Saturday, 31 January 2009
Vector Software Product Box Template
A great packaging design resource from GhostOfArt. You can fully customize the template with Adobe Illustrator or any other SVG editor.
You can use it for building package design portfolio samples. To use, decompress the *.rar file with WinRar or StuffIt (Mac OS). Download
You can use it for building package design portfolio samples. To use, decompress the *.rar file with WinRar or StuffIt (Mac OS). Download
School work
We got the boysthese adorable handmade
birdie pencil holdersat a crafts market recently.
This is where they dotheir school work every day.
I love that they getlots of natural light.
Friday, 30 January 2009
Hand carved ship
Once you start carvingit is very difficult to stop doing it :)
I highly recommend it.
I used my trusty Speedball lino cutter
and a Staedtler 2½" × 2½" × ¾"
carving block for this one.
The ships in the background
are from my collection of vintage postcards.
Wednesday, 28 January 2009
Free Vector Skulls Pack for Adobe Illustrator
A collection of four anatomic and one cartoonish skull illustrations from sexualtyranosaurus.
The resource is fully editable with Adobe Illustratrator. To use it first, you need to expand the .zip file.Download
The resource is fully editable with Adobe Illustratrator. To use it first, you need to expand the .zip file.Download
Vector Flames Tutorial
TUTVID.com is another great source of Video tutorials for digital illustration with Adobe Products. You can visit and subscribe to their Youtube channel here. Click on "continue reading" to access the video.
Below you can have a look at a tutorial for Adobe Illustrator that shows you an useful technique for drawing vector flames.
Below you can have a look at a tutorial for Adobe Illustrator that shows you an useful technique for drawing vector flames.
Tuesday, 27 January 2009
A performance by Public Movement in Łódź
UPDATE (4.February):
Public Movement is an Israeli performance group. The action you see below was made by them in Łódź, Poland.
A short explanation: before WW2, Łódź used to have a very large Jewish minority. The Jews were, among others, the owners of a significant part of the textile industry thriving in the city. Today, there are practically no more Jews there - and no more industry as well (although the industry did go on until the 70's, I believe). It is a poor and degraded city, with a lot of social problems, and where antisemitism is still present (although the vast majority of the inhabitants have never seen a Jew).
It is one of the very few places I know where one can still find antisemitic slogans on the walls.
So here you have it: the Israelis arrive and correct the Star of David. They basically make a grafitti of how it should look like, and put the correct form over the incorrect one.
And a few little ideas:
- The grafitti they choose to work with are not openly antisemitic. They simply replace one of the letters of the name of a soccer club (ŁKS) with a Star of David. So this is a "neutral" correction on a "neutral" sign.
- The ritual. Ah, the ritual. Turns it all into an action of purity. Precious.
- Notice one other, much more hidden, interpretation: the Jews are back in town. They are here, after our land. They put their stamp on the walls. They claim what is theirs (the club, the building). They are tagging their city.
- But one idea I think is crucial, and might be overlooked in all this will to interpret every single aspect of the work. Public Movement seems to be saying "Yes, this is who we are. We see no reason to be ashamed of it. Do you? Are you not embarrassed to have thought this was inappropriate or even silly, in any way?"
This is some brilliant playing with street art, semiotics, identity and politics.
The one question that I find problematic is - yes, this is on the spot. But for whom? Who is the audience? Is it public art, or just private art in public space? Or maybe it is public art, only for the audience that is reading about it now? So where does that leave the people who walk by this daily? Do we expect them to have a surge of initiative and paint over the whole signs? Or are we, deep inside, enjoying the fact that it's still there, everything is just the same, while we, the smart ones, know and watch?
I really do not know. I do not have better solutions. This, of course, is not a solution either - it is highliting the question(s). But what are we to make of this insistent neutrality right in the middle of a political issue? Is it a curse, the curse of constant distance? Or the blessing of a delicately balanced gesture, for once?
Public Movement is an Israeli performance group. The action you see below was made by them in Łódź, Poland.
A short explanation: before WW2, Łódź used to have a very large Jewish minority. The Jews were, among others, the owners of a significant part of the textile industry thriving in the city. Today, there are practically no more Jews there - and no more industry as well (although the industry did go on until the 70's, I believe). It is a poor and degraded city, with a lot of social problems, and where antisemitism is still present (although the vast majority of the inhabitants have never seen a Jew).
It is one of the very few places I know where one can still find antisemitic slogans on the walls.
