Domestika's blog

The largest creative community

All articles
Categories
Popular tags
  • Basic Materials for Starting Out in Kintsugi
    Craft

    Basic Materials for Starting Out in Kintsugi

    Repair ceramic pottery using basic materials following this traditional Japanese technique Five centuries ago, Japanese emperor Ashikaga Yoshimasa sent off a damaged ceramic bowl to China for repair. When he got it back, he felt disappointed in seeing it had only been put together with metal staples. He, therefore, turned to Japanese artisans, who restored it using gold powder. Without knowing it, they had invented Kintsugi. The bowl still had cracks in it, but the result was something else. It was art. This Japanese artistic discipline is one of the most renowned traditions of the country. It is also tightly linked to Buddhist and wabi-sabi philosophies with their tendency to move away from the fast pace of modern life. This may explain why it can sometimes take months to complete one piece in the traditional Kintsugi technique.

    • 1
    • 2
  • Arabic Calligraphy Tutorial: Basics for Beginners
    Teacher Typography, Calligraphy and Lettering

    Arabic Calligraphy Tutorial: Basics for Beginners

    Learn step-by-step the basics for writing in this ancient Arabic script style, with Joumana Medlej Born during the Islamic Golden Age, Kufic script is the earliest invented style of Arabic calligraphy and is prized for its beautiful compositions and the harmony of its lines and forms. Calligraphy artist Joumana Medlej (@majnouna) helps keep this ancient practice alive by sharing the often meditative process for creating these characters. In this tutorial she shows you how you can begin making the basic shapes you’ll need to start building letters and words. She also shares tips for how to warm up your hand, and advises against common mistakes.

    • 4
    • 2
  • #CreateWithPride: Your Favorite LGBTQIA+ Icons
    Domestika

    #CreateWithPride: Your Favorite LGBTQIA+ Icons

    To celebrate Pride Month, the Domestika community has paid tribute to their favorite icons Design and creativity are powerful weapons of communication that have played a key role in the fight against gender and sexual oppression. #CreateWithPride is a Domestika forum action in which the community has been sharing artwork celebrating equality, self-love, tolerance, and freedom by paying homage to their favorite LGBTQIA+ icons. This year, digital illustration, lettering, and embroidery have been the most popular mediums. From singer Freddy Mercury and poet Federico García Lorca to Brazilian activist Marielle Franco, discover a selection of some of the most interesting projects that have been posted in response to this call-out. Thank you very much to everyone who participated!

    • 2
    • 0
  • What Does Camp Mean in Fashion?
    Fashion

    What Does Camp Mean in Fashion?

    Learn about camp aesthetics and their significance for the LGTBQIA+ community It's May 6, 2019, on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Diverse artists, creatives, and millionaires gather at the Metropolitan Museum to attend the prestigious Met Gala. The event's red carpet is packed with vibrant gowns and eye-catching shapes. The Met Gala is a fundraising event for the Costume Institute–a branch of the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art that is responsible for documenting major achievements in fashion and trends. Organized by Vogue magazine, it is one of the most extravagant balls in the world. It is also one of the most important days of the year for fashion enthusiasts and internet users, who will analyze every outfit. In May 2019, the theme was "Camp: Notes on Fashion," inspired by American writer and philosopher Susan Sontag's 1964 essay Notes on Camp. In this essay, Sontag, now considered the leading expert on the subject, defined the camp aesthetic and its significance.

    • 3
    • 0
  • Ceramic Tutorial: How To Make A Pinch Pot At Home
    Teacher Craft

    Ceramic Tutorial: How To Make A Pinch Pot At Home

    Learn the pinch technique to create simple ceramic pieces at home with ceramist Lilly Maetzig Ceramist Lily Maetzig (@mae_ceramics) runs her ceramics business, Mae Ceramics, from South East London and specialises in creating handmade functional objects for everyday use. Her ceramic style is mostly minimal, with sharp lines and a limited color palette. She fell in love with ceramics after attending art school in New Zealand and bought her business with her when she moved to the UK in 2016. In this tutorial she teaches you how to create a pinch pot from scratch using minimal resources. Pinch pots are an easy way to create ceramics from home and have an authentic, handmade look.

    • 7
    • 0
  • 7 Free Tutorials With DIY Ideas to Easily Repair Your Clothes
    Teacher Craft

    7 Free Tutorials With DIY Ideas to Easily Repair Your Clothes

    Give your designer clothes a second chance and learn new DIY craft techniques with these experts More and more people are getting interested in creative movements such as upcycling to give useful but used objects a new life. You too can save money while expressing yourself creatively, and upgrading your designer clothes. With your crafty work and DIY techniques, you’ll also gain a unique wardrobe that truly reflects your personality.

