Latest Drawing: Vintage Car

A family friend of mine had a birthday right before Labor Day and I offered to draw him something as a gift. Last year when I offered I had him take a look at my portfolio and determine what he liked the best. I would have been OK with one in particular that I could easily copy on my home printer but I was sorta looking to do a “custom” drawing. I have a painting I did back in 2004 of a multicolor phone cord and that was his favorite so I offered to do a Corel Draw version of it. It seemed to be a big hit, but I felt that my resulting cord looked like a balloon ??

This year he mentioned that he would like a picture of a 1967 Chevy Camaro in royal blue (I am not sure if royal blue is classified as dark, because it is more like a, well, blue blue.

Royal Blue

Dark Blue

I should be someone who knows their blues well, as I was always someone who could identify unique shades pf different colors (e.g. “Indigo” was a dark bluish purple close to natural denim, “Cornflower” was a shade of light blue and lavender combined. ) Courtesy of Crayola. 

Anyway, if you ever studied drawing in-depth you know that drawing objects at the front and side view is easier than drawing them at the three-quarter angle. That can also apply to portraits as well as inanimate objects. Of course, I was exposed to “perspective drawing” and the importance of establishing a vanishing point, or points, before you get started. 

This is probably the second car I have drawn; the first one was at a front angle; I followed my formula of tracing the photograph using my graphic design tablet and stylus; it is very important that that foundation be established first because when you are drawing something with a lot of detail the last thing you want is to wonder why the small objects within the large main object are not “syncing up” the way they should. That is why I do not overlook the importance of tracing, it is very important to get the proportions right.  Without that a mid-sized sedan could easily resemble a VW beetle ??

The second most valuable tool in Corel Draw has been the Grid Layout as it will save you a lot of headache when it comes to proportion setting.

And without further ado this is my finished drawing/gift and if you know the difference for sure between royal blue and dark blue please let me know:)

How to Watermark Your Images

Protect your prized photos and graphics with watermarks! Smart designers and bloggers always use a watermark with the name of their company or URL in a small inconspicuous space but still visible, are done with a purpose - to protect the image from possibly getting stolen or plagiarized.

Yes, let's be honest, if someone does want to steal a picture from you, they will, and nothing you can do to prevent it, but the presence of your watermark will make it less likely, as it's imprinted on the picture and can't be removed. That's why you see these on images whenever you visit a stock photo site - the pictures that are not free will be watermarked and you know you can't just take them. If we spent all day worrying about our work getting stolen, none of us would become marketers, so there's that.

It's easy to do, too. Go into one of your favorite graphics programs and choose to create a new image, and when prompted, choose the Transparent option for the background. You'll know this is correct when the canvas backdrop looks like a gray and white checkerboard.

Write your company or website/blog name using the Text tool, feel free to change the font to reflect your own branding.

Best to make the color white, so choose that as well, the pure white hex code is #FFFFFF.

Select the transparency tool and adjust the design so that it is lighter in color and looks semi-opaque.

Save as "YOUR SITE NAME_watermark" as a .png file. Png is a common file format that stands for "Portable Network Graphics" and will enable you to create a solid image with a transparent background, that also can be modified in size without image quality loss.

I use this format for all of my coffee mug designs, as well as other things in which I don't want a background showing. You can save a photograph in this format, but the file size will be tremendous compared to the .jpg, so it is best reserved for vector drawings/clip art/simple designs instead.

To Use Your Watermark

Every time you modify an image that you plan on using whether it's a blog post or other media, go back to your saved watermark (some programs will enable you to save it on a cloud-based server so you won't have to dig through your hard drive each time.)

You can do this by choosing an option like "Add new image" and when prompted, choose the saved watermark from the location on the server.

Drop it in an area of the picture, such as the corner, where it will be visible but not obscure it. Hit save, and you are done!

That's all you have to do when it comes to watermarks for your graphics and using them.

Making a Goal Board...With Your Own Graphics

 Have you ever heard of someone making a goal board? They're also called vision boards, treasure maps, they're fun to make and great to help you stay on track on meeting your goals. Just as the name implies.

Tricky part is finding the images. I always used to have an "idea file" on hand in which I would clip magazine pictures and save them to use for feature projects, That may sound old fashioned when compared to today's hi-tech ways of doing things, but I think it's a great way to get your own ideas in order. 

So if you've got magazines lying around, feel free to do this, clip out any pictures that inspire you in some way, whatever they represent, and keep them all in one of those folders, a "poly view" transparent one is ideal as you'll know what's in there at a glance. 

You can also use your own computer program to come up with the text phrases and words. It can be MS Paint, Corel Draw, Photoshop, what have you, you can write out the words, and then enhance them with special effects like drop shadows and outlines so they will stand out more. 

That's exactly what I did with some of my phrases, then I printed them out and cut them and used adhesive to attach them to the background. I used a real art canvas, but if you can find a foam or bristol board that will work too.

Here is my finished goal board...Another thing I did besides creating embellished looking phrases and sayings (I also handwrote a few of them using a glitter pen too) You can do the same! I also had this tricky problem of what to do with "dead space" in which there isn't enough room for a new picture, but too much blank space showing. For that, I added just a some squares of cardstock, tailored in colors that match the room it hangs in.  My wall is a shade of light spring green so that's one of them.

