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Get to work and dedicate a whole day to your creativity, and focus on your personal and your professional projects There are many small actions we can take to invigorate our professional and creative lives. The Domestika community shared their ideas for what to do to give new life to your career. Try them out and see what you can achieve in just one day.
Joel Santana talks us through his career as a character designer and shares advice for starting out Character designer, visual artist and illustrator Joel Santana creates magical worlds inhabited by curious beings. Based in Florida, Santana grew up in New York where he was fully immersed in the city’s energetic art scene and “grittiness”. By his early teen years, he had already begun to paint landscapes and still life with oil paints, inspired by the likes of Bob Ross, Disney animation and, one of his all-time favorites: Norman Rockwell. It was during these early years that he got to grips with traditional techniques and developed an understanding of color that he would later apply to his character designs.
Learn the basic elements for using the Japanese illustration technique with illustrator Flor Kaneshiro Although traditionally done with Indian ink, the Sumi-e drawing technique includes a series of strokes that can be applied using other materials, such as watercolor. Its delicate and soft strokes (which should be carefully controlled if you're just starting out in the technique) make it suitable for anyone who wants to widen their watercolor skill set. In the video below, illustrator Flor Kaneshiro (@florkaneshiro) goes over the most important considerations for anyone starting out their journey in Sumi-e, taking into account pressure, speed, direction, and rhythm of the brushstrokes.
Discover illustrator Joel Santana's favorite Photoshop brushes for character design Using Adobe Photoshop for digital illustration is one of the most common applications of this software, which allows artists, creatives and designers of all levels to build characters, scenarios and objects out of their imagination. The use of custom brushes can also give extra character to our drawings and illustrations. In the following video tutorial, character designer Joel Santana (@themaddhattr) shares his favorite Adobe Photoshop brushes for digital painting. Santana uses them for creative tasks ranging from sketching to color application, and they give a good example of the wide variety of textures offered by Photoshop custom brushes. Find out below:
Choosing the perfect color gamut palette is now as simple as choosing a single color and letting Data Color Picker do the rest of the work for you There are countless options and tools that can help us create our own color palettes. Data Color Picker is one such tool but it comes with a twist: it is a color palette generator that creates equidistant color ranges. You are probably wondering what that means." Simple, the system will ask you to select the initial color with which you want to start building your color palette and the color with which you want to finish it; Next, it will automatically create a palette with the number of colors you desire, choosing the range that best suits the two initial colors.
The talented Mexican illustrator shares, step by step, how she transforms her beautiful drawings into pins Karla Hernández, better known as Charlötte (@charlotte.khm), is a graphic designer and illustrator who has a passion for color, fauna, flora, climate, and all other aspects of nature. Influenced by Asian folklore and the artists Koralie and Conrad Roset, she has found a visual style that draws on figures from nature and women. Charlötte has focused on bringing together these different areas of interest into her designs, with certain elements becoming key features in her work. She uses a palette of soft and shiny colors, finding inspiration in shapes and details from her day-to-day life. Her pins stand out among her creations. Here Charlötte walks us through her process for transforming her beautiful drawings into pins.
Film lovers of the world, rejoice! The Harry Ransom Center is digitizing more than 10,000 posters of classic movies
Joel Santana, the character designer and illustrator, faces the Domestika Challenge Joel Santana's career (@themaddhattr) extends from illustrations for advertising campaigns, to packaging and toy design. He has developed projects for well-known brands such as Walt Disney World Orlando and Champs Sports. But now he faces a challenge he has never faced before... In this Domestika Challenge, the illustrator only has five minutes to draw a character from scratch using a graphic tablet and Photoshop. Will he succeed? Find out in the next video:
Be inspired by these textile artists who knit using their hands instead of needles Arm knitting is a technique that takes the basic rules of knitting with needles and replaces the needles with your hands and arms. The results are soft, oversized pieces that accessorize your living space. The majority of artists use a special type of wool, known as Merino wool, that comes from Merino sheep. Get to know these artists and feel inspired to create your own designs! Javiera Ortiz (@inspiratemirando) Chilean textile artist Javiera Ortiz, who created the studio Inspírate Mirando (@inspiratemirando), specializes in knitting and fabric dyeing with a contemporary edge. She is also a photographer and costume designer. She works with XXL knitting, giving it a modern twist, and divides her time between Chile and Australia. She recently launched her Domestika course, Introduction to Arm Knitting and Wool Dyeing.
