Rss Bot

Agile development has evolved quickly over the last 20 years, thanks to new methods and tools that make it easier to innovate rapidly. Top tips for nailing project management It provides a way for developers, designers and managers to focus on providing the best product to their customers through feedback, iteration, collaboration and adaptability. For the web, the agile process has provided a fundamental shift in how we deliver products to our users. Let's examine what's involved. Traditional waterfall process The waterfall process is often cumbersome, costly, time-consuming and demeaning to the real people who need the product: the customers Most of us are familiar with and have experience of the traditional waterfall approach to creating a website, where the stages are defined as milestones, with a clear start and end date. Waterfalls usually consist of four phases: discovery, design, development and deployment. In the discovery phase, we tend to talk with the client's stakeholders, usually staff or board members that wanted to give input and examples of what they liked for us to follow. Rarely does this stage involve talking with actual customers to get their input. The design phase uses the outcomes of the discovery to create compositions, usually of a complete page design with often limited rounds of revisions. This is followed by the development phase, which takes the completed page-design comps and builds them to spec, making sure that every pixel is in the proper place in order to execute the masterful vision of the designer. And finally the deployment phase starts, usually with a beta launch in which quality assurance is carried out on the site for a few weeks. It then launches to the public, sometimes with a beta signifier on the logo as a badge of honour. The problem with this is that all of your discovery happens weeks, maybe even months, before anything is actually put in front of a customer. Often the features that we assumed would be awesome fall flat once the users are able to interact with them, making our entire effort a partial waste of time and money. This waterfall process is often cumbersome, costly, time-consuming and demeaning to the real people who need the product: the customers. Enter the Agile Manifesto Another popular ingredient used in the creation of working software is to approach it in small cycles. This gives the opportunity to build, test and ship the product every one to two weeks The modern-day agile development process was sparked by the 2001 Agile Manifesto. It was penned by 17 developers who were fed up with over-controlling management and outdated feature requirements that didn't focus on what the user wanted or needed. The Manifesto has four key beliefs that provide the foundation of the agile movement as we know it today: Individuals and interactions over processes and tools Working software over comprehensive documentation Customer collaboration over contract negotiation Responding to change over following a plan Even though the Manifesto was born in the early 21st century, it grew from previous development methodologies as far back as the mid-20th century that were agile in nature, such as feature-driven development (FDD), extreme programming (XP) and even Scrum. Each of these beliefs have tools and resources that make it easy for you to put them in place right now. 01. Individuals and interactions A focus on the people that use our products and how they use them is extremely important. In the past, other methods like waterfall have neglected the user and outright ignored their humanity. Human-centred design, also known as design thinking or agile design, focuses on making us get out of our chairs to interact with people and see how individuals use our product. There are three key areas of human-centred design: observation, analysis and ideation. Within these areas are some examples that might be familiar, like one-on-one interviews (observation), personas (analysis), or prototyping (ideation), to name a few. Companies such as Ideo and Luma Institute provide vast resources on how to conduct qualitative exercises with real customers. 02. Working software Trello offers a clear way of managing sprints using a Kanban style of task management that is popular in Silicon Valley We shouldn't wait for a product to be perfect before sharing it with the world. Customers value transparency and collaboration. Make them happy by giving them working software quickly and improving it consistently. An often-used buzzword you'll hear that embodies the ideals of working software is minimum viable product or MVP. The concept is that we should ship early and often so the product gets in front of real users to test and improve. Using agile principles has offered me a creative problem-solving method at work. In addition to directly impacting business performance, applying agile to my IT projects has driven team collaboration and effectiveness in achieving business results. Victoria Nwobodo, IBM Another popular ingredient used in the creation of working software is to approach it in small cycles. This gives the opportunity to build, test and ship the product every one to two weeks while continuously making improvements. These cycles are called 'sprints'. Sprints also reinforce your brand in the eyes of consumers. They'll feel content, sometimes even excited, to know you'll regularly be adding new features. The project-management application Trello, offers a clear way of managing sprints using a Kanban style of task management that is popular in Silicon Valley. Version control systems such as Git also complement the sprint workflow by being able to commit code, branch it off to try new features, merge it to push to production and even go back in time to bring back previous solutions or see why something didn't work before. 03. Customer/team collaboration Your users want to feel heard and acknowledged, especially when your product frustrates them. Creating a culture of collaboration can help you connect to these customers in ways you never thought possible. A great way to start collaborating with users is to invite them to provide feedback on features that have not been released to the general public yet. This gives you the chance to get an assessment of how well the features work while giving the customer a sense of inclusion. The development methodology is sensitive to design decisions and ideally, said decisions would be best made as teams. Henri Helvetica, web performance analyst Another important way to collaborate is to ensure your team and customer testing segments are a diverse group of people. Create a culture of inclusion that focuses on all ethnicities, genders and abilities. There have been many horror stories in the tech industry where a lack of inclusion ended up alienating a core demographic and ultimately causing the death of a product. Create a culture of inclusion from the beginning and always keep working at improving it. At the Generate New York conference, Dan Mall made an excellent presentation on the importance of creating a common language and trust between your designers and developers. In his talk, Dan equated a roller coaster to the importance of creating a shared experience among the team to design, build and test together – both early and often. Designers and developers work best in an agile environment when they understand each other's struggles. Educating each other through lunch-and-learns, story reviews and check-ins, allows your team to grow by learning from each other. Tessa Kriesel, Pantheon 04. Respond to change Hotjar provides heatmaps, user recordings and several other features that shows how a customer interacts with your product The needs of our customers are ever evolving. What worked last year will need to work even better and faster this year. Customers come to expect improvement. To handle this, the agile process forces us to measure what works. Tools like Google Analytics provide a quantitative understanding of where users are going on your site, while something like Hotjar reveals how your visitors are clicking and scrolling. Hotjar provides heatmaps, user recordings and several other features that shows how a customer interacts with your product. Launching a product is only half the story; the other half is continuously reviewing analytics and user feedback to make sure the thing you built is actually accomplishing your goals. Mario Pabon, Underdog Another practical tool is UserTesting. This tests real users, either yours or ones the tool supplies. They run through questions and talk to you with their microphone as their screen is captured on video. This can become an invaluable asset to gather feedback from a wide array of customers. Keep in mind that your budget should focus on user testing and measurement as much as design and development. It's the only way we can see how users are interacting with a product. One of the greatest things about digital product design is that we get to make educated guesses about the way people will use what we dream up. We get to be wrong, and we get to improve upon our mistakes. Dan Mall, SuperFriendly Elise Chant provides a free template on Trello to start your own Scrum board An important part of responding to change is managing expectations of when new features can be completed or bugs squashed. The Scrum Framework combined with a tool like Trello, Jira, or Asana can handle this. Scrum is an agile framework that outlines the roles of team members, assembles a list of needs called a backlog, defines how to handle sprints, sets a method of reviewing sprints after completion and many other useful tools. Agile design systems Systems like Atomic Design focus on simple components that can be iterated upon The movement in web and app design to utilise systems for easier prototyping and testing of smaller pieces of content is another expression of agile design. Systems like Atomic Design or the Bootstrap Framework focus on simple components that can be iterated upon. Design systems also make the product future-proof, unlike waterfall designs. They can keep evolving; even across different devices and use-cases, the design system has the capacity to grow. The best thing about agile is that it shook up the practice of design… Agile broke the stranglehold of waterfall, and since then, many of us continue to reinvent the way we work, just as we reinvent what our digital medium can be and do. Jeffrey Zeldman, studio.zeldman Your agile future We've outlined several ways you can utilise agile methodologies in your work but keep in mind that it's more important you focus on processes than allegiance to specific tools. Take it upon yourself to seek out ways to introduce more collaboration, testing, and measurement into your work. Outline what you want to accomplish and the tools will fall into place as necessary to help you iterate your way to success. This article was originally published in issue 308 of net, the world's best-selling magazine for web designers and developers. Buy issue 308 here or subscribe here. Related articles: Get started with an agile workflow Best project management software 10 top tips for project delivery View the full article

Soft drinks aren't exactly renowned for their health benefits. Pepsi Light's marketing revolves around its zero sugar and zero calorie content, but in an effort to build its outdoor credentials further, a new series of poster designs turn the drink's logo into a range of sporty activities. Logo design: everything you need to know The print adverts, created by advertising agency Sancho BBDO for Pepsi Colombia, see the familiar red white and blue curves of the Pepsi logo become landscapes and sporting equipment for active characters, thanks to a clever use of negative space. These include a surfer cresting the soft drink's logo, and a diver plumbing the depths of an ocean of Pepsi Light. In the project description for the ads, Sancho BBDO says the following: "Throughout its history, Pepsi Light has highlighted feminine curves; those linear figures that, at least conceptually, established the light spirit of our drink: thin, curvy women who freshened themselves with zero sugar and zero calories." Crikey. However the agency wants to do more than simply highlight these "feminine curves" with its abstract ads. "It’s here where our curves, those that we have strengthened for more than 125 years, are going from something merely aesthetic to something really meaningful." Check out these strengthened, meaningful curves in the posters by clicking left to right through the gallery below. Related articles: The best logos of all time Famous logos redesigned as fonts Logo design: everything you need to know View the full article

Respondents in a survey from Venafi said they believe voting machines, encrypted communications from polling stations and databases that store voter registration data are all vulnerable. View the full article

To download the accompanying files for 3D World issue 238, simply click the link below each article 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, order a copy. If you have any problems downloading this content, please email: rob.redman@futurenet.com Tutorial: Design Apocalyptic 3D garments Take the hassle out of modelling clothes for your characters with this handy tutorial This guide will take you through the process of creating realistic clothing for your characters. Download the files here (1.8GB) Tutorial: Create a tracker in Apple Motion 5 Get your subjects under surveillance with this motion tracker tutorial Discover an easy-to-use MotionTracker in Apple’s Motion 5’s graphics software . Download the files here. Tutorial: Create and pose a fun character in ZBrush Swan Lake, anyone? Who says crocodiles can’t be ballerinas? Well, we’re about to make that dream come true with the power of ZBrush. Download the files here. Training: 3D Bootcamp Laubwerk, the developer of the Plant Kit plugins, has recently released the SURFACEspread plugin for Cinema 4D SurfaceSPREAD from Laubwerk is an affordable Cinema 4D plugin that offers a huge range of ways to add variety to a scene. Download files here. Training: Q and A Our panel solves your CG problems In this issue our panel includes Simon Edwards, Oscar Juarez and Pietro Chiovara. Download the files here . View the full article

Got a website you want to boost? For just $59.99, (£46.96) you can do just that with Dragify Build, Host & Rank Bundle: Lifetime Subscription. Maximise your leverage of SEO using Dragify SEO Site Scan – this handy tool gives you a clear breakdown of how your site is performing on search engines so you'll know the adjustments you should make. With Dragify Website Builder, you'll be able to build your own website and customise the layout, without any coding experience whatsoever; simply use the intuitive drag-and-drop interface. And with Dragify Website Hosting, you can rest assured that your site visitors won't be bogged down by slow loading speeds. Check out Dragify Build, Host & Rank Bundle: Lifetime Subscription for only $59.99. Related articles: The best colour tools for web designers The web designer starter toolkit Beware the cutting edge of web design View the full article

When I first switched from a traditional to a digital illustration workflow, my painting techniques worked pretty well on their new canvas – but my work seemed to lose some of the spontaneity that had been easier to achieve with traditional media. To create this in my artwork, I've developed a traditional process that takes advantage of some of the flexibility of digital tools while still incorporating the unpredictability of natural media. How to make delicious textures with pencils My favourite topics to paint are the surreal and supernatural. I often incorporate fairy tale symbolism into my work: creating an atmosphere that's haunting is essential to my style. With this workshop, I'll reveal how building up details slowly and allowing underlying layers to show through can add an otherworldy quality. I'll also show how using mixed media can lead to interesting and unique results. Before we start, it's worth pointing out that it's important to learn how to make mistakes. To understand a process, you have to know how to correct it, and how to let some mistakes be. Confidence is something that shows through in your personal style, and there's a sense of security in taking risks on the canvas once you know that if you mess up, you can correct the mistake – and sometimes even improve on the final result. I work in a limited palette, almost grisaille, so that I can focus on form and value. The subtleties that I can express with a limited colour range are well suited to describing surreal and dreamlike scenes. When I establish a strong value structure and an interesting composition, adding colour becomes a much easier task. Knowing that placing a warm grey next to a cool grey will make the former read as brown and the latter as blue is essential to understanding colour. Most of my recent art is in a cool limited palette, and I occasionally add a key colour when it's important to the narrative. 01. Sketch thumbnails to generate ideas Don't spend too long on your thumbnails I grab my best pencils and start with a sketch on cream-coloured paper. Originally I began this piece as a horizontal composition, so I had to make some changes to get it to work as a portrait. I usually spend less than half an hour on each thumbnail. This stage is for generating ideas and figuring out the general composition. 02. Create a refined sketch A refined sketch helps get your shapes and dimensions right Making a refined sketch enables me to quickly make corrections, add new layers for ideas, and refine without worrying about overworking media. I also double-check all my shapes and dimensions. 03. Graphite underpainting Trace your sketch onto a sheet of polypropylene vellum Once I've moved onto a computer, I tape a sheet of polypropylene vellum to my screen, which acts as a light box. Now I can easily transfer the sketch by tracing and then refine the details. Working on polypropylene can be tricky to get used to, but it does allow for reworking. I can also build up some interesting textures at this stage, but I don't want to spend too much time on the underpainting. 04. Underpainting with walnut ink Walnut ink underpainting allows you establish your painting's flow and value structure This step is on the opposite side of the vellum from the graphite drawing. By painting freely with the walnut ink, I get a better sense of the flow of the painting, and create some interesting texture to work on top of. I'm also able to establish my value structure. 05. Produce a small-scale study version A small-scale version lets you see if your final painting's going to work I have an easier time and am more confident in my decisions when I create a small version of the larger painting I'm going to create. It doesn't need to be detailed, just large enough to test out the value structure and make sure the composition holds up when reduced. 06. Apply a layer of gouache A thin layer of gouache makes life easier as your painting progresses After printing my underpainting lightly on high-quality watercolour paper, I apply a thin layer of white gouache to the surface. It creates a barrier between the pigment and the paper so that I can move the media around and wipe away mistakes without doing too much damage to the paper. I use permanent white, but if it needs to be more translucent, zinc white can be applied. 07. Defining light shapes Don't worry about details when defining your shapes Once I've applied the gouache layer, I need to ensure my shapes are well defined before I make more decisions. I don't focus on the details inside the shapes because these might be lost in a later step. I only tackle the areas where there's an abrupt change in value. 08. Bring in some dark shapes Fill in your dark shapes with India ink Now I can fill in the dark areas with India ink. I leave a little room around the light shapes and then blend the ink to give it a soft edge. If I've applied enough gouache on the underlayer then the blending is easy. I do this with a spent felt tip marker or one of my Molotow refillables. 09. Building up texture Smudge the ink with a damp, balled-up paper towel to add texture Although I'll be building up texture throughout the process, now is a good time to lay down the broad strokes. I use a balled-up, damp paper towel and smudge the ink to create a sculptural sense of form. Sometimes the paper towel will start to dissolve, or the paper will begin to pill. Allow the paper to dry and then smooth away the raised texture with a dry, clean rag. 10. Refining edges Try to refine your edges without outlining them The painting looks pretty messy, so it's time to pull in some of those details. Edges are important. I try to avoid outlining, although it's a natural tendency for me. I try to turn my edges to create more depth, and give my work a sculptural quality. I use coloured pencils that smudge beautifully on the gouache surface. For a softer gradation I use a dry smudger, while for a more painterly stroke I use a felt tip marker filled with water. 11. Correcting the ghostly hands Made a mistake? Rub it out with clean, damp felt tip marker and try again The right hand feels inelegant to me, and is disrupting the flow of the painting. With a clean, damp felt tip marker I scrub out the hand. Once the paper is dry, I use a rag to smooth down any raised fibres, after which I put down a thin layer of gouache. Now I can redraw the hand from scratch. 12. Emphasising the head Always take time to ensure focal points like heads and hands are spot-on The head, along with the hands, are easy focal points, so I spend time getting it right. Tackling modelling shadows and cast shadows below the nose and chin and getting the shapes correct will lend character to a face. 13. Drawing butterflies Use a light touch to give the butterflies an ethereal look The butterflies are a key value, and also act as a focal point. I use gouache to highlight the wings, and a grey coloured pencil to draw subtle shadows. I want them to be otherworldly, so they require a light touch. 14. Adjusting dark values Balance your dark areas with more India ink I reapply my India ink in the dark areas. I lose some interesting texture, but the painting will be too busy if I don't even out these areas. I use a thin layer so there's still depth and I'm careful not to ruin the edges that I've carefully established. I use the wet paper towel to adjust the modelling shadows in lighter areas. 15. Tweaking light values You can use a white pastel to do the same with light areas Now I can go back and fill in the lighter details. I also go over the dark areas with white pastel, which I smudge to create a gradation. For texture I use a Grainer brush that's been cut to resemble a comb. This part of the process is meditative for me: I enjoy drawing in small details and creating texture. Once the painting is finished I spray it with a casein-based workable fixative. This article was originally published in issue 161 of ImagineFX, the world's best-selling magazine for digital artists. Buy issue 161 here or subscribe to ImagineFX here. Related articles: Create organic textures in ink How to add texture to your pastels with primers Achieve unique textures in your oil paintings: 3 top tips View the full article

