Cranial Soup

New Art and a New Blog

2012-02-29T06:25:00.001-05:00

I recently redesigned and moved my old RussoGraffix art site to Blogger. From now on I'll be posting all my art releases there, instead of here.

To celebrate the occasion, I have released 6 new CC-BY licensed works for you to use.
Click the images to visit the pages and get the files.

Free Website Banner Graphic: Night Sky

Free PSP Vector: Cube of Spheres

Free PSP Vectors: Dice

Free PSP Vector: Balloons

Free Images: Gold Coins

Free PSP Vector: 4-Leaf Clovers

The Single Most Important Book I Was Ever Exposed To

2010-09-07T12:56:00.001-04:00

When I was a kid, Ed Emberley's Make a World was a library book that my younger sister and I monopolized. One of us would check it out, and keep it for as long as possible, renewing it for the maximum number of times allowed. Then the other would grab it before the librarian could put it back on the shelf, and repeat the process.

We did this for years. I am really surprised my parents never bought us a copy, but to their credit, they remembered this and bought my daughter a copy when she was about 5 years old.

Ed Emberley teaches that if you can draw a few basic shapes (circle, square, triangle, lines, dots, and a few numbers and letters), you can draw anything that you can imagine. From building a heart shape from two circles and a triangle to more complicated things like castles, dragons, and even the Canadian flag, Ed shows how easy it really is.

But it's not "just a drawing book"...it's a whole lot more. It's a child's first technical how-to manual. It sets them on the right path for acquiring the skills needed to self-educate.

Image by Austin Kleon via Flickr

It's really good for teaching kids how to follow step-by-step instructions, especially ones that contain no text...a skill that will come in handy later in life if they have to build IKEA furniture.

It also teaches a valuable life skill by changing how you look at the world. It teaches that anything in life that seems too complicated and hard to do, is made much easier when you analyze it and break it down into much simpler parts. The earlier in life a child learns this, the more doors will be open to them, and the list of possibilities greatly increased.

It's not enough to tell a child that they can accomplish anything in life that they set their mind to. They need to be taught how, and this book is a great place to start.

Purchasing this book through my Amazon affiliate link will not increase your price and is a great way to show your appreciation to me for introducing you to this book.

Free Header Graphic: Peachy

2009-04-05T05:31:00.001-04:00

Just messing around again, and created another graphic for you to use.

The sample is shown at 50%. Click to see it full size (800x250).

The font used is Aldridge Script SSK.

Zip file includes PSD, PSP, PNG (blank), and JPG (blank).

Download link can be found on my art site.

Free Paintshop Pro Brushes: Algae

2008-12-24T02:35:00.001-05:00

This is a set of 50 algae brushes for Paintshop Pro version 7 and up.

They were created from images in the public domain and can be used in any way you wish.

The original images are some remarkable photographs taken by Anna Atkins (1799-1871) and appeared in the book Photographs of British Algae.

If you would like to see the originals, they can be found in the New York Public Library's Flickr Commons collection.

Download link can be found on my art site.

Free Clipart: Foodstuff

2008-09-12T11:19:00.003-04:00

I decided to make some clipart and share it. Perfect for a food related site or blog, you may use these any way you wish. Use them to decorate your site, create a logo, make a banner, insert them into posts, printed newsletters, restaurant menus, etc.

There are 26 different images, each with dropshadow, png format, each in 2 styles, both transparent and white backgrounds.

If you like these, let me know and I'll make more. If you use them on your site or blog, share a link so I can see.

Shown at 50% of actual size:

Based on Bon Apetit Font

Download link can be found on my art site.

Van Gogh's Bedroom in Arles

2008-06-06T01:31:00.007-04:00

The first time I saw an image of this painting was when I was around 9 or 10 years of age. It was on a card included with the Masterpiece game.

My first impression of it was "If they let this guy be a famous painter, then anybody can become one."

I was not very impressed. Something about it was very child-like and seemed not much more skilled than the average child's crayon drawings hanging on the fridge of most American families.

Since I was a child myself, I expected more from a "great artist". I expected things to look real. I was more likely to be impressed by a painting that looked like a photograph, or where it seemed like you could reach in and pick a piece of fruit right out of the still life and take a bite.

I am still impressed by that kind of art, but I gained a greater appreciation for paintings like Van Gogh's bedroom once I realized what made Van Gogh's paintings great was something that couldn't be seen in the average postcard sized print...the brush strokes.

Van Gogh put more work into those brush strokes than anything else. That man could paint a canvas totally black, void of any other color, and it be a masterpiece...full of emotion...and motion.

