THAT'S WHAT SHE BLOGGED...

TUTORIAL 45:

2009-05-31T11:33:00.000-07:00

I never knew you could make your own brushes, that is sooo convenient, it really makes it your own. In order to make a good grunge brush you need a good image to work with and you desaturate it. Then you use the lasso tool to select the part of the image that would make a good brush. Copy and paste it into a new document. Then use the eraser and select the rough round bristle brush.to clean up the rough edges around the brush. THen clean up the borders of your selection so you don't see the rough edges. Then you can go to define brush preset and you can select a name for your brush.

website: http://veerle.duoh.com/blog/comments/creating_grunge_brushes/

TUTORIAL 44:

2009-05-31T11:26:00.001-07:00

This one you use adjustment layers to change her hair from blonde to brunette or whatever. First set the blend mode to overlay. You use the channels and layer via copy, and use the magic wand tool which makes a layer that only had the hair. Then you click on color balance, and change it to the hues that you want it to be. I can't wait till I get photoshop and can play with this, just to see...:)

website: http://www.tutvid.com/tutorials/photoshop/tutorials/brunetteToBlondeHairColor.php

TUTORIAL 43:

2009-05-31T11:16:00.000-07:00

This tutorial was really simple but really cool. I didn't know how to do this easy task, and I think it would be a fun one to know. To change the eye color, you use the elipse tool and crop around the black part of the eye, then you simply paint (with a softer brush) around the selected part. After you painted the eye, you set the blend mode to color and then it looks realistic, You can change the eye color after that if you want by selecting the hue and saturation.

website: http://www.tutvid.com/tutorials/photoshop/tutorials/changeEyeColor.php

TUTORIAL 42:

2009-05-31T11:01:00.000-07:00

In case I would ever need to remove a tattoo in photoshop...I can haha. First you duplicate your layer and select the healing tool. You increase the hardness of the tool and you go over the tatoo and it'll make it look like skin. You can also use the clone stamp tool and clean it up a little bit to make it look more realistic. You just blend it in, and you can use the burn tool to create shadows that would be there underneath tattoo.

website: http://www.tutvid.com/tutorials/photoshop/tutorials/digitalTattoos.php

TUTORIAL 41:

2009-05-31T10:54:00.000-07:00

I looked at this tutorial when I was making the image with fire and I was trying to create smoke. It took forever, and I did not know what I was getting myself in to. The smoke was so hard to create, and time consuming. But I think the one I did turned out pretty good, I could have made it a little more realistic, but the picture itself didn't look uber realistic so I thought it would match better if it didn't look perfectly like real smoke. What I learned was that you make a doodle, you liquify it and distort it, and then you click on effect and hit fade liquify, and you do that to 50%, and you keep repeating and repeating and repeating until it looks how you want it. A long process.

website: http://noscope.com/journal/2007/05/photoshop-howto-smoke

image assignment:

2009-05-24T09:48:00.001-07:00

This image assignment was definitely my favorite project. It was also, one of the most stressful, it's funny how those two always go hand in hand. Not only did I learn soooo much about photo shop (I was completely intimidated and photoshop illiterate) but I also kind of found a style of my own. My designs seem to push the envelope and stand out. I used many bright colors, and creative ideas. Most of the images I created in the beginning were the "easy" ones, and I was shootin em out like crazy. When I got to about 10 I started the more difficult ones (which I am glad I waited, because in the beginning of this project I was nowhere near ready to start the more complex concepts) and I started learning more and more. I was really get into it, and then I was at number 25, and I didn't want to use the easier ones I started with in the beginning, however, I was running out of ideas. So I stopped doing this project for a couple days, so I could get some good ideas and revamp myself. After I did that, I had a bunch of creative ideas, and I didn't even use many of the easy ones. I created the book by stapling all of the pages together, and then I added some cloth duct tape on the binding of the book. It looks kind of like those books you read when you're younger, or the ones your parents read you when you go to bed. I am really excited about the finished product, I learned so much and I had a lot of fun with it.

TUTORIAL 40:

2009-05-24T09:41:00.000-07:00

This tutorial shows how to make a women look like she's on fire haha. The part I really took from this tutorial is that you can insert and image within another image, and then warp one of the images to fit the other one. Like I've said before, I know photoshop can do anything, I just don't have any idea how to do any of those things. This seems simple enough that I could actually do this, and the effect it has is pretty awesome.

