Abstract wallpaper

I should be carrying on with the cover to the comic strip I am working on but sometimes you have to address the things that make life irritating. And today that is my mobile phone wallpaper. I have had half hearted attempts at using photos as a home screen before. I have bought wallpaper apps like Backdrops, Abstruct and recently IDTR Wallpapers. They all promise so much, and for a short while they can make me happy. I use a Pixel 7 and it's a nice little, affordable phone with a good few years left in it. For something that I look at regularly I want my phone to at least look nice.

Google Pixels use Material You colour theming and Themed Icons. It works okay. Ironically, not all Google apps use it, Maps, Fit and Play Store for instance but that's another story on corporate fragmetation. It's not important to the majority of people, but like I said, I use this device extensively every day so notice the little things. When I apply a wallpaper it doesn't take long for the short comings to surface, Themed Icons and Widgets that disappear into a background colour and Material You predilection for choosing Beige or Pink as a system highlight colour.

Made in Photoshop, drawing freehand shapes, cutting up the canvas and overlaying textures. The wallpaper is not perfect and still has issues but I am keen to make some more in my pursuit of digital happiness. Every time I look at my phone I can now think 'I made that'.

A few of the other attempts and variations. It's not as easy as it looks to get the perfect phone wallpaper.

Note: A recent update to Android 15 seems to have improved Material You and I am now getting a smaller but more varied selection of UI highlights colours.