Mirage

© Sybille Sterk 
Do not copy or publish this in any way, shape or form without my written permission 

New typographic image. Created with free and bought domain resources. The fonts used are Amatic and WG Marshall 

. 
The words are from a poem I wrote recently. Not everything is real and sometimes everything is nothing but a lie. 

Edited and mixed up in Photoshop. :D

Available as prints, phone and tablet cases, T-shirts, hoodies, mugs and travel mugs, wall hangings and shower curtains, cushions and bags, duvet covers and stationary cards. Oh and mouse mats. :D Have a ball. Have a set. :D

Society6

Redbubble

Artflakes

Crated

DeviantArt

and various others.

The Perfumed Garden

© Sybille Sterk

Do not copy or publish this in any way, shape or form without my written permission.

This is the first in a new Vintage series titled The Garden. I read a sign for a beauty salon somewhere called 'The Perfumed Garden' which inspired me to start this series. 

These vintage works are almost like picture puzzles, one element leading to another.I am sure each viewer will have his/her own interpretation. It all started with the idea of a garden and a lovely picture of an octopus, next came the skulls and the trees and then it grew to what you see now. Every garden carries it's death already in it and each death feeds the flowers to grow from it. It's all intricately spun together by the master of the web, which has eight legs, like the octopus who connects both life and death (in my head anyway). The beauty of this cycle is a heady perfume to those that see, from the scent of the flowers to the rotten stench in death. :-)

Assembled with the help of Photoshop and Illustrator, using free and bought sources and public domain images, and of course as always my own kind of magic.

Available as always on Redbubble, Artflakes, DeviantArt, FineArtAmerica, and Society6:

the key is laughter

© Sybille Sterk

Do not copy or publish this in any way, shape or form without my written permission.

Another digital collage of images from various (vintage) resources, including some I bought, some which are in the public domain and some from The Graphics Fairy, Vintage Printable and Karen's Whimsy. I added my own flair and and imagination and a little magic to make this.

Inspired by this quote by Yakov Smirnoff, 'if love is the treasure, laughter is the key'. :-) Perfect quote to start the new year with. :-)

On Society6:

You and Me

© Sybille Sterk 

Do not copy or publish this in any way, shape or form without my written permission.

Another conceptual illustration of one of my poems using photographs, textures and the poem itself. The poem can be read here in full.

All images/textures/brushes my own or bought. Edited with Photoshop.

The font is Amatic.

the message

© Sybille Sterk 

Do not copy or publish this in any way, shape or form without my written permission.

Image to illustrate my poem of the same name. New technique for me.

All images/textures/brushes my own or bought. Edited with Photoshop.

The font is Amatic.

On Society6

On Redbubble

and check out my images on metal plates available on displa.io

Happy Valentine's Day

Together Forever

© Sybille Sterk

Do not copy or publish this in any way, shape or form without my written permission.

Taken at the park. I love the way the two branches grow together, maybe with Spring (hopefully) not that far away they will grow together even more with intertwining leaves... I thought it was a lovely alternative to the usual Valentine's Day sentiments.

All images/textures/brushes my own or bought. Edited with Photoshop.

All my images are available on Redbubble, Artflakes, Society6 and Bluecanvas as prints, cards, posters, skins for laptops, Blackberry, iPhones and other phones (for the skins go to Bluecanvas). You can now also get most of my images on cushion covers (go to Society6 for these).

All available from Society6

 

Today Begins the Rest of Forever - 1000th Blog Post Special

© Sybille Sterk

Do not copy or publish this in any way, shape or form without my written permission.

Another of my inspirational, motivational posters. :-)

All images/textures/brushes my own or bought. Edited with Photoshop. Some patterns from Pixels & Icecream.

All my images are available on Redbubble, Artflakes, Society6 and Bluecanvas as prints, cards, posters, skins for laptops, Blackberry, iPhones and other phones (for the skins go to Bluecanvas). You can now also get most of my images on cushion covers (go to Society6 for these). (See bottom of post for examples)

And, because this is the 1000th blog post, here's a little giveaway. I know not all of you are digital artists, however, if you are you might like this and if you're not, leave me a nice comment anyway to be in for a chance to win a little something. I will use a number generator to choose the winner on the 11th, exactly one week from today The comment has to be for this post, I will contact the winner by e-mail, so make sure you leave me an e-mail address or check back here on the 11th. 

This is what you can win:

The textures can be used for free by the winner, even for commercial work, however they cannot be given for free to anyone else or posted for gain as they are.

All available on Society6

rainbow inside

© Sybille Sterk

Do not copy or publish this in any way, shape or form without my written permission.

Words from my poem of the same name:

I shed this skin
and what is left will be the rainbow
that escaped me for so long
and I will hug myself
and hold it tight
and I will never let it go

Image of the Cambridgeshire countryside taken by me a while back.

All images/textures/brushes my own or bought. Edited with Photoshop.

All my images are available on Redbubble, Artflakes, Society6 and Bluecanvas as prints, cards, posters, skins for laptops, Blackberry, iPhones and other phones (for the skins go to Bluecanvas). You can now also get most of my images on cushion covers (go to Society6 for these).

Available on Society6

Anew

© Sybille Sterk

Do not copy or publish this in any way, shape or form without my written permission.

