Inspiration

Expand your personal library of references and get to know the work of creatives from various disciplines.

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  • Work Out Your Instagram Color Palette
    Teacher Marketing

    Work Out Your Instagram Color Palette

    This tool will show you which colors you use the most on your Instagram profile Color can be a window to your personality and an essential tool to create visual harmony. Use it correctly, and you'll be able to convey emotions and messages in a much clearer fashion. It doesn't matter if your Instagram account is personal, professional, or you are representing a brand: if you take color seriously, you need to explore Color Kuler, a service that analyzes the most prominent colors in the images you post on your feed, giving you a good idea of what palette represents you, and greater control over what your profile looks like. Try this tool, discover the colors your followers associate with you, and compare it with others.

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  • The Letters of the Alphabet as Kamasutra Positions
    Writing

    The Letters of the Alphabet as Kamasutra Positions

    Artist Malika Favre transformed the 26 letters of the alphabet into a book of erotic writing and illustrations French artist Malika Favre has just published Kama Sutra A-Z, an audacious and original book. The 26 letters of the alphabet have been turned into artistic illustrations alluding to sexual freedom and expression. Individually laid out page by page, Malika’s illustrations are accompanied by handwritten erotic texts, focusing on poetry. Celebrated poets such as Sandra Cisneros, Yusef Komunyakaa, Stephanie Burt, Vanessa Kisuule, and Kyle Dargan have been included in the book–all of whom have inspired Malika over the years. Designed by Counter-Print, the book is the culmination of a project exhibited at London’s Somerset House in 2013, the year in which Favre was selected to take part in Pick Me Up. We interviewed the author to learn about her creative process and where she conceived the idea to combine the Kamasutra positions with the letters of the alphabet. She explains what the relationship between erotic writing and illustration is.

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  • 5 Free Classes in Food Photography
    Teacher Photography

    5 Free Classes in Food Photography

    Available for a limited time only, these classes will show you how to take great photographs of your favorite recipes A quick scroll on Instagram proves that food photography has made a big impact on social media. You’ll also see how difficult it is to stand out amongst the sea of images that have been hashtagged with popular categories like #foodporn. When going up against this strong competition, it’s a good idea to learn from the best: from coming up with a concept to setting up lighting. These five free classes are an invitation into the exciting world of food styling and the range of skills you can master. Free Class: Set and Lighting A photography set is where the magic begins, and creating it, of course, has its secrets. In this class from the course Food Photography Basic Techniques, commercial photographer Ernesto López explains how to create a workspace that helps you concentrate on your creative process. He will also teach you how to control light so that your photographs look great from the get-go. In summary, you will learn how to assemble a set and will discover the basic knowledge you need to take a spectacular photograph.

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  • Design Better Websites Using These Wireframes
    Design

    Design Better Websites Using These Wireframes

    A good wireframe is the first step to a successful website and these are the different types Wireframes are schematic drawings of a web page that help us plan the distribution of content or communicate to a client how the users will interact with their page. Javier Usobiaga (@htmlboy) is the founder of Swwweet, a web design studio in Barcelona that has worked with numerous companies and institutions. Over the years, Javier has created countless wireframes for his own projects, and he classifies them according to their design and function: Bird's-eye view This is a global view of the website's navigation tree. It explains how users would move through the different pages and approximate the UX elements they'll encounter.

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  • 5 Photographers Who Defined the Self-portrait
    Photography

    5 Photographers Who Defined the Self-portrait

    Discover painting’s influence on the photographic self-portrait and how it can build a visual narrative Across all artistic disciplines, self-reflection can be expressed in different ways. The creator inevitably leaves a piece of himself in each of their creations. Since the days of Ancient Greece, it has been believed that creativity goes hand in hand with self-exploration. When it comes to the self-portrait, there is a whole other level of communication between the artist and spectator. The artist shows themselves exactly as they are, or, how they want others to perceive them.

