What Is a Pattern Design?
Learn how to create a pattern with pattern design specialist Juan Díaz-Faes
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July 2020
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Mood Boards for Brand Identity Design
Design studio The Negra teaches you how to conceptualize a visual universe Mood boards are among the best starting points that any creative can use before embarking on a new project. In identity and brand design, they l help you share your vision with your client and make sure that they agree on the general path the design will take. For creative studio The Negra (@thenegra), the mood board is a way of understanding the graphic universe in which a brand develops. Learn their method of searching for visual references, building boards, and visualizing a concept.
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Get Inspired by 7 3D Artists and CG Illustrators
Discover the work of these creatives and their spectacular compositions Computer-generated images can bring life to shapes, movements, colors, and creatures that only exist in their creator's imagination. Meet 7 talented illustrators and animators from different countries who give life to fantastic characters and beautiful 3D worlds: Frank J. Guzzone Frank is a multidisciplinary artist and art director based in New York who specializes in CG animations. He has worked with numerous international brands, and in his projects, he plays with impossible physics in vibrant colored universes.
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What Is Cloning in Photoshop?
The Photoshop clone stamp allows naturally retouching an image as if you were working with a brush When we talk about cloning in Photoshop, we are talking about an image retouching tool that allows you to copy an area of the image exactly, and paint it in a new place with the brush. This tool is often used to remove unwanted objects within an image, soften shadows or textures, edit photographs, or create a natural transition between tones and textures. The clone stamp: a powerful retouching tool The clone stamp is one of the favorite tools of those who work in photo editing using Photoshop since it allows them to retouch and edit the image from samples taken of the original photograph, thus achieving a perfect result. Since it works as a digital brush—its size, hardness, and shape can be modified—it is very easy to adapt it to each project. This allows editing the smallest details without the viewer noticing that the image has been manipulated.
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Teacher DesignDomestika Diary: COVL
The multidisciplinary self-taught artist talks about her process and why creative exploration is so important to her. Just like there are no limits to a person’s creativity, there are seemingly no limits on the number of mediums available to experiment with. In fact, dabbling in new techniques and trying new tools can be a way of expanding your own skill set and discovering different forms of creative output. For multidisciplinary artist COVL, whose clients include Nike, Netflix, Instagram, and Cadillac, experimenting with mediums outside her comfort zone is the key to improving her craft. In this Domestika Diary, she talks about her process, her experience working from home, and how the diversity in her work helps her see and find creative opportunities everywhere she looks.
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5 Essential Courses to Start Your Sketchbook Habit
Take your sketching and creativity to another level with these experts The sketchbook is the perfect tool to develop as a creative. Regardless of your experience, it is a medium to develop in almost any creative discipline. Establishing the habit of always having your sketchbook with you will help you create surprising and innovative projects. Start to fill one up right now with ideas, sketches, watercolors, and anything else that might occur to you with the help of these five experts.
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Teacher Art8 Impressive Hyperrealist Illustrators and Painters
A selection of paintings, drawings, and illustrations by artists around the world Armed with pencils, oil paint, acrylics, and their imaginations, these hyperrealist painters and illustrators inject life into artworks that are so detailed, they could easily be mistaken for photographs. Despite the fact that lots of people have access to high-quality cameras on their phones these days, the following creatives continue to push the limits of figurative art with their hyperrealist styles, seeking to create lifelike reproductions of landscapes, objects, situations, and people. This style was seen in the United States around the 1970s, long before the term hyperrealism had even entered the dictionary. This style can be found in the work of artists who have been active in the distant past (Canaletto), the more recent past (Edward Hopper, Daniel Ridgway Knight), and very recent decades (Antonio López, David Parrish). Today, it is employed not only in paintings, but also in sculpture, including famous works by Ron Mueck, Kazuhiro Tsuji, and Giovani Caramello. Néstor Canavarro is an example of a celebrated hyperrealist artist working today. He is also a member of the Domestika community and teaches the course, Realistic Portrait with Coloured Pencils.
