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Hi, how did you make the pride icons? I want to make some for myself.
photoshop 🦜 if this was deviantart in 2004 i could probably make a full-blown visual tutorial on how to do this, but it is 2024 and i am an aged, ancient thing, and there are so many graphics softwares out there i have never heard of and don't know how to use
but here is a rough software-agnostic outline of the process
square image of any size, with transparency (or "alpha channel")
copy desired pride flag from internet, drop onto the first layer, scale to fit image
place screenshot of the character on second layer, adjust brightness/contrast if it's too dark, adjust hue/saturation if the color is too yellow or otherwise weird, adjust character to fit square as desired in case there is a motif or color on the pride flag you don't want hidden
cut or mask out the background...this differs by software, i use masks and paint out the background. it's less lossy and less nerve-wracking than using the lasso tool to trace the character! google "remove background" plus the name of whatever software you're using to find an efficient or at least minimally painful method for your program, but this is the most tedious part tbh.
you can be done here!!!! or continue if you want to make the icon into a circle:
merge all layers (NOT flatten. MERGE ALL)
draw a "marching ants" circle with your selection tool over your image, adjust the position, invert selection, delete. now it is a circle
alternate method for photoshop that would work in any other software that has a "clip to layer" option: on a new layer make an opaque circle with your shape tool, then clip to the layer below. the parts within the circle will be visible and the parts outside won't, and now you have a round icon
or just leave it square, or use the shape tool to make it into a triangle or a heart or something, whatever. i'm not your dad
there is definitely a more elegant method out there somewhere, but i am extremely self-taught, which precludes elegance, at least in software 😀👍
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hi! could i ask where you've learned to do your graphics? is it something you do professionally or is it just a hobby? they look absolutely incredible!!
okay this is kinda complex ngl aksbda so here's a lil bit of kyle history for u
so I went to a media design high school so I learned a few of the adobe programs and the basic rules of design/photography/art when I was 12. then I went to a design college and studied audiovisual design until I was 20.
and now I'm in art school where I'm studing fine art and art education so those are kind of all my official documentation on where I learned it ig aksjd
but most of it is self taught, I was only taught the basics of photoshop and was more trained in premiere pro and after effects.
when I was about 16/17 I got back into wanting to do graphic stuff bc of tumblr so I taught myself how to gif and then about a year ago I taught myself how to actually properly use photoshop and make graphics.
and for me it's just a hobby, when I got into college I realized I really dont wanna work for myself so I dont do it professionally at all but I do know how to like rules/law wise I just dont want to right now
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#this is my weekly post to say that illustrator sucks ass!#fuck adobe illustrator!!!!#photoshop has redeeming qualities but i fucking HATE illustrator#miscellaneous#sketch is literally so good. i now have this new program through work after i did researcha and found it and it's a godsend#it's so so much easier to use#there is less functionality than illustrator but as someone who is self taught figuring out sketch makes my life 100% easier#though i had to switch back to illustrator to do a few things but you can then easily copy and paste the work back and forth#(im trying to design a logo since our graphic designer is out of commission and oh god am i trying my best)#and yet another day goes by where i shake myself like 'in 12th grade you planned to get a degree in communication and graphic design#why did you let yourself switch to an asian studies degree. yes i know it was because of hetalia and so you could study abroad but BITCH'#......Anyway. i think this rough draft looks okay so far! lmao
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Your dta looks AMAZING. Was it the first timr you did something like that? It looks amazing and if you say that it is im bullying you for being the best.
i could make a joke here i guess but im all underslept and buzzy with love for life and humanity so im just gonna earnestly give you a rundown on my life
i guess this isn't even my first time doing DTA book covers, I did these back in February
previously "designed" the cover of a children's book my brother's friends self-published but that was just placing text over a cartoon drawing of a bee someone drew. real career #moment
I don't think I've ever... "taken" a "design" class. (but DID ask for photoshop cs2 for my 12th birthday.) and i used to make a lot of Gifs and Graphics on here age 15 or so (one of jensen ackles got 1000 notes, baby!) etc so honestly. I Learnt at Tumblr University
but I HAVE previously "worked" "in" "design" in the way that social media officers get dragged into print design when no one else in the fucking office knows how to use the strict brand guideline templates to save their lives
so I mean. my point is it's very unfair to look at this and think like, idk. that I taught myself All That just for this project. I had a long head-start and other skills already! but on the flipside it's not. Insurmountable Prior Expertise. just practice! messing about!
what IS really, really, really new territory for me with these is how much I....made myself? I mean, everything's a gradated spectrum, all art is plagiarism design triply so, but anything I'd done before had been adding text over images or working within literal drag-drop style brand templates with specific fonts/colours, (OR: amv editing! which is a similar form of....editing together other things, without addition, necessarily) I really am not a creative person in terms of Sparks of Ideas, in drawing yourself or writing yourself, I'm All Editing, Baby!, and so.....starting just at thinking about the Thing I was working with, what people love about it and what people should have as a first impression of it, and taking all of that and...sounds stupid but i was like SCARED!!!! to MAKE/add things in that photoshop file BY MYSELF. it was still levels of copying eg soni's Le Guin mock-up is still visible in the end product, and the back covers are a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy of an 80s sociology textbook where I saw a simple black stroke frame and thought "oh!". and there's stock textures for the creases and the plastic tape, and I didn't design the font myself — all those details, etc. The usual. But having something 60+ layers deep from me making little colour blocks or erasing or adding edited imagery outside a template or background stock to work off made me feel like I was out adrift in the open water without anything tying me back to land except The Text Itself and my love of it and how I saw it. whack!!!!!!! to create!
many, many people helped me with every step of the way. just "this is 1.11 leading this is 1.15 which looks less terrible" over and over and over again. i love them a lot for that. everybody needs that.
#dta lb#jesus. sorry. god#dta design#small text bc i didnt want to confront putting a READ MORE down on THIS???#i spoke enough for THAT???#asks#if no one cares no one cares but i like me so i care<3
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a love letter to the rpc.
dear rpc,
i haven’t made a gif in nearly two years and that kinda breaks my heart.
i learned how to use photoshop from tumblr tutorials, creating graphics for this blog, and making gifs & rps. and now all these years later i get paid to make graphics for a non-profit with something like 200k followers. last week my boss asked me how i learned photoshop. i tell her i’m self taught. she says i must be really smart. i tell her the internet is a wonderful place.
i think i’m half right.
i left this blog and left tumblr during a really, really hard time in my life. (tw: death, tw: car crash) a very close family member of mine was killed in a car crash at just 29 years old and it turned my world upside down. how do you cope when someone so young, so full of life, i’m talking the person who painted your nails for the first time is just gone? what do you know when her grieving mother hands you a plastic bag chock full of glittery nail polish and says she would have wanted you to have this? people don’t tell you how to deal with grief. my method of coping: disappear from what i love.
over these past few months, i’ve stalked and lurked around the rpc. i even made a new account and a new identity where i could start fresh, i tried to write a little but nothing new really stuck. something kept bringing me back here.
i started this little blog something like 5 years ago. those 5 years and this community made me who i am. the rpc is filled with some of the most incredible, beautiful, talented, creative, kindest, warmest people i’ve known. the writing we produced here, the graphics we make, it’s honestly some of the most special art, i’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing.
the rpc has taught me more about being a functioning adult that much else. rping has taught me disciplined writing, so when i had to write a 75-page paper in a semester, i somehow churned it out with high honors. admining an rp taught me how to be a leader and manager. it taught more about workplace dynamics in a virtual environment and working with team than probably any other internship i had.
i know i’m coming back to a different community than i left. but i miss it. i miss the person i was before the grief. i miss who i was before covid. i miss writing and making things and talking with people from all over the world, because we all just wanted to create something beautiful together.
so idk, maybe this is my long way of saying i’m back (not that anyone cares)? or maybe i’m just nostalgic for something that doesn’t even exist anymore. tbh, i probably just needed to scream into the internet void.
somehow i’m 22 now. i finished my thesis. i’m graduating college and headed to my absolute DREAM law school in the fall. for the first time in very long time i feel like myself again. i feel happy. i feel like rach.
for those of you in the community that know me, i love and miss you. for those of you i don’t, i can’t wait to get to know you.
all the love in the world, rach
#rpc#rph#rach talks#//ive been in a weird mood lately#//i just needed to get this off my chest#tw: car crash#tw: death
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Founded on the streets of Flatbush, Brooklyn, in the '90s, Carl Williams founded his iconic brand with "$1000 and a dream". Born in an era where your outfit was social currency, Karl used his passion for style to develop the influential brand we now know and love as Karl Kani. A self-taught designer, Karl's designs have been worn by icons such as Tupac, Nas, Jay-Z, Aaliyah, and Snoop. Building his own baggy-fit, hip-hop ready blueprint, Karl used his "hustle-hard" upbringing and a savvy eye for street-influenced fashion to create a globally-renowned brand.