So here you have it: the Israelis arrive and correct the Star of David. They basically make a grafitti of how it should look like, and put the correct form over the incorrect one.
And a few little ideas:
- The grafitti they choose to work with are not openly antisemitic. They simply replace one of the letters of the name of a soccer club (ŁKS) with a Star of David. So this is a "neutral" correction on a "neutral" sign.
- The ritual. Ah, the ritual. Turns it all into an action of purity. Precious.
- Notice one other, much more hidden, interpretation: the Jews are back in town. They are here, after our land. They put their stamp on the walls. They claim what is theirs (the club, the building). They are tagging their city.
- But one idea I think is crucial, and might be overlooked in all this will to interpret every single aspect of the work. Public Movement seems to be saying "Yes, this is who we are. We see no reason to be ashamed of it. Do you? Are you not embarrassed to have thought this was inappropriate or even silly, in any way?"
This is some brilliant playing with street art, semiotics, identity and politics.
The one question that I find problematic is - yes, this is on the spot. But for whom? Who is the audience? Is it public art, or just private art in public space? Or maybe it is public art, only for the audience that is reading about it now? So where does that leave the people who walk by this daily? Do we expect them to have a surge of initiative and paint over the whole signs? Or are we, deep inside, enjoying the fact that it's still there, everything is just the same, while we, the smart ones, know and watch?
I really do not know. I do not have better solutions. This, of course, is not a solution either - it is highliting the question(s). But what are we to make of this insistent neutrality right in the middle of a political issue? Is it a curse, the curse of constant distance? Or the blessing of a delicately balanced gesture, for once?
Monday, 26 January 2009
Orchid
It's my first one ever, wish me luck.If you have any tips on how to care for it
I'd really appreciate you leave me a comment.
I drew this one in 2007with acrylic ink on watercolor paper.
Sunday, 25 January 2009
STERLING HUNDLEY
I like the kind of art where you can tell that the artist has a pulse. This passionate image by Sterling Hundley for the Lyric Opera of Kansas City is a prime example:
Hundley's theatrical posters are not only impassioned, they are smart, too.
Marat Sade
Death of a Salesman
He has created posters for theatrical productions around the country. These projects give Hundley creative freedom which he uses to maximum advantage, developing his own themes and putting his human imprint on his subject. His illustrations also appear in publications such as the New Yorker and Rolling Stone, and accompany his own stories in Virginia Living magazine.
Like his theatrical posters, his illustrations tend to be emotionally complex and beautifully designed:
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Hundley's pictures don't move, blink, or explode. They have no digital soundtrack or 3D glasses. Instead, they come from the tradition where the picture holds still and your brain moves. Such art is in short supply these days.
Saturday, 24 January 2009
Random Vectors #04
A collection of random vector graphics for Adobe Illustrator from ysr1. The pack contains over 50 high-quality silhouette illustrations that could be useful logo design brainstorming and decoration...
The set is in EPS file format, so you can customize it with most vector editors. For a detailed preview of the set click on the image below. Download (EPS).
The set is in EPS file format, so you can customize it with most vector editors. For a detailed preview of the set click on the image below. Download (EPS).
Thursday, 22 January 2009
Favorites
1. tic tac toe, 2. shells: organized, 3. Dandelion, 4. White mushroom.JPG, 5. Kumquat, 6. Onion Skin Dyed Eggs, 7. too windy, 8. last one for a bit., 9. a very still life, 10. found treasures, 11. Hip to be cool, or freezing in this case., 12. so softly, 13. じょうず (Jouzu) Japanese word that means skillful or good at., 14. arranged by size, 15. 赤いポピー／Red poppy, 16. pojagi, 17. pretty, 18. coral garden, 19. sunspots, 20. geraldton waxFlickr is a HUGE
source of inspiration for me.
These are just a few
of my favorites.
source of inspiration for me.
These are just a few
of my favorites.
Wednesday, 21 January 2009
ED Awards 2008
The European Design Awards is the comprehensive annual awards organization celebrating the best of graphic design, illustration and digital design in Europe. Being a joint effort by 14 communication design magazines from across Europe...
The ED-Awards is one of the industry's key schemes, and a brilliant way to publicize your work on an international level.
The deadline for submissions is February 14, 2009. Reasons to submit your work : ed-awards.com
The ED-Awards is one of the industry's key schemes, and a brilliant way to publicize your work on an international level.
14 Monster Tentacle Brushes for Adobe Illustrator
A set of 14 monster tentacle brushes for Adobe Illustrator from Pebe1234. This pack is a must-have resource for all the character designers/illustrators out there. You can easily draw complicated monster body parts just by applying the brushes on a vector path...
