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Businesses use a variety of tools to improve search engine rankings and dethrone competition. SEO is a pretty complex industry and there are several factors that come into play to judge the ‘worth’ of a website or page. One of …View the full article

Learning how to make a face mask doesn't have to mean getting to grips with a complex pattern or dusting off your sewing machine. In fact, it can be done without any sewing whatsoever. There are many different ways to make a homemade face mask, and here, we cover three of the ways outlined by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), adding in our own tips on how to make the most comfortable and easy to put together face mask. If you'd rather buy a mask, then see our guide on where to buy a face mask right now, or use the quick links below to jump straight to retailers selling face masks. Face masks UK: Should you be wearing one? Plus where to buy them Where to buy face masks: quick links Etsy.co.uk – handmade face masks from just £3.99 Easylife – Pack of 30 surgical face masks for £29.99 Buff – stylish face coverings at low prices HYPE – get three face masks for £24.99 with 100% of profits for the NHS Ebay.co.uk – washable face masks at a bargain price Vistaprint: Kids and adults face masks for $18/$13 Silkies – two protective face masks for $16.99 Stringking – CDC-recommended cloth masks for just $6.99 Etsy.com – patterned face masks for as a little at $4 Los Angeles Apparel - 3 adjustable face masks for only $30 Sock Cares – funky face masks for only $12 3 ways to make a face mask This guide covers how to make a face mask using a T-shirt, how to make a bandana-style face mask, and how to sew your own face mask – jump to your preferred section using the links above. The first two require no sewing at all. The third does involve some needlework, either using fabric you have lying around at home, or some colourful or patterned fabric from a retailer like JOANN or Etsy (US) or John Lewis (UK). See our post on the best fabric for face masks for more options. Browse fabric at JOANN (US) – from just $3.99 p/y Browse fabric at John Lewis (UK) – from just £6.50 p/m But before we get into our instructions of making a face mask, first consider whether or not you need one at all. The official advice on this differs across the globe, but the general consensus is that wearing a homemade face mask will not help protect you from contracting Covid-19. However, it can help protect others from you passing on any germs that you may be carrying. Note that the face masks we're talking about here are not medical ones, and we wouldn't advise you to attempt making your own versions of PPE: leave that to the professionals. The CDC recommends wearing a face mask in places where social distancing is not possible, and many countries around the world, such as in most states in Germany, are also asking their citizens to wear face masks when out in public. Check your country's own guidelines if you are unsure and remember that wearing a face mask doesn't mean you should stop following social distancing measures, or stop washing your hands and practising good hygiene. With all of that in mind, here are three ways to make your own face mask. 01. How to make a bandana style face mask This is the easiest and quickest way to make a face mask You will need: A bandana or scarf 2 x elastic or rubber bands, or hair ties A coffee filter, paper towel or kitchen roll (optional) The easiest method for making your own face mask involves using a bandana or a scarf. Note that if your bandana or scarf is too thin – hold it up to the light to see how much you can see through it, the less you can see, the better – then your face mask won't be as effective. Materials that are tightly woven and 100 per cent cotton are best. The CDC recommends folding your bandana in half, then folding it again twice – lengthways from both the top and the bottom. At this point, you can also add a square piece of coffee filter, paper towel or kitchen roll to your mask – which you can change. Then place your rubber bands or hair ties around your strip of material, and fold the material in towards the middle, tucking the ends into each other if possible. Surgeon general, Dr Jerome Adam, demonstrates how to do this in the video below. As you can see, this is a very quick and easy method of making your own face mask. 02. How to make a T-shirt face mask You will need: A T-shirt Scissors Coffee filter or paper towel (optional) If you have a T-shirt that you don't mind cutting up, then you can easily and quickly make a face mask from it. Note that you don't want to be using really old T-shirts if they have holes in them or are worn through. Ideally, your T-shirt should be 100 per cent cotton and as opaque as possible. To start, simply cut the bottom off your T-shirt. The height of the amount of material you need should be the length from the top of your nose to underneath your chin (around 7-8-inches of 17-20cm). It's best to cut bigger than you think you need so you can trim the excess later. You then need to cut into your T-shirt – around 6-7-inches (15-17cm) – to make the ties for your face mask. Follow the video or diagram below to see how to do this. Next, cut your ties so that you can retie them around your head. Adjust until you get a snug fit around your nose and chin. If you like, you can add a coffee filter or paper towel to your face mask, and secure it with a safety pin. 03. How to make a cloth face mask with a sewing machine Make a cloth face mask in just four steps You will need: Cotton fabric (10 x 6-inches or roughly 25 x 15 cm) 2 x 6-inch (15cm) pieces of elastic or rubber bands, hair ties or strips of cloth Sewing machine Needle and thread Scissors Pins There are various ways to make a cloth face mask, of varying difficulty. The simplest patterns require just two pieces of cloth and some elastic, or something that you will use as ties. If you want your DIY face mask to stand out, try using bright or patterned fabric – John Lewis has loads of affordable designs in the UK, as does Etsy if you're in the States. First, place your two pieces of fabric on top of each other. You want the pattern that you'd like to be on the 'front' of your mask face down. The piece of material facing up towards you will be the inside of your mask. Next, fold over the long sides of the material around 1/4-inch or 0.5-1cm. Pin in place (don't worry too much if you don't have any pins, you can always use a needle or just keep checking that your fabric is held together) and hem. Hem just means folding the edges of your material over and stitching them so that your fabric will not fray and will stay together. Once you have hemmed along the length of your face mask, fold over the sides of your face mask around 1/2 an inch (1.5cm), pin and hem the sides too. Once you have created your hem, you can thread your elastic or hair ties through the hem you have created. You'll need a needle to do this, or a pin, or basically anything that you can use to poke the elastic through your hem – a thin pencil might do the job. With your ties threaded through the sides of your mask, tie your elastic or hair ties in secure knots, and move the knots until they can be tucked inside the hem. You can then adjust your face mask to fit your face, and add some stitches on either end of your face mask to keep your elastic in place. If you are a seasoned sewer, you can sew the whole thing in one go, turning it as you go (see video below). You could even add your elastic in before you hem. The reason beginner sewers shouldn't do this is that it's very easy to catch the elastic in your hem and accidentally sew it down, and that will make it much harder to adjust later. Read more: Free online resources for creatives stuck at home The best streaming services in 2020 This self-destructing website needs your help View the full article

