4.1.1 Man Who Fell
4.1.2 Walls
4.1.3 3-D Cube
4.1.4 Mosaic
4.1.5 Mountain
4.1.6 Desert
4.1.7 Forest
4.1.8 Cool-B
4.1.9 Colour
4.1.10 Super Creeps
4.1.11 Bcollage
4.1.12 Low
4.1.13 Bubbles
4.1.14 Labyrinth

1.1 What is this site?

This is a web site that I've put up to share the Bowie images I've made with others world-wide who might find them, in the least, interesting. I started making them for my home computer, and then, after several people told me they were really good, I decided to put them up on the web for anyone to use.

Also, there is a page devoted to wallpapers made by other Bowie fans -- Magic Dave, mookid, Jessica Anderson, and Victor Otero. If you have any David Bowie wallpapers that you've made, I would love to feature them on this page though it might take a while until they are up.

There is also a comparitively recently added section which features wallpapers of artists/bands OTHER than David Bowie -- so far there are wallpapers of Bauhaus, The Beatles (4), Beck, Marc Bolan, Jeff Buckley, The Cure (2), Donovan, The Doors (2), Pink Floyd (2), Led Zeppelin (3), Queen, The Rocky Horror Picture Show (2), and U2. This is always changing (more rapidly than I update this FAQ) so check back often!

Recently I added a section devoted to another of Simone's creative outlets -- cut paper. She crafts beautiful silhouettes of Bowie, the Beatles, and many others.
1.2 What is on this site?

Well, here you can find wonderful David Bowie themed backgrounds to use as your desktop wallpaper. I took every picture of the man I could find on the Internet and my own scans, and then I combine them and mess around with them. Sometimes this makes a very cool wallpaper. The programs I use are Paint Shop Pro 4.1, and Adobe Photoshop 4.0 (I tried 5.0 but didn't like it as much.)

1.3 What is this?

This is a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) which will hopefully answer most of the questions you might have about this site, how to use the images, and other trivia and ramblings. If you have other questions, or find my answers to these ones unclear, mail me.

2.1 How do I set an image as my Windows desktop wallpaper?

Mac Users (For MAC O/S 8.0 ONLY!!): First click on the size image you need. After the image has fully loaded in the window, click again on the image while holding down the mouse button choosing "Save image as ..." saving it to your desktop. Then after opening the control panel "Desktop Pictures" click Remove picture, then click Select picture, then go to where you have saved the image and simply choose "Position Automatically". It's that easy!

Windows Users (Optimized for Windows 95 & NT):

Click on the link which leads to the correct size of image for your desktop (if you are not sure of this, use my Resolution Tester) The image will start loading up in your window. After the image has fully loaded to full size, move the mouse cursor over the image. Then click and hold down with the right mouse button. A mini menu window will pop-up. Then select on "Set as Wallpaper" in the option window. 2.3 How do I change my Windows colors to match the wallpaper?

Windows 95 users:
Right-click anywhere on your Windows desktop, and a menu will pop-up. Select "Properties...". Click on the "Appearance" tab. You-will see a example desktop. From here it's pretty well laid-out. If you are still having trouble, mail me.

2.4 If I've saved the images, how can I set them as wallpapers later?

There are two ways to do this:
1. You can open them up in a multi-purpose image manipulation program (paint program) and save them as bitmaps which have the extension .bmp, the only file format that can be used as wallpapers.

2. You can load the .jpg file (the original file format of the wallpapers) into your web browser (Netscape, IE) off your hard drive and then right-click on the image and select "Set as Wallpaper." This is the way we do it at home. It's easier and faster. This is how I do it at home.

2.6 I like these images so much, I'd like to use one on my (web page/publication/etc.). Can I?

I have absolutely no problem with anyone using any of my images or parts of them. However, I would really appreciate if you'd not say it was your work, and if you'd let me know what you are using them on. In the case of a web page, it would be extra nice of you if you'd add a credit and a link to my web site.

3.1 Who is responsible for this?

Creator of the wallpapers is Simone Roddey. Maintainer of, and occasional contributor to, Simone's Bowie Wallpaper Site is her older sister, Monica Roddey.

Simone Roddey hails from Burlington, Ontario, Canada. She really digs David Bowie, the Beatles, and lots of other "classic" rockers. Her hobbies include saxophone, making wallpapers, rabbitry and aquaria.

