps and various blurring effects from PSP. I used a radial blur to get the swirly effect in the piece and set it to screen for texturing - which, by a total coincidence, happened to make it look like the match in Nancy's hand (in the bottom right of the piece) was really glowing and that the flame was flying up into the screencaps above it. I also kept the intensity of the lighting and colors that was in the original scene (of course, after I changed the colors to blue/teal/red/yellow - all to show the various emotions she was feeling like sadness, strength, hope, and whatnot).

The text itself is from the song that was playing during this scene. The second I heard it, I was hooked and just...it really helped to increase the emotions and intensity of this scene because of how perfect the lyrics fit everything that was going through Nancy's mind.

Hopefully, I at least somewhat conveyed the power of this amazing scene though I know that there is no way in hell that I captured it all.

There are some spectacular pieces, so far! I can't wait to see the rest that come in! Good luck everybody! :kiss: :kiss:

[slaycandy]

Second Entry

Another moonlight piece, shocker!!! Well this piece is basically about the moment when Mick finds out Coraline really is back, and she's human, and then Beth sort of snatched the moment away and Mick can just see it fading away. I really wanted to center the image of Mick & Coraline, with the swirl to give it a sense of urgency, but also fading into the darkness, and this moment at the center between Mick & Beth, as he looks at her with shock.. meh, it made sense. But I wanted to desaturate the center, and sort of fade in some colours tones further to the edges of the piece... just as if the colour is fading on M&C. Well, here it is anyway!

Slip Away

http://left-unspoken.net/radiance/walls/moon/109-01.jpg
Size: 1024x768 (http://left-unspoken.net/radiance/walls/moon/109-01-1024.jpg) 800x600 (http://left-unspoken.net/radiance/walls/moon/109-01-800.jpg)
Credits: x (http://moonlightlove.com)

SJ
xox

[Amber]

I meant to add this the other day but life is... hectic. This wallpaper, as with a lot of the pieces I make is based on a specific conversation I had recently and it affected me greatly and mirrored this conversation between Buffy and Angel in a lot of instances. It kinda wierded me out once I thought about it. Anyway. I capped the scene myself, and only used my stuff and default photoshop tools. It was interesting but fun. I made two versions, a dark and light one. I am having an extremely hard time choosing which one I like better, but I realized that the darker one was a bit more my style, and in light of this challenge, I decided to enter this version.

Entry One: Always
http://hideous-beauty.com/wallpapers/couples/enemiesbangel.jpg

gradients - photoshop, and my own
textures - mines
brushes - photoshop defaults
caps - mines
inspiration - an ex-boy (heh)

[Leloo]

Awesome challenge!!! It's funny how I've never realised just how dependant I have been on the same resources from the same people (and even from myself)... it's like I've lulled myself into some sort of comfort zone that was too... um...comfortable to leave :lol:

Anyway, I've got my first entry ready and I'm quite excited because everything except the image (and fonts and text) is my own. I even made my first gradients for this piece, I've always been scared of making my own gradients (or lazy... why make something that someone else has made awesome already), but it's actually fun to play with, I never realised that until now wooo :2party:

Silver Lining
http://shattered.escaping-madness.net/art/bigthumbs/meganfox01.jpg
1024 (http://shattered.escaping-madness.net/art/celebrities/1024/meganfox01.jpg) 800 (http://shattered.escaping-madness.net/art/celebrities/800/meganfox01.jpg)

Resources:
Image: Megan Fox Media
Stocks, Textures, Gradients: Mine
Filters and Brushes: PS Default

There's not much to explain about this piece, it's obviously a simple celeb piece. I chose this particular image of Megan though because I really like the way she looks innocently sweet and not slightly skanky like I think she usually does :lol: (I always thinks she's gorgeous but she has something about her expressions at times that makes me cringe)
Anyway, as it was not the case in this photo, I wanted to make it pretty like her :) It turned out very different (to me) to anything I've ever made and I don't know if that's because I was forced to think outside of the box, having been deprived of my usual safe resource list (those same gradients I always use for coloring lol) or if it was inspiration from the object of my art. I'd like to think it was both, actually :D
Lyrics were chosen because I love the song and because I think the way the piece turned out, these lyrics fit perfectly :)