Website: http://psd.tutsplus.com/tutorials/tutorials-effects/how-to-create-a-flaming-photo-manipulation/

Link: how to create a flaming photo manipulation

TUTORIAL 39:

2009-05-24T09:34:00.000-07:00

This part of the tutorial explains how you can make it have a special lighting effect. To make things seem like they have spots where they are shining and glaring, you can simply use the paint brush tool. and just reduce the hardness and make it so it has a blur around it. Then, while using the color white, you make a dot or line or whatever on your image and it will look like that part is glowing.

Website: http://psd.tutsplus.com/tutorials/text-effects-tutorials/create-destructive-black-and-white-lettering-with-a-dramatic-splash-effect/

Link: create destructive black and white lettering with a dramatic splash effect.

TUTORIAL 38:

2009-05-24T09:29:00.000-07:00

In the same tutorial as before it also shows how to make these really cool splatters, and how you can implicate them within your image. First you make a new layer white, and then you make 3 spots and then with the splatter tool you go over them, and to make them blend, you use the gaussin blur tool.

Website: http://psd.tutsplus.com/tutorials/text-effects-tutorials/create-destructive-black-and-white-lettering-with-a-dramatic-splash-effect/

Link: create destructive black and white lettering with a dramatic splash effect.

TUTORIAL 37:

2009-05-24T09:22:00.000-07:00

This tutorial shows how to do a number of things. One of the things that I didn't know how to do was to make the text look awesome and have some depth to it. I screen capped each step they took to make it so I will always have it with me. He edited the word in 'layer style' and just altered the settings to make the text really pop.

Website: http://psd.tutsplus.com/tutorials/text-effects-tutorials/create-destructive-black-and-white-lettering-with-a-dramatic-splash-effect/

Link: Create Destructive Black and White lettering with a dramatic splash effect.

TUTORIAL 36:

2009-05-24T09:12:00.000-07:00

This tutorial explains how to use the clone stamp tool. I've been trying over and over again to use this tool and it just wasn't working for me. I think because you can't use it on the background layer. You have to create a layer by itself, and then use the stamp tool settings. I didn't know what else to click, cause it wouldn't allow me to, but when you use the clone settings, and the image isn't locked, then it's smooth sailing.

Website: http://revver.com/video/334874/adobe-photoshop-cs3-clone-stamp-tool-tutorial/

Link: Clone Stamp Tool

TUTORIAL 35:

2009-05-16T12:12:00.000-07:00

This design is absolutely beautiful. I've wanted to create something like this (but the opposite side :)), but I really had no idea where to begin. A simple way to just make the wings look real is to use the blend tool. Then to create the shadows and lighting effect, you use the paint tool, and use the brush that looks right and paint in the areas that would need the shadows created to make it look more realistic. Layers are key to this design, because while you keep everything separate, you can blend them all together in a very organized way making it look really freakin awesome in the end.

Website: http://psd.tutsplus.com/tutorials/photo-effects-tutorials/learn-how-to-create-a-fiery-demon-montage/

Link: create a fiery demon montage

TUTORIAL 34:

2009-05-16T12:02:00.000-07:00

This tool seems kinda handy, I really like the effect it has on the finished image. To make something look stained you gotta get the brush brusheezy, it was created particularly to create stain like smudges and what not. And you add a layer and paint an outline of where you want the stain to be and then you edit the type of brush you want and then continue making marks where you want the smudges to be.

Website: http://psd.tutsplus.com/tutorials/designing-tutorials/how-to-create-a-grunge-style-illustration-with-stains/

Link: How to create a grunge style illustration with stains

TUTORIAL 33:

2009-05-16T11:56:00.000-07:00

This tutorial was really cool, it showed and explained how you can adjust a picture to make it look fantasy like. THERE'S A SMOKE TOOL!?!?! are you kidding me, well that just solves a bunch of problems - that was just exciting to find out, that just ahhhh....so nice to have. The other thing that is really cool, was how he made the girl have a distinctive glow. He just altared the hue and saturation to give her a more fantasy, colorful, glow to her and it turned out pretty rad.