Coming for an era where nobody believed hip-hop culture could become pop-culture de rigueur, Karl faced skeptical detractors, unsure if a street-influenced label could go global. Despite being confident, Karl would always ask himself "Can I do it?" This existential question was the launching pad that drove Karl to legally change his name from Carl Williams to Karl Kani. So, the question of "Can I?" morphed into the brand name "Kani", and with that, a legendary label was born.
Fast forward to the global pandemic of 2020 - in a time of uncertainty, many creatives are asking themselves: "Can I keep my business going," "Can I still perform," and "Can I stay fit and healthy?"
Looking to Karl's story for inspiration, an overarching message prevails - together "we can" do this.
In this candid video, Karl touches on his storied journey, from getting up at 5:30 am to sell newspapers so he could buy clothes, to gaining inspiration seeing his father visit tailors as a child. Ever the optimist, Karl touches on how he overcomes setbacks, remains grounded and healthy, and how we can grow as a community.
Volume 90%
As our community of creative talent grows stronger and stronger, we look to a diverse range of talents who provide individual stories of creative fortitude. With the effects of Covid-19 taking a toll on the industry, this inspiring set of creatives prove that an "I Can" attitude can overcome any obstacle. From rappers to visual artists, their stories provide hope during tough times.
KOBY MARTIN – ARTIST
A proud export of Ghana, London-based artist Koby Martin uses traditional and digital mediums to illustrate his work. His emotive style fuses Ghanian and British influences, articulating his life experiences through personal struggles and tragedies, turning them into artistic triumph.
With collaborations with the British Council, and The British High Commission - for which he was commissioned to create a live painting for 2019's Afrochella concert at the El Wak Stadium in Accra, Ghana. Koby's artwork spans over a variety of subjects, often using bright colors - a reflection of his heritage and spontaneous personality.
How has the current climate impacted your art and the way you create?
The current climate has me in a very reflective mood - in regards to how I use my time - whether spending time with family, friends, and even working. It’s also made me aware of how fragile & short life really is. Creatively, I always work in isolation, so it was quite hard to differentiate the climate from my normal routine. But, it also pushed me to experiment with other materials and learn new techniques. I also started reading more, which I rarely do, because of my short attention span. Although we have had a lot of tragedies and losses, I personally believe it's made me stronger, tougher, and smarter for any challenge ahead!
How can I make a change?
Change comes about through self-belief and the realization of who we are as individuals. It's a domino effect that begins with the man/woman in the mirror. I set out to express that through my gift of creating, collaborating, and having yearly exhibitions, which I believe brought together a sense of awareness, togetherness, restoration, and healing, especially within the black community.
How can I inspire others?
Inspiration starts with self and comes from within. To inspire, one has to believe in self and take action on the standards and goals they have set out for themselves. In doing that, it sparks a viral sense of awareness, belief, and motivation with the people you are around.
How can I create in the current climate?
The current climate has taught me to be still. I have learned to put everything at a standstill when it's time to create, a momentary pause from all the stresses of life. This allows me to get lost in my work. I step into a different world, a whole new dimension that allows me to create with joy. Something like stepping out of the business of a matrix and skip-hopping into a Teletubby world is the best way I can explain it.
TORI TAIWO – PHOTOGRAPHER
Photographer Tori Taiwo runs Hercuts, an empowering haircut page for women who have embraced shaving their hair, favoring unique and charismatic low-cut hairstyles. After leaving home and falling out with a family friend, 33-year-old Taiwo was given a place in a hostel. Too terrified to stay there, Taiwo was determined to change her life. She continues to empower, inform, and inspire others via her art.
How has the current climate impacted your art and the way you create?
The current climate has allowed me to explore and revisit my prior passions. During the first lockdown, I started shooting products, this allowed me to gain new skills and open a new revenue. I have started booking clients, and shooting and filming products, which I can do from home. How can I make a change? By being open to trying new things and willing to allow for changes that are unforeseen, as well as collaborating with other creatives to keep morale up and encourage others to try new things too!
How can I inspire others?
By sharing the process of pivoting and exploration - high, lows, and everything in between.
How can I create in the current climate?
By changing my outlook on the creative process - stripping back and using what I have at my disposal to create; trying new things & exploring.
STEFANI NURDING – SKATER/ ENTREPRENEUR<
As the founder of skateboard brand Salon Skateboards, Stefani Nurding hopes to destroy the "boys only" stereotype that plagues the skate scene. A skater who was once told she was "too pretty to skate", Stefani is passionate about promoting diversity within the skate community. With a respected brand, Stefani juggles being a mum and pro-skater in a male-dominated industry.
How has the current climate impacted your art and the way you create?
Before the lockdown, I would say that it really made me think about being disconnected from people. I felt much more like I wanted to film and photograph others skating, as opposed to focusing on myself. One of my projects was to shoot instant photos of friends or strangers skating, then give them the photo afterward. Now that we're in lockdown, I feel even more disconnected from people, so I try to make my content fun and positive to try and uplift people.
How can I make a change?
I realized that I have a lot of knowledge about how to make money as a self-employed person. My friends were losing their jobs around me, and I became aware that some of them had no idea how to make money other than having a job. I coached a few friends that needed help, and I also set up affordable online courses about time management and setting up your own business.
How can I inspire others?
After I had my baby, I felt so lost with skateboarding and my own identity. It felt like I didn't know what I liked anymore and had no idea if my body would return to my previous level of fitness after my cesarean. Fast forward 20 months, I am in peak health, doing pilates regularly and skateboarding 2-3 times a week. I am 32 and a new mum. I just really hope that others who see 30 as old, or think they can't do things after becoming a mother will just maybe think "screw it, she is doing it and so can I".
How can I create in the current climate?
I have my skate brand Salon Skateboards as a creative outlet for my graphic design which is nice, but I love to create sporadically and get ideas all the time which I need another outlet for. I have been creating a lot of different things - painting, experimenting with Photoshop, photography, printing clothes, and just generally having fun with making art. There are a lot of things where I just think "meh, will never use it", but occasionally I come out with a gem.
ROXXXAN – ACTIVIST/RAPPER/MODEL
Birmingham-raised rapper Roxxan represents the LGBTQ community with enormous pride. For the last ten years, the queer rapper has built up her own unique identity. A self-proclaimed tomboy, Roxxxan has expressed her want to create a space for women who adhere to non-gender specific traits. After relocating to London, Roxxx has displayed perseverance and determination - from coming to London to get a job at a major label to then being signed as an artist eight months later.
How has the current climate impacted your art and the way you create?
The current climate has affected the energy around me and where I go for inspiration. Before lockdown, I would meet friends, be around family, different energies, and walks of life, which made it easy to be inspired or do things that spark creativity. Now I go for walks or sit on a park bench so I can soak up all around me, then process it and let it out my way.
How can I make a change?
I can make a change by being visibly patient and open to change and growth. I aim to make a change by also being present for any women POC or fellow LGBTQA's. A lot of people are finding it hard to cope, I can make a change by being there for any and all of my people.
How can I inspire others?
I try to inspire others by living in my truth and fully accepting who I am; using my differences or things that have held me back in the past as my gifts to the world. I understand times are a lot different now, but had some of the artists and people I looked up to like Missy Elliot and Queen Latifa been open about their sexuality, I believe I would have found mine a lot sooner. Which also would lead to me finding myself sooner. I aim to be that for younger people growing up.
How can I create in the current climate?
In the current climate, I create at home with my iPad studio. Through spring and summer, I sat with and felt all the highs and lows of 2020. It’s only recently that I’ve finished processing, and now I’m ready to put everything into words and my outlet and art.
SILAI ESTATIRA – SPOKEN WORD ARTIST
Silai Estatira aka Mishaal Javed is a young British hip-hop artist, spoken-word poet, micro-influencer, and full-time international relations student. A brave artist, Mishaal has gone against the grain of what is expected from her culturally by venturing into rap, spitting socio-political raps with a unique and fresh take on streetwear style.
