Running Moon

Licia He , 2022

Running Moon is a long-form generative art program by Licia He. It was launched and fully minted as the first release of Art Blocks Curated Series 8 on Wednesday, July 13th, at 12 pm CDT.

The official launch site: https://www.artblocks.io/project/334


Print info and High-res outputs download

25% of the proceeds generated from the primary sale was donated to AnitaB Institute and Girls Who Code to support female and non-binary technologists.

Follow @Licia_He for project updates: Announcement | Color | Texture | Dev Story

Running Moon depicts the nuanced interaction between clouds and moonlight. It is a search for boundaries between structure and fluidity, precision and errors. It is a quest for harmony.

The rendering of Running Moon is inspired by stained glass and watercolor. It captures the sharpness of the glass and the softness of light using abstract forms. As organic shapes gradually fill the space, brush-pen-like stripes solder these pieces together to form intricate compositions.

Running Moon has three major elements: Expansion Shapes, Segmenting Lines, and Texture.

Expansion Shape

Segmenting Lines

Texture

Sample Output

(view additional examples)

Expansion Shapes

The core idea behind Running Moon is expansion. Starting from a focal point, curves gradually spread across the page. As a result of this expansion, groups of versatile curves cut the canvas into shapes. I refer to these shapes as Expansion Shapes.

There are 10 different types of expansion shapes, each producing a wide range of curves with unique characteristics.

Nostalgia Cloud

Fragile Crescent

Moonlit Tear

Sleepless Rain

Queen of the Night

Starlight in Your Eyes

Disappearing Wave

Lost in the Drizzle

Before Eclipse

Crystal Wind

Segmenting Mode

Stained glass works often have restrictions on the size and shape of individual glass pieces due to physical properties and production requirements. While Running Moon does not have these physical restrictions, I imposed a set of additional segmenting lines to balance the composition.

There are 8 different types of segmenting lines. Here are examples that demonstrate how the same set of expansion shapes would react to different types of segmenting lines.

Brush

Compass

Eraser

Mat

Pencil

Roller

Ruler

Sharpener

Color Scheme

Running Moon assigns color and shading to each shape using one of the probabilistic color palettes in its collection. Each color within a palette is associated with a unique distribution.

There are 36 carefully developed color palettes, grouped into 5 categories.

Category 0: Energetic (7 Palettes)

CP0_0: Expectation

CP0_1: Attention

CP0_2: Jellyfish

CP0_3: Lamp

CP0_4: Secret

CP0_5: Soda

CP0_6: Summer

Category 1: Fresh (7 Palettes)

CP1_0: Bookstore

CP1_1: Candle

CP1_2: Crush

CP1_3: Lemonade

CP1_4: Perfume

CP1_5: Poetry

CP1_6: Sprinkler

Category 2: Mysterious (5 Palettes)

CP2_0: Enchanted

CP2_1: Forest

CP2_2: Universe

CP2_3: Velvet

CP2_4: Whisper

Category 3: Calm (8 Palettes)

CP3_0: Bubble

CP3_1: Fairytale

CP3_2: Journey

CP3_3: Memory

CP3_4: Mirror

CP3_5: Novel

CP3_6: Rain Drop

CP3_7: Sky

Category 4: Determined (9 Palettes)

CP4_0: Curiosity

CP4_1: Dusk

CP4_2: Karma

CP4_3: Memo

CP4_4: New York

CP4_5: Realization

CP4_6: Red Dust

CP4_7: Science

CP4_8: Tea

Special Modes

After determining the core composition (through Expansion Shape and Segmenting Line) and the main color scheme, I introduced 5 additional special modes that add various effects.

Limited Iteration

More likely to have smaller expansion region

[true]

[false]

Outline Only

Certain regions will have emphasized line structures

[true]

[false]

Comic

Certain regions will have contrasting line structures

[true]

[false]

Wipe Out

Certain regions will be covered by additional layers

[true]

[false]

The Light mode determines whether and how certain areas receive spotlight. Under [Bright] light, a strong spotlight brings focus to a region. [Shimmering] and [Glimmering] produce relevantly dimmed light, whereas, under [Opaque] light, all parts receive similar light levels.

Bright

Shimmering

Glimmering

Opaque

Development Story

Running Moon is the most intricate web-based generative art system I have developed so far, with many iterations and various artistic/technical challenges. It has been quite a journey. Here I summarize a brief history of the development process.

0. I developed the initial concept by painting a watercolor piece in the summer of 2021

1. The concept was tested and programmed into a Python-based algorithm, intended for plotter painting.

2. I produced about 10 plotter paintings with the algorithm, and loved every single piece.

3. I started exploring the concept again in Jan. 2022. This was one of the first documented outputs.

4. Some of the core components like Expansion Shapes and Segmenting Lines were developed.

5. I experimented with many texture-generating directions: gradient, blending, lines, and more.

6. Converting from SVG to WebGL; removing dependency.

7. Exploring outline texture.

8. Adding Comic, Wipe Out, and Outline Only modes.

9. Improving base shape with more organic textures.

10. Implementing Light mode and fine-tuning parameters.

11. And I present you, Running Moon!

Running Moon #0, minted on 07/01/2022.

Acknowledgment

Running Moon is my passion project. I enjoyed every moment. I am very fortunate to have this opportunity to share it with you.

Art-making contains a great deal of solitude. I am especially grateful for individuals and groups who gave me a helping hand, an inspiring thought, a supportive word, or a thoughtful critique in this journey. Among many friends and families who have helped me in this creative period, I want to give special thanks to the following individuals and groups: Aaron Penne for encouraging me to dive into the space; James Merrill for bouncing ideas with me; Jeff (ippsketch) for always offering great suggestions; Sofia Garcia , Sarah Rossien, Jeff Davis, and many others from the Art Blocks Team for providing incredible feedback and amazing support; Casey Reas for introducing me to a whole new world through our -GRAPH exhibition; the wonderful Generative Artists Club and #plottertwitter community for being awesome; and many others...

Finally, like always, this project is for you, my dear twin sister.

Thank you.

Licia He 2022, All rights reserved.