Hello all ! It's been a couple of days since I made a post. Mostly because getting back into the rhythm at work *and* getting over the last remnants of my throat infection has left me pretty drained, so I haven't done much more than laze around reading a book when I got home from work. Well, now I feel much better again, and have just finished work upon my latest [cryptocollectible artwork](https://superrare.co/artwork/rotational-axiom-932) ! ![RotationalAxiom.gif](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmTXSxx5LsSqaUse4gRmz38hgNDU38wpz9Jn2BTVVpdp4Z/RotationalAxiom.gif) [**Rotational Axiom**](https://superrare.co/artwork/rotational-axiom-932) is, in my opinion, one of my best works along with [Light of Origins](https://superrare.co/artwork/light-of-origins-580) # The idea I started out with the desire to try something different with [Weavesilk](http://weavesilk.com/). As interesting as [Weavesilk](http://weavesilk.com/) is, the symmetry is localized, and can't be changed, meaning any use of symmetry is going to look like this: ![](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmTtuRMHc5xvWCUHTeuLANSMoi9BzAMZ7jZN8qkz9kkLJ9/image.png) ![](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmdA6A38rXb6TqcKZrP7nVY39NnmgY7MkU4JnaetCycrDJ/image.png) ![](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmeDZnHq791D2Dy8M3FJAin6wxMjxe8aooMsLj6fW4zHi7/image.png) Or any other combination of centered imagery. The [Weavesilk](http://weavesilk.com/) utility doesn't allow for erasing part of your designs, or moving them around, so any such adjustments need to be done in external editing software like [GIMP](https://www.gimp.org/). So, that's just what I set out to do, *use [GIMP](https://www.gimp.org/) To create an artwork with symmetrical elements that weren't all centered in one spot*. # The raw materials: *Several different symmertical [Weavesilk](http://weavesilk.com/) images* After some experimentation in Weavesilk, I ended up with 7 different symmetrical images: ![G.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmZC8ChKnprBoKMUDBDw2wcrYVRtmtUiMRuQwRci36Ao9c/G.png) The *center piece*, that I wanted the others to fit around. Several pieces whom I wanted to *give a spin to* (quite literally, as you'll see later ;) ): ![F.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmewJUR3qTbidSHkaarQvdp94YRzEDJ59NKr24ez91HPzS/F.png) ![E.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmX4uwcL2Ds6bdiiCYEQmb2GBekAdUt4cZ3aZ9RvwURft5/E.png) ![b.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmaVKyXxdpSYsRaA1GhQMqcALWg1Mz4eoE37RZZVsdZmyN/b.png) ![A.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmQqYeVV5Q4BmYsXhGQbNvYodGUjLyCK48c7XZU1cnj6m6/A.png) ----------------------- I haven't quite mentioned it yet, but I intended from the start to make this a dynamic artwork (AKA., a GIF), as I quite like seeing movement. .... Also, I've noticed my GIF artworks sell better on [SuperRare](https://superrare.co/pbock) ;) ------------------------ And some extra elements to whom I wanted to add some alternative "movement". ![C.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmaNJPgQfGhhA96r3ih4AUVmvqheenm9i6a5nhNsRW5tHU/C.png) ![D.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmTpfxmxcggf8t9dVBGoF9QCL6u29A9iy6QEAk4BRTtKqQ/D.png) # It's [GIMP](https://www.gimp.org) Time ! Now that I had the raw materials, I had to decide how to combine them. ## import as layers I loaded everything into [GIMP](https://www.gimp.org) as separate layers: ![](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmSctco7suvnoR5TXRsjz2ibqAT3GDiacTZ4vaBRxVcKA1/image.png) Then resized the canvas to be more centered, as I'd previously noticed my artwork gets a **horrible** zoom to it when shown on SuperRare. As you can see, the artworks on [SuperRare](https://superrare.co/market), when displayed on the Activity pane or Marketplace, are shown as square artworks: ![](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmd62Fs7XxEidmJ4MwhtinKT5cZLwneQoLCr8utqqbxnJF/image.png) ![](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmS1yUH3zga9EJ7wU2uj8TE2b3hgx5U2zCLkdQyD8faesS/image.png) While most of mine have an elongated part in terms of Width: ![](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmcAmGEpUaRLdxPX29ugyh9hPS47MRgZ14JxF48t6DWoLU/image.png) So, a couple of artworks ago I began to make sure that my artworks fit the square format. Both because they're actually more attractive like that for most of the, and to adapt it better to how they're initially presented on the platform. ## Color to Alpha One of my favorite tricks