    • 5
    • 0
  • 10 Free Online Watercolor Classes For improving Your Technique
    Illustration

    10 Free Online Watercolor Classes For improving Your Technique

    Discover the techniques used by watercolor experts that will help you achieve unexpected results Watercolor is one of the most ancient forms of painting, and although you don't need advanced tools and materials to start out in this technique, you will require a great deal of confidence and control to achieve the best results in this medium. Following a watercolor painting course can help you master it and explore the possibilities of this technique, which happen by combining water, pigment, and playing with transparency.

    • 16
    • 2
  • Sophia Parnok: One of the First Openly Lesbian Voices of Russian Poetry
    Writing

    Sophia Parnok: One of the First Openly Lesbian Voices of Russian Poetry

    Discover the life and work of the influential Russian-Jewish poet whose work was banned from publication Sophia Parnok was a Russian-Jewish poet born in 1885 and was considered the only openly lesbian voice of the Silver Age of Russian Poetry. During her lifetime, she published five volumes of poetry, a substantial body of literary criticism, and authored the libretti of several operas. Yet, despite her achievements, her work still remains relatively unknown.

    • 1
    • 0
  • Free E-Book: Patterned Tile Coloring Book
    Illustration

    Free E-Book: Patterned Tile Coloring Book

    Unwind and enjoy coloring in different tile patterns with this free e-coloring book Tiles have been around for thousands of years. In fact, their origins date back to the 27th century BC in Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia (a historical region that today would include most of Iraq and Kuwait, as well as eastern parts of Syria). In this post, we look back on the history of tiles and share a free e-coloring book filled with Portuguese tile patterns, created by studio Gazete Azulejos (@gazeteazulejos).

    • 7
    • 0
  • Why Are YouTube ASMR Videos So Successful?
    Music & Audio

    Why Are YouTube ASMR Videos So Successful?

    Discover the secret of these sound-based videos that have been trending over the last few years We associate YouTube with visually-oriented content, but sound-oriented videos have been growing exponentially within the platform. ASMR videos, in particular, have increased viewers’ numbers by an average of 200% per year over the last five years. ASMR videos aim to induce relaxing, and at times sedating sensations on the listeners. They achieve this using a series of unusual and surprising means, that it is no exaggeration to define this as one of the most experimental and creative categories on the web. Read on as we show you some of the most successful examples of this genre and explain why they create such a fuss.

    • 2
    • 3
  • Meet Founder of Pride Train, Thomas Shim, in this Domestika Diary
    Teacher Design

    Meet Founder of Pride Train, Thomas Shim, in this Domestika Diary

    Founder of Pride Train, Thomas Shim, talks us through his campaign preparation for LGBTQIA+ Pride Month New York based Thomas Shim (@thomasshim) is a Creative Director and Strategist at Instagram and Facebook and works with brands to create innovative creative campaigns. He uses his talents outside of work for his own campaign projects to fight for social justice: Pride Train and Why I Didn’t Report It. Thomas started Pride Train in 2016 in response to an increase of hate crimes on the New York subway and the New York administration’s refusal to celebrate, or even acknowledge, the LGBTQIA+ Pride Month of June.

    • 1
    • 0
  • 10 Key Points to Boost Diversity in Your Creative Process
    Marketing

    10 Key Points to Boost Diversity in Your Creative Process

    "Diversity & Representation" poses critical questions that can help to eradicate bias from your creative processes in 2021 Too often, creative processes are influenced by unconscious bias. When it comes to advertising and marketing, this becomes particularly apparent through choices regarding representation, i.e., showing who consumes or might consume the services and products we sell. The World Federation of Advertisers has created a guide to help us rethink these processes. The guide contains critical questions that marketing experts can use when building a brand campaign or strategy. Below, and in celebration of Pride Month, we take a look at the key questions included in this document titled “Diversity & Representation: Guide to potential areas for bias in the creative process.” 1. A limited view of who your audience and consumers are Brands that reinforce stereotypes have a limited understanding of who their main customers are and fail to question who they should be representing. We’ve seen this with beer brands that, until recently, mainly targeted cismale and heterosexual customers, failing to acknowledge that their products were being consumed by people of all genders, social classes, and sexual orientations. This resulted in underrepresentation in their branding choices, sending messages that, slowly, they began to correct. How can you avoid this perception bias? Ask yourself: Who is your audience? Who is excluded? Are there any underrepresented groups you’re missing?

