Thursday, February 29, 2024

The Batman Finally Murders The Joker

I extracted a batch of panels throughout the issue of Batman #140 (© DC Comics 2023) drawn by Jorge Jiménez to provide my own truncated version of Batman beating the cr*p out of The Joker.

Hi-rez image link [5033px tall]

Sunday, February 25, 2024

The Mist, part 1 & 2 (imagine a movie sequel call THE MIST: REBORN)

Rediscovered an old post I did, and decided to pull my original camera images and try another attempt at creating the morning's drive through The Mist... join me, as we head to the grocery store to help barricade windows.

Affinity Photo Workflow: My own photos plus a couple monsters borrowed from NightCafe AI Image collection I found combined, mixed & masked, extra textures, and more mist added with a bit of HSL color tweaking.

Hi-rez image [4120px wide]






Hi-rez image [4128px tall]


Saturday, February 24, 2024

The Dominators Launch Another Attack on Earth!

I grabbed a panel out of Batman: The Brave and the Bold #9 (DC Comics 2024) that was drawn by Gabriel Hardman split it out, altered the dialogue, and spiced it up with custom balloon, panel wrappers & a bit of font work.

Hi-rez image link [2254px tall]

Thursday, February 15, 2024

Melting Birthday Cake

Made my own birthday cake today. I may have used too many candles.

Affinity Photo Workflow: Affinity Workflow: Pictures of cake, candles, chocolate drip, numbers, and kitchen counter all scrapped from the internet. A little fire brush, and smoke brush. Some creative warp mesh (pushing and pinching), and a ton of mask blending during the combining of 8+ images.

Hi-rez image link [2886px tall]


Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Deacon Sirus, Your Local Spiritual Weatherman

Deacon Sirus, weathered hands clasped tight, stood atop the parched earth before his church. The once vibrant fields lay barren, the relentless sun a cruel reminder of their despair. His town, Hopewell, clung to the hope of rain, their whispers laced with desperation. With a deep breath, the Deacon's voice boomed, a plea not just to the sky but to the heavens themselves. His words, honed by years of faith, resonated with an almost tangible fervor. As he spoke, the sky, once an empty canvas of blue, began to stir. Wispy tendrils of grey coalesced, weaving into a tapestry of storm clouds. The wind picked up, a mournful sigh morphing into a hopeful song. The air, thick with anticipation, crackled with unseen energy. Finally, the first fat drops of rain splattered onto the Deacon's face, each one a tiny promise of salvation.

Affinity Photo Workflow: I merged a couple Nightcafe Image AI prompts into this single image.   Used Affinity Photo to clean out some AI artifacts, painted more lightning, added raindrops, and a bit of lens distortion from raindrops obscuring the camera lens.

Hi-rez image link [3854px wide]


Friday, February 9, 2024

The Circle Opens: Stonehenge Crossing Into Netherrealm

For thousands of years, the ancient stone circle known as Stonehenge has stood in silence, keeping its secrets. Yet on the morning of the summer solstice, the calm is shattered when the inner stones begin glowing with supernatural power at dawn's first light. Ancient runes and symbols ignite fiery yellow-blue, crackling with energy never seen before in present-day Britain. Within minutes, a beam shoots out from the epicenter of the towering monoliths, converging in an explosion of sound and light at the center of the circle. From the smoke and debris, a shimmering portal emerges—a doorway leading to a strange and mystical realm thought only to exist in myths. Now the door between worlds lies open.

Affinity Photo Workflow: A few image prompts using Bing DALL-E & Nightcafe Image AI to create some of the various objects.   Merged hell dimension within the gateway, added luminescent comet, scrollwork, and text intro.   Portal beam, shaman, and extra monolith work brushed/masked into the merged prompt images within Affinity Photo.  I rather like the text font "Ave Ave BB" once I added some outline weight to it. my first time using this font I think.

Hi-rez image link [2709px tall]



Thursday, February 8, 2024

Algernon Discovers Nrub'atocto

Professor Algernon Ross clutching a glowing yellow lantern ventures into the endless midnight of remote, subterranean tunnels. There he stumbles upon the tomb of the primeval demon Nrub'atocto, imprisoned in this nameless cavern for 917 years. Over the slow march of centuries, her malevolent essence has seeped into the encompassing stone, soil, and underground rivers. As Algernon raises his lantern, its wan light reveals the demon's hibernating form still and statue-like. He comprehends the evil that has been gradually diffusing out from this forgotten place deep under the earth.  Part of the Nrub'atocto - She Who Feeds storyline.

Affinity Photo Workflow: A few image prompts using Bing DALL-E both and Image FX to help create the daemon, and some portions of the cave.  Masked in the supporting professor's image taken, combined it with the lantern, added more falling stones from public sources.  Added extra lantern glow, dust and particle effects, and text elements within Affinity Photo.

