Fractal Art: Two Great Programs to Create Stunning Images

Fractal Art is a relatively new form of art which has been making great strides and has been increasingly developing into a more popular and more widely known art form. Sites like Deviant Art have seen large increases in the amount of fractal art being uploaded there and a great community has developed where you can find plenty of tutorials to learn with, and many people to talk to and share your work with. It can be a great tool to add to your design experience and portfolio.There are a wide variety of programs out there that can create beautiful and stunning fractal and 3D images; but two that I would recommend are UltraFractal and Apophysis. Both programs have their own unique styles of images they create, and they both are programs that I have used and continue to use to create artwork. Visit my website listed at the bottom of the article to see some examples of images that are made with these programs.UltraFractal is the more widely known and commercial product of the two and can be found at ultrafractal.com. It costs money to purchase but offers an amazing amount of features in the product. It uses layers like Photoshop does which offers an endless amount of options for how you can combine and create images. Also, if you have experience in Photoshop you can bring some of that into this program, with such techniques as layer masking and blending layers together. There are a large number of tutorials out there which can get you started quickly in learning how to work the program.Apophysis is a free and open source fractal program that can be found at www.apophysis.org. There are also many different versions of Apophysis, but the one I use and would recommend is called Apophysis 7x and it was created by a guy named Xyrus02 on DeviantArt. It is an extremely powerful program as well, though it may be the more difficult of the two to begin with. It is the program I started with though and although it took much work learning and studying the program, after a little while I was able to make some pretty stunning images which really got me interested in Fractal Art and gave me the motivation to keep going. Here is an example of a work done in Apophysis:Both programs are very great and I would have trouble deciding which one I like better, though I would recommend likely UltraFractal to begin with if you have the money to spend as it seems to be the most user friendly and relatable one. Fractal Art is a great new form of art though which can be done without having great skills with arts such as drawing or painting. You can create stunning images with it which you are free to do whatever you want with, such as sell as prints, make wallpapers, or submit to shows and galleries. If it’s something you decide to being doing I would recommend checking out DeviantArt and the amazing tutorials that are offered there, they got me started right away on the way towards learning how to design some beautiful artworks.

So What Do You Really Know About Fashion?

Fashion is extremely seductive, slightly elusive and ever changing. It has a mysterious power to create a social statement or even to transform a person’s image.Dictionary.com defines fashion as:o The prevailing custom or style, as in behavior or dress.
o Something (such as garment) that’s considered to belong to the current mode.
o The characteristic or style of the social elite.To most people, fashion is a method of utilizing hair, accessories, and clothing to either hide or emphasize something about them. To others, it can be an art form. And to some, it’s almost a religion. Moreover, fashion can be used to disguise the true self, yet it can also be utilized for self expression.Whose opinion matters?In fashion, the designers are the great influencers. Marc Jacobs, Louis Vuitton, and Miuccia Prada are some of the directional designers for remixing classics (Prada) or vintage-inspired styles (Jacobs).Usually, there is a cycle that fashion follows for an upcoming season:o Starting from about 5-6 months ahead, press people will start attending several fashion shows to see the designer collections. Then, the media will give an editorial coverage to talk about the trends that they think their readers will like.o The store buyers also prepare many months ahead of the season in order to place their orders with manufacturers. Of course, they will get the clothes and accessories that their clients would most likely buy.o Opinion leaders (like socialites) and celebrities will usually be the first ones to wear these new trends, therefore spurring the public to accept it.o But ultimately, only consumers like you will decide what’s “in” – this will be determined if a majority of the public chose to buy into the trend.In today’s world, there are only three major hubs for manufacturers and designers of accessories and fashion apparel – these are Milan, Paris, and New York. Although, you can also find excellent ones in Sao Paolo, Sydney, Hong Kong, Toronto, Los Angeles, and London.Why do you need to care?You might be wondering why the clothes you see in fashion shows sometimes appear as exaggerations, but this is done only for marketing and artistic purposes. The elements depicting the original piece will be turned into more acceptable pieces before they reach the store.Experts say that the healthy way for you to approach fashion is to pay attention to it in small doses. Just make sure that your wardrobe corresponds to the current times, or you may even indulge in a new trend or two every season.Being in fashion shows that you are quite flexible and modern. It also means that you are willing to process and accept new ideas.You may also look at fashion as an escape from the pressures of your environment. For example, say your country is at war yet you wear the current season’s fluffy ruffles, then you could temporarily break away from the harsh reality of your world through your clothes.At the end of the day, everything that you put on can send a silent message to other people. Your own interpretation of fashion speaks about your good taste.