Pixosition

Gonna pause on the development on the wooden planks. Actually did few new plank textures but still fail.. sigh…

Got something else on higher priority now. And it has deadline!… and much more complex though.

Wood texture is tough to draw/paint out.

Feel like giving up though…. I just finish 1 plank and it’s only the front portion. sigh…

After some minor detail work…

• It looks like a cartoon. Agreed with Wern Li as it looks like some Disney cartoon object.
• Agreed with Kenneth on the colours as it has some orangy elements to it.. at least light brown. Definitely lack of tones.

This is tough!

I’m open to any comments/suggestions to make it better. My aim is to make it look as realistic as possible although now it’s far from it.

It isn’t easy colouring the board especially when you picture it this or that way and the colours ain’t coming the way you want it to be. Same goes for the texture. sigh….

However, I made an observation on subjects like corner of the wall, edge of the fork and such just as a study on how light shape an object. There isn’t any black line for sure… unless it’s drawn there. I still don’t find it easy to do that in Photoshop or even just plain painting with brush and art board especially when I’ve been relying on black lines to define the shape of the subject on the canvas.

The board ain’t complete yet. At least some sense of shape is there. Long way more to go… adding the wood texture effect and perhaps more shades of colour on the board itself.

Any comments or suggestions?

Photoshop has been a tool I’ve been using since 1999. I have always been thinking that I know photoshop well in terms of image editing, creating effects, colour corrections and image composition. However, these few days have prove me wrong. Looking back, no doubt that I know some of the basic tools of Photoshop (like what can the brush do in simplicity…. paint some color on the workspace) but I have been relying on what the filters can do too much.

The Filters are great effect tools! One may come out with a simple picture effect from brushed-like picture out of an oridinary picture to making great backgrounds like rock texture or canvas type. Depending on them as a tool is certainly not a help in one’s growth in Photoshop. Back to square one, I have to learn what the brush can really do with those pressure, tilt, fade and many more other settings. This doesn’t just stop at the brush! There’s so many new tools since Photoshop 5 that I have been using since 1999. With Photoshop CS 2, there’s so many ways of editing and composing pictures.

Did I say composing pictures? Yes.. that’s right, no doubt Photoshop is a photo editing software but one can get much out from it. From simple article layout, effect making to drawing and painting a realistic picture.

Back to basics… Base on my attempts in drawing and painting a wooden board, what I need to learn are

• Drawing with the mighty pencil/pen
• Painting with the brush
• Techniques of painting in Photoshop (Painter offers better ways of painting though)
• Image color configuration (Levels, curve, brightness & contrast, etc…)
• and the list goes on….

Any artist guru willing to provide some guideline?

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Psalm 51:10

Finally, a domain of my own… pueyguan.com

Well, at least the first step is done, but more work to complete. One issue that I know about myself is maintaining this blog which I know pretty well that I’m an irregular blogger.

So what’s gonna be here? Been thinking what I should include though… Anyway, list of content that’s gonna be in this blog:

• My thoughts
• Tutorials
• Composition in the graphic design area that I’ve done
• Photoblog - still considering if i should use flickr

Been procrastinating alot especially on the little things that I need to do.

Procrastination One - like this little souvenir that I owe to my “masters” in TRU Retreat Slave Auction.

Hannah, Jane, John, Garbriel & Keith: Sorry bout the late coming of the souvenir.

Procrastination Two - To blog this since last week.

Dealing with temptation?

The Easter theme for SJGC… Personally for me, I know what’s Easter all about but honestly it’s more of the main points in my head. If asked in detail, I won’t be able to answer them though. Yeap… I certainly need more bible study and also post lotsa questions to my church elders.

So… What’s Easter to you?…

I had tough time coming up with the design. Looking back, I guess I have been relying on my own inspiration and my own strength for this design. This reminds me of The Friend of a Wounded Heart, I can still remembered how pressured I was after a call from Desmond that the poster needs to be ready in few days time. Only by prayer and God’s blessing that I’m able to complete them.

Initially, the design wasn’t anything like this but more of the worldly view of what Easter is…. an Easter Egg… After few days of looking at it and sensing the negative feedback, I need to restart over from scratch… It’s just wrong, all wrong… The design will relay a wrong meaning to others who doesn’t know what Easter is. Thanks to Auntie Collene for her call that hears to what I was facing and also others for prayer. After the conversation with Auntie Collene, she gave me whole lots of idea and also sources where I can refer to. Thanks Auntie Collene!

By the way, the design uses sources from others, photos taken and drawing of the cave are from other sites. I didn’t draw or captured any of them. Thanx to them too! If it isn’t for them, I think I need not to sleep for that day…

Last words for today… Never underestimate what prayer can do and also that God is always listening to our prayer

It’s been a long time since I last joined a Christian Youth Camp. As you would have guess, the theme for this camp is none other than the title itself… FAITH FACTOR.

It was a 4 days camp but I missed the first 2 days due to work. Although I’ve been there for only a day and a half, it has been a great blessing to me in many ways… through what I’ve seen… what I’ve heard… and just by involving in it as helper (I think I didn’t help much though other than for the game).

Saturday: This is actually the third day of the camp. Suppose to wake up at 5am and move out to Bukit Tinggi (there’s where the camp is) by 6am with a hope to reach there by 7am to 7.30am but…. I woke up late, 6.30am. Yea… one and a half hour late. Thank God I’ve packed my stuffs the day before. Journey itself was a challenge as it was raining all the way till the Karak Highway. Guess this is when the overslept comes into the plan on preparing me to be more attentive on the wet road (not to forget the winding road to the campsite too).

Things I learnt…

Yea… it’s not all just words, thoughts in minds and what you believe but the action to carry out.

One thing that I couldn’t forget throughout the camp was watching how the campers work together during the game especially group activities. A group for sure consists of different types of members (characteristic, attitude and energy level) and how they work out together on something just seems amazing. The more energetic ones tend to run ahead but the interesting thing is that some ran back and accompany the others behind and some would not go too far ahead but just enough to cheer for the others.

Sunday: The last day ends pretty quick though. Firstly waking up and welcomed by a total different fresh morning, a good breakfast…. and the next thing I know it was sharing session and then pack up and back to Subang.

The camp poster… displayed with some mustard seeds on top of the Faith Factor logo.

This is the design on the back of the tshirt. Trying to make some graffiti look-alike design.

How bout some comments?