Painted Conch

My mother owns a little seashell that has had the outer layers polished off of it in spots, exposing the mother of pearl underneath. (A little bit of googling leads me to believe it may be the shell of a Turbo Sarmaticus) It gives it a very unusual coloration; not quite like the flame at left, but pretty close. The real object has less blue. I wasn't really thinking of that seashell when I created and named this piece, but I was reminded strongly of it when I looked at this flame again. It's odd how stuff like that happens.

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Upward Path

Nifty little switchback things, see? I suppose it looks like the sort of thing you'd see as a cartoony fortress of evil, perched on some absurd precipice.

Not that that's a bad thing. Absurd precipices are fun.

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Lace Nebula

This is one of the first pieces that I tried using the blur effect on. I only used a tiny, tiny speck of it, but it was enough to soften some of the lines. There was a good deal of fiddling around with it to see how much was too much and how much was not enough. I wanted to add enough blur that it created a sort of out of focus effect that got more pronounced as it moved outwards from the center, but not so much as would make it really blatant.

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Brushfire

This piece uses a larger range of colors than I usually like to work with, but I like the effect. I don't think the title would work if it were just the orange and red shades. With the greens and whites and grays in there, I can see this flame as a picture of fire running through foliage.

'Brushfire' was a really tricky piece to frame. There were a lot of undesirable elements, and the shape of the main repeats and the curvature of the piece made it difficult to cut them off without leaving straggling chunks of them on the canvas. Obviously I never entirely succeeded at that.

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Nebular Flow

'Nebular Flow.' It sounds nice and peaceful, right? Well, I'm no astronomer, but the only reasons I can think of for a nebula to be flowing are black holes and stars sucking it in. That would, admittedly, be pretty fun to watch. But only from a safe distance.

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Focal Waves (reweight, brighter)

I fiddled with this piece a lot. There were several elements to the original flame that I found really interesting, but I couldn't bring them into balance and emphasize them the way I wanted to. I think I had three or four render cycles on this one before I was at least mostly satisfied. I think the result qualifies as 'pretty cool.' My favorite part is the scaly looking patterns at the bottom just to the right of the center. They looked kind of like snakeskin to me.

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Sound Bomb

This piece continues the trend of dangerous looking noise started in 'Sound Beam.' If you were to listen to it from a safe distance, it would probably make interesting bass crackling noises overlaid with an oscillating squeal. If the sonic weapon imagery doesn't appeal to you, think of it as a vortex of space-time stresses leading to the collapse of the universe as we know it. I'm fairly sure that would be my second choice for a title. You know, if the first were taken or something.

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Lightning Generator

It's alive! Alive! Muahahahaha!

Okay, so pieces like this might have just the tiniest tendency to bring out my inner mad scientist. I blame the interactive exhibits at museums. And possibly the time I spend practicing my maniacal laugh when there's nobody else in the house. (Seriously, you should try it. If you can get really into it, there's nothing like a good maniacal laugh for relieving stress.)

Flames like this one really fascinate me. It's only got three triangles in it, and only two of those contribute significantly to the shape. It's a simple flame, but it produces a really complex image. I think if I had to pick one style of flame to work with, it would probably be simple flames like this.

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Striking Mass

I'm pretty certain this is some kind of smiting. Maybe not the old-fashioned lightning-bolt style of smiting, but someone's definitely getting smote. I suppose if you rotated this piece about a hundred and twenty degrees clockwise it could also be a castle on a cloud. But the cloud part isn't balanced right for that to work very well.

I was very pleased with the two distinct sections of this flame. That dichotomy really adds interest. The colors worked out nicely to emphasize the separation as well.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Frosted Autumn

I am aware that it's not fall right now, but what the heck. This post will still be here in six months.

As I've said before, a lot of my flames aren't supposed to look like anything, they're just supposed to be pretty. 'Frosted Autumn' is one of those flames. Ideally, this piece and its title would convey a mental image of taking a walk in fall when the leaves are red and orange, and you can see the moisture in your breath. If it fails at that...well, it's still a pretty picture, and I am content with that.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Blocks and Nebula

Do the same sorts of accidental geometric patterns that show up in Earth's clouds appear in nebular dust clouds floating in space? It's amusing to think that they do, but I suspect the answer is no. Those fascinating patterns in our atmosphere are usually the result of winds, and the only winds in space are solar. They might push out a bubble of clear space around a star, but they wouldn't leave ripples and wakes.