Discover what inspires Marta Cerdà, an eclectic creative who struggles to identify herself The graphic designer fascinated the public with her career and reflections on Copa Domestika Colombia, which took place in Bogotá on September 28th. Cerdà is able to flip many of the most common conceptions of the worlds of design, typography, and illustration on their head. She proposes new interpretations that you can discover in the video below:
We spoke with the French illustrator Malika Favre about her creative process She is one of the most successful illustrators in the world at the moment and her style is 100% recognizable. She has designed almost a dozen front covers for the New Yorker and has worked with big brands and publications across the planet. Her work is purely vectoral and, between negative spaces, the optical illusions and plays on perspective tend to hide themselves in the female form, which has become a staple of her illustrations. We spoke with her about her work and her creative process.
Learn these basic tips for generating content and finding your own style with Derio Ilari What is the secret to success as an artist or photographer on Instagram? It would be too optimistic to believe that there is only one magic solution, but what is clear is that looking at the advice of those who have managed to make their profiles a success can greatly help us improve our fan base and the quality of our posts. That's why commercial photographer Derio Ilari (@derioi) has shared his five fundamental tips for creating your own style on your Instagram profile, working on concepts ranging from your personality as a creator to the style of your photographs or images. Discover them in the following video:
We run through our favorite February projects shared by members of the Domestika community As we do at the end of the month, today we’re sharing our favorite projects shared by members of the Domestika community over the last 30ish days. Among these top projects, you’ll find projects by some of our course teachers and work that has been created by students on our courses, as well as personal projects. This month we’re sharing illustration projects, collage, animation, photography, embroidery, and editorial design. Which is your favorite? Ground Zero by Carles Marsal (@carlesmarsal) This digital illustration was created by visual artist and graphic designer, Carles Marsal. Just like his characters, we feel like explorers about to discover this post-apocalyptic world. You can learn to create fantastic scenes like his in his course, Secrets of Photomontage and Creative Retouching.
Dot Lung, Mother of Social Media Dragons, shares her tried and tested method to grow your business on Instagram “If you don’t show up on Instagram, you’re leaving money on the table,” explains Dot Lung (@dotlung), calling me from Tel Aviv, one of the many places her social media genius allows her to work from. “Social media has given me everything.” Over the last 8 years, she has given talks in over 30 countries and worked with a whole host of multinational brands. While TikTok is exploding for Gen Z, “Instagram is still where your business happens.” It is the place to exhibit your brand visually on social media, most of all to millennials, but also to an ever-growing and varied number of people. A direct path to your client that lets you work out what they want and how, it’s about time we learnt how to use it. Her Dragons method is a simple recipe to promote your business or product on social media:
We take a look at Helio Vega’s reading collection and find out what his go-to books are when looking for inspiration
Learn needle painting techniques to use in pet portraiture
Nubikini gives us the best tips on how to be part of this fun, creative challenge
Discover the pop-up books that inspired Silvia Hijano Coullaut to dedicate herself to them professionally Although modern pop-up book design might make us think that they’re a modern trend, the fact is that these fold-out publications have been around for centuries. Designer Silvia Hijano Coullaut, founder of the studio Libracos (@silvia_libracos), tells us about the books that have influenced her most, from stories that have come out in recent years to more surprising inclusions that are hundreds of years old. Ars Magna Generalis, by Ramón Llull The first pop-up books weren’t made for children, they were science books. This book, which dates back to 1306 and can be found in the El Escorial library in Madrid, is one of the greatest exponents of the earliest fold-out books. All kinds of calculations can be found inside and it even incorporates wheels that come out from the book itself in a slanted way, something that caught Silvia’s eye.