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  • 5 Tips for Working With Embroidery
    Craft

    5 Tips for Working With Embroidery

    Get expert advice on how to improve your techniques and turn pro People have embroidered for centuries, using this technique to decorate and customize garments and make them more special. Over time, this practice has evolved. Once embroidered pieces were something only the rich and powerful could afford. Now, they are commonly owned by people from all different walks of life. Embroidery is a versatile form of expression with few restrictions, popular across numerous cultures, from east to west, and which has become a very accessible art form. Paula Linard (@paula.linard) has over five years of experience as a professional embroiderer. For her, this medium offers infinite possibilities, from decorating paintings, personalizing clothing–both old and new–to making more elaborate pieces. "There’s a great demand for pieces made for babies or to give as gifts. We just need to develop our drawing skills a little more in order to put our stamp on a piece. We need to focus on the artistic side of this craft, which is a form of expression. It's good to try and create your own drawing, evolve your own line–it doesn't have to be perfect. I like to observe and appreciate the imperfections in my stitches and drawings. It doesn't always look so attractive at first but the final result always makes me happy, because I have created it with my own hands, from start to finish. That is invaluable", she says.

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  • 5 Great Comic Adaptations for Television
    Writing

    5 Great Comic Adaptations for Television

    A compilation of fantastic graphic novels that were successfully adapted for the small screen Gone are the days in which graphic novels were considered lesser work. Art Spiegelman’s Maus, the first-ever comic to receive the Pulitzer Prize, Joe Sacco’s comics journalism, and Alan Moore, possibly the greatest artist in this genre’s history, are brilliant proof that a great story can be told in all sorts of formats. Over the last few years, to confirm comic books’ growing standing, we have seen many characters leave the pages and come to life in cinema, TV, and other platforms. The most significant success in the history of cinema, Endgame, earning 2798 million dollars at the box office, is based on the superhero comic book, The Avengers.

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  • How to Curate Your Instagram Grid Layout
    Marketing

    How to Curate Your Instagram Grid Layout

    Find out how you can make the most of Instagram to show off your creative portfolio Customizing your Instagram feed is a great idea if you want to use your account as a portfolio. A well-curated feed can transmit what you do in seconds. If your work is visual, knowing how to order your posts–so that they stand out more as a whole–is key when it comes to attracting new followers and showing off your work. Or maybe you are just interested in experimenting with your personal page. The well-organized and harmonious effects you achieve when you plan your posts in advance are known as Instagram Grid Layouts, Puzzles, or Mosaics. To incorporate them into your feed, all you need to do is follow different publishing methods and try out some of the tools that photographer Pati Gagarin (@patigagarin) recommends in her course, Instagram as a Photography Portfolio.

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  • What Is Embroidery and What Are the Main Types of Embroidery?
    Craft

    What Is Embroidery and What Are the Main Types of Embroidery?

    Learn about the infinite possibilities of this technique If we wanted to define it in the simplest way, we could say that embroidery is a technique that consists of using a needle and thread to decorate fabric. However, there is so much more to be said about this technique, which is enjoying something of a renaissance right now. What was once written off as an insignificant craft activity, embroidery is now recognized as its own art form. Learn more about this exciting activity, which you can start practicing right away.

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  • Beginner and Advanced Watercolor Painting FAQs
    Illustration

    Beginner and Advanced Watercolor Painting FAQs

    Ana Victoria Calderón answers what you’ve always wanted to ask about watercolors Ana Victoria Calderón (@anavictoriana) is a painter and illustrator who uses watercolors as her primary medium. She creates art for Hallmark, Papyrus, Demdaco, Galison, and editorial work for Glamour, Vanity Fair, InStyle, and Elle. One of her three Domestika courses, Modern Watercolor Techniques, has just reached 100K students! To celebrate this achievement, Ana Victoria has been answering some frequently asked questions about watercolor materials and techniques and giving professional tips in a live chat for the Domestika Live series. Read some of her answers below:

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  • Tat*: A Graphic Designer’s Addiction to Ephemera and ‘Bad’ Design
    Writing

    Tat*: A Graphic Designer’s Addiction to Ephemera and ‘Bad’ Design

    A book of tat and ephemera collected by one of the UK’s most accomplished graphic designers, Andy Altmann Most scrapbooks are tucked away in a drawer or on a shelf somewhere, never to be seen again. But, when a scrapbook is compiled by one of Britain’s foremost designers and ephemera aficionados, it’s worth taking another look. Andy Altmann is the co-founder of Why Not Associates, the design studio behind brands like the Pompidou Center, BBC, Channel 4, and the Tate Modern. He is also an ephemera addict who has decided to put said addiction to good use by publishing a book called tat*. *tat (noun) – anything that looks cheap, is of low quality, or in bad condition; junk, rubbish, debris, detritus, crap