I fell into illustrating children’s books. I was working as an animation director and a freelance illustrator for seven years, but it became so competitive in the animation industry to win a pitch, and work was drying up. Sign up to Computer Arts' newsletter to get the latest design news Then an opportunity came up: I was asked to illustrate a children’s book by Peter Bently, a book called Cats Ahoy! published by Macmillan books in 2011. This book ended up winning the The Roald Dahl Funny Prize, and changed my career path as a result. Here's how I start each new children's book illustration project. Look at reference I look at lots of reference when I’m working on a book. Inspiration might spring from a trip to a national park, a wildlife documentary, a film, or other illustrators’ and artists’ work. Sketches of Cyril, the main character in The Squirrels Who Squabbled. Jim Field wanted him to have appeal as the comical underdog These things all help inspire my work. Sometimes I’ll find a reference photo of a landscape that inspires a composition, or it might be the dramatic lighting from a movie I’ve seen that helps me develop lighting in a composition. I gather lots of reference images from Pinterest that help me create a mood board for each book I’m working on. I refer back to these frequently throughout the process, so my head stays in the same place. Mix analogue and digital I have a 2017 MacBook Pro 15-inch connected to an LG 27UD88 monitor. I also use a Wacom Intuos5 Pro tablet. I use Photoshop for all of my final digital artwork and use a lot of Kyle T Webster’s brilliant Photoshop brushes – varying the opacity and flow to create different textures. Get Adobe Creative Cloud After trying out lots of different sketches, Field settled on this design for the character of Cyril I hop between digital artworking at my standing desk and a lightbox for the hand-drawn elements. For the final artwork, the main characters and overall background layout are hand-drawn in pencil. I’ve tried to draw directly on the computer but it never has the same feel as by hand, it loses the energy and spontaneity. My goal when artworking is to make my illustrations look as hand-painted as possible. I want to avoid them looking digital, so I avoid filters and limit my use of gradients and obvious blending mode effects where possible. Map the story When I read a story for the first time, it plays like a movie in my head. Coming from an animation background, I ‘stage’ the story, following the same process as I would for an animated film. Field added colour over the pencil sketch in Photoshop to bring the character to life and provide a taste of how the book will look The Squirrels Who Squabbled by Rachel Bright is about two squirrel characters, who are intent on having the last pine cone of the season; each will do anything to get it. Cyril, our ‘hero’ character has partied his way through the season and has no food left. Bruce the ‘anti hero’ has planned ahead and has a mountain of bounty for the winter, but still feels he must have the last pine cone. Create thumbnails I always start with a sketchbook and pencil. While reading the story over and over to myself, I make lots of character doodles and sketch out thumbnail ideas. Some compositions come to me straight away; I know exactly how I feel they should be, and they rarely evolve much in terms of composition. Some, however, are very tricky and can take a long time to get right. Once the key character designs were resolved, Field created thumbnails and then a very rough storyboard of the whole book Once I’ve built up a collection of thumbnails, I’ll then drop the best ones into InDesign with the text, so I can get more of an idea of how the book is flowing. Once I’m happy, I’ll share this document with the team for feedback. Getting the thumbnails right at this point is essential. They are the backbone structure of the book. If there are flaws in the visual storytelling here, then making it pretty in colour at the final stage will be a waste of time. Make roughs Once we’re all happy with the thumbnails, I work them up to roughs, again working in pencil and paper. I then start introducing colour in photoshop. it’s at this stage that I start to get more of a feel of the finished book. Roughs were used to refine line work and finalise colour references. Colour proofs were then made for a final check of the artwork before it became a book Choosing the right colour palette for a book is something I always find quite a challenge. The Squirrels Who Squabbled is set in the last days of autumn, so I wanted lots of lovely oranges, reds and browns soaked in sunshine. At this point, I also start to think about the lighting in each spread, sketching in the shadows, so I can be consistent with the direction of the sun from scene to scene when it comes to the final art stage. These elements give the illustration a greater sense of realism. New challenges This spread in the book (see the gallery below) is a turning point in the story. My art director Grahame Lyus suggested we make it a vertical spread, to make it work better with the action and better suggest the turn of events to come for the characters. I think this stems from my animation background, but I see a picture book as the best 24 images from a film. Each page must bring the text to life, communicate the story and I try to bring something else to the story visually. Each book is a new challenge to develop myself further as an artist. This article was originally published in Computer Arts, the world's best-selling design magazine. Buy issue 279 or subscribe. Related articles: How to break into children's book illustration How to illustrate children's books: 7 top tips 23 stunning examples of book illustration View the full article

A "wave of litigation over IoT liability is on the horizon," according to an attorney who has represented plaintiffs in the 2015 Jeep hack. View the full article

Sloppy Android developers not following security guidelines for external storage opens the door to device takeover and more. View the full article

Learning how to draw a head is no easy feat. But as a story artist – or any aspiring artist – you should be able to draw characters from any angle, so mastering this skill is vital. While there are an almost infinite number of angles to choose from, there are some that come up regularly in the visual storytelling process. This short lesson will cover what these angles are, and break down how to draw a head from those angles – so grab your best pencils and follow along. 5 tips for drawing a head How to draw people The head is an incredibly complex structure. I’m not smart enough to process all that complexity at the same time, so I try to break it down into a couple simple shapes, which, for heads, is (1) a sphere for the cranium, and (2) a pyramid for the nose. Using these two basic shapes, you can set up the foundation for a drawing of a head at any angle. You can learn all this and more from a number of brilliant lessons over on Schoolism.com. How to draw a head: 8 common angles The angles you’ll encounter the most as a story artist are: Profile Straight on Up Up three-quarters Down Three-quarters Down three-quarters Rear three-quarters You will find yourself returning to these angles over and over again, so it’s good to know them well enough that you can whip them out with your eyes closed. Any angle that’s not covered here can be interpolated with some in-betweening. Commit these eight angles to memory, and start breaking down the head into simple shapes. That’s the best way to understand a complex object, issue, or problem: break it down into smaller digestible pieces. To draw something is to know it. 01. Profile When drawing a head from profile, start by arranging your two basic shapes so that they roughly resemble the angle you’re looking for. Once you have a good approximation of the relationships between the shapes, you can start building the rest of your drawing from that foundation. As you will see from this example and those following, the sphere and pyramid arrangement can really help hold your drawings together. 02. Straight on The straight-on is probably the angle we’re most familiar with, as it is the angle at which we see and interact with most people in real life. Still, breaking it down into the basic shapes of a sphere and pyramid will help you maintain the proper proportions and relationships throughout the face. 03. Up This is a difficult angle to visualise because we rarely see people from this vantage point. In fact, this was the angle I had the most trouble with when I was a young artist. However, breaking the head down into these two simple shapes will make this angle less intimidating. If you find it difficult to rotate the shapes in your head, try gluing a ball and a four-sided die together, and see how the shapes change when you turn them. 04. Up three-quarters This is a very common angle, as many heroic shots are framed from this vantage point. You’ll find it a lot in comic books, paintings, and print advertisements. Depending on what kind of stories you are telling, this might be an angle worth dedicating your time to in order to master early. 05. Down This angle is not as common, but it can be very useful nonetheless in certain storytelling sequences. The key to draw a head from the down angle is orienting the head correctly by first establishing the correct position for the nose. This will give you a great “stake in the ground” from which to build the rest of your drawing. 06. Three-quarters This is perhaps the most popular angle of all in film, portraiture, and illustration. It’s often the most flattering of the angles as it shows the most dimension in a person’s face. This, along with the up three-quarters (hero) angle, is worth learning first. 07. Down three-quarters Like the down angle, this vantage is less often used, but still very handy to know. It’s an in-between of the profile and the down angles. Again, being able to accurately locate the nose from this complicated angle makes all the difference when you proceed to fill in the rest of the face. 08. Rear three-quarters While the up angle was the hardest for me when I was younger, the rear three-quarters angle is the hardest for me now. Every time I try it, it never looks quite right. Thankfully, however, when this angle occurs, the person is usually not the focus of the image but is rather more of a compositional element. Nevertheless, it’s incredibly useful to be able to draw the head from this angle as many “over the shoulder shots” depict the head from this view. Related articles: How to draw people How to draw a girl How to draw accurate bones and muscle View the full article

Creating costumes for a fantasy character design requires a lot of research: there are many questions to answer before you even begin your painting process. Skimp on this stage and your clothing ideas become little more than eye-catching concepts. I was recently asked to work on Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen. I presumed that it would be creatures, antagonists and mutants, as is normally the case in my dark corner of conceptual art. To my surprise, the commission was for pure costume design. I love a challenge, so I embraced it, but I had to adapt quickly. Costumes have always played an important role when concepting characters; they add to the visual tone. Costume design is a different discipline, but all characters need clothes, so how hard could it be? Turns out it requires far more precision and a hell of a lot of research. Here, I’ll share with you my findings, work process and tips that will help the development of your characters’ costumes. I’ll be focusing on two costumes created for one character: a standard costume and a battle armour version. Let’s suit up. 01. Outline your character's story Research helps different costume elements to work together Who is your character? In my piece she’s the captain of the royal guard in a fantasy world. A young princess, a warrior, a rebel. For her costumes I want to first present a formal/military outfit with the basic armour tech on show, and for the second, a battle-ready armoured uniform. I want them to work in unison and the armour to be a key feature in both designs. She has to be edgy and have attitude. I collect references of faces and costumes, and create a series of mood boards. 02. Reflect the world she lives in A rough mock up helps to establish the tone of the piece This is a large part of the research phase. You have to understand the world that your character inhabits. In this instance I’m going for a futuristic world with a slight Renaissance vibe, so of course I’ll need to show this in the design. I look through some of my older pieces to help me develop a starting point. I’m not looking to get down pose or detailing ideas – just the general tone of the piece. 03. Consider tone and presentation Previous works help to give an idea of how background elements could function Decide on the right tone and maintain it throughout the design. A good way to do this is in the presentation style. I’m going for a semi-retro look: a pale beige background with a border. It helps to sell the tone from the outset, while ensuring your costume design is front and centre. I’d refrain from using any imagery in the background, although an exception would be a close-up of the character’s head, such as in this earlier piece of mine: Evil Lyn from Masters of the Universe. 04. A question of pose Choose a pose that shows off the costume to maximum effect You’ll need to pose your character so that the costume’s clearly shown, but don’t make the stance dynamic. The goal is to present the detailing of the costume, not create a character illustration. I often choose a simple fashion model pose. Look at fashion magazines and collect online gallery stills of fashion models in action. There are plenty of fashion croquis (quick sketch) templates available online, too. 05. Everything starts with a sketch Sketches help to establish the shape of the clothes I concentrate on lines that represent folds in any fabric, and create interesting shapes and patterns. For example, the V-shape in her armour is repeated in her dress and overcoat. I keep these initial sketches simple, and focus on flowing lines and blocks of colour. 06. Be inspired by your materials Test out swatches to see how the finished costume could look As a concept designer, you don’t really think too much about materials, fabrics or indeed how an actor would wear an outfit. But as a costume designer often your ideas come from a particular type of material, so keep that in mind when you’re sketching. Create mood boards and place images of materials next to your design elements. Then explore different variations, colours and textures. 07. Don't overlight the design Go against your artistic instincts and lose the shadow On a standard character illustration I’d place a third of the figure in shadow to add more depth. I’d also add elements of dynamic lighting, and blur parts of the scene to enhance the mood. However, for costume design art you should forgo the shadows and keep the lighting to a minimum, to clearly show off the outfit. This might go against your instincts as an artist – the figure might look flat, like an unfinished painting – but resist the urge to properly render the scene. If you do, you’ll only dilute the message that the design is trying to communicate. 08. Keep things clear and defined Strong designs are easy to imitate Don’t overwork the image. Maintain clear lines, defined details and recognisable textures. I keep my lines on a separate layer so I can quickly refer to them. A good design is not only recognisable, but easily recreated, too. Think about structure in relation to the material. For example, the armour’s made from a bronze and steel material, so my lines are sharp and heavy to emphasise how tough it is. 09. Creating the battle armour version This snake armour is inspired by 1920s fashion This is where it gets tricky, when you put on your practical hat and start asking more questions. Is the armour placed on or strapped on? How does it work? If it’s high-end tech then perhaps it can be multi-layered and unfold from a central device. Furthermore, what’s the theme of the armour? Here, I’m going for a subtle snake theme mixed with a retro 1920s vibe. I want it to look like it grows, so I create two versions: one before and one after it’s activated. Again, take into consideration how this might look in real life. Something too big and bulky will look unrealistic. 10. Introduce motifs Motifs in different elements help bring the whole costume design together Repeating motifs and identifiable fashion elements help to maintain a sense of consistency between the character’s two outfits. For example, the triangle theme that’s evident in the coat and dress now appears on the body armour. The snake motif, while subtle, appears on the helmet and the sword if you look carefully enough, as well as within the central body armour section. 11. Think ahead Keeping textures on different layers makes the working process much easier Keep each piece of clothing on a separate layer. I create my imagery in black and white and then add a layer of colour followed by the texture or details. This enables me to change elements at any time. There’s nothing worse than finalising your image, only for the client to request a quick colour change. Or even worse, ask to swap out the materials of a particular piece of clothing. 12. Illustrate more than you can see Don't cut corners - illustrate every clothing layer The final design with all its layers will often hide elements of the clothing that a client may want to see later. Pre-empt this by illustrating everything in layers and completing each layer of clothing. Think of the process like dressing a doll: start at the beginning and up build the layers. This will also help illustrate how one piece of clothing may hang or interact with another. 13. Give your character suitable accessories Accessories should appear coherent with the rest of the design This is often an afterthought of costume designers. Designing accessories such as weapons – guns and swords, for example – is my favourite part of the process. I take the time to hone the design of these accessories so that they have a character all of their own. One approach is to imagine them as a toy line. What would make them stand out on the shelf? What would make you buy it? Note that the gun follows the same V-shape design elements as the costume itself. 14. Prepare the modesty layer Stay ahead of your clients by preparing alternatives Using Photoshop is extremely handy at times. You can anticipate most client changes ahead of time by simply working in extra layers. I always create modesty layers: one image to sell the sexy nature of the character and another more realistic ‘costume’ layer that covers up any exposed areas of skin deemed to be too racy. 15. Bear in mind self-promotion opportunities The finished design can become the centrepiece of a portfolio Once the design is signed off I often do a ‘magazine’ edition. This is a glossy showcase version that’s for my own collection, and are perfect for promo work. Remember that your costume design images are often only ever seen in-house. This article originally appeared in ImagineFX issue 161; subscribe here. Related articles: Closing the door on Hell: artists pay tribute to Hellboy Design a playable avatar for a video game How to improve your character art View the full article

Finding the right font, just like finding the right romantic partner, can be a long, frustrating process. Apps like Tinder have revolutionised how people pair up by reducing courtship to a simple swipe left or right action on your phone – but what about designers on the look out for their perfect font match? Well, thanks to Font Flipper, choosing Google Fonts at least has just become a lot easier. Describing the service as "essentially Tinder for fonts", Font Flipper's makers have created a free web app that lets you preview text in different font styles, with over 800 font families found on Google Fonts to cycle through. To get going with Font Flipper, you just upload an image, drag a text box where you want to write, select the style of text, and then it's time to start previewing some Google Fonts. Along the way, you're given the option to like or dislike fonts, in Font Flipper's quest to narrow down lettering options and find 'the one'. Liked fonts are made easily accessible to download, while disliked fonts are left to wonder what the other styles have that they don't. What's more, Font Flipper claims to be the easiest way to preview Google Fonts on top of custom designs. There's no need to download fonts to your computer, only to find out that they're not the right fit after all. Simple find what you like, download, and start typing. Now if only Tinder was this straightforward... Check out a preview of Font Flipper in action with the video below. Related articles: Adobe adds 665 fonts to Creative Cloud Transform your type online with variable fonts 21 perfect font pairings View the full article

