Decorative Fountains

Right after I got my shiny new computer monitor I decided I needed some shiny new fractals to put on it, and this was one of them. It's not my best work, and it's not my worst, but it is shiny. The widescreen version is the one I 'intended' when I made the thing. It lacks the negative space at the top and bottom which you can see in the preview image and the 1280x1024 version. I'm torn as to which one I like better; the widescreen fills the canvas better, but it's also more cluttered.

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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Flower's Pearl

When I make a flame like this, I start thinking I don't know nearly enough about the possible tricks and techniques of this art form to say I have anything resembling a 'style' yet. There are so many wildly divergent possibilities, and I've only scratched the surface. Maybe that's a good thing; if this stopped being a learning process, it wouldn't be as much fun.

When I re-rendered this piece in the 16:10 ratio, something surprising popped up: A line spiraling outwards from the center of the pearl. It's repeated elsewhere in the piece, although the distortions make it difficult to pick out. I have no idea where it came from, or why it doesn't show up in the only-slightly-smaller 5:4 render. It doesn't mar the piece any, but I'd very much like to know why it's there.

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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Green Tide

The color and texture of this flame are my favorite things about it. The green shades go all the way from almost-blue to almost-yellow (although there are really only three gradations present), counterbalanced by the slight purplish tint of the brighter areas. The elongated lines that make up the flame remind me of a photograph with an over-long exposure time; blurred and static, but still conveying motion.

I had a really hard time positioning this piece on the canvas. The dark green section on the right-hand side continues a lot farther than I'd have liked it too, and it started looking fuzzy and grainy, just as the smaller repeats of it do. I generally don't like to cut off just a small piece of a flame the way I've done here, but it turned out to be the best solution without altering the shape of the flame.

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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Khaki Coral

This piece has a little bit of blur effect on it, but I'm not sure I like the way I turned out. It didn't work without the blur--the lines were too thin and hard. But I couldn't figure out how to make it blur evenly across the whole piece. I suspect that now I could make it work, but this piece is from about two years ago. As much as I talk about going back and fixing old pieces, I'd rather spend the time making something new. The creative energy required is the same, and it seems to be in finite supply.

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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Ectofoliage

This flame was another experiment with the 'blur' variation, and I really like the way it turned out. What's happened, in essence, is that there's another copy of the thin lines of the flame overlaid on the first, but smooshed out from the blur effect. There are also some color differences between the two sets of lines. It's difficult to see what I'm talking about, so I recommend taking a look at one of the full sized 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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Aurora Visions

I've been putting off posting this flame because I'm not really sure what to say about it. I meant for it to look like something, but I'm not sure it does. If I squint really hard with my mind's eye, sure. But I'd really prefer that it looked like something without that kind of effort. There's a certain 'feeling' that I associate with this piece, but I couldn't put a name to it or link it to an object, place, or concept. It's frustrating.

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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Frozen Flower

Another recent piece, this flame uses some of the same techniques as 'Beach Mosaic,' which I posted about a month and a half ago. I really think that the julian 'frame' (the notchedy circle thing) helps stabilize this piece. Without it the the upper ends of the spirals would just kind of fade off into fuzzy, pixelated oblivion. I really wish I could have kept the center section of the piece free of the frame's effects, though. I might have to go back to this piece and see if I can unlink the two sometime.

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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Water Orb

This piece probably falls somewhere on the high end of mediocre. I don't really like it, but it's still somewhat pleasing to look at and there aren't any truly glaring defects in it. The impression of motion saves this piece, I think. It looks like certain parts of it are swirling around other parts, possibly in different directions. I think it's just a little too chaotic and disorganized, 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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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.

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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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.

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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Nauplius

I couldn't come up with a name for this flame, so I asked someone else. My brother suggested the name 'Nauplius', which is apparently a crustacean larva, a figure from Greek mythology, or a type of flower. Take your pick. I think he was going for the crustacean larva though.

This piece is very much a 'many repeats' flame. There's not much distortion present in the basic repeats, although there's plenty in the peripheral stuff. This flame is another that used gradient 209, although it pulls from a different part of the palette than most of its siblings.

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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Swooshing Mists

While this flame is mostly just a 'look pretty' piece, I do think it looks something like what happens when you open a door into a room filled with smoke or fog from a machine. It's probably being lit by colored spotlights. Although it would be a neat trick if the vapor was actually that color.

This flame is an example of another distinct style produced by a specific variation ('Horseshoe' in this case). It likes to produce those swirly nodes like the one you see in the center there, with less tightly wrapped pieces as you get away from the center. 'Storm at the Terminator' is another good example of this variation. Where that piece uses the horseshoe variation almost exclusively, 'Swooshing Mists' has some distorted repeats that extend the initial shape into more complex forms.

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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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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Geometric Deluge

This piece speaks to me. It says "Splooosh!" I know, it's not a very deep and significant thing for a piece of artwork to say. But then, it's not a deep and significant piece of artwork.

I love the clarity of this piece. All of the lines are sharp and crisp, and there aren't any stray pixels. But despite that, it's still got an interesting, complex shape. The subtle color palette is also something I'm fond of. It's pretty much monotone, but there's still enough variation in saturation and brightness to keep it interesting.

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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Curious Plumage

This is a piece I did last month. I was pretty pleased with it, especially the color scheme and those little tufty bits that stick out from the rest of the flame (you may have to look at a large version to see them clearly). There are some birds that actually have weird ornamental feathers like that, although probably not in these precise shades and shapes.

This piece is a bit more complex than it looks, and it took a fair bit of time. I built it entirely from scratch, as that was the easiest way to maintain symmetry. I did a bit of messing around with xaos in this one, which are basically numbers attached to each repeat in the flame that tell it which other repeats it should connect to. It allows for cleaner shapes and less cluttered images, generally, although it is time consuming.

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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Lip of the Cataract

This flame was extremely difficult to place on the canvas. For some reason I just could not find an angle and position I was entirely happy with. The sense of movement (or speed lines, if you will) inherent in the piece made it really tough to figure out exactly where the focus for the flame needed to be. I'm still not completely satisfied with what I came up with, but it will do.

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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Ice Cave

I like to imagine that this flame is a cave with fog and mist roiling out of the opening. Perhaps there are hunched over people trudging inside, hoping to escape a blizzard or storm. Or maybe it's a giant albino frog that's tricking them into walking straight down its throat. (I'm so sorry about that last one, but I've been looking at this thing for ten minutes and that circle in the upper left just looks like a dang eyeball!)

This flame is the sibling to 'Moondial', which I posted waaay back in July of '09. While they were posted six months apart, these two flames were done in the same session. I think 'Ice Cave' is the superior of the two. It doesn't have quite the same incomprehensible geometry, but the shape is more appealing. It makes slightly better use of its color palette as well. 'Moondial' wins for composition, though. I don't think that this piece quite fits on a 4:5 canvas. The widescreen canvas is a better size, but it's still not quite right.

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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Architecture

This flame may seem fairly abstract at first, but if you look at it and think about the title for a bit, it may go 'click' in your mind. If it doesn't: Imagine you're pointing a light up at the ceiling of a cathedral or some other ornate building, with a domed roof and perhpas some pillars. That's how I like to picture this flame. Being able to interpret it like that makes this one of my favorite pieces, even though from a purely visual viewpoint (heh, visual viewpoint) it's not really that spectacular. Flames that really look like something get bumped up several notches on the list automatically.

I'm pretty sure this piece uses the same gradient as 'Purple Fountains' did. You can pick out each of the shades involved in that flame in this one; they're just not grouped together in quite the same way. The really scattered, un-coordinated color scheme that some flames have is caused by how the color palette was applied, not the palette itself. It's really hard to explain, and I don't understand the mechanism very well myself (not well enough to make it do what I want every time, certainly).

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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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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Spiny Pattern

I really like the fractal elements of this flame. It starts at the right with the undistorted, base shape, and as we go further left that shape shrinks, stretches, and twists. It doesn't look like much of anything, except maybe a fin or a wing of some sort. I think it's most interesting if viewed as just a shape, though.

'Spiny Pattern' is very nearly as simple as a flame can be. It only has two elements in it. It's always fun to find a flame that can be done with so few pieces, but it's also difficult to get it to look exactly the way I want. Small changes have big effects with flames like this. I'm reasonably satisfied with this flame, although the spiky bits do make it hard to fit comfortably on a canvas. It's always trying to poke it's way out through the sides.