How has the current climate impacted your art and the way you create?
During lockdown, music almost became a lifeline. It has always felt like my purpose, but I realized how much I needed it. I’ve been writing more, going back to the basics of it, sometimes just freestyling in my room or with my best friend and having fun with it again. I’ve been revisiting some of my favorite projects too. Retracing the steps of artists I admire, just taking it all in.
How can I make a change?
I want to fight for the world to be more inclusive. To be a space for everyone, not just a representation of some voices. Fighting for all diaspora, the people who are othered, and everyone who doesn’t feel represented. Music can make a big change. I want my music to comfort people, and to give company, the same way it does for me.
How can I inspire others?
I want to let people know it’s okay to ride their own wave, step outside the box, and live outside it. It’s okay to venture into spaces you’ve never ventured into before, especially when people tell you that you can’t do it. Never stop. Keep perfecting your art. It belongs to you, it is yours. Everyone has a destiny, we can’t let anyone - including ourselves - stop us from chasing it.
As Muslim women, people talk over us (metaphorically). Everyone has an opinion, and there’s so much dehumanization and categorizing that happens. I know girls that have had to fight that. I still fight it. But we’re still here, going. For us, It’s a movement.
How can I create in the current climate?
Because there have been no gigs, I’ve had so much time to write and experiment with sounds. I’m lucky because I’ve always recorded in my room so I’ve just been continuing that. I’ve had more time to think about how to present and reflect on my pieces too. There are so many ways to create, it’s just about being present with yourself, and knowing what story you’re trying to tell.
KANAH FLEX – DANCER / MOVEMENT ARTIST
Born-and-raised in south London born, self-taught dancer and movement artist Kanah Flex was discovered busking by FKA twigs in 2014. The autistic dancer struggled to express himself, before finding his calling in the world of dance. A free spirit with a dedicated following on social media, the father of two challenges society’s ideas of normality, pushing his followers to achieve their goals.
How has the current climate impacted your art and the way you create?
I feel as if climate change has forced me to exercise all of the other gifts that I have shunned in the past, due to sheer laziness or the comfort of being inside the box. I feel like even though my physical might be on lockdown, my spirit is free.
How can I make a change?
The only change I am going to start with is myself, it’s impossible to change anything before that - I must start with me. Self-discipline is very key to change.
How can I inspire others?
By staying true to myself, my family, and my people
How can I create in the current climate?
I make things work with what I have and what I am surrounded by. I cannot play the victim in these times, even though the climate has changed, my creativity hasn’t. I’m always thinking of innovative ideas.
#karl kani#carl williams#kanah flex#Silai Estatira#Roxxan#Stefani Nurding#salon skateboards#Tori Taiwo#hercuts#koby martin#hiphopwear#hiphop fashion#urbanwear designers#urbanwear brands#premium urbanwear#90s hiphop fashion brands
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Jennifer Schlichting
Animator + Illustrator https://www.jenniferschlichting.com/ Seattle, WA Age 32 She/Her
How did you get your start in motion design, animation, or whatever it is that you do?
I always knew I wanted to do something with computers and art. I've always loved drawing but didn't know how to marry the two. When I was 8, Toy Story came out and it immediately captured my imagination. As I grew older and realized what it took to create something like that I dreamed about working at Pixar one day. Long story short, I went to The Art Institutes of Minnesota and got a Bachelor's in Media Arts & Animation (which is now closed it was such a joke of a school). While I was there from 2007-2009 we had a few classes that dabbled in 3D Studio Max and Maya. I got to dive into 3D which was great, but it was such a painful user experience it put a huge damper on my desire to create 3D animation work of any kind.
After graduating in 2009 I moved back to my hometown in Iowa and had a hard time finding creative work of almost any kind (shocker, it's IOWA haha). I took a job as a bank teller to pay the bills and married my "high school sweetheart." A few years later I landed a job at one of Nordstrom's photo studios as a photo retoucher and lived in Photoshop all day making models and clothes look impossibly perfect. I also took the odd business card or logo design gig that came my way and fed my soul creatively by taking up painting with watercolor.
After six years in an abusive marriage, living paycheck to paycheck, having a toxic work environment, and my creative soul dying more every day I finally got up the guts to put an end to all of it. I divorced my husband, quit my job, and took everything that could fit in my SUV (including my cat) on a three day road trip across the country to move out to Seattle. I only knew a handful of people and had no job lined up, but I had a place to live for free for two months while I figured out what the heck I was going to do with my life next. That was enough for me.
I landed a contract job at Amazon doing basic graphic design work for the next 7 months and the pay was (just barely) enough to land my first studio apartment in Seattle. Knowing my contract would be coming to an end soon I was keeping my eye out for my next gig the entire time. Not knowing many people in Seattle (let alone the motion design community) made it really difficult to get in anywhere at first. I found a local Adobe After Effects and Cinema 4D meetup group and started going every month to meet some of the community and pick their brains on how to break in. I started doing YouTube tutorials in my free time and revamping my portfolio.
One of the art directors at Amazon heard I was looking for my next gig and after she went through my portfolio with me she suggested that I read The 2 Hour Job Search. It gave great advice on how to get out of the black hole of submitting your job application online and never getting anywhere. I started going directly to people. My LinkedIn search began and the emails were flying out the door. I made a spreadsheet of all the studios in the greater Seattle area, what kind of work they did, the contacts I was making, what kind of jobs they were posting for, and got to work creating projects to put into my first reel since 2009.
People were slowly starting to respond to my emails and accepting my offers to buy them coffee. I met so many lovely and helpful people (and a couple oddballs too haha). I asked what kind of work they were doing, how long their contracts usually were, what it was like to do animation work all day every day, what they were getting paid, and how tailoring their reel got them in the door doing the work they want to do.
One guy I met up with in particular (while I didn't know at the beginning of the conversation) was looking for a motion design intern to bring onto their small but mighty agency. By the end of our conversation he offered me the position! He had a passion for teaching and he could tell I was hungry to learn. While it didn't pay much, and was only a couple days a week I was able to put "motion design intern" on my resume while also working part-time doing graphic design work for a shoe and apparel company. I had just turned 30 and accepted an intern position, but was so thankful for company that didn't discriminate against age!
A few months later I heard back from a corporate telecommunications company I had applied to several months prior. They were interested in starting up an internal studio instead of outsourcing out all their work to agencies in town. I would be the first full-time creative on the team and had to be a unicorn. I knew a little video editing, some storyboarding, some motion design, some graphic design, and that was enough for them to offer me the position.
Fast forward two years and the team has grown to 20+ people and I've done everything from t-shirt design, graphic design, motion design, video editing, storyboarding, and deck design for massive conferences. It's not always fun or exciting animation work, but it pays the bills and afforded me a house in the crazy Seattle market.
How do you balance your work with your personal life? How do the two influence each other?
There have definitely been times when there are late nights at work but they seem to be fewer and farther between now that the studio is more established and they are working through better processes. I'm in by 9am and leave by 5pm most days. Weekend work is rare. We get two weeks paid vacation each year (and more the longer you stay with the company) as well. There is definitely more fun animation work in Seattle than what I'm doing currently but it's nice to have a steady paycheck and have time for personal projects on the side.
State your privilege – What circumstances may have helped or hindered you along the way?
I'm a white female born into a Midwest middle class family in the United States. I have a Bachelor's degree which was paid for in-part by my parents but I carried student debt until 2018 (thanks to my abusive first marriage-my ex refused to work for several years and insisted his "business ideas" would make us millions one day). I got out of debt myself by pulling myself up by my own bootstraps. The college I went to was not a great one and have learned so much more on my own since graduating than I ever did in college. I went to college full-time and year-round to graduate faster while also holding down three part-time jobs to help pay for college. It also saved me a ton of money every month after moving in with my now husband and paying only partial rent in Seattle.
I've always had gumption and a stubborn, never-give-up attitude. I was taught at a young age that I had to take responsibility for myself and my future and took that seriously. My parents weren't thrilled I wanted to go to an art college (and they had two more kids to put through college as well) but made a deal if I wanted to go I had to pay my own way. They took out the loan for me, but I paid it all back. I didn't have any scholarships but I made it work. I think it helped that I attended community college for two years before I transferred to The Art Institute and that lowered the tuition bill because of all the general education classes I took beforehand.
