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07/29/10:
- A few items to note today. First, I've posted the dual and triple-screen versions of "Hexaline" this afternoon.
I know that abstracts aren't everyone's exact cup of tea, but they are necessary every so often in order to shake out my creative cobwebs. Sort of like REM sleep. They're also fun. I do notice, however, that I've done less and less of them since I started accepting comments and ratings.
Which do you prefer? Abstract or "realist"?
- I've added over 150 wallpapers designed to fit 27" 2560 x 1400 displays (like the new iMacs). Members can download the updated zip file here.
- DecalGirl is running a contest from now until August 1st. Post your favorite DB DecalGirl Skin design on their Facebook page and you can win a $25 gift certificate. Make DB the most mentioned artist and you all get $9.99 coupons. Details and entry form here.
07/28/10:
- I've posted a new version of "Hexaline" this morning, taking it further away from "The Comb" update that it started out to be. The original that I posted yesterday will remain available in the Pickle Jar. The basic theme was very much inspired by the "Giant's Causeway". I would love to do a natural version someday...
07/27/10:
- I've added a new abstract, "Hexaline", to the gallery today. I set out to update "The Comb" but took a detour somewhere. Perhaps I will go back to retry the update, but I think this one stands well on its own.
07/21/10:
- I've posted an intermediate update to "Double Raindow" this morning. I'm still playing around with the scene while I work on other projects (it's nice to have more than one renderer) so don't consider it final just yet. You can still find the original, desert version, in the Pickle Jar.
07/17/10:
- With tongue planted firmly in cheek I offer my latest wallpaper, "Double Raindow". I spent all of one afternoon putting it together and, yes, it's based on that double rainbow. It was a fun break from the more complex stuff.
I know a lot of people are laughing at ol' "Hungry Bear", but I found his enthusiasm refreshing. Here's to enjoying all that nature has to offer!
07/14/10:
- I've added the dual and triple-screen versions of "Subarctic" to the Members Gallery this morning. I hope to have the empty version available shortly.
07/10/10:
- I've added an "ice-only" version of "Subarctic" to the Pickle Jar this morning for Members who requested it.
07/09/10:
- I've posted an update to "Subarctic" this afternoon. The beluga has been exchanged for an orca and I've given the ice a little more texture. You can find my first draft in the Pickle Jar. Thanks for the feedback!
07/06/10:
- I've added "Beginning of the End" to the freebies today. It's been a popular piece with my Members and I hope the rest of you enjoy it as well!
- After much thought (and reading your feedback) I've decided that "Subarctic" just isn't ready for prime time. I'll remove it to the Pickle Jar for now and will have a more polished version later in the week and will post future projects when I am at least 90% happy with them (rather than 50%). Thanks to everyone who left feedback!
07/04/10:
- Happy Independance Day! I've added "The Emblem Of" to the freebies for today.
07/01/10:
- I've added the dual and triple-screen versions of "Extrasolar" this morning.
06/29/10:
- A couple of renders added today. First is an updated "Shanshui". I've played around with the exposure a bit and the image should look a little less washed out now.
I've also added my second render of "Extrasolar". I've tweaked the shoreline a bit and removed the high level clouds. The multiscreen version has been rendering concurrently on my alternate box and should be ready shortly.
06/23/10:
- I've added "Extrasolar" to the gallery this morning, and it is very much a work-in-progress. I don't usually post projects that are quite this "unfinished" but I won't be able to work on it for the next couple of days and it does make a nice wallpaper in this simple form. I do have some ideas on what to add next, but feel free to share you own in the comments thread.
I went back and forth between Vue d'Esprit and Terragen for this project, but finally stuck with Vue because I just couldn't get a decent, noise-free, high resolution render out of Terragen. I'm sure it is possible and I will have to explore the settings more thoroughly, but for now I am happy with Vue's output.
Stay tuned, more to come.
06/21/10:
- After a lengthy render I've added the dual and triple-screen versions of "Shanshui" to the gallery this morning. I hope you enjoy them!