A pre-auth SQL injection bug leading to remote code execution is at the heart of a data-stealing campaign against XG firewalls, using the Asnarok trojan. View the full article

More than 150,000 emails spreading the Hupigon RAT that use adult dating as a lure have been uncovered, with almost half being sent to U.S. university and college email addresses. View the full article

Iconic comic book artist Jim Lee has embarked on his own lockdown challenge in order to raise money for comic book stores financially hit by the coronavirus outbreak. Lee, who is currently chief creative officer at DC Comics, decided to draw one sketch a day for a total of 60 days and auction them off on eBay. He is currently 23 days in, and it's safe to say it's been a big hit. Featuring big players in the comic book world such as The Incredible Hulk and Spider-Man, the illustrations have been snapped up – with auction winners also given the chance to choose the subject of the next piece of art. If you'd like to try some new comics, check out our selection of the best web comics around. Need a new device to read them on? Here are the best iPad deals right now. As well as sketches based on his own WildC.A.T.S. super team, Lee's creations draw inspiration from across the comic book realm: currently up for grabs is Cyborg (see above). The project has even attracted other comic book artists to join in – a total of 15 so far, including Bryan Hitch, Tony Daniel and Joe Bennett. So, although you may have missed your chance to get your hands on gems such as Wolverine by Art Adams, and Lee's own Batman: Gotham by gaslight, there's plenty more to look forward to as the project isn't even halfway through. As Lee explains in his above tweet, which accompanies his second sketch of the series, the auction proceeds will be donated to the Book Industry Charitable Foundation (Binc). The foundation, which was set up to provide relief to independent bookshops facing financial strife due to Covid-19, has now established a 'Comicbook United Fund'. This fund is supported by DC and Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group and will provide financial relief to comic book stores and their employees. Comic book fans have been widely positive about the project (see above), with most, expressing their enthusiasm for the artwork and mission. But some voices on Twitter claim the efforts to be no more than a 'Band-Aid' for a struggling industry badly hit by the outbreak of Covid-19. Whether that's true or not, there's some serious money being made here. The below image gives an idea of the kind of bids being made on the artwork on sale (a staggering $12,323 with almost three full days to go): Bidding for Zatanna by Jeff Scott Campbell The creative community has tremendous power to help each other at this time, as these crowdfunding projects for freelancers confirm, and the creativity being shown is excellent news for the world art and design, too. Head to Jim Lee's Twitter feed to feast on more. Read more: Top Marvel concept artist shares 6 tips for success 4 lessons from the greatest illustrators ever Illustrator alternatives: 6 of the best View the full article

We do enjoy a little bit of brand warfare here at Creative Bloq – it can often lead to some truly witty creative work. The most frequent battles seem to involve fast food giants (such as McDonald's and Burger King) and while chicken might be its thing, KFC is prone to the odd bit of online beef. Its latest victim: Iceland (the supermarket, not the country). When Iceland ran an ad on Instagram Stories showing off its range of "stay home" takeaway alternatives with the line "Missing KFC?", it was spotted by none other than the admin of KFC's Twitter account. Cue an iPhone screenshot. If, like KFC's Twitter admin, you're currently working from a phone, maybe it's time to look at our list of the best laptops for graphic design. Along with the screenshot, KFC tweeted the comeback: "This is why my mum goes to Tesco" (see below). KFC fans applauded the response on Twitter, calling it a "biblical tweet", and KFC "the best Twitter account going". But while we've often appreciated KFC's forthright voice on social media, we're not sure this was one of its best-executed attacks. Here are three things we can learn from this particular tweet: 01. Get the joke right If KFC wanted to parody Iceland's famous slogan, they could have at least got the words right. It's "That's why mums go to Iceland" rather than "That's why my mum goes to..." Details matter. 02. Don't do brand management from your iPhone This one is inexcusable. We did not need to know that KFCs Twitter admin has allowed their iPhone battery to drop below halfway. That's too much information – even in this lockdown age of Zoom calls in messy bedrooms. And if there wasn't a charger nearby, a simple crop could have stopped them from sharing their private charging habits with the world. 03. Don't be mean Sure, if Iceland had been dissing KFC, then a "biblical" comeback may have been warranted. But if anything, wasn't the frozen food chain actually being quite... nice? At the time, KFC 'restaurants' were closed across the country (some have since reopened for delivery), so it's quite reasonable to assume that people were missing their KFC – and Iceland is simply acknowledging that it's something worth missing (while admittedly flogging its own version). Yes, yes, perhaps we have just as much time on our hands as KFC's social media admin. Perhaps we can forgive them for a slightly shoddy tweet during these strange times. We're just looking forward to when the burger wars return to their heady, high-budget heights. If you too are dreaming of different days, why not reminisce about this February's battle of the mouldy burgers? Related articles: McDonald's apologises after tasteless logo change McDonald's posters go viral for all the wrong reasons KFC’s Valentine’s Day card range is unexpected genius View the full article

