For ages now, I've been trying to find the right textures/shapes to make a gift mandala for Snekky, but they've been eluding me.

As I said last week, when you're using fractals as tools for art-making, you're basically "looking for order in oceans of chaos. So most of the time, I dive into a set of formulae and see where the currents take me."

But at last, as I was tweaking parameters and swapping out formulae while brainstorming ideas for The Garden Kingdom, I finally hit upon some snakes in the chaos! (I mean, there have been plenty opportunities for creating a snakeskin-like texture... But I wanted actual snakes.)

And so finally I can present this to my friend @poeticsnake =) ... Hope you like it, Snekky! <3... I know they look more like lizards maybe, than snake heads, but I'll be looking out for the "cute snek" version as I continue my wanderings, promise ^^

Snekdala

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Gallery: Motifs
Max. Print Size: 28" x 28"

“Go on, my dear," urges the snake. "Take one. Hear it? 'Pluck me,' it's saying. That big, shiny red one. 'Pluck me, pluck me now and pluck me hard.' You know you want to."

"But God," quotes Eve, putting out feelers for an agent provacateur, clever girl, "expressly forbids us to eat the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge."

"Ah yessssss, God ... But God gave us life, did He not? And God gave us desire, did He not? And God gave us taste, did He not? And who else but God made the damned apples in the first place? So what else is life for but to tassste the fruit we desire?"

Eve folds her arms schoolgirlishly. "God expressly forbade it. Adam said."

The snake grins through his fangs, admiring Eve's playacting. "God is a nice enough chap in His way. I daresay He means well. But between you and The Tree of Knowledge, He is terribly insecure."

"Insecure? He made the entire bloody universe! He's omnipotent."

"Exactly! Almost neurotic, isn't it? All this worshiping, morning, noon, and night. It's 'Oh Praise Him, Oh Praise Him, Oh Praise the Everlassssting Lord.' I don't call that omnipotent. I call it pathetic. Most independent authorities agree that God has never sufficiently credited the work of virtual particles in the creation of the universssse. He raises you and Adam on this diet of myths while all the really interesting information is locked up in these juicy apples. Seven days? Give me a break.”

-- David Mitchell, Ghostwritten

People generally don't like snakes and I think that's a terrible pity. Like other such misunderstood creatures (bats, black cats, spiders, sharks), I have a soft spot for them. I've never actually gone as far as considering one as a pet, like my aunt, who has had all sorts of strange pets, from tarantulas to hedgehogs (hedgehogs are the cutest things ever!). I think the main thing is, I wouldn't be able to deal with having to feed my snek live rats (which I also love and have had as pets before).

Anyway, next time you happen across some living thing that is in your way... Invading your home, perhaps (we once found a snake behind our refrigerator, for example), don't just kill it immediately. Consider that spiders in the corner will eat mosquitoes, and ants turn into fairies when they die ... ;P

Well, ants can be a problem, I'll admit. Still don't like killing them though.

^{Image sources}

Creative process:

Ok so, first, here's a screenshot of the program I use, Mandelbulb 3D, with the shapes ready for colours:

With colouring, as usual, I had to search for different combinations in order to combine them all in Photoshop later using layers and the eraser tool:

The heads, for example, required details from three different layers incorporated:

The tongues needed forking, and reddening:

Then the center bit... I searched long and hard for the perfect mix of grungy dark with shiny light bits. And the very center of the center needing sprucing up too:

Lastly, the outer edge...:

And so it was that Snekdala was made =)

Oh, the details! Here I am thinking the post is done and I can go listen to the Ma1ne and Snekky show with coffee in peace, when I haven't even done the details PSD yet. Raarrgghh... does it quickly ...

Ok, done! At full resolution, it can be printed up to 28 x 28 inches (about 70cm x 70cm) :

So there we go... Again, I hope you like it ^^ ... I'll send you the high resolution file as soon as you ask me for it ;P

And everyone, if you want to buy any other design of mine, you can check out my site, Mandelsage.com, for details =) ... And I am open to doing commissions too! How about a mandala based on your personality? ;)

Thank you for your upvote 💖
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A few recent posts of mine:
The Garden Kingdom - Chapter 004 | ULOG 006 - Reprioritisation | No Man's Sky - Pearls, Pirates, Monsters and DEATH
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If you'd like to support me further, or follow me elsewhere, I'm on these social media:
Patreon | Instagram | Facebook

My Bitcoin wallet address:

Before using bidbots, consider that they are generally bad for the long-term health of the Steemit ecosystem, and that many manual curators will not consider posts using bidbots for curation. Instead, try joining communities, engaging authentically, and earning more and more organic votes over time =) ... The best post I've found explaining this controversial topic is by Luke Stokes - click here to go to his post.

"Snekdala" | Gallery: Motifs

Snekdala

Creative process: