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These days, new technologies make it easy to set up a studio anywhere in the UK, and there are plenty of great design agencies outside of London: check out these great Manchester agencies, for example. But it’s a fact of life that some of the world’s biggest design agencies are based in London, attracting some of the brightest talent from towns and cities around the UK. So if you’re about to make the leap to the English capital to work as a designer, here are the 10 commandments that you need to follow. 01. Thou shalt feel like a global citizen Working at a London agency can feel like getting a passport to the global design community. Image: Tuk Tuk DesignThe world is constantly shrinking, and wherever you live in Britain these days, you’re part of a diverse multicultural community, right? Well, that’s what you think. You might feel like the small town you come from is pretty darned globalised, what with its mosque, and two Polish shops, and everything. But London is a whole new ballgame. You’ll hear dozens of different languages and see every nationality under the sun during your daily Tube journey. Your agency will routinely recruit talent from all over the world, irrelevant of race, religion and nationality. Soon, you’ll be feeling like a true global citizen. Your thrill at being at the heart of such an internationalised world will be tempered only by one thing: your guilt at being a monoglot, among people who effortlessly switch between multiple languages mid-sentence. Damn the UK education system, you’ll cry (if you're from elsewhere in the UK), and possibly enrol in Spanish evening classes for a couple of weeks, before getting distracted by something else. 02. Thou shalt attend creative events (and feel smug) Stroll over to London events and meet your creative heroesThere are tons of creative events happening all the time in London, and it’s wise to take advantage. That’s partly because, like most London designers, you’ll only be able to afford a poky flat, so any excuse to get out and about will become much more appealing. But it’s also because you’ll recognise the incredible array of opportunities to meet your creative heroes and inspirations, face to face, as equals. Most importantly, anyone attending the same events from elsewhere in the UK will have spent a sleepless night in an overpriced Travelodge, or will have woken up extremely early. So when you wander in casually, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, you’ll be entitled to feel just that tiny bit smug. 03. Thou shalt quickly get bored of famous people It won’t be long before you’re totally over meeting celebrities. Image: fvoellmerMeeting your creative heroes in person is one of the best things about being part of London’s creative scene. And at first, it’s also quite a thrill to run into, or even just glimpse, the wider world of celebrity. Hey, look, David Dimbleby’s in the office chatting to the creative director. Wow, isn’t that Fearne Cotton over there buying a smoothie? Gosh, that guy from Mock The Week just asked if I knew the way to Starbucks. Pretty soon, though, you’ll realise that celebs are always popping up in London design studios, and elsewhere too. And you’ll join your fellow designers in realising that, actually, they’re just not that interesting. 04. Thou shalt be liberal (or convincingly fake it) If you’re passionately pro-UKIP, you might want to keep it under wraps at work. Credit: Christian PackeniusIn general, people working in any creative industry tend to be left of centre when it comes to social and political issues. But the London design agency scene seems to take this to new heights. It is, to be blunt, quite overwhelmingly liberal. None of this is ever made explicit, of course. Nobody ever sits you down with a rulebook telling you exactly what you’re allowed to think on everything from gay marriage to drug decriminalisation. But you’ll quickly come to sense what’s going to be an ‘acceptable’ opinion. So even if, say, you think Michael Gove had some pretty good ideas on education, or that Brexit might not be a bad thing in the long run, it’s probably best you keep that to yourself – at work at least. 05. Thou shalt detest the commute Everyone complains about the Underground. Except for those in other cities, who don’t have one and think it’s amazing. Image: Free-PhotosIf there’s one thing that unites designers more than anything else, it’s their frustration with unreasonable clients. Except, that is, in London. Because here something that’s even more guaranteed to bring creatives together is their hatred of the commute. If you’ve never lived in the English capital, you might assume that this is a sign that public transport there is inefficient. In fact, it’s the opposite. Because the buses, taxis, underground and overland trains and river ferries (yes, river ferries!) are generally efficient and reliable, the moment a delay occurs, commuters throw their hands up in horror. In other towns and cities, one service breaking down might mean you’re stuck for hours. In London, however, there’s almost always another route you can take, so the delay to your journey is usually far shorter (albeit more hot and cramped than usual). Just don’t say any of that to a designer who’s turned up 18 minutes late because of signalling problems on the Northern Line. They won’t thank you for it. 06. Thou shalt walk stupidly fast Walking fast is one of the most popular London pastimes. Image: Free-photosWorking at any design agency, you’re always in a race against time to get work done to a deadline. But for some reason when you’re working in a London agency, it just feels that little bit more urgent and more important. So, once you’ve lived in London for a while, you’ll mysteriously find yourself speed-walking to work like a person possessed – even if you left the house on time and your train wasn’t late. And the worst thing? When irritating tourists slow you down with their lazy