Work in Progress

I got back into making art / digital collages in GIMP a few weeks ago, after years of not touching the program and wanted to make a place to post my creations.

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"Untitled"

Glitch art with dithered elements made in GIMP.

Not much to say about this one; I experimented with the technique behind this piece and similar ones quite a bit for some time and thought I'd share the results. In hindsight, I really like how they look, and the fact that they could (theoretically) also double as/be used as textures, for example.

(original draft made on Oct 5th 2024, edited March 14th 2026)

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"Digital Tears"

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Glitch art made in GIMP with free stock images from pexels.com.

I think almost anyone can relate to the feeling of crying in anger or frustration or rage. There are lots of reasons to do so, after all.

In this particular case, it's also a personal piece, as I have been frustrated trying to get certain parts 'just right' or achieve specific results/effects. And I also a lot of other frustrations when it comes to my art. Coupled with other things going on at the time I am preparing this post, I've had some emotional moments lately to say the least.

But again - making this was also nice. Finally figuring out how to get the tears just right was pretty neat, and I learned something new again. So that is something good and positive I can gain from this piece of art.

(original draft made on Oct 3rd 2024, edited March 12th 2026)

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"(Un)recognizable"

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Glitch art made in GIMP with a free stock image from pexels.com.

This piece taught me: If you just experiment long enough, you will eventually discover new things that further your artistic journey. (Or, things that you have seen in other people's art and enjoyed looking at but weren't quite sure how to emulate.)

I really like colors in this one, especially the blues. Something about this piece feels weirdly nostalgic, but I cannot quite place how or in what way. At least not yet.

(original draft made on Oct 2nd 2024)

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"Isn't That Obvious?"

Glitch art with dithered elements made in GIMP.

If anyone in the future asks me what I intended to express with the above image, its title will be my answer lol. Srsly though, sometimes I make art just for the fun of it or because I want to try stuff. And sometimes I like the art I make just because it 'feels' right or good to look at, and not because it conveys some deeper meaning.

Also I couldn't decide whether to make this orange or neon green; both of these colors felt kind of right for this piece but in different ways (one felt more 'retro sci-fi' and the other more '2yk', if that makes sense). So I did both.

(original draft made on Oct 2nd 2024)

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"Dissolving In the Digital Age"

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Glitch art made in GIMP with free stock images from pexels.com. Plus a cropped version.

My executive dysfunction didn't allow me to choose which variation of the image I liked more, the full shot or the detail-focused one, so I decided to post both. Another experiment; I quite like the distorted effect around the hair and how the hair itself looks, but also the glitch effects are interesting to look at (to me, at least).

I feel like I am getting a bit bolder, I feel more comfortable combining multiple different things together and can better gauge where I will arrive with the steps I am taking.

Also, I kinda like how tumblr cropped and slightly distorts the 1st image this time lol - the added effect is kinda interesting. And the fact that the picture looks different once you open the post or click on the picture is an added bonus - transformative in a way.

(original draft made on Oct 2nd 2024)

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"Glitch Garden"

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Glitch art made in GIMP with a free stock image from pexels.com.

I was trying out my self made textures and also some effects basically. I really like how this one turned out, with the colors of the flower mirroring the fake VHS degradation texture I used. The word 'Glitch Garden' just popped into my head, likely because these two words kind of rhyme.

I am having a lot of fun using my own textures; I can make so much different stuff and experiment a lot. Can't wait to find out what else I can make with them.

(original draft made on Oct 1st 2024)

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"Homage (Version 2)"

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Vaporwave / glitch art made in GIMP with a free stock image from pexels.com. Variation of an image I posted here.

This version was a bit too classically vaporwave for me to post on its own at first, so I made a version with more glitch art elements. But I actually like the bright colors in this one more, so I wanted to post this version as well.

(original draft made on Oct 1st 2024)

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15 digital bluecore / blue aesthetic stamps. Made in GIMP with free stock images from pexels.com and my own stamp template. Can be used for neocities, deviantart, blogs, tumblr etc.

I had a few problems settling on pictures for this one tbh, mostly because I hadn't really searched for new pics for this set and rather used ones I had already marked down to use in the future. Definitely taught me that (if I end up making a second set with this color scheme), I should go and find some more stock pics to work with next time.

Otherwise I really enjoy looking at these and how they turned out. I think I should do light blue or sth like turquoise/teal/cyan in the future as well. Should I?

(original draft made on Oct 7th 2024)

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"Analog Horror"

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Glitch art made with free stock images from pexels.com and self-made (faux) VHS degradation textures in GIMP. Inspired by the genre of Analog Horror.

I made a bunch of fake vhs degradation textures (both completely DIY and from stock images) and wanted to try them out. Choosing an eye picture just happened by chance, but the result reminded me of Analog Horror and so I decided to keep it.

I really like how this combines two of my current interests - glitch art and (analog) horror, even if in a way that mostly makes sense on a metaphorical level. I am really happy to test out these textures and really like the results so far.

(original draft made on Oct 1st 2024)

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"In Motion"

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Glitch art gif made in GIMP with a free stock image from pexels.com.