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  • The Music Videos That Have Inspired Director Lyona Ivanova
    Film & Video

    The Music Videos That Have Inspired Director Lyona Ivanova

    Discover the music videos that have shaped the creative style of the successful Spanish director For many, Lyona Ivanova (@lyona) has the dream job: to imagine and create visual worlds for songs. The director has created over 100 music videos for artists including Love of Lesbian, Amaral, Leiva, Sidonie, Lori Meyers, Carlos Sadness, and many more. Ivanova started developing a passion for film as a child when her grandfather was head of programming at a local cinema and organized Sunday sessions. As a teenager, she was inspired by Tim Burton's film Edward Scissorhands. Lyona started making home movies, and after finishing school, she enrolled at ESCAC (Catalonia’s School of Cinema).

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  • And the Pantone Color of the Year 2021 is...
    Design

    And the Pantone Color of the Year 2021 is...

    Illuminating Yellow and Ultimate Gray! Two colors that symbolize strength and optimism and that give us hope After an especially difficult year worldwide, Pantone has announced its color of the year 2021. And it is not one, but two. The tones that will mark the year ahead are designed to create the feeling of a fresh sunrise over rocky terrain. These are Illuminating, a yellow that looks like the skin of a ripe lemon, and Ultimate Gray, a gray that resembles wet concrete. Their technical names are PANTONE 17-5104 + PANTONE 13-0647. The symbolism, like every year, is very important. This time it is not a depressing gray but a gray that refers to practicality and solidity, like a rock. Yellow is neither frivolous nor fleeting, it invokes strength and positivity. The combination is, according to Pantone, the story of colors that encapsulate deeper feelings and that, when they meet, bring the promise of something happy and friendly. Made of a practical and solid material like a rock but at the same time warm.

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  • 3D Art Inspiration You'll Love
    3D & Animation

    3D Art Inspiration You'll Love

    Learn about some inspiring 3D artists with multidisciplinary designer Ali Sahba London-based multidisciplinary designer and photographer Ali Sahba (@alisahba) creates 3D animations, illustrations, and other projects for a wide range of digital and print media and has worked for clients such as Apple, Microsoft, Adidas, and Oreo, among others. In his Domestika course, Ali Sahba encourages you to explore the possibilities that exist when you blend different digital tools and software in a single project and teaches you to create photorealistic 3D illustrations. Experimentation is essential for telling stories differently. Ali combines different tools and software in his 3D projects to create realistic visual art that pushes contemporary storytelling limits. Various artists working in photography, graphic design, illustration, and film making from around the world have influenced and inspired him. Let’s get to know these artists and their work.

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  • Why Is No One Smiling in Classic Portraits and Photographs?
    Art

    Why Is No One Smiling in Classic Portraits and Photographs?

    Learn why smiling was so uncommon in paintings and early photographs "Smile!" We listen to this phrase practically every time we pose for a photograph. Nowadays, smiles are almost a requirement in photos and selfies, a reflex action: when we see a camera pointing at us or somebody asks to take our picture, our first instinct is to smile. But that has not always been the case. For most of recorded history, smiles have not been prevalent. Smiles are rarely present in paintings or old photographs. Why? A matter of vanity? One of the hypotheses that could explain this enigmatic phenomenon is the vanity of the subjects portrayed. Due to the lack of personal hygiene in past centuries, teeth condition left much to be desired. Subjects would keep their lips firmly closed when posing for posterity to avoid showing their teeth. But that is not the truth, for a simple reason: bad teeth were so widespread that they did not inspire shame in the subjects or their painters.

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  • 15 Realistic Portrait Illustrations That Make an Impact
    Illustration

    15 Realistic Portrait Illustrations That Make an Impact

    Discover the illustration talent within the Domestika community Drawing, as a discipline, encompasses a plethora of techniques and styles. Realism is one of them, and it requires a lot of practice and great attention to detail; it demonstrates great technical ability. In this blog, we present 15 realistic portrait illustration projects from the Domestika community. To discover the process behind each piece, click on the title in red. Profile of a Man, by Krystan Grace Art (@krystangraceart) United Kingdom This detailed portrait was created with white chalk and Derwent Charcoal pencils on black paper.