I'm also working on a new project but it has taken a bit longer than normal because I've had to start using Terragen for it rather than my old standby Vue d'Esprit. As always I am learning as I go. Stay tuned!
06/16/10:
- I tried a few different approaches with "Shanshui" but none of them seemed to improve the image enough to justify another 4 day render. I've decided to keep it as is and go ahead with the multi-screen version. It's rendering away right now on my alternate box and I am working on some new projects on my main machine.
06/11/10:
- I've added my latest render, "Shanshui" for Members this morning. It isn't entirely perfect and there are a few things that I would like to tweak, but seeing as the render took four days I thought it looked good enough to share.
"Shan Shui" is a Chinese word (translation: "mountain-water") which describes a style of landscape painting which originated in the 5th century. I've always loved these ethereal paintings and this wallpaper is my homage to the genre.
06/10/10:
- My next render is hours away from being finished and I'm hoping it looks good enough to post.
In the meantime I thought I would share with you all the winners of my recent DB Membership Giveaway. DB Member Walo was kind enough to donate 6 1 year Membership gift certificates (and had the original idea for the giveaway) and I added a Lifetime Membership as a cherry on top.
There were nearly 200 entries and it was very hard narrowing them down to just 7. The six 1 year winners (with links to their winning posts) are Fiona Williams, Lydia Koh, Damon Seymour, Vincent Sementelli, Anna Bates, and April Hahnfeldt.
The Lifetime Membership went to Ronald Fisher, a 3rd grade teacher who wrote simply:
As a 3rd grade teacher I use your art work to help inspire my students during creative writing and during art. They love your pictures. I would love to have greater access to them to use with my students."For a number of reasons I was very moved to read this. I'm not ashamed to say I got a bit misty even.Last night DB Member "Firestar" wrote me and said he would donate three 90-day Memberships to be given out as "Honorable Mentions". They are going to Karin Kramer (lol), Josh Mauthe, and Carla Rothacker.
A big thanks to Walo and Firestar for donating the gift certificates and welcome new Members. I hope you enjoy my gallery and I look forward to conversing with you about my new artwork!
06/08/10:
- Well, well. The DB Facebook page so far has nearly 150 entries for the Membership Giveaway. Today is the last day to post your story (details here) and I will be picking the winners tomorrow.
A common refrain I am hearing is that times are tough and artwork doesn't always make it into the budget (even though I offer education/military discounts). To those of you who are interested in supporting Digital Blasphemy but don't have the funds at the moment please have a look at this page which details another way to get my work for free.
Thanks again to everyone who has supported my work this far and big thanks to Walo again for donating the gift-certificates!
Stay tuned for a new render hopfully this week (hurry up computer...).
06/07/10:
- The iPhone 4 (with its super fancy "Retina Display") was announced today and I've just added 640 x 960 images to fit it. Thanks to the new iOS4 you will finally be able to see the wallpaper behind your phone icons (without jailbreaking the phone).
These files, like the Droid, N1 and Evo wallpapers, will be reserved for my faithful Members.
- Interested in a free 1 year (or Lifetime) Membership?
DB Member "Walo" has, in an act of extreme generosity, purchased a number of 1-year Membership Gift Certificates and left it to me give them away. It was a wonderful gesture and I will try to do it justice.
Here's how it will work. If you are interested in a free 1 year Membership all you need to do is write a post on the DB Facebook wall regarding why you deserve it the most. Yes, this contest is only open to Facebook "fans" and you must admit that you "Like" Digital Blasphemy in order to post on my wall. Please preface the post with the words "DB MEMBERSHIP GIVEAWAY" so I know you are entered.
You can post a photo, a video, or just write what you feel. 7 Winners will be selected (based on the comments/likes they receive from my FB Fans and on my own "über alles" vote) with 6 receiving 1 year Memberships (as donated by Walo) and 1 overall winner receiving a Lifetime Membership (donated by me). Current Members can participate as well. I will just apply the gift certificate as a renewal.
I'd like to give away the Memberships on Wednesday June 9th so please have your entries posted by then.
So let's hear it. I know there a lot of you out there who want to be Members but, for whatever reason, haven't pulled the trigger so far. May the most
06/06/10:
- By popular request I've added 960 x 800 versions of my work to support the Nexus One and HTC Evo. Members can download them individually or at once in a Zip File.
06/01/10:
- I've added the dual and triple-screen versions of "Pulsar" to the gallery this morning. I let the star spin a bit from its single-screen orientation to get the look I wanted for the wider frame. I also restricted the planets to the center of the screen to combat the barrel distortion that sometimes plagues these renders.
I also wanted to mention the fact that I have begun adding personal notes to each image. You will find them above the download links on the image preview pages (example).
The notes are something I used to do many years ago, but for whatever reason fell out of the habit. I've finished note for all of the work on the new images page and I will be working through the rest as time permits. I will try to keep the notes short but informative ;)
Lastly, Zazzle has extended their Memorial Day weekend 50% off sale to today. You can get the discount by entering the coupon code "MEMORIALSALE". If you are interested here's a poster version of "Pulsar" newly uploaded. Enjoy!
05/31/10:
- I hope everyone is enjoying a pleasant final day of May. A few items to report today. First, Zazzle has been offering 50% off posters all weekend. The coupon code is "MEMORIALSALE". If there are images in my gallery that you feel really need a poster, please post in the thread below!
Second, I've rendered a special version of "The Ride" for a company that licenses my work for greeting cards in the UK. I've brightened the image significantly for print, and I've posted a version in the Pickle Jar without Santa so Members can use it as a wallpaper year-round.
The multiscreen of "Pulsar" is nearly ready and should be up either later today or tomorrow morning.
05/26/10:
- Speaking of science and art, I've added my latest space scene to the members gallery this morning. It's called "Pulsar" and it is my artistic impression of a spinning neutron star.
So how accurate is it? I'll leave that to the astrophysicists (hopefully I'll meet a few tomorrow). All of the representations I've seen so far have the energy beams as linear, but I felt a pinwheel effect would look more interesting. Basically I used science as a starting point here and added my own touches.
"Pulsar" is the first wallpaper that I developed primarily on my new MacBook Pro (running Windows 7 via Bootcamp) while my main workstations worked rendering Gotham Garden. Huzzah for portability!
I will add a Pickle Jar version or two later but for now I'd like this one to stand on it's own. Hope you enjoy it!
05/25/10:
- Jessie and I will be at Northwestern University this Thursday for their "Engineering & Science Art Fair". I will speaking to about 300 grad students about the nexus of science and art that is "Digital Blasphemy". What do you think? Is artwork diminished if it isn't scientifically accurate? Can art serve a scientific end? Art is in the eye of the beholder while science is universal. What happens when they overlap?
These are some of the subjects I will be talking about Thursday and I'd love to hear your thoughts. I am really looking forward to seeing all of the artwork on display and I'll be sure to snap lots of pics.
I hope to have my new project up before I head up there. It's a space theme that should spark some interesting discussion on this topic.
05/23/10:
- One thing I hear often from my Members is how they enjoy turning others onto my work. I don't advertise my work (who isn't running an ad blocker these days?) so I rely on word-of-mouth. Up until now I could only say "thanks!" but from now on I will offer something more substantial.
Refer a friend or family Member to DB and when they give your username or email address in the signup form I will credit 3 months to your account. If you are a lifetime Member I will credit the 3 months randomly a la my "Pay-it-Forward" program.
Thanks and be on the lookout for a new space scene this week!
05/20/10:
- I've added dual and triple-screen versions of "Gotham Garden" this afternoon. I plan on revising some parts of because I'm not completely happy with the lighting but I think this first version looks good enough to share in the meantime. Enjoy!
05/20/10:
- I left it up to my Facebook fans to choose the latest wallpaper for my free samples. The choice was between "Temple of the Leaf" and "First Light" and the latter won by about a 60/40 margin.