So there you have it, some hacks for doing a gold board that looks impressive and spurs you on too!

Latest Drawing: Shoes

 Well guys, it’s time for another monthly art installment….I was stalled for ideas when I thought about the fact that I have been an obsessive fan of Sam & Libby ballet design casual footwear that was popular in the late 80’s-early 90’s. If you were at least 12 years old in this era then you most certainly remember this fashion trend that came in multitudes of colors and made of exquisite Brazilian leather, and graced with an adorable bow on the toe. I remember how vibrant and bold 80s colors were: banana yellow, magenta, turquoise, being the big 3. (Almost reminiscent of printer ink cyan/magenta and yellows)

I even painted, and sculpted from modeling compound, renditions of this famous footwear trend, and then the next big step. Draw them digitally. That had to be the most fun I’d had all evening, no joke. Nothing beats going down memory lane through art. Now since the Ballets came in so many colors, it’s always hard to settle on just one. I started out with lime green and then the outpouring of grief due to the loss of musical superstar Prince, led me to change the color to purple in a gesture of honor. Sadly, we lost yet another talented icon this year too soon (the first one being David Bowie).

And purple has always been my favorite color; although it’s become orange in the last few years for whatever reason. Orange is a “warm” color, like yellow and red, and as such, it seems to have an energizing effect. I read all about color theory in school, and it’s pretty in depth; the Pantone and CIE systems of color management.

Purple, when analyzed represents spirituality, idealism, and royalty-as a celebrity known by a moniker as “Prince” may have aspired to.

What's Your Color? Personality

 What Your Favorite Color Says About Your Personality

There's more to a favorite color than meets the eye... Apparently a deep dive into yours can reveal some pretty surprising stuff! I never got into those so-called personality tests that reveal you to be introverted or extroverted that have those 4 letters in them...I think it's called something Briggs-Myers...but this was something that I could get into.

So one day I decided to see for myself what is in store.

My favorite color is orange.

Also, did you know that the colors you dislike also reveal interesting things too?

Upclose and personal: my least favorite color is gray. Second thing to add to that list would be pale pink - although I do enjoy shades of pink that involve fuschia and that salmon tinged shade.

Third is that shade of blue that's very bright - I don't know what it's called ...There are shades of blue I like, but that "bright" one that is reminiscent of elementary school classrooms or hyperlinks on the web - it grates on me or my eyes, if reading something highlighted in it - for some weird reason.

Since I can only choose one color, I picked gray...it says if you hate gray, it may mean you are 

All About Giclee Printing

 I wanted to tackle this subject because it is an important part of the printing industry. And no, giclee printing is not in my repertoire currently; I just understand that it is a top-notch trade and wanted to provide good info on it. Giclee, a form of high quality inkjet printing that can be either outsourced or performed in-house. There are technical, time and financial considerations in choosing the best route to take.

Photographers as well as painters have realized the earning potential of printing on the variety of papers available for giclee. Giclee is the use of high quality inkjet machines to produce prints that will stand the test of time and quality requirements.

Also…while I have not worked in the medium of giclee, I received a lovely gift last Christmas of a small canvas painting reproduction of “Midsummer Night’s Dream” (don’t know the artist’s name) It’s really cool in that it lights up in various places via a switch on the side- the printed repro is highly authentic in that I suspect that this is a giclee print – but don’t quote me on it for certain.

Here's a really cool piece of art that's Christmas themed and it lights up with twinkles with a flip of the side switch:

Pros and Cons of In-Home Giclee Printing

Depending on the number of anticipated output as well as financial, technical and time assets, a decision to purchase a machine or outsource needs to be considered. The positive aspect of going in-home is obvious: you can print whenever you wish. Also, aside from the time spent, the cost of producing a giclee work is limited to the materials and a service contract after the warranty expires.

On the other hand, there are caveats: the obvious investment of purchasing the hardware such as a digital camera, scanner, computer, printer, etc. To produce large format giclees, this can translate into tens of thousands of dollars. What is more important is the learning curve, which is steep. Lastly, giclee production is time-consuming both with file preparation as well as the printing itself.. Don’t be quick to buy into the hard-sell of salespeople or manufacturers who tell you that color matching software and profiling have made color work easy. It’s not; exact color corrections require skill such as expert use of color layers and Photoshop masking techniques.

Pantone color matching is the gold standard.

Giclee is a Specialized Trade that Takes Time to Master

If you are striving for precise color matching, expect to invest years learning how to. Of course someone can be hired in-home. Skilled color technicians come at a price and are not easy to come by. Another consideration is frequency of use regarding the machine. These printers do not like to sit idle for days. The nozzles will clog and it will cost $$$ in inks to flush them. An extreme example is the Iris, which will clog severely even overnight and the nozzles will need to be manually flushed with water.

If you are an artist or photographer with a lot of spare time, willing to invest money and long hours you might be a candidate. When I attended class the CIE and Pantone color systems were discussed in great depth so I can assure you that color matching precision isn’t something that can be learned in a fortnight-it’s a whole different ball game than going to the paint section of your local home improvement store and looking at “paint chips” (various shades and tints of interior house paint.colors.)

Outsourcing Giclee Work

If you decide to outsource, there are basically two options. You can go with a full service giclee printing company that will scan, color correct and proof your work. It is the most expensive road to take because you will pay not only for the printing but the time involved in the color correction and proofing. Set up fees and extras are commonplace with this option.

If you have ready to print files because you are soft proofing and have good color management skills, there are express services that cater to skilled customers, who will produce prints with the same equipment and materials available from the full service companies.

If you are willing to do some research, there are lots of websites that offer a lot of information about the giclee printing process. Take the time to do your homework and decide which avenue to take. Good luck!

 

Latest Drawing: Prairie Wind

 I shouldn’t feel bad that I enjoy the singer/songwriters of the past so SO much more than today’s “entertainers”…Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, John Lennon, and this piece of work shown here, Neil Young, singer, songwriter, activist.

About a decade ago, Neil Young suffered from a brain aneurysm and that same year he released an album entitled “Prairie Wind”. I created a more primitive version of the picture below, but not thinking, I suppose, I named it “Prairie Wind” not realizing it was the title of his 2005 album. Of course, there may also be a hotel name in the Midwest with this title. If you look up the album cover, it resembles a novel by Willa Cather.

Being a fan of the “Little House” series featuring the famous Melissa Gilbert and Michael Landon, I s’ppose that I really get a kick out of art that features the bucolic side of a simpler age. I ended up recreating my work, this time with more detail. My stumbling block was drawing the windmill: not that I had difficulty, but because deep down, I don’t like the look of American windmills. 

They somehow resemble a cell phone tower in that they are unaesthetic and perfunctory looking. Nothing like European windmills; but since this was a flatland prairie scene out of the American Midwest, I had to stick with an American windmill, elegant or not.

Graphic Work I Did Inspired by a Multimedia Artist

 And the multimedia artist in question is Sandy Skoglund. Just who exactly is this?

The world around me can be such a bleak place, but the world of Sandy Skoglund: surreal, bizarre, and fascinating, is a place I wish I could dwell in. For those of you who don’t know who I am talking about, she was the mastermind behind Revenge of the Goldfish and Radioactive Cats. What you might have seen in a museum or magazine was probably a cibachrome print, but where it all started was from a lifesize tableau involving mannequins, real people, the semblance of three walled props, and inanimate objects, food, or plaster creatures.

These setups can take months to assemble; so I would imagine that Ms Skoglund has a crackerjack team at her side through it all. Wouldn’t that be the dream job-assembling the intricacies of art through Cheez doodles, raisins, jellybeans and even less enjoyable to touch food items like bacon and raw ground beef? Then the fully formed setups are painstakingly photographed. Yes, they are life sized, not scaled down replicas or anything. I did plenty of research to find that out. “The Cocktail Party” and “Raining Popcorn” are not “dioramas”. They are surreal and true to life.

“Good artists copy, Great artists steal” – Pablo Picasso

I have a funny thing to confess: I have actually made my own duplicates of her famous works, but keeping within the standards of respect, I signed the pictures with my own name and “After Sandy Skoglund” Imitation may be the most sincere form of flattery, but plagiarism is not a joke. I do not own the copyrights to any of her work; which is why I am not showing it here willy-nilly. You can do some research on the net and find plenty of sites featuring her work. I have been inspired by her work to the point that it led to some creative work that I eked out “So Many Shoes, So Little Time” “Flower Power” and “The Gamer” are my own original concepts.

What inspired what for me?

My work was inspired by “Hangers” “Accessories” & “Spoons”

Oh, Ms Skoglund does not just design and create eerily colorful full-scale scenes. She is also a graphic artist. Her series, entitled “True Fiction, Two” I can tell, was made with photo manipulation programs. Currently she has the work in progress “Winter” going on. It involves the drawing of familiar faces on the computer using a Wacom tablet; these drawings are adhered to fired and glazed ceramic snowflakes. I have a Wacom tablet; that thing takes some getting used to. I cannot confess that I use it much; there is a steeper learning curve involved.

But the best thing about the work of Ms. Skoglund, is the intricate “busyness” of it: Even now when I study her work online,I catch sight of details I hadn’t noticed before. The word “rich tapestry” comes to mind. Even now, in the work “The Invisible Web” there are actually bent up forks coming out of that purple car. I actually thought it was shredded paper. And the work “Breathing Glass” when you look at a high-res close-up…many many tiny dragonflies and mosaic glass. And “Shimmering Madness”…butterflies and jellybeans. Zany for the sake of zany, yet masterfully planned out and executed.

Sandy Skoglund is also a filmmaker, multimedia artist and photographer. I got to have the pleasure of hearing her conduct a lecture at a prestigious New England college on YouTube. Her viewpoints on the consumerist culture in America today that influenced the repetitive object theme that is her signature art trademark-only validates the awe that turned me into a fan and admirer.

How I Created My Skoglund-esque Images Above:

Program: Corel Draw X5 Tools: Shape Tool, Freehand, Pen Tool, Gradient Fill, Paint Bucket, Clone Tool, Text Tool (To sign my name and date) on a letter-sized background 11 by 8.5, 300 dpi, high resolution. Time needed: About 3 hours.

And yes….I did try to craft my own version of “Radioactive Cats” and “As Far as the Eye Can See”. Even saving one of Ms Skoglund’s images as a desktop image has its drawbacks since I usually need a pretty darn large size for it to look really good. I did the next best thing….I used her concepts as jump-off points, I did not try to make a bad imitation of them all. Thank you, Ms. Skoglund, for your magical inspiration.

Create a Simple Vector Object in Corel Draw

 In this post I have a special treat for readers today . A lesson in which I will show you how I draw simple vector objects…the following “blueprint” can be used for the foundation of most all small objects.If you’d like to follow along you can also use the free open platform program Inkscape if you don’t have access to Corel Draw. I include helpful screenshots so you don’t get lost along the way. OK, ready?

Step 1: Whichever program you are using, create a new document-no need to get too particular about the size, but go with at least one bigger than 600 pixels to allow for margin of error.

From your Toolbox, you’ll want to grab the Rectangle Tool, and draw a square shape. There is an “x” and “y” coordinates box somewhere near the top of the page that will provide measurements of your objects. Obviously we all know what a square looks like but if you’re a stickler for precision the coordinate figures will tell you – say for example, both x and y read “0.25” well then you’ve got yourself a perfectly square box.

Step 2: Go back to the Toolbox and look for the Fill tool – it resembles a paintcan. Choose a yellow shade.

Step 3: When you look at the basic shapes what you see is not limited to those….you can always modify the different shapes. At the top of the toolbar is an option to “round off” the corners…I chose “0.5” to give the corners a nice appearance.

Step 4: Drawing the face – Go to the “Ellipse” tool in your toolbox and select it….Now draw 2 small oval shapes; these will represent the eyes. Repeat step 2 to make them black in appearance. Lastly…draw 2 more oval shapes, this time much smaller…these will represent the eye highlights. Give them a white fill.

Step 5: When you are still in Ellipse mode; you should see another alternative option at the top of your toolbar which resembles a “pie” shape. There’s another one like it nearby that resembles an open semicircle…It is called the “Arc” – select it. Using it draw a semicircle shape which will represent the smiley mouth.

Step 6: I used the “Freehand” drawing tool for this one (it’s underneath the Pen tool) and drew a little embellishments for the smile mouth corners.

Step 7: Sometimes you don’t want your drawings to have a “flat” appearance – to prevent this I use the Gradient Tool regularly. It should be under the Interactive Fill tool. Give your yellow square a little depth by adding a gradient fill of white/yellow. White in its most perfect form is #FFFFFF but if you are in the neighborhood of cream or ivory don’t sweat it; it will still look good.

Step 8: I really dislike hard outlines around my drawings – I always go with the “Hairline Outline” option in the Outline tool. Sometimes “No Outline” is fine, too. There are other options for subtlety in tenths. Choose Hairline outline for the outside of the square as the program tends to default to 1.0 or in that neighborhood.

Step 9: This is the fun and easy way to add highlights to your images. Grab the Rectangle Tool again from step 1 and make a little bitty rectangle; then choose “Clone” and replicate it. Then repeat the step with a slightly smaller rectangle- the key is to make a little bitty “window”. Select all 4 of these and “Group” them together then give them a white fill. Last but not least choose the Transparency Tool and go with around 40-50% – the little “window” will look partially transparent. Move it on to the corner of your smiley guy. (Be sure you’ve chosen “No Outline” for the grouped window shape – subtle, subtle, subtle with highlights.)

Step 10: Add the words “Smile” using the Text tool using the font and color of your choice. For this I went with “Ravie”..I LOVE its appearance; it has that mod 60s/70s look to it.

All right…you have just completed a simple vector drawing!! Wasn’t that fun? If/when you are drawing other objects in the future remember that the tools and step I have provided will still apply regardless of the type of object.

My Tooya Pro Tablet Review

 This turned out to be one of those “happy accidents” that ended up in my repertoire. My husband was always a fan of the Wacom tablet-he pronounces it “whack ’em” I guess that’s the correct pronunciation  At some point he had misplaced his Wacom tablet and ended up purchasing the Tooya Pro tablet back in 2012-I think he wanted to incorporate it into gamer graphics (his favorite niche) plus it also featured the Photoshop bonus. 

But guess who ended up doing the lion’s share of use -Yep, yours truly! Let’s face it, if you are going to go for professional looking work, your mouse can only take you so far. Non-geometric, amorphous, and unique shapes that make up vector illustration need to be handled with precision!

Tooya Pro Graphics Tablet Review: Features and Benefits

As I said previously the Tooya Pro tablet also included a Photoshop Elements 7.0 “extra”. (It’s great for beginners to image manipulation work; like a “Photoshop Lite” version.) It also comes with an ergonomically designed stylus pen.

• Drawing area is 10″ (across) by 6.25″ (long). Great for working under a wide screen monitor with no aspect ratio issues.
• Workspace pad is 5 mm thick, so it’s very streamlined.
• Mac and Windows compatibility; specifically versions XP/Vista/7, Intel based, 10.4 and later.
• 1024 Levels of pressure sensitivity

Can also be used in conjunction with Microsoft Office programs for day-to-day writing tasks(Word,Excel, Outlook, and Power Point)

Tooya Pro Tablet Pros and Cons

Although I usually use mine for mock-ups and drawings that require fine-tuned detail, the Tooya Pro tablet also has office task functionality to boot. Since it pretty much replaces the standard mouse as the point of control, it can be used for freehand writing with aplomb. The pad is USB port operative; a blue LED light tells you it’s in operation mode. The stylus rests in a base and has a built-in “sleep mode” it goes into after 3 minutes of idleness. The stylus requires 1 triple “A” battery -that’s the “really little” not the “little” ones LOL. I always use rechargeable Ni-Mh batteries.

