Link List, volume 35

More tutorials to help you refine your skills and master our tools of the trade.

Illustrator

Tutorial

Create a luscious pair of lips from a photo.

 Tips & Tricks

I love the new pattern feature in CS6 and here are a couple of videos demonstrating its use: from Adobe and from Computer Arts magazine.

InDesign

Tutorials

Make your own 3D Paper Craft calendar.

Setting up and planning a magazine.

Tips & Tricks

Using Fx to simulate stickers & tape.

Typographic Quick Tip: Kerning.

Photoshop

Tutorials

Combining Illustrator vectors and Photoshop to create abstract shards.

Quickly turn a photo into a sketch with Gaussian Blur.

Combine analog textures and hand-drawn art.

Two retro film effects: Fuji Velvia and the Lomo effect.

Tips & Tricks

Adjusting tones with the Dodge & Burn tool.

Enhancing reflections in landscape photography.

The Color Lookup Adjustment Layer.

Link List, volume 33

Tutorials

InDesign & Photoshop

Working with monotone layouts.

 

Photoshop

Tutorials

Create a space scene. While this might be something you create, the way the tools are used is what is important to learn. Figure out how you can use these techniques in your own work. And check out Iceflow Studio‘s site for other great tutorials and info.

Another space themed tutorial, this time making a planet using Photshop’s 3D tools.

Make glow effects (and use Transform<Warp) to create an energetic image.

Tips & Tricks

Understanding the Saturation Tools.

I think Curves are the most powerful adjustment tool available. Watch this video and become a Curves master.

Using Quick Select and Refine Edge (love Refine Edge!) to extract an image.

 

Illustrator

Tutorials

Radial patterns using Type, Transform & Blend.

Tips & Tricks

Quick Web Icons.

 

Summer Reading List

For the Web Designer, 20 free e-books.

Dig deeper into design theory with this list.

 

Design Inspiration

Designers

I love Jarek’s blend of physical media & techniques with digital. The Adobe Spotlight and his personal site.

A master of personal re-invention, a consummate story-teller and artist, Hillman Curtis passed away in April. Visit his site and explore the body of work he left with us to motivate and inspire us.

Link List, volume 32

Tutorials

Using multiple applications is a great way to get the outcome you want. Here’s a simple abstract line design that starts in Illustrator and finishes in Photoshop.

Creating a grungy blackletter effect using Illustrator & Photoshop.

Here’s another multi app tutorial that starts with custom type in Illustrator and ends with a cosmic scene in Photoshop.

An awesome place for tutorials on all things Adobe is Layers Magazine. I really like this Photoshop 3D tutorial on creating a DNA strand.

Photoshop

Tutorials

Create a bright abstract lines background.

Basic compositing: Fixing bleached out skies.

Masking Transparent Elements.

Tips & Tricks

Creating Neon FX with Layer Styles.

Getting into Layer Styles: Understanding Drop Shadows

Become a Master: 101 Tips, Tricks & Shortcuts.

Design Inspiration

Projects

Need to kick start your creativity? Here’s a great project idea: Creative Cards. Maybe it’ll inspire you to re-imagine another common object in your life?

The films of Studio Ghibli as Penguin Book covers. Too bad the Studio Ghibli site isn’t in English…

Postcards from everywhere/nowhere, the Wander Blog project.

Designers

The type stylings of Jessica Hische.

An interview with Chuck Anderson, NoPattern.

Link List, volume 31

Illustrator

Tips & Tricks

Quickly create a geometric square pattern (pre-CS6.)

Quick guide to creating icons.

Tutorials

Some great drawing tutorials (article says 45, but 31 seem to be missing.)

Crate a folded text effect.

Make your own leather texture.

Creating hand drawn text with the Blend Tool.

InDesign

Tutorials

A beginners guide to InDesign.

 

Photoshop

Tips & Tricks

Quick Instagram effect.

Working with Strokes and Fills in Photoshop CS6.

Speed up your photo editing workflow. From Bridge, to RAW to Photoshop.

Exploring Blend Modes: Hard Mix.

Tutorials

Interested in Photoshop 3D tools? Here’s a great place to start: Photoshop Dimensions.

I’m sure I’ve posted this before, but it’s a great resource: Photoshop Basix.

 

Business Matters

Freelancing

Some things to ponder before becoming a freelancer.

The paths to freelancing.

How to determine your rate.

Some more things to consider when setting your rate.

Motivation & Time Management

Start with organization.

Finding & Keeping focus.

Link List, volume 30

Illustrator

Tutorials

Create a beautifully detailed eye from an image.

Chunky, line art style portrait.

Making a geometric op-art poster with random colour fills using Illustrator’s ExtendScript toolkit.

I do love a nice text effect. Here’s some Gothic Linework Typography.

Tips & Tricks

CS6 enhancement: Image Trace.

Adding Character with the Stroke tools.

InDesign

Tutorials

Creating Clipping Paths in InDesign.

Making PDF forms.

Tips & Tricks

CS6 enhancements: Content Collector.

CS6 enhancements: Liquid Layouts.

Photoshop

Tutorials

40 tutorials on Repairing & Colourizing old images and some retouching basics.

Tips & Tricks

CS6 enhancement: Oil Paint filter.

CS6 enhancement: more powerful Layer groups.