Monica Roddey also comes from Burlington, ON, Canada.

3.2 How can I contact you?

You can contact Simone at:
bigcahunah@yahoo.com

You can contact Monica at:
woodstockhippie@yahoo.com

4.0 Interesting 'Idbits

This portion of the FAQ deals with interesting pieces of information about the images, and other 'idbits of info. Please do not take much seriously!

4.1 Images

4.1.1 Man Who Fell

"I did the Man Who Fell to Earth background because a load of people commissioned me to do so. It depicts David Bowie in his natural environment. Also there's some water in the background, which Newton is addicted to. There's some cat's eyes in the sky. There's also a hidden little Bowie in the south-east (cos 45) corner. The water's really the sky, and the sky is really the water. And I'd like to thank God for the smudge tool."

4.1.2 Walls

"I had a dream once, of a big David Bowie face on a wall. When I got this program [Paint Shop Pro] I found various patterns, one of which was a brick pattern. This further intrigued me. So I ditched that idea, and "found" a picture of a wall. I put four in the picture and turned them and rotated them and stuff. I laboriously manipulated a British flag and then I slapped in some Bowies to appease fans. It's true."

4.1.3 3-D Cube

"I got the idea from a Nissan commercial. Then I made a cube, in Neopaint actually, but that didn't work, so I remade it in Paint Shop Pro. I chose three of my favorite Bowie pictures, and although I hadn't foreseen this, they worked out really well, in that I could interchange the features. So I took these Bowie pictures, and I had a dang hard time skewing them so they'd look like a cube. And don't even talk to me about the background. Magic!"

4.1.4 Mosaic

"This idea came to me while yachting in the Caribbean. I decided, what the heck, I'll make a wacky Bowie background with Bowies, various colors, and squares. I couldn't wait to get back home to work on it. What an idea! It could be an album cover. As I moved the mouse, it seemed almost magical as it chose pictures, minimized, maximized, manipulated. Towards the end, I was near death and I knew I couldn't go much longer. I thought to myself, 'Either, I make two or three more rows, and die -- or I just cut and paste some existing rows and live on to make more backgrounds,' the choice was obvious. The following day, when I had gained some new strength (however, not enough to make more rows) I did some arithmetic; my conclusions are as follows. There were ten boxes in a column and astoundingly ten letters in 'David Bowie'. Obviously a gift from the heavens. My masterpiece -- just like 'King Lear' -- *complet*."

4.1.5 Mountain

"Many years ago (actual time elapsed: 6 mos.) another idea came to me. This idea was to open Encarta and find a chintzy scenery picture in which to stick Bowie. Many ideas came to mind: deserts, forests, lakes, walls -- however, none of these sufficed. I was in a bad mood that day, my heart was filled with anger (however, not hot, red anger) and it was two sizes too small. The size of my heart, this particular day, reduced my body temperature by 66 degrees fahrenheit. I decided to chose a picture of a mountain."

4.1.6 Desert

"See Mountain, however, I chose a picture of a desert."

4.1.7 Forest

"While surfing the 'Net, on a newly waxed surf-board, I came across a wave of Bowie pictures that shocked and interested me. There is one, however, that stood out above the rest. I don't know what it was called, or where it came from, but it's legacy lives on. I leached it from the ocean (downloaded it) and wondered to myself,'How can I use this in a new and creative way?'. Then I surfed in the wading pool of Encarta and found a picture of some trees. I compared. Trees -- Bowie. Trees -- Bowie. The similarities were astounding. Both were living, made of DNA, and had greenish bits. So I plopped him in. He was too big for the itty-bitty picture that Encarta gave me (cheapskates) so I smeared him out of the picture on to a white screen. It looked neat."

4.1.8 Cool-B

"This concept came to me right around January 8, I'm not quite sure why. For some reason, I wanted to do something to commemorate David's many years in show-business. What better way than to stretch some pictures and stick them together. I know, there is a better way. It's to stretch pictures, stick 'em together, and add a border. However, this border cannot be meaningless. It must have years from 1969 to 1997 and beyond, on it. Ta-da."

