One of the few where I had a vague plan, and stopped before it went too far. How many layers can Photoshop handle? Turns out, version 7 could go way past 99. Do fewer shapes make for more 'efficient' or clear spins? Yes, but it also makes fewer happy accidents. Difference mode in Photoshop makes contrast easy. Too easy. Here I used two 'levels' of detail: Obvious shapes and faint textures. Is it a bird? A flower? Took me years to realize this one's my signature piece. Inspired by spring bluebonnets and bezier paths. Breaking the rules, this one is hundreds of strokes with a fancy Photoshop brush. I tried to use spins against themselves. This meta-combination worked. A happy accident: I couldn't figure out which layer was which, so I let them collide on their own. The earliest successful spin I have on file.

Illustrations

When I first started writing code for money, I offset my logical day job with images that relied on two rules: Spin a shape on an axis. Play with opacity and blend modes.