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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Purple Fountains

In an odd coincidence, I think this flame uses the same color palette as yesterday's. They weren't done at the same time, so I don't know if it's entirely by chance or if I decided to reuse it on purpose. It's probably one of the preset gradients that come bundled with Apophysis, so it's quite possible that the randomizer selected it twice.

I'm really not sure what to say about this piece. It seems to be just abstract enough that it's hard to compare it to an object, or any kind of 'real' thing. I'm writing this at 2 AM though, so I don't really trust my brain for this artistic stuff. If you don't really want to think about it too hard either, just go with the title: It's fountains, and they are purple. It doesn't fit perfectly, but it's the closest I can come.

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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Fog Serpent

I really like the glow effect on this flame. If my memory is correct, this is the only flam I've done with precisely that 'look' to it. It's really just that the orphaned pixels in this flame happened to be very lightly colored, and elements of the main flame were very dark. The unfortunate thing about this is that the effect sort of peters out as you get over to the left side of the image, and leaves a grainy looking mess. I suppose I could correct that with a gradient background (black to a dark grey, from right to left), but those tend to dilute the visual impact of a piece more than I care for. Still, that silhouetted effect on the upper right edge of the flame is pretty cool.

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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Sea Sprites

No, I'm not referring to the soda. Or to pixelated animations. The word 'sprite' in the title is "a broad term referring to a number of preternatural legendary creatures" (thank you wikipedia).

This flame is somewhat more fractal than most of my works, but you may have to look a little closer to see it. There's a sort of 'S' shape that seems to be the main repeated element. It gets twisted out of a shape a lot, though, so it might be hard to pick out. I think that shape is what makes it look like there are grotesque little faces* in the flame.

*Grotesque faces not guaranteed. Your mileage may vary. Do not look at this flame while operating heavy machinery, because that would be a really stupid thing to do.

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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Three for the price of one...

...except not really. You are getting three flames today, but I won't be posting any for Friday or Saturday. There are a couple reasons for this. First off, these three flames are a set, three related flames that make a good illustration of the 'artistic process' (quotation marks indicate self-mockery at pretentiousness) I go through. Secondly, I have family in town for Thanksgiving. So it's vacation time.

Bottom Dweller

The first of the set, 'Bottom Dweller' isn't really that great. The colors are interesting and mesh well with the title, but it's a little bit messy. I tend to dislike it when there are faint repeats that don't render fully; they leave orphaned pixels all over the place, like stray toner on Xerox copies. But I really liked the basic form of the piece, so I went ahead and fiddled with it a little more to see what else I could get out of it.

Bottom Dweller 2 (inset)

This piece is quite obviously related to 'Bottom Dweller' even without the title. Same color scheme, same feathery textures. However, this flame builds upon the complexity of the original. The orientation of the two pieces is identical; if you look at the black space at the bottom left of the piece at right, you can see that it is identical to the black space at the base of the bulb in 'Bottom Dweller.' This should give you some idea of how far the second piece was inset.

Still, I wasn't quite happy with the piece. So, on to the third flame, and one of my all time favorites.

Tide Pool

I actually removed some of the elements present in 'Bottom Dweller 2' to make this piece. Specifically the ones making the long, straight lines that overlapped the rest of the piece. This led to a much cleaner appearance, more in line with what I was going for from the start. I also rotated the flame about 120 degrees counter-clockwise. This was mostly because I wanted it to look like seaweed and shellfish on a rock, and that angle seemed to work best.

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.

Waves2

I consider the bottom half or so of this flame to be rather boring. Interesting textures, perhaps. I think the fun part of this piece is the swoopy part with the white and blue highlights. It makes this flame cry out for sound effects and cheesy onomatopoeia. "Ksshhhh! Sploosh! Crash!" I always find myself mentally inserting surf noises when I'm looking at this 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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Cloud Arches

I don't really have anything to say about this one; it's an intact work without commentary. I hope you like it.

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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Exploding Submarine

Probably a sign that I liked the movie 'Red October' way too much when I was a child. Ah well. You can't beat Sean Connery. This flame is 'Disentegration's sibling, produced by mutation and a little fiddling. As you can see, they've got an identical color scheme, and a lot of the elements are the same. The textures in 'Submarine' are a little bit smaller and more complex, and the shape has changed a bunch. I almost wish I'd missed a day so I would have had an excuse to post both of these at once, but it's probably better this way.