I hope you enjoy "First Light" and keep in mind that I have a nifty moonlit version available for my Members ;)
05/17/10:
- I have the multiscreen version of my new "Gotham Garden" worked out now and rendering away on my alternate box. I've also added a higher limit to my "Top Rated" pages so now you can see the top 10, 25, 50, and 100 rated images in any category. All on one page of course.
This should be a nice test for my new server ;)
05/14/10:
- Sorry I haven't posted here for a while. I've been recovering from what I hope to be my last surgery forever. Things look promising so far.
I was able to get back to work a few days after the procedure. I decided to take some Member advice and revisit an old favorite, "Gotham Garden", from 2001. The render is finally finished and is up now for your review.
I think this one might benefit from another seasonal render so I added "Spring" to the title. At the very least I'd at least like to try a version with green trees. Hope you enjoy the update!
05/04/10:
- I added the dual and triple screen versions of "Solace" to the gallery this morning before heading off to the hospital for some more surgery. I'm doing ok now but I am still a little foggy from the pain medicine so I'd better not get too long winded.
I do plan on adding multiscreen versions without the people. However I'm thinking about cutting down some of the trees on the right side of the triple-screen so I should probably do that before I post any Pickle Jar versions.
05/03/10:
- I will be picking 4 winners from among the photos posted for my DecalGirl giveaway contest on Facebook. There are a lot of really cool entries and it is going to be difficult to only choose 4!
You can help choose a 5th by "liking" or commenting the word "Vote" in the photos you think are the best. Even if you don't want to vote I think the photos are a fascinating display of the many ways people use computer monitors.
I will announce the 5 winners at week's end. A big thanks to everyone who posted their setups. I send these images out into the unknowable ether when I upload them and I'm to see they are going to good homes!
04/28/10:
- Since taking the training wheels off of Ian's bike earlier this year I had been riding with him almost daily. It was always the first thing he would want to do after coming home from school and it was a highlight of my day as well. Soon enough he will want to head off riding by himself, but for now he's only six and I need to stay with him.
So anyway a few weeks ago Ian was hot-dogging on his bike and ended up breaking his right wrist. We had to find something he could do with a full-arm cast so I thought it would be great time to teach him what little I know about fishing.
Now when he comes home from school the first thing he wants to do is grab the fishing poles and head down to the neighborhood creek and again it is the highlight of my day (here he is with his first fish).
I asked Ian the other day what sort of picture I should make next and he said "Fishing!". Now he's always drawing pictures of the stuff we do together and giving them to me so I thought it only fair that I return the favor. My latest render, "Solace", up now and is dedicated to my son. I may tweak a thing or two before I do the multi-screen (and I will post a Pickle Jar version without the people) but I am happy with where it is right now.
I'm so blessed to have a job that allows me to take a break and be a Dad. Thanks to you all for making it possible.
- Just a reminder: I am doing a little photo contest on the DB Facebook page and giving away some of the laptop/mobile skins that DecalGirl sent me last week. I will pick 4 winners and my Facebook fans can pick the 5th by posting the word "Vote" (or "Liking") their favorite fan photos. The full info on how to enter is here.
04/27/10:
- While I wait for my latest render to finish I thought it would be fun to have a little giveaway contest on the DB Facebook page. I will be giving away a free skin (from the samples DecalGirl sent me) to the 5 Fans who post the most interesting photo of my work "in action".
On May 3rd I will pick 4 winners and the fifth will be selected by Fans (just post the word "Vote" on the photos you like the best). The full info is here. Stay tuned for the new render shortly!
04/20/10:
- I've added the dual and triple screen versions of "Canopy Creek (Spring)".
04/18/10:
- As I mentioned last time, I was working on a spring version of "Canopy Creek" when Vue d'Esprit somehow ate my source file (it would crash whenever I tried to open it). The version I posted on Monday was nice, but I knew it wasn't completely where I wanted it to be.
I took your comments and I worked up a new version which is now up for your review.
I've taken all four season renders and put them together here so you can see them all at once (great idea Tad).