If you are a caretaker, how do you arrange your life so that you can achieve your professional goals while being responsible for others, (parents, children, etc.)?
My husband was a package deal and came with twin 9-year-old boys. We have them for a full week every other week. I'm not going to lie – it's a lot, even having them for an entire week haha! My husband and I both work full time but he has more flexibility when it comes to start/end times for his day and working from home. He drops the boys off and picks them up from school/daycare/camps/appointments/swim lessons/ etc.
The weeks we don't have the boys we spend our nights and weekends taking care of housework and building our portfolios (he's a creative as well). We are also trying to be more aware of how we spend our time and shift more of it towards self-care and doing more fun things together vs. the never-ending "to-do" list all the time.
How have you learned to practice self-care? What do you do to take care of yourself?
This is something I'm still working on, haha! My husband does a great job reminding me to take time for myself, and we love to go out to eat, go to the beach, go for a hike, get massages, or paint and draw together. I've also recently swapped my hour+ commute to work where I would drive myself through Seattle traffic with now taking a corporate shuttle in. This has given me so much of my time back where I can read, draw on my iPad, or catch up on my favorite YouTubers.
I also love painting in my downtime (http://www.jenniferelizabethstudios.com/) which gives me a wonderful break from all the screen time and let's my hands do something tactile. There's no undo button with watercolors and I've accepted that and turned it into a more "zen-like experience" where I try not to control everything haha.
Just getting outside and into nature can be so refreshing. Even if it's a ten minute walk outside on my lunch break can do wonders for my mood. That, and getting 7-8 hrs of sleep/night! Oh, and making sure to take lunch breaks AWAY FROM MY DESK.
And snuggling with my purring cat never fails to make me feel better no matter what's going on in my life.
How do you define success? What would success look like for you?
Being happy and fulfilled with the life you're living. I've always liked the quote "Create a life you don't need a vacation from." Which, may be difficult to do but I think it's definitely something to aim towards.
Success isn't all dollar signs, but getting paid what I'm worth is definitely a win for me. Plus it's always nice being able to take people out to dinner and buy them nice Christmas presents. :)
On another note, I always feel successful when other people reach out wanting to chat and hear about my experience thus far. Whether it's people looking to shift gears slightly or change career tracks entirely it always makes me feel happy and successful when I can help someone out with any lessons or things I've learned along the way.
What advice do you have for those just starting out?
Take advantage of all the resources online! There was almost none of that ten years ago when I was starting out.
Don't be afraid to reach out to people. You never know where it'll lead. :)
Leave your ego at the door and don't be a jerk. Nobody wants to work with a jerk.
Never stop learning.
Look for jobs with titles other than "motion designer." Currently my title is "Communication Design Manager". LOL . Read the job descriptions to see if there will be animation work involved! Sometimes companies don't know what to call us.
Some great inspirational and informational resources to check out:
-Design for Motion: Fundamentals and Techniques of Motion Design by Austin Shaw
-The Freelance Manifesto: A Field Guide for the Modern Motion Designer
-The 2-Hour Job Search
-Real Artists Don't Starve by Jeff Goins
-Show Your Work! by Austin Kleon
-Broad Strokes: 15 Women Who Made Art and Made History (in that order) by Bridget Quinn
-The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown
-In the Company of Women by Grace Bonney
-Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
-Creative Pep Talk by Andy Miller
#animation#motion design#motion graphics#panimation#aftereffects#motion#2D#3D#illustrator#motion designer#motion graphics artist#video journalist#career advice#creative director#art director#crunch#burnout#freelance#visual designer#designer#directory
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Meet Jess Campbell! One of the featured artists for the ra9zine!
What are the links to your social media so people can find you! http://twitter.com/seejesscampbell https://www.instagram.com/seejesscampbell/
What first inspired you to draw? Video games, comic books and cartoons, as a child. Media like, Spider-man, Sailor Moon, Inuyasha, Cardcaptors, Digimon, Pokémon, and Cybersix; but the most important was The Legend of Zelda. I used to make comics about Link on coloured construction paper with crayons. My grandpa would help me spell words for the speech bubbles. Now-a-days D&D is a HUGE source of inspiration for me. Alongside horror movies and of course, video games. Not much has changed really. I still dream of working in the comic book industry, or designing characters for video games or movies :)
What programs do you use to to draw? I love starting my projects on paper. Nothing beats a mechanical pencil in a sketchbook. From there...I used to reply heavily on Photoshop, but since getting an iPad Pro I only use The ProCreate App. That said, I’ll never be without the Adobe Creative Suite. I use Photoshop for a lot of detailing after I finish a project, Illustrator for creating logos, and InDesign for layout.
What kind of tablet do you use? Previously I worked on a Wacom Intuos Pro, but now it’s me and my iPad Pro against the world!
What is your favorite thing to draw? I adore drawing monsters and aliens. To be honest, I love drawing my own characters. Designing a character for a D&D campaign has definitely become therapeutic for me.
How long have you been drawing for? Since I was a kid/could hold a crayon. The fridge in my childhood home used to be plastered with pictures of horses and dogs. I can’t imagine my life without art. I don’t feel like myself when I’m not drawing.
Are there any particular artists that have inspired you over the years? Oh goodness, yes! Here’s a few: James Harren, Ashley Cope, Bachan — Can I say EVERYONE I follow on my Twitter? Because it’s true.
Did you go to school for art or are you self taught? Would you recommend a formal education? I’m primarily self taught, but I did go to University to get my BA in Graphic Design. There was certainly an illustration component to all my classes, but most of my illustration/comic work is just practice, practice, practice. For jobs in Graphic Design, a BA will definitely help your chances. But as far as illustration focused work goes, I’d say just keep working on your portfolio. A formal education helps—and might be the perfect place to thrive for some people—but when it comes to the arts...It can be a tricky place to navigate. I would recommend considering formal education, but I wouldn’t say it’s at all mandatory. Everyone’s needs are different.
Do you do Commissions? Are they open? do you have a link to your commission page? I’m always happy to work on Commissions! Right now they’re closed, but I’ll post a link on my twitter page once they’re open again! :D
Do you have a website? (Patreon? Etsy? Webtoons? Youtube? Artstation? BigCartel? Tictail? etc?) http://www.patreon.com/seejessart Seejessart.com
Do you have recommendations for networking? Twitter has been incredible for me and meeting new people. I can’t recommend it enough. @ an artist, tell them how much you like their art, start a conversation. We all just want to build each other up. I’m so grateful for everyone I’ve met.
Is there anything we missed that you might want to share with your followers? You. Are. All. Incredible.
Do you have any final inspirational words or tips for your followers? May The Force Be With You All.
#seejessart#jesscampbell#jess cambpell#see jess cambpell#seejesscambpell#artist interviews#artist interview#ra9zine#ra9 fanzine
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Week 2 – BrainPhooning!
In a group, having similarities might be better but if all of you are the same, it won’t work well, it might cancel out yourselves together and both your strong and weak points will clash. Having unbalance mix and an overpowering dominance of monotone-ing attitudes leads to a major and epic failure, how? Well several problems won’t be needing only one solution for all, but a single problem can have different solutions. So having different kinds of thinking and point of views will make a fine tuning of a great band of productive and diverse persons towards greater opportunities.
Well, what am I in a group? I can consider myself as ambivert, but my personality test tells me I’m more of an introvert well, true enough. What can I do? How useful can I be in a group? I could also consider I am a moderate computer knowledgeable guy or simply a “techguy”, I know and also I like to edit both pictures and videos, I also ventured graphic arts in photoshop and experimenting stuffs I like, I tend to explore how far can a pc go and try several interesting software and stuffs, so eventually I learned the basic things about pc’s and my classmates always refers to me about computer problems, even though I’m almost self-taught about what I know and learned through curiosity. I also enjoy playing video games, especially simulation, role-playing-games and tactical oriented games, where I plan my approach towards a goal. I also like music and I know enough guitar playing and singing, to the point I want to compose but still didn’t work. I like reading interesting stuffs and my fingers are always restless and liked to do something always, like crafting something when I was young, and now, I got interested in machines and I like to learn more about it, and I really love cars and motorcycles, especially the unique ones, both vintage and sport types. I don’t really like being on social media, because I believe, being famous there doesn’t really define who you really are, maybe a little update about myself is enough for I still want my own privacy, I am not really fond of showing off that’s why, I just like to thank and be proud on what I could do. Interacting with other people? I could easily blend with their characters, and adjust accordingly, maybe that’s one of my strong points but can’t always maintain my aura when looked from the outside from a stranger, I maybe too serious looking and very strict vibe, well partly I am but half be-happy, have-fun and go-with-the-flow person. Having conversation with random person maybe a little hard for me yet but I’ll try my best to be more approachable one.