Website: http://psd.tutsplus.com/tutorials/photo-effects-tutorials/how-to-create-a-sparkling-fantasy-photo-manipulation/

Link: Sparkling fantasy photo manipulation

TUTORIAL 32:

2009-05-16T11:46:00.000-07:00

This tutorial shows how to make an object look shiny and reflective. The flare tool is used a lot in this tutorial and makes it seem glass like, and show the reflection of light going onto the clock. He used the lens flare effect/tool and changes to opacity and effectiveness of it to make it seem more distinctive. This clock looks freakin awesome when it's all done, and I hope I can remember some of the things he used. Photoshop can do anything, it's pretty intimidating.

Website: http://psd.tutsplus.com/category/tutorials/

Link: Create a reflective time piece

TUTORIAL 31:

2009-05-16T11:36:00.000-07:00

I'm really starting to become more comfortable with the pen tool in illustrator, so I hope I am as comfortable in photoshop. In this tutorial it shows the breaking down of the pen tool when creating a letter. The other part of the tutorial shows the cursors and what they stand for. I only new what + (add an anchor point), - (minus anchor point), and free hand pen tool, so I never took into consideration what these others meant. While reading this, I realized that my life will now become easier because each of these tools are very specific, doing what they do well.

Website: http://psd.tutsplus.com/tutorials/tools-tips/photoshops-pen-tool-the-

comprehensive-guide/

Link: Pen tool

Building Proposal:

2009-05-13T22:50:00.001-07:00

These are my final art building proposals. This was a fun project, and I really enjoyed it. I think because the sky was the limit really, we could do pretty much anything we wanted, and so it was nice. I chose to do nick's revolution because it was soooo much freakin fun to create, and I was laughing most of the time. The embedded tree was a more calming one, and just seemed realy neat and relaxing. The wishy flowers came out very psychedelic and 7o's, which is okay, because I don't think it looks tacky or anything like that. I could have done like 10 more, but even though they are fun, they took some time. This was kind of a stressfull project for me for some weird reason, I think because I'm starting to get overwhelmed with all of these projects with all of my classes. The cool part is that when I wanted a break from some of my other lame homework I would do this project because I actually enjoyed it. On flicker when doing the critiques it was awesome to see what other people have come up with. It just shows the different styles and tastes of everybody else. I enjoyed it overall, and I think it's cool that even though we're just beginner graphic design students, we can still have input on the art community...did that sound lame? haha oh well. :)

TUTORIAL 30:

2009-05-10T10:57:00.000-07:00

I know it's probably the easiest thing in the world of photoshop, but at first when I was trying to bring an image into photoshop it wasn't working like it was with illustrator. I thought you could just drag the image into the file because you can with illustrator and photoshop is the diamond of picture editing. But, you can't and you have to open in through photoshop. It's just something that'll come in handy when I get stupid for a minute.

Website: http://www.lynda.com/home/DisplayCourse.aspx?lpk2=414

Link: Opening an image

TUTORIAL 29:

2009-05-10T10:52:00.000-07:00

This one is really cool, he explains and shows how you can edit the text and give it effects. I know how you can do it on illustrator but it's very different in photoshop. He used a text layer, and simply changed the glow of the layer, and the opacity to give it the effects that he wants. In the end it looks really cool, and I think it's going to be a very handy tool to have in the future.

Website: http://www.lynda.com/home/DisplayCourse.aspx?lpk2=414

Link: Adding text

TUTORIAL 28:

2009-05-10T10:46:00.000-07:00

This tutorial explains how you can crop your image, without getting fully rid of the image you cropped out. You use the crop tool, and crop out what you want on the image, then you can click on the hide button and it will hide the image that you don't want to see, then bring the image back later. It allows you to work on the part of the image that you want to work on at the time.

Website: http://www.lynda.com/home/DisplayCourse.aspx?lpk2=414

Link: Cropping artwork

TUTORIAL 27:

2009-05-10T10:40:00.000-07:00

This tutorial shows how you can sharpen the image, so it is more depicting. He uses the unsharp masked tool, and changes the number to make it sharper. This can show more detail in the picture, which allows the picture to have more effect.