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Dieter Rams’ 10 Principles of Good Design
Delima pays tribute to the work of Dieter Rams with an illustration series Dieter Rams (Germany, 1932) is a universal reference in the world of industrial designers. A key representative of the functionalist movement, his work stands out for its minimalism and adherence to the philosophy, “less, but better”.
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What Is Exploded View Drawing?
Learn all about this illustration style used in industrial design and architecture Exploded View is a technical drawing style that shows the individual parts or the assembly order of an object as a diagram. While it’s often used for patenting objects, it first appeared during the Renaissance, and today is also a popular illustration style that is used to create interesting images that don't necessarily guide the assembly of an object. What is it used for? In industrial design, this drawing style helps designers, engineers, manufacturers, and artisans get a three-dimensional, explanatory view of the different parts of an object. Usually, the diagram gives instructions on how to assemble the object, which you’ve probably seen examples of in manuals explaining how to put together a piece of furniture.
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Discover the Pioneers of the Photomontage
No, the montage wasn't invented by Photoshop. Discover in this video how photographers were "fooling" people over a century ago For many, digital photography has done away with the sincerity of analog. What they don't know is that analog photography, although we have always been assured that it captures reality as faithfully as possible, is not entirely reliable either. As early as the 19th century, just a few decades after the invention of photography, there were several instances that show how the construction of alternate realities was already part of the essence of analog photography. Pioneers who were innovating long before the dawn of Adobe.
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Teacher Illustration5 Free Tutorials: Figure Drawing for Perfectionists
Learn how to accurately draw the human figure with the help of these experts Figure drawing is the study of the structure, movement , anatomy and proportions of the human body. As an illustrator, it’s one of the disciplines that will give you the most satisfaction, both for its enormous creative possibilities and because you will be able to check your progress while practicing. Check out these 5 free tutorials in which drawing experts share their secrets to drawing faces, hands and bodies with realism like a professional.
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Norman Foster brings another sustainable landmark to Madrid
See the incredible plans of iconic architect Norman Foster to turn a 115-year-old warehouse into an ultra-sustainable office complex in Madrid The epitome of the international modern architect, Norman Foster is famous worldwide. The British designer has always had a soft spot for the Iberian peninsula however and, in 2017, he even built a foundation that carries his name in the Spanish capital. The center has served as a hub for design, debate, and innovation ever since. The foundation isn’t the only thing keeping him busy in the city: Foster+Partners is already hard at work on the development of the old Barclays Bank building in Plaza de Colón, the famous Cepsa Tower, and even the reforms to the 1912 palace in Chamberi that houses the Norman Foster Foundation itself.
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Choosing References to Inspire Your Character Design
Learn these basic tips for choosing and using visual references when drawing characters with Marcio Takara One of the joys of creating a comic book character is that that person can be whatever you want them to be, strong, weak, beautiful, ugly, tiny, or huge, and you can even create a totally new universe for them to live in. Chances are, however, that you’d like to situate them in a world that at least resembles some part of your own reality. Our imaginations are our most powerful tool, but carefully choosing references from which to create can help us design realistic and convincing heroes and villains for our stories. A good reference can also inspire you to take your drawings to new levels and different spaces. Here is a collection of tips from comic book artist Marcio Takara (@marciotakara) that will help you find visual references and provide the basic foundations for your next illustration.
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Teacher MarketingFreelance Tutorial: How to Grow Your Audience on Instagram
James Lewis shares his tips on how to document, showcase, and share your art in order to build a digital audience A large part of any creative career isn’t just producing work, but also sharing it. Because of that, social media has become a powerful way for creatives to reach a global audience, collaborate with the larger artistic community, and even find new clients. Learning how to use platforms like Instagram effectively is a great way for newcomers to gain exposure while building their career, and for established creatives to better connect with their audience. In this video, lettering artist James Lewis (@jamesllewis) explains how he uses Instagram to promote his work and shares tips about how you can better document and showcase your projects in order to build a digital audience.
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How to Import Fonts to Procreate?
