The Hoatzin, the national bird of Guyana, is an unusual species of tropical bird found in swamps, riverine forest and mangroves of the Amazon and the Orinoco delta in South America. The scientific classification of this family of birds has been greatly debated, and is still far from clear. It is a roughly pheasant-sized bird, with a long neck and small head. It is brown in color, with paler underparts and has an un-feathered blue face with maroon eyes, and its head is topped by a spiky, rufous crest. It is called Stinkbird, the name is related to a strong smell the bird produces, perhaps due to the consumption of leaves. Even though these birds are very attractive and are not great fliers, they are not considered endangered, its survival seems to be more assured than that of many other birds in its geographic location, this is mostly due to… read more
Inspiks Market Blog
I thought I’d share some thoughts I had while at work today making donuts. I never read the newspaper except when I make donuts because we spread it out to keep the oil from getting all over the nice clean stainless steel tables. Usually there isn’t much worth reading, especially in this small Kentucky town, but today this headline caught my eye, “Evangelical Awed and Amazed by Evolution”, so I began reading. The article really had nothing to do with evolution or creation, nor of the debate between them but rather how Christians are silly to hold to their fight against Evolution which obviously is a fight against science. While I don’t have the statistics or head knowledge to fight like Ken Ham, I know that there are also plenty of evolutionists who are wowed by creation after they make the switch. I was raised believing in creation, that God… read more
Each month we feature some of the best Photoshop tutorials and this month is exciting! The tutorials range from cool photo manipulations, a cute twitter bird icon and awesome digital creations. Check them out, you may find something that you like! Giant Man In The City – Photoshop Tutorial In this tutorial you learn how to simulate a big man standing in the middle of a city. View Tutorial Design A Creative Portfolio in Photoshop In this tutorial you will learn how to create a clean web layout with a nice background illustration. View Tutorial Create A Realistic Loaf of Bread in Photoshop This tutorial will demonstrate how to create a realistic looking loaf of bread in Photoshop. View Tutorial [sam id=3 codes=’false’] Draw Realistic Liquids in Vector Art Learn numerous Illustrator techniques to create vector liquid, by playing around with Illustrator’s Mesh tool, Warp tool and layer blending… read more
How to Create an HDR Image in Adobe CS5: Today we’ll learn how to create a High Dynamic Range (HDR) image. I’ll show you how to merge and edit one using Adobe CS5’s full line up of fantastic photographic tools. [1] High dynamic range imaging (HDRI or just HDR) is a set of techniques that allow a greater dynamic range of luminance between the lightest and darkest areas of an image than standard digital imaging techniques or photographic methods. This wider dynamic range allows HDR images to more accurately represent the wide range of intensity levels found in real scenes, ranging from direct sunlight to faint starlight. Final Image [/sociallocker]
Should Christians celebrate Halloween? the answer to this question may be obvious to some, but believe it or not most Christians do not know or don’t care to know about the history behind this much celebrated day. Halloween is celebrated around the world when people dress up in costumes, collect candy from neighbors and have parties, but do we ever take time to think about the origins of Halloween? Most people don’t think twice about participating in it saying “It’s all in fun” or “Its not evil to me”, but is this so called hallow evening really so innocent? Christians are called to be set apart from the practices of the world, especially those with an history of the occult. Watch this intriguing video that shed some light on the practices and history of…Halloween! Relevant scripture on the issue of Halloween and Christians: “When you come into the land which… read more
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the words, LOWLY and MEEK. I was given a dream several weeks ago. I was bent down in the dream, when the shadow of man walked up to me and said that we were going to meet face to face. I knew it was the Lord, Jesus. He asked me when, and in the dream I asked, “How about on the third day?” At first I didn’t understand, because I thought I was bent down working. The Lord revealed to me that we all shall be bowed low before Him and in His presence. I was thinking how meek and lowly Jesus was spoken of throughout the Bible. Meek and lowly has just really been upon my heart lately and I’ve been pondering the words. Pride is an ugly thing and the enemy loves pride, he is the head of all pride, and … read more
The parable in Luke 12:16-21 that talks about the rich man, packs a lot of punch for people like me, though I don’t stockpile money, I do stockpile stuff. I always want the better lens, the better flash, the bigger camera, the lighter tripod, the faster computer. I have been extremely blessed in what I do have and I must learn not only to be content with it but also not to stockpile it, but to use it in such a way as to become rich towards God. And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods…. read more