[elfTLG]

Entry 1: Back to the Start

Great challenge! very ...err... challenging. ;)

This idea struck me as I was listening to Coldplay's The Scientist. The song reminded me of Veronica's struggle with the past: uncovering the truth, coming to terms with friendships lost, letting go of things that cannot be (I'm thinking of her mother)

The image of Kristen Bell is from pretty as a picture and the image of clouds that I used for my texture is from Image After. Everything else is mine or ps default. :)

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y200/elfTLG/th-Back-to-the-Start.jpg (http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y200/elfTLG/Back-to-the-Start_by_elfTLG.jpg)

[TheDarkestSecrets]

Entry One:
Monster
http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff59/Veronica-K/monster.jpg

[~M@rie~]

This challenge is awesome, J.j.! It really made me develop my sense of creativity and learn a bit more about PS. Oh, btw, I love the challenge title. :heart:;)

First Entry: Baby, you can drive my car
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/BuffSlayer/My%20Wallpapers/Celebrities/th_sarah_drive_car.jpg (http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/BuffSlayer/My%20Wallpapers/Celebrities/sarah_drive_car.jpg)

Pictures: PAAP
Gradients: Mine (my first set :xd), PS default
Pattern: PS default
Shapes: PS default
Lyrics: Baby you can drive my car - The Beatles

[Fuzzy]

Another entry from me... Not much to this one, i just wanted to show all the important people from Buffy...With the main characters from the first season being the main focus as they are why i fell in love with the show. I used photoshop defaults and some stock photos :)

ENTRY THREE

Ode to Buffy
http://img154.imagevenue.com/loc644/th_30612_buffyentry_122_644lo.jpg (http://img154.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=30612_buffyentry_122_644lo.jpg)
Credits
Photos: AUO Gallery.
Stocks: Stock Xchng.

[Leloo]

Second entry from me is a Smallville season 2 piece. I've been watching season 2 lately, doing caps for Screencap Paradise and watching this scene at the end of Visage inspired me to do some art. I really love this moment between Clark and Lana, and I think this episode actually is ground breaking for their relationship, it gives them a bit of a push towards each other and I think especially for Lana, realizing fist of all that Whitney is actually gone for good, it also makes her more aware of her feelings towards Clark. In the early seasons I did love how the two of them pined for each other without acting on their feelings (cruel I know lol). Anyway, I see this scene as very emotional (obviously) and just really lovely and very "Clana" really. And their acting in this scene is also not half bad. Clark's actually showing some emotion (other than his usual 'surprised' and 'stunned'), I think it's a beautiful scene and wanted to try and portray the emotion the way I see it.... and I suck at analyzing and putting how I feel into words and I'm assuming you know what's going on in this scene (pretty obvious though) so I'll just shut up now :D

One Good Thing
http://shattered.escaping-madness.net/art/bigthumbs/sv_clanavisage.jpg
800 (http://shattered.escaping-madness.net/art/smallville/800/sv_clanavisage.jpg) . 1024 (http://shattered.escaping-madness.net/art/smallville/1024/sv_clanavisage.jpg)

Resources:
Stocks, gradients & textures are mine
Caps are made by me for Screencap Paradise
Filters are PS default

[TheDarkestSecrets]

Entry TwoStilettos and Red Lips

http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/3660/stilettosandlipsvq4.th.jpg (http://img341.imageshack.us/my.php?image=stilettosandlipsvq4.jpg)

Credits:
Keri pics: sweetandtalented.com
Stiletto stock: google
Rest: Me

[aldieb]

Oh this was a fun but really hard challange!! I depend such a lot on all the great artists out there and feel so small and insignificant when limited to my own stuff^^

1st entry
I'm obsessed with stocks at the moment, and I mean really! I've just found out how great they are to use^^. Still I have to admit nearly all of the stocks in this are not mine, it's only two of my own pictures :( However I've used my own textures (like for the first time^^) and also made a couple of new ones, and I've also made my first gradients ever!