ambling. You won’t believe they’re SO SLOW. In truth, though, that’s probably the exact speed you used to walk, before London’s insistent pace burrowed its way slyly into your soul. 07. Thou shalt no longer feel special Being surrounded by top-flight talent can be a knock to your self-confidence. Image: GeraltWe’re not saying that London-based design agencies are any better or more professional than others elsewhere. But because there are so many top-flight studios in London, working there can sometimes dampen down some of the self-esteem you had as the ‘big fish in a small pond’ in your home town. It’s not just about other designers, either: it’s also about the other superstars you’ll encounter: the actors, the models, the fashionistas, the writers, the business leaders, whom you’re now much more likely to run into, both in work and socially. The trick is not to be bitter that some people are doing better than you, but to admire and be inspired by them. And to remember above all, that you’re doing what you love, and that as long as you stay on that path, everything else will eventually fall into place. 08. Thou shalt find it easier to explain what you do The number of design job titles may be dazzling, but they need explaining here less than in other placesThe fact that everyone you meet in London seems to work in a creative field does have some upsides, too. And one of those is when it comes to the question ‘What do you do?' Tell people back in your home town that you’re a frontend web designer specialising in UX and service design, or that you’re working at the borderlines between mixed reality and Fintech, and you’ll just get blank stares and furrowed brows. Say the same thing in a hipster pub in Brixton and everyone will nod appreciatively and recognise that you are indeed cool. (Even if they don’t know what you’re on about either, they’ll at least pretend they’ll do.) 09. Thou shalt be exhausted (and a little in denial) Being tired all the time is the price you pay for a big city lifestyle. Image: StocksnapYou’re living the dream, working for a cool agency and living in the greatest city on Earth. So why are you so exhausted? It’s probably because of all the noise and pollution, right? And the London commute, it really takes it out of you. And you’ve been working so hard lately, it really has been manic. Those deadlines have been merciless... So, nothing to do with all those parties, pub meets and boozy launch events you’ve been to this month. Or all that fast food and wine you polished off in front of Netflix between invites. No, of course not. 10. Thou shalt be addicted to London life You may mock the tourists, but you love London just as much as they do. Image: MajomkaYou’ve only been in London for a couple of years, but you already feel like a native. You describe yourself, out loud, as a ‘Londoner’ and actually get away with it (call yourself a ‘Mancunion’ after two years living in Manchester and you might not be so lucky). “At this point in my life, I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else,” you muse sagely to your colleagues. Like Samuel Johnson – another outsider who came to London and became one of its fiercest defenders – you’ve come to truly believe that “When you’re tired of London, you’re tired of life.” Spoiler alert: in a few years time, when your closest friends (who are also mainly outsiders) move out of London and back to their home towns, you might start feeling very differently. Related articles: The 7 best London agency websites of 2017 5 best agency side projects of the year 6 rock-solid ways to improve your graphic design portfolio View the full article

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Most designers have experienced issues with getting colours in print to match what's on our screens at some point. After picking the colours in your designs carefully, maybe considering colour theory to influence your colour palette choices, if things don't turn out as expected it can be confusing and frustrating trying to troubleshoot the problem. Thankfully there are a few simple steps you can take to improve your colour matching, thereby reducing the amount of proofing you need to do and embarrassing delays to delivering print to clients. What is colour matching? Colour matching is the process in which you make efforts to ensure that the colours you see on your screen are accurately recreated when your design is printed. The idea is to ensure that particular colours on screen print with the same hue, saturation and brightness, allowing you to make accurate decisions within your design work. Following these eight steps should ensure colour accuracy in your print projects, every time. 01. Optimise your workspace Avoiding monitor glare is a necessary first step, so try viewing your screen at different anglesSome of the most common colour matching problems faced by designers can be solved easily by improving the working space. Avoiding unnecessary glare on the monitor, working in dark or overly bright conditions, and even the angle at which the screen is viewed can all affect colour perception, leading to unexpected results when work is printed. Ensure you're viewing your screen straight-on, as colour isn't faithfully reproduced by many monitors once you move a few degrees off-centre either horizontally or vertically. Take a look at how your office is set up and remove any very bright light sources that might cause reflection or glare on your screen which may affect the way your eyes interpret colour. 02. Use a decent monitor Eizo's ColorEdge CG318-4K is the best monitor you can get There are some limitations to equipment at the cheaper end of the market that will directly impact on your ability to accurately predict print results. Cheap low-end monitors might not reproduce colour accurately across the entire gamut, leading to obvious artefacts and colour-banding in dark areas. Take a look at our buying guide, The best monitors for designers, if you're in the market for a new display. 