Illustrator, designer, and art director Lauren Tamaki has mastered how to adapt her unique style to a range of mediums: from editorial illustration to animation and portraits You’ve probably spotted her work when you’ve opened The New York Times or The Wall Street Journal, or come across her commissions for Apple, Google, Nickelodeon or the agency Pentagram. Lauren Tamaki’s unique and vibrant style and passion for acrylics have made her one of the most interesting US illustrators of recent years. Tamaki recently welcomed us into her New York studio to talk about her passion for fashion design, her celebrity portraits, drawing from a feminist perspective, and her greatest feat: drawing Bill Cosby’s trial. Discover more in the following video:
At almost 200 years of age, 'Werner’s Nomenclature of Colours' gets a digital update
Discover how to use Photoshop selection tools to properly separate a figure from the background It is one of the most dreaded tasks for those taking their first steps in Adobe Photoshop: how can your subject be perfectly separated from its background, in order to manipulate both separately? Fortunately, the photo editing software has some smart selection tools that make this task easier—if you know how to use them. Photographer and post-producer Oriol Segon (@oriolsegontorra) explains an efficient technique to select your subject in Adobe Photoshop, even when we face lots of hair or other complex edges that need to be separated from the background. Watch the video tutorial below:
We celebrate the life and work of the English illustrator on his 200th birthday anniversary.
One of the most iconic business people to have ever lived, a creative genius, a technological visionary, and a ruthless leader, Steve Jobs would be turning 65 this week While his face and classic polo neck jumper are recognized the world over, here are a few things you might not know about Steve Jobs.
Discover the 4 keys for improving your productivity when learning from experts in online courses Most people who choose to learn online have other full-time activities. Online learning has many advantages, like being able to organize your own schedule and follow your own pace when studying the different lessons. For some people, however, the main challenge is managing their time. We invite you to follow advice from four Domestika teachers in order to fulfill all your commitments and take advantage of the flexibility of online courses. Núria Mañé (@nuriacomunica), Reina Rodríguez Taylhardat (@reinarodriguezt), Ana Marin (@anamarinen) and Abigail Quesnel (@abyquesnel) face busy schedules and strict delivery dates every day, but also have the time to commit to personal projects. Learn their secrets!
"To understand industrial design, one must think in dimensions.” An expert explains its origins and its future Industrial design is, in essence, a discipline aimed at finding solutions to different problems, from the functionality of objects to the creation of new shapes. Juan Pablo Fuentes (@juanpablofuentes), industrial designer and founder of the shop Cómodo, explains what it is and what makes good industrial design.
Krishna VR shares a set of textures to create uniquely atmospheric photos in Photoshop
Simplify your photo editing work in Adobe Lightroom with these essential keyboard shortcuts Adobe Lightroom launched more than a decade ago with the goal of simplifying the workflow of any digital photographer. From downloading images from a camera to editing or "developing" them, Lightroom is an intuitive program capable of delivering great results in no time. In many cases, users will need to work with huge amounts of photos, so streamlining the workflow is essential to keep up with the delivery dates. This is where keyboard shortcuts come in handy. They make our work much easier. These are the Adobe Lightroom shortcuts that every photographer should know:
Camipepe teaches you to create color palettes in a way that's fast and easy, and then how to apply them to your illustrations in a single click Plus, find out how to select the right color palette, shapes and other details that make vector illustrations work. Sometimes, selecting a color range for a project is something that comes naturally, but in other cases you might need inspiration from photos or images to convey the right mood for the project. To make this process easier, Chilean illustrators Camipepe (@camipepe) teach you to create, select and apply color palettes to vector illustrations in Adobe Illustrator in a way that’s effective and simple:
The keys for creating a quality logo, according to creative agency Tatabi Studio Elena Sancho of Tatabi Studio (@tatabi), a design studio that specializes in branding, spoke to us about the basic rules to ensure any logo can stand the test of time. Although all designs will appeal to different people according to taste, there are some objective principles that can give a logo quality. They will help guide your designs in the right direction. There should be an idea behind the design It is more likely to connect to users when there’s a story behind a logo. Look at Amazon, for example: it tells the story that Amazon has everything, from A-Z, the arrow relates to the delivery of the products and, finally, the line suggests a smile, that of the customer when they receive their package or the company when they send it, implying the friendliness of the brand. Logos without concepts aren’t memorable, ideas are what makes them interesting.
Which are your favorite creative accounts to follow on Instagram? We asked our followers and this is what they said… Our Instagram feeds are overflowing with content to a point where it can feel overwhelming. Accounts need to go above and beyond to make themselves stand out, engage with their followers, and offer something fresh. The following 10 are doing just that. From a candy-colored magazine based in Beirut to a Slovakian 3D artist revealing his process working in Blender, these are the creative accounts that our Instagram community insist that we should all be following.
