Creepy GIMP Tutorials from Around the Web

SOME COOL, SCARY GIMP TUTORIALS FOR YOU TO DO

I've been teaching myself how to use the free graphic design program, GIMP, over the last couple of years. Every time I think I have a good grasp of its capabilities, I stumble across something new to learn - and have to refresh my memory on something I've forgotten. During that time, I've bookmarked quite a few GIMP tutorials from across the internet. The kind people who wrote all those tutorials have really helped me understand the program. I thought I'd give links to some of them here, for you to try. Here are a few of my favorite creepy ones to get you started (although, I recommend playing around with GIMP and doing basic tutorials first, so the steps are easier):

1. Ghost in the Forest. I loved following this one. I hope you have fun with it, too!

2. How to Use GIMP to Make a Girl Look Cold and Scary. This one is very fun and it teaches you a lot of neat GIMP features. Plus, when you're done, you'll have a picture of yourself or a friend that's sure to frighten everyone.

3. How to Make a Zombie Using GIMP. This is one of the first ones I did and I loved doing it, too.

4. Or, if you just want a zombie hand, try this one: Creepy Zombie Hand of Death. I followed a few of the steps - with some variation - when I made the hand on my book cover.

5. If you're looking for a good scary text effect, I recommend this rusted text tutorial.

Thanks to all the kind people who wrote these wonderful tutorials! I hope you have as much fun with them as I did.

-MK
on Zazzle
on Amazon

Father's Day Gifts on Zazzle + Coupon Codes

UNIQUE, CUSTOM FATHER'S DAY GIFTS FOR YOUR DAD

 

Father's Day is a few weeks away, so now is the time to order a custom gift if you want it to arrive on time. Zazzle has been expanding its list of products lately, and there are now hundreds of items you can add a personal touch to, just for your dad.

Hint: When you go to a product page, look at the top right of the screen, right over the product name, to see the estimated shipping time. (That's important because some custom-made items take longer to make, and you want your gift to arrive before the holiday).

HERE ARE SOME IDEAS FOR DAD FROM MY SHOPS:

If he brews his own beer, how about some fancy beer labels to make the bottles look professional, or a snazzy "Master of the Hops, Keeper of the Brew" apron?
Maybe he'd enjoy some saloon-themed items for his home bar, complete with his name, monogram and the year he established the place?
Or maybe your dad has a man cave and needs some custom man cave decor for it.
Does he like camouflage? Add his name or initials to 90+ different items, all featuring camo plus a cool silver-looking sheriff badge graphic.
Does he own a boat or yacht? Let everyone know that he's the captain with these customizable anchor items.
Maybe your dad hates today's social media and would appreciate a funny anti-Twitter design.
If you have something of your own in mind, you can always design your own product. The hundreds of templates here come equipped with easily-replaceable stand-in images and step-by-step instructions in the "About the Design" section of each product page. Add a touching photo or a funny phrase your dad will appreciate.

If all else fails, you can always search the Zazzle marketplace:

Happy Father's Day! I hope you find the right gift for your ol' man. And don't forget to look for a promo code.

-MK
on Zazzle
on Amazon

Funny Novelty Gift for Writers: Story Board Dartboard

INTRODUCING THE "FUNNY STORY BOARD FOR WRITERS" DARTBOARD

I'm excited to show you my latest design on Zazzle because it happens to be for writers. This one took a lot of detailed work to complete. The result is this funny dartboard for novelists and screenwriters:

Funny Writers Authors Story Board Novelty Dartboard With Darts
by LaborAndLeisure

As a writer, what do you do when you run out of story ideas and writer's block sets in? Now, instead of staring at a blank screen, you can hang the Writer's Story Board on your office wall and "Take a Shot - Make a Plot."

The slightly tongue-in-cheek novelty dartboard is very detailed. Hit the thin outer ring and get a character motivation, such as lust, jealousy or greed. Hit the large outer ring and get a story starter or theme, like "lost in the wild," "relationship turmoil" or "crime spree." The thin inner ring gives pictures designed to get your mind thinking, like a snake, a mask or a key. The large inner ring offers up genres, from comedy to horror, fantasy to thriller. Finally, the bull's eye looks like an explosion.

The Writer's Story Board is a fun way to entertain yourself or use as an imagination exercise. Make a game of it with your friends, too: tell a story based around the subjects you hit. It makes a humorous, very unique gift for the brilliant writer in your life and works well for screenwriters, novelists or English / Creative Writing teachers. This is how bestsellers and blockbusters get written!

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The dartboard appears in one of my newest stores, LaborAndLeisure, where I'm slowly building a collection of designs for writers as well as other jobs, hobbies and interests. Keep stopping in to look for more designs (and better organization) soon! And don't forget to check out the other Zazzle stores at the link below.

-MK
on Zazzle
on Amazon

All images copyright MK Hess

Writer Prompt: Back to the 1800's

Lately, I've been experimenting with vintage images in my graphic designs. In my hunt for images, one of the sites I've visited the most is the Library of Congress page. Going through all the newspaper and magazine ads there, it's easy to get immersed in the culture of another time. In the world of a century or more ago, bicycles and typewriters were new and exciting. The ladies' fashions looked very uncomfortable. Pianos seemed to be hot sellers. Political opinions looked to be just as varied and heated as they are today.

What better way to learn about a society than to study it directly? From looking at the articles and the ads of that time, I've discovered that the people of the late 1800's and early 1900's loved a scandal just as much as the people of today. They loved entertainment (circuses, early movies, music). They sought cures for their ailments. And you could buy a new purse for 25 cents.