    • 2
    • 0
  • 12 Free Watercolor Photoshop Brushes
    Teacher Illustration

    12 Free Watercolor Photoshop Brushes

    Explore watercolor and illustration techniques in the popular imaging software using these free downloadable brushes When we think of watercolor, we tend to imagine an artist using paintbrushes. However, there is no limit to creativity, and nowadays, it is more and more common to combine traditional with digital techniques. The magic of watercolor traditionally happens through playing with water, pigment, and transparency. You can also master volume, light, and color through digital programs such as Photoshop. Illustrator and print designer Camino López (@caminolopez) admits that watercolor is a discipline that does not allow for mistakes. You need to be very skillful, and although this is a challenge she likes to take on, she works digitally, as this will enable her to achieve impressive results.

    • 4
    • 1
  • 4 Inspiring Books for Starting Out in Weaving
    Craft

    4 Inspiring Books for Starting Out in Weaving

    Learn about this mindful craft, be inspired by popular hand weaving books and get your own projects going Hand weaving is a meditative art that allows you to unwind while creating something beautiful. Fiber artist Lucy Rowan (@peasandneedles) incorporates her love of playful colors and texture in her work as a specialist hand-weaver and punch needle embroiderer. After buying a lap loom off the internet and learning from books borrowed from the library, she began almost by chance and has so far been featured in magazines, opened an online shop, and even written two books about her craft.

    • 5
    • 0
  • 10 Inspiring Interior Design and Lifestyle Bloggers You Should Check Out
    Architecture & Space

    10 Inspiring Interior Design and Lifestyle Bloggers You Should Check Out

    Explore the world of interior design and lifestyle blogging and be inspired to start your own projects Emma Jane Palin (@emmajanepalin) is a multi-award-winning blogger, digital marketing specialist, and interior stylist based in the seaside town of Margate in Kent in the UK. She has worked on interior design and lifestyle campaigns with major international brands such as John Lewis, Aperol Spritz, and Apple. After graduating with a degree in graphic design and illustration from the University of East London, Emma began interning at a PR agency and launched her blog as a creative outlet that kept her in touch with everything related to design and illustration.

    • 4
    • 4
  • Photoshop Tutorial: Essential Shortcuts to Create Textures
    Teacher Illustration

    Photoshop Tutorial: Essential Shortcuts to Create Textures

    Discover how to use basic keyboard shortcuts to create textures in Adobe Photoshop, with Nicholas Stevenson Adding textures to your illustrations and designs is a great way to give them more personality and depth, and it’s an easy way to take your work to the next level. While the end results are impressive, the process to get there is surprisingly simple once you've mastered a few basic tricks and keyboard shortcuts in Adobe Photoshop. Nicholas Stevenson (@nicholasstevenson) is an illustrator, animator, and university lecturer who is known for creating highly textured and layered illustrations. In this tutorial, he shows you step by step how to use shortcuts in Photoshop to create and manipulate textures.

    • 2
    • 0
  • How to Publish Your Projects on Domestika
    Domestika

    How to Publish Your Projects on Domestika

    Tips on publishing your projects: sharing your work, goals, techniques, and even doubts about your creative process Sharing your creativity is a positive thing. And, thanks to technology, it's never been easier to showcase your talents to the world. So many people could be interested in what you create. However, do you know how to present it or photograph it? Talking about your story, your beginnings, your inspiration, and even your obstacles is crucial. Read on as we tell you how to make sure your projects shine on Domestika.

    • 219
    • 8
  • 18 Free Photoshop and Procreate Drawing Brushes
    Teacher Illustration

    18 Free Photoshop and Procreate Drawing Brushes

    Draw on a daily basis to define your style and unlock creativity with the help of these digital brushes When you start to draw it is as if you are learning a new language but with your hands. Each stroke, line or color is a reflection of your creativity. The best thing is that everyone can venture into this challenge with just a sketchbook or notebook and a little practice every day. For the illustrator Catalina Bustos Mendoza, better known as Catalina Bu (@catalinabu), drawing is a kind of personal manifesto. It's not just perfection or beauty that matters, but the ideas you express through it. In addition, nowadays, it is also important to bring your style to the digital world. This will allow you to refine the results and experiment without limits in the language of your drawing. At the bottom of this post, she shares eighteen digital brushes to experiment with your style.

    • 10
    • 0
  • Basic Materials for Coloring Photos with Watercolors
    Photography

    Basic Materials for Coloring Photos with Watercolors

    Discover which materials you need to start experimenting with paint and photographs After Joseph Niépce produced the first photograph in 1826, around 100 years passed before the first color film arrived. However, you would be mistaken to think that all photographic records produced during that century were in black and white. Long before the legendary Kodachrome, one of the first great photographic color films, color was added by hand using processes such as photo painting, also known as hand coloring.