It's safe to say that if you've got Adobe Creative Cloud in your back pocket, you can pretty much create any kind of visual content imaginable. But the software isn't exactly easy to use, and there is a bit of a learning curve if you're attempting to teach yourself how to navigate the various apps included in the collection. This bundle is here to turn you from a beginner into a total pro. Pay What You Want: Adobe CC A-Z Lifetime Bundle is jam-packed with creative goodness, as you'll learn the ins and outs of all that Adobe Creative Cloud has to offer. Get a complete and comprehensive course in Adobe After Effects to learn how to add visual effects to your videos. A beginner's guide to Photoshop will teach you how to edit photos so professionally that they'll look like they belong in a magazine. Courses on Adobe Premiere Pro will have you editing your own videos in no time at all, whether they're promo videos, video tutorials, or travel vlogs. Discover how to create newsletters, newspapers, magazines, and more with lessons on Adobe InDesign. Best of all, you can get all this knowledge for whatever price you name. Just imagine launching a brand-new design career, paying a mere fraction of what you'd pay for a college tuition. Pay what you want for the Adobe CC A-Z Lifetime Bundle today, and enjoy huge savings off the list price of $2593.98 / £2034.55. Related articles: The best Adobe deals in 2018 The designer's guide to becoming Adobe certified Adobe adds 665 fonts to Creative Cloud View the full article

Leaving the safety of a full-time job and going freelance can be terrifying, but it can also be hugely rewarding if you go about it the right way. Working for yourself without being tied to 9-5 life is an irresistible prospect, but it's easy to overlook the business end of the deal. If you don't spend some time taking care of business – pitching, billing, dealing with tax, knowing how to network and so on – your freelance journey could be over before you know it. 12 essential tools for graphic designers in 2018 Luckily, there are plenty of tools, apps and services that can make the business side of freelancing a lot less painful, giving you more time to do the actual work and enjoy the freelance lifestyle. Read on to discover some of the best tools available... Financial tools One thing I learnt quickly is that it's essential to keep a keen eye on the financial side of your freelance business. Taking advantage of an online accounting service is money well spent. Creating invoices, tracking payments, and sending out reminders isn't the best use of all of your time – so streamlining the process as much as possible is a good idea. Xero is an easy-to-use accounting tool I've used a variety of online accounting services including (01) FreeAgent and (02) Xero. Both offer a range of features that will help with everything from billing to taxes including: Invoicing creation and reminders Quotes and estimates Customer management Expenses management Bank feeds and reconciliation Payroll management VAT management Having your transactions directly imported from your bank is a huge time saver. This not only gives you a great overview of your cashflow, but will save time and hassle at tax time. If you're new to freelancing, it's definitely worth checking that your preferred bank has feeds enabled. I also strongly recommend having a dedicated savings account that you can deposit money into after each project for items such as tax, insurances and professional fees. Most banks offer this when you set up your accounts. Finally don't skimp on a good accountant. They will ultimately save you more than their annual fee and are a great source of information on what can, and cannot, be claimed for. 02. Project management tools You're probably familiar with project tools such as (03) Basecamp and (04) Trello but there are a few other tools that you might consider for your freelancing toolbox, and some have more features than you might currently be using. (05) Dropbox is not only a great backup tool but a great way of sharing and collaborating on documents such as proposals, contracts, work in progress graphic files and more. Another useful feature is that all Markdown files are automatically converted into very presentable, and readable, files when viewed online. Sharing files with clients is also simple and effective. You're able to share a document via a public link or can hide the document behind a password. You may also set an expiration date for the link, which is often very useful. Additionally, the file requests feature allows you to invite anyone to upload files to your Dropbox, even if they don't have an account. Coupled with the in-built version control, it's a effective way of keeping project files together. The mobile app has also come to my rescue on more than one occasion. Alongside Dropbox, don't overlook the benefits of (06) Google Drive – it offers many of the same features you'll find in Dropbox, and ties straight into Google's office apps, making collaboration a cinch. 03. Communications tools Client communication is key to a project's success. I am sure we've all sighed heavily when yet another email has landed in our inbox. I often found talking with clients face-to-face solved problems quicker and more effectively. (07) Skype is a great tool for client meetings – especially one on one video chats. For a few pounds a month you can also purchase a Skype In Number5 which you can add to your website. Calls to your number will be routed to Skype, or you can send directly to a voicemail greeting and pick up your messages at a later date. Another trick I occasionally used was to record client Skype meetings. I'd mention this at the beginning of every call and only do so if everyone was comfortable. It's often easy to miss key items when in the heat of conversation and being able to go over the conversation later ensured I had everything covered. A couple of great options to help with recording your calls are (08) Call Recorder and (09) Audio Hijack. HelpScout is a good way to manage client projects I also often recommend (10) HelpScout for client communications. While often seen as a support tool, it can easily be used to manage client projects. The great feature is that you don't have to deal with all incoming email in your inbox, as it's rerouted to HelpScout. It also has a number of great (11) integrations with popular apps. If you only need the basics, the free plan includes three users and one mailbox. One final recommendation for communication is (12) Calendly. Booking in meetings can often be more painful that it should be. Calendly allows people to book a time slot with you and have it automatically added to both your calendars (it works with both Google and Office 365). It caters for conflicts and only shows slots that you specify. 04. Design and code tools (13) InVision has really come to the fore in the last couple of years and having used it myself, I would definitely recommend adding it to your freelance toolbox. InVision can do a lot, here's a flavour: Advanced animations and transitions Cross platform support Contextual feedback Threaded conversations Automated project management Custom mood boards In-browser design meetings Guided product tours Unlimited version history Integrations with services like Photoshop CC, Sketch, Dropbox, and Slack Instant code generation Downloadable components InVision can do a lot to help your life as a freelancer You can sign up for free and have one active prototype. Paid plans start at $15 per month. Another tool I have used almost daily for many years is (14) CloudApp. It's a really quick and simple way of sharing screen shots, documents, files and taking short screencasts. Each drop, once uploaded, autogenerates a unique URL, which is copied straight to your clipboard for sharing. Like InVision, it also integrates into (15) Photoshop CC and (16) Sketch. The Atom code editor has some nice features A good code editor is another essential asset. I've recently switched to the open-source (17) Atom editor from (18) Sublime Text. It has some really nice features and a great plugin eco-system, and is well worth a look. 05. Content tools As much as you might love designing and coding, words are going to form a huge part of your freelance business. Many of us find writing hard and time-consuming. Luckily, there are a few tools that can help. First up is a personal favourite called (19) aText. This is a very neat Mac menu bar utility that allows you to avoid typing the same thing repeatedly. From inserting email signatures, to code snippets, and auto corrections to words you constantly type wrong, it's well worth the $4.99 cost. You can also use it to create boilerplate estimates, contracts and more. For those of us who struggle with grammar rules (20) Grammarly could well become your new best friend. The Chrome extension corrects over 250 types of grammatical mistakes, while also catching contextual spelling errors and poor vocabulary usage. As it's a browser extension, it can be used wherever there's a text input. Overall, freelancing can be very rewarding and lead to interesting projects and great opportunities. With the help of a few tools you can free up time to concentrate on the reason you became a freelance – to work on challenging projects. If you are interested in moving into the freelance world, you can download a free PDF copy of Grow: Volume 1, a book I helped produce with my colleagues at Shopify. Related articles: The art of going freelance 25 tips for staying sane as a freelancer The freelance survival guide View the full article