In a group, there should be at least an introvert and an extrovert, and there are also 3 types of person that should be acting as in a group, namely hackers: the techguy, more on computers, hustlers: the noisy one and the over confident in the group, and the hipsters: the guy in charge of designs and more on organization of the group. Well I could be versatile to these 3 types, but more on hackers and hipsters but lesser on hustlers. Our group, we are composed of four guys, namely; Aaron Guimare, I think he is more capable of being the hustler because he is more outgoing that the rest of us. Paulo Entice, I’m still unsure which would be best fit for him, but he’s the sporty guy in our group, maybe he could do the straining stuffs like going out and doing surveys and gathering data’s for he has more energy than us but goal oriented person. Kent Labis, like Paulo, he is also a sporty guy, both of them are in the same team playing volleyball, but he has a competitive attitude which could also his strong point. In our team, I think this would be enough but I think they will be thinking having me as the leader for I could multitask, It could be fine with me but, it might tire me out of all the task so maybe I’ll just divide the task accordingly as the manager of our team, it may not be good, but I’ll fix our places and functions accordingly to work well on our upcoming projects.
Brainphooning? Here in Philippines, typhoons are more well-known storm type, they are strong sometimes and very unpredictable. Aside from that, having a strong, conducive and imaginative approach of idealizations was meant for it. We point out our strong points first and cite and list down possible daily necessity problems. For me, since I drive both motorcycle and car, I cited out the traffic problems I’ve been facing ever since I started driving daily, Aaron then agrees as a co-road user and a vehicle driver, But both Paulo and Kent still trying to figure out possible problem but they only relate as a commuter and as a passenger of a public vehicle going through tough traffic. We cited also the possible causes and lapses on both drivers and the authorized managers of the road, gladly both Paulo and Kent can contribute an idea as a POV of the commuter and me and Aaron as the POV of drivers. We then give random possible solutions and improvements of each ideas, then we arrive to 4 ideas, and could possible combine it to a final solution. We are now getting ready for interviews to know what is really needed from the strangers POV. Hopefully we will get helpful response and information for further restructuring of solution.
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Adrian Tomine.
Bio: Adrian Tomine was born in 1974 in Sacramento, California. He began self-publishing his comic book series Optic Nerve when he was sixteen. His comics have been anthologized in McSweeney’s, Best American Comics, and Best American Nonrequired Reading, and his graphic novel Shortcomings was a New York Times Notable Book of the year. His most recent book, Killing and Dying, appeared on numerous best-of-2015 lists and was a New York Times graphic bestseller. Since 1999 Tomine has been a regular contributor to The New Yorker. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and daughters. His latest book, The Loneliness of the Long Distance Cartoonist, a “comedic memoir about fandom, fame, and other embarrassments,” is out today.
Buy this print here!
Buy this print here!
Tools of choice:
Muji Low Center Gravity mechanical pencil
Uni 0.5 mm mint blue Nano Dia lead
Tombow Mono Zero eraser
Tachikawa school nibs
Tachikawa T-25 nib holder
Faber-Castell PITT artist pen, sizes XS, S, F, and M
Winsor & Newton series 7 brush (size 3)
Dr. Ph. Martin’s ink, either TECH or Black Star
Muji correction pen
I don't use tablets, but I do the coloring on my computer, using a bizarre mix of Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign...all in service of a coloring style that replicates the pre-digital era.
I've never tried one of those screens that you draw directly on. I mostly just use the old, non-wireless mouse that came with a computer I bought decades ago. I sometimes use a tiny Wacom Intuos, but that's really just like using a mouse shaped like a pen.
Tool I wish I could use better: Computer, tablet, Photoshop, etc.
Tool I wish existed: An intern/assistant that I wouldn’t feel guilty about employing.
Tricks: They might seem like an unnecessary or esoteric extravagance, but I will heartily endorse Dr. Martin’s Bombay pen cleaner and B&J brush cleaner. They’re both relatively cheap, and they have definitely extended the life of my nibs and brushes. (Also, I just love that these antiquated, ancillary items are still being produced, and can’t help but feel some kind of kinship with whoever else is still buying them.)
Misc: Like every other aspect of my work, I learned a lot from basically copying other artists. I was definitely influenced by the color work of Dan Clowes and Chris Ware, but I hope I've arrived at something that's a little bit my own. I think I'm a little more pastel-y and low-contrast than those guys, and sometimes I have to really force myself to type in the numbers of a bolder color if I need it for emphasis.
Even though he doesn't work digitally, I learned a lot about color from the cartoonist Seth. He taught me a lot about muddying up colors, moving them away from their primary versions, and not feeling obligated to use all the colors at my disposal.
And as far as the evolution towards a more subdued palette, you're absolutely correct [Editor’s Note: I asked him what caused his color palette to evolve from the brighter colors of his earlier work with Optic Nerve to the more subdued palette that he employees today]. When I first started making comics, I still had the comics of my childhood in my mind as my primary inspiration for color, and I carried a lot of the quirks of that influence with me for awhile. For example, if I was drawing someone with black hair, I'd think back to something like Superman, who often had blue highlights in his ostensibly black hair for some reason. I was conscientious of the fact that my work was going to be sitting on the racks in comic book stores, so I felt like I had to "fit in" to some degree. And eventually I realized that it was actually better to make something that stood out from the Marvel and DC and Image stuff, not only to differentiate my work, but also because it was truer to my own aesthetic taste.
Website, etc.:
www.adrian-tomine.com
www.instagram.com/adriantomine/
BOOK: The Loneliness of the Long Distance Cartoonist is out today. Be sure to pick up a copy here or from your favorite independent book store! You can read more about it here!
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Editor’s Note:You can also find more posts about art supplies on Case’s Instagram and Twitter! There is also a Patreon and a Ko-Fi account Thank you!
#Adrian tomine#Adrian tomine art supplies#Adrian to mine drawing process#Adrian tomine cartoonist#Adrian tomine cartooning advice#Adrian tomine comics advice
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You're an amazing artist and I have so many questions! How long have you been drawing, do you have any tips for coloring images, have you been to art school or are you self taught, what program(s) do you use, do you have any tips for artists struggling to imrpove their skills and draw consistently? Ah if this is too much lmk...
OMG I’m sorry for replying so late I haven’t checked tumblr in a while TTATT Thank you so much!! I really appreciate your support
I have been drawing since forever, I was the artsy kid way back in kindergarten ;’) My parents used to work a lot (they still do ahahah) so my early years where basically me and the tv alone. I used to be really fascinated by the drawings of every cartoon which aired on the italian tv, and they were mostly lots and lots of anime; so the bigger the eyes the better, and I sat down for hours copying stuff from the tv (Mew Mew and Doremi thank you).
About my training as an artist, I went to art high school and now I’m attending an Academy of Fine Arts in comics and illustration, so I’m not self taught x** got to specify though, I have been trained only to a certain extent, art high schools in my country are kinda silly. Not saying that wasn’t useful but it has not much to do with anything I like\am doing, guess everything just comes with its pros and cons.
The Academy I’m attending now is super cool. I have to say that what is helping me grow at the moment are not the teachers or the assignments but the fact that I find myself discovering some sides of Art I didn’t think would be useful to my work. Once I thought that improving was just all about practice, like the more you draw the better you become, now I realize it’s not just that? We all agree with the fact that you have to draw often to keep your hand trained, however i think that just running randomly the pencil on a paper all the time is just… pointless. What makes a good difference imo is observation, to recognize what exactly is the flaw , and most importantly what to do in order to fix it. And I don’t talk about evident errors like anatomic stuff, which can be easily fixed with the right ref. From your question anon I deduce you are an artist too, and I think you understand if I talk about those moments when you look at your stuff and say ‘ugh it sucks, all of it’ and then proceed to a self-artblock x** so the key is not to blind foldedly keep on practicing hoping that somehow improvement will be Bestowed Upon You like a Blessing from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ lmaoo, but to seek like crazy for what is The Thing you dislike (idk the proportions, the media, the type of line, the topic of your work) and go looking for a solution in already existing stuff, not necessarily other drawings, maybe photography, cinematography, music, fashion or literature, will do fine for you. Basically yoU GOTTA EEARRN ITT but not only by drawing, but through research and studying. For me, having a broad range of knowledge in as much aspects of art as I can is vital, like having a massive suitcase of things you might want to integrate in your work in case of necessity. Also i KNEWWW I was gonna end up writing and essay I’m so sorry I get carried away on specific questions x***
Ah about the details, I use exclusively Photoshop cs6, my teachers don’t know shit about digital media so I can proudly say I m all research and youtube tutorials about that.