Now that I think about it, this piece is really done in the same style as 'Orthogonal Cloudscape.' I believe this is a case of accidental style-convergence. 'Blocks and Nebula' came first, and I don't recall referencing back to it when I was making 'Cloudscape'. Of course, accidental duplication is easy to achieve with the 'popcorn' variation, which some of you may remember is what makes those offset square patterns. This piece uses the popcorn variation a little less heavily, so it has a slightly softer look to it.

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Sails on the Dawn

The idea behind this flame's name was that these were the sails of ships just barely crossing the terminator from day to night, so that the sun only hit the sails. It veers a little more towards the 'artistic nonsense' side of things than I generally prefer to go, but I think the shape, composition, and color palette hold it together well enough for a nonsensical title to be insignificant.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Plasma Bolt

I don't have very much to say about this flame. It rather speaks for itself. Granted, it talks in comic-book sound effects, like "THOOM" and "FWOOSH" and possibly "ZZZAP!" I think that's all it really needs to say.

I really had a hard time waiting until now to post this flame, because it's one of my very favorites. Just about every time I've looked at my folder of flames that I have rendered to post here I've thought "Ooh, I should post this one! It's really cool!" and then I've made myself put it off because that kind of thinking results in all of the fun flames getting posted in the first two weeks of a render cycle, followed by a couple weeks of less interesting stuff. But since I've only got a week and a half worth of flames left before I need to do a new batch, and there are at least two other good ones that I haven't posted yet...here you go.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Alien Peacock

This beastie is a peacock only in the sense that it has markings that look like eyespots. I doubt it can fly, and those probably aren't even feathers. And are those fangs? Claws?

The fractal nature of this piece shows up really well because of the color scheme. The contrast between the two sections of the main flame makes it really easy to see where each individual repeat is, and just how far down in scale the repeats go. Forever, mathematically, but only as far down as the pixels hold out for digital images.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Rainbow Sherbet

I may or may not have been craving ice cream when I made this fractal. I confess to being slightly baffled by this flame; I didn't think rainbow sherbet came in a soft-serve variety.

Something has been bothering me as I've been writing all these entries. There's no specific verb for making a fractal flame. If it was a pencil sketch, I could say that I drew it. If it was a blob of clay, I could say I sculpted it. But to my knowledge there's no word for the action of creating a fractal flame. I suppose I could coin one, but it would probably turn out to be ridiculous. What word would you use?

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Multi-Socket Interface Port

I was going to post this one yesterday, because I hadn't done anything greenish or reddish in a while. But then I realized that it would look absolutely terrible with the picture on the right and the text on the left. So instead of doing the reasonable thing and using the image-on-the-left entry template a day early, I decided to wait a day. I like routines, I guess.

I like the appearance of depth and dimensionality in this flame. The negative space in the center really enhances the feeling that it's an object, not a texture. The clean lines and lack of stray elements keep the eye focused on trying to interpret the shape, which is really hard to do with all the fractal repeats trying to bounce your gaze all over the place. The notches around the negative space also try to steal attention. The color around them is a hair more vibrant than it is elsewhere in the piece.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Stained Lace

I really like the way the colors are distributed in this flame. For the most part, they merge seamlessly. The dark red and blue down at the bottom don't, but I think the piece would be boring if the colors were that uniform. The observant may recognize Gradient 209, but I have no shame over using it in this particular piece. It's a much more recent work, and I hadn't used it in months, I'm sure.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Roaring Fire

First off, the colors are currently messed up on this page, so if the text in the image has a greenish tinge it hasn't been fixed yet.

This flame doesn't have a lot of subtlety to it. It is what it is, and that's a big old bonfire. I suppose if you're feeling creative it could be a strange looking leaf of some sort. The flame-like textures and shapes turned out really well. The colors could use tweaking, (even if you can't tell what the colors are supposed to be right now) but they're pretty close to where I wanted them.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Anemones (second view)

I'm quite fond of the 'tentacle' effect in this flame, but it's unfortunately linked rather closely to the other things that make this flame interesting. Kind of hard to transfer without it being just a copy of the original with a few tweaks. The 'second view' business in the title refers to the fact that this was the second render of this flame I did. The first one had the canvas centered a little further towards the base of the image, and the colors in that segment looked unfortunately like blood in the water. So instead we have this nice, mostly-pastel version with an unwieldy title. Pay no attention to the red over on the left. It's um...algae. Yeah. Algae. Let's go with that.

