Sacralworms

'Sacralworms'

'Sacralworm' is a term of a kind of driven snakelines/streamlines/waves with pseudo-3D-shading.
Examples there, or a simple-, an average- or a mega-complicated ones.
They aren't created with any tool (like aphosys(?), flaxframe (?) or such stuff), but they are handmade.

Following I will describe the creation of a typical 'sacralworm'-graphic.

You need

1) A tablet-pen. (Mouse also able, but you loose the smooth&fluid effect and get angular strokes instead)

2) A graphic software like Photoshop, which supports pens and pressure-sensitivity.

Additional/optional:

- KPT (Kai Power Tools) 3.0
- Some basic experience in PS (layer, selection of color range, pencils, masks etc)

PS: I use Photoshop and can only explain for Photoshop - but I think, in any other professional software must be equivalents tools, filters and methods. Also I only have the german version, but I think also, the menues, buttons, checkboxes, sliders etc. are at the same locations in any other language.

1) Create a new document in RGB-mode.
Best nearly screen-filling size, e.g 1000x900.

Background:

2a) Fill the background.
In the example I've drawed quickly some radial gradients in 'difference' blending mode and b/w. Naturally you can use any other color, or e.g. the 'cloud rendering'-filter or any other kind of graphic you like - at last with some essential contrast between two or more colors

2b) Duplicate the background-layer to L2. Select L2

Smudge pencil:

3a) Doubleclick the smudge tool

For the first try set options to the shown values

3b) Doubleclick an hard-edged pencil
For the first try set the pencil options to the shown values.
(For weak PCs the pencil radius should be less than 40pix)

Drawing:
Close pencil options und press <Tab>-key to hide all tools

4a) Positionate the pen at any point - best where two colors merge into one another.

4b) Stir a little a this point (to mix & blur the taken color - like a real pencil on a real palette.)

4c) And then... in one stroke draw a wavy line.

4d) Repeat 4a-4c how often you like.
And before overfilling the pic...! ;-)
Experiment with pencil radius, pen pressure and the other options from 3)

If you are satified with this simple version, you can stop here...
But you get more:

Cropping:

5a) Press <Tab>-key for toggle on the tool-windows.

5b) Select Layer L2. Set blending mode of L2 to 'difference'

5c) Start Select->Color Range. Mark a point of the black area outside the lines. Set tolerance max. to 2%. Press Ok.

5e) Now the parts of the original background are masked with an dotted line

5f) Press <Del> for cropping the lines

Blending:
6) Experiment with blending mode of L2 and ocapity.
Try each from 'normal' to 'luminosity'.
At the example I've chosen 'multiply' 100%

Edges:

7a) Duplicate Layer to L3. Select L3. Set blending mode to 'normal'.

7b) Apply Filter->Stylize->Find edges

Blending edges:
7c) Experiment with blending mode of L3.
Try each from 'normal' to 'luminosity'.
At the example I've chosen blending mode 'multiply' 100%

Merge:
If you are satisfied with an intermediate result, you can merge same layers:
8a) Toggle off the background-layer (klick on the eye-symbol on layer-palette)
8b) Layer->Merge Visible
8c) Toggle on again the background-layer. Set blending mode of L2 again to 'multiply'

Adjust background-colors:

9a) Select background-layer

9b) Start Image->Adjust->Variations. Mix a background color.
At the example I've chosen a warm orange tone. Press OK.

Adjust line-colors:

10a) Duplicate L3 to L4. Select L4. Toggle of L3.
(L3 and all layer-duplication are reserved for undo, or as pattern for later layer-variations etc)

10b) Start Image->Adjust->Variations. Mix a color. At the example I've chosen a cold blue tone. Press ok.

10c) Experiment with blendig mode of L3 and ocapity. Try each from 'normal' to 'luminosity'. At the example I've chosen 'normal' 100%

Wave:

11a) Select L3. Start Filters->Disort->Wave. Set options to the shown values. (Not exactly, but experiment).

11c) Press 'random parameters' until an interesting disortion displayed in the preview. Press ok.

11d) Start Image->Adjust->Variations. Mix a color for the shaken line. At the example I've chosen a red tone.

12) Merge all layers to background: Layer->Merge Visible

If you are satified with this simple version, you can stop here...
But now the final tuning:

Radial blur:
13a) Duplicate background-layer to L5. Select L5

13b) Filter->Blur->Radial Blur. Set options to the shown values. (Not exactly...experiment)

For best effect the radial center best positioned near a contrasted edge. Press OK.

13c)Experiment with mode of L3 and ocapity. Try each from 'normal' to 'luminosity'.

13d) If there no interesting effect, or all too dark, too unbalanced etc: delete layer, and try 13a-13c again.
At the example I've chosen 'multiply' 77%

14) Layer->merge visible

Border reflection:(for owner of Kai Power Tools only)

15) Start Filter->KPT Seamless welder
Experiment with glue and ocapity mode from 'normal' to 'screen'.
At the example I've chosen 'normal' 100%

16) Ready,...

... no, not ready!;-)

These are only basic operations for only one pass.
Experiment with options, (mostly blending modes after a variated layer), with filters, pens etc.

For more complicated pics you take your last state from 16) as background and start again with 2b):
duplicate, overdraw/vary, experiment, blend, duplicate, overdraw/vary, experiment, blend ....etc
;-)