I love shooting snowscapes, beautiful light just seems to create itself as it leaps and bounces off the snow and trees. Snow is a such fascinating phenomenon of nature, something that never ceases to amaze me. The way it gently floats to the earth, yet over relatively short periods of time can cover whole cities and towns with many feet of its airy lightness.The Bible has much to say about snow. Here are a few of my favorites. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Psalm 51:7 Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all deeps, fire and hail, snow and mist, stormy wind fulfilling his word! Psalm 148:7-8 Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red… read more
Inspiks Market Blog
Digital Painting in Adobe Photoshop Basics: This is the first part of a series of Digital Painting in Photoshop tutorials, in this tutorial you will learn about setting up your Wacom tablet properties in Photoshop. Although the Tablet covered is the Intuos4 there is information that is still useful and relative to the Intuos3 tablet. Digital painting is an emerging art form in which traditional painting techniques such as watercolor, oils, impasto, etc. are applied using digital tools by means of a computer, a digitizing tablet and stylus, and software. Enjoy! Next tutorial in the series: Digital Painting in Adobe Photoshop Basics – Setting up New Document
The past few days, something keeps coming to me. Eyes being opened, I thought of the eagle, the eagle has much wisdom. Much discernment and sees things other animals cannot see. The Eagle can see from great heights and depths below. So too can we, when the Lord reveals the spiritual things to His people. Something with the eyes being opened for those who wish to see, they shall see even more. Those who see more, shall receive the greater. For he who is faithful with the little, the Lord shall indeed bless with the much, because His word speaks divine truth. The Lord has been laying or placing deeply upon my heart the book of Daniel and the 70th week. I don’t watch tv/news, but I heard about the cyclone in England-level 5. I am again reminded of eyes being opened in these last days, to those whom are… read more
Today I have a testimony to share with you from my Flickr friend Andrew, he has a great testimony and it’s awesome to see the passion in his life. He has done some missions work and you can just tell that it has impacted him in big ways! Testimony I grew up in a very strong Christian family. We would always go to church and I was able to see Godly examples of life from either my family or the people at my church. But even so, I remember feeling from a very young age that I just didn’t think that I fit in very well. I wasn’t sure what it was at the time, but looking back now I know that it was a feeling of inadequacy, like I wasn’t living up to what was expected of me. I have two older brothers, both of which I thought always… read more
I found myself being still before the Lord today, seeking His face about something that took place and I was reminded of this scripture today as I sat still before the Lord. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” Amos 4:6 O my! The Bible is filled with so much, so much to learn, to inquire of the Lord and so much revealed to us in His word. My people perish and are destroyed, wow, those words alone are a mighty mouthful. They were once His people yet they are destroyed. Destroyed and perish without the knowledge of the Living God. The True knowledge of Who He is, God. A Mighty and Sovereign God, we are all called to serve in this earth. The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign LORD, “when I will send a famine through the land–not a famine of food or a thirst for water,… read more
We have a great line-up of tutorials this month, that will satisfy your artistic thirst! These tutorials range from cool photo manipulations, typography effects, Photography tricks and much more. Check them out, you may find something that you like! Futuristic Photo Illustration With Photoshop Take an image of a model and turn it into a futuristic composition that uses various Photoshop techniques such as masks, color and light effects… View Tutorial Learn the Secrets of Painted Photos Derek Lea focuses on a single Corel Painter tool, the Oil Palette Knife. It uses the colors and imagery from existing layers and spreads them around on a new layer, taking you far along the path from photo to painted portrait, with only fine detail to be added… View Tutorial Create an Ice Cream Type Treatment in Photoshop Learn how to realize an awesome text effect using ice cream! The process is simple… read more
Today our testimony is courtesy of Mike Daly, Mike is a brother-in-law of a friend and he is a great encourager to me and he really has a heart for Jesus. Testimony I was raised in a Christian Home, we went to church on Sunday, and I was always aware of God in our lives. I was baptized as a baby and confirmed in the Catholic faith when I was in Grade 9. Ever since I can remember I have always had, what I considered, a relationship with God. I remember always praying and talking to God and believing in everything about him. I went throughout my teenage years pretty much doing whatever I wanted. I knew what was right and what was wrong. But all in all I was, by my estimation and by most others, a “good†person. I never really drank until my graduation night, I never… read more
I read Acts 1 and 2 in my devotions recently and was struck by the timing of the coming of the Holy Spirit. Read with me in Acts 2:1-4. What struck me was the timing. Why now? The reason that struck a chord with me were the words right before the Holy Spirit suddenly came. Namely the words, “They were all together in one place.” This strikes me because they were called to be witnesses for Jesus across to the ends of the whole earth. How were they going to do this if they were all together in one place? When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one… read more