Like all software, tools and accessories out there, the Tooya pro tablet is not without its drawbacks and one of these may be system compatibility. I would not recommend it to users of Windows 8 and beyond and Linux users. If this is the case you may want to consider seeking a digital art tablet released a little later. As I understand Windows 8 is not that popular right now and may even be on its way out. The company that spearheaded the Tooya- PenPower, speaks of installing a driver for a differing Windows version which is a topic for another post 😊.

It’s almost a total plug and play operation, but you will need to install the program that enables the user, you-to modify the settings, including pen tip pressure-a very important thing to understand as I remember when I was first trying to master the stylus on my own.

The Tooya Pro tablet integrates easily with all the Adobe programs including the Flash products as well as the one I use the most, Corel Draw. The biggest thing I had to work on was mastery of the stylus and not hitting (accidentally) those little buttons on the side which function as mouse-click buttons. but I finally realized that’s why I had sub-menus dancing around I didn’t attempt. All I have to do is lightly tap a tool from the side panel that I need to use and boom, I can go from the Shape Tool to the Bezier on a dime. The pen tips are also replaceable, 2-3 extras are also included.

I observed that some people compared the Tooya Pro tablet to the Wacom (and a few others) – I try to be objective here having not used the latter before. Speaking of which – we later on recovered my husband’s beloved Wacom. Unfortunately, the stylus is missing. Wow, talk about a dilly of a pickle! Wonder if it will ever turn up, or if a replacement spare could be obtained? (I’d love to take this one for a test-drive and compare it.)

Conclusion

So if you’re serious about graphic art, you need a digital art tablet that’s gonna work as hard as you do,and provide reliable performance. Not just for freehand, but they’re great for tracing on photographs or other pictures you may be trying to replicate. I do this in conjunction with the grid layout on my program so I can be sure I’m getting proportions and perspectives down to the letter.

But there you have it, in terms of the best affordable drawing tablets, I’m pretty much sold on my Tooya Pro!

Who Needs a Graphic Artist When I Can DIY

 Image is everything if you’re a marketer! Think about it… how many times have you passed judgment on a company based on the quality, or lack thereof, of the junk mail that you have been sent? You’re not the only one.. Businesses cannot afford to go “slumming it” in their marketing. If you knew that most of your mail goes straight into the recycle bin, it might grieve you to spend four times the amount, just for it to end up later discarded.

Look at it this way… every communication you send is an advertisement for your business. You and your team have a marketing budget. Think of the design of your logo and company stationery as a form of marketing, as an investment in the future of your company.

It is possible to design a logo yourself using free or very low cost software (for example; GIMP comes to mind-which is fine for practice work) you can even design a logo online, but the results may be immediately and obviously substandard A company website must be immediately identifiable with the company logo, colors and other graphic elements.         

It is far more advantageous to pay the fee and have a professional job done. Your company image is a central part of your marketing and if the company logo and image are inconsistent or amateurish, who is going to buy from you? Would you buy from a group that had a logo that you recognized had been done using customary graphic fonts such as Wingdings?

A competent graphic artist will design a logo from scratch, using leading edge software that can achieve color blends not reachable using lower specification software. Your artist will incorporate your logo into a unique set of company graphics that will come to be related with your company over time.

How do you locate a graphic artist? Ask friends and fellow businesspeople whom they went to. Searching online is another way. Elance is an excellent place to start looking for a graphic artist. You can invite bids for your work and negotiate with the graphic artist of your choice.

example of graphic designYou should always ask to see examples of previous work. The company should be able to give you options from work they have completed. Be wary about negotiating prices before you see any results. Specify the format that the work should be given to you in. You need to have software that will open the files, so you can make a few amendments in ten years’ time.

I Couldn't Even Get an Internship.... Here is What I Did Instead!

 So, this post goes out to all the budding designers out there looking for their first job. Sooner or later, you may be asked to take part in an (unpaid) internship. 

Back in 2010 I was caught up in this quandary. All the local shops around were "mom and pop" operations. I must have called or visited every one of them I could think of....only to end up empty handed.

Have you run into a situation like this? You just want to get a foot in the door....(keep in mind that in the early 2010s we were going though one of the worst recessions nationwide, so that made things even tougher.)

A "mom and pop" kind of venue, as you may have guessed, is family owned and operated, and they're not likely to want to hire someone they've never heard of, no matter what kind of education they've had, or talent. And yet, you have no idea if you're going to be able to get a "real" job without any experience. The ultimate catch-22 am I right?

Well, I'm here to tell you that I have been in your shoes and I know what a frustrating situation this can be. But I also want to tell you not to give up your God-given talents just yet.

My husband told me that if I couldn't find a job, I was just going to have to create one instead.

