Friday 9 May 2008

3D Block Font '27'




I had a go at a font in Cinema 4D (and a couple of applications of it). Looking at it now, I think some of the letters need a little work. It's called '27' which is a reference to the template of 3x3x3 blocks and its also very close to 26 which is obviously…

I thought that I could make the Cinema 4D file available for sale (would anyone buy it… I don't know).

Wednesday 7 May 2008

Fractal Typography


Again the individual letters were made in Quadrium Flame. I wonder whether anyone else has attempted to make letterforms this way because it took bloody ages. I started with a 'spuiggle' of a fractal and kept randomising the settings on full until I had a 'parent' image that looked a little bit like a letterform. Next I created less random 'child' images from the 'parent' image and the one that looked most/more like the desired letterform became the new 'parent' image and the process is repeated. Survival of the fittest - Darwin would be proud. This took hours and hours.

If you can't read it, it says 'Random Toxy' - which is the name I use when I make electronic music.

Fractals have moved on


I got a piece of software called Quadrium Flame. Its a fractal generator. I was really surprised how good the images made with it came out. Again, lots of random options but you can choose how far you want to evolve an image with each alteration.

I was pleased with these two. They look almost organic, but give away just enough of their mathmatical form (with repeating elements) to leave the viewer slightly disorientated. Clever computer.

Stripes - More Op art influenced 3D


Another theme in Op art is stripes, and they are perfect for use in 3D - they really emphasise the shape of forms. I combined the stripey treatment with Cinema's ability to random generate elements to make this image - and I've used this trick a lot since. I made the main form in this image slightly transparent to see if I could cause a moiré effect (it can happen with dots quite well also).

I'd like to see 'random generation' options appear more in DTP progams like Adobe Indesign and Illustrator. Its a great tool.

Op Art Influence


Still in the spirit of not using Cinema 4D in the usual way I started a series of 'Dotfield' Images. I love op art, so I probaby had that in mind when I made these. This one isn't even a render of the perspective view panel in Cinema but instead the side view.

I think these would be good to animate aswell.

Tuesday 6 May 2008

Explosion


This was also made in Cinema 4D also. I was trying to stay away from 3D clichés (like highly polishes reflections). I like the idea of using 3D software but it not being so obvious that I have.

I think these look a bit like petals.

Abstract


Yes 'abstract' is a word you'll be seeing a lot of on here. This image was made in Cinema 4D (a great bit of software).

I was doing a Saturday afternoon tour around the galleries in Birmingham (home) looking for some pictures to liven up the flat walls of my flat. I couldn't see anything that I really liked that I could afford so I decided to make something of my own and here it is. The print is on a box canvas. It's about 16 inches tall and I'm really pleased with it. The print process muted the colours somewhat, but it actually made it look better.

And that's where it all started (I'll catch up to writing in the present tense soon I hope). I really got the 'making images for the hell of it' bug. I'm a commercial graphic designer by trade (since 1990) but never really thought of making images for their own sake.

Now, I'd quite like to start selling them, maybe do some exhibitions, but I'm finding that it's quite hard to get computer generated art taken seriously. It's true that it's quite easy to make images quickly with a computer, but I spend ages thinking and labouring on new ideas (new to me anyway) just like any artist working in any medium.

Launch

If you're here by accident then goodbye.

If not, then thanks for coming. I can see that you're all ready sat comfortably.

At this moment in time the plan for this blog is to post up some of my graphic art (so there should be plenty to look at), talk about it, talk about music by myself and anyone else, talk about influences, life, apologise for my grammar, blah, blah, blah.

Thanks to James Bentley. He's a work colleague who said just enough to make me want to copy his idea of doing a blog.

It should be fun.