Newbie Xara Extreme User

**EnigmaMachine** · 22 January 2007, 02:19 AM

Hi All
I'm a newbie at using Xara Extreme but I'm hooked already. I have a lot of experience with CAD over the years (aerospace industry) and have had some success with the application. I want to share a couple of my first drawings and get some feedback.

I do have a new website that I'm just building and it is www.chuckstasek.com

Here are two of my best first works... (so far)

**Egg Bramhill** · 22 January 2007, 03:47 AM

Welcome Enigma,

Much better than a poke in the eye with a snooker cue. Very good renderings, although I'd loose the mustard rectangle behind the Focus.

By the way, those aren't motorbikes on your site, there more like mobile homes.

**EnigmaMachine** · 22 January 2007, 07:08 AM

Yeah, I agree about the focus background. Just wanted to convey what it takes to get good at billiards. Tons of focus! Lot's of room for improvement in my renderings.

Having great fun with this program though. They are offering a hands on class at a local computer club but the instructor say's I would be bored to death. I'm teaching a class there in Excel starting tomorrow.

Bikes are popular here in FL, more so then when I lived here in the 70's. Do you ride?

How about this practice session. Did most of this manually but bitmap traced the signs. It was a sign I took a picture of at Lowry Park Zoo here in Tampa.

**WolfMoonHP** · 22 January 2007, 09:43 PM

Chuck, these are excellent images. I really liked your web-site, too. The photography makes me feel right at home...

Living in South Florida gives us opportunities to take a lot of nature and wildlife photos, wonderful landscapes and sunsets...everything except mountains and snowscapes...LOL
---
Will

**EnigmaMachine** · 22 January 2007, 09:50 PM

Thanks Will. Appreciate the feedback. I just move back here after 27 years in Colorado. Lived here from 72-79. Since I'm in a "work hiatus" I'm investigating new horizons including Xara and the Photoshop suite. Joined a local computer club (Hernando) and have heard about these apps from the instructors there. Instructed an Excel class this morning to rave reviews. Life is good.
Best
Chuck

**kmalsom** · 23 January 2007, 01:21 PM

These are very excellent images. Great job

**cbutton69** · 23 January 2007, 02:43 PM

Chuck,

I wish I had half of your talent.

Nice web site, too, although the "HOME" link in the left frame appears to be broken.

**EnigmaMachine** · 23 January 2007, 07:52 PM

Thanks All. Definitely having fun with it. Here is another. This one is a photograph (Olympus E500) of a glass of wine at sunset on the Gulf of Mexico. I edited out the fence post it was sitting on in Photoshop, imported it into Xara, cloned the glass and added the bubbles. Then I drank the wine. Life is good

. Still evolving it.

**EnigmaMachine** · 25 January 2007, 12:12 AM

Latest lunacy. Need help making 3 dimensional looking brass knobs with knurled edges. Any ideas out there? The knobs on the microscope don't look anything like the original image. Not bad but not the same.

**jclements** · 25 January 2007, 03:14 AM

Quick learner :-}

Did you try googling "microscope" in google?

This scope should be available to you when you get your disks or when XPro enables the appropriate link in the ClipArt gallery.