Today’s testimony is brought to you courtesy of Dave Berryman, he is one of the many wonderful people that I have had the privilege of meeting on Flickr. I take much inspiration from him, from both his style of photos and the awesome messages he includes with them. The idea of sharing others testimonies was actually from Dave and I would like to thank him for allowing me to share this with all of you. Testimony I grew up in a Christian home all my life, but when I left home I became addicted to porn. I went to church every Sunday but I could not stop my insatiable appetite for porn. I was on the church board, but I could not let go of porn…it had its hooks in me good! I led small groups but for some reason I didn’t have the ability to stop looking at porn… read more
The Lord has sent me to FarmVille, a game available on social networks. In FarmVille, players grow crops and trees, raise animals, put up buildings, and visit other players’ environments, while earning coins to “unlock” items that help them advance. Strange you may think, and you’re not alone. At first I thought so too. However, the Lord’s thoughts are not ours and His ways are much higher and much different. He has been using me through meeting new people, a new field to go into. Sharing thoughts and words as He lays them upon my heart. Speaking to me spiritually through playing FarmVille. It is astounding to me how much FarmVille on Facebook relates to many passages in the Bible. The tending to and the caring of. Giving to others and helping others in need….Oh it is amazing:) Unless the Lord, shall till us by his grace, we shall produce… read more
Although Christian designers can derive inspiration from almost everything, the Bible is our greatest source of inspiration. The Bible is filled with life changing words that can also be translated into beautiful eye-catching wallpapers. The wallpapers allow us to experience the Word of God in a whole new light. We collected some beautiful wallpapers below, remember to share them with someone today. [sam id=3 codes=’false’] [sam id=3 codes=’false’] [sam id=3 codes=’false’]
Today’s testimony is brought to you by an anonymous friend, she has been a great encouragement to me and is an inspirational woman of faith. Testimony My siblings and I were raised by a single mother and the occasional step-dad (around three years in total with that guy). We moved a lot and rarely stayed in one place too long; I think four years may have been the longest. We were always either in trailer courts or government subsidized housing in the urban, inner city or suburban ghettos. We were rarely supervised so life was free and without rules, so trouble and/or bad choices seem to ensue where ever I lived. I can now laugh with my siblings and proclaim that we were truly feral animals. Due to this environment I learned a lot about how to survive mentally and physically. I did a lot of fighting growing up to… read more
Last year was tough and this year is shaping up to be about the same, while I can’t speak to your specific need or heart ache, I know that there is a higher place to tread than this hard world we live in. Much like the deer in this image, our spirits are gaunt, barely able to survive on the scarce grass and leaves left over from the long, dry, and hot summer. Only the strongest have survived and they are weakening. What hope is there under such an aggressive hand as that of our God? So often it seems pressed upon us, it seems to crush us, even to death. Where is hope, where is strength, where is the green grass for our souls to feast upon? Truly the feast does not lie in the valley, but upon the mountain, on the heights, but alas, for how shall we… read more
I read an article by Brandon, about demons, and I decided to share my personal story of some accounts I had in the past. This is the first time I am sharing this with anyone on-line, but I think it can be an eye opener for some. Demons are very real, I have had my experiences. Let me share one with you. First, let let me give a disclaimer: I don’t smoke, drink, take any kind of drugs, I have no mental problems etc, etc and what I am about to say may sound crazy!! For a few months, about five or six years ago, I was working on a Creation Book and during this time, I had some experiences that led me to believe that I had demon activity in our house. I would be troubled in my sleep almost every night and sometimes when I was taking a nap… read more
We should remember our Creator, looking to Him for grace and strength. Not just in time of need, but we should see it as always a time of need, especially for Him and the things of Him and for Him, through the good and through the sad. Daily seeking Him for His will in our lives, with our whole heart and all that is within us, to make His desires become ours. We are not our own, we have no right to ourselves. God made you and I; He is our Creator. He made us that we may be happy, but we can be happy only in him. And as He created us, so Jesus preserves you and I. The Lord feeds, clothes, upholds us. Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, “I find… read more
Never forget who you are or what you’re called to. We are saved to proclaim the excellencies of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. Think on this! Its stunning and terrifying! We are lights in a dark world. We are going to be offensive; seen as evildoers. Our actions may look awkward and silly, yet we are not called to popularity or to a better life here on earth. Indeed, we are called to suffer and we must fulfill our calling, though it brings pain from people, it reaps rewards from the Almighty, all knowing, awesome God. Live not as the world does, following their way of life and passions of the flesh, but rather living as honorable children of the King, ransomed and forgiven from all your sins, living as a sacrifice to show to the world how glorious God is. But you are… read more
