To announce the new year in our yearly email newsletter I created this
2012 header that you can also view on
dribbble or download as a
wallpaper. Some people asked me if I could write a tutorial on how I created this effect. Not a bad idea, as this is perfect tutorial material. It's rather simple to create really. The hard part is actually finding the right colors. This will take some experimentation, and maybe you might need to do a bit of browsing around to spark an idea. Just in case you need a little push, there is always plenty of
inspiration to be found here ;)
With the start of a new year it is a tradition to look back at what has past. I thought it would a good idea to create an overview of the tutorials that seem to get my readers' approval. I'm sure not everybody digs deep down into the archives so who knows maybe there are a few ones in here that you haven't done before.
The Pen tool is a tool that needs patience, and a lot of practice until you really master it. Though this tool is really essential if you want to be able to draw anything, and don't want to be dependent on shape tools. Back in 2007, I wrote
an article about it and provided people with an Illustrator document. This was a great success, and so today I thought of giving this document an update, including a few different exercises…
As promised in my last Illustrator post, on
how to create a geometrical shape, the follow-up tutorial that will explain how I created the cog wheel in my usual step-by-step approach.
As some of you might know, I really love cycling. Due to my love to this sport I've become a bit of a bicycle addict. While browsing the web I came across this
magnificent vintage exemplar. While admiring its beauty I was fascinated by the geometrical shape inside the front chain ring. My brain started to spin, thinking about how to create such shape…
Hope you are ready for another Illustrator tutorial. The idea for today's post was sparked by a conversation between
Dan Rubin &
Jason Santa Maria about a design for a tattoo for the new shop from
Swissmiss called
Tattly™, Designy Temporary Tattoos.
These tattoos are on sale now on Fab.com for the next 2 days btw. The tattoo I'll be talking about is
the diaphragm found in cameras .
Letting photos shine by adding some subtle effects is something you learn to do by trial and error. Some photos will work perfect for certain effects and others won't, but it's something we creatives love to experiment with. One of the more popular effects is creating some kind of a vintage color effect. You create a certain atmosphere and it can give more depth when you add these kind of effects the right way. As always, finding the right balance in how much effect you add is crucial.
We can achieve amazing results if we experiment with a cocktail mix of simple geometry, great colors and a bit of math. If we add a few cool transparency modes to the mix we can get some rather spectacular results. Today's article is completely inspired by Mr. Spirograph himself
Andy Gilmore. His work is stunning and very inspirational. He does his magic starting from simple shapes, and ends up with a remarkable complex composition. I e-mailed Andy to ask permission if I could write a tutorial inspired on
one of his creations. Andy replied that it is always interesting to see how someone else approaches the creation process. Let's get started…
Today we're exploring a quick way to get a satisfying wood structure in Photoshop. The kind of structure you would use as a background in a web site. So not the detailed kind that you would use for a poster for example. Why spent a ton of steps if you are going to hide 70% of it.
My school days a long gone. I'm talking pre-internet times here, and actually also pre Photoshop and Illustrator times. A lot of things were done the old-fashion way, and desktop publishing was still in its very early stages. Even though a lot has changed today, there are many things I learned that still have their value today. Basic principles that stay the same, whether it's digitally or analogue…