So I started out looking into avenues. Freelancing came to mind....although, yeah, there's that "experience" thing again...Once you build a little experience in the form of good reviews from clients, which are great forms of social proof that you are dependable....you're golden - but how to get there?

Ask some of your friends and family for help. Do some work for them, even if it's "busy work" - after explaining the situation to them, they will understand better and be glad to help. Ask them to give you some good ratings.  Be willing to do this for free for a little while. It will definitely serve a purpose to keep you from being in that "too new....never been used, no track record" condition that makes people leery.

Another thing that you can do is, perhaps, start a blog, kind of like I'm doing right here! You may not know this yet, but blogs can be worth a fortune....if done right, that is....If your writing is stellar talk about your experiences studying graphics, about the software you use, things you're learning...once you build up enough traction in search engines, you can think about monetizing your blog, one way is through affiliate programs (check to see which graphic art programs do have them) or ad revenue. It's a long game, and freelancing might be quicker to build up, but that's something to think about. 

(By the way, as of late in 2018....the graphics department at the school I attended has closed down. I am unsure if there was a lack of opportunity, who knows, maybe I wasn't the only one that struggled to lock down a job post-graduation....)

But even if that's the case, don't let that bring you down. People are looking for design work all the time, not everyone has talent, or the time to get it done and they will gladly pay for the labor, so keep your chin up as you scout out opportunity! Good luck!

Should You Use Online Platforms or Your Own Sftware?

You know, any kind of software that can be used to produce artwork, animations, and more complex medias can be costly, but there are options to consider if money is any object, you are still learning, and you want to get a “feel” for what certain programs do and don’t, before going out on a limb…and that is Open Source Programs, which are graphic design programs that are pretty much on the house, and do a good bit of what out of pocket software does-although depth and amount of features can vary. It all depends on what your desired niche is.

Based on my experience, I’d like to make some recommendations, based on the parameters of skill level and budget friendliness.

Open Source Programs

GIMP

GIMP stands for GNU Image Manipulation Program and is pretty much on the house. Now it’s a little stripped-down in terms of features, but it can be a great learning tool to get your feet wet before making the next step, and purchasing a software program. It’s a cross-platform program that’s a snap to download.

Some other free (albeit limited in features) tools include Pixlr, Phoenix, and Blender; all of which deal in image manipulation purposes. I used Pixlr one time to create a simple banner for something; not the least bit difficult.

Inkscape

This is a program that uses vector drawing. Yep, my main specialty. Its native file format is SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics). If my main software ever became corrupted, God willing, I would download Inkscape. The website itself is very user-friendly, with support and How-to pages, and there’s even a gallery of artwork showcased for viewer enjoyment.

Blender.org

Blender is a 3D animation type of platform. My husband has the download, as gaming characters are his “thing” while my “thing” is art per-say. He also had a download of a program called “Scratch” which I understand, enables you to animate characters.

best graphic programs

Some of my programs-older and newer

Purchasable Programs

Adobe Photoshop

Photoshop is the best-known and recommended program for photo editing work. Things such as background removal or change, color tone editing, touch-ups, and applications of filters are the bread and butter of Photoshop. I would recommend Photoshop Elements as it’s a bit more entry-level, meaning it has all the kinds of tools to carry out most desired tasks, but may lack a few more “professional” features necessary in a public venue workflow. Photoshop Elements was included as a bonus with my graphic tablet I own/use.

Adobe Illustrator

This is the program to look into for creating vector work-which involves paths and outlines that connect together to make up an actual drawing, rather than photographic images. Overall, a great tool although I haven’t been on it in about 5 years.

Corel Draw

The program that I spend the most time with, Corel Draw is mainly a vector-based program, similar to Illustrator. The complete kit I own also includes Photo-Paint and Painter. Corel Painter is a tad stripped-down and Photo-Paint is very similar to Photoshop in execution of tasks.

In Conclusion

Also, do not forget that the paid programs described above also have many tutorials made on various techniques used within them, so if you ever find yourself getting stuck, assistance may be a Youtuber away.

Best of luck!!

Graphic Terms Glossary

 Okay, it’s vocab-time! The following are some of the most common terms related to the graphics industry and what they all mean. A few techniques I do not use everyday but are still defined as they relate to the big picture.

A

Anti-aliasing: A process that enables a smooth transition between pixel colors; so as to eliminate the “jagged” look when different colors blend together.

Ascenders: A lower case letter in which the stem of the letter reaches up, such as b, d, and h.

B

Bitmap: A file format of, a picture, that consists of multitudes of tiny squares, also known as pixels. If you use a digital camera regularly, and you go in to do any modification, when you take a closeup look at your images they appear to be made up of tiny squares. They can be made changes to but overall, they do not resize well.

Bleed: The part of a finished product that extends out from the edge. Many printing experts factor in bleed when determining the elements of a good print job. The most commonly set bleed is 0.25” (one fourth of an inch)

C

CMYK: Color mode, stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black. It is the recommended mode for printing projects due to its “subtractive” quality –in which the colors of the spectrum are subtracted from natural white light.

Color gamut: The range of colors available that can be reproduced faithfully within a certain output device, e.g. printers, computer monitors. When a certain color cannot be replicated within a certain color mode, it’s said to be “out of gamut”.