03. Check your eyesight If your prescription isn't up to date, your colour perception may sufferKeep in mind that if you have an eye prescription, failing to keep this up to date can result in your own personal colour perception being affected. It's common for one eye to be more sensitive to particular colours than the other, and failing to wear glasses when you need them can not only cause eye-strain but also affect your ability to judge contrast, brightness and colour. 04. Calibrate your screen Devices such as the Spyder5ELITE make it easy to achieve consistent colour matchingOnce you've checked your eyes and got your environment up to scratch, the next item to check is that your screen is accurately reproducing colour. The best way to do this is to calibrate your screen. There are lots of ways you can do this, but the easiest is to buy yourself a calibration tool such as the Spyder5ELITE. These devices work by measuring the ambient light in your workspace as well as the light emitted by your screen, adjusting the colour space your monitor works within to compensate for both factors and to reproduce accurate colours. This takes all the guesswork out of calibration and makes the entire operation as simple as clicking a button and following the instructions on screen. If you can't stretch to a dedicated device, some home and office printers offer a built-in calibration tool that prints sheets with blocks of colour and asks you to judge which is closest to a colour shown on screen. The process is repeated until your printer is reproducing accurate results, but note that this will only work with that specific printer. Also read: The best monitor calibrators for designers 05. Work in the right colour space Avoid common colour issues by setting up your system to use specific colour profiles rather than relying on the pre-installed profiles to be suitableYou may have noticed that there are several different colour space profiles installed on your computer. Almost every computer uses sRGB by default, while installing any apps from Adobe will introduce the AdobeRGB colour space, and then you'll have various CMYK colour profiles. By working in the appropriate colour profile for your intended output device, you can save a lot of heartache. Our article on 5 things every creative needs to know about print design explains the difference between RGB and CMYK, among other useful tips. 06. Soft-proof your work Most popular design software has soft-proofing options to allow you to preview your work in a simulated print environment on-screenAs well as printing your work, you can also simulate the printed look in some applications, allowing you to get a semi-accurate idea of how the final printed work will appear. In Photoshop, for example, you can access the proofing options under the View menu. Choose View > Proof Setup and choose from one of the preset options, or if you've got a particular printer in mind you can create a custom profile. This will reflect your choice of printer and paper stock, so don't forget to update the profile when you change your output intentions. Photoshop isn't the only software to offer this option, so check out the online help for your preferred apps and use the proofing tools to get a sense for the final output. 07. Talk to your printer Colour reproduction is affected by the paper stock used, and the printer's mix of the base colours Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and BlackIf you're attempting to reprint something you've previously sent to commercial printers, or to match an existing piece of collateral, it’s really worth speaking to your printers and providing them with a sample of that previous work so they can colour match at their end. This isn't a way of absolving yourself of responsibility to get the colour right in your file, but different technicians have their own preferred mix of base colours, so to ensure accuracy it always pays to provide reference material. This is especially worthwhile if you're doing large runs or especially complex jobs, and reputable printers will have no issue with you providing samples for colour matching, so long as you're spending more than the cost of a few business cards. 08. Use a colour library The Pantone system offers a fixed colour reference to ensure perfect colour reproduction across different media and print runsFor colour-critical applications, such as branding where accurate colour reproduction is essential, consider using a colour library system such as that offered by Pantone. This can feel expensive, especially if you're a sole trader and you've not had cause to buy into the library before: a set of colour-accurate sample chips can cost £100+, and need to be replaced regularly as light causes the colour to fade. The expense is worthwhile, however, when you can show your client the exact colour that their print will use. Plus, a starter kit is more affordable, at under $60/£55. You can also use the approximate CMYK and RGB reference equivalents to accurately pick colours for use in designs without going to the expense of printing a fifth colour. Practically every professional print-orientated application supports Pantone straight out the box, and although there are other libraries out there, Pantone is the best known. Related articles: The essential guide to colour correction How to manage colours in Photoshop The designer's guide to printing a poster View the full article