Website: http://www.lynda.com/home/DisplayCourse.aspx?lpk2=414

Link: Sharpening the focus of the image

TUTORIAL 26:

2009-05-10T10:32:00.000-07:00

This tutorial shows how you can completely altar the background. He changed the sky to dark and gloomy, and he does what I didn't expect. He added a gradient to the sky and then clicked on overlay to make it more realistic and less pitch black. I thought he would just use the transparency tool to make the sky darker, but he took it one step further, and it looks really good. Before the sky was blue and nice looking, now there's like a dark cloud that is shadowing over the hotel. Very real.

Website: http://www.lynda.com/home/DisplayCourse.aspx?lpk2=414

Link: Creating a dark and stormy sky

Building design sketches

2009-05-08T19:19:00.000-07:00

These are just some sketches and ideas that I had for the building project. The first thing I thought of for some reason, was a black tree, with branches coming out all over the place. And so I did some sketches mirroring that idea, but they didn't turn out the way I visioned it, so I was trying out some other ideas. I have this pillow with a close up of a flower, but I thought that would be too girly, so I sketched a close up of one of those weeds that are all over and you can blow the limb things off, and it's like little fuzzies so I tried that out and I really liked the way that turned out. I wanted to use some colors in the design since it's for art buildings, but I didn't want it to be like corny, tacky colors so I was just working on some lime greens, oranges, and yellows and what not.

2009-05-02T12:23:00.001-07:00

YOU'RE AWESOME KATE! HOPE YOUR GRADINGS THIS WEEKEND DON'T MAKE YOU HATE LIFE!!!! :)

TUTORIAL 25:

2009-05-02T12:14:00.000-07:00

I like how you can adjust all of the colors on the original picture. I really like how you don't have to adjust the colors on the entire image, but on a specific part of the image that you want changed. I have wanted to do this before, just changing the hue of maybe one object within an object, but haven't been able to do so. Now with this tool, you can change it within layers which I think will come in handy.

Website: http://www.lynda.com/home/DisplayCourse.aspx?lpk2=414

Link: Adding a couple of adjustment layers

TUTORIAL 24:

2009-05-02T12:06:00.000-07:00

This cloning tool is awesome. All you have to do is click on the cloning tool, and then click on an area that you want to clone, hold down the alt key, and then paint wherever you want that cloned image to be placed. I have seen people use this tool, but I honestly had no idea how it was done. It seems so easy, and it really makes your options endless. I'm excited to use this tool, I just hope I can use it well.

Website: http://www.lynda.com/home/DisplayCourse.aspx?lpk2=414

Link: Cloning trees

TUTORIAL 23:

2009-05-02T11:57:00.000-07:00

This tutorial showed how you can change and altar the colors and contrast to the image you dragged over to the image you are working on. By using the contrast tool, you can change the, you guessed it, contrast, which made it fit better with the background image. Also, he shows how you change the color hue and that can make the color more reflective of the back image. I like how you can adjust the colors gracefully so that they fully match the image you want them to match.

Website: http://www.lynda.com/home/DisplayCourse.aspx?lpk2=414

Link: Adjusting colors

TUTORIAL 22:

2009-05-02T11:45:00.000-07:00

In this tutorial, he took a part of one image using the mask tool, and placed it in the other picture. This will definitely come in handy in the future. He said that the mask tool is going to be helpful when you know how to use it, and I look forward to the time when it all actually makes since to me. I really like how it totally crops the trees out, and doesn't take any of the background with it.

Website: http://www.lynda.com/home/DisplayCourse.aspx?lpk2=414

Link: Combining one image with another

TUTORIAL 21:

2009-05-02T11:42:00.000-07:00

I knew that photo shop could do some cool things, but I have not ever been into photoshop. I have in a group, but the other girl completely took charge because I had no idea what I was doing. This tutorial just kind of describes the capabilities of photoshop. He is going to completely altar the picture he took with another picture he uploaded. I never knew what photoshop could actually do, so I'm excited to learn more about it.

