Let's Play with Little Green Men! And they're not only from Mars - some come from corners of the Galaxy that we have never even heard of. Now also available as a FlipAlbum Download the Tutorial here, and get the free FlipViewer here if you don't have it yet. This fun tutorial reveals the tip of a massive "iceberg" consisting of ArtStarters PicPax and StoryStarters I hope it inspires you to look for hidden pictures and magical stories in everything, because this is without a doubt the most enjoyable activity in the whole wide world. Once you get the hang of it, it becomes second nature, adding a touch of magic to your whole life. Try it and see for yourself...
We start with a rather boring picture from the LuckyDip997 collection. Take a moment to see what hidden pictures you can discover within this one before you inspect the ones I found.
To isolate the hidden pics, we paint over the parts that we don't want. I normally use a black airbrush because it gives a nice shadowy effect around the edges. Now you can easily copy one picture at a time for further editing - simply duplicate the master copy and erase the ones you're not currently working on.
Here are some examples of what I did with this first batch, clockwise from the top: (Feel free to improve upon it)
Gypsy lady smelling herbs I only softened her cheekbones and nose, and put a scarf on her head. What magical tales could we weave around this picture? What herbs did she pick? What does she plan to do with them? Why? How? When? Where? etc...
MonkeyTroll in 3 variations: asleep, bored and surprised Such character in that face. What is he up to? Where does he live? Does he have gloves  hanging from his ears?? Or is it an extra pair of hands?
A batfish monster, Batman's cousin and a lamb (or could it perhaps be a magic pot?) A whole science fiction saga could easily be built around these three, don't you think? Or 3 or 4 different sagas, if you don't want them to work together.
Can you figure out how I made these? Hint:  I used the following tools (in PhotoImpact, but you can use any editor): duplicate, flip, rotate, merge as single object, warp, smudge, blur, dodge, burn.
Depending on which parts we emphasize, the 4th pic could be a fountain (or a birdbath), a very weird bird, or the frog prince. And you can probably think of many more possibilities, right? With matching stories for each, of course. Try flipping the head upside-down, so the mouth becomes a hat...
Let's have another look at the original picture to see what else we can get from it
Hmm, lots of potential in this ugly little thingy. One guy's waist could be another one's head, eyes could become shoes, eyebrows might be transformed into a mouth, and so on...
Starting with the big one, we remove the extra pair of hands and clean up the face to prepare for some serious "plastic surgery".
Or we could do a complete head transplant and make a magician out of our MonkeyTroll
His ornamental waist could also become a lovely necklace with matching earrings or belt or trimming on a piece of furniture or a wall, or clothing design, or half of it can become a skirt or a crown or... or... OR... The same goes for any other ornamental bits and pieces taken from any PicPac.
This might be the Bird King if we do something about those eyes and make his crown a bit more royal
Or it could be the start of a story about a boy who loved to wear bow ties but could never get the darn thing to stay horizontal...
...so he wore ordinary ties until the MonkeyTroll Magician conjured up a special magic bow tie for him
Oops! In the process of making a better crown for the Bird King, I accidentally created a green gingerbread man! He probably tastes terrible,  so it would be better not to eat him. How about a story of the people who thought he looked appetizing?
Let's see if we can transform him into an ordinary boy who might become the hero in our bow tie StoryStarter. Some black paint on the neck and under his arms, and he looks better already.
Next we give him chubby cheeks and a chin...
...get rid of that ugly nose and the mole on his forehead, accentuate the eyes and give him a charming smile. Most of the touch-ups on his face were done with PhotoImpact's dodge and burn tools, and the warp brush also came in handy. Some more black paint under his arms makes him look a little more realistic. Or at least as realistic as a little green boy can hope to look.
Next I poured a full bottle of hair restorer over his head. It contained cloned bits and pieces of his existing thin hairline, and did wonders for his complexion. Is he gorgeous or what?
So gorgeous in fact, that I think we ought to make him a prince...
...of Mexico??... (Another StoryStarter: "Behold the latest invention, Your Majesty; the sombrero crown" )
...or some exotic country in a galaxy far far away.
Back to the Bird King, who may or may not be the boy's father. He is the one who started it, after all. Speculations continue, and we'll never know unless you write the story.
Shall we make the beak a little more bird-like...
...or have a peek underneath it?
So he's not really a bird, it seems. But definitely related to the boy, I'd say. And certainly his life story must be an intriguing one - please write it and send me a copy. I'm dying of curiosity!
And speaking of stories, here's our boy with the stubborn bow tie...
...and a boring but well-behaved tie...
...and finally his dream came true, thanks to the MonkeyTroll Magician. The perfect bow tie at last!
Now go. You have lots of work to do. Pictures to paint, stories to write, games to create, a Muse to entertain. Have TONS of FUN! and remember to let me know what you've done with your ArtStarters - there might be something in it for you....