Serif has launched the latest versions of its award-winning professional desktop apps, Affinity Photo and Affinity Designer. Version 1.6 sees a big performance boost across both apps and the option of a light UI among its headline updates. New features also include brush stabilisation and enhanced document handling. (Scroll down for the full list of updates.) Free bundles New buyers and existing owners of photo-editing app Affinity Photo and vector design app Affinity Designer can also claim a bundle of free creativity-boosting content, from high-res textures and brushes to overlays, icons, buttons and more. Affinity Photo comes with around £105-worth of extras, while Affinity Designer comes with around £60-worth. The offer closes on 16 November, so you’ll need to move quickly – simply follow the prompts in the app to claim the extra goodies. Unlike Adobe, there’s no subscription needed. The Affinity apps cost a one-off purchase price of £48.99 / $49.99 / 54,99€ (subject to regional currency variations), and according to Serif, “the free content alone would cost more than the app, if bought separately.” Affinity Photo and Affinity Designer for Mac are available to buy from the App Store, with full optimisation for macOS High Sierra. Windows users can buy direct from Affinity’s website. Free trials are also available from the website – including for users who have trialled the apps before and were previously unable to download a second trial. New features in the Affinity apps v1.6 update New light user interface option New stroke stabiliser for all pencil and brush tools New "Edit In" integration with Apple Photos (Affinity Photo only) Improved view pan/zoom performance Improved performance with large documents New font chooser dropdown with recents, used fonts and favourites New Glyph browser Align to key items Text frame vertical alignment options Fit frame to text Custom brush wet edges (Affinity Photo only) Outlier stacking mode (Affinity Photo only) Improved Photoshop Plugin support (Affinity Photo only) Improved Live Filters performance (Affinity Photo only) Many PDF export improvements including vector export of multi-stop gradients 360 image roll correction (Affinity Photo only) Numerous bug fixes and other improvements Related articles: Empty listView the full article

Apple Music has launched a clever new visual identity based around a musical note logo. A 30-second advert entitled Anthem was released today, and kicks off the campaign in style. The video sees individual artists from the music streaming service's extensive catalogue being represented as a stylised musical notes, set to a banging backing track. Each musical note style flashes up on the screen for a split second, making for a fun game of 'name that artist' – there's everyone from Lorde and Drake to Sam Smith, Eminem and Fleetwood Mac in there, if you're quick enough to catch them. The playful ad is also an impressive showcase of different design disciplines, including a whole range of techniques and approaches to match each artist, genre or playlist on show. There's illustration, VFX and live action footage, and a whole lot of stellar 3D work (one render looks like it's been made from rainbow plasticine; a bouncy ball note holds for a second and then collapses to the ground). The diverse imagery is tied together with the note motif. A range of design disciplines are featuredSome scenes reference an artist's personal brand – a hirsute pair of quavers flicks its two-tone fringe as an unmistakable Sia; patent thigh-high boots poke through a cutout note as a tribute to St. Vincent. Others integrate the note into existing music videos from past and present chart-toppers: a bubbly note hovers behind Demi Lovato in a clip from Sorry not Sorry; a lit-up note flickers in the background of FKA Twigs' Two Weeks video. Some scenes see the note integrated into existing music videosAlso included are more abstract references to Apple Music's curated playlists, for those who want to discover new artists within their preferred genre. It's a smart way of reflecting the diverse range of different artists and musical styles on offer. The Apple Music service – a rival to Spotify – launched two years ago, and enables customers to stream music or video from an extensive library for a monthly fee. Read more: The top 10 big-brand logos 21 outstanding uses of colour in branding Branding pros share how they nail brand voice View the full article

You're reading Best Websites to Find Design Freebies: The Ultimate Collection, originally posted on Designmodo. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow on Twitter, Facebook, Google+! Design freebies can save you time recreating assets from scratch. If you search hard enough you can find everything from icon sets to UI kits and free stock photos too. Over the years freebie sites have come & gone. The best have risen to the top and that’s what I’m covering in this post. I’ve organized the […] View the full article

Adobe has teamed up with Fontself to release a diverse range of specially designed colour fonts that show off the full potential of its OpenType-SVG format – and you can download them for free. At last month's Adobe MAX conference, Adobe announced that Illustrator will now support colour fonts, also known as OpenType-SVG fonts. These allow users to design fonts with unique colours, patterns and gradients that aren't available in traditional fonts. Capable of being used in Adobe's design programs including Illustrator or on a website just like ordinary fonts, colour fonts come with colour information built in as standard, to change the way people interact with type. Save 15% on Adobe Creative Cloud nowAdobe's collaboration with Fontself shows the creative community what can be achieved with colour fonts, with the fonts available to download for free this week. Inspired by geometry, nature, textiles and architecture, the offerings were created by five global artists from countries including Germany, Argentina, Denmark and the US. Watch their evolution in the video below. As well as being able to download stunning free fonts, by following #ColourFontWeek on Twitter you'll be able to pick up tips and tricks on how to use colour fonts. Tips so far include how to create your very own colour fonts with Fontself Maker. This extension lets users create fonts in both Illustrator CC and Photoshop CC. Do not adjust your set...If you're after some vibrant and original free fonts (who isn't?) you've got until Sunday 5 November to head over to the Fontself download page. Here you'll be able to grab fonts like New York creative Alex Trochut's MEGAZERO set (above), which is designed to look like a TV set that isn't tuned in properly. It's an inspiring example of what can be achieved with colour fonts, plus you can use it for both personal and commercial projects. There are currently three free fonts to choose from, but be sure to bookmark the download page and check back over the next couple of days to snap up the full set. Related articles: 30 free font resources 56 best free fonts for designers Rainbow flag designer commemorated with free font family View the full article