We’re going to have to take this section slow, one awesome statement at a time. After Jesus had confronted the devil coming from the mouth of Peter he speaks these words in regard to setting our minds on the things of God. “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.†Wow, and ouch and YES! I so want to come after Jesus, I want to share in his power, in his life, in his glory, but to do so I must die. I must be sacrificed, brutally, for the cross is no symbol at this point, it is a guillotine, a gallows, an axe used to whop off criminals heads. “Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will… read more
We have a great line-up of tutorials this month, that will satisfy your artistic thirst! These tutorials range from cool photo manipulations, abstract illustrations, cool typography effects and much more. Check them out, you may find something that you like! Extremely Glossy and Shiny Text Effect In this Photoshop tutorial, we’re going to see how to create extremely glossy and shiny text effect with glitter texture. We will use simple techniques blending and layer style effects.. View Tutorial Undress a Giraffe in Photoshop Have you ever wanted to know what a Giraffe looks like without its spots? If so, this tutorial is for you. This tut we will demonstrate how to undress a giraffe by removing its spots. View Tutorial Honey Bubbles Text Effect In this very easy Photoshop tutorial, we’re going to see how to create warm honey text effect with bubbles texture. We will use simple techniques such… read more
Today I wish to talk to you about something that I think that we all struggle with in life, and that is being content. I am going to start out by saying that I have been a horrible example as one who is content in my past. I have been driving for 5 years and I have had 5 different vehicles, none of them have been totaled. Arguable, my first few cars were not so great, but my fourth was a ’99 Honda Civic with relatively low kilometers. It was a great car that would have lasted me a long time but I had always wanted a Honda Prelude. So I sold my Civic and went a few months without a car so that I could save to get a Prelude. I ended up with exactly what I was looking for, a well-maintained, low kilometer, eucalyptus green pearl Prelude. So… read more
In this world you will have tribulation, take it seriously. For just one second take only that. Jesus just promised all of His followers tribulation. That means we are going to get hurt, in our heart and in our life, that hurts. So back to the point, what is it that will bring peace? Why would Jesus promise tribulation? He says first that He has said these things.. what things? He has said that he will leave, die, and they will lament. Yet, he will return in a little while and they will rejoice and no one will be able to take away their joy. Even though they have trial and tribulation, their joy will be indestructible. Wow, is my joy like that? “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome… read more
Adding Drama to Your Images: Today we’re going to cover the process I use to add drama to an image. By combining HDR, RAW, and Black and White images together in Photoshop we can achieve some very unique and stunning effects. While not applicable to all instances this technique is a great way to really set your work apart. Final Image
This is without a doubt, one of the the most stunning sunsets I have ever had the chance to photograph. It only lasted about 5 minutes and if my brother Sam hadn’t grabbed me I never would have shot it. It was a great reminder to me of the shortness of the life and the great need to make the most of it, not living for myself in the futility of my mind, making idols of my possessions, but rather to prepare for an eternity in heaven. Our condition and status in heaven is greatly measured by what we do here on earth and it is worth it to lose this short life of fleeting pleasure in order that I might gain a better resurrection and standing in heaven. We are not saved by what we do, nor is anyone more saved by any works we can do, but there… read more
Facing hard times is something that most people around the world can easily relate with today, gas price is sky high, major companies and banks are failing, the world economy is on a downhill slide and the ripple effects go on and on. How will we respond when problems come to our doorstep? Our response can either be a way to grow in a positive direction or cause us to crumble. Depending on how hard you fall, it may be harder for you to look up; some may go to the extreme response of cursing God! We can take a tip from Job, he was a righteous man, but he had the worst economic crisis in his life, he lost it all, land, house, health, family and friends, basically he lost everything. In Job 23:2-12, Job hoped that he would see God working out his circumstances, but God seemed to… read more
Our driveway is a piece of art. At the top, it’s all concrete, which then switches over to chip’n seal. Next comes a run of very beat up blacktop before finishing off with a final cracked section of concrete. The changes are abrupt and shocking and to ride your smooth bike tires down it can be an adventure at times. Yet, it seemed a fitting subject for the life changes that are taking place with me these days. I just finished up my last day at the farm where I’ve been working for the past three years of my life. I’ve already been offered two new job positions in the past week, yet I am so sad to leave and feel unprepared to step out once again into the unknown. But, God has my steps all laid out, one right after the other, just out of my sight and I… read more