D

Descender: A lower-case letter in which the stem part extends below the baseline, for example: p, q

DPI: or “dots per inch”. When printing, the dpi refers to the resolution as it will appear in the finished page. In regard to computer monitors, the term “pixels per inch” is used. The more dots or pixels that can be distributed with each inch of space will determine its density, and ultimately, how sharp and detailed the picture will look. Lower-density images will appear to be sparser in detail. For example a 300 dpi image (the setting I use the most) is a higher resolution than 150.

Drop shadow: A strategically placed shadow on or near an object that gives it depth or the illusion of realism.

J

Jpeg: Most commonly recognized file format for Internet images, the acronym stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group. As a lossy format, there is the chance that saved images that are later reopened may lose some image quality so it is best to save an editable .eps version as well. Alternate spelling: .jpg. The format supports up to 16 million colors in all the color modes.

L

Lossless (compression) A file format that can retain its original image quality upon compressing it and “unpacking” it at a later date. Gif is a good example of lossless compression. When you or another recipient opens the document, all the original data in the item has been preserved. Definitely important in the case of files involving artwork with lots of detail or detail-sensitive info like spreadsheets.

Lossy (compression) A file format that may have some image quality loss (how much may vary) upon compressing the file and unpacking it later. Jpeg is a good example of lossy compression. The way it works, is in order to reduce file size, certain bits of data may be eliminated, meaning that it’s chancy whether or not important data will remain or not. Some files, such as video or audio, are apropos to this as the compression tends to remove redundant elements.

N

Nodes: Little teeny dots that make up line art paths in vector illustrations.

O

Opacity: The quality of an image or element of an image that has a see-through appearance to it. It can be adjusted depending on which program you are using.

P

Paths: Also known as “outlines” or “curves”; the main component of vector illustration art. When I have drawn a complete shape element, I have created a closed path.

PNG: Portable Network Graphics. A great file format that can easily stand toe to toe with .jpg – they use a lossless form of compression and can handle 8 and 24 bit color ranges. I use this format a great deal for screengrabs. It is supported by most web browsers and compatible with the RGB color mode. It is very similar to the .gif format except for the fact that it does not easily support animation, e.g. video content.

R

Raster (images) Images made up primarily of bitmaps. Good examples of raster file formats are jpeg, .tiff, and .bmp. They are visually appealing, but do not scale well. When you try to enlarge them, they may appear blurred, when shrunk down, may lose clarity. Converting raster images into vectors may help get around this issue depending upon the image itself.

Resolution: A metric involving the distribution of color pixels by horizontal and vertical coordinates, as they appear on your computer monitor. One common example would be a screen resolution of 1024 by 768. With that measurement in mind, a given image that is close to 1024 by 768 will look sharp and in focus while an image that differs greatly in size will not look as clear.

RGB: Stands for Red, Green, and Black. The color mode most often used in graphic design; it has great staying power for graphics that will be shown on the Internet. When you start a new document you will see the option to select RGB among others. RGB is an “additive” model meaning that it derives its appearance from a color spectrum that light is projected onto.

T

TIFF: which stands for Tagged Image File Format. It is one of the more commonly used file formats for the exchange of bitmap images between applications. It is compatible in all color modes (RGB, CMYK, and grayscale) and useful in desktop publishing.

V

Vector (images) Images comprised primarily of paths connected by nodes. Vector images have the advantage of being scalable and ability to retain their image quality upon modifications. Vectors are my favorite mode of design creation. They are also used in flash animations.

Which Computer For Graphic Design?

Recently the topic came up, over Mac vs Windows.It’s the “six million dollar question” of which computer is best if you are going into a specialized industry, like graphic design?

Best computer for graphic design 

For those of you who don’t know me real well yet, I am a user of the latter. But I have also been a user of the former, in the case of my studies back in the day. All of the Adobe programs were handled with aplomb, including Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, and Quark.

My neighbor owns a Mac and prepared to wow me on its superb capabilities. He had me at never having needed to install an antivirus program of any type. Which I naturally found shocking; as we are living in the real world, and I always thought the antivirus program of choice was non-negotiable. An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of a cure. Knowing that I work in graphic design he proceeded to tell me that I would have an easier time making things flow better.

Now I have supposedly inherited a Mac computer (when it came out the operating system was that of some wildcat LOL) so I am seriously considering this upgrade; of course, that would also mean upgrading in the software department, as certain design programs are generally designated for Mac OS or Windows. This puts me in a dilly of a pickle, as I have not had an easy time of locating Corel Draw in the Mac version.

Now the lists below were not made on a bias; they are a compilation of some of the most commonly discussed issues and benefits.

Some Disadvantages of Windows:

1.Higher incidents of virus attacks, including malware, adware, etc.

2.Slower processing speeds

3.Higher resource requirements; such things as add-on tools, upgrades, and hardware.

4.File formats that are not “backwards compatible”- for example, someone cannot read a file created in the most current date in an older version.

Advantages:

1.Cost: significantly less; including repair costs

2.Online gaming: Perhaps not a factor in doing artwork. Nothing wrong with this as a hobby, but it’s a whole other ball game.

3.Touchscreen capabilities: Also, not a factor, as you need elbow grease to be skilled here.