Hi-rez image link [3165px wide]


Wednesday, February 7, 2024

Caged Terror: The Fort Wayne Yeti

Jack LaFontaine, goalie for the Kansas City Mavericks, tensed up as the massive creature was posed to drive forward toward the net, its icy limbs glinting under the harsh arena lights. Towering over the ECHL players at nearly eleven feet tall, the icy Yeti-like beast had suddenly appeared, bursting up through the ice during the pre-game warmups. Now this monstrosity seemed intent on smashing through the goalie and then charging into the surprised crowd sitting behind the plexiglass boards.

Affinity Photo Workflow: Live hockey picture from tonight's ECHL game where the Komets lost their away game against the Kansas City Mavericks.   Ice monster AI prompted using Google ImageFX just to see how this new image tool worked.   Composited the monster in, added some broken ice, various icy vapors, and monster clean-ups by hand.

Hi-rez image link [3963px wide]


Tuesday, February 6, 2024

Stonehenge Illuminated

Stonehenge is illuminated by a beam of energy from a dimensional portal.  Several Meta ImagineAI image prompts to create stones + sky which I then merged within Affinity Photo, and then added multiple brushes to create the beam effects.

Hi-rez image link [2899px tall]



Monday, February 5, 2024

Protecting the Southern Frontier from Hellish Intruders

Sheriff Robert Torres had seen it all in his three decades of service Hudspeth County, a desert border town in southern Texas. But nothing prepared him for the sight of a huge and horrifying daemon emerging from a glowing pentagram portal shimmering in the dry switchgrass. The nearest local farmers had fled in terror, leaving Robert and his faithful horse Blister to face the monster alone. Despite being outmatched in every way, the sheriff stood his ground before the portal, cocked his rifle, and said to Blister, "If this is our Alamo, let's make history". As the daemon approached, cackling and casting spells, Robert aimed and thought, "You may claim this land by magic, but we Texans will defend our home and way of life". Whatever the battle's outcome, the sheriff was determined to show the courage and grit of the Texas lawman.

Affinity Photo Workflow: A few image prompts using Bing DALL-E to create the monster (head, tail, claws combined from multiple attempts).  Grassy fields and clouds merged from multiple images.  Cowboy, horse, and original flag from public image searches, fences clipped in from other pictures. Dust, particles, pentagram, additional cloudwork (IAMRENSI brushes), and sunburst beams are added by hand in Affinity Photo. Experimented with various brushes (clouds, particles, smoke) used as my masking tool to work out Fx (such as damage to the flag).

Hi-rez image link [3836px wide]

Sunday, February 4, 2024

Angered Deity Looks Down on Stonehenge Summoners

An angry god peers down through a rip in the fabric of space-time upon the mysterious stone structure of Stonehenge. Gazing with wrath upon the ancient monument below, this powerful deity seethes with an unknown fury as it observes the tiny mortals milling about the ancient site from its vantage point in another dimension. What has provoked its ire and what fate may befall the unaware humans scurrying amidst the massive megaliths below the watchful supernatural eyes from beyond remains uncertain.

Affinity Photo Workflow: A few image prompts using Bing DALL-E & Google ImageFX to create some of the various objects.   Clouds are taken from many public images, and additional stones are masked from multiple images.   Light beams/bursts, rune work, electrical bolts, cloud addons, gradient glow on made deity face, and shadow brushwork are added within Affinity Photo.

Hi-rez image link [2843px tall]


Saturday, February 3, 2024

Nrub'atocto Stirs

Some more artwork to go with the previous Nrub'atocto - She Who Feeds storyline showing the entity still trapped below ground.

Affinity Photo Workflow: A few image prompts using Bing DALL-E to help create the monster and portions of the cave.  Filter forge used to convert to wood carving-type look.  Edits and additional items added within Affinity Photo.

Hi-rez image link [2804px tall]


Friday, February 2, 2024

Interplanetary Stonehenge

Stonehenge located on a remote planet is illuminated by beams of energy as a local shaman executes a celestial summoning.  Several Meta ImagineAI image prompts to create stones then merged into moon and astrophotography images. Brushwork layers to create a radiant burst behind the moon within Affinity Photo.

Hi-rez image link [2765px tall]


Thursday, February 1, 2024

UFO Spectral Mapping of the Arizona Desert

UFO caught on film actively spectral mapping the Arizona desert floor south of Tucson.

Affinity Photo Workflow: A few image prompts using Bing DALL-E, and Meta AI Imagine to get me part of the flying saucer.  Sky image pulled from an astrophotography search, van with reflection borrowed from a car ad, cactus masked from other images.  Laser beams. ring lights on saucer and spectral mapping grid (mesh warping funtime) were added by hand in Affinity Photo.   A lot of masking to get the desert skyline and road added. Boxes and buildings dropped in for extra features.

Hi-rez image link [3362px tall]