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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Disintegration

This flame really needs sound effects. Something along the lines of a rattling, vibrating electrical hum. Maybe a bass rumble to go along with it. I really like the wobbly, teetering feel to this piece. Add in the wavy blurs that make it look like it's vibrating and it really is a good fit for the title. You can clearly see fractal repeats of the main shape, too, which is a little unusual for this kind of flame.

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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Abstract 8-12-07

Maybe some sort of bird plumage? Palm fronds that are inexplicably cerulean in hue? Some manner of coral reef beastie? I couldn't decide, so this flame got saddled with an 'Abstract' for a title. This piece is a rather dramatic example of what I like to call 'artificial lighting' in a flame. It looks as thoughh there's a light source shining on just a segment of the piece, but it's actually just a trick of color and where the densest parts of the flame are.

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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Parting the Sea

A rather vaporous looking flame, in my opinion. I really liked the wispiness in this piece. The actual structure of the flame is a bit unusual; I started off by putting together a symmetrical flame by hand, and then added a few asymmetries to it. Just enough to make it interesting, really.

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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Swooping Down

The first word that comes to mind when I look at this flame is 'frothy.' I think that's mostly the color scheme, although the feathery edges at the bottom aid the effect. I think the texture in the upper right portion of the flame is my favorite thing about it. The thin, bi-colored lines overlaid on the solid surface appeal to me. This flame is part two a three flame set. You can find #3 a little ways down the page. #1 wasn't quite as good as its younger siblings, so it doesn't come out in public much.

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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Motion Blur

With this flame, the first word that comes to mind is more of an onomatopoeia. "Whap" or possibly "Swish!" The exclamation point is crucial, though. It is interesting to note that both this flame and 'Swooping Down' use a signifcant amount of black or near black coloring. Since they're on a black background, those portions of the image effectively disappear. I usually don't use black when I'm coloring a flame, but in this case I think it turned out 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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Bird in flight

This one is definitively a bird. My brother insisted that it was a shark, and I can sort of see where he might go wrong. But it's a bird. It even has a little beak and a little eye. I like the vibrant colors in this one, even though they trend a little far towards neon. The shape was very serendipitous. It's very difficult to make a shape on purpose, so when I get flames that just happen to look like objects, its pretty exciting.

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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Photodragon

The name on this piece was attached before I realized that I could be a bit more verbose with such things. Even if it does make for a messy file structure, I could have called this 'Serpent of Light' or 'Luminous Dragon' instead. But since I wanted to be brief, it got to be named 'Photodragon.' The really interesting thing about this piece is that it is a direct mutation of 'Magnetic Flares' which you can see in the gallery. Most of the time a mutation of a good flame will itself be rather unappealing (there are exceptions to the general rule; certain flames mutate very well), but that wasn't the case with this one.

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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Rapids

This flame sticks out a bit in my memory because it was one of the first I did using a new version of Apophysis. The new version really did have a lot of nice features in it, and a lot of my flames after this point have a decidedly different style to them (Although I don't really have one single 'style' as such, so it's hard to say). A major part of this is that the new version came with about five times as many pre-packaged color palettes. I think I stopped committing visual assault using neon purples after that. Mostly.

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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Squiggle

This is another of my very early flames. Kind of like how TV used to be in black and white, I guess. In addition to being pre-color, this was probably pre-knowing-what-the-heck-I'm-doing as well. So what you see in this one is what the Apophysis program can come up with in the hands of an inexperienced user.

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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Wave Bouquet

The polished-metal effect in this flame is very cool. The shine is mostly from the texture, although the shift to a lighter color on the parts that appear shiny helps too. This is another flame in a class with 'Molten Wave' and 'Conch' that has a large number of repeats overlapping to create a smooth texture. In this case, though, the repeats are rather swirly, which creates the round areas in the body of 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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Starspume

Spume (noun): Frothy matter or liquids. This is spume...in space! (Warning: TVtropes link. Abandon all hope, ye who hyperlink here.) Really though, this is the kind of exhaust a really awesome spaceship should put out. 'Starspume' has a very similar color set to 'Shimmery' that I posted recently, which lends it that delightful shiny 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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Cathedral Dome

Is the dome below you, or above you? I'd say it's more interesting if you think of it as 'below,' but either one works. The overall stained-glass style effect was what I was going for. While this flame looks predominantly white, there are a lot of orange and blue shades mixed in that are hard to see in the preview image at left. Fun fact: This is gradient #209 again.