I couldn't help but be inspired by the title of challange, since I only two weeks ago discovered the greatness of Twilight^^ In this piece I want to show so much with all the different elements, the angel, crossroad, cross, forest etc (the small texts on the signs, you might notice say "lost" and "nuts"). And I'm very proud I actually used pics of Stewart and Pattinson (since I actually think he might fit quite nicely as Edward)^^.

Nothing Else Matters (Metallica)
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j204/von_estrella/art/small/nothingelse1b2.jpg (http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j204/von_estrella/art/nothingelse1b2.jpg)

Resources: Stock.xchng, Kris-Stewart.org, RobertPattinson.org, Dreamstock

2nd Entry
In contradiction to the first exlpanation is that I didn't use one single stock. Although, I once again used my new gradients and textures. I didn't really want to show anything with this piece, just thought the lyric fitted with the thought I had about make a piece from Supernatural, The Pilot^^. OMG I'm in quite a hurry, I'm leaving for China in less than 6 hours and have to start packing^^

Exit Light, Enter Night (Enter Sandman, Metallica)
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j204/von_estrella/art/small/exitlight1copy.jpg (http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j204/von_estrella/art/exitlight1copy.jpg)

Resources: oh ...you'd have to ask signe about this one got the pics from her^^

[little albatross]

WOW! Really fantastic entries everyone :heart: And I can tell you already that judging will just be...frightening :lol: There's still a week left to your entries in, and I'll probably be closing it on Friday (Feb 29) around 10/11 pm PST...unless I'm not online, in which case Jenni Lou or someone will close it when they see fit!

[DigitalLeonardo]

Okay, I didn't think I was gunna enter this challenge, but hey I thought I would in the end.

I decided to do another vector art, cause it is pretty much 'from scratch' and I didn't like the original Veronica Mars vector art I did, so I did another one from a season 1 image (the source material was found at Pretty as a Picture).
I really like how the face came out, and decided to do something SIMPLE for the hair. I tried to do really complex hair before, but this time I went with something alot more natural and looks alot cleaner. I couldn't get the eyes placed properly, my only issue... and the background. Not being able to use other brushes made the background a bit dull, but I actually think it works.

Entery 1: "Pissing Me Off"
http://singingshrimp.voided-space.com/wallpaper/vector/vectorveronicamars2pre.jpg (http://singingshrimp.voided-space.com/wallpaper/vector/vectorveronicamars2.jpg)
text: 1.08 "Like a Virgin"

[Zugma]

My entry in the process of making somehow splitted up in two versions, and today I spent entire morning trying to decide which of the two I should actually enter in the challenge... but I still can't decide %( So, in the hope they're different enough to count for at least 1,5 full-fledged entries if not two, I'm entering both :) If this is not allowed, please let me know and I'll flip a nickel %)

The walls are based on the show Moonlight. The character is a "good" vampire that doesn't kill humans, hates his immortality, dreams of a cure for vampirism, etc. He was turned by his wife on their wedding night and never forgave her for turning him into "monster", but couldn't stop loving her (or rather, being obsessed with her) even when he believed she was dead. So, in my piece I tried to show how he's unable neither accept his past nor forget it :)

Running from those days:

Version 1:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/runningfromthosedays1-sm.jpg
1280x1024 (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/runningfromthosedays11280.jpg) || 1024x768 (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/runningfromthosedays11024.jpg)

Version 2:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/runningfromthosedays2-sm.jpg
1280x1024 (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/runningfromthosedays21280.jpg) || 1024x768 (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/zugma/runningfromthosedays21024.jpg)

Images are from Moonlight Detective galleries (http://www.moonlight-detective.com/gallery/index.php), font from DaFont. Gradients, brushes, and textures (http://uglybusiness.misplaced.co.uk/bg3.php) are mine. And the crappy handwriting too %)

[Jennixfer]

I have been in a sort of Xander/Dawn mood lately, so I made two pieces with the two of them.