For colouring images, IIII don’t think I’m in the position to give advice to others lmaoooo but if i have to, I’d say to keep it easy…. like when I first started photoshop I was very enthusiastic about colouring so I would put in as many colours and deepness with light\shade as I could, and that was very ridicolous lmaoo so, few colours and in the right places. Don’t take my words as law, mainstream editorial illustration now is very much flat\clean\graphic shapes, and probably I m just feeling the influence.
I could write an other entire essay about colouring and such but honestly I m just an ignorant ugly baby and my method is not different from anything you find on youtube… I work with max 2 layers, one for the backround and the other for the rest, I chose colours and composition by gut feeling and by checking often that the picture looks cute also as a thumbnail and in gray scale.
Hope I have satisfied some of your doubts! Sorry again for being so dispersive and thank you if you succeded in reading all this wall of text till the end. Love you
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When/how did you start to make edits?
actually i started when i was super young (like 10/11) - i was a heavy livejournal user so i made graphics and coded layouts, made icons etc. i could also make simple animation gifs (’blinkies’ were like a huge thing at the time), draw my own pixels, make my own dolls, and glitter animations. i also had my own website for years and i was introduced to paint shop pro 7 or 8 and i used tutorials/self-taught myself how to edit and code (anyone out there remember funkychicken html?). i stopped for years, downloaded photoshop when i was in college to edit photographs, and then once i made a taylor blog i started making edits like crazy. i also used to edit a few things on my personal blog (like movie screen craps) but i didn’t learn how to gif until i made my taylor account.
i actually have some rather embarrassing/cringe-worthy edits i made when i was like 13/14 if ya wanna see. WARNING: i was an emo kid. so this is all humiliating.
so i had a few nice things for my livejournal bios/layouts that looked like this. unfortunately i lost a loooooot of things from my photobucket account and the images were resized and cut off and stuff.
but that’s the end of the nice stuff. here comes some major crap!
here are some icons i used to make for other livejournal users to take. apparently at the time i was very into jack’s mannequin, brand new, and dashboard confessional (again they were resized so you can barely see, sorry!):
here’s more livejournal headers/bio photos (plus an xanga one!) or whatever they were used for, and images i made for my layouts:
seriously????? ^^^^^^
^^^ god i loved messy brushes
^^^ emo high-contrast selfies + ridiculously emo FFTL lyrics.......holy shit
^^^ i was literally so annoying as a 14 year old
^^^ this was resized but it was huge and like my favorite layout edit, i used it for soooooooo long and i was so proud of this MESS lmao
^^^ pretty sure these are hellogoodbye lyrics oh my god
^^^ idk what was up with the gun thing. i guess love felt like murder to me or something idfk lmao
^^^ yikes
^^^ nothing more emo than a taking back sunday edit
^^^ good lord.
^^^ i don’t wanna talk about it.
NOW here’s some edits from when i had my own website hosted on a domain! this shit is humiliating!!!!
^^^ this got cut off but this was my entire main page layout. i don’t even remember how i coded this shit but i made it so you could click on the text on the graphic and it would link elsewhere. anyway this is so embarrassing i was so emo, so dreadfully emo.
^^^ i still listen to like 3 of these bands
^^^ this was a panic at the disco layout edit i was SO PROUD OF and i felt so fcking cool bc i heard this song while it was still a demo and like no one knew about them so i thought i was ~*special*~ but i was just emo trash. that’s all.
^^^ and this is just to epitome of things you wish did not exist.
#Anonymous#humiliation alert#idk why i provided you with all of this#good thing my 12 yr old LOTR edits are all lost and gone#i loved legolas okay#anyway#this is a disaster#thank u for reading
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Tu... torial? Pt. 3
Welcome back to part 3 of my tutorial for anon. In this I will go over perhaps my favourite part - the face. Did you used doodle eyes in your notebook when you were in school? This has the same energy.
This is where things get a little harder to explain because it involves a lot of drawing. I hope you get the general idea though.
Open this in dashboard for best view of the screenshots.
Disclaimer: I have no formal training for any kind of graphics stuff, I work in an office as a receptionist - I serve coffee for a living. I am absolutely self taught and while I consider myself pretty comfortable with photoshop, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t about a gazillion of other things that can be done that I have no idea about. There are people far superior than me in the Sims community. This is just how I do it, with techniques I have picked up through the years. Some things I go over in these will be pretty basic, some things a little more unorthodox. Disclaimer 2: My edits take time. This is what I do to relax, one edit takes several hours for me. Sometimes days :))) Disclaimer 3: My photoshop is in Swedish, which is my first language. I tried my best to find the English translations for every step that I do.
Tools used: The Sims 4, Adobe Photoshop 2020, One by Wacom Pen Tablet (very basic and unfancy).
I start by adding a new empty layer in my Sim layer group, above my base Sim layer.
I use the smudge tool (I always keep my smudge tool on Strength around 30%) on the Sim layer to smudge and soften the eye whites a bit. I only redraw my sim's eyes if I'm changing the direction that they´re lookin, otherwise I just refine the existing eyes. In this case I didn't want her eyes quite as far left as they were. On my Details layer, I use the brush tool, hard small brush with opacity around 70-80%, and start drawing the eyes a little bit further to the right.
I realized I wanted the eye whites to be even whiter, so I added a new layer inbetween the Sim layer and the Details layer. Using a soft brush with lower opacity (29%) I go over the eye whites. The lower opacity allows me to build up the color by going over multiple times, creating a better blend. I then merge this new layer with the Details layer because there’s no reason for having these on separate layers going forward.
I turn the opacity of the brush tool back up and continue to draw the eyes. At this point they're looking rather creepy...
But looking much better after some added dots of “shine” with a white color (not full on white, slightly muddier)
I turn down the opacity of the brush again, take a soft brush and a dark grey color and go around the whole eye to add some shadow.
Turn up the opacity of the brush again (I know it’s a lot of back and forth with this, it’s just how I work) and work around the eyes. I clean up the make up and add some lashes. I also add some dept to the eyebrows using a slightly darker color than the existing strands and draw in some new ones here and there.
Time to clean up the nose (eeeew). I start with the Smudge tool on the sim layer, strength around 15-20%, and smudge the pixels a little.
On the details layer, I clean up the nose further by drawing in the nostrils a bit, and even out the colors around and on the nose, picking up color with the eyedrop tool and going over with a low opacity brush wherever I think the color is a little uneven.
With the lips I sharpen the shape, add some highlights on the top of the lipline, clean up the corners of the mouth, redraw the teeth and add those squiggly circles on the top and bottom lip. They look a bit weird up close but zoomed out it will look glosssssy :) I pick up existing colors on the lip with the eyedrop tool and work with both lower opacity soft brushes and higher opacity hard brushes here.
Now I feel happy with the face details. Here is a comparison of the face before and after. A little bit cleaner and smoother now!
Time to throw some shade. I always start under the chin (because for some reason that's the most fun). I create a new layer in the Sim group, name it shadows, and I use the pen tool again and make a path along the jawline, sectioning off the neck from the face. I went over the basics of using the pen tool in pt 1. This is.…may be an unortodox way to do it. I'm sure a lot of people would see this as an unecessary tricky step. It is however my favorite way of doing it.
I made two paths for this first work area. Meaning I first made a full path on the neck above the necklace, closed that path and then started a new one below the necklace to include the chest area where the skin is showing (separating it from the clothes). When both my paths were closed I pressed ctrl + Enter to turn them both into selections at the same time. As you can see I didn’t bother following the “edge” of the sim, you will see why later.
I eyedrop a color from a darker area of her skin, then I choose a darker, more saturated color in the palette that comes up.
I use a big soft brush with opacity around 30%. I start to build up the shadow under the chin, with more color right under the jawline and less further out. This is where my pen tool selection comes to good use, it keeps the jawline nice and sharp even though I'm using a soft brush to get the fading effect on other parts of the shadow. As we already decided, the light comes from the left in this picture, thus the chin shadow ends up to the right. I use a smaller brush to go around the clothing line, and under the necklace. The tighter the clothes, the smaller the shadow.
I noticed the neck was lighter on the very side of the neck, and that interferes with my shadow. Now of course I could go over with the shadow color a couple of more times in that spot, but I prefer to correct the color on the base Sim layer instead for a more even result. So I hide the shadow layer, eyedrop the slightly darker area on the neck (and keep it this time).
It's important to keep the selection while I do this, so I don't paint over something else. You could put this on another layer and just erase if you accidentally go over something you're not supposed to, but since I already have the selection I can just put it on the base Sim layer. I brush over the area a couple of times until the color is how I want it.
While I am at it I also thought the chest area is a little too white and colorless. This often happens on my sim pictures if I’m using a sim with lighter skin. Again I eyedrop a darker color of the skin, but this time I choose a more vibrant version of the color to avoid muckyness when I go over the white.
I set the opacity of the brush to super low and then very carefully go over the whiter areas of the chest a couple of times, avoiding the areas where there are details such as collarbones or cleavage.
I make the Shadow layer visible again and deselect. Now you see how I have painted a little outside the skin area on the neck, because I didn’t follow the edge of the sim with my selection? I quickly fix that by holding Alt and grabbing the layer mask from the base Sim layer, and dropping it onto the Shadow layer.
Now these two layers have the same layer mask! And it's time to bring out the pen tool again, and make a path around the face.
With the face selected I start painting my face shadows. I put shadow on the side of the face that´s away from our imaginary light source.
I paint shadows under any hair that covers the face, and add a shadow on the side of the nose that´s facing away from the light. This usually takes me a couple of tries to get right, like this here wasn’t it...
I use a 30something % opacity on my brush and then 30something % opacity on a soft eraser brush and go back and forth with these until I get a nice blend.
Got the nose shadow looking decent, and add a little shadow in the eye… socket?… closest to the nose. I make sure that this doesn´t go over the eye itself and interferes with any colors there. I want to keep the eyes clear.
I deselect. Now we´ve got some little flaws here and there because my selection didn’t line up perfectly. I blend these with the smudge tool.
Better!
Looking fine gurl!
As I mentioned it’s a little hard to explain some steps, like the eyes and the lips, because it is just drawing until I like the result. I hope you find this useful though, and please send me an ask if you’re wondering about anything!
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An interview with Claudia Pezzini
An Italian in Cornwall. What made you move there?
I was lucky enough to be sent to the Uk from an early age to practice my English during summer holidays. I started when I was 11 and I was always hosted by local families which really made a difference: I was forced to speak and I could properly immerse myself in the environment. This relationship with the UK carried on for years and when it came to choose a University I decided I was going to move there and I searched for the right course and place to study. That’s when I discovered Falmouth University, one of the top art Universities in the UK. Falmouth is a small town in the Cornish coast; when I came here for my interview after an incredibly long journey (it takes 8 hours from London) I fell in love with the place straight away. The University is immersed in a subtropical garden and it’s less than 5 minutes away from the beach (by walk!). Falmouth itself is such a precious town. Luckily I was offered a place at the University and have been here for 3 years now. I really couldn’t have made a better choice.
You are an illustrator that focuses on adult narrative. What led you in the direction of drawing and writing stories? Tell us a bit about your path of artistic training.
I should point out that my background is in the humanities. I attended Liceo Classico in Bergamo, my hometown, and had never received proper artistic training. I have always been passionate about art but I was mainly a self-taught “artist”, filling pages and pages of drawings between a Latin and a Greek translation. When I decided that it was no longer just a passion, I researched on the possible art courses and I found Illustration. Illustration combines words and images. The images created, the illustrations, “illustrate” the meaning of the words. They explain the text and complement it but one cannot work without the other: words need images as much as images need words. Having always worked with words, I figured that Illustration was the best compromise and I jumped into it, I applied with what I had and that’s how I started. During these three years of training, I discovered that Illustration is a much broader field than I expected, ranging from editorial to advertising and packaging design but I eventually specialised in adult narrative illustration because my focus is mainly working with stories for adults. I occasionally write my own stories as well but I am still a bit too shy to share them.
Would you mind telling us a bit about your current and future projects?
I am about to graduate as an illustrator so in these last months I have been focusing on finalising everything and putting together a coherent portfolio. I am mainly working on illustrating given stories with surreal atmosphere and metaphorical meaning where I can challenge myself with unusual imagery (Murakami’s stories are my favourites for this!). Along with that, I am still working on more authorial projects. I am aiming at keeping these two paths going at the same time, working on projects with a given brief and some more authorial ones where I get to design the project completely and focus on the graphic design bit as well. The presentation part is crucial for me, I love putting together projects in the shape of little books.
At the moment I am working on a silent narrative (with no text) based on the theme of 'the promise’. I came up with the story and I am now illustrating it… it’s taking its time ahahah
What is your artistic process?
I love traditional illustrations and I think that the quality of a drawing on paper is never the same as the one on a digital tablet. Therefore I always start by drawing traditionally either with pencil or ink pen and I only use the digital programmes as tools to add something after. I scan the drawing at a high resolution and then move to the digital. With the years I have learned how to use Photoshop and Indesign and I discovered the incredible potential they have. I now colour my images only digitally and add textures to give them an organic textural look which is all I am after. I love when the illustrations have that grainy textured print vibe, when you cannot tell if they are digital cause they look entirely traditional.
Where do you draw inspiration from? Who and what inspires you the most?
I am an avid reader and cinephile. I am always on the hunt for inspiration that I draw mainly from photographs, movies and music. Every time I dive into a project I spend a lot of time researching the right mood and the aesthetic, it’s one of my favourite part of the process. I must admit that despite being obviously aware of the trends, I don’t really look much at others illustrators’ work or at least I try not to be influenced as much. I have a very personal relationship with my work and I am a bit stubborn and impulsive, I do things my way. Generally though I have a thing for very crisp and clean design, blues and teals colours, textures and details. Some of my all-time favourites who never fail to inspire me are: Gauguin, Wong Kar-Wai, Japanese printers, Murakami, García Márquez and Evgenia Arbugaveva (this is a recent one, go and check out her photographic series!).
When you think about your future, do you see yourself living abroad or potentially going back to Italy?
When you live in a foreign country for so long you get used to it and it becomes difficult to go back. Falmouth is a chapter in my life and I am now looking for a place to go after where I can live and work. I do feel deeply Italian but I don’t think I will be ready to go back any time soon, I just want to experience living in other countries first. I am still not sure where I will end up, if it will be possible for me to stay in the Uk or move elsewhere but what I know for sure is that I need to find a place that is young-people-friendly and with a vibrant artistic community where I could start off as an illustrator whilst having a part-time job. Both are things that are not so easy to find in Italy, unfortunately.
What are your thoughts on independent projects led by young artists?
I love the fact that young creatives challenge themselves more and more with independent projects. There are some important things to consider though. First of all it’s vital that the team sets a common aim and that there is an equal distribution of the roles from the very beginning cause often the difficulties derive from having people that are not used to working professionally and sticking to deadlines. Ones you have the right team, you can then focus on the actual challenges of independent projects such as budget, promotion, production, technicalities… you name it! It’s a lot to keep track of but I think that our generation has access to more means for network and sharing given the skills we all have with social medias and technology. It’s also very important to keep up the standard and focus on the quality of the project and strong concept to be able to stand out in the crowd and be effective.
Socks thanks you for this collaboration. Did you collaborate with artists before? If so, tell us more about it!
Thank you!! I am honoured to be part of this collaboration! Despite the fact that I work mainly independently, I do really value artistic collaborations and I did collaborate with course mates and friends before. Living in a creative community means that there is constant need of people with different skills so I managed to join projects in many different ways: by making the poster for a film campaign of a friend to taking part in a collective zine with some course mates. In May 2019 me and some course mates set a collaborative exhibition with a common theme in the centre of Falmouth and we ended up creating a proper event with visuals, songwriters, dj’s, graphic designers and photographers from other courses. I then collaborated with a very close friend of mine that studies music on a more authorial and intimate project based around feelings where we responded with music and images to the text we came up for each feeling. That was a difference sort of collaboration, one that you cannot do with anyone but it definitely made me understand how important it is to work as a team especially when you just start your career as a creative.
Good luck Socks!
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Final Evaluation
What has gone well in this project? Over the last few weeks, I have learned a lot of new things about how Unreal Engine works, and I have even taught myself how to read and understand a lot of code I didn’t write myself. This was an extremely valuable learning experience, as it will make writing code in Unreal engine easier in the future, and can even be applied to normal coding too.
Have you found new software? New tutorial sites? New ways of working? Although I haven’t found any new ways of learning anything, I did come to the decision that the Unreal Engine documentation was clearly written by the developers, rather than technical writers, and is therefore useless. I did start playing with a new bit of software called Bfxr, and although I didn’t do much with it, I did find it very intuitive and enjoyable to work with.
Have you enjoyed anything about working in lockdown? I have enjoyed how working in lockdown has forced me to adapt and teach myself things that I otherwise would not have learned on my own. It made me feel much more independent and as though I was really making progress of my own accord. It was very exciting when I was struggling with a bug in my combat system and I took the time to carefully walk myself through the code, as I realised that I hadn’t fully understood what I’d been doing as I’d been mindlessly following a tutorial. Now I actually understand all the code I wrote because I painstakingly went through it all to find out where the issue was occurring. I’m also incredibly proud of how much of this I managed to do on my own without needing to go to the instructors because I was able to find the resources I needed to make things on my own.
What could have gone better? I still don’t think I’m managing my time very well, as I sporadically make large amounts of progress of the course of twelve hour days with little to no breaks, and then spend two days achieving nothing because I feel terrible. I want to get better at balancing this out to working a reasonable amount ever day and making steady, consistent progress on everything. On top of that, I’m still absolutely terrible at graphic design and drawing things that look good. If I can wrap my head around that, I will definitely be on the road to making better final products.
Would being at college with our software and hardware helped? Has the open brief been harder or easier? Were you anxious due to the current situation or work? While individually, I found the open brief to be daunting and lockdown to be extremely stressful as I didn’t feel I had access to many of the resources I normally would, these problems seemed to cancel each other out. Because of lockdown, I didn’t have to make the full game, so if I could at least show where I would introduce the themes from the brief into the gameplay I had created, I could happily work away at the coding without worrying about the art assets, which I struggle with the most, and find that I prefer doing with a drawing tablet, which I don’t have access to at home.
What are you planning to do in the future? I would like to keep working on this project because I still think I can learn more from it. I think if I can face the criticisms that other people, and I, have of it then I can learn more about how Unreal Engine works, and create a product I am much happier with. After that, I suppose I’ll see what the next project brief is, and I’ll start work on that. Between then and now, however, I would like to catch up on my more traditional programming projects, as well as video editing.
Has this put you off from working at home in the future? Do you now want to work from home? I think this has showed me that I am capable of working at home, but I unintentionally put things in place to make that harder for myself. I am perfectly capable of doing everything we do at college when I am at home, I just don’t push myself to because I’m not at college. However, I think that if I can push past those self imposed boundaries, I can become significantly more productive when working from home and create some really cool stuff in my off time. I think I probably put those in place because home and college feel like very different environments. At home, my computer is in my room, so I feel like I can either do the difficult but rewarding thing, or I can just chill out and not really put in the work. Whereas when I’m at college, I feel like I need to be making progress because I’m not in my room with my feet up on my desk and I can’t just get up and go make a coffee whenever I feel like it. It’s harder to get distracted. That being said, my focus isn’t an issue, the hard part is starting. Once I start, I usually don’t stop for a very long time because I get into the zone and find I’m enjoying what I’m doing. I just really struggle to actually start doing something like that.
What software do you plan on using for your next project? Why? The next project I will definitely keep using Unreal Engine, as I am now really getting to grips with it and I think I can start creating more interesting and complicated stuff. What software I use to create assets very much depends on the style of game, because if it’s 3D, I’ll definitely want to use Maya, but if it’s 2D, photoshop is obviously the better route.
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Semester Review and Reflection
To conclude this semester, I want to write a critical analysis and reflection of the body of work I have made.
I believe that within my physical, Covid-induced limitations, I have conducted an exceptional degree of experimentation. I have clearly evidenced that I have produced a titanic body of work, using a huge range of styles and techniques. In my digital work, I have used several programs, such as ProCreate, Illustrator, Lightroom, Photoshop, Premiere and InDesign. I have also used inks, paints, pencils, objects, tape and scalpels to design work on paper where appropriate. I have used film and digital photography, photo editing techniques, illustration, video and video editing, typographic designs, painting on canvas, layout and page design skills. I have full confidence that I have gone above and beyond what was expected of me in order to exemplify my ability to visually experiment, try new things, teach myself techniques and work in a diverse range of methods. I created confident and authoritative final products and when I have not achieved this I have critically analysed my shortcomings.
I adhered to task specifications to a very high standard, reread and rewrote briefs, as I have evidenced in my blog. I showed that I understood what was expected of me. I sought and received continued feedback, guidance, reassurance and support from tutors to ensure I was meeting these specifications. I have thought carefully about the way that my work shall be viewed and considered ease of access and readability throughout the entire process. In my writing and my inclusion of images I have worked to take the viewer along with me on the journey of each project, rationalising my decisions and telling the story of my response to the brief, in a structure that makes sense. The thought and time that has gone into the layout of this blog alone evidences that I have considered audience and reception all throughout my work, and I have been striving to make it highly legible and easy to follow.
I am confident that I have shown boldness, originality, and an ability to synthesise ideas to reach relevant and exciting visual conclusions. I created and used an extremely broad spectrum of research to synthesise inspiration into original and informed ideas. Context, audience, style, tone and voice have been considered in my work throughout. I have displayed a high level of knowledge of my subject. I have been decisive and detail oriented, and made good judgements critically and analytically. One example of this is during the Type and Language project, I made outcomes in many many different styles that I was very happy with. However, I created the final product in a very stripped back and edited down manner, in order to think about purpose, audience and market in a way that made more sense.
I have put in many many man hours and evidenced personal responsibility, good timekeeping, and initiative. I have self taught many skills and techniques, and sought material independently to improve my work and learning. For example, this term I used ProCreate to make a lot of my work, and all my ProCreate knowledge is self taught - it is an atypical program to use for graphic design work, but I’ve made use of the very simple UI as a way to improve my workflow and increase my creative output. I also was critical enough to know when this limited me: for example, in the Documenting project, I began learning code for my generative design project, but I knew that I did not have the resource, nor was I yet ready, to create a good final product by coding.
Next semester I want to work on making my layout skills better, spend more time on my final products, and think more critically and selectively about outcomes. I want to work on my photography skills in a meaningful way, learning more about how digital cameras work. I want to improve my Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop skills. In the next few year or two I want to begin using AfterEffects and learning motion graphics because it is a very highly desired skill in the design industry and it pays very well. My shortcomings this semester I think are that I could have tried a larger and more delicate and detailed range of layout styles. I could also improve my typesetting and utilise this more within my work. I try not to feel too bad about work I do because self deprecating is useless, but I also can see quite plainly where my shortcomings have been visually. I do need to keep improving my page design and layout skills, and become more confident at using type at smaller scales, and fitting more information on pages - something my PDF lacked. However, I do believe I have identified many places where I fell short in my actions. I hope to get some robust feedback from this semester that I can act on meaningfully next time around.
I cannot say I am yet sure what the direction is my design work will go in. I have created a small typographic work every day this year so far, and posted it on my instagram (disgustinggirlart). I am getting better at typography and it is something I have sought to improve. I see myself doing page design in the future and I think I would like to design or contribute to zines in the upcoming months. In the months leading up to summer, I will be creating a portfolio to send to design studios to try and get some intern work, either paid or unpaid. I really want some work experience as it will push me to finessing and finishing my work faster and in a more detail oriented way. I will continue to seek feedback from tutors wherever I can, and I will also soon be seeking feedback from outside university by these studios I will email, or any other professionals I can get myself into an email conversation with. I would like to build a larger range of books, magazines, and online resources for me to learn about graphic design techniques. I will also be continuing to design a small typographic work every day this year if I can manage to keep it going!
Thanks for viewing my semester portfolio, and thank you for being great tutors this semester. I have really enjoyed myself.
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