Exercising under lockdown has its challenges, and depending on where you are in the world, you may be having to seriously adapt your normal exercise routine. For those who aren't allowed to stray too far from home, you may find that your walking, jogging and cycling routines are becoming a little boring. So why not grab a pair of headphones and use the time to experience those classic novels you never got round to reading? Audiobooks aren't just for exercise, either, they're also the perfect accompaniment to doing household chores or even mindful activities such as jigsaws. Or, you can always sit in quiet contemplation and lose yourself completely in an audiobook (see our free online resources if you need more ideas for what to do at home). How to download audiobooks for free There are three main places where you can get audiobooks for free legally. Firstly, there’s Librivox, a group of worldwide volunteers who record audio recordings of works that are out of copyright. These are then placed in the public domain, so they’re all completely free for anyone to enjoy. The only drawback is that the readers are enthusiastic amateurs rather than professionals, although the examples we’ve included here are all pretty decent quality. The second way you can listen to audiobooks without charge is by taking out a free trial to an online audio library like Audible, Kobo or Scribd. The advantage of this is that these services contain audio versions of both modern and classic books, read by top professionals. The downside is that you’ll only get one free audiobook per free trial, and then you’ll start paying. The third method of enjoying free audiobooks is by streaming them via Audible’s new service, Audible Stories. There’s a good mix of classic and modern books on this service, you can start listening immediately, without even having to sign up, and there's no limit to the number of audiobooks you can enjoy. However, you can’t download these audiobooks, only stream them, which may be a problem, depending on your internet connection. In this post, we’ve gathered together 10 amazing novels that appear on most or all of these platforms; some even read by A-list actors. Classics in the true sense of the word, these novels continue to inspire spin-off TV and movies today, but if you’ve not experienced the originals, you’re really missing out. So take the plunge today, and get downloading... 01. Little Women Greta Gerwig's recent movie adaptation has brought Little Women back into the spotlight Download from Audible (free trial) - narrated by Laura Dern Download from Librivox for free Download from Scribd (free trial) Download from Kobo (free trial) Louisa May Alcott’s family saga Little Women may have been written in 1868, but its influence still reverberates around the world today. Indeed, when Greta Gerwig’s movie was launched earlier this year, it was striking how many women around the world spoke of reading it as a key memory from their childhood. If that doesn’t include you (and believe us, this is a book for all genders), we’d urge you to find out what all the fuss is about. You’ll soon fall in love with the March sisters, who experience hard times while their father is away at war, testing the bonds between them. 02. The Invisible Man Download from Audible (free trial) Download from Librivox for free Download from Scribd (free trial) Download from Kobo (free trial) There have been lots of TV, comic and movie adaptations inspired by The Invisible Man, including the 2020 thriller that hit cinemas earlier this year. Yet none save the 1933 black and white movie actually follow the original story by HG Wells, so if you haven’t read that yet then you’re in for a real treat. Published in 1897, this dark and punchy tale follows an optics scientist who turns himself invisible and then, despite his best efforts, can’t figure out how to reverse the experiment. Gripping from start to finish, this chilling novel helped established Wells as "the father of science fiction". 03. Pride & Prejudice Stream on Audible Stories for free Download from Audible (free trial) - narrated by Rosamund Pike Download from LibriVox for free Download from Kobo (free trial) Download from Scribd (free trial) Pride and Prejudice is a romantic novel of manners written by Jane Austen in 1813 that still captivates audiences around the world today. Why? In part because, rather than being either pure fluffy romance or misery porn, there’s an underlying realism at its beating heart that reflects social relationships. And while society may have changed over the years, the challenges and trials faced by the main character, Elizabeth Bennet, remain compelling. This is a beautifully written story embracing universal themes; one which continues to entrance readers across the globe. 04. Dracula Enjoyed the latest BBC adaptation of Dracula, now available on Netflix? Then check out the audiobook of the original too Download from Audible (free trial) - narrated by Alan Cumming & Tim Curry Download from Librivox for free Download from Scribd (free trial) Download from Kobo (free trial) A century before Buffy and Twilight captured the hearts of emo kids everywhere, Irish author Bram Stoker’s novel first popularised vampires within the world of literature. But in all that time, and despite spawning generations of questionable genre fare, this 1897 novel has never ceased to be a must-read. The story tells the tale of Count Dracula's attempt to move from Transylvania to England to find new blood and spread the undead curse, and of the battle between Dracula and a group led by Professor Abraham Van Helsing. It’s told not as a straight narrative, but as a series of letters, diary entries, newspaper articles, and ships' log entries; but once you get used to that, you’ll soon be hooked. 05. Jane Eyre Stream from Audible Stories for free Download from Audible (free trial) - narrated by Thandie Newton Download from Librivox for free Download from Kobo (free trial) - narrated by Penelope Wilton Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre might be an academic staple now, but on its publication in 1847, it was very controversial, due to its intimate, first person narrative. From the first line to the last ("Reader, I married him"), the book's main character addresses us personally and intensely, and the potency of the effect remains strong even today, especially in audiobook form. Packed with twists and turns, emotion and tragedy, this romantic, but not sentimental story really packs a punch with a modern-day audience. 06. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Download from Audible (free trial) - narrated by Miriam Margolyes Download from Librivox for free Download from Storynory for free Download from Kobo (free trial) - narrated by Sally Field Download from Scribd (free trial) Yes, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is a children’s book. But if you’re looking for the ultimate escapism during lockdown, then you can’t do better than this weird and anarchic tale of a young girl’s nightmarish trip down a rabbit hole to a magical land. If you haven’t glanced at it since your own childhood, you’ve probably forgotten how brilliantly and wittily written it is, and how mindbogglingly surreal it gets in places. What's more, some of the social and political metaphors that passed over your head back then will probably gain new meaning now you're all grown-up. 07. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Kobo's audiobook of F Scott Fitzgerald's classic story is available as part of a free trial Stream on Audible Stories for free Download from Audible (free trial) Download from LibriVox for free Download from Kobo (free trial) Written by F. Scott Fitzgerald and first published in 1992, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button tells the story of a man who ages in reverse: born with the appearance of an 80-year-old man, he then spends his life looking younger and younger. If the 2008 movie starring Brad Pitt went on too long for you, then good news: the original is actually a short story. And it’s a brilliant one, too, effortlessly pulling you into the character's mysterious world, and making you empathise with his struggle as the ultimate outsider from society. 08. Around the World in 80 Days Download from Audible (free trial) - narrated by Andrew Sachs Download from Librivox for free Download from Kobo (free trial) - narrated by Andrew Sachs Download from Scribd (free trial) - narrated by Andrew Sachs Written by Jules Verne in 1872, this classic tale sees Phileas Fogg of London and his French valet attempt to circumnavigate the world in 80 days for a big-money bet. It’s quite simply a rollicking adventure featuring well-crafted characters and a ton of excitement. While times may have changed, there’s a grand vision and an underlying humanity to this story that makes it as enticing and entertaining as when it was first published. 09. Les Miserables The audiobook of Les Miserables is a very different experience to the musical movie featuring Anne Hathaway Stream on Audible Stories for free Download from Audible (free trial) Download from LibriVox Download from Kobo (free trial) Download from Scribd (free trial) Long before it became a hit musical, or was turned into a film, Les Miserables was a much-loved historical novel by Victor Hugo. Published in 1862, it follows the lives and interactions of several characters in the period culminating in the 1832 June Rebellion in Paris. Pulling in multiple themes, from politics and moral philosophy to architecture and urban design, this isn’t a light read, nor a particularly happy one, but you will find it a profound experience you won’t regret, and will never forget. 10. The Jungle Book Stream on Audible Stories for free Download from Audible (free trial) - narrated by Bill Bailey and Richard E Grant Download from Librivox for free Download from Kobo (free trial) Download from Scribd (free trial) Written in 1894 by English author Rudyard Kipling, The Jungle Book is a collection of children’s stories set in a forest in India. Telling the tales of a series of animals, including Shere Khan the tiger, Baloo the bear, and Mowgli, a boy raised in the jungle by wolves, it may have inspired the Disney adaptations, but only broadly: it’s very much its own set of stories. Charming, entertaining and often thrilling, this is a must-read for audiences of all ages. Read more: The 12 best drawing books The best children's books of all time The 20 best shows on Netflix right now View the full article

