Oh Nay, these are great! And you call yourself a newbie, turtlepucky...Between this example and those in your album, you passed up newbie long ago.
I really like the surrealism of the first one, you seem to excell in that genre...and the realism of the second is echoed in Annie and Mom2Critters' replies, & I concur, wouldn't mind that as my front yard a bit.
I know what you mean about creating an effect and not knowing how, except all the things ya did to get it...did a fill in SBP using the dice and didn't know to write down or screen capture the settings and a friend asked what fill I'd used, lol. Never seen it again, arg.
Fine work Nay...Faerilee:o)