Another typography design, this time with an inspirational quote. The fonts are True 2D outline and Peach Sundress.  The patterns are my own or from Pixels & Icecream as before.

All images/textures/brushes my own or bought. Edited with Photoshop.

All my images are available on Redbubble, Artflakes, Society6 and Bluecanvas as prints, cards, posters, skins for laptops, Blackberry, iPhones and other phones (for the skins go to Bluecanvas). You can now also get most of my images on cushion covers (go to Society6 for these).

All from Society6

 

a song in the dark

© Sybille Sterk

Do not copy or publish this in any way, shape or form without my written permission.

A photograph I took a couple of weekends ago. I love the autumn colours and the last of the fruit of the season. There's something so precious about this and it gives hope for another spring.

The words of the poem are mine:

the pyramids still stand
so why shouldn't I walk away
with a smile in my future and
a seed of hope
like a spark in the night
why shouldn't there be
a crown somewhere ahead or
at the very least
a rosebush
thorns and all

The whole poem can be read here

All images/textures/brushes my own or bought. Edited with Photoshop.

bitter taste

© Sybille Sterk

Do not copy or publish this in any way, shape or form without my written permission.

only a hint of flowers remains
like a dream and a kiss
a tiny little speck of hope
a seed for a future far away

Words and photographs my own, textures/brushes my own or bought. Edited with Photoshop.

The complete poem can be read here.

All my images are available on Redbubble, Artflakes, Society6 and Bluecanvas as prints, cards, posters, skins for laptops, Blackberry, iPhones and other phones (for the skins go to Bluecanvas). 

mysteries uncovered

© Sybille Sterk

Do not copy or publish this in any way, shape or form without my written permission.

Taken at the park.

Words my own, you can read the whole poem here:

the heart  

sometimes recovers

in the glow of  

new love and

the warmth of  

a gaze that looks

at it with

an open mind and  

adoration

and takes it  

and all the baggage  

by the hand  

back into the light  

and  

into a new spring

All images/textures/brushes my own or bought. Edited with Photoshop.

All my images are available on Redbubble, Artflakes, Society6 and Bluecanvas as prints, cards, posters, skins for laptops, Blackberry, iPhones and other phones (for the skins go to Bluecanvas).

Pearls of Wisdom

© Sybille Sterk

Do not copy or publish this in any way, shape or form without my written permission.

A photograph through the window by my computer. It's been raining and foggy or both for over a week now, with brief periods of sunshine.

The poem is my own and can be read here

another moment of 

stillness

that holds us
above the abyss

safe
for just this instant

All images/textures/brushes my own or bought. Edited with Photoshop.

All my images are available on Redbubble, Artflakes, Society6 and Bluecanvas as prints, cards, posters, skins for laptops, Blackberry, iPhones and other phones (for the skins go to Bluecanvas).

six degrees of desperation

© Sybille Sterk
Do not copy, or publish in any way without my permission.

Part of my new series of images for licensing on Arcangel-Images - use this code: SYST-00304

Inspired by the phrase 'the six degrees of separation' and my poem of the same name here

Created with my own photographs in Photoshop, no stock used.

Pierced

© Sybille Sterk

Do not copy, or publish in any way without my permission.

Part of my new series of images for licensing on Arcangel-Images use this code: SYST-00300

Image I took recently in the woods around Cambridge (near Byron's Pool, Grantchester). I stuck two feathers into the bark of an old oak. The feathers had been lying at the bottom of the tree trunk.

The words are from my poem truths to be found in the rain

rain drops tattooed the window pane
when I knew
the only truth to be found in this life
is the one carved out from your own skin

Created with my own photographs in Photoshop, no stock used.

the long road home

© Sybille Sterk

Do not copy or publish this in any way, shape or form without my written permission.

Home is a strange thing. It's made up of lots of little things and we never know what they are until we lose them and have to find them anew.

You can read the poem quoted in the image here

I lost my way

amongst the stars

infatuated by a

gleaming blue light

Part of my new series of images for licensing on Arcangel-Images - use this code: SYST-00288

Created with my own photographs in Photoshop, no stock used.

in dreams

© Sybille Sterk

Do not copy or publish this in any way, shape or form without my written permission.

Image taken last weekend in Orford. Word are from my recent poem of the same name, you can read the full poem here.

the girl

who

woke with a vision

of a sky blue with clouds

that went on forever

All images/textures/brushes my own or bought. Edited with Photoshop.

All my images are available on Redbubble, Artflakes, Society6 and Bluecanvas as prints, cards, posters, skins for laptops, Blackberry, iPhones and other phones (for the skins go to Bluecanvas).

If not now, when?

© Sybille Sterk

© Sybille Sterk
Do not copy or publish this in any way, shape or form without my written permission.

All my own images.

The photo was taken in Cambridgeshire (near Balsham) and edited in Photoshop with my own textures. The quote is from graffiti I saw on a chimney a while back. I always loved it.

I couldn't decide which version I liked better - colour or black and white, so I am posting both. I felt that each had a different message. For me the black and white image seems to come from a place of despair and the quote seems to be a last ditch attempt to save what can be saved, whereas the colour version seems to carry a feeling of excitement and the quote appears to be full of wonder.

What do you think? Which version do you like better?