Now patched flaw allowed attacker to take over an organization’s entire roster of Microsoft Teams accounts. View the full article

If you want to know where to buy a face mask, you're in the right place. Face masks are selling out quickly around the world, so we've put together this list of online retailers that still have face masks in stock. Bear in mind that the face masks in this article aren't medical: they won't protect you from getting COVID-19. However the general advice is that wearing a cloth or homemade face mask can help protect other people, if you're carrying the virus without realising it, for example. And that's where we can help – you'll find an up-to-date list of where to buy face masks below. Should you wear a face mask? Official advice on whether you should wear a face mask while out in public differs from country to country. The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the US recommends wearing a face mask if you are in a place where it's hard to maintain social distancing – in the supermarket, for example. Some states such as New York are even making it mandatory to wear face masks in public when social distancing isn't possible (different rules apply in different places, see CNN's full list of states here). With medical masks in really short supply right now, at time of writing, the UK government is currently discouraging people from wearing them, instead recommending the use of scarves, buffs or homemade face coverings if you need to leave the house. Elsewhere, earlier in the week Germany announced it will be compulsory to wear face masks in most states while on public transport or out shopping from Monday. All this makes the question of where to buy a face mask even more pressing. Where to buy a face mask: quick links Etsy.co.uk – artist face masks from just £3.99 Buff – stylish face coverings at low prices Ebay.co.uk – washable face masks at a bargain price Etsy.com – patterned face masks for as a little at $4 Caraa Cares – 5 face masks for just $25 Los Angeles Apparel - 3 adjustable face masks for only $30 Sock Cares – funky face masks for only $12 Luckily, there are plenty of places to buy non-medical, handmade face masks online, but it can feel a little overwhelming trying to choose the right face mask for you. What exactly should you be looking for? First of all, consider what type of face mask you want to buy: some are more like bandanas, some are glorified scarves or T-shirts and others are more like the sort of eye mask you might get in a posh spa – but for your mouth and nose. When making your face mask choice, remember that cool features are no good if your face mask isn't functional. It's especially important to ensure that your mask covers your mouth and nose safely, with no gaps, so check the sizing of the mask before you buy it. You also don't want to be touching the mask all the time, so you need one that will stay in place. And as we're a design site, it'd be rude for us not to mention style considerations. While a face mask isn't a fashion accessory, having one that is aesthetically pleasing can be, well, pleasing, both for you and those around you. How to work from home more productively Also consider comfort – some masks can be uncomfortable around your ears, depending on the material they are made of and how they are fastened – elastic in particular can cause problems if it is too tight, but also think about how long you're likely to be wearing your face mask for. The best face masks are also reusable and washable, and many of them come in packs of more than one so you can always have one clean and ready to use. Read on for our best face mask options. And if you're feeling inspired to give creating your own face mask a go, then also see our guide to making your own face mask, at the end of this list (jump to how to make a face mask here). Where to buy a face mask: US Where to buy a face mask: UK How to make a face mask at home Making your own face mask is a viable alternative to purchasing a cloth one if you are a keen sewer – and even if you're not, it's a good chance to learn. Below are a few steps to follow to ensure you make the best mask possible. Note that the same as above applies, we are not saying that these face masks will necessarily protect you and other people, and the recommended hand washing and social distancing measures should still be followed: Find the right fabric: You can buy fabric on Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk . You won't need a huge amount per face mask – the CDC recommends 10 x 6-inches per mask, or 25.4 x 15.24cm. Some pre-cut fabric squares will be big enough for this Find a pattern you like: The CDC has a pattern for making your own face masks here, and includes options to making bandanas and a quick T-shirt face covering. There are also plenty of alternative patterns about, including this one from Trend Patterns (video below). Consider adapting the pattern: You may want to adapt the pattern to better suit you or whoever you're making the mask for. Consider using wire to make the mask stiffer, and how comfortable and effective the elastic, string, ribbon or twine you're using will be. Read more: Free online resources for creatives stuck at home The best office chair right now The best streaming services right now View the full article

The free online conference, scheduled for April 28-30, will feature top security researchers from across the industry. View the full article