Many of the world's best-known design and branding agencies boast more than a hundred staff, spread around the globe. Look at Pentagram, Landor, Wolff Olins, JKR, Design Bridge, Pearlfisher or the recently-formed Superunion – household-name agencies, granted custody of household-name brands. Plenty more highly reputable design agencies operate in the sweet-spot between around 20 and 50 staff – the likes of Made Thought, DesignStudio, DixonBaxi, Taxi Studio and Moving Brands all fall into this category. But size isn't everything when it comes to creating world-class work. Read on to discover five small but perfectly formed agencies – all with just a handful of full-time staff – that command respect from peers and clients alike... 01. Studio Sutherl& Sutherl&'s Start-rite work demonstrates how the tiny agency's boutique approach can adapt to a high-street brand Jim Sutherland left hat-trick design, the multi-award-winning consultancy he co-founded with Gareth Howat, in 2014, to set up his own, smaller, now also multi-award-winning outfit – which topped Computer Arts' UK Studio Rankings 2017. Not that hat-trick was ever a big agency – but Studio Sutherl& couldn't much smaller: it has a full-time staff of two. Joy, wit and simplicity lie at the heart of the studio's work. And while many of its warmest, most personable projects are for small arts and culture organisations, a strong collaborative spirit opens up a wider range of potential projects. As its website attests, Studio Sutherl& was founded to be "agile and personal, building teams from the best artists, architects, writers, strategists, fashion designers and others to suit each project." Recent work for Start-rite Shoes demonstrates how the tiny studio's compelling approach can appeal to a major high street brand. 02. Build Build is one of two inclusions on this list founded by alumni of the Designer's Republic (tDR), the era-defining design agency of the '90s. Having cut his teeth at tDR, Michael C Place founded Build in 2001 and has built it into a multi-award-winning agency in its own right – with just a handful of staff in Leeds. According to its website, Build "helps clients to communicate, tell their story or grow their brand with contemporary, thoughtful design." The studio works across multiple disciplines, including art direction, image making, moving image and typography. Like many other small agencies, Build has its fair share of small, artsy clients – but they sit alongside global heavyweights such as Nike, Getty Images – for whom Build rebranded iStock in 2013 – and Virgin America, which included a character-led animated takeover of Times Square, produced in collaboration with Animade (and filmed in situ, above, by Branded Cities). 03. Supple Studio Supple Studio has worked on various projects for Channel 4, including this Film4 Summer Screen campaign Jamie Ellul left Magpie, the award-winning London agency he co-founded with Ben Christie and David Azurdia, to move to the beautiful city of Bath. There, he established Supple Studio, again with just a handful of staff, working with major clients such as Channel 4, the NSPCC and Royal Mail. Collaboration is often the key to scaling up the level of ambition for a small studio, and Supple spells it out on its website: "With us you get small agency thinking paired with big agency impact... a small dedicated team with the benefit of a large network of partners and experts." In fact, Supple is one of the most outspoken advocates of 'small agency thinking': "It means we approach every client brief with the same care and attention. It means we sweat about the little details that can make a big difference. It means your project won’t be passed along from one person to another. We know that beautifully executed ideas can seriously improve your business: small agency thinking means big ideas, and big impact." 04. Sawdust Sawdust doesn't just craft stylish typographic imagery – the two-man outfit recently rebranded Converse Sawdust is the only small studio on this list not founded by someone who split off from the senior team of a larger outfit – so has built its reputation from scratch. The long-running partnership of Rob Gonzalez and Jonathon Quainton specialises in typographic work and image-making, with editorial clients including Wired, Esquire and the New York Times – but also commands the confidence of big-brand clients such as Nike, Coca-Cola, Apple, Converse, Virgin and IBM. "At the heart of what we do is a desire to create work that is both explorative and beautifully crafted," is Sawdust's mission statement. "Above all else we retain a deeply rooted conviction to not only deliver design that is effective but that exceeds our client’s expectations." Would you expect a two-man outfit to have the clout to rebrand Converse? If not, Sawdust proves you wrong. 05. Universal Everything Our final inclusion on this list is the brainchild of another tDR alumnus – Matt Pyke. Universal Everything is a "global collective of digital artists, designers, animators, musicians and developers", with only a skeleton staff for the agency itself. With a dizzying array of global clients including Apple, Audi, Chanel, Google, Nike, Samsung and more, Universal Everything proves how effective a flexible, collaboration-based agency model can be to deliver awe-inspiring projects on a global scale. The agency's portfolio includes immersive multi-sensory experiences, innovative moving image installations and more, including launch events for some of the world's most forward-thinking brands. Related articles: 8 of the most successful independent design agencies The design agency survival guide 5 agencies that do things differently View the full article

A malicious fax sent to an HP Inc. OfficeJet all-in-one inkjet printer can give hackers control of the printer and act as a springboard into an attached network environment. View the full article

Apple 0-Day allows hackers to mimic mouse-clicks for kernel access, despite mitigations. View the full article

LAS VEGAS – In recent years there has been more attention paid to the security of medical devices; however, there has been little security research done on the unique protocols used by these devices. Many of the insulin pumps, heart monitors and other gadgets found in hospital rooms use aging protocol to communicate with nurses’ […] View the full article

Creating an apocalyptic sci-fi city scene in 3D art is something artists might shy away from doing because of the vast complexity of the subject, 3D models and textures needed. But with smart ways to tackle it, it is certainly doable. There are many different paths you can choose to achieve the final visualised image you have in mind. In this tutorial, I‘ll shed some light on the process I used to make this night-time scene. I try not to limit myself too much with a strict and predetermined workflow, or the software I use. My workflow may differ minimally to vastly depending on the project I’m working on. Software packages are just different tools that help you to get things done. 31 brilliant Blender tutorials Most of my projects start with a concept sketching stage in 2D, but this time I started in 3D. If you’re interested in 3D concepting, I strongly recommend Jama Jurabaev‘s Intro to 3D Concept Design course on Learn Squared. Procedurally generating a city can vastly speed up the initial stage of finding a good concept, camera position and composition. You don‘t need to worry about getting the perspective of your 2D buildings right; in 3D you can simply reposition your camera and instantly have a completely different picture. 01. Look for references Look beyond Google for reference images As I already have a pretty good picture in mind of what I wanted to do – an apocalyptic, Independence Day-inspired scene – I start with hunting for reference. If all you want is reference pictures, Google is a good place to start, but if you intend to use those references in some way or another in your picture (textures, and so on), you should look for royalty-free images. Pixabay and Textures.com are a big help there. 02. Create the assets Photoshop brushes allow for the buildings to be painted quickly I use a procedural approach to model the buildings. The lower buildings are all displaced planes. I hand-paint a few displacement maps of single buildings with Photoshop and convert them into brushes. This method allows me to quickly ‘paint’ displacement maps for entire city blocks. These blocks can then be instanced to give the illusion of a highly detailed city. The higher buildings are roughly modelled with no attention to topology. We will add details later. 03. Add textures and shading Blender randomly allocates the textures The texturing and shading is done (partially) procedurally. I compile several pictures of cities to texture atlases. I then map, shade, alter and randomly distribute those textures with Blender’s powerful node system. For every diffuse map I plug in, the shader network automatically generates a specular- and bump-map. Not a single building is manually UV-unwrapped – all are box-mapped with some random shifting of the coordinates. 04. Streamline your lighting Lighting is mapped in a similar way to the textures I compile light texture atlases the same way I did the diffuse textures of the buildings. The mapping is also done the same way except blocking the textures on faces, which point upwards to avoid having lights on the roof. Distributing them randomly means they often don‘t match up perfectly to the diffuse textures. There is definitely a trade-off between being fast and flexible, and probably having to fix some things in post-production. 05. Shift and scale UVs Displacement maps are modelled in real time The base of the ship is a really simple model, which I then UV-unwrap, subdivide and displace with a displacement map I find in a Blender forum thread. The UVs are all rectangular and not rotated so the displacement follows the round form of the ship. With such a set up you can shift and scale the UVs to model the ship with displacement maps in real time. This is an extremely fast and intuitive way of doing greeble-like surfaces. 06. Experiment with building layouts Different building layouts can be played with quickly Now the fun part begins. This is where all the work comes together. First, bundle all the buildings into separate groups that feed particle systems. By doing this, you can change the random seed of a particle system and shuffle through randomly generated cities to find an arrangement that you like. This is the power of 3D concepting – you can generate several layouts in a really short amount of time. 07. Create lighting with HDR HDRs produce true to life lighting quickly The scene is lit entirely with a HDR image. There are numerous places on the internet that provide high-resolution HDRs these days. HDRs have two major advantages for 3D concepting; they render extremely fast and give you realistic lighting with a click of a button. I pick a few that I then import into Blender to quickly test out a few lighting scenarios. Cycles, Blender’s modern built-in viewport renderer, makes this a breeze. 08. Do render passes Allow plenty of time for a beauty render Beside doing a beauty render, I also render out several passes for compositing. These include, ID passes so I can quickly select individual buildings; Z-depth passes to simulate the atmosphere; Normal passes for eventual relighting; and, of course, several light passes. The beauty render needs around 20 minutes in 4K to be reasonably noise free. The additional passes are ready in a fraction of that time. 09. Create atmosphere Build the image up from the background to the foreground With the already prepared and rendered passes, the compositing is really straight forward. I usually work from the background to the foreground. The sky sets the mood. With the Z-depth pass I‘m able to give the image a nice atmosphere. The light passes are then added on top and blended between them, depending on which light pass looks best on the buildings. 10. Add details Fixing is easier than adding every single detail Now comes the payback for not doing things properly before rendering. But most of the time fixing things in post is far less work than having to model every little detail and care about every pixel in the render. In this stage, I blend the spaceship with the clouds, add red lights on the roofs, add cranes, chimneys, antennas, the electric lightning below the ship and the smoke between the buildings. And generally fix everything that wasn‘t perfect! 11. Finalise the scene Recreate a camera lens to finish off the image The final step is to replicate the effects of a real camera’s lens and film; to make the scene look as it would have looked if it had been shot in the real world. So, I slightly blur the scene, add bloom, lens distortion, a slight chromatic aberration, vignetting, film grain, and finally give it a cinema-like colour grading. I love this part. This is when everything you worked on blends together to form something real. It‘s like magic. This article was originally published in 3D World magazine. Subscribe here. Read more: How to create a photorealistic room scene Master procedural modelling Create a tiles material in Substance Designer View the full article