By default the objects that you create will be in black and white color, but in case you want to customize them you can do so by outlining the objects (Object>Path>Outline Strokes + Object>Ungroup).
To use, load the PDF file with Illustrator (File>Open>Choose, don't use the Click+drag method.) and bring up the brushes palette (Window>Brushes). Download
By default the objects that you create will be in black and white color, but in case you want to customize them you can do so by outlining the objects (Object>Path>Outline Strokes + Object>Ungroup).
To use, load the PDF file with Illustrator (File>Open>Choose, don't use the Click+drag method.) and bring up the brushes palette (Window>Brushes). Download
Tuesday, 20 January 2009
High Tech Winter Scene Illustration
Fresh materiall from Digital Arts Magazine. A digital illustration tutorial showing you various techinques and a workflow for composing a high-tech 3D winter landscape using Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop.
"This futuristic image – which resembles a Bond villain’s polar lair – is created using three separate applications, and will put your compositing skills through their paces.
The structure’s blueprint is created in Illustrator, and then transformed into a 3D object using Cinema 4D, before being composited into the landscape in Photoshop." Full tutorial
Monday, 19 January 2009
Random Vectors #03
Another collection of random vectors for Adobe Illustrator, created by DZERI. The pack contains vector illustrations of the Statue of Liberty (NYC), a cityscape silhouette, an abstract eye, a heraldic crown and other random urban style design elements...
To use, open the PDF file with Illustrator. Download
To use, open the PDF file with Illustrator. Download
Sunday, 18 January 2009
Organic Illustrations. Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator Tutorial
A digital illustration tutorial from Computer Arts Magazine, showing you how to combine Photoshop and Illustrator techniques in order to compose organic illustrations.
"Doug Alves reveals the thinking and methods behind his incredible artwork... When I was kid, I used to spend my vacations in a small, peaceful town that was nature-rich, and when I was researching for my own style I just brought my childhood into my illustrations." Full tutorial and support files
Smoke Style Brushes for Adobe Illustrator
A collection of 10 smoke brushes for Adobe Illustrator from r2010. If you play with the opacity, blends and the stroke size, stroke color you may come out with some pretty realistic effects...
To use, decompress the *.zip file, open the *.AI file with Illustrator and bring up the brushes palette (Window>Brushes or F5). Download
To use, decompress the *.zip file, open the *.AI file with Illustrator and bring up the brushes palette (Window>Brushes or F5). Download
Friday, 16 January 2009
ANDREW WYETH, ABSTRACT PAINTER
This week we lost Andrew Wyeth (1917 - 2009), noted abstract expressionist painter. A formidable artistic source, his work was comparable to some of the most avant garde work of the last century.
For example, contrast this painting by Wyeth...
...with this image by famed abstract expressionist Robert Motherwell:
Or, compare the shimmering effect of this painting by Wyeth...
...with this very similar painting by radical artist Jean Dubuffet:
Here, a painting by Wyeth...
...might be compared with this work by famed minimalist sculptor and video artist Richard Serra:
Some people even insist they can find realistic images hidden in Wyeth's lovely designs.
As for me, I'm not sure I see it. But I guess abstract art is kind of like a rorshach test. Everybody sees something different.
For example, contrast this painting by Wyeth...
...with this image by famed abstract expressionist Robert Motherwell:
Or, compare the shimmering effect of this painting by Wyeth...
...with this very similar painting by radical artist Jean Dubuffet:
Here, a painting by Wyeth...
...might be compared with this work by famed minimalist sculptor and video artist Richard Serra:
Some people even insist they can find realistic images hidden in Wyeth's lovely designs.
As for me, I'm not sure I see it. But I guess abstract art is kind of like a rorshach test. Everybody sees something different.
Free Pattern Swatches
A free vector decoration resource for Adobe Illustrator from VectorGeek. A pack of six seamless pattern swatches: intertwined, lace and dot swatch patterns...
To use, open the PDF wile with Adobe Illustrator, bring up the Appearance Panel (Window>Appearance or Shift+F5). Download
To use, open the PDF wile with Adobe Illustrator, bring up the Appearance Panel (Window>Appearance or Shift+F5). Download
It's in Japanese
Watercolor & acrylic ink on paper.
4 x 5 inches
4 x 5 inches
I've been more inspiredby these Japanese craft books/magazines
than by the ones I can actually read!
Here's a great
Japanese craft book resource.
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