OK...now that I have shared that with you, here is the real reason for my post:

I was searching for somewhere to buy a copy of the painting, as a large poster, for my daughter.

She wants one free of any extra added details, no captions, no borders, no frame...large and reasonably priced. So I was searching for one and was unsuccessful. If you know where to find one, please post a link in the comments.

While I was searching, I did come across a few cool sites & images to share.

The first is Van Gogh 3D, where his bedroom was recreated as a 3D model by Pete Clements, not once but twice, and both are quite impressive.

The first model was created way back in 1993 on an old Acorn A3000, and features the unseen view of the bedroom.

You can read a bit more information at the artist's older site, while the site still exists. It is scheduled to be closed for a revamp soon, and when the site reopens the Van Gogh stuff will not be included. So go take a look while you still can. The extra information is worth reading.

The second model was created in 2003 and is Van Gogh's entire yellow house, and you can go on a virtual tour and explore it. It will require the Viewpoint Media Player browser plugin, as the entire thing was created in Adobe Atmosphere.

If you are a Mac user, you will miss out on this, as there isn't a plugin for Mac available, and since Adobe discontinued development on the Atmosphere project, there likely will never be one. I miss out on this because my old piece of crap PC can't handle it. I'll have to wait till I am on a better machine to explore it.

Now the other website I found is that of a sculptor named Gil Russell, who carved the bedroom scene in wood, adding the figures of Vincent Van Gogh and his painter buddy, Paul Gaugin, just to make it that much more interesting. It all sits atop a wooden box painted to resemble "Starry Night".

So enjoy those links and then take a few minutes to see if you can find that poster my daughter wants. She would really appreciate it.

Silver Buttons

2008-05-19T16:05:00.004-04:00

Another batch of blank buttons for you to have some fun with.

The zip file contains a variety of sizes from 23x23, to 600x23.

Included is a number of formats: .bmp, .gif, .jpg, and .png.

These buttons may be used for both non-commercial and commercial purposes.

You may use them on your website, in your applications, or whatever you wish.

You may alter these buttons to suit your needs in any way you desire.

Download link can be found on my art site.

Pretty Swirly Buttons

2007-12-16T09:46:00.002-05:00

I was just messing around with some stuff and made some pretty buttons I don't really have a use for at the moment.

You are welcome to use them in your website designs, if you like.

The samples you see here are 50% of the actual size. The buttons are in PNG format with a transparent background, no drop shadow, and no text.

If you would like to use the same font I used, it's Harrington.

Download link can be found on my art site.

Some dreams are worth dying for*

2007-07-16T12:11:00.001-04:00

*Kiwis can't fly.

Introducing Laggy the Snail

2007-04-23T02:25:00.001-04:00

I got an attack of creativity earlier today and this little character was the result.

I made a couple of posts on the DonationCoder forum that were from the same site. Normally, I would include a screenshot of the web page in case mouser wants to blog it.

The problem was, if he decided to blog both, the pages were similar enough that they could be mistaken as being the same image. It wouldn't look right on the blog.

One of them linked to an article about a throttled proxy for the purpose of web designers being able to see what the experience of visiting their site would be for dialup users, at various speeds.

Something about the content of that article hit close to home and made me think of all the time I was stuck on dialup with the old P1.

So I opened up Paintshop Pro and started playing around.

I took a photo of the monitor from my old P1 computer and a screenshot of Firefox from this computer, combined it with some text and drew the snail's body with my mouse.

Like magic, this little guy appeared on my screen. I think he is cute and has a lot of personality. My daughter named him Laggy.

Laggy moves at a blazing dialup speed of 33.6k. He doesn't talk, verbally. Every idea and feeling he wants to express, appears on his monitor. Read his screen and you basically read his mind.

I plan to continuing working on this idea and improving it as much as I can, although I don't think it will get much better than it is right now.

I wish I was as good of a digital artist as nudone. Maybe I will throw this idea in his direction and see if he wants to take the idea and expand on it. I think it could become something great in the hands of someone with real talent and skill. Laggy could be the perfect compliment to Cody...a sort of side kick or friend.

I suck at primative art

2007-01-18T22:25:00.001-05:00

This is what happens when i try to draw using primative art tools, a flaming match head animated cursor, and a mouse. (my first attempt, give me a break)

Let's see if you can do better your first time. ;-P

Note: my daughter got very upset when loading it to draw, and it crashed her firefox that was open with a million unsaved tabs. You might want to try this in its own window.