    • 4
    • 0
  • Free Illustrated Typography Glossary for Beginners
    Teacher Typography, Calligraphy and Lettering

    Free Illustrated Typography Glossary for Beginners

    Discover typography and lettering terms such as stem, serif or spine and learn how to identify them in other languages Unlike calligraphy, the practice of lettering does not follow predetermined patterns or rigorous standards. Although it follows, in some cases, a typographic basis, the act of drawing letters goes through a freer and more spontaneous creation. To create your own letterings, therefore, it is necessary that you have knowledge of typographic terminology to understand where and how you can innovate to create new combinations. After all, the possibilities are endless for you to test and experiment by combining manual and digital techniques.

    • 4
    • 0
  • Photographer Claudia Andujar: a Life Dedicated to the Socially Invisible
    Teacher Photography

    Photographer Claudia Andujar: a Life Dedicated to the Socially Invisible

    Discover the work of this 90-year-old Swiss-Brazilian creator and activist, defender of the indigenous cause Half a century ago, when Claudia Andujar first visited the great land of the Yanomami, a territory larger than Portugal, situated on the extreme North of Brazil, and inhabited by around 30,000 souls, this ancient civilization was living in isolation, leading existences embedded in tradition. Over the next few decades, she was able to document what assimilation had meant to the villages of the forest—illegal mining of metals, land-grabbing, loss of traditions and landmarks, illness, and misery. During the most critical moments of the aggressive developmentalism by the military dictatorship and the failing democratization at the end of the 1980s, the Swiss photographer, with Brazilian naturalization, captured the accelerated transformation that impacted the surviving people who originally inhabited the country.

    • 4
    • 0
  • What Is a Comic Book and What Are Its Main Features?
    Illustration

    What Is a Comic Book and What Are Its Main Features?

    We look at the features and uses of this popular narrative format made up of pictures and words If you want to tell a story, you can be really experimental using a comic format. You can write humor, social commentary, or fantasy, and even tell secrets. You can fit all sorts of genres and ideas into a comic if you know how to exploit it. To evaluate all these possibilities, it is important to understand what exactly is a comic, and what are the main elements it consists of. Once we know this, we can start to structure and organize our messages on the strips. Illustrator and artist Sol Díaz Castillo (@soldiazcastillo) is an expert and explains some of the essential technical notions.

    • 2
    • 0
  • How Should I Look at Art When I Go To A Museum?
    Art

    How Should I Look at Art When I Go To A Museum?

    Learn what two experts have to say about how to approach and what to pay attention to when we visit a museum Going to a museum is a special experience. We know we will find a lot of information there, a great deal of beautiful and historically significant stuff, but we don't always know how to manage all the stimuli. If you are not an art student or specialist, you may feel unsure of doing this right: are we able to appreciate the most important aspects, or have we missed something crucial? Often, we may feel we have not retained all the information we should at the end of our visit. Maria Lightowler (@maria_lightowler) is a museologist and lecturer of museum studies and art history. She is also a consultant for collectors. Julius Wiedemann (@julius_wiedemann) is a former senior editor of design and pop culture at Taschen and one of Domestika's chief curators. We asked them for tips on ensuring our museum visit is the best possible experience.

    • 3
    • 0
  • What Is Kawaii art, Japan’s Culture of Cuteness?
    Illustration

    What Is Kawaii art, Japan’s Culture of Cuteness?

    Discover the power of cute and the secret formula behind Japanese kawaii adorable illustration characters The concept of kawaii was born in Japan during the 60s. In just a couple of decades, this idea of "adorability" has spread to all corners of the world, attracting legions of fans. It is difficult to resist smiling at the perfectly designed features of a kawaii illustration but, what does kawaii exactly mean? We spoke to Azul Piñeiro and Carlos Higuera, two designers and illustrators specialized in kawaii illustration and founders of Estudio Kudasai (@estudiokudasai), to learn more about the origin of this term and above all, what is the formula to create kawaii —or extremely lovable— characters.

    • 21
    • 1
  • Essential Materials for Cross-Stitch
    Teacher Craft

    Essential Materials for Cross-Stitch

    Discover the materials you need to cross-stitch, from the basics to the full kit, with Emily Peacock With a background in graphic design, cross-stitch creative Emily Peacock (emilyp) creates bold and unforgettable graphic cross-stitch work. She was named designer of the year during the first National Needlecraft awards and has collaborated with brands such as Liberty of London, DMC, and Appletons. In this tutorial, she talks us through the materials you’ll need to get started in cross-stitching and shares tips for how to develop your kit as you go. Watch the video!

    • 3
    • 0