[sources: X / X / X / X / X / X ]

[sources: x / x / x / x / x / x ]

"Annihilation" - aesthetic/moodboard (based on a mix of movie and book version)

An aesthetic/moodboard made in GIMP based on the Southern Reach books and movie by Jeff Vandermeer. Made with free stock images from pexels.com.

Further thoughts below the cut:

One of the earliest aesthetics/moodboards I made when I got back into GIMP, and before I even really got back into 'Annihilation' again, going purely off of memory to make this one. Not the best I have made imo, but still part of my art journey, so I am posting it.

Also, I kinda like simplicity, how 'ordinary' everything looks, while the book and movie themselves contain weird and uncanny imagery.

Either way, I liked making this, which is the most important thing. And it sparked my attempts to make creature collages later on, like the dolphin with the human eye.

[sources: The Giant / The Pompoms]

"The Cheering Giant"

PNG digital collage of the Rolling Giant, but with pompoms instead of flower hands. Made in GIMP with a screenshot from The Oldest View Part 3 - The Rolling Giant from Kane Pixels (which includes use of the Julien Reverchon Giant made by Kevin Obregon) and a stock image from unsplash.

Additional thoughts under the cut:

This came to exist because there is no cheerleding emoji and because I wanted to cheer on someone who is making TOV related media, hence, this little png was created. Not exactly this iteration, but one similar to this, was the first thing I tried to create when I got back into GIMP all those weeks ago. It was a good starting point to get back into the program (and hilarious to make).

I decided to make a smaller sized one for convenience as well, seeing as the first one is bit big for, say, discord or the likes.

[sources: x / x / x / x / x / x ]

"Untitled Album/Song Cover Art #2"

Digital album/playlist cover made in GIMP with a stock image as well as various stock images converted into textures from pexels.com.

Most of the sources listed are pics from pexels.com that I turned into textures. They made creating this piece a lot of fun. This was mainly just me trying out stuff and then building onto the result of that experimentation, so this was a great piece to make purely for learning purposes.

[sources: x / x / x / x / x / x ]

"Aesthetic - Poolcore + Dithering + Turquoise/Cerulean"

Aesthetic/moodboard made in GIMP with stock images from pexels.com. Uses the dithering option in GIMP and has a main focus on the colors of turquoise/cerulean.

Additional thoughts below the cut:

Inspired by the Cerulean Waves Mall playlist on Youtube, which I listened to while making this. I also wanted to see if I could use the dithering filter/effect I used while making my "Who's Lila?" artwork for other things, and this is pretty much the polar opposite in terms of colors and style. So I am very happy how this turned out, the colors are very pretty imo.

"Frutiger Aero Inspired" (Aesthetic/Moodboard)

[sources: x / x / x / x / x ]

Aesthetic/moodboard made in GIMP with free stock images from unsplash. I tried to capture the general aesthetic of 'Frutiger Aero'.

Further thoughts below the cut:

I am pretty sure I didn't manage to be 100% accurate to the Frutiger Aero aesthetic, but I think its passable for a first attempt. I just tried to capture the 'vibe', the general imagery and colors associated with it.

(Sidenote: pexels.com makes it a lot easier to find photos again, whereas with unsplash, it took more effort. I recommend getting an account and making picture collections to easily find the photos again.)

[sources: x / x / x / x / x ]

"Who's Lila? - Lila" aesthetic/moodboard

Aesthethic/Moodboard made with GIMP using stock images from pexels.com for the character "Lila" of the videogame "Who's Lila?" by Garage Heathen. Both the game and this piece of art use 'dithering' as an art style.

Thoughts beneath the cut:

First character-based aesthetic! I think this turned out pretty well, considering I haven't made that many aesthetics yet. I slightly adjusted the settings I used from the last one and added a layer to make the colors pop a bit more. Also I love the picture for the "shh"/whispering/mystery part of Lila - the shirt saying 'stop' is a nice touch.

I also find it is a neat challenge for myself to try and emulate a specific artstyle; it is a good way to try out the various effects and filters while having a clear goal in mind.