Update: It looked much better when I first posted it. They seem to have lost most of my cat's head.

Art in your Morning Coffee

2006-12-28T04:22:00.000-05:00

Some incredible art that suggests to me that someone doesn't need that morning cup of coffee to put themself in work-mode.

Almost makes me regret switching and becoming a tea drinker.

http://www.pantherhouse.com/newshelton/espresso-art/

Another tribute to PSP

2006-09-21T16:36:00.000-04:00

Now if you thought the last post was something, here is a bit more email from those that just love their software, this time with pictures. (most likely done in PSP by PSP addicts)

The Twelve Steps of PSPaholics Anonymous

1. We admit we are powerless over the need to create graphics

And that our life revolves around "making one more graphic before
I_________________."
(insert one: "go to bed, feed the cat, cook supper, go to work...")

2. We believe that a power greater than ourselves exists,
And it's name is PaintShop Pro.

3. We have made the decision to turn our lives and what skill we have over to the care of Graphics utilities, that they may help us create that which we cannot do on our own.

4. We have made, and continue to make, a searching and fearless inventory of the web
To find copyright free graphics, and also of our computers, that we
May delete old graphics to make room for new ones.

5. We admit that we cannot make good, modem friendly,
Graphics without the help of Gifwizard and L-view Pro.

6. We are entirely ready to let any graphics utilities we can find
Remove all defects from our graphics.

7. We humbly ask that our computers not crash due
To all the graphics stored therein.

8. We have made a list of all the persons who make better graphics than we do
And are willing to try and outdo them.

9. We admit our jealousy of those that make better graphics than we do and
Appeal to them whenever possible to teach us how they did it.

10. We continue to take inventory of our hard drives and web sites and promptly remove
Any "amateur" ("how could I have thought that was good?")
Graphics that we find.

11. We seek, through "help files" and source code, to learn every nuance of
Other's' secrets so that we will always be making better graphics.

12. We have had a spiritual awakening as a result of stealing other's ideas.
We have tried to help all other novice graphic junkies to make better
Graphics by sharing our knowledge
(but not enough that they make better graphics than us)

OK...now come on people...where is the stuff like this for the other software out there? Or are PSP users a unique bunch? Where are the poems in favor of Winamp? Acrobat Reader? Dreamweaver?...anything.

This thing called PSP

2006-09-21T07:12:00.000-04:00

Today one of the many Paintshop Pro addicts on the BsRequests4All list (mentioned in my last post) sent out this little gem for Member Share Day:

What's this thing called PSP?
I pondered and I wondered...
I hit this key and that key..
Oh gosh how I blundered!

It scared me to death
The things what were in there,
The 'tools' were all taunting...
Click on me if you dare!

I clicked on the browser
And things went a'flyin...
Scared me to death
And left me a'cryin!

I hit the wrong key
And the toolbar went 'Poof!'
I thought "Oh my goodness,
Did I ever goof!

It said 'open an image' --
An image? What could that be?
This button, that button...
This thing's a'pickin on me!!

But the more I went in there
And the more things I tried,
I no longer feared it,
I no longer cried.

I learned it and learned it
And learned it some more,
Now the rest of my life
I just plain ignore!

So don't bother callin'
I won't answer the phone ....
I'm now a PSP junkie ....
Just leave me alone!!!

Now I ask you, and think really hard about this for a minute or two...

What other software is so loved by its users that it inspires them to write poetry about it? I haven't seen any positive poetry about Photoshop, or MS Office, or iTunes...have you?

THE DECORATION AND DESTRUCTION OF THE STONE LIVING ROOM

2006-07-31T05:28:00.000-04:00

recieved from Weird NJ newsletter:

The Appalachian Mountains stretch all along the eastern Coast of the US, and go thru NJ in the area of Warren, Passaic, Morris, and Sussex County. Here you can gain elevation of 800 or 900 feet and see miles of forest (or new developments -- pfft!) as far as the horizon. On the boundary of West Milford and Bloomingdale is a state park with typically beautiful views, but also something very very unique called the Stone Living Room (SLR). The SLR has provided a resting place for weary campers, hikers, backpackers, cub scouts, explorers, and couples for three decades, perhaps longer. Located about a 30 minute hike up a steep trail, you might take off your backpack and sit for a while and enjoy the view. Someone in the 1970s decided they needed something more, so they lugged slabs of rock from the surrounding hilltop and made a base, created a back to lean against, and then piled rock behind it make it secure. When I visited the SLR three years ago, I was amazed by how comfortable it actually was. It didn't feel like rock, though perhaps I was so tired from my hike that I didn't care and was just grateful for the resting spot.

The SLR unfortunately attracted partygoers who would come to the spot to drink and light a bonfire in a makeshift fire pit. Fires are against the rules in all state parks because of the potential for a forest fire, but this doesn't stop people from lighting them all the time. The noise, the litter, and the fire hazard made this a source of irritation for the local residents and the Parks Department. Over the years, the trail maintainers would dismantle the fire pit from time to time. The fire pit was always rebuilt, mainly because it's not hard to make; a few rocks in a circle and there you go.

West Milford is known for many things, most of which they'd rather not be associated with: Demon's Alley with its vandalism and arson, Jungle Habitat with its stories of animal abuse and escapes, and Clinton Road with the tales of ghosts, witches and wild animals. The SLR, on the other hand, was a positive thing, something West Milford should have been proud of. Unfortunately, for someone it was not so positive. In mid-May of 2005 someone destroyed the SLR, cracking the larger pieces of stone in an effort to prevent it from being rebuilt.

Why would anyone destroy it? Could it be the Parks dept, tired of the complaints and threats of fire? If it was, it's strange that they wouldn't also have destroyed the fire pit. When I asked the Parks Dept they denied any responsibility, and I believe them. If they had, they'd simply admit it and justify it somehow and that would be that. What about the explorers who enjoy being destructive? It seems unlikely that someone who might tag an abandoned building with graffiti or break windows in a mental institution would have done this, since most people enjoyed coming here, especially the explorer types. The most likely culprit is a local resident. Tired of the noise, the partying, and the fires that could threaten their homes, perhaps they decided they would eliminate this magnet for partyers once and for all.

In July 2005 a group of adults and children spent three hours moving rocks, using tools to pry up pieces of slab, and lining them up so that the SLR would be comfortable, and also stable once again. Some of them had never visited the SLR before, but volunteered because they knew this was something unique that deserved to live again. The fifteen people left that day feeling that they had righted a wrong, secure in the knowledge that it would be there many years from now. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be. Within eighteen hours, the unknown vandals struck again and destroyed the SLR for a second, and sadly, final time. They destroyed the rocks, cracking the slabs into pieces, ensuring they could not be reused to reconstruct the SLR a third time. The SLR cannot be rebuilt without going great distances to get suitable pieces of building material, making the chances of another rebuild very remote.

Whoever you are, you have eliminated something that was special to people from all walks of life, all age groups, and from all over NJ and beyond. You've taken a vista with wonderful views and made it a sad place. Anyone who visits the SLR now will see the shattered pieces of rock and know that there was once something special there, and that someone destroyed it. The partying will likely continue, and so will the pit fires. The only difference will be that the partyers will be a bit more stiff-legged and might have some sore muscles. I can't imagine your motives for destroying such a unique NJ attraction. I pity anyone who's life is so miserable and purposeless that they are left with nothing to do but destroy what others have built and hate a place that has brought a smile to the faces of so many. -A Reader

It's a damn shame when spiteful people destroy landmarks that bring joy to others. Things like the Stone Living Room are part of what makes New Jersey great. People have traveled the country looking for things like this, and I have a sort of pride in my state for having so many cool locations for the seekers of the weird to visit.

I never did get to see the Stone Living Room. It was one of those things that were on my list of places to see...and now I never will.

Thanks a lot, you jerks!

Free icons for developers

2006-05-13T03:53:00.000-04:00

I came across a great site today that has an immense collection of free, quality icon images that developers can use in their projects. The Silk collection is really cool!

They are published with a Creative Commons license, so as long as you give the guy credit and include a link to his site in your about box, you are free to use them any way you wish in your projects, including making derivative works of them.

They are in .png format but they can be easily converted to .bmp or .ico.

How can you go wrong?

So head on over to FamFamFam and check them out!

Cranial Soup

New Art and a New Blog

The Single Most Important Book I Was Ever Exposed To

Related articles by Zemanta

Free Header Graphic: Peachy

Free Paintshop Pro Brushes: Algae

Free Clipart: Foodstuff

Van Gogh's Bedroom in Arles

Silver Buttons

Pretty Swirly Buttons

Some dreams are worth dying for*

Introducing Laggy the Snail

I suck at primative art

Art in your Morning Coffee

Another tribute to PSP

This thing called PSP

THE DECORATION AND DESTRUCTION OF THE STONE LIVING ROOM

Free icons for developers