Link: Introducing Photoshop

Website: http://www.lynda.com/home/DisplayCourse.aspx?lpk2=414

LOGO

2009-05-02T10:28:00.001-07:00

This is my final re-creation of the Harley-Davidson logo. It took a lot more time than I thought it would be. The bar and shield took the most time. I used mainly rectangle shapes for the base, and the curved line tool for the smaller, less dramatic curves, and the pen tool for all of the other arches. The text didn't exist so I had to use impact and altar the anchor points. I had to create the orange color, because it wasn't listed, so I just edited a random orange, and made it as close as possible.
The logo was created in 1910, and is know as the "bar and shield." It's one of the most recognizable logos ever created, and has not changed much for almost one hundred years. The design is labeled on every harley that roles out of the factory, and can be seen on just about anything; purses, baby/dog/adult clothes, flasks, establishments, monopoly games, lighters, baby cribs, dartboards, and many many others. The logo itself, is portrayed as manly, classic, and quality, everything you would want in a Harley-Davidson.

Working in a group isn't my favorite thing to do in school, mainly because the teachers usually pick the groups and you don't know if you can trust them to do their part, but our group worked rather well together. We had one issue to take care of, but we covered it nicely.

I wasn't a fan of this project when we first got it because we weren't "creating" anything original, but I think it really changed the way I look at logos. This project really broke the logos down, and showed the process that they take to create. Also, the thought put into making these is insane, every little decision was made for a reason. Overall, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, it wasn't the hardest project, but it was very time consuming.

TUTORIAL 20:

2009-04-21T23:31:00.000-07:00

I am really excited about this tool that I have just discovered. I had no idea that there was a tool specifically to create dashed or spotted lines. This, along with many other tools I have just recently discovered, could have saved me plenty of time with my past projects. I like how you can have them be different too, not just spotted or dashed, but there is a) butt cap :/ 2) Round cap and 3) projecting cap. Each one brings something different to the table, but keeps the general idea.

Website: http://livedocs.adobe.com/en_US/Illustrator/13.0/help.html

Link: Painting with fills and strokes (create dotted or dashed lines)

TUTORIAL 19:

2009-04-21T23:19:00.000-07:00

I have said before that I have had trouble with the painting tools, well, it was true of course and that's why I am watching/reading/listening to as many paint tutorial things I can. This just has instructions on how to paint with the live paint-bucket tool. It explains on how you can paint more than one surface at a time, how to choose the color, how to select what you want to paint, and how to dis-select what you don't want to paint. I can see myself using this all of the time, and for now, I think it will be very helpful to have this on hand.

Website: http://livedocs.adobe.com/en_US/Illustrator/13.0/help.html

link: Paint with the live paint-bucket tool

TUTORIAL 18:

2009-04-21T22:53:00.000-07:00

3 words: ILLUSTRATOR BRUSH LIBRARY...I cannot even explain how many times I have wanted a very specific type of paint brush, but I didn't think they would have it because it wasn't just pasted on my face telling me about them. So this brush library has a bunch of different kinds of each type of brush. I also didn't know that If you have your objects selected, you can change the outline to a certain brush type. Very convenient.

Website: http://www.adobe.com/designcenter/video_workshop/?id=vid0044

Link: Using brushes from brush libraries

TUTORIAL 17:

2009-04-21T22:36:00.001-07:00

This would have come in very handy last week. For my 118 project I did the whole "overlapping" shapes thing, and I just used the opacity tool and edited them to be lighter or darker when objects overlapped. I tried to figure out how to change the specific colors to the objects that overlap but I did not...until now. The paint tool is very tricky for me for some reason, and I plan on watching more of these paint related ones until I finally understand this. I knew there was a way to do this, I was just waiting till the day I picked the right tutorial :). Today I did.

Website: http://livedocs.adobe.com/en_US/Illustrator/13.0/help.html

Link: Using Live Paint

TUTORIAL 16:

2009-04-21T21:41:00.000-07:00

I know how lame this is, since it is a tutorial on paper (which would be okay) but it has only one line....HOWEVER, I have been trying to figure out how to do this all week!!! I have been wanting to figure out how to move anchor points, and I even asked somebody, and understood what they said, but when I tried to do it, I failed and totally blanked. This "tutorial" has simple instructions on how to edit your anchor points to place them where you want to. Now, I will have these instructions with me always.

PCP (not the drug)

2009-04-17T18:30:00.001-07:00

IF I EVER MEET JOE DUFFY I ONLY HAVE ONE THING TO SAY TO HIM: Harry Potter called, he wants his glasses back.

