starvingartist

Free Download: Antiseptic Switch Skin 1.0

I needed a small, fully-featured and easy-to-use color picker with an efficient user interface for my web design work. A lot of programs out there are huge, bulky and often get into the way. They usually offer too many features that I don’t need when designing webpages and they often come with a horrible interface.

I’d like to introduce you to Higher Tendencies’ Switch - a wonderful and free color picker program for Windows.

“Switch is a color picker and adjuster. You can select the color of any pixel on the screen, zoom into a part of the screen, and adjust the color through RGB, HSL, Hex and OLE color properties. Great for graphic artists and skinners.”

It’s skinnable and it’s extremely flexible. While the default skin was nice (see the screenshot on their website), I created my own skin to fit my needs.

You can download the Antiseptic Switch skin from deviantART. I’ve been using this pretty much daily now, and it makes my life so much easier. Maybe you’ll find it useful too.

The program’s color picker and zoom functions have been reordered and are main focus now. The functions are placed on the left-hand side as I usually have the Switch window floating on the right side of my screen. Just drag the eye dropper icon to the screen to pick the color you want. RGB, HSL and HEX values also get full attention below. Gone are the space-hogging and hardly-used OLE values. In the main title bar are “Options” (the Switch icon), “Stay on Top” toggle and “Close” respectively. Also included are eye dropper and magnifying glass cursors.

If you’re looking for an alternative color picker, there’s ColorPad. It’s free and tiny as well. It offers most of the features of Switch, with the exception of HSL adjustments (which I often need for elements that change brightness on hover). The official website is gone, but you can probably google to find it.

Download Higher Tendencies’ Switch
Download Antiseptic Switch Skin

I guess I’m on a roll here, so here’s a new icon for Maxis’ The Sims 2:

The Sims 2 Logo PNG for ObjectDock
A modified The Sims 2 logo in PNG format for use with StarDock’s ObjectDock launchbar/taskbar/dock program. It’s 128×128 pixels with alpha-channel transparency — check out the translucent glow of the jewel:

With id software’s new Doom 3 release this month, here are a couple of icons you can use.

Original Doom 3 Windows Icon
It’s the actual Doom 3 icon from the game itself (thanks Tuan!). Windows .ico format (Windows XP and 256 color versions in 16×16, 32×32 and 48×48 pixels):

Doom 3 Logo PNG for ObjectDock
A modified Doom 3 logo in PNG format for use with StarDock’s ObjectDock launchbar/taskbar/dock program (128×128 pixels with alpha-channel transparency):

Doom 3 Logo Pixel Icon
A clean, crisp pixel icon of the Doom logo. Pixel-pushed by hand. Comes in Windows XP Color mode with alpha-channel transparency version (with drop-shadow) and a 256 color version without the drop-shadow. Perfect for the desktop.

As part of my 2004 graduation from the joint Art & Art History program at the University of Toronto at Mississauga and Sheridan College, one of my works is currently on display at the Blackwood Gallery in Mississauga, Ontario.

Where We Are Instead

by Stanley Sy. Mixed media, 2001-2004.

Artist’s Statement
Even with the best laid plans, life often takes us to a different destination.

The installation consists primarily of two layers. The top-most layer is an archive of approximately three years worth of my own bus transfer tickets from Mississauga Transit. It consists of my daily grind of my travels during my studies. Each transfer is a statistical archive of my own movements across the city, down to the exact day and time. They are chronologically ordered and methodically arranged. But they are silent. It is under these records that show the randomness of life itself. These sub-layers consist of charcoal sketches, which were later photocopied and made translucent. They are personal and private observations; memories evoking the life and personal travel unseen in the schedule. The long waits, the cold winter air, the company of other passengers – all these are part of the journey. The orange lines, reminiscent of the distinctively coloured graphic signatures outlining the Mississauga Transit bus, adds to the movement.

The bus transfers, as a means of record, may show our physical journey, but it is our personal fragments of memory that brings us to where we are instead.

While the exhibition was to end on May 2, it has been extended till June 6th. So if you’re curious, take a look. Gallery hours and directions are available at the Blackwood Gallery website.

I’m currently working on a few new icon sets. No estimated time of arrival though due to recent computer problems and my recent bouts with sickness.

In unrelated news (or is it?), StarDock is having another GUIOlympics. It looks like they took down last year’s entries, including some exclusive Antiseptic and Sakura WB skins I made a while back.

I’m also currently working on an isometric pixel rendering of a drawing studio at Sheridan College. Oh, it’s interactive too.

P.S. Thanks Pachunka for the linkage!