Now to figure out why Vue is so buggy all of a sudden. I suspect that the problem is my 4 year old video card (which lacks Shader 4 compatibility). I was hoping to hold off on buying a new video board until I upgraded my whole system but it looks like I will need to pull the trigger sooner.
I'm thinking another Quadro but I can't decide between the 3800 and the 4800. I do know that I don't want to blow $3500 on the 5800. Decisions, decisions...
04/12/10:
- I've added a spring version of "Canopy Creek" this evening to complete the series. This one needs a bit more work, but unfortunately Vue crashed and now crashes whenever I try to reopen the file. Feel free to check out my first draft while I open my bag of tricks to salvage the situation.
04/09/10:
- My gallery on DecalGirl
is now available. If you haven't heard of DecalGirl, they create reusable plastic "skins" which you can apply to any number of different devices (smartphones, laptops, game consoles and even headphones!) to give it a customized look.
One of the things the drew me to DecalGirl was that, were possible, they create a special wallpaper which creates a seamless look on the device. You can check out some examples in my mock-up gallery on Facebook. Having a proper wallpaper be part of the package fits perfectly with DB's raison d'etre.
I gave DecalGirl the same ultra hi-res graphics that I use for my poster prints so the wallpapers, though a cropped portion of the whole image, will still look great.
My initial collection contains a few of my very favorite images but I will be adding a whole lot more soon. Feel free to post below if you have questions or comments.
04/08/10:
- Back to business. I've finally finished the dual and triple screen versions of "At World's Edge (Spring)". I rendered it on my alternate box so it took a bit longer than usual.
My new project is still cooking so stay tuned!
04/07/10:
- Quick update to my post from 4/6. Zazzle has reinstated my work and Redbubble has tried to clean up the mess caused by a barrage of DB supporters. They've deleted the original blog post which accused me of thievery but I haven't seen an apology of any kind. Bob has been silent since his initial allegation.
Had he written a nice apology I would have been happy let the water drift under the bridge. As it is I have asked Redbubble to remove his two Floating Leaf paintings due to their uncanny similarities to my own work. I made the request last evening and Bob has 4 days to make his case to the admins about why it should stay. It is fortunate for Bob that RedBubble has a more sensible takedown policy than Zazzle.
Lastly, I hope to have the multiscreen version of "At World's Edge (Spring)" finished shortly and maybe this other render if I can ever get myself happy with it. Stay tuned and thanks for all the support!!
Late Update:Mr. Hall has apologized and I have accepted. As far as I am concerned the case is closed and I am happy to see the end of it. Thanks again for the incredible support. Jessie and I were completely blown away!
04/06/10:
- This is a first! I love Zazzle and they've been good to me for the past 10 years or so, but they really need to work on their copyright policy. Today my "Haiku (2007)" print was removed because they said I stole this guy's work.
I guess a few days ago he posted this on his blog, calling me a thief and threatening me with "hard ball". The first I heard of it was today when Zazzle, for some strange reason, yanked my Haiku print.
First of all, Bob signed his painting in '08 while my work was created in 2007 (and was a revision of a wallpaper I did way back in 2000). I've been with Zazzle for a long time and I am saddened that they wouldn't take my side.
So, my Haiku print isn't available at the moment. Sorry folks. I'm working to get it put back up turning my attention to Mr. Hall. Now off to bed...
03/31/10:
- I'm still not 100% happy with the project I've been working on for the past 10 days or so. Rather than have everyone wait (perhaps fruitlessly) I've gone ahead and posted a little something to tide you over. It's a spring version of "At World's Edge" that I have been playing around with.
I hope to have my other project up before the weekend!
03/29/10:
- I've been spending the last week or so learning how to use a new landscape modeler and I had hoped to have something to show you sooner. Unfortunately some technical glitches with my nearly 4 year old workstation have slowed things down a bit. I think it's all sorted out now though and I hope to have something up soon.
For you Soon-To-Be Members out there I have added "Phraxis" to my free samples and swapped out "Song of the Sky". Enjoy!
03/17/10:
- Added a poster version of "Highland Spring" to my Zazzle collection this evening. I will definitely have to get a copy for myself.
I did a new render for the print version (so it would look good printed at 52" wide) and tweaked the lighting a bit to correct some issues that I'd had with the original. Turned out I liked the new render so much that I've replaced the single-screen files in my gallery with files sourced from the new render (I will have to do a new multi-screen as well).
The changes are really subtle but if you are a stickler like me you might want to redownload it.
03/15/10:
- I've added the dual and triple-screen versions of "Cloverscape" to the gallery this morning.
Single-monitor users who found the original too blurry way want to look at adapting one of the multiscreen images. The multiscreens are framed a bit differently in this case and the in-focus area takes up significantly more of the vertical frame.
Enjoy!
03/13/10:
- How do you follow up a hit like "Highland Spring"? I thought it would be fun to go from the epic to something a lot more intimate.
"Cloverscape" was definitely created with St. Patrick's Day in mind (it was conceived as an update to a holiday wallpaper I did back in 2001), but I think it works as a ode to spring as well.
I hope you enjoy it. I'll try to have the multiscreens up ASAP!
03/11/10:
- The Apple iPad doesn't come out for another few weeks but I have already had a fair number of people asking for images designed to fit the device. I've just posted 230 images (Members only) sized to fit the 768 x 1024 tablet. Zip file available here.
If anyone out there has an iPad I would love to see a picture of it sporting one of my backgrounds. You can post it on my Facebook wall, send it to me through Twitter, or just send me a link. Thanks!
03/08/10:
- I've added the dual and triple-screen versions of "Highland Spring" this afternoon. People really seem to like this one and I'm thrilled!
You might be interested to know that "Highland Spring" pushed my workstation to its memory limit. It required 13GB of RAM to render (I have 16GB installed) and contained over 25 billion polys. When the dual six-core Xeons become available I may have to make the jump (and go up to 32 GB of RAM).
Speaking of new workstations, here's one last reminder for Members: My renewal sale expires tonight at midnight. I'm offering 20% off the renewal of your choice so you can upgrade to a Lifetime Membership for only $60 or add a year for under $10. The renewal form is here (use coupon code "thankyou"). Thanks!!
03/05/10:
- As I mentioned before, while "The Forest Citadel" rendered away on my other box, I was able to work on some other projects on my main machine. I've posted a number of them so far but I saved my favorite for last. I call it "Highland Spring" and it is now available for Members on my New Images page.
As the name implies I may revisit this scene during different seasons. I also have spring versions of some of my other scenes in the works so stay tuned. Spring is definitely in the air.
Don't forget I am offering 20% off all renewals until midnight March 8 (use coupon code "thankyou") and my 2 and 3 year Memberships are now available to first time Members. Have a great weekend everyone!
03/04/10:
- Today (while my renders spun) I reworked my renewal form. The form finally accepts coupon codes so I can now offer discounts on renewals as well as new memberships.
The standard education/military discounts apply. Also from now until midnight March 8 I am offering all members %20 off the renewal of their choice (tim...e is added to your current Membership term). Use coupon code "thankyou".
Thank you guys for supporting my work!!
03/03/10:
- I've changed up my sign up page a bit today. For starters, first-time Members can now choose the 2 or 3 year options that I've been offering only as renewals. Set it, forget it, and save a few bucks.
Second, former Members can enter coupon code "iamback" to get a $10 discount on 1 year Memberships and up (I've removed the separate form for returning Members).
Lastly, my coupon codes now work with PayPal as well.
Please don't hesitate to drop me a line or comment below if you have any questions or concerns. Thanks!!
03/01/10:
- I added "The Forest Citadel" to the gallery this morning (the original "Forest Citadel" is here). It's been in the works since early February but took a lot longer to render than I expected (due to all of the volumetrics no doubt).
The render was taking so long, in fact, that I moved it to my alternate box and worked on other projects ("Blossom" and "Take Two" for example) while it was running. Stay tuned because I have another landscape in the works that should be up soon.
It should be a good week to be a DB Member (expired Members can renew here with a discount).
Enjoy!