Here's my final product for the Post Card Project that I did on Joe Duffy. Duffy is this creative director for the firm Duffy & Partners (which he started) and does very popular advertising. It was a little tough making a post card that represented him because he doesn't have a specific credited style, but his work is fantastic. I was really excited for this project for some phenomenal reason, maybe because graphic design kicks other majors asses. It started out really well, then I hit a bump, well, maybe like a 9 story building that was 3 miles wide, in which, I wasn't enjoying it anymore cuz the turnout was shit and I was stressing out about it but whatever. Then It got back on track and I really started to have some fun with it and took some risks. I just started experimenting with some cool effects that illustrator offered which was super fun and not lame, and I think it turned out pretty decent. Also, it didn't hurt that Duffy is the bees knees, or rather, the cats pajamas, or los pijames de gato for all you spanish speaking foke.

TIMES NEW ROMAN AINT SO NEW

2009-04-17T18:17:00.000-07:00

Soooo, I've come to realize that text is cool. My taste has totally changed now because I try to include some creative typography in everything. I don't even have much skills, just accidental typography skills. The images that I think are the most interesting are the ones with random letters, and all that. I think I just like the organized chaos of it all. Font is so much more than just left to right Times New Roman. Who knew!

p.s. yes, this font I used is......times new roman.......awkward

TUTORIAL 15:

2009-04-17T14:48:00.000-07:00

I usually "don't like to talk about my flare" but I am so excited that this tool is available. With the flare tool you can create objects with a bright center like halos, a sun, rays and rings. Creating such a design is pretty dang hard, and this tool makes it so much easier. I'm glad that they thought of something like this, so that if I need an incredibly bright object, that is almost impossible to create on your own, you can use this tool. The blur tool would probably help out too if you chose the right colors. I think it's cool that these tools are so handy in trying to make your design good.

website: http://livedocs.adobe.com/en_US/Illustrator/13.0/help.html

link: Create a Flare

TUTORIAL 14:

2009-04-17T14:36:00.000-07:00

I had no idea you could do this. I've tried to outline designs simply by trying to recreate it, but this affect path tool can create many copies of the same shape. I think this will be completely helpful, it will save so much time. You can just put it how far apart you want the shapes. I really like that even after you create all of the outlines and whatever, you can still edit the original shape, and the other ones will conform to that shape.

website: http://www.adobe.com/designcenter/video_workshop/?id=vid0051

link: Using the Appearance panel and effects

TUTORIAL 13:

2009-04-17T14:16:00.001-07:00

I have used the alignment tool but not when I've had random objects that I want spaced out because I didn't know how to do it. This tutorial explains how to use the section of the alignment tool that I didn't know what did. The alignment tool allows you to space out objects and you can decide how many points of space between them. I like how you don't need to have them perfectly aligned straight up and down, and can have them randomly, but perfectly spaced out all over the place.

website: http://www.adobe.com/designcenter/video_workshop/?id=vid0035

link: Aligning and distributing objects.

TUTORIAL 12:

2009-04-17T13:02:00.001-07:00

Picking out a color scheme is one of the hardest things ever. It is so hard to decide because you want to mix in all of your favorite ones, but that doesn't mean they work together. Illustration sets up planned swatches, and color schemes that work well together. I think that would be a great start, because then you can get inspired by the colors, play with them and their values, and create something new and cool. I will definitely use this in the future, or at least use it as a base point to creating my own color palette.

website: http://www.adobe.com/designcenter/video_workshop/?id=vid0059

link: Creating, editing, and experimenting with color groups.

TUTORIAL 11:

2009-04-17T12:43:00.001-07:00

I have never thought of tracing my drawings, because I figured you could always make it so much better by starting from scratch on illustrator. Now, I think it could really come in handy. Kate talked about tracing and how it can make the design have a hand-drawn feel, and sometimes you may want it in that style. I couldn't figure out how to use the tracing tool, and what buttons to push, but it seems really simple. I excited to give it a shot one of these times.

website: http://www.adobe.com/designcenter/video_workshop/?id=vid0043

link: Using live trace and live paint.