My first entry is a manip, my first actually! I just changed Anya's head to Dawn's instead.. Hehe. I've used a stock that's not mine, can't remeber where I got it, sorry, but otherwise, textures and gradients are all mine of course.
I Want You
http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q245/bewaredoll/xanderdawnth.jpg
1024x768 (http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q245/bewaredoll/xanderdawn.jpg) | 800x600 (http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q245/bewaredoll/xanderdawn800.jpg)
Pictures: Daydreaming


My second entry is this lovely scene from the episode The Potential.
Extraordinary
http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q245/bewaredoll/th.jpg
1024x768 (http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q245/bewaredoll/extraordinary.jpg) | 800x600 (http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q245/bewaredoll/extraordinary800.jpg)
Pictures: Screencap Paradise

[~M@rie~]

Second Entry: Their Place in the World
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/BuffSlayer/My%20Wallpapers/Misc/th_cullens_family.jpg (http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/BuffSlayer/My%20Wallpapers/Misc/cullens_family.jpg)

Picture: Robert Pattinson Web
Gradients: Mine
Stocks: Misplaced, Mine (light stock) (helped by tutorial from awmp.net)
Brushes: Mine (yes, I made the little vampire smiley :p)
Fonts: Dafont, default
Text: Mine

Okay, so my Twilight obsession came back to haunt me when I saw this amazing (but small) promotional picture of the Cullen family for the upcoming movie. :D The explanation is fairly simple (since you already know the fandom ;)): I just wanted to represent the entire family because I think they're great together and the text basically means that because they're vampires in a human world, they need to find their true purpose and try to fit in.

[Smth_Blue]

What a challenge %) I am totally ok with whole coloring and texturing on my own, but stocks! I need them as air :))

Doctor Who, Xmas ep. Evil mechanical angels attached a spaceship named Titanic planning to crash it on Earth. Doctor saved the day, but lost the girl...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v36/smthblue/392doctor.jpg
All is mine but screenshots. Brushes are default.

Blood ties. Simple couply wallpaper of a detective and helpful vampire.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v36/smthblue/394bloodties2.jpg
Images are from Daydreaming. Ohers are all mine but one stock (i tried to go on without it, but failed %))

Chuck. My dear Casey wallpaper. All cool FBR (ok, don't remember exactly) agent working under cover in the shop.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v36/smthblue/395cassey.jpg
All is mine but screenshots.

And that is me using lots of stocks and one Sarah image, but everything else is mine :)
Ouch, silly me %)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v36/smthblue/362sarah.jpg

[digitalMindy]

And If You're Here Beside Me, Forever Is Not Long Enough

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v113/mindylynn/wiltarthumb.jpg (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v113/mindylynn/wiltar-1.jpg)

Credits
Base - me :)
Faces - Alyson : PaaP, Amber : not sure, maybe PaaP
Texture - me :)
Words - me :)

[sueworld]

Looks like this would be suitable to place in here as it follows this challenges guidelines. I got all the textures from images that I got from Google and I didn't use any brushes or anyone else's textures.

I scanned the main images in myself from a magazine and reworked them in shop. All of the background caps I made myself.

It's a portrait of Capt John Hart from the show Torchwood.

http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/8800/hart2lo7.th.jpg (http://img170.imageshack.us/my.php?image=hart2lo7.jpg)

[digitalMindy]

Bringing Sexy Back

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v113/mindylynn/johnthumb.jpg (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v113/mindylynn/john.jpg)

Credits
Image : daydreaming
Stock : me :)
Gradient : PS default
Brushes : PS default
Words : Justin Timberlake :p


Great challenge Jj.

[Ehlwyen]

Entry 2: Not Indestructible
http://www.quicksand.ohstatic.net/thumb/notindestructibletiny.jpg
1024 (http://www.quicksand.ohstatic.net/fanart/notindestructible.jpg)
www.screencap-paradise.com, www.supernatural-media.com
Lyrics Bullet for my Valentine

I decided to conserve resources in this piece by pulling out an old WIP and chopping it up into a new piece. :lol: This was something I had started late '06 playing around with your smoothness style jj. I was going to make AFA awards out of it and then it just came alive and made a new piece. I'm am thrilled beyond words that I don't have this sitting around nagging me to work on it anymore. I also tried some new things to make light streaks so I'm pretty proud of those. Texturing is mine as well.:D

Regarding the meaning, it's just Sam and Dean as always avoiding the real problems and if not careful, Dean will end up as dust in the universe and Sam fall prey to his possibly avoidable destiny of evil.