Sindhi-language characters can crash iPhones and other iOS/macOS devices if a victim views texts, Twitter posts or messages within various apps containing them. View the full article

During these strange times, it feels customary to mention these strange times at the start of an article. But it's the unavoidable context behind much of what's happening both in the real world and online right now – including the arrival of a new website that will self destruct when people stop posting messages to it. thiswebsitewillselfdestruct.com, created by artist Femme Android, features a single page with a message: "I’m a website. I’ll be gone soon, and that’s okay. If I go 24 hours without receiving a message, I’ll permanently self-destruct". Users can write an anonymous message in a box below, or select 'Read a message' to read a random message from someone else. That's about it – it's delightfully simple piece of web design (check out our best web design tools if you're thinking of creating your own). This is the message that greets you when visiting the page Oh, and there's timer. Counting down from 86,399 seconds, it refreshes every time a new message is added. If it hits zero, everything gets wiped from the site's database. But with new messages refreshing the countdown every few seconds, the page seems safe for now. An example message from the website The only instruction in the site's introduction is to "feel free to say what's on your mind – it's been a rough month," and the anonymous messages range from hilarious to heartbreaking (and everything in-between). For example, in the last five minutes we've learned that one stranger is "in love with Gordon and will some day will marry him", while another "really misses chicken nuggets right now". Perhaps the most common theme is missing friends and loved ones during this period of lockdown. The website was created as a project for Ludlum Dare, an online event "where games are made from scratch in a weekend". According to Femme Android (above), it has already received over 80,000 messages, which have been read by 6.5 million people. As many people have said in their messages, we hope the page doesn't self-destruct any time soon. Check out the site and leave your own message here. Related articles: Funny A-Z of quarantine life is unexpectedly good How not to live in creative isolation Iconic logos reimagined for the age of coronavirus View the full article

You might not be aware that it's possible to make your own stylus for your iPad or tablet, but we're here to tell you that it's a thing. Now, we're not saying that this DIY stylus is going to be better than a bonafide Apple Pencil or another legitimate stylus made for your tablet, but in times like these, you've got to improvise, right? All you'll need to create your very own stylus is a pen – a biro or ballpoint, one that you can take the ink cartridge out of – a cotton bud or Q-tip or cotton wool, some tin or aluminium foil and some tape. Below, we've listed two options to create your own stylus – one using a cotton bud/Q-tip, and the other using cotton wool. The first version is probably easiest, but if you decide to go for the second one because you don't have any cotton buds, it works best if you have a metal-cased pen or a pen with a metal tip (skip straight to the cotton wool method). Note that we are absolutely not responsible for any damage that you incur to either your pen, cotton wool, tablet, or yourself. So go steady and watch those fingers, and that tablet, and keep your homemade stylus away from the internal plugs of your tablet. If you'd rather have something a little less homemade, then see our picks for the best iPad stylus and best Android stylus. It's certainly cheaper than an Apple Pencil Make your own stylus using a cotton bud or Q-tip 01. Prepare your materials Get rid to create your stylus Remove the ink cartridge from your pen, leaving a hole where the pen nib would be. Take your cotton bud and cut diagonally about 100mm from the end of one of the buds with a pair of scissors or a craft knife (carefully). 02. Insert cotton bud tip into pen Insert the cotton bud where the nib of the pen would normally be With your ink cartridge removed from the pen, push the cotton bud into the tip of the pen where the nib normally sits. This can be tricky, so you may need to play around with the size of the remaining stem of the bud. 03. Reassemble the pen and wrap in foil We're still talking about making a stylus, promise Once secure, screw the pen back together. Wrap the tin or aluminium foil around the pen making sure the foil is making contact with the cotton bud tip. Use some tape to secure the foil. 04. Dampen the tip of your stylus Now you need to dampen the tip a little to make the pen conductive. Dip the tip in water and squeeze off the excess, you only need the tip to be damp, not soggy, and you don't want to get water on your tablet. And there you have it, your very own stylus! If it stops working and is dry to the touch, you can try dampening it again. Make your own stylus using cotton wool 01. Dismantle your pen and cover the casing in foil Gather your stylus ingredients Start by dismantling your pen. If the case of your pen isn’t metal, then cover the casing in tin foil, and secure with tape. Tear off a small piece of cotton wool and feed it through the pen nib hole. With the cotton wool poking through the hole, push the ink cartridge back into the tip of the pen – this will help secure the cotton wool. You may need to experiment with the amount of cotton wool you’re using, too much and you won’t be able to push the nib back in, too little and the pen nib won’t be covered and will break through the cotton wool. 02. Reassemble the pen Put it back together and you're done! Reassemble the pen, screwing the top back on and then the bottom. It’s better to have the tip of the pen fully secure and leave a gap at the bottom, otherwise the cotton wool causes a bit of an obstruction. You can always trim the cartridge if it's poking out of the bottom and the pen won't screw back together. Shape the cotton wool nib with scissors, dampen the tip with a small amount of water (not too much), and start using your very own stylus. If it stops working at any point and the tip is dry, you can dampen it again to revive it. Did this technique work for you? Share your homemade stylus creations with us via Twitter or Facebook. If you'd rather leave stylus making to the experts, see today's best deals below. Read more: The best tablets with a stylus for drawing and note-taking Forget the iPad Pro, everyone's talking about the iPad Air Draw Disney characters for FREE with these pro classes View the full article