JDUFFY

2009-04-15T11:29:00.000-07:00

Joe Duffy

2009-04-15T10:58:00.000-07:00

Joe Duffy is the graphic designer I am doing my second project (postcard) on. He is from Minneapolis, MN, and is founder and creative director of Duffy & Partners. Duffy & Partners is a small graphic design firm that does branding, design, logos, corporate identity and packaging for very well-known companies. His (& the company's) work has been in stores, in the media, in art galleries, and many retail environments. He has done many designs that are extremely popular and were (are) very successful. He's doing my dream job, and everything he has done is very rad. He has worked for Starbucks (the new double shot design), fresca, Coca-Cola, American Eagle (the falcon), Race for the cure (the ribbon), Rainforest Cafe (the name design), Jim Beam, Sony, Aveda men and a bunch of others. Most of their clients were needing something fresh, and something to shine light on there products. Duffy & Partners have won awards on designs, and are beautifully creative. I posted the link to Duffy & Partners below.

http://www.duffy.com/

PATTERN PROJECT:

2009-04-13T20:53:00.000-07:00

The pattern project was a lot more fun than I thought it was going to be. When I was told that it was supposed to be one letter in one typeface I was a little nervous at first and didn't think that there would be so many possible ways to create patterns with only one letter and text type. Little did I know that the possibilities were endless, and my biggest problem (besides the whole alignment situation) was picking which pattern I liked the best. Patterns can be created in so many ways, and I think this assignment really opened the door to a whole different kind of design that I haven't really ever given much thought of.

ADOBE LIVE DOCS

2009-04-13T19:56:00.000-07:00

I had a pretty neat experience with the adobe live docs. I really enjoyed the film ones because i'm more of a visual person and it helped to actually see it done. I do wish they had more film ones but it the have simple enough directions to where I should be able to figure it out. It definitely had a lot more information available then the other tutorial page. It describes how to do everything in really easy steps that I could even get right. I'll probably look more into the applying color and paint tools, because when I tried to do that on my own I got really confused, and the site made it sound so easy. I will also most likely take a closer look at the pen tool because I really want to take advantage of that tool. I bookmarked adobe live docs, and I'm sure as I go along and do projects or just screw around on illustrator, I'll have a simple question that can easily be answered and described in full detail. I am still a little intimidated but definitely not as much, and I am feeling more comfortable just testing out different tools and seeing where it takes me.

website: http://livedocs.adobe.com/en_US/Illustrator/13.0/help.html

TUTORIAL 10:

2009-04-13T19:51:00.000-07:00

You can have multiple art-boards, and overlap other art boards them which I think is cool. Even the guy said that no other application allows you to do that. This comes in handy if you want to make a drawing and make it span over multiple pages. You can also make an art-board within another art-board. He used the example of business cards, so you can make a few business cards on one art board, and then grab one specific art board within the other art-board and make it it's own.

website: http://www.lynda.com/home/DisplayCourse.aspx?lpk2=733

link: Special artboard controls

TUTORIAL 9:

2009-04-13T19:39:00.000-07:00

You can preview your assets in the adobe bridge and modify, and zoom in and edit and everything. I had no idea that this bridge thing existed. I don't really know everything it does, and I don't completely understand it yet, but it seems pretty useable. You can open files and sample files, and preview designs or pictures and have them all open on the same page which seems convenient. I hope to learn more about this adobe bridge situation.

website: http://www.lynda.com/home/DisplayCourse.aspx?lpk2=733

link: Introducing Adobe Bridge

TUTORIAL 8:

2009-04-13T19:30:00.001-07:00

I had no idea that with the color palette, you can completely altar the color to make it exactly what you want. By submitting different percents to each value of the color, it changes it and you can make up your own colors if it isn't listed. I really like that you can totally make it your own, and not have to design according to the colors given to you. So yeah, it's awesome. I'm excited to do that.

website: http://www.lynda.com/home/DisplayCourse.aspx?lpk2=733

link: modifying an illustration

TUTORIAL 7:

2009-04-13T19:09:00.000-07:00

The pen tool apparently is either a love or hate kind of thing. The video of course makes it look easy, and you can get any kind of shape that you would be able to physically do in a sketchpad. I didn't know that you could start with a general image to work with, and then completely altar it to make it the way you want. Even with a normal circle shape, you can edit it with the anchor points and use the handles to change the object to how you want. Really cool, I hope I can be one of the "I LOVE THE PEN TOOL" people and get more experienced with it, because it seems pretty handy.

website: http://www.adobe.com/designcenter/video_workshop/?id=vid0037

link: Drawing with the pen tool

TUTORIAL 6:

2009-04-13T19:02:00.000-07:00

I had no idea that you could alter a shape that you already have placed down on the art-board. With the pencil tool you can select shapes and rework them. I like how any shape you put down like a square or circle or something, and it can be perfect, but you can edit it and make it look any way you want to and make the regular object more interesting.