The HTML <canvas> element is a powerful solution for creating pixel-based graphics on the web using JavaScript, and will allow you to create some remarkable effects with a bit of practice. In this tutorial, we'll take a look at creating a canvas object, drawing simple visuals on it and animating those visuals. 01. Create a page Canvas is fundamentally an HTML element that you place on the page, scale to cover the area you want and can then draw upon. To get started, we need to create a simple page with a canvas object. 02. Scale the canvas To give us plenty of space to play with, we want our canvas to fill the whole screen. We'll also give it a black background so you know it's definitely there. This can actually be a bit tricky to do without ending up with scroll bars or white space. The CSS below should take care of it. 03. Initialise the canvas for use Next we need to add some JavaScript to set up the canvas ready to use. We'll have it hook off a DOMContentLoaded event to ensure the script doesn't try to run before the canvas element is ready. We'll also have it set the canvas resolution to match the area it covers – otherwise the canvas will scale up without increasing resolution, leading to blurry or pixellated graphics. 04. Draw a shape You'll notice that in the last step, we crated something called a ‘context'. This is how drawing on canvas occurs. It's easiest to think of the context as a paintbrush that we can use to draw different lines, arcs and basic shapes. What we can now do is put our context to use by writing a drawCircle function that will create a 360-degree arc – that is, a circle. We do this by telling the context to define an arc, set styles for the border and fill, then rise the fill() and stroke() functions to actually draw the shape (stroke draws the border). 05. Create many circles Great. We have a function that can draw circles. Now we need something to draw. Let's extend the code from step 3 to create an array describing circle objects. It will store each circle's x and y co-ordinates, colour and a direction value. We create this array structure rather than just drawing circles straight away because it will enable us to animate the circles by re-drawing the contents of the array later on. 06. Randomise the colour In the last step, we've used a couple of new functions that haven't been defined yet. Let's start with randomColour(). This will be a utility function that returns a randomised hexadecimal string representing a colour. It's fairly straightforward to implement. 07. Draw the graphics on the page Now we're ready to bring things together by implementing the draw() function. This will do two key things. Firstly, it will clear the canvas using the clearRect() function. This will be important when we come to animate our circles, to avoid drawing the new frame over the top of the old. It will then iterate through the array we constructed and draw each circle on the canvas in succession using our drawCircle function. 08. Animate the shapes If you try it out now, you'll see some static circles painted on the page. But we want to animate them. To do this, we need to extend our draw() function in a couple of ways. Firstly, we'll use the circle.direction value we pushed to the array to calculate changes in x and y position for the circle. Next, we'll use a built-in function called requestAnimationFrame that recursively calls the draw() function. requestAnimationFrame allows the browser to decide when to call the function again, avoiding the need to implement timers to calculate when to draw the next frame. 09. Bounce at the edge of the page There's one thing still missing, though. The circles now just disappear off the edge of the screen. Let's make them bounce back. To do this, we'll add a call to a new function, bounce(circle), within the forEach loop of the draw() function. The bounce function will determine when a circle is at the edge of the screen, and adjust its direction value appropriately. This article originally appeared in Web Designer issue 266. Buy it here. Related articles: Create a digital Etch A Sketch using canvas Everything you need to know about the new Node.js 8 How to export After Effects animations to HTML5 View the full article

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We're busily gearing up to bring you the best discounts for creatives on Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2017 at Creative Bloq at the moment, but we're still making time to find you great daily deals as well. For today's daily deal, we've got you a great discount on a high-dynamic-range (HDR) photo editing app. If a standard picture is worth a thousand words, just imagine how many books you'll be able to fill when you take your photography to the next level with HDR photo editing app Hydra Pro 4. Get this app for Mac on sale for 50% off the retail price. Hydra Pro 4 makes it easy to pull out the best elements from photos taken at different exposures. You'll be able to easily enhance the details that make a photo stand out no matter where you share it. With HDR editing, you'll be able to capture darks and lights the way they are meant to appear, draw out contrasts and make your photos truly pop. Hydra Pro 4's all-new computation and display architecture is optimised specifically to give you total control over every aspect of your HDR photo editing experience. You can get Hydra