My daughter has been on my heart a lot this morning, so I thought I would share. If I seem too open, it’s okay, this is me, and life in this world is always real. Jesus didn’t promise that we will have no pain and no sorrow, in fact, if someone preaches blessings and prosperity in this world with no pain or no trials, RUN! Run the other way, because they are preaching another gospel, a false gospel! The one true Shepherd of my soul, the living Jesus who has risen from the dead and is seated at the right hand of the Father, and His written word, tells me I will suffer and I will be tested and tried. He also said that there will be pain, but through it all, Jesus is with me and always close. If we were to remain on the mountain top and never… read more
Xara 3D Type in a Wallpaper Project: Photo manipulation is always fun, it opens the spectrum of what we can create in Photoshop and allow our imagination to run wild! Today we will be re-creating a wallpaper called “Life”. In this wallpaper, I used some simple techniques to pull all my elements together, like 3D typography from Xara3D, and a few images. The inspiration for this image came from a reflection on how we can see the majesty of God in creation. Every living thing has a purpose in the circle of life, and we can’t help, but give God the glory and honor! Worthy art Thou, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for Thou didst create all things, and because of Thy will they existed, and were created. Revelation 4:11 Final Image Skill Level Intermediate Resources Xara3DMushroom Image From Stock.xchngRobin Image From From… read more
Hi, my name is Tyler A. van der Hoeven, I accepted Jesus Christ as the Savior for my sins at the age of four. Although my salvation didn’t mean a whole lot to me then, salvation isn’t about the saved, its about the Savior, and what He does to those he has redeemed. My testimony isn’t about me and all that Jesus saved me from, but rather its all about my Savior, the only Son of God, part of the triune Godhead, born of the virgin Mary, who lived on earth as the God/man and died on the cross, bearing the full, unrestrained wrath of almighty God against all my sins. I am the worst sinner I know, such a hypocrite, so prone to pride, to take the credit and pass the blame. It is such a wonder to me that God chooses to keep such a one as me,… read more
In my previous post A Dreamer – Escaping The Brokenness of Life, I shared with you a little of my life leading up to me being saved and being blessed with a spirit filled husband, today I will share how The Holy Spirit has blessed me with different gifts in order to share the Gospel. I’m a dreamer. I also am given many visions from the Lord. These are gifts from the Holy Spirit, yes. Joel speaks of this [ Joel 2:28 ] and again in Acts. [ Acts 2:17 ] The journey in Jesus and this walk, is painful and joyous. That is truth. Persecution has come in all different, shapes and sizes. but the outcome of these trials and tribulations is this. Jesus is LORD and He is KING! I become stronger in Christ. To press toward the higher calling in Christ Jesus. To persevere in Him. I… read more
Today we will learn the Basics of Compositing in Photoshop CS5,  based on a photo in my Flickr photo stream titled Collide. We will learn how to take components of an image and merge them with another image in Photoshop. I had a lot of fun on this one and I hope you’ll learn a lot and that it will fuel you to be more creative and expansive in your editing. Let’s get started! [sociallocker] Final Image Related Image collide |kəˈlÄ«d| verb [ intrans. ] hit with force when moving : she collided with someone | two suburban trains collided. • come into conflict or opposition : in his work, politics and metaphysics collide. “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 the… read more
Where does one begin to truly share about one’s self? First and foremost, thank you Lord for opening a door here to share forth to others of Your goodness, Your Mercy, Your grace, thank You Lord. I would like to start out by sharing about Jesus and give ALL to Him, my Friend, my Strong Tower, My Refuge, My Lord and my Savior, My Healer and Provider,  a true Praise, a true honor and heartfelt glory. He is not only a wonderful Savior and Lord,  He (Jesus) is Lord over me and in my life. He gave me life and I have come to realize, I am not my own, as it is written in the Word. I have been blood bought and paid for [ 1 Corinthians 6:20 ]. I desire to please Him, though I fail at times, this is my true hearts desire to live for Him… read more
In this Photoshop tutorial, we will learn the Basics of Color Focus Editing or selective color, the post-processing technique where most of a photo is converted to black and white, but some parts are left in color to draw the viewer’s eye. Landscape photography is the most common application for this technique. Colorful leaves in an otherwise drab scene can breathe life into a photo. This technique can be applied to any genre, but portraits and landscapes are the usual beneficiaries. Buckle up people, lets get into this exciting tutorial! its gonna be a wild ride! Final image Here are some examples of images that I created using the same technique, check out my Flickr Profile for more examples.