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  • 5 Sustainable Graphic Designers You Should Know
    Design

    5 Sustainable Graphic Designers You Should Know

    Designer Núria Vila Punzano shares the work of those who have inspired her You have probably heard about the sustainable design movement happening across fashion or architecture. However, it’s also a rising trend in graphic design, setting out to reduce the environmental impact of printed items (such as posters or packaging) from the get-go. Many designers take inspiration from nature to create and commit to caring for the planet in all stages of their work. Graphic designer and creative director Núria Vila Punzano (@nuriavilapinzano) is among them. She takes special care to reduce the negative impact her designs could have on the environment and to minimize her carbon footprint.

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  • 5 Examples of Animation Combining 2D and 3D
    3D & Animation

    5 Examples of Animation Combining 2D and 3D

    Animator Andrea Gendusa shares work from his animation portfolio In animation, you can adjust different techniques and styles to suit each project. Whether you choose to use 2D or 3D animation will depend on your personal preferences and the type of project you’re working on. However, you can also use 2D and 3D animation in the same project, giving the piece a unique style. That's exactly what animator Andrea Gendusa (@andreagendusa) does, combining working in both Adobe After Effects and Cinema 4D.

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  • 20 Years of Pantone Color of the Year
    Design

    20 Years of Pantone Color of the Year

    Over the past two decades, Pantone has chosen 22 colors of the year based on trends, research, and analysis Imagine a world in which creatives were unable to guarantee how the final color of a print, fabric, product, or poster would turn out. Imagine a world in which, whenever you printed a copy of a design, the color was always different. Sounds scary, right? Well, that's exactly what the world was like until the arrival of Pantone. This unpredictable way of working was transformed in 1963, when Lawrence Herbert, Pantone's founder, created a system for identifying, combining, and communicating colors. Today, the Pantone Matching System is considered the international standard. The PMS is quite simply a color manual that opens out like a fan. Creative professionals use it on a daily basis to ensure that all the colors they use in their projects are universally understood. You’ve probably come across one of these catalogs of different colors.

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  • How Is the Pantone Color of the Year Chosen?
    Design

    How Is the Pantone Color of the Year Chosen?

    Every year Pantone chooses a color that sets the trend all over the world, but not many know how it is decided Despite having been the universal color identification system and the established color palette paradigm for over 50 years, it wasn’t until the year 2000 that Pantone started to proclaim a color of the year. The turn of the century marked the beginning of a trend, starting with ‘Cerulean Blue,’ which Pantone identified with ‘the sky’s color on a serene day.’ This would be followed by ‘True Red’ in 2001, aimed to symbolize the impact of the 9/11 attacks, a day that shook the world; then the equally acclaimed and criticized ‘Marsala,’ and Pink Quartz and Serenity (two hues were picked for the first time in 2016). Nowadays, the Pantone Color of the Year has become an institution, and many designers worldwide await its announcement, which takes place towards the end of the year with trepidation. The Pantone Color of the year forecasts the color trend we will see in the world of fashion, graphic and web design, and on an infinity of products. However, not many people know who decides which will be the ‘Color of the Year’ or how they do it.

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  • How Video Game Soundtracks Help You Level Up Your Creativity
    Teacher Music & Audio

    How Video Game Soundtracks Help You Level Up Your Creativity

    Even if you aren’t gaming, here’s how video game soundtracks can help you level up your creativity Whether you’re crafting, painting, or editing images, getting into the flow while you’re working can help you focus and better enjoy the creative process. Listening to music is a great way to do that. Research suggests that listening to happy music promotes divergent thinking, which is a key element of creativity. Beyond that, music can also help get you into a flow state, if it meets certain criteria.