Pro 4 on sale for just $24.99 (approx £19). That's a saving of 50% off the retail price for a tool that will make your photos stand out, so grab this deal today. About Creative Bloq Deals This great deal comes courtesy of the Creative Bloq Deals store – a creative marketplace that's dedicated to ensuring you save money on the items that improve your design life. We all like a special offer or two, particularly with creative tools and design assets often being eye-wateringly expensive. That's why the Creative Bloq Deals store is committed to bringing you useful deals, freebies and giveaways on design assets (logos, templates, icons, fonts, vectors and more), tutorials, e-learning, inspirational items, hardware and more. Every day of the working week we feature a new offer, freebie or contest – if you miss one, you can easily find past deals posts on the Deals Staff author page or Offer tag page. Plus, you can get in touch with any feedback at: deals@creativebloq.com. Read more: The 5 best laptops for photo editing How to shoot print work for your portfolio The best cameras for creatives in 2017 View the full article

Bootstrap is a free framework that helps you get responsive web design up and running quickly and easily. With Bootstrap, you can use HTML and CSS templates for web-based content such as forms, buttons, navigation and more. You can also use JavaScript plugins. While there are a number of reasons to use free Bootstrap themes, the biggest are that it's easy to use and has a mobile-first approach. This makes it an excellent choice as the framework for a website builder. But it's not just for beginners; Bootstrap is a great choice for experienced web developers, too. Here's a selection of some of the best free Bootstrap themes out there. 01. Marble Marble is flexible enough for most applicationsMade with portfolios in mind but flexible enough for just about any application, Marble features a fixed left sidebar menu that makes way for an off-canvas menu on mobile devices. And to help show off your work to best effect, it boasts smooth scrolling and eye-catching animations and fade-ins. 02. Lattes If you want cool HTML5 and CSS3 tricks, check out LattesDeveloper-friendly and easily modifiable, Lattes is a clean and elegant Bootstrap HTML template aimed at small businesses, agencies and creatives. Its responsive design ensures that your site will look great on any device, and it incorporates all of the cutting-edge HTML5 and CSS3 elements you want, without the need to write any code. 03. Material Kit Create a website inspired by Google's Material Design systemAll of the interface elements in this great UI kit have been restyled to fit with Google's Material Design system. There are 60 components as well as three fully coded example pages to get you started in this free UI kit. The $79 pro version includes 1000 components, seven plugins and 11 example pages. 04. Elate Smart, modern layoutThis theme gives you a modern one-page layout with subtle hover animations, gradient backgrounds and some slight, sensibly-used parallax scrolling effects. It offers four ready-to-use styles as part of the free package. 05. DashGum – Free Dashboard A visually pleasing and functional dashboardDashGum – Free Dashboard uses a great colour palette, elegant fonts and a smart layout to produce a design that's both visually appealing and functional. A lot of information fits into this dashboard without feeling cluttered, and you get charts, panels, tables, calendars, notifications and more with the free version. 06. Initio Build a company or personal site that gets straight to the pointThis is a fairly classic design for a personal or company portfolio that gets straight to point and delivers a lot of information without requiring a scrolling marathon from the user, including a bold call to action box. 07. Creative This free Bootstrap theme has subtle scrolling animationsThis free, one-page Bootstrap theme has flexible options, including custom button styles. It also includes a full-page image header banner with vertically centred content and subtle scrolling animations, which look fantastic. With rich features and plugins, you can use it as a boilerplate for your next project. 08. Cardio One Page Template Get a fitness-type feel with this free Bootstrap themeAs the name implies, this is another one-page Bootstrap theme that offers a clean yet colourful look. Although this template has a 'gym related theme', it has the potential to work for other industries as well. There's even a live typing effect in the header. 09. Freelancer This free Bootstrap theme does exactly what it says on the tinGreat for freelancers, this one-page Bootstrap theme has a lot of features such as flat icons and fixed top navigation that collapses on scroll. Also, the font choices for this theme are easy on the eyes. 10. Pratt Theme This theme is a nice clean exampleIf you're looking for something simple to use for a landing page or coming soon web space, here's a great template from Carlos Alvarez of BlackTie. Its demo version hosts annotated screengrabs and simple buttons that show off an app product. 11. Magister This free Bootstrap theme is simple with nice transitionsQuite possibly the purest theme on the list, Magister by Sergey Pozhilov offers a beautifully simple design that's ideal for portfolios and coming soon pages. The subtle animation between page changes gives this template a nice touch. 12. Simple Sidebar Get a simple sidebar with the Simple Sidebar themeIf you need a simple sidebar page menu layout, this Bootstrap theme gets the job done. One of the great features of this theme is the off-canvas navigation toggling on smaller screens. 13. SB Admin 2 This template is great for dashboardsAnother admin theme, this one includes sidebars with multi-level dropdowns and active classes. Also included is a Bootstrap chat widget and login page. This template is great for a dashboard site or web app. 14. Studio – One Page Theme This free Bootstrap theme has some neat parallax scrollingAnother one-pager from BlackTie, this free Bootstrap theme features parallax scrolling and uses Font Awesome 4.0.3. With a few modifications, this template can be used for a variety of industries. Contributions: Creative Bloq Staff Related articles: 21 top examples of JavaScript Get started with web accessibility 25 top-class website templates View the full article