4.1.9 Colour

"My unfortunate friend, Monibumb, is a slavedriver, but that's besides the point. It came to me, once, in a dream, while sleeping in my personal jet -- the fact that a colorize tool exists on my computer. I jumped up in a cold sweat, and screamed at Jeeves, 'Quick! Back to my villa in Los Angeles! I must use the colourize tool!' He understood right away. Jeeves has always been good at understanding my computer art peculiarities. Once home, I took David Bowie's face and colourized it in wacky-zacky colors. Then I thought to myself, this only fills half the screen. With what can I fill the other half of the screen? I deliberated for days. Without sleep. Then it dawned upon me, I'll sleep. It'll come to me in a dream. I was correct. In my dream there was Bowie and Iman and Mick Ronson. They were all dressed in robes. And they spoke as one: "Green and black and red and so scared" and I replied, "That won't fill the screen." They thought for a moment, and continued, "Graffiti on the wall kept us all in tune." Content with the space filler, I drifted back in to reality. I wrote it on the screen, (metaphorically, of course) and that's all. What more do you want?"

4.1.10 Super Creeps

"While browsing through vast oceans of Bowie pictures, I noticed a change in my mood when viewing certain shots. After a lengthy investigation of several of these mood manipulating images I came to a rather startling conclusion. They're scary. They're creepy. And thus was the title of my latest, greatest undertaking. Working with these pictures took extra care and consideration. If I saw more than one in a time period of an hour, I would be frightened, and unable to move the mouse. This was obviously a great obstacle (great, in the negative way, but I suppose you knew that. I consider my fans to be one of the most intelligent races.) And so, it took me 342 days to choose the first picture. And I completed the rest within the week. It was very difficult adding the text because I was unable to look at the screen, in fear of being frightened. I hope I did an okay job."

4.1.11 Bcollage

"When I was a young girl, I'm not sure, 14, 15 years old, I heard a young man's voice, a voice they call David Bowie. This was, of course, one of his early albums (Space Oddity, Hunky Dory, etc.). I was inspired. However, the major problem was that I was inspired in Germany. At this time, there were no such thing as computers in Germany and I had no money on me and I was 47.2 miles away from the nearest airport. I obviously made the trek -- on foot. My arm was chewed by wolves, and my leg was chewed by hedgehogs more ravenous than wolves. I didn't have any shoes, but that's okay, because the hedgehogs ate my feet. I couldn't feel the cold from the snow because my nerves had been damaged. Once I arrived at the airport 472 days later (it's hard to walk with no feet) Jeeves was waiting in my private jet. On the flight home Jeeves stitched me new feet and healed my other wounds. Once home, I discovered my computer was gone. So I bought a new one and pasted together some Bowies. If you look closely, you may also see Mick Ronson and his pants, which envelope the screen. Try not to stare directly at David Bowie's arm in the Hunky Dory cover, the mouse slipped."

4.1.12 Low

"There is a long story behind "Low", unlike the other images. It began as a concept I never though possible. The date is July 19, 1997. A very important holiday, known as "Deportation Day". I wondered to myself, what cake do I make on Deportation Day? Then it dawned on me -- someone who is being deported is probably feeling pretty LOW! I went mad with the icing, a dash of orange here, a dash of blue there. When it was complete, it was something that had to be transferred on to the computer. I tried jamming it into the A drive -- nothing. And mysteriously, the A drive no longer works. I proceeded to the CDRom drive -- nothing. Conspiracy? I do believe so. Finally, I decided to laboriously repeat my work through tiny machinations of the mouse. The masterpiece was born, but sadly, the time was 12:01 July 20. I had missed "Deportation Day". That's okay, the cake was in rough shape. Yum!"

4.1.13 Bubbles

"I got this hot new Jareth picture, well, actually, he looks pretty bad in it, but I was starving for a "bit of Jareth". So I used it. I like flying, but I don't have wings, and neither do bubbles, but they fly. And when I draw bubbles, for a moment, I'm flying with them! Also, the addition of David Bowie makes every situation a little sweeter, so, what the hey?"

4.1.14 Labyrinth

"I did this to appease the Labyrinth fans. I mean, don't get hung up on one stupid movie! Sure David Bowie's in it, but not much more than in "The Hunger" and there's a lesbian sex scene in that! Jareth never even removes more than his jacket! I like bubbles. They're cool."

JOKING! This is not meant to offend. I am a big Labyrinth fan myself!

4.2 Other trivia

Trivia Piece #1.

In "Montage", on the right-hand side of the image, in the black and white clouds, it appears there are two women's faces. Also, on the left-hand side of the image, in a very dark plume of smoke there is a really good otter! Take a look!

If you find anything neat like this in any of the other images, please let me know!

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