Zoobka: A technique to make beautiful material effects

[g017]

Hi everyone

I have found a method (I call it "Zoobka", for ZOOm Blur - KAleidoscope) to easily create abstract artworks with cool effects like "neon", "plasma", "smoke"... It does not require any drawing or painting skills.

Note: all the artworks presented here are at the 16:9 format, they are best viewed at full size and can be used as DESKTOP WALLPAPERS. Some look great on my 1366x768 laptop screen. Some others, maybe not so great but they are all there to show interesting effects.

   

Jungle Heart

      

Tribal Lights

   

Ghost Armor

   

Sacred Fire

       

Black Star

Here is the general technique:

1. To start with, you need a simple drawing with broad strokes and fine strokes like the one found here:
https://sta.sh/016a2w2bz2m4
This one was used for the artwork "Jungle Heart".
I use a brush preset of Krita called "Experimental Webs" but it is probably not a requirement.

Then, with GIMP:
2. Invert the B&W.
3. Apply colors. Personally I use the G'Mic filter "Plasma" set on the "Vivid light" merging mode.
4. Apply a zoom motion blur, on a "New from Visible" layer with the "Screen" or "Lighten only" mode and reduced opacity.
3b. If the result go outside the image boundaries, reduce it with the scale tool.
5. Optional but recommended: On a "New from Visible" layer, apply the "Whirl and Pinch" filter (to get long curvy lines).
You should get something like that: https://sta.sh/0x6lz6ecln5
6. Apply the "Kaleidoscope" filter ("Distorts" menu).
7. Apply a zoom motion blur, like at step 4 but with a higher blurring factor.
8. Optional but recommended: To give more richness, relief, subtlety etc to the shapes (or to radically change them), or to vary the color scheme, the luminosity etc (depending on the merging mode - usually I use "Overlay" or "Soft light"), embed in your current result a deformed, moved, flipped and/or resized of it, or a work you previously made with the same technique. Personally I have used this one for many artworks you see here:
https://sta.sh/0ae8ynrh3t8 (this is my first "zoobka")
9. Optional: Apply a zoom motion blur.
10. Optional: Apply again the "Kaleidoscope" filter.

I can explain the method in more details if anyone is interested.


Below are more examples in separate replies because of the limit of 5 attachments per post.

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Some other examples of zoobka artworks.

Plasma effects:

   

In the heart of light (Swans' love)

   

Light Heart

Neon effects:

   

Superbird

   

Lotus of Light

Glass effect:

   

Diadem

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Painting effects:

   

Secret Jungle

Reminds me of stained glass also.

Speaking of stained glass:

   

Mystical Star

More roses:

   

Love is everywhere

   

Rising Star

Uses the G'Mic filter "Distort lens", which is not part of the core technique.

   

Hearts Connection

[Ofnuts]

You initial drawing looks like something that can be created with my path-inbetweener

   

[g017]

(01-14-2020, 05:44 PM)Ofnuts Wrote: You initial drawing looks like something that can be created with my path-inbetweener

I have made this drawing with your script:

   

And this "zoobka":

   

Autumn Star

The lines have less smoothness and more "crispness", but the result is quite good looking, I find. :)

[g017]

I have made this drawing with the Ink Tool of GIMP:

   

And this zoobka with it:

   

Neonclassic Star

This is my new desktop wallpaper! So the brush of Krita is definitely not a requirement. :)

Important: The only thing is that, in step 3 of the tutorial, if you set your "Plasma" layer on "Vivid light", this mode won't color your drawing.
So instead I have set the layer on "Multiply", merged the layers and increased the contrast and lightness.

[denzjos]

Nice, but at some point it's difficult to stop "mirroring" and "kaleidoscoping" : the result is always a new creation. After playing with several tools my result :
(Ofnuts, the lines are made with your inbetweener. I don't know why the upper side of the lines are thinner. No problem for me because stroke afterwards is ok) 

     

   

[Ofnuts]

(01-17-2020, 02:13 PM)denzjos Wrote: (Ofnuts, the lines are made with your inbetweener. I don't know why the upper side of the lines are thinner. No problem for me because stroke afterwards is ok)

Can't tell either. Possibly a smallish stray tangent that gets exaggerated by the process. Can you post the XCF (without layers, so it should be small)?

[Blighty]

Something similar can be done with weavesilk.com
(a quick one minute play)

[denzjos]

(01-17-2020, 02:42 PM)Ofnuts Wrote:

(01-17-2020, 02:13 PM)denzjos Wrote: (Ofnuts, the lines are made with your inbetweener. I don't know why the upper side of the lines are thinner. No problem for me because stroke afterwards is ok)

Can't tell either. Possibly a smallish stray tangent that gets exaggerated by the process. Can you post the XCF (without layers, so it should be small)?

  alien lines.xcf (Size: 29.69 KB / Downloads: 274)

[Blighty]

(01-17-2020, 04:21 PM)denzjos Wrote: Can't tell either. Possibly a smallish stray tangent that gets exaggerated by the process. Can you post the XCF

It is as Ofnuts said - small stray tangents. Actually VERY small stray tangents. They can be seen if you zoom in to 25000%. The image below is from the stroke second from top. The stray tangents on your original 2 paths are even smaller, difficult to see at 25000%.

I had a mouse, brand new, that was very prone to creating these very small tangents.

Ofnuts has a script to remove these stray tangents. Use it on your 2 original paths before using the path inbetweener.

ofn-remove-tangents.py
https://sourceforge.net/projects/gimp-pa...s/scripts/

[g017]

denzjos what you have done with your base drawing is awesome. This drawing is of a kind somewhat different from the ones I have used, and it shows one can get excellent results even though, a drawing with broad strokes and fine strokes is not mandatory.

I love the neon effect you have achieved, especially the acid and vibrant green. The geometry reminds me of some tribal mask. Fascinating alien of the Zoobka race...