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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Light from the Surface

I decided I needed to recolor this one when I did the renders to post it online. It was originally a rather hideous electric royal blue shade, very monotone. The new colors bring out the feathery textures in this piece much better, as well as avoiding retinal damage to the viewer.

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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Fractal Lozenge

It's off center on purpose. It probably needs to be just a little further off center, actually. I don't have a lot else to say about this one; nice, subtle colors. Funky texture. It's fun!

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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Snowflakes

Yes, I know they have eight-fold symmetry instead of hexagonal. But it just didn't look as cool with six, so there you go. The shape of this one reminded me quite strongly of looking up in a snowstorm (which is really disorienting and really, really cool), so I fiddled the colors to something wintery and slapped the title on it.

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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Intersections

One of the first people to look at this said "That looks like something you'd see on the cover of a math book." And they were right. I'm not sure whether that's a good thing or not. But I like the plane cutting through the middle of this one, and the skinny lines are fun. I usually stay away from those, but I've used them in two or three flames to good effect, I think.

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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Waveshell

I love the combination of shape, texture, color, and title in this flame. I don't have a whole lot else to say about it; this is one of the few flames that I'm genuinely happy with when I look back at it years later. I hope you like it too.

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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Ocean draining through wormhole

Sometimes the names I pin on these things get oddly specific. But in this case I feel it's not specific enough: The ocean is draining from it's original location to the side of the wormhole you can see in this image. It also appears to be rather polluted, but any society that uses wormholes to move oceans around is probably not going to be too fussed about that.

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Froth

I'm pretty sure this flame is comprised entirely of little fishies. It might be dolphins instead, I guess. But they're splashing enthusiastically. Maybe one of them is caught on a fisherman's hook. Or maybe they're trying to jump for the moon. Perhaps it's a bait ball trying to escape from a whale. You decide.

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Precious Metals

Ah, 'Precious Metals.' The flame that began my terrible addiction to gradient #209. It's a good gradient, really it is. But I used it far too often instead of learning to work with my own gradients or finding other good color schemes. You can see this color palette in Filigree, Conch, and Rusted Workings in the store, as well as in several posted to this blog. It's a little surprising how many different sets of colors can be pulled out of it, and it did at least teach me how to put the color I wanted on a specific section of a fractal. But I still wish I'd branched out a little more.

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Storm at the Terminator

This piece reminded me strongly of a satellite image of a hurricane, with half of it in sunlight and half in shadow: Hence the title, 'Storm at the Terminator.' I really should have fiddled with the placement of this one a bit before I rendered it, but this was done before I really understood composition. If it were done today, I would probably slide it over about 20% to the right. I wouldn't touch the color, though. I like that shade of blue.

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Sound Sails

I like to picture 'Sound Sails' as being affixed to a hovercraft skimming over a trackless waste of some sort. Preferably in a dystopian future where most civilization has collapsed. But that's just me. One thing I've found in the years I've been working with fractal flames is that everyone will have their own opinion.

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Tubular

Alternate titles for today's flame include 'Nightmare wiring job' and 'Attack of the Slinkies 2: The Slinkening.' Officially, however, it's titled 'Tubular' and that's what we'll refer to it as. This piece is unusual because the visual elements that make it interesting are not the central focus; instead, those elements 'frame' a section in the middle with not much going on. I kind of like the effect produced.

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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Under Shelter

The last couple flames were rather colorful, so I thought a white one would be a nice change. 'Under Shelter' creeps me out just a bit, honestly. Between the little huddled figure in the middle and the blurred lines, it seems like some sort of weird, angsty cave painting. Still, I like the overall 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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Eyes in the dark

It's very easy to see the fractal nature of today's piece, 'Eyes in the dark.' The lack of color in this particular flame is intentional; the contrast against the black background was one of the things I was going for with this one.

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Nova

I mentioned in the first post that some of the fractal flames I would be posting here might be years old. Well, 'Nova' is one of them. It's the third fractal I made, and it's a little under five years old. That was back before I learned how to use color, obviously. The composition could use a little work too. I still like this one, 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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