In itself, no app can make you creative. But sometimes it can help to give you that nudge you need to release your inner creativity. We’ve all suffered from an impasse that’s prevented us from engaging our grey matter in the way we need to solve a design problem. The following apps promise to help. Of course, everyone’s brain is different and they might not work on you. But they’re all free to download, and quick and easy to set up, so there’s no harm in giving them a go. 01. Brainsparker Use this brainstorming app to spark creative inspirationPlatform: Android, iPad, iPhone, Apple Watch When you’re trying to come up with a new creative solution, a popular brainstorming exercise is to write words on slips of paper, pull them out of a hat at random, relate them to the problem at hand, and see what they spark in your brain. In other words, sometimes you need a bit of randomness to generate the right creative ideas. It might sound stupid but if you keep an open mind, it really can work. Brainsparker is a free app that provides a similar exercise to stretch your creative muscles. The app contains 200 cards containing thought-provoking words and phrases; you simply shake your device to shuffle the pack and produce a new card. The rest, of course, is up to you. Also check out these 10 tools to unlock creativity 02. SimpleMind This mind mapping app will help you connect up your ideas into a coherent wholePlatform: Android, iPad, iPhone, Mac, Windows Sometimes the problem you have is not generating ideas, it’s organising them into something that’s actually going to work. So if you have dozens of chaotic, free-floating ideas that don’t seem to connect up with each other, mind mapping is a technique that can help. At its most basic, a mind map is a diagram linking up different ideas, represented by words and/or images, in a way that helps you make sense of them. There’s often a central idea in the middle and other, related ideas branching out from those, although there are no strict rules: it’s whatever works for you. SimpleMind is a great app for mind mapping on your computer, tablet or phone, and it’s easy to swap your maps from device to device. Cool features include the ability to create an invisible note (so you can add large texts without cluttering your mind map); to add voice memos on iPhone, iPad and Android; and to add video on iPhone and iPad. Also check out these 20 tools to make your team more productive and these 12 useful mind mapping tools for designers 03. TED Talks Get ideas and inspiration from the world’s leading creative mindsPlatform: Android, iPad, iPhone TED (which stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design) is a global set of conferences under the slogan ‘Ideas Worth Spreading’. Attracting some of the most innovative and provocative thought-leaders on the planet, the best TED talks can provide a shot in the arm of refreshed creative inspiration. The free TED app includes hundreds of videos to download to your device, and even has an ‘Inspire Me’ function, which makes it easy to select exactly what kind of inspiration you’re looking for. Check out these 10 essential TED talks for UX designers 04. Coffitivity Stimulate your senses by piping in the coffeeshop atmospherePlatform: Android, iPad, iPhone Coffitivity does one thing and does it well: it recreates the ambient sounds of a cafe. This is based on research showing that such background sounds really do make your brain more creative. We’re not sure of the science here, but we do know many designers who say that they do some of their best work in coffee shops. If that’s you, then brewing your own caffeine drinks at home and using this free app for ambience is certainly going to be cheaper than a day spent in Starbucks. Also check out these 20 top tools for freelancers 05. Unstuck Beat prevarication and creative block with this "in-the-moment digital coach"Platform: Android, iPhone, iPad, web The biggest enemy of creativity is creative block. But that feeling of being stuck and not knowing how to proceed isn’t just limited to design challenges: it’s something that everyone experiences in different ways. Describing itself as "an in-the-moment digital coach", Unstuck is a self-paced course that teaches you to overcome 'stuckness' through provocative questions, targeted tips and action-oriented tools. So if you feel you’re lacking creativity not just momentarily, but constantly, this might be worth spending some time on. Related articles: 10 tools to unlock creativity The 10 best free graphic design courses online Use this trick to get free premium stock images View the full article

Great news for creatives: we’ve teamed up with Adobe to offer Creative Bloq readers a special 15% discount on Creative Cloud membership. Instead of paying the usual $49.94/£49.94 every month, you’ll pay just US$42.49/£42.49 for the first year. So if you’ve been debating whether to sign up, now’s your chance to get hands-on with Adobe’s stellar suite of world-class design tools–- and save some cash in the process. The offer is valid from 30 October until 27 November 2017, and includes Adobe’s entire suite of desktop and mobile apps for Mac and PC, from essentials like Photoshop CC to next generation tools like Adobe XD CC. Creative Cloud: access all apps Subscribers get full access to over 20 premium creative apps, including: Photoshop for editing still and motion graphics Lightroom for Cloud-based photo editing Lightroom Classic for desktop-focused photo editing Illustrator for vector illustration InDesign for publishing design Dimension (previously Project Felix) for