Okay, so let me tell you about this thing I tried recently, kinda based around the name ‘ja’mal green’. It wasn’t a person I met or anything, more like a… style or an approach I saw floating around online, and the name just stuck in my head.
Getting Started
So, I was browsing some art forums a while back, just looking at stuff, you know? And I kept seeing these pieces with a really distinct feel. Lots of bold, earthy tones, but with these sharp, almost electric highlights. Someone in a comment thread mentioned ‘ja’mal green style’, probably referencing an artist or a specific trend, who knows. Anyway, the look grabbed me. I thought, “Hey, I wanna try making something like that.”
First thing I did was just save a bunch of images that had that vibe. Didn’t overthink it, just grabbed anything that felt right. Wanted to get a good pool of inspiration before I even touched any tools.
The Actual Trying Part
Alright, inspiration folder ready. I fired up my usual design software on the computer. Stared at the blank canvas for a bit, which always feels kinda daunting, right?
I started by trying to block out some basic shapes, trying to get that composition feel I saw in the examples. Then came the colors. This was tougher than I thought. Getting those deep greens and browns wasn’t too bad, but adding those bright, contrasty highlights without making it look garish? That took some serious fiddling.
- Mixed a bunch of colors, didn’t like them, scrapped them.
- Tried different blending modes, some looked okay, others just muddy.
- Spent ages trying to find the right brush texture to give it that slightly rough, organic look I was seeing.
Honestly, there was a point where I nearly just closed the program. It wasn’t quite clicking, and I was getting frustrated. Felt like I was just making a mess. Took a break, grabbed a coffee, walked around a bit.
Figuring Things Out
Came back later with a slightly clearer head. Instead of trying to copy one specific piece exactly, I just focused on the elements I liked most: the color contrasts and the textures. I stopped worrying about making it perfect ‘ja’mal green’ and just started playing around more freely.
Found a textured brush I hadn’t used much before, and that really helped get the background feeling right. Then, for the highlights, I went really bold, almost neon, but used a very fine brush and kept it minimal. Suddenly, it started to look… interesting. Not exactly like the stuff I saved, but it had that spark I was chasing.
How It Ended Up
So, after a few hours spread over a couple of days, I had something finished. It’s not a masterpiece, definitely not. But it’s got that earthy-meets-electric feel I was going for. Looking back, the key was to stop trying so hard to copy and just absorb the idea of the style, then run with it in my own way.
It was a good little project. Forced me to mess with colors and textures I don’t normally use. Definitely picked up a few new tricks for my software, especially with layering and brush settings. Yeah, glad I gave it a shot instead of just scrolling past.