CS6 enhancement: Adaptive Wide Angle filter.

Cool tricks with Shadows.

And for a more detail, Understanding Inner Shadows.

Photography

Camera RAW is magic, but how much can it do?

Typography

Trends in Typography.

Design Reading List

Graphic Design: History in the Writing looks like an awesome collection of essays.

Link List, volume 29

InDesign

Tips & Tricks

Multiple page sizes in a single document: Mastering the Page tool.

InDesign Keyboard shortcuts.

A years worth of Tips & Tricks from CreativePro.

Black is Black, right? Not when you’re going to print. Get a handle on the different shades of Black.

Tutorials

Setting up a Baseline Grid for good typography.

Where do I get such fabulous toys? Check out Noupe’s InDesign Toolbox. It’s got links to InDesign focused sites, tutorials and other resources.

Illustrator

Tutorials

Create glowing disco lines.

Make a retro triangle pattern.

Create Isometric Grid 3D lettering.

70 great tutorials for making your type pop and other tutorials to make you an Illustrator master.

Mastering your tools: 35 tutorials focusing on specific Illustrator tools.

Welcome to the 3^rd dimension: create a 3D airplane.

Photoshop

Tips & Tricks

Fun type treatments with 3D postcards.

Using Layer Comps to improve your workflow.

Using the Lens Blur filter.

Using tools on Smart Object Layers.

Tutorials

Create Liquid effects.

And just in time for summer, how to create an elephant sundae.

Design Process

Thoughts on Design: Essential Reading

Keeping up on your game, a summer reading list from Frank Chimero.

Design is a job. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

Branding and Logo Design

Tips for crafting the perfect logo.

More thoughts on logo design.

And a reminder that Branding is more than a Logo.

Can you use math to solve design problems? Why of course you can!

Link List, volume 28

This week I’m trying to establish a more general format for the Link Lists. I’ll present 3 or more categories relating to Graphic Design with emphasis always on the beloved Trinity of software (Illustrator, InDesign & Photoshop) supported with business, inspiration and other related links.

Illustrator

Create a very cool badge with some creative combination of a simple blend and masks for complex details.

Getting the most out of the Blend tool.

Create a Spiral Blend.

Working with Envelope Distort.

50 tutorials to help you master Illustrator.

Photoshop

Creative uses of the Curves Adjustment Layer.

Creative a Film Edge Burn look with Curves.

Using Curves to control skin tone.

And a companion video to the last, Retouching Skin.

3 Ways to improve an image (or text) if you absolutely have to enlarge it.

10  photo-illustration tricks.

Business Matters: Tips for Freelancing

Is Freelancing right for you?

Resources for the new Freelancer.

How to deal with some common Freelance perceptions.

Guidelines for getting paid.

Working from home? You need to stay productive.

So you’re making money as a freelancer, now what? These tips are specific to the US, but the advice still stands no matter where you live.

Monday Link List, volume 24

Let’s start with the future. Some sneak peaks at some new features to be included with Illustrator CS6:

First, Pattern Creation. Love how it updates live as you work.

And this one is absolute magic! Gradients on Strokes. Such an awesome feature, no more Blends or Appearance workarounds.

Defiantly a mixed bag of resources this week. The usual tutorials, some resources (high res images & vectors), Design Theory, and some inspiration. Enjoy.

Tutorials

Masking Patterns in Illustrator.

Psychedelic Portrait using the Width Tool, Stroke Profiles & Custom Brushes.

A whole bunch of video tutorials you should watch.

Using Styles to control text in Illustrator.

Create a Geometric Flower.

Resources

Great site for resources, business/motivation & tutorials: Design Instruct.

Vector Floral Sets.

Design Theory

I like this article on working with Visual Weight.

Infographics to help with Typography, Colour Theory and Web Design.

How about a summer reading list?

A Graphic Design Primer, Part 1,  Part 2, and Part 3.

Inspiration

Japanese Graphic Design from the 1920s & 30s.

Scandinavian Logo Design from the 1960s & 70s.

Monday Link List, volume 22

Illustrator and Web Design

Yes, Illustrator is a web design tool.

If you are a Lynda.com subscriber, check out this course.

Set-up Tips

Tips for setting up your Illustrator document for a web design project.

Antialiasing: What it is and how to set up your properly Illustrator files.

More on antialiasing and some troubleshooting tips.

Getting Started

Creating wireframes.

Wireframes & multiple artboards.

I’ve created my artwork in Illustrator, now what?

Illustrator & Dreamweaver integration.
Illustrator and HTML5/CSS3

Tips & Tricks

Some awesome quick tips from Jeff Whitchel. 

Convert CMYK to Spot Colour on the fly.

Doing the Impossible: Apply a Gradient to Live Type.

Two Impossible Things in a Day: Apply a Gradient to a Stroke.

Secrets of Dashed Strokes.

Monday Link List, volume 21

Get your Graph On. This week it’s all about using the Graph Tool to present boring data in eye-catching ways.

Straight from Adobe’s Help tool:

Start Here.

Create a Graph.

Types of Graphs.

About Graph Designs.

Tutorials & Articles

Creating Graphs with Illustrator.

Going beyond the Graph tool. Sometimes you need to use destructive techniques.

A 3D Pie Graph.

Turn boring data into a masterpiece.