As we come to the close of our 100 Days Praise Challenge, we want to thank w2wsoul.com and those who participated, gave praise shout outs, and shared their artwork. We continue to give God thanks and praise for the things he has done in our lives, because we really and truly cannot stop giving praise to God. Praise should be a part of our daily lives and should encompass all that we do. Living a life that is surrendered totally to Christ is our ultimate offering of praise. Our Praise Challenge took us through many books in the Bible and we learnt that praise can take many forms for the believer. Singing songs and hymns, clapping our hands, even jumping for joy…the list is endless. We can give glory and praise to our God with the use of our physical bodies, with our hearts and minds, and with our talents… read more
Each month we feature some of the best Photoshop tutorials and this month is exciting! The tutorials range from cool photo manipulations, to some fantastic digital drawings. Check them out, you may find something that you like! Create a Brick Curtain with Displace Filter in Photoshop This tutorial will teach you how to create a curtain made of bricks or how to deform a brick wall as it was a curtain. To do that we will use a few stock photos, layer adjustments and the Displace filter in Photoshop CS5. The technique is pretty simple and the tutorial won’t take you more than 30 minutes to go through it. View Tutorial Create a Fantasy Girlbird Illustration with Photoshop Create a fantasy bird girl illustration using digital painting and photo manipulation techniques. The results can often be cute, funny, or even a bit disturbing, check it out! View Tutorial Create… read more
Create a Panorama in Photoshop CS5: In this tutorial we will learn about panoramas and the very basics in levels adjustments to make our images pop in ways they maybe never have! We will use Adobe Bridge and Camera Raw to do some post work on our image and stitch multiple images together to make a cool panorama, then we will use the powerful tools in Photoshop CS5 to make the final adjustments. Ok, lets begin! Create a Panorama in Photoshop CS5 [sociallocker] Final Image [/sociallocker]
I am so happy to be a Christian; I would’ve rather not have been created, than live life without my heavenly Father. I love to praise Him. I love to sing to Him…my favorite song to sing to Him is “How Great is Our Godâ€, and that’s for the simple reason: it is the only song I can sing without butchering very badly! LOL! I am not writing this because of my easy life, actually this morning I cried my heart out and I didn’t even find a taste in my breakfast because my heart was crying inside that I could not feel anything on the outside. But we can either choose to draw closer to Him through those extremely troubling and painful times, or we can choose to drift away from Him. The Bible mentions many names, more than anyone can remember, but only few names stand out from… read more
In this video tutorial by Che McPherson from TutCandy.com, you will learn how to use custom brushes to add a nice splatter effect to your image to create a stunning abstract piece of artwork. Check it out and Enjoy! Resources Free Splatter Brush Set by loswl Create Custom Brushes in Photoshop by che mcpherson Final Image [sociallocker] [/sociallocker]
One of the things that continues to inspire artist is the natural things around us. Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. As we look around us we are inspired by all the beauty that God has created for us to enjoy, water, fire, plants, animals, birds, fishes, clouds, rainbows, etc. God has given us the ability to imagine and design varied amount of images, in our minds and these images spill out on the canvas as beautiful pieces of art. Creattica a gallery of great design and inspirational imagery showcases the artwork of some amazing artist. Below you will find some breathtaking images from their archives inspired by nature. Enjoy! [sam id=3 codes=’false’] [sam id=3 codes=’false’] [sam id=3 codes=’false’]
There are times where life hits us and just strikes a nerve with us, causing a change in attitude and to recognize what really matters. We all go through struggles and it’s important that we remember to look to the right places for comfort, understanding, help, and healing during these times. This is one of those times for a particular family in my church and it’s pulling at my heart to share. The Inspiration for This Madison Davis is 6 years old. She has been battling cancer with a good amount of success since she was 4 1/2 years old. Her parents, Destry and Christy Davis and her siblings, all have a very strong faith in God, even through the struggles they have had to endure. However, a recent scan showed that the cancer has come back in multiple places including her bone marrow and a spot on or near… read more
We’ve decided to start doing a roundup of the best tutorials released on the web each month. This month, there were some excellent tutorials for you to choose from. Please take a moment to review our favorites from August 2010. Paint Using A Dreamlike 80’s Airbrush Effect Learn how to create a beautiful, dreamlike painting full of subtle details but with a bold 80’s color scheme? Design duo KittoZutto show you how in this tutorial on creating an airbrushed portrait tapping the glory days of Athena posters. Visit Tutorial Create A Elegant Gold Ornamental Text in Photoshop Learn how to create an unusual text effect by combining different photos and brush elements. This golden text is a nice idea and suitable for some treasury topic. Visit Tutorial Create A Cool Scenery using Matte Painting Techniques In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to take a concept, develop it using linear… read more
Another capture of a park bench; don’t they just look so romantic? And because I think they are romantic they remind me of something happened about two weeks ago. Two weeks ago I was working with a co-worker who is new to Canada (he has been here for only four months) and has been married not long ago (he celebrated his first wedding anniversary a couple of weeks ago). He speaks English but a bit broken; he certainly speaks better English than I did when I came to Canada. He is truly a joy to work with because he is very easy going, funny, and hard working, that’s why I usually work with him. We were just talking while working, and he told me about his first wedding anniversary being that week, and how he used to work as a marine engineer back in his home country, and so on…. read more
The book, “Creation, The Dawn of Mankind” by Mark Taylor, presents a fresh look at an old story, the story of man’s beginning, as recorded in the book of Genesis. Genesis gives a compelling answer to man’s greatest question, “where did we come from?” The book is illustrated in a comic format using unique full color artwork, created with 3d and 2d software. It captures the wonder of creation and the fact that God made it all for man, His ultimate creation. God’s plan of salvation is revealed in the story and we get to see the loving grace and mercy of God, to His fallen and disobedient children. Read and Share it today. Click the lower right edge of the Flash Book after it is loaded. Book also available in paperback on Blurb Why Did I Write The Book? As a kid, I often pondered the question of, “how… read more