While Disney Parks remain closed worldwide, Disney animators are passing their skills on to creatives at home. This series of online tutorials gives you the chance to flex your artistic muscles and bring some Disney magic into your own home, by learning to sketch a host of Disney characters. With creatives everywhere on the hunt for new skills to add to their creative arsenal, this is a pretty satisfying project to get your teeth into. Plus, you'll be a hero to the small people in your life when you can nonchalantly whip up a convincing sketch of Mickey Mouse and the all-important Princess Elsa. Want to add more Disney to your lockdown life? Try Disney Plus for free for seven days. And if you'd like more drawing tutorials, check out our post on how to draw. You can try three versions of Mickey Mouse The tutorials take you through the process of creating well-known characters from Disney's animation history, in a thorough and technical way that is also straight-forward enough for the whole family to join in. You can even try out three different versions of Mickey Mouse: a contemporary Mickey (see the video below), as well as a 1920s version and a 'pie-eyed' Mickey from a 2013 TV series. As well as being a fun sketching exercise, this is an interesting comparison of how artists from different eras approached the same character. If the world's most famous mouse isn't your bag, there are also a bunch of characters to choose from, including Buzz Lightyear, Winnie the Pooh and Tinkerbell. And for Frozen fans, the guest appearance of the voice of Olaf's (Josh Gad) is a nice touch in a tutorial neatly titled 'Do you want to draw a snowman?' (below). The Animation Academy is a much-loved part of the Disney Park experience, and these tutorials are going down a storm online, with artists and budding artists sharing their own creations on Twitter. You can join the fun by using the hashtag #drawwithdisneyanimation. From Instagram quarantine art clubs to lessons from online illustrators, watching the creative community come together to share their work online is one bright side of lockdown. We hope the skill-sharing and project-supporting vibe is a trend that continues when normal life resumes. Try Disney Plus for free for seven days For a full list of tutorials, see the Disney Parks website, or go to the Disney Animation Twitter feed. And if you need to stock up on art materials, check out today's best deals below: Read more: Pencil shading techniques: 5 expert tips The best pencils for colouring, drawing and sketching Pencil drawing techniques: Pro tips to sharpen your skills View the full article

ImagineFX is the world’s number one magazine for digital artists. Featuring everything from inspirational workshops from leading fantasy and sci-fi artists and interviews, to community news and in-depth product reviews, it’s not hard to see why creatives dream of being featured in this world-class publication. If you’re one such creative, we’ve got good news, that dream could soon become a reality. In association with Corel® Painter®, ImagineFX will showcase a selection of work submitted by digital artists across the globe each month, from now until December 2020. Every issue, the editorial team will pick an Artist of the Month, from which an overall Artist of the Year will be chosen at the end of the year. The winner will then be celebrated at Vertex, the world-class conference for 2D and 3D artists, in February 2021. Achieve digital painting perfection If this sounds like the kind of project you want to get involved with, you’re going to need some quality digital art software to develop your artwork. And Corel Painter provides all the tools you could ever possibly need. The slickest version of the software to date includes Painter 2020's New Brush Accelerator™ tool. The impressive feature assesses a user's individual system and then applies optimal performance settings, allowing artists to paint up to 20-times faster. Unleash your creativity with 900+ included brushes and create with Painter’s revered traditional media and unique digital art brushes that bring that extra special something to your artwork. Want to give it a try? Corel Painter 2020 is available on a free 30-day, fully functional trial (for both Mac and Windows), with no strings attached or obligation to buy. So what are you waiting for? Download Corel Painter 2020 today and get on your way to becoming ImagineFX Artist of the Year. How to enter 01. Submit your work to ImagineFX to be featured in its FXPose showcase section. To do so, please send the following to fxpose@imaginefx.com: Your full (real) name, location, website A list of software you use A little info for your biog section (no more than 50 words) A photo of yourself 5 high-res (ideally 300 dpi) images of your work, with signatures and watermarks removed The title and a 30-word caption for each Please also outline any relevant copyright information 02. From these submissions, ImagineFX will choose its Artist of the Month for each issue. 03. This is an ongoing submission, with a final deadline of 31 Dec 2020. 04. The ImagineFX team will choose its Artist of the Year from each Artist of the Month winner. This will be announced at Vertex 2021 (25th-26th Feb) and in the February issue of ImagineFX. Terms and conditions In consideration for Future promoting you and/or the Material as agreed, you grant Future and its licensees a non-exclusive licence to use the Material in print and digital publications, and on associated websites, (including related, branded social media pages). **Any re-use of the Material in the formats set out above shall be in the same context for which the Material was originally supplied. You further agree that if you are chosen as 'Artist of the month' and subsequently selected as 'Artist of the year' your name and the Material may be used in association with Artist of the Year announcements at Future events and for promotional purposes on all media relating to such at Future events. View the full article

A Banksy mural in the mysterious street artist's native Bristol has received a rather topical makeover over the past few days, as spotted by various Twitter users. Girl With A Pierced Eardrum, on Albion Docks in Hanover Place, is now sporting a surgical face mask – presumably to protect her from the spread of coronavirus. Masks might be in short supply right now (take a look at our guide to where to buy a face mask), but the Girl With a Pierced Eardrum is clearly in the know. It's not clear when the mask was added, but photos began appearing on Twitter yesterday (below). It's also not clear whether Banksy is responsible for the update, or another would-be vigilante artist. But a recent update from Banksy himself suggests the face mask might not be his doing. In a post shared to Instagram last week, Banksy revealed that he had been "working from home" (much to his wife's chagrin – we didn't blame her). A series of photos (below) showed a mischievous pack of his signature painted rats wreaking havoc in his own bathroom. If Banksy is resorting to using his own home as a canvas during lockdown, we assume he isn't then roaming the streets adding masks to his existing artworks. Girl With a Pierced Eardrum, which first appeared in 2014, is a parody of 1655's Girl with a Pearl Earring, by Johannes Vermeer – in place of said pearl earring is a security alarm. Some Twitter users have expressed concern that the 2014 work could have been damaged by the addition of the mask. This wouldn't mark the first time the artist's work has been vandalised (his recent Valentine's Day piece was destroyed in mere days). Hopefully, like coronavirus itself, Girl With a Pierced Eardrum's mask is only temporary. No doubt we'll find out soon enough whether the artwork has been preserved underneath – it'll probably be unmasked long before Banksy is. Related articles Street art: 45 incredible examples to inspire you New Banksy artwork discovered in Birmingham 34 top free graffiti fonts View the full article

