Alright, let’s dive into my little “autumn ren” project. It’s less of a project and more of a personal exploration, but hey, gotta start somewhere, right?
So, it all started with me wanting to freshen up my desktop. I was tired of the same old generic wallpaper and icons. I wanted something that screamed “me,” but also felt calming and reflected the season, which, you guessed it, was autumn. That’s where “autumn ren” came from – a personal touch to the season.
First thing I did? I started scavenging the internet for inspiration. Pinterest, Behance, Dribbble – the usual suspects. I wasn’t looking for something to copy directly, but more like a vibe, a color palette, you know? I was really drawn to the deep oranges, rusty reds, and golden yellows of falling leaves. Found a few cool photos of autumn scenes and some minimalist art that caught my eye.
Next up, I fired up Photoshop. I’m not a pro or anything, just a casual user, but I know my way around the basic tools. I started messing around with those autumn colors I liked, trying to create a simple, abstract background. Layered some gradients, threw in some textures that looked like tree bark, and added a subtle leaf pattern. It was pretty rough at first, but I kept tweaking it until it felt right.
Then came the icon makeover. I didn’t want to completely redesign every single icon, that’s way too much work. Instead, I decided to focus on the most frequently used ones: browser, mail, file explorer, etc. I found a free icon pack online that had a clean, minimalist style. Then, I opened each icon in Photoshop and subtly recolored them to match my autumn theme. Gave them a warmer, more muted look.
Now, here’s where it got a little trickier. I wanted to add a custom cursor. I’d never done that before! So, I hopped over to YouTube and watched a few tutorials. Turns out, it’s not that hard, just a bit tedious. I found a simple leaf image online, cleaned it up in Photoshop, and then used a free online cursor maker to convert it into a .cur file. It took a few tries to get the size and hotspot (the active point of the cursor) just right, but eventually, I got it working.
Finally, I installed everything – the wallpaper, the icons, the cursor. I also tweaked my system theme to use a dark color scheme with orange accents. And boom! My desktop was now sporting a full-on “autumn ren” makeover.
It’s not perfect, and it’s definitely not something I’d show off in a design portfolio, but it’s mine. It makes me smile every time I boot up my computer. And that’s what matters, right? Sometimes, the best projects are the ones you do just for yourself. Plus, I learned a few new things along the way, which is always a win.
Might even try a “winter ren” project when the snow starts falling!