I’ve always liked the undead, and will often root for the ragged underdog who’s so often reduced to a moving target. Many of my works feature characters who have a ghoulish appearance, and here I’ve used an unnatural cold skin tone, with gangrenous fingers to depict that age-old trope of outstretched zombie arms. However, I’ve decided to look at the bright side of death and paint them as colourful, friendly, magical people, expressing glee and enjoying their new lifestyle choice. Colour is a dominant aspect in many of my works, and I like to experiment with it. Of course, one needs to understand the basics of colour theory before attempting to explore it further. I think that a combination of what should happen according to the laws of physics, the artist’s expectations, the glitches in one’s vision, and the fuzziness of the brain’s interpretation of what it thinks it sees, is the best way to express colour in a painting. 20 top character design tips The ‘deep dream’ images created by an AI program have opalescent overlay that appeals to me, and so I’ve tried to clumsily implement this effect into my art. I’ve realised that using a colour which has no business being used can be a lot of fun. To understand my process, and use it to create your own vividly gruesome creatures, watch the video and follow the steps below. You can also download my custom brushes here. 01. Have a vision (or not) Click on the top-right corner to enlarge the image I readily admit that it’s incredibly inefficient to start with only a vague vision of the main character, but that's the way I work best. I have no idea what I want the picture to look like, but I tend to produce better results when I just skip most of the planning and get straight to it, leaving many aspects to fate. This approach happens to work for me, but I advise against it! 02. Choose your brush I'm using my Custom Chalk brush. This is the brush I use for almost everything, regardless of the software. It’s a rectangle with natural edges and with a faint texture. I usually set my brushes to simulate soft chalk as much as the program makes it possible. Click on the image above to download my custom brush. 03. Study human anatomy Click on the top-right corner to enlarge the image Human anatomy, especially hands and faces, are so familiar to us that even without any formal knowledge, we can easily spot mistakes. Therefore, reference is extremely important for my work. I try to include something previously unexplored into each new illustration, to avoid getting stuck in a rut. I’ll study the subject matter and immediately put my knowledge into practice. For help and advice on depicting human anatomy, see how to draw people. 04. Define the scene Click on the top-right corner to enlarge the image Now I’ve got a good grasp of my composition, and have come up with some ideas on what should be added to make it work. I further define the scene, choose my colours and add secondary elements. In this case it’s a collection of arms that support the main figure, while also adding more movement and a hint of a story. 05. Play with UV light Click on the top-right corner to enlarge the image I start with conservative purple-grey tones and gradually mix them with random hues until a stronger palette begins to emerge. When I’m satisfied with what I see, I push the palette towards the toxic-looking, unnatural tones that can be seen under a UV light using soft colour overlays. 06. Add visual padding Click on the top-right corner to enlarge the image I often use swirling rich drapery for areas that have otherwise very little to offer, to balance the overall composition. My aim is to create a scene that’s staged and tightly packed. 07. Bring in more light Click on the top-right corner to enlarge the image Late on in the process I add a new, bright light source to introduce more drama and draw attention to the character’s face. I use a masked Curves adjustment layer and a soft brush in Photoshop to preserve the details of my almost-finished painting. 08. Use textures Click on the top-right corner to enlarge the image I always aim for a painterly look in my work, so towards the end of my process I import a photo texture of a painted surface, set it to Overlay mode and adjust it to match the shapes and main strokes of my painting with a strong smudge brush. I use the High Pass filter and a little bit of chromatic aberration to make the painterly structure pop even more. 09. Make rendering adjustments Click on the top-right corner to enlarge the image My lack of planning means I have to make tweaks to many elements in the scene. Since I discovered programs like Corel Painter and Paintstorm Studio, I use them for brushwork, because their brush engines are more intuitive and better suited to my style of painting. Photoshop remains my first choice for large-scale adjustments. This article was originally published in issue 161 of ImagineFX, the world's leading magazine for digital artists. Buy issue 161 or subscribe here. Read more: How to create new character designs in Photoshop How to paint a zombie in Clip Studio Paint How to create a Pan's Labyrinth-style monster View the full article

You're reading Create Websites and Landing Pages – Slides 4 Framework, originally posted on Designmodo. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow on Twitter, Facebook, Google+! Website Builder with a drag and drop feature that will help you create a website in a few minutes. The online app contains ready-made website templates and UI elements. Also, you can create beautiful animation elements on your webpage and impress … View the full article