While the prospect of a built-in trackpad, backlit keys and floating design all caught our attention when the Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro was announced last month, what really turned our heads was the price. At $299 and $349 for the 11 and 12.9-inch versions respectively, the cost is, if not magic, certainly out of this world. But one Twitter user has found an unexpected use for the keyboard which could make it a more enticing proposition for digital artists. The Magic Keyboard only began shipping last week but @TwoLivesLeft, clearly already bored with the basic laptop-style configuration, decided to flip it over onto its back. And lo and behold, he discovered (below) that the Magic Keyboard transforms into something completely different: an artists' easel. Handy for Apple Pencil-wielding creatives (check out our best iPad Pro apps for designers if that's you). Apple probably never intended the keyboard to be used this way, but we're all for a bit of creative improvisation. Does the extra viewing angle justify the price? Probably not. Not only does it look a little daft with the keys sticking up towards high heaven, but the angle appears pretty similar to one of the options you'd get from a Smart Folio (below) for a third of the price. That said, if you were already planning on buying the Magic Keyboard for the typing and trackpad experience, and are also prone to a bit of digital illustration, then this little hack might make the price a little more palatable. A similar effect for a smaller price If you'd prefer the real thing (ie. an easel that isn't an easel by accident), our best easels guide has options for every skill level and budget. Spoiler alert: they're all cheaper than the Magic Keyboard. And if you do fancy giving digital art a go, you can find the best iPad Pro and Apple Pencil deals below. Related articles: Forget the iPad Pro, everyone’s talking about the new iPad Air Apple's new iPhone SE has one BIG problem iPad Pro 2020: All there is to know about Apple's new tablet View the full article

Welcome to our guide on how to manage React form state with Formik. Form elements hold their values in their own internal state – at odds with React's state-driven approach. To make the two work together, we need a more involved solution, such as using controlled components for each field. But there are many more aspects to creating a form than just capturing data. We need to check the formatting is correct, all required fields have been set and that everything was sent successfully when submitted. That leads to a lot of complicated logic that can build up fast. This is where Formik can help. For more resources to help improve your web design skills, check out our rundown of web design tools. Download the source files What is Formik? Formik is a lightweight library that handles these problems. By wrapping a form with the supplied components, we get a lot of this behaviour for free. All we need to supply is the code to handle what makes our form unique. To help us explore what Formik can do, we will be building a small voting application. The user can enter their name and vote on one of the supplied options. If everything is fine, the form will submit but, if not, the user receives an error message. This content originally appeared in net magazine. Read more of our web design articles here. Read more: How to test React sites and apps 6 huge web design trends for 2020 Master minimalism in web design View the full article

It's a tough time for freelancers at the moment. In this uncertain global climate budgets are being cut and projects cancelled, and work that you may have been counting on might suddenly disappear. And while it's almost certainly a temporary state of affairs, if you want to ride it out then it would help to give your portfolio an update to paint yourself in the best possible light. We've found some of the best recent freelance portfolios from around the web to inspire you; all of them do a great job of showing off their owners' abilities and recent work, but they also go the extra mile to delight and intrigue visitors. Read on for some essential portfolio inspiration (also see our other portfolio examples if you just can't get enough). Tweak your portfolio for 2020 01. Ilithya Ilithya's right in your face with a swooping 3D scene Ilithya is a creative developer, designer and digital artist based in Hamburg, with a strong line in 3D and generative art that you can't miss if you visit her portfolio site. It opens with an eye-catching scene that features a block of 3D text floating within a constellation of cubes and toruses, all rendered in pearlescent tones and with the camera in constant motion – you can also use the mouse to zoom in and out of the scene to increase the dizzying effect. If that doesn't entice you to explore further and check out her code art and installations, we don't know what will. 02. Stef Ivanov We don't know why Stef Ivanov has a halo of bees, but we're glad he does Freelance UX and UI designer Stef Ivanov has worked for more than 100 companies over the course of a 13-year career, and there's a great selection of his work on show in his portfolio. What caught our attention, though, is the splash page, featuring a simple block of introductory text and a beautifully cross-hatched pen-and-ink portrait of Stef with, for reasons that aren't entirely clear, an animated halo of bees buzzing around his head. While it's important to show off your work in your portfolio, little extra touches like this are a fantastic way to show off your personality and pique visitors' interest. 03. Angela Milosevic Angela Milosevic has stunning typography and much more besides We love a strong typographic layout, and Angela Milosevic's new portfolio site presses all the right buttons for us. It mostly uses Ogg, a calligraphy-inspired serif typeface whose italic form slants at an extreme angle; Milosevic makes the most of it by using the Roman form in all-caps for much of her body copy, and the Slant form in lower case, mostly for links. It's not all Ogg; she also uses Attila Sans Sharp – again in all-caps – for body copy across her portfolio pages. And there are some fabulous extra touches across her site, such as the popup images that follow the pointer (and leave a smear trail) as you mouse over work links, and the floating eye that appears if you leave the site idle for too long. 04. Yoichi Kobayashi We don't normally care for flaming skulls, but this one has class Japanese developer Yoichi Kobayashi has been working on the web since 2006, and for the latest version of his portfolio site he didn't want it to be just a portfolio; instead he says that he explored is own identity and tried to express it as much as possible using web technology. The result is a stunning site that opens with an animated flaming 3D skull, with floating petals wafting up the screen and a gently undulating smoky background. That may sound like horrible overkill, but it works really well thanks to a restrained palette of blacks and golden tones. Kobayashi employs the flame effect again as you scroll down through his portfolio, using it as a wipe to bring in and fade out rippling thumbnails of each of his featured works. He says that he's proud to have been able to reflect his personality and physicality on this site; colour us impressed. 05. Erika Senft Miller Drift around Erika Senft Miller's meandering portfolio Erika Senft Miller is a multi-sensory artist specialising in site-specific performance projects, and her portfolio site is one that encourages exploration. It's presented as a lined page that you can scroll around by dragging with the mouse; you'll notice that as you move the pointer, the lines that make up the page deform around it, and when you come to a portfolio item – represented as a slowly morphing coloured blob that expands as you mouse over it – that too causes the lines to deform. Each portfolio page follows the same principle; you drag your way around to discover the story of the project, but rather than simply scroll down or across, you follow a more meandering path. It's a delightful way to engage visitors and encourage them to explore Miller's work. 06. Nathan Taylor Nathan Taylor's site is like a Fisher-Price activity centre for grown-ups. Another portfolio site that encourages exploration is Nathan Taylor's. A freelance interactive designer and developer based in Tokyo, he loves to make things that are a bit different and he's built a site that's a veritable toybox of cool web technologies, animation and microinteractions; each panel of the packed single-pager has something exciting going on. Naturally there are a good few projects to click through to, but it's the fun extras that really make this site worth a visit. Our favourite bit is a working synthesiser and sequencer that you can play around with to make your own tunes; give those knobs a twiddle and see what sounds you can get out of it! Related articles: 7 free portfolio hosting options for designers How to refine your design portfolio 7 things no one wants to see in your portfolio (and what to include instead) View the full article