WRITING PROMPT: The Library of Congress images are a great place to start if you're looking for historical or steampunk story ideas. Browse through the newspapers, periodicals, photo collects, etc, in search of character tidbits, historical nuances to really round out your setting, or even find the inspiration for your plot in the headlines.

Here are a couple to get you started:

1. There are a lot of want ads on this page from 1898. Have your character respond to one. What happens?
2. This headline from 1907 would certainly make an exciting premise for a steampunk or retro suspense novel: Latest Discoveries Indicate that [Mars] is Peopled by a Race Superior to Mankind!

 Search the collection yourself and time travel into the past.

-MK
on Zazzle
on Amazon 

Graduation Invitations on Zazzle + Coupon Codes

Still need custom invitations for your spring graduation? Zazzle offers a huge variety. While I haven't yet made any graduation items in my own stores, plenty of other shopkeepers have one-of-a-kind invites and matching products that will make your graduation day special.
Explore the invites here:

And don't forget to check for coupon codes.

Have a happy graduation!

-MK
on Zazzle

GIMP Tutorial Lesson 3: Patterns

HOW TO MAKE SEAMLESS PATTERNS IN 9 STEPS

      Seamless patterns are patterns that repeat indefinitely when they're tiled side by side. So, if you have a square pattern and you surround it in copies of itself, the elements will match up. Since January, I've been experimenting with GIMP to learn how to make these patterns, so I thought I'd add a tutorial to the blog. If you want more help, you can visit here, here, here and here for more information.

     I'm going to demonstrate with a very simple polka dot pattern:

Irish Pub Customizable Home Bar Products on Zazzle

NEW IRISH PUB DESIGN WITH YOUR NAME ON IT

Last fall, I made a line of saloon-themed products on Zazzle, and they've proven popular - especially the cork coasters. So, I decided to make a whole series. That way, you can outfit your home bar with whatever theme you'd like. I'll probably be adding new themes here and there throughout the rest of the year. In honor of Saint Patrick's Day, I just finished this Irish Pub theme:

Personalized Irish Pub Home Bar Products on Zazzle

I started with the coaster (the image in the lower left) and then created matching items. Going clockwise from the coaster, this image shows a stein / mug, a clock, a hat, a wall poster, playing cards, a pillow and a t-shirt. There are plenty more matching items available in the FancyCelebration store here.

If you want to add a personal touch with an Irish theme, or if you know someone with a home bar or man cave, this design is very easy to personalize - just fill in the fields provided on each product page. And, as usual, don't forget to check Zazzle's coupon promo page to get a better discount.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

PS: If you're looking for funny Saint Patrick's Day items, check out the HaHaHolidays store here.

-MK

All images copyright MK Hess

MAKE BELIEVE MONDAY: Write a Story Set on the Island of Mustique

 WRITING PROMPT #3: Mustique Island

     Inspired by chronic snowfall, negative temperatures and cabin fever that's turning me into Jack Torrance, I've been randomly viewing sunny tropical photographs online in order to keep myself slightly sane. Then, a couple days ago, while browsing news articles, I came across a story about Kate Middleton / Duchess Katherine taking a family vacation to the Caribbean island of Mustique.
     Out of curiosity - and a thirst for more sunny pictures - I read about this privately-owned island and decided it would be a great place to set a story. So, for today's writing prompt, write a story set on Mustique or another Caribbean island frequented by the wealthy. Here are a few angles to get you started:

Valentine's Day Gift Ideas on Zazzle

CUTE AND PRETTY VALENTINE'S DAY GIFT IDEAS

With Valentine's Day swiftly approaching, I thought I'd show some sweetheart themed gift items from Zazzle today. Please note: since Zazzle is a print-on-demand company, you need to order in time for the item to be made as well as delivered.

1. A CUSTOM T-SHIRT. Here's one from my shop: I've Got a Crust on You! I love bread puns, and I made this slice of bread so it kind of has a Kewpie doll face. It's available on other items - including a greeting card - in my shop here.

Cute Crust on You Valentine's Day Pun Tshirt by HaHaHolidays

Here's the link to all the t-shirts on Zazzle - or make your own here.

New, Bright, Trendy Pattern Phone Cases on Zazzle

NEW BRIGHT PATTERNS, PHONE CASES ON ZAZZLE

Happy New Year, everyone! For the past couple weeks, I've been making some bright patterns and adding to one of my stores, FancyCelebration. Here's a glimpse of the new patterns on phone cases, although they're available on many, many products. They range from trendy to unique to vintage. This is a collage I put together on Polyvore here:

Unique Phone Cases, FancyCelebration store on Zazzle by mkhess

Click on the picture to see all the electronics cases in my store. Here's a link to the FancyCelebration store main page, too.

My overall favorites are the octopus, the seashells and the camouflage sheriff badge. The gear octopus was the hardest to make, but it looks cool on dark blue. The seashells remind me of a sunny beach, and I wish I was there right now. And the sheriff badge I made because it vaguely reminds me of "The Walking Dead." Some designs really stand out nicely - I just made the pink lip pattern, and it looks great on black. I also like the tiger pattern and the orchid purple chevron monogram one.

I hope everyone who's affected by the bad winter weather is staying warm and finding good use for the days when you're trapped inside. We're experiencing negative temperatures and constant snowfall here. Our chickens are locked up in the barn with extra bedding. 

I haven't updated this blog for a while, because I needed a break after the holidays and because my internet is so unreliable. But I hope to add more GIMP how-to instructions and writer inspiration soon.

Thanks for stopping by!

-MK

All images copyright MK Hess, except the wood wallpaper background (see it here).