4.Wider variety of programs available for use

What characteristics the Mac has on Windows?

1.Much less virus, malware, adware, etc. susceptibility.

2.Installed drivers are strictly made by the Apple company, whereareas Windows use a myriad of different manufacturer drivers

3.Quicker bootup times, smoother performance

4.Aluminum components over plastic

Desktops are preferable when working with graphics!

Yes, nothing beats having a portable computer that can go anywhere you can, but you may find yourself limited when it comes to serious graphic work, due to smaller screen sizes, smaller hard drives and lower amounts of memory. When I was first doodling around with a program or two, I found the integrated mouse a real hindrance (although you can plug in a more traditional optical one into the USB port, or use one of those wireless mice) You may want to branch out into drawing tablets before too long and not want to be limited by such things as the slower processing speed. Bottom line: notebooks are great for travel, browsing, studying, reading, or managing spreadsheets, but not so great for the labor intensive skills of drawing detailed graphic illustrations.

In Conclusion

The differences between Macs and Windows PC listed above can help you to reach a conclusion to which you want to spring for; but most importantly you are going to need the greater performance, memory, and greater screen resolution. In a creative industry you want a computer that works as hard as you do, regardless of the brand name.

Rules for Successful Font Pairing

 If you're baffled about how to combine different fonts harmoniously, you're not alone!

Welcome! Who is Jennifer?

Howdy and welcome to all of you out there! I thought I would use this space to get started to introduce myself. First off, my name is Jennifer, and yes, I love to draw, it has always been one of my favorite hobbies. I've always followed a triple threat. Painting, drawing and sculpting are my favorite artforms. I've dabbled in a few others here and there, but I always circled back to my "big three.") 

I never did take to the fiber arts very well...you know, sewing, crochet, embroidery, needlework, etc....But I can spin a good yarn (pun intended - I'm a storyteller!)

Since I always enjoyed drawing, but the "need" for it is mainly directed at graphics like clip art, SVGs, and similar things, I got interested in graphic art. I enrolled in classes locally and thus began the start of a two-year program, at the end result of getting that little piece of paper that says "I've got smart skills"  :)

The programs I am the most familiar with include Photoshop (well, who doesn't know about that one), Illustrator, and Corel Draw. The first two were what I got the most exposure to in coursework.

There's another thing about me, I like to "wax nostalgic" every now and then.

Here is a picture of me taken way WAY back...at the table drawing and coloring...

Wow, I barely remember those Snoopy pencils I used to have....

I started my shop on Etsy in 2017 and focused on "print on demand" products, which is a great model as you don't have to keep and accumulate physical inventory - a product, once bought , becomes printed with a design of my own making, "on demand". It's a great business model that works great for all types of physical products like mugs, clothing, accessories like smartphone cases, pillowcases, the list goes on.

The first product type I started showcasing was t-shirts. which are an easy sell because, let's face it, the demand for them is high. Just about everybody and their uncle is looking for tees...whether for a bridal party, a sports team or a family reunion. That can make getting traction in the niche a little difficult, unless you can drill down to a smaller, niched target market, like, let's say...tshirts for animal lovers, sports fans, golfers, well, you get the idea. 

Although tshirts are a great product to sell, there are some nuances involved that can be problematic. Because you never even touch an actual t-shirt, you don't know if all of your customers will like the materials, whether or not the designs will come out well, and ...of course, how well they will fit. I have to be honest, I haven't got the market cornered on tees...although I really like the "Beefy-T" brand which may be a little more expensive, and I have some that I've found to be more 'scratchy" feeling than others. And unless you're familiar with the brand, you don't know for sure how well it will fit. Some brands run true to size and some don't.

I don't want to discourage anyone form starting a tshirt selling venture (what with so many opportunities and platforms available today!) but know going in the things I mentioned.

Later on I got into mugs with the advice of a friend. Let's face it, mugs are a great product to offer, as there are so many niches and things you can create to put on them...the sky is the limit! Because they are all solid white (with a few exceptions, sometimes black mugs and "color changing" mugs are popular too) you don't have to worry about what colors will work. Also, what you see is what you get. A mug doesn't need to be "tried on" for size.

I started getting into printables as the need and demand in the market was showing that people are looking for things they can access right away, and don't have to deal with shipping costs (which is a variable that takes a lot of consideration, especially when you think about different countries and how they all have different rates)

But printables are a different ball game, they offer people a way to learn something new, get organized, and get creative! Patterns, tutorials, planner pages and coloring pages are all good examples. So beginning in the middle of last year I expanded and got into creating printables.

I'm unsure at the present what I want to do there, I am kind of thinking about starting a second shop on Etsy later on to showcase my printables. You can have a second shop on Etsy, there are seasoned sellers who do when they have more than one product type. 

************************IMPORTANT UPDATE 8/15/22*********************

I have been doing a major overhaul on my main blog, Create With Jennifer, since last year and decided to do a cullout of posts that didn't fit my new vision of what I wanted to do with it versus when I first started it about 5 years ago. 

Many of the posts on here are older posts from that site that I couldn't bear to part with as they took a lot of time and energy, so instead of trashing them  I decided to republish them here. They reflect all different kinds of crafts that I was experimenting with at the time. 

Well, I'll talk to you again soon! bye for now!