While the spread of coronavirus has stopped countless aspects of life in their tracks, it hasn't stopped Apple from releasing all manner of new products in 2020. And if new rumours are anything to go by, the middle child of the iPad range could be next to see an update this year. According to China Times, the iPad Air will be getting an 11-inch display (a whole half inch more than the current 10.5-inch model), and enter production between July and September this year. How Apple will achieve the bigger screen, China Times doesn't say – but it could well mean a reduction in the size of the bezels, and maybe even an edge-to-edge display like the new iPad Pro. A bigger screen can only be good news for creatives (check out our best iPad apps for designers for inspiration on how to make use of all those pixels). The current iPad Air, released in 2019 These aren't the only rumours to emerge about an 11-inch iPad Air. Last month, Twitter user @L0vetodream (known to have leaked previous forthcoming Apple releases) suggested (below) that a new iPad Air could boast a Mini LED display as well as touch ID beneath the screen. These are two spectacular features that even the current iPad Pro isn't sporting – would Apple really release an Air that's more pro than the Pro? If Cult of Mac is to be believed, though, Apple's first LED iPad won't be ready until 2021. That means the LED iPad Air with under-display Touch ID is probably a slightly more distant fantasy than the 11-inch version rumoured by China Times. Sounds like we might have to just make do with the slightly bigger screen in 2020. We're big fans of the iPad Air – it's a great budget alternative to the iPad Pro (check out our review of the 2019 iPad Air), but there are still some more features we'd like to see, such as support for the second generation Apple Pencil. Time will tell what features Apple sees fit to give the iPad Pro's smaller and cheaper sibling, but we're sure it'll continue to be a great, budget tablet for creatives. Check out the best deals on the current model below. Related articles: Apple’s new Mac Pro Wheels Kit is utterly mind-boggling Apple's new iPhone SE has one BIG problem iPad Pro 2020: All there is to know about Apple's new tablet View the full article

Researchers revealed two zero-day security vulnerabilities affecting Apple's stock Mail app on iOS devices. View the full article

Users should update their firmware for three popular smart-home hubs. View the full article

To download the accompanying files for 3D World issue 260, simply click this link and a zip file will automatically download the content to your Mac or PC. If you've missed this issue or other editions of 3D World start a subscription. If you have any problems downloading this content, please email: rob.redman@futurenet.com Read more The best cities for 3D artists OctaneRender: A beginner's guide 3D art: 27 stunning examples to inspire you View the full article

While the next generation of gaming consoles promises all sorts of advancements in hardware and processing power, there's one area where everything we've seen so far has left us underwhelmed: design. From the anticlimactic PS5 logo to the fridge-freezer shape of the Xbox Series X, it seems the class of 2020 won't be a pretty one. And if a newly leaked logo for the Xbox Series X is the real thing, the disappointing design trend isn't about to end. A trademark filing, found by Reddit users this morning, shows the new logo as well as a handy description: "The word SERIES in a vertical formation to the right of which appears a stylised letter X". There are no flourishes, no fun – it's a rather utilitarian affair, far too dull to get anywhere near our best logos list. The new logo does not Xceed our Xpectations Reddit users are divided, with some finding it "mean, sharp and clean", and others preferring the previous, spherical design (below) One issue we have with the new logo is that word 'SERIES' appears to have been slapped next to the 'X' as an afterthought – but there might be an explanation. Old (left) vs. new (right) "The fact 'series' is placed and sized as it is pretty much confirms some other letter," one Redditor suggests, while another adds: "Series S logo is coming'. According to Trusted Reviews, a second, budget version of the upcoming console might also be announced shortly, named the Xbox Series S. If that 'SERIES' is designed to work across multiple logos, perhaps it makes a little more sense that it sits next to the 'X' without any kind of meaningful (read: interesting) interaction. Arguably more exciting than the logo itself is the dizzying array of products the trademark filing suggests it might appear on: Games consoles (obviously)! Jewellery! Fanny packs! (Bum bags to us Brits) Lighting fixtures! Yo-yos! While Microsoft is no doubt trying to cover all bases in the listing, there could be a whole host of left-field Xbox merchandise coming our way over the next few years. If this does turn out to be the real Xbox logo, we'll be interested to see whether designers react with as much vitriol as they did to the PS5 logo. Microsoft's new console has already taken its fair share of heat, with many suggesting it wouldn't look out of place in the kitchen. But while the launch of both consoles this winter is an exciting prospect, what we really want to know is – when is that Xbox yo-yo arriving? New PlayStation ad has a gruesome surprise Designer unmasks the secret of the new PS5 logo The PS5 logo we all wanted is here View the full article

The flaws exist in Autodesk's FBX library, integrated in Microsoft's Office, Office 365 ProPlus and Paint 3D applications. View the full article