Yay I can now do glitch art animations/gifs - not quite a video, but as a first step I quite like it. Again, more an experiment than anything else, but I very much enjoy the result, it looks a bit as if the image is flickering. Not exactly the same as VHS/TV static, but I like the effect a lot nonetheless.

Honestly it is so much fun just going in, not quite knowing where I will arrive at the end but always arriving at a point that I am satisfied with. Happy little accidents indeed. And I feel like with every piece of glitch art I have made so far, I have learned something new, which is an added bonus.

(original draft made on Oct 2nd 2024)

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"Prosopagnosia"

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Glitch art / ditherpunk art made with a free stock image from pexels.com. Makes use of dithering and fake pixel sorting.

I made another image in this style a few days ago (at the time I am preparing this post) and remembered that some people are unable to recognize faces/recognize people from faces alone, which is called Prosopagnosia.

I felt that this fit well with me distorting faces, and so decided to make some glitch art with this concept in mind. I ended up adding the dithering because I felt it made other parts of the picture (the jacket sleeves, the hair, the hands) stand out more.

I really like how this one turned out, and I hope I could do the condition some justice.

(original draft made on Oct 1st 2024)

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"Untitled (Lost in Video Degradation)"

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Glitch art made in GIMP with a free stock image from pexels.com.

I made some more glitch textures that I wanted to experiment with, and also tried out a few more GIMP filters and settings. I really like how this turned out, it kinda looks like a faded photograph, kinda like degraded VHS, kinda like glitch art, and yet not exactly like either one. I also really like the muted purple/yellow color scheme for some reason.

Fun fact: Tumblr turned this picture darker when I tried to upload it. I had to do a lightened version so it would look anything like it looked in GIMP. Sadly not a 'happy accident' I could integrate into my art, because I thought it looked too dark lol.

(original draft made on Oct 2nd 2024)

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"Homage (Version 1)"

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Vaporwave inspired glitch art made in GIMP with a free stock image from pexels.com.

My attempt to both finally make some vaporwave (inspired) art, and more closely follow the 'genre conventions' of glitch art. Considering I used some very classic elements of both, it feels a bit like a homage. Hence the title.

Fun to make, and I learned some new stuff along the way too - even stuff I hadn't anticipated to learn. So this piece is a bit special in that regard. Didn't think I'd be able to make my own vaporwave art one day, but considering I had that set as a goal when I got back into GIMP, this feels like an accomplishment.

Also, I have another, less distorted version that I will eventually post, since I like the bolder colors in that version very much.

(original draft made on Oct 1st 2024)

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"Losing Face - Variation #2"

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Variation of a piece I posted earlier; Glitch art / ditherpunk art made in GIMP with a free stock image from pexels.com. Makes use of (fake) pixel sorting. (Open in new tab for best resolution)

This variation is very similar to the first version of this piece I posted, but uses a different dithering style, and is also purely black-and-white. This piece kinda reminds of gameboy camera photography. I really like both versions, so I wanted to post this one as well.

(original draft made on Sept 29th 2024)

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15 digital greencore / green aesthetic stamps. Made in GIMP with free stock images from pexels.com and my own stamp template. Can be used for neocities, deviantart, blogs, tumblr etc.

3rd batch of digital stamps and so far my personal favorite - I really like the neon green and black mix. Some of these give me matrix vibes in a good way. Just a lot of fun to make. Seeing them all in one place in this post feels really satisfying tbh.

(original draft made on Oct 7th 2024)

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"the color . the flower . the eye"

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Edit made in GIMP with a stock image from pexels.com.

I made a piece of glitch art, tried to assign a name to the color I used, and stumbled over 'iris' - only to remember that this is the name of a color, a flower, and a part of the eye.

Considering I am a bit of a sucker for trying to tie things together, I attempted to make something that incorporates all three elements. Though I think it is debatable how well I managed with the flower part lol.

Just a fun little exercise. I think, at the time of writing this, I might be nearing a bit of creative exhaustion again. Tons of ideas but anything that takes too long seems a bit too daunting. We'll see how it goes.

(original draft made on Sept 30th 2024)

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"The Biologist's Husband"

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Experimental art / digital collage made in GIMP with stock images from pexels.com. Fanart for "Annihilation", part of the Southern Reach series by Jeff VanderMeer.

I really, really enjoy the colors and effects of this one. It strongly reminds me of metal discoloration via thermal oxidation. (Searching this lead me down a miniature rabbit hole of its own actually. Which is kinda fitting considering certain animals make an appearance in The Southern Reach.) But it also looks a bit like a faded photograph, and like hologram stickers.

I really enjoyed getting to make some art inspired by the Southern Reach again. This one ties a couple things together, like the coast, wild (altered) nature, the husband and the owl.

Had a lot of fun making this, the aforementioned fake metal discoloration effects especially made me really giddy. I hope to make more art like this in the future.

(Also yes, I am a bit obsessed with this stock image atm. I have used it for a few different pieces and its inclusion has always lead to stunning results thus far. Plus. Its flowers/nature themed. Which I really like.)

(original draft made on Oct 4th 2024, edited March 14th 2026)