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  • 4 Examples of Creative Portfolios on YouTube
    Marketing

    4 Examples of Creative Portfolios on YouTube

    Discover the possibilities of video and YouTube as a way of showing off your talent to lots and lots of people Although it may not be the most popular platform for presenting portfolios, YouTube can be very effective at showing off your work and creative processes. Juan Bermúdez–better known as Kaos (@estudiokatastrofico)–is a YouTuber, illustrator, and writer with a degree in Fine Art. In his course, YouTube: Creating a Channel from Scratch, he will teach you the advantages of using this social network as a means to make your work more visible and what to keep in mind. Here he lists some of his favorite creative portfolios on YouTube and the strategies they use to showcase their products or their creative process: Little King Goods This channel belongs to a leather craftsman who sells products such as wallets, belts, purses, and watch straps. Their videos give the viewer a unique insight into the creative processes behind making each piece. What makes Little King Goods stand out is that customers can purchase the materials and tools and assemble pieces themselves, in addition to buying the finished product. This YouTube channel also teaches its customers DIY methods, showing them how to make the leather objects themselves.

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  • The Mythical Creatures that Inspired Everyone from Murakami to Miyazaki
    Writing

    The Mythical Creatures that Inspired Everyone from Murakami to Miyazaki

    Learn the history of the spirits and folklore that continue to inspire Japan's most iconic cultural creations, from Studio Ghibli to Pokemon Mascots are a feature of everyday life in Japan: neighborhoods, drugstores, the military, and even prisons have their own cuddly characters. This year, banned from taking to the streets because of COVID-19, many mascots began posting pictures of themselves on social media, adding blue wigs and scales to their typical costumes. These features are a tribute to Amabié, a 174-year-old mythical beast whose image, legend has it, has the power to protect people from plague. The social media trend started when one illustrator rediscovered Amabié and posted their illustration of the creature online, dubbing it a “new coronavirus countermeasure”. The post went viral, and within no time thousands of other people were sharing their own versions of Amabié. Amabié is what is known in Japan as a yokai, a sort of supernatural spirit or monster from Japanese folklore. Some are believed to bring luck, while others bring misfortune. Many originate from superstitions, and they can be characterizations of everything from earthquakes and rivers to diseases and cures.

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  • 20 Embroidery Books You Need in Your Reference Library
    Craft

    20 Embroidery Books You Need in Your Reference Library

    Textile artists recommend the embroidery books that helped them the most. Use them to find inspiration for your next projects There are plenty of embroidery resources online, but don't overlook traditional books as sources of inspiration. You'll discover new artists and see techniques, stitches, finishes, or materials in much more detail. We asked several textile artists to give us their favorite recommendations for embroidery books. What are yours? Let us know in the comments! Nayla Marc (@naylamarc) This designer and embroiderer based in Villa Ballester, Argentina, teaches the course Introduction to 3D embroidery. Among the books she enjoys most about the art of thread and needle are the following: The Embroidery Stitch Bible: Over 200 Stitches Photographed with Easy-to-Follow Charts, by Betty Barnden This is a reference guide for those who want to perfect their embroidery technique and learn new tricks. It includes basic stitches, such as the classic cross stitch, and more elaborate ones explained thoroughly. It has more than 200 techniques and stitches with enlarged diagrams and photographs.

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  • 15 Thanksgiving Vintage Art Pieces
    Illustration

    15 Thanksgiving Vintage Art Pieces

    Check out some amazing retro artworks dedicated to this holiday As any other celebration, Thanksgiving Day is ever-present in popular culture, and can be found in artwork since it first began. We compiled some vintage art, illustrations, posters and postcards that will get you in the holiday spirit.

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  • Self-Portrait Photography Filled with Emotion: Laura Zalenga
    Photography

    Self-Portrait Photography Filled with Emotion: Laura Zalenga

    Learn how to delve into your thoughts and feelings using photography with Laura Zalenga Laura Zalenga (@laurazalenga) is a German freelance photographer with a passion for creating self-portraits filled with emotion. In 2018, she was one of seven international artists selected for the Adobe Creative Residency. She has worked for Adobe, Artemide, Disney, Lufthansa, Sony, and many more and been featured in a Sky Arts documentary. In her Domestika course, Laura takes you on an intimate journey of self-discovery and experimentation through the art of self-portrait photography. ‘Self-portrait taught me everything I know about photography. It also taught me how to accept myself more and how important it is to spend quality time with yourself.’ She finds inspiration within her memories, moods, and emotions, other times in places, light conditions, and even everyday objects. Her style is defined by clear visual language, the power of telling stories, and showing raw, honest emotions. Let’s get to know her and her unique and emotional art.

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