[EndersWrath]

Nine In The Afternoon
http://u-mockers.voided-space.com/thumbnails/nineintheafternoonthumb.jpg
1024 (http://u-mockers.voided-space.com/wallpapers/celeb/nineintheafternoon.jpg)

Picture: www.rilokiley.net
Lyrics: Nine in the Afternoon - Panic! at the Disco.

So I workied on this piece for well over a week. I originally had a different picture as the main focus and I would spend literally hours trying to get the color to work and it just wouldn't do what I needed it to do. So I ended up changing the main pic of Jenny Lewis and I'm pretty damn happy with the end result.

Except for the picture, I did everything else from scratch. I really wanted to utilize the shape tools and I think I really did do that. I even [finally] made my own Argyle print! Go team me! ;)

Also, the song is just one that I am really really obsessed with. I know you aren't a real Panic fan, but I added in Jenny so that makes it better :roll:

Come Through
http://u-mockers.voided-space.com/thumbnails/comethroughthumb.jpg
1280x1024 (http://u-mockers.voided-space.com/wallpapers/misc/comethrough2.jpg)

Pictures: www.kbeckinsale.net/gallery; http://edwardandbella.net/gallery/ [thank you QueenC!]; www.sxc.hu;
Lyrics: Love Will Come Through - Travis

How could I not make a Twilight piece?! Crazy! Of course it's a Bella and Edward piece because I heart them so! I wasn't sure on how I was gonna do a whole Twilight piece with only using my own resources since I couldn't make a texture to save my life, but I finally decided on a manip.

Though the pictures aren't mine, I did end up making a texture for it and the coloring is all mine too. It made me remember how much I really enjoy doing manip and bringing a whole bunch of pictures together to make one complete wall.

I really wanted to show the cold that envelops their relationship, so I went with a winter-esque and dead background. Though at the same time they aren't really bundled up and but rather just going with it and I suppose embracing it, which is what I see in their relationship; they use their love to give them strength and in this case warmth ;)

So yeah, as Tim Gunn says: I made it work. :lol:

EDIT: Updated 'Come Through' wall, cuz I had to fix some errors.

[Ehlwyen]

Entry 3: What of my Soul
http://www.quicksand.ohstatic.net/thumb/whatofmysoultiny.jpg
1024 (http://www.quicksand.ohstatic.net/fanart/whatofmysoul.jpg)
www.facinellifans.com, www.sxc.hu
Lyrics Atreyu ~ Rememberance Ballad

I think I about died when I found out Peter Facinelli would be playing Carlisle! So I've been drooling to do some art ever since. Thank you to Joe for the magnificent manip piece above inspiring me and for jj for sharing the PF love and thinking i'm crazy! :heart:

[little albatross]

Yoooo....well, this challenge dealio is closed! Thank you for the awesome, awesome entries. Though, I doubt I'll be so grateful when I'm trying to judge them :lol:

(Also, smth_blue, I think your last wallpaper is linked to the wrong entry, so if you want to fix that.., ;))

[little albatross]

First of all, thank you for participating everybody! This was a fun challenge to hold, and I loved seeing such variation between entries. :wub:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v313/secretidentitygal/volvo/participation.jpg

Now, onto the awards!

Throwing Rainbows in the Sunlight: Color
I love color, you love color. I loved the way these people used color and lighting in their entries :xd


Amber
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v313/secretidentitygal/volvo/color-amber.jpg

~M@rie~
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v313/secretidentitygal/volvo/color-marie.jpg

sueworld
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v313/secretidentitygal/volvo/color-sueworld.jpg

thedarkestsecrets
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v313/secretidentitygal/volvo/color-thedarkestsecrets.jpg

Wenj
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v313/secretidentitygal/volvo/color-wendy.jpg


Ostentatious: Attention Grabbers
The Cullens try to blend in. But these people had entries that just caught my attention.


debbiefm
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v313/secretidentitygal/volvo/ost-debbie.jpg

Fuzzy
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v313/secretidentitygal/volvo/ost-fuzzy.jpg

Kirsten
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v313/secretidentitygal/volvo/ost-kirsten.jpg

digitalmindy
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v313/secretidentitygal/volvo/ost-mindy.jpg

Signe
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v313/secretidentitygal/volvo/ost-signe.jpg


Placements coming soon...