photorealistic 3D images Adobe XD for designing and prototyping websites and apps Premiere Pro for timeline-based video editing After Effects for video post production Dreamweaver for web design and development Acrobat Pro for creating, editing and signing PDFs Illustrator Draw for vector drawing anywhere Adobe Spark for creating graphics, web pages and video stories in minutes Bridge for centralising your creative assets And a lot more... As you’ll know, these programs are fully integrated, meaning you can work between them (and devices) seamlessly – whether you’re out and about, or in the studio. Built-in templates help you jump-start your designs, while step-by-step tutorials will help you sharpen your skills and get up to speed quickly. Your Creative Cloud subscription also gives you 20GB cloud storage allowance, making it easier than ever to create across multiple devices and collaborate by sharing files with others. This special deal is a limited offer, though – it expires on 27 November, so don't miss out. Get your 15% discount on Adobe Creative Cloud here View the full article

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As a designer, one of the most important things is getting your business card just right. If you're just starting out in the design world, you might not know where to begin. So, we compiled this list of creative free business card templates to give you a little push in the right direction. We have more templates for designers, too – check out our round-ups of the best flyer templates and brochure templates. But here goes with the business card templates... 01. Purple and blue This serene-looking card is easily customisedThis card's mix of purple and blue shades make for a cool combination, and if you really like the design then it's easy to take the vectors and use them for other elements such as letterheads. 02. Coloured pencils This card design is a great way for you to make your markThis a fun and striking card is one of a large collection of free business card templates from PSBfreebies. The particular design will ensure anyone who receives it is unlikely to forget what your line of work is. 03. Bright and colourful business card template Make a big impression with these rainbow-hued beautiesWhy have a boring and forgettable business card? Burn your name onto everyone's retinas with this wonderfully bright and colourful card design, supplied as a carefully layered PSD that's free both for personal and commercial use. 04. Creative black business card template How much more black could they be? Quite a bit, to be honestLet everyone know who you are and what you do with this modern and striking business card template aimed at creative professionals. It comes as a 300 DPI CMYK PSD, layered and fully editable and customisable so that you can add your own creative touches. Like a bee, the black and yellow colour scheme is sure to catch potential clients' eyes. 05. Grungy retro design This free business card template is perfect for that vintage lookThis grungy, letterpress-effect business card template is ideal for achieving a retro look. It comes as a PSD, ready to be customised, and is free for both personal and commercial use. Perfect for that vintage look! 06. Zigzag design A funky zig zag design will certainly catch the eye of potential clientsAn exquisite design, featuring zigzag pattern as the main focal point of this creative business card template. The combination of black, white and a touch of bright yellow truly brings out the best of this design. 07. Flat design Another template to join the flat design trendLike it or not, flat design is here to stay. Business Card Journal has up with what it calls a flat design business card template complete with fellow zeitgeist design, the long shadow. Although it looks like a personal card, it can be used for business of any industry as well. 08. Corporate business card Choose from six different colour designsThese double-sided, horizontal business cards come with both rounded and square corners. Created in CMYK colour mode with a 300dpi High Resolution, both designs are easy to customise in both colour and text. Plus, there are six colours to choose from! 09. Horster There's a wide range of business card templates on offerAmerican based designer Pixeden has created a wide range of free business card templates, and this Horster offering is just one of many brilliant executions. Here, you'll find print layout and templates for your graphic design work - print ready CMYK at 300dpi. 10. Personal business card We love the icons with this business card templateA different and fun approach to portraying yourself with this business card template. Packed full of colour, the icon set allows a quick and effective way in which to showcase all of your important information. 11. Vintage template design A business card template for all you vintage lovers out thereOne for all you vintage lovers out there! This playing card business card template comes in a choice of three colours and will certainly catch the eye of any recipient. With a clean, crisp and sharp execution, you can download these templates today and print them instantly. 12. Retro template Stand out from the crowd with these free business card templates in a retro styleIn vector (.ai and .eps) file format, this template is fully customisable, allowing you to change the colour, font and layout to suit your individual style. This old school design is definitely one of our favourite business card templates. 13. Photography template Showcase your photography skills with these free business card templatesOne of the best business card templates we've seen for spreading the word about your photography skills. The download, from Pretty Preset, includes the two different designs, both of which you can add your own images to using Photoshop or Photoshop Elements. 14. Colour stripped Go for simple but with a splash of colour with these business card templatesIf you want something simple but with a splash