Website: http://www.adobe.com/designcenter/video_workshop/?id=vid0039

Link: Drawing with the pencil tool

TUTORIAL 5:

2009-04-04T20:09:00.001-07:00

I love the grid tool. When I found out how to use it (thank you Gloria) I kept using it for everything I was doing. It totally lines up everything, and the grid isn't in a large scale either, they are very small boxes inside the square 1" by 1", so it can help with any size object.

website: http://www.lynda.com/home/DisplayCourse.aspx?lpk2=351

link: Using guides and grids

TUTORIAL 4:

2009-04-04T19:56:00.001-07:00

I like how I can completely create my own workspace. If I myself, use a tool regularly and wish for it to be in easy reach, I can do that. Everybody's workspace is different, and I can customize it to my own liking. It also talked about every little piece of empty space and how important it is. I never really acknowledged those little spaces, but they can make a huge difference. It's workspace, and it's as important in your studio as it is on the computer.

website: http://www.lynda.com/home/DisplayCourse.aspx?lpk2=351

link: Exploring panels and workspaces

TUTORIAL 3:

2009-04-04T19:32:00.000-07:00

You can select multiple objects a couple different ways, and the easiest way is to just click in one corner and drag it over the objects you want selected. When I was doing that during the text/picture assignment, it kept on including objects I didn't want included, and I learned now that in order to get rid of the objects you don't want included you simply shift click on those objects. If you want to include another object with your entire selection, you can also shift click the object to include it. This would make it a lot easier without redoing it to get the right selection of objects you want.

website: http://www.lynda.com/home/DisplayCourse.aspx?pk2=351

link: Selections and stacking order

TUTORIAL 2:

2009-04-04T19:24:00.000-07:00

(This image is from the link: Selections and stacking order from the same website. It explains basically the same thing about the selection/direct selection tools but explains it better.)

The selection tool arrow allows you to resize, readjust, reshape, and curve the object you choose. The direction selection tool arrow below the other one will just move the one anchor point that you selected. Shift click will allow you to move two objects together in synch which I think will be very valuable. So if I decide to move the scale of some objects I don't have to try each one separately, I can move them all together.

website: http://www.lynda.com/home/DisplayCourse.aspx?lpk2=351

link: Utilizing the bounding box

TUTORIAL 1:

2009-04-04T19:15:00.000-07:00

The resolution stays with the file even if you zoom in or out. I like how you can zoom out completely and it looks almost like a different picture, and seems smoother, and when it's close up, you can see the roughness of it. I'm glad the resolution stays true to what you want, and works with you.

website: http://www.lynda.com/home/DisplayCourse.aspz?lpk2=351

link: What are vector graphics?

I'M EXCITED ABOUT...

2009-04-01T23:11:00.000-07:00

*getting more in depth with graphic design

*the finished product

*Having homework that isn't lame

*Classes that are going to actually help me in the future

*finally having classes that I like

*Not wanting to leave the mac labs

*Becoming obsessed with future projects

*Being comfortable with Adobe programs

*Getting my degree in something that I enjoy

*Meeting people as excited as Kate is. :)

COMPUTER EXPERIENCE

2009-04-01T22:41:00.000-07:00

I don't have very much computer program skills but I like to think of myself as computer literate. I can do the basic stuff, but I am not very familiar with Adobe programs such as Illustrator, Photoshop, and pretty much all of the other ones I'm going to have to learn soon. I've used Illustrator for the first time this week, and it's pretty damn sweet, and I know I just got a taste of a taste, but I am functional on a computer for the most part.

TEXT PROJECT:

2009-04-01T09:15:00.000-07:00

This was the first assignment where we had to use text to create a picture of a celebrity. I did Jack Bauer and I think it turned out pretty neat. I want to finish it with the gun and his jacket some day soon.