to combine images is to take Weavesilks black background and just *magick* it into the alpha channel. I **love** that feature ! ![](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmeAUhSgbBYud4g1qikjh9vrAbVbrvs3ergYgBHs9vArN5/image.png) So, after doing that to all the images except the background, we've got ourselves a... busy... piece : ![](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmSjnYS66yxaQTXZgpJVwwod1U3Pp6ssQyYqhsQdz63npy/image.png) All of them centered makes for a **very** crowded image XD ## Rescaling the layers and Placement Then, I just needed to move the layers around, rescaling as needed, till I had an acceptable disposition that had the *central piece* well visible and the others arranged in a manner I found pleasing to the eye: ![](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmSkb8ZHdh1VNKTmRL1TEwDQp7ymeHVVMf7RGzYs1hjSFC/image.png) ## Time for some *movement* Now, I just needed to decide how to make everything fit together in terms of movement. I'd already decided to use Rotation on 4 of the segments, and scaling on one, so I settled on part-color-change, part decompostion of the last segment: ![](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmY83BvERrUxMJKLPpxcrHpXVjjBV2e8BPPfzNLK3Ggpjk/image.png) ![](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmb7pQL1rGZZKBHkeydQdJ8i4RNDDfHvCrCisTTRUWjs31/image.png) ![](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmcnfnZDeXDirHFQiZQfLtz6zL8eX86TuC78S9bb6gjck8/image.png) ![](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmZ1Nj5KjANXYTvJc6NxTBSpSiqaLqqzZat7eL7aSvNWSH/image.png) ![](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmYoqZrBLXNNptPXyskcKmvH3K6UE877nFW1U6yP82wXQP/image.png) # [Deep Styling](https://deepdreamgenerator.com) As usual, I made several experiments before settling on one style: ![](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmXvdvdXLLvjRRqvsghhUgVxeyiX1EQm5973TM6MKdtXcJ/image.png) ![](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmeJgUwXi5NWPrTUsqpkP2i3pEDmkDny7vc9cAsHxWeLjM/image.png) ![](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmYvobxnopG4BqTHtjc3owLRzfiuT8csyLmnjJCbwnTzpP/image.png) ![](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmcfHu35PacBD6hBYaFZpxKSMvmfvBQoMUt7EK6b5jigZS/image.png) ![](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQme424GKoLiR9qaqsxnDs5Ubn7FkuoqNSenLxbQWreLpTU/image.png) ![](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmbYP6qBPZUcvP9xvTB5v9CHmLhgxEdAyPernhUFmSWooM/image.png) ![](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmRh4Fnh2nkCeSjVP5XqExKsUV3c4vR7d78hmQBtTBF96T/image.png) ![](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmYrpGXCKyUSGh1yDUanErvwtrtz755xa7K6R3SgeKsAJh/image.png) After I'd identified the style that gave me the best result, I could reuse it, with medium resolution for the rest of the 9 images. ![](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmWdBGUYcdiN4UkDUKdsuqWEaRaFDWcpEoSQd5uPBnjKpH/image.png) I choose the Medium resolution (5 images / Hour), instead of the HD one this time (2 images/ Hour) because It'd have taken me 5 hours of waiting to generate the 10 images, instead of the 2 it took me, if I'd chosen HD... and it looked perfectly fine in Medium resolution anyway Then it was just a question of combining them in GIMP again, and optimizing for GIF (which takes all stationary elements from the images and puts them in a background image, replacing them by transparency, thus saving space). ![](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmV14zBr5AMPuoSNrAmbWpqmf6Z7rtfUVTk9bzkqfCd5uQ/image.png) Then exporting it as a GIF and uploading it to [SuperRare](https://superrare.co/artwork/rotational-axiom-932), setting a price of 1.5 ETH in case that VK_crypto persona who's been buying up artworks like candy for the last day wants it ;) ![](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmRCDHCfjsL6RrkZEn3VetB7bJVgYb4UsYGcnLmFcE66W5/image.png) You never know, and honestly if anyone bids above 0.5 Eth I'll probably accept in a flash hehe. But the more it sells for, the more #monsterrafflethree tickets I can buy ;) -------------------------------------- As usual, other than the screenshots of [SuperRare](https://superrare.co/activity), all artwork is released under [CC BY SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) ![](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmTQjaadzENhK95zdiqSE2FnKZ99DW9Qi78fq775apc9Ra/image.png) ![steemsilvergold.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmeTMqHPvvPsqiaAfKbi3CLBHrCy3MUwBLDi4njdDdbvSR/steemsilvergold.png)