Tutorial #2

There are many styles and techniques for making abstract fractals. This is an area of fractal art that has the most diversity and greatest potential for new developments. The type of abstract I am going to teach you is made with a Pixel formula and the coloring formula S.F.B.M.II. in the sam.ucl folder. Sam Monnier is one of the finest formula writers and an artist beyond compare, especially in the area of abstract fractal art. If you have never viewed his art, you are in for a real treat. Several of his abstracts are made using a simple Pixel formula combined with one of his coloring formulas. Here is a link to his galleries: http://www.p-gallery.net/Gallery/index.htm

There are many Pixel formulas. You can search through the formulas by pushing the little magnifying glass at the top of the formula tool bar that says Find Entries when you run the mouse over it. Enter Pixel in the Title field, and push Find Now. You will get a large list of Pixel formulas. A Pixel formula is a formula which has only 1 or 2 iterations, and no formula to calculate. You will see a blank blue or black fractal window. The blue window indicates that an outside ucl is required, and a black window indicates that an inside ucl is required. It is essentially an empty plane to draw on with a coloring formula and/or transformations. Some Pixel formulas have the option to switch to Inside or Outside and some Pixel formulas have added functions for different effects. Most people use them to create texture layers, but they are also very handy for making abstract fractals. We are going to use the Pixel formula in the lkm.ufm folder..

1. Start a new fractal by going to File, click on New and open the Public folder. Scroll down to lkm.ufm, select PIxel and you will see a blank blue fractal window when you open it.

3. If you look down the list of parameters for S.F.B.M.II, you will see a Noise Function, Flavor 1, and Flavor 2. Change these parameters to see the difference they make. Then set the Noise Function on Checkerboard, Flavor 1 on String-Sharp, and Flavor 2 on Strings. Move the slider on the Default gradient all the way to the right to Rotation 199 and you should end up with an image that looks something like the one below.