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Streetlamp in disguise

Because I render the flames for the next month or so of blog posts in advance, I have a tendency to do a bunch of good ones in a row, then some mediocre ones as I run out of good ones to post. This is the start of a new render cycle, so either there will be a couple really good weeks, or I'll remember to post the bad ones first and the next couple weeks will be really boring. We'll see.

Today's flame is just a little further towards the abstract end of the spectrum. While I suppose it does look rather like an illumination source of some kind, the mind doesn't go straight to 'streetlamp.' I guess that's why it's in disguise. Or maybe those are some very unusual moths fluttering around it. I like the various arcs and swirls in this piece a bunch, and I'm pretty sure the color scheme hasn't been used in any other pieces. I tend to get a bit jaded with some color schemes, even if they're really, really good, just because I've looked at them so often.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Helix

I love the way this flame goes in so many different directions at once. It ends up with a sort of balance, where it's not moving noticeably in any one direction, but it still has a sense of motion to it. The colors are a little muddy, but the overall palette is good. I can't really say that it reminds me of any sort of real life object...maybe a really messed up backbone. But this is mostly a pure abstract piece.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Pathways and Vortices

Another flame made up of lots and lots of close together pieces. I liked doing that sort of thing quite a lot for a while, but I can never seem to make it work right anymore. Maybe I've become pickier, I don't know. This flame doesn't have anything I consider particularly noteworthy; it's just kind of cool. You can definitely see the fractality in it.

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Coral Garden

While there are things about this image that I don't like, the overall resemblance to coral and sponges and other underwater beasties wins out. This flame is a bit messy, especially over on the upper left. I think I'd need to mess around with the 'weights' a bit to get it to work. (Those of you who have used Apophysis will probably know what I'm talking about.)

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Illuminated fountain

The title on this one is pretty obvious. But I suppose I could have called it 'Roman Candle' or something along those lines just as easily, although the color scheme isn't quite right for that. And I like these colors quite a lot; I can't remember off the top of my head whether there were actually purple shades in the color palette I used, or if the overlapping red and blue segments caused those, but either way it's a cool effect.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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The Neon Factory

Neon is actually a bit more orange-ish than the color scheme in this piece, but it's still a good title for it. This piece is a lot more neutral in composition than most of the flames I do; there's motion present, but it's constant motion in specific directions, not a changing movement over different parts of the image. Kind of like watching one of those warp-speed screensavers.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Clef

This is the second flame I've done that has reminded me of a musical clef. In this case, it reminded me of the Treble clef. I like the strong central line in the body of this flame, with the projections and swirls coming out from it. The color placement in 'Clef' really helps to emphasize this.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Sunset Mane

It always amuses me when a fractal flame looks a bit like a real flame. 'Sunset Mane' doesn't quite get there, but it's close enough for a bit of a grin. I really like the soft textures in this piece, and the feathered, swooshing upper edge.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Vanishing Feathers

I really like the way that the colors, shape, and title of this piece work together. I'm always pleased when I can come up with an image that first, looks good, and second, can look like something with a little nudging. That moment of 'Oh, hey! It does look like...' is one of my favorite things about this art medium. 'Vanishing Feathers' is one of those images. I have to wonder what that poor bird is being sucked into, though...

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Nebular

This is another one of those flames with the quilted, segmented patterning (the software calls it a 'popcorn' variation) that I mentioned yesterday. However, in the case of 'Nebular,' it produces a really cool rippling effect, especially in the upper half of the image. It rather reminds me of drifting snow. Or perhaps dust and gas drifting through space...

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Metal Crystals

Today's fractal, 'Metal Crystals,' is one of those odd flames that appear almost spotlit. The center of the piece has very bright, light colors, which fade off quickly as you approach the edges. For me, this makes me think of some sort of deep sea rover shining its lights on some unknown lifeform or rock formation.

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Tattered Canvas

'Tattered Canvas' is the title of today's flame.  Whether or not the canvas in question is attached to a sailing ship or not I leave up to you.  I suspect there's at least a mast hiding somewhere in there.

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Shards

Today's fractal is titled 'Shards.' This piece is quite a bit different than what I usually do, but it's still one of my favorites. I was very happy with the way the colors turned out on this one; usually it's difficult to get well defined shapes that are a single color.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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