The games industry is one of the most creative, diverse, exciting and sought-after industries for a digital artist specialising in 3d art to work in today. As a games artist, you can create stunning worlds, characters or props in styles ranging from the realistic to cartoony or anywhere in-between,” says Simon Fenton, head of games at Escape Studios, an industry-leading academy for visual effects and digital art. He continues: “The UK games market in particular is enjoying record growth; UKIE recently announced that the market had grown by 12.4 per cent over the past year to a record-breaking £5.11bn, largely attributed to the delivery of ‘world-class content for an ever-expanding eager audience’. You have to be at a really high standard to make it in the games industry – you have to reach a very high bar.” With those facts in mind, getting a start in the video game industry can often feel like an unbeatable level, a vicious cycle of disappointment. That’s why we have gathered producers, recruiters, artists and tutors to assemble the ultimate cheat sheet. Airship Images has a particular focus on producing real-time hair and fur, including for various characters in Battlefront II Each contributor will dispense wisdom and experience on every part of the process, from creating a CV to acing an interview. Follow this expert advice to take your video game career to the next level. “It’s definitely a competitive landscape, there are a lot of people that are hungry to work in this industry,” says Declan Paul, producer at Airship Images. Since opening in 2009 Airship has worked on numerous AAA titles, including Star Wars Battlefront II, Forza Horizon 3 and The Division. When beginning the search for a role in the video game industry, Paul states that it’s always best to look for roles at the studios that inspire you to work in the industry. He adds: “Tailor your portfolio to these studios and be sure to research what they’ve worked on in the past as well as what direction they’re going in next. This is also helpful to do early in your art education, as it will provide you with a clear path to follow when making decisions on what type of art you should create for your portfolio, what style you should work in and what areas you should improve on to obtain that position.” Ognyan Zahariev’s faithful re-creation of Dumbledore’s office According to Paul, events such as conventions or presentations represent great opportunities to meet like-minded artists and grow a network of industry contacts. He explains: “You will learn a lot about the industry at these events and have fun while doing so. Often there are opportunities to get your portfolio reviewed, talk to studio recruiters about the positions they’re hiring for and learn more about studio hiring processes. These opportunities are invaluable so be sure to take advantage of them when you can.” For those that can’t reach such events, social media and online competitions represent an ideal opportunity to connect with the community whilst showcasing your abilities. Artists can provide feedback and encouragement to each other from halfway around the world. The best art will often attract the attention of established studios in their search for the freshest talent. Tailor your portfolio so that it is exciting and relevant to each developer Simon Fenton Unanimous among our contributors is the assertion that every application you make should be tailored specifically to the studio in question. As such any application should demonstrate that you have done your research on the studio and their work, past and present. The application is an opportunity to sell yourself to potential employers and showcase exactly what you’re capable of. Despite the numerous roles for artists in the industry, advice for crafting a stand-out application is fairly universal. “Focus on quality and not quantity in terms of the projects you include in your portfolio,” says Ognyan Zahariev, who successfully landed a job as lighting artist at Ubisoft Sofia, where he’s been rising through the ranks for five years. Having drawn characters from a young age, Sven Juhlin found the transition to 3D character art an easy decision to make He continues: “Have a well-organised portfolio with breakdowns of your work. Only include work that you are really proud of. The recruiters and artists going through your work will only be looking for quality and not the number of projects.” "First and foremost is a strong portfolio with no fillers or weak work. Try to tailor your portfolio so that it is exciting and relevant to that developer," adds Fenton. "For example, highly stylised work might not appeal to a developer that makes realistic driving games." "It’s not just strong work that sets you apart – showing your prospective employer that you understand their business means you are switched on and thinking professionally. Research how the company operates, its past games and any interviews that they have given. Mention past papers they may have published and check their blogs. Talking about why you like their art and backing it up by mentioning specific techniques, people or processes demonstrates an inquisitive, driven approach." How to create stylised game artwork For freelance character artist Sven Juhlin, who got his start in the industry working for EA DICE, it’s crucial to showcase some originality in any portfolio. For example: “Don’t do a version of the Hulk if it’s not a really impressive version. There are already so many versions of him out there and it’s so hard to stand out from the crowd. Create your own character with an original backstory and try to make something that feels fresh and new.” Level two: the interview If your application piques the interest of potential employers, you may well be contacted for an interview. This part of the job-hunting process is often the most nerve-wracking for any applicant, in any industry. However, there are some sound pieces of advice that can prevent the experience from becoming the stuff of nightmares. According to Fenton, it all comes down to the basic, and yet easy to get wrong, interview essentials. “Make sure you know where you are going and turn up ten minutes early, dressed smartly. My personal tip is to stay away from coffee as this can make you agitated. Always answer questions honestly; it’s a small industry and you will get found out if you’re anything less than truthful.” He continues: “Research the company and their history so you can ask them questions regarding the future direction and how you might progress. Try to practise, perhaps get friends to ask you challenging questions. I have often asked potential candidates why they chose to do something in a particular way and if I hear ‘I don’t know’, that’s not a very interesting answer.” According to Juhlin, finding your own style is crucial to success in this increasingly busy industry As Paul points out, rejection is a natural part of any job-hunting process – the trick is to turn it into something positive and not to let it prevent you from moving forward. “The primary thing to keep in mind when receiving rejection letters or emails is that it’s a ‘not now’ rather than a ‘not ever’. Use these rejections to motivate yourself to do better and apply again once you’ve updated and improved your portfolio. This cannot be done in a couple of weeks, so make sure you substantially update your portfolio before reapplying if you want to be properly considered for the role.” Use rejections to motivate yourself to do better and apply again Simon Fenton He adds: “It’s also worth following up on your rejection emails and asking for feedback on your portfolio. You may not hear back but it’s worth the effort on the off-chance you do, as this could provide you with an insight of what you need to improve to get to where you want to be.” As Fenton points out, “there are no shortcuts to success.” The bar may be high for a career in the games industry, but as each of our contributors will attest, it is not unreachable if you are willing to put in the necessary time and effort. So what are you waiting for? Take note of everything you’ve learned in this feature and get ready to enter career mode. This article originally appeared in issue 236 of 3D World, the world's leading magazine for 3D artists. Buy issue 236 or subscribe here. Related articles: Design a playable avatar for a video game 11 best video game character designs How to create a video game character in ZBrush View the full article

Adobe has given the world a lot of design software with its Creative Cloud collection. While this software is sure to elevate your photos, videos, and audio projects to the next level, there can be a bit of a learning curve to them. Now, you can gain a solid foundation in Creative Cloud with The Complete Adobe CC Training Bundle. With this bundle, you'll learn how to edit photos like a pro on Photoshop, create entire videos on Premiere, and design beautiful graphics with Illustrator. You'll also master useful software such as InDesign, Flash, and After Effects – essential skills to have in your toolkit if you're a graphic designer, blogger, or social media manager. Get The Complete Adobe CC Training Bundle for just $29. Related articles: Adobe adds 665 fonts to Creative Cloud How to use Adobe Capture CC Adobe and Erik Spiekermann revive lost type sets View the full article

The term 'Space Force' has been kicking around the headlines for a few months now, often accompanied by background chuckles and wry smiles. But it looks as if the new US military branch is one step closer to lift off if these potential logo designs are anything to go by. For the uninitiated, the space force is the proposed US military branch that looks to protect America from what Vice President Mike Pence describes as "the growing security threats emerging in space." It's easy to dismiss anything space-related as the preserve of science fiction and wishful thinking, and it often feels that out-of-this-world ambitions are trumpeted whenever a President is looking to get re-elected. But given the unpredictable state of world affairs, we wouldn't be surprised if Space Force became a reality. To herald the arrival of Space Force, Trump 2020 re-election campaign manager Brad Parscale sent an email to supporters asking for their thoughts on a potential logo design. Sent on Tuesday, the email read "President Trump wants a SPACE FORCE – a groundbreaking endeavour for the future of America and the final frontier." It went on to highlight the potential commercial opportunities in sight: "As a way to celebrate President Trump's huge announcement, our campaign will be selling a new line of gear." Check out the potential logos below. Click to get a better look at the potential Space Force logos If one logo stands out from the crowd for us, it's the first one. As well as being the only design to eschew the rocket icon, it also bears an uncanny resemblance to the NASA logo – so much so that its designers must be looking at how they can deal with plagiarism. Cynics have written off the email as a cash grab piece of marketing as, upon voting on their favourite design, participants are presented with a campaign fundraising pitch. And with the email from Parscale specifying that the logo will appear on merchandise, it seems that the almighty dollar is (perhaps not surprisingly) a driving influence behind the vote. Unsurprisingly, designers have weighed in with their critical and humorous takes on the selection of logos on offer. This isn't the first time the Trump administration has been criticised over its graphic design choices. Earlier this year Melania Trump's Be Best logo came under fire for its clumsy execution and similarity with other people's work. Only time will tell if one of these Space Force designs becomes as big as the Make America Great Again baseball cap, but in the meantime, in the words of the President himself: "Space Force all the way!" Related articles: Discover why Donald Trump ditched his brand-new logo design The New Yorker reacts to US election result with brick wall illustration The New Yorker reveals Clinton election victory cover View the full article

Learn how to start your animation career and discover how to develop your characters and stories with the latest issue of ImagineFX magazine – on sale today. In the pages of ImagineFX 165, you'll hear advice and inspiration from teachers in the industry who want to help you take your first steps into the world of animation. Buy issue 165 of ImagineFX here Elsewhere in issue 165, we talk to Louie del Carmen about how he developed a love for animation and landed work with Disney. We also hear from Bader Badruddin on how to start developing character animation faster and stop over-analysing, plus David Ardinaryas Lojaya is on hand to tell you how to use greyscale to render figures. There's also all the news, reviews and reader art you've come to expect – don't miss it! Never miss an issue: Subscribe to ImagineFX here Explore what's on offer by taking a peek at the lead features, below. The pros of attending conventions Learn how to enjoy a convention, no matter why you're attending Conventions have exploded over recent years. And thanks to communities developed online, finding the right one for you is easier than ever. We talk to organisers and attendees about how artists can get the most out of conventions, whether they're there for business or pleasure. Inside the career of Armand Serrano Learn how Serrano became a successful Disney animator He might be a successful Disney animator now, but for Armand Serrano the road to glory was not without a few speed bumps. Having been knocked back by both Warner Bros and DreamWorks, the persistent artist finally found a home in the famous animation studio, and as he says, "the rest is history." Discover his story in this exclusive interview. Develop characters full of life There's plenty to keep in mind when creating stand out characters There's a lot of received wisdom when it comes to nailing a distinctive character design, but how do you juggle all of these rules and find room to develop your own style? Luckily, Pernille Ørum is on hand to reveal her approach, covering everything from colour, pose and silhouette. Build your pencil skills This workshop will add structure to your pencil work Sometimes just getting started can be one of the biggest creative hurdles for artists. With that in mind, Tim Von Ruden is here to remind you that the best way to level up your work is to stick at it. And with the help of his sketching advice, you'll be creating better work than before in no time. Related articles: Create and animate SVG polygons Perfect your animation portfolio with these tips Understand Disney's 12 principles of animation View the full article