Procreate now allows you to add text to your illustrations, drawings, and designs. Learn how to use your favorite fonts Procreate has become, without a doubt, the favorite app of illustrators, cartoonists, designers and creatives around the world. The iPad software allows you to use the screen as a notebook and has a number of extremely useful features for digital artists, but until a few months ago you could not do something as simple as adding text to images. With the arrival of the function to add text comes a big question: how do you add fonts to Procreate? Here, we explain how, step by step.
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Adobe Premiere vs. Final Cut: What Makes Better Films?
The best films cut with Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro Video editors get asked what software they use all the time. The answer will change according to all sorts of variables, such as personal taste, their experience, and what kind of project they’re working on. The truth is, you’ll probably have to learn how to use whatever program your client wants you to work with.
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5 Ws of Effective Storytelling
Iván Mayorquín tells us about the five essential rules for developing a story
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How To Combine Colors in Interior Design
Learn to create harmony and impact with these simple tips for combining colors in interior design from Miriam Alía Miriam Alía’s (@miriamalia) designs have featured in editorials like Architectural Digest, Elle Decor, Interiores and more. Here she shares basic rules for combining colors that you can play with and can help you establish what works best for you.
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A Simple Way to Make Substrates for Your Succulents
Learn to make homemade substrates for your succulents using a few simple ingredients In the last few years, succulent plants have become decorations for countless public spaces and private homes, outside and in thanks to their hardy nature, the beauty they bring to their surroundings, and the ease of caring for them. But it's important to bear their idiosyncrasies in mind: for example, strong and healthy plants need to be cultivated in a special kind of substrate. In the following video, Meena and Ceci, two botanical designers who make up the Compañía Botánica (@ciabotanica) show us the essential ingredients for a good succulent substrate. Find out how to make on in the video below.
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Teacher IllustrationFree Download: Fantasy Portrait Brushes Pack for Photoshop
Artist Karmen Loh (Bearbrickjia) shares this collection of brushes for amazing portraits Karmen Loh, better known as Bearbrickjia (@bearbrickjia), is an illustrator from Malaysia whose experience has allowed her to work in the video game industry, participating in productions such as Street Fighter V or Steel Circus, among others. As a freelancer, she has managed to position her fantastic style in her illustration work, and one of the keys to achieving perfection in her work has been the configuration of brushes that help her achieve her style.
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Tips and Tricks to Improve Your Lettering
These pro tips from Chisko Romo will give new life to your lettering (and get you more likes on Instagram) Chisko Romo (@chisko_romo) is a graphic designer with more than seven years experience as a lettering artist. Throughout his professional career, he has collaborated with brands such as Adidas, Ted Baker, Moleskine, Apple Music and American Eagle, among many other great brands. He enjoys experimenting with shapes and volumes in lettering, interpreting letters as graphic forms that convey feelings, and creating compositions in different styles that he shares on his Instagram. That's why Chisko has given us three simple tips and tricks that will help you edit your photos or add effects in Illustrator, to turn your compositions into pieces worth showing the world with pride. Here are Chisko’s tips for lettering that will pop: 1. Remove unsightly edges Chisko makes physical letters using engraving and laser cutting techniques, so the final pieces often have burn marks, especially on the edges. To show a perfect piece, without marks or stains, the designer uses the Smudge tool on Photoshop that simulates the effect achieved by passing a finger through fresh paint.
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5 Professional Tips for Comedy Screenwriting
Screenwriter Ángela Armero shares five essential tips when writing stories that make people laugh
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Discovering Leonardo Da Vinci's Digital Notebooks
It took us 500 years, but we can now access the notes, thoughts, and drawings of one of the greatest geniuses in history (for free!) Renaissance artist, musician, inventor, anatomist, architect, paleontologist, botanist, scientist, writer, sculptor, philosopher, engineer, and painter, Leonardo da Vinci (1452 - 1519) is considered one of the greatest geniuses of all time and one of the most talented artists in history. Not only for his incredible works such as La Gioconda (1503), The Last Supper (1498), or The Annunciation (1472), but also for the notebooks and books full of diagrams, drawings, personal notes, and observations he made that are now proof of his genius. Leonardo seems to have started annotating his ideas and world views in the mid-1480s. He was a pioneer of the use of paper as a sketching tool and filled pages and pages with ideas, comments, thoughts, and inventions, blending the mind of a designer with that of a scientist. And now, some of these priceless notebooks are freely available on the Internet.