[little albatross]

Special awards here (http://www.buffyforums.net/forums/showpost.php?p=172159&postcount=40), in case you missed the first post. :)

Well, with this challenge, I had a really difficult time judging. The entries were fantastic, that's for sure. But I also was at a loss for judging criteria :xd So, after much deliberation and insanity on my part, here are the placements!

Ten
Aldieb
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v313/secretidentitygal/volvo/10-anna.jpg
I love your sense of composition, and your use of simple colors :) I also love the way you use black backgrounds. Simple, but not boring.

DigitalLeonardo
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v313/secretidentitygal/volvo/10-travis.jpg
It seems so simple, yet I find myself so fascinated with vector art. Very well done. And I love the bright background, and the subtle texture.

Nine
Marilyne
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v313/secretidentitygal/volvo/9-marilyne.jpg
Your pieces were so fun and playful. I love your intricate backgrounds and vibrant colors! :heart:

Eight
Enderswrath
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v313/secretidentitygal/volvo/8-enderswrath.jpg
Whoa, that manip blew me away. Not only the people, but the background was just awesome! And the Jenny Lewis piece was so bright and funky. Very cool.

Seven
Smth_Blue
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v313/secretidentitygal/volvo/7-smthblue.jpg
There was so much variation within your pieces, yet such a distinctive style amongst them all. They were all very spiffy in their own way. My personal favorites were the Sarah and Blood Ties pieces.

Six
slaycandy
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v313/secretidentitygal/volvo/6-slaycandy.jpg
Very beautiful, well constructed entries. I love the dark coloring, and the so perfect lighting.

Five
Leloo
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v313/secretidentitygal/volvo/5-leloo.jpg
The golden tones in your pieces are so gorgeous. And I love your texturing. It accents the images very nicely, but is not the focus of your pieces. :)

Nikole
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v313/secretidentitygal/volvo/5-nikole.jpg
I just fell in love with this piece when I saw it. The background is so decorative, but a nice simple feeling overall. I love that bright yellow in this piece, oh so much!

Four
Jenni Lou
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v313/secretidentitygal/volvo/4-jennilou.jpg
You had to know I'd love that Jin and Sun piece. So pretty and pink, and a whole bunch of things I love! And I loved Starstruck. The coloring really grabbed my attention, and I found myself going back to the piece over and over!

Three
Heather
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v313/secretidentitygal/volvo/3-heather.jpg
I was in love with the way that match seemed to swirl into the rest of the piece. And that was before I even read your description :xd I loved the coloring of this piece, the lighting, and the way the caps draw my eye around the canvas. Yeah, you had me in awe there.

Two
Zugma
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v313/secretidentitygal/volvo/2-zugma.jpg
Giving me two versions to look at caused quite a dilemma. I loved both the red and blue backgrounds. And I loved the composition. It immediately grabbed my attention. I love the texturing of the red version. But I'm going to pick the blue one for now. It's very smooth and new-feeling, and I love that contrast between the blue and orange-red tones. :)

One
Ehlwyen
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v313/secretidentitygal/volvo/1-lyn.jpg
You completely blew me away with the Bella piece. Oh god, the concept was just...wow. I loved the way Not Indestructible kind of sparkles. And your use of color was just so cool. I love how much space you used in the Carlisle piece. The rotation, the brightness. Just wonderful :heart:

Well, there you go folks! I apologize for the sickeningly pink awards, but I guess that's what happens when you leave that kind of thing to me :xd I hope you do like them, though!

[Leloo]

:heart:
Thank you so much for my award J.j it's fantabulous :xd

And thank you for such an amazing challenge, I wish I'd had time to enter more (would you believe I actually have two more pieces that I was working on for this but never had time to finish?)...

Congratulations to everyone, especially Lyn, you know how much I'm in love with that Bella piece :heart:

[Jenni Lou]

Ack! My eyes! The ache from the prettiness!

