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!