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Branding Tutorial: How to Design a Logo
Basic tips for approaching a logo design from The Negra A logo can be the icing on the cake in a graphic project. Or its starting point. Either way, it must be distinguishable, unique and memorable. And that's where the fixed rules end, because even one of the most intuitive imperatives–legibility–does not always apply, it depends on what the brand is looking for. This is what the three partners of the Argentine studio The Negra (@thenegra), designers Diego, Lio and Pancho, teach us. In this tutorial, we learn basic premises to create a good logo, taking into account the message we want to convey, the brand to which it is applied, and the graphic options we have.
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How to Create an Animated Web Series
Sociedad Fantasma shows us the process behind the creation of R.T., an alien that tries to sympathize with humanity Sociedad Fantasma (@sociedadfantasma) is a storytelling studio founded by Carlos Rupit, Gabriel Pichardo, and Lizeth Rodríguez, devoted to telling great stories through illustration and animation. This path has led them to work with brands like Netflix, Gatorade, Google, and Nike, but also to develop their projects, such as their web series UFUCK_U, where a curious alien tries to fit into daily human life. This project demonstrates this Mexican studio's experience in crafting stories, characters, illustration, color management, and animation–the foundations of their work. These are the main steps Sociedad Fantasma takes to make an episode of its series.
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Basic Engraving Tools
Pablo Salvaje lists the tools you need to start engraving Artist Pablo Salvaje (@pablosalvaje) mixed his passion for ink, paper, and illustration with his family's old printing press business, focusing on engraving, design, illustration, and screen printing techniques. With nature as his muse, he aims to leave a mark, literally and figuratively, with each of his pieces. To encourage you to try some of his methods, Pablo Salvaje shares a list of 22 basic tools that you need to start engraving. They are all easy to find and work with, so you can get down to business with the ideas you already have in your head.
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How to Ignite an Idea for a Foldable Picture Book
How to kickstart a foldable book project and what you will need to bring it to life Roger Ycaza (@rogerycaza) is an award-winning illustrator, author, and musician from Ecuador, specializing in children’s books. One of his favorite formats is the foldable book, given that it allows illustration to take center stage and requires the author to explore unique ways to connect their visual language with the story being told through text. Here, Roger takes us through his process for coming up with an initial idea that ignites a new book, as well as showing us some different foldable formats and the materials he recommends using to bring them to life.
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Illustration Tutorial: Ink Strokes And The Sumi-e Technique
Explore the possibilities of India ink by getting your hands dirty with award-winning artist and illustrator Mika Takahashi
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Domestika Diary: Apartamento 203
Founders of the architecture studio Apartment 203 Nathália Candelária and Henrique Diamantino share their creative routine during lockdown in Brazil
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Teacher DesignAdobe XD Tutorial: Basic Design Functions
Learn with Ethan Parry how to draw shapes, edit colors, and add text using UX design software Adobe XD. User experience has become an increasingly important part of design—bringing together designers, developers, and other stakeholders to create websites and digital products that users can easily and intuitively navigate. Implementing a successful UX design can result in more sales, improved branding, and better conversion, making it a necessary design principle regardless of the industry or audience being targeted. That’s why Adobe XD is such an important tool. A leading vector-based UX design software for web and mobile apps, it can be used to design and prototype wireframes and layouts that can then be implemented and tested. Ethan Parry (@ethanparry) is a service designer and UX research consultant who regularly uses Adobe XD in his own work. In this tutorial, he explains the software’s basic design functions, which are the building blocks you’ll need before you can begin building your own app.