Seriously, beautiful awards and I thank you for mine! :heart: I have to say, when I was done with Sun/Jin one I sort of saw a trickling of you in it! What with the bright and shiny. :D I know the judging must have been ridiculously hard, omg. Cause there were just soooo many insane, awesome entires. Like whoahz.

:hug:

Congrats everyone! :celebration:

[DigitalLeonardo]

Aww pretty awards! Thank you JJ, and what a fun challenge, wish I could have entered more, but we really got people giving their all.

[debbiefm]

Thanks for the award JJ, it's beautiful as is the rest of them. :hug: I had so much fun doing this challenge. I discovered a whole world of things in Photoshop that I never knew about:)

[Zugma]

Ooh, the awards are extremely pretty! :heart: Thank you so much for mine, JJ and for the great challenge :) I had loads of fun participating!

And congrats to other winners!

[Ehlwyen]

Shock doesn't even cover my emotion now. :shocked2: :heart: :heart: I honestly expected to be much lower considering how many amazing (plus Twilight) entries there were. Seriously, i was overwhelmed by the shiny in here. :hug:

Thank you jj (and line) for the love on my Bella piece, I really feel self conscious on my manips that perhaps I go too far. Anyway, this is a wonderful way to start my day off and hopefully just a precursor to more good things. (Like getting a water leak at my house fixed and water turned back on *cross your fingers*)

P.S. I'm taking one of all the awards! So gorgeous! :evil: :heart::heart::heart:

[slaycandy]

EEEP!!!! I ADORE the awards, they are all so fantastical! J.J. you rawk!!!! Thanks for my award and a huge congrats to all the winners! Must have been some tough choices with all the fab entries!
SJ
xox

[Fuzzy]

Congrats to all the lovely winners!! The awards look amazing, the colours are great!!

Also thanks for my award, very beautiful :D

[~M@rie~]

Thank so much for the award J.j.! :hug: And these awards are FANTASTIC!!! (well, everything related to Twilight is :p) Really lovely, lovely job! :heart:
This challenge was awesome! Congrats to all the winners! :)

[aldieb]

Omg such amazing entries, and awards and marv challange^^, stunned by the greatness of it all^^

Thanks for the pretty award^^ and concrats to all the awesome winners!!! :)

[Spillow]

Congratulations to the winners and those awards are lovely!

[Heather]

Ahhh! *Jaw drops* My God! Totally didn't expect 3rd place! Thank you ever so much, JJdahling! I love the awards and I love you for hosting this magnificent and challenging challenge! Huzzah! :heart:

Congrats to the winners and great job to everyone who entered a piece in this challenge - whether they won an award or not. All the art was fantastic! :D

[digitalMindy]

Thanks so much for the pretty award! I was just wondering though, which wall is it for?

[little albatross]

Thanks so much for the pretty award! I was just wondering though, which wall is it for?

Oh, I forgot to include that. It was for the Willow/Tara wall. I loved the sultry mood and smoky texture. It really stuck in my mind for awhile. (Also *shows bright and happy Krasinski some lovin'* :heart:)

[~*Marilyne*~]

thanks so much J.j. ! the awards are AWESOME ! you can never go wrong with Edward and Bella ;) and the *thank you* award is beyond cute !!!! congrats to everyone, it was very great to see all of us working with our own stuff ! :)

[digitalMindy]

Oh, I forgot to include that. It was for the Willow/Tara wall. I loved the sultry mood and smoky texture. It really stuck in my mind for awhile. (Also *shows bright and happy Krasinski some lovin'* :heart:)

Thanks for the explanation. I'm glad you liked that one because it's the first time I can recall ever using my own scan:2party:

[Nikole]

Aww thanks J.j.!! Pretty awards. :) Congrats everyone!

[Amber]

I'm a terrible Amber and hadn't even noticed you posted these. sorrrrrrrrrries!!! But I LOVE the awards, so purtyful, and thank you muchos for mine. *loves your face off*

[Smth_Blue]

I've got an award! Thank you, it's very pretty! :) Such an amazing challenge, so many great entries. Congrats to everyone :)