nkurence/blog » Creation

NKS3CS5 – Now available for download

nkurence — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 16:48:59 +0000

I’ve migrated the existing NKS3 panel into CS5 format for use until development of NKS4 is complete.

Installation files are here:
NKS3CS5_Install.zip (right-click, save link as..)

If you’ve got the CS4 version, simply load those presets into Photoshop CS5 and grab the updated .zxp file here:
NKS3CS5.zxp (right-click, save link as..)

If you have no idea what NKS3 is read this.

NKS4 Feature Requests – Open Now

nkurence — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 22:15:59 +0000

With the introduction of Photoshop CS5 and the new version of Configurator, NKS3 is beginning to fossilize. So for the last few weeks I’ve been working on NKS4. Feature enhancements include new document types Sticky Note, and Graph Paper, along with a proper GUI, built in Flash – with gentle roll-overs and tool tips. The new GUI will allow for a smaller palette footprint, and in general, be much less of an eye-sore than NKS3. There are some new tools being built for this release too, but it’s still quite reminiscent of NKS3.

Sadly, Installation will still be manual. The NKS palettes rely almost entirely on a custom set of user presets (tools, actions, brushes, gradients, patterns, etc.). Adobe requires that these each be added manually to prevent rogue brushes from making international collect calls with your credit card. So in that regard, I see no way to avoid it. However, all assets will be local this time around. No more dynamic GUI loading – which will be great for those looking to work offline.

Since NKS3 was released there’s been nearly a thousand downloads. Seems only fair to start a public feature request thread for the next version. So if there’s a specific tool, or function that you’d love to have added drop me a line or add a comment to this post. Any requests I’m unable to accommodate I’ll make mention of in the comments, and try to address the rationale.

NKS4 is a third-party tool palette being developed for Adobe Photoshop CS5 on Macintosh and Windows operating systems. NKS3 will continue to be available for CS4 users.

Salyut 6

nkurence — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 15:45:02 +0000

Upper-atmosphere exploration
Salyut 6 by nkurence

d/l the uncompressed 44.1kHz/24-bit AIF here

Musashi’s ‘A Book of Five Rings’ Poster Print

nkurence — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 22:42:03 +0000

The entire text of Miyamoto Musashi’s ‘A Book of Five Rings’ set into a graphical poster. The poster is divided into five sections, Earth, Water, Wind, Fire and Void, matching the structure of the book. Each chapter of the book is set within it’s own element. The poster is set with varying weights of Univers at 11 points on an 11 point baseline. 27″ x 36″ on a 192 gsm matte finish paper.

Send $30 USD Paypal to (nreeves@tracewerks.com), subject ‘Five Rings’, with a postal address if you’d like one.

A higher-res version of the poster can be seen here.

East on a Golden Wind / America’s Film Legacy

nkurence — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 04:32:39 +0000

East on a Golden Wind by nkurence

After quite a long slumber I’ve started fiddling with noise again. Got a new track up on SoundCloud, East on a Golden Wind, mastered by the savvy & sublime Christopher Leary @ Melograf Mastering. Super pleased with the results and speed, prices are extremely reasonable as well.

In other news I’ve come across what looks like an amazing book, America’s Film Legacy by Daniel Eagan, a guide to the 500-odd films in America’s National Film Registry via. the Library of Congress. From what I understand, it’s the first such attempt of it’s sort and is garnering some high-level acclaim from the likes of Francis Ford Coppola and Leonard Maltin. If you’re a film buff, it’s likely worth a look. According to the publisher it’s being slated for a November release, and is currently available for pre-order. More information here.

Skully the Speed Sculpt

nkurence — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 00:42:02 +0000

With the release of zBrush 3.2 for OS X this last week, I had to spend a few hours in it. I’ve always dug Z, and found the community at zbrushcentral to be a huge source of inspiration. There always seems to be something cool to check out as a plethora of vets and vets in the making call it home. I struggle to find time to build out the skillset with my current commitments, but you know what they say – you never have time, you have to make it. The subject matter of my sculpt is probably the most tired of them all, but sometimes that’s what happens when you’re not paying attention. Start with a sphere, crank up some tunes (some Adam Johnson for this) and a couple hours later you have an alien skull with a forehead that reminds me of the Smashing Pumpkins Bullet with Butterfly Wings. At any rate, it was some needed fun, and I enjoyed getting to know z just a little bit better.

Since I’m rambling about it this is probably a good time to throw a nod to some of my favorite artists at zbc (well worth checking out if you like this stuff):
Simon Blanc, Renaud Galand, Cedric Seaut, David Giraud, Greg Callahan, Ralf Stumpf, and T.S.Whittelsbach

Click to enlarge:

DECKSANDRUMSANDROCKANDROLL

nkurence — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 09:59:29 +0000

Ever since I saw the 7 Laserdeck Skate Show I’ve wanted to produce my own decks. Today, the first shipment arrived.. and I’m stoked. Each of these was laser engraved front and back with my artwork. I had 3 made for the initial run. The first is a logo design for Ochre, next one is for Terminal (the final release on Narita Records), the third is titled 2808-a design cooked up just for burning. I’ve got a number of other designs in queue for production, which can be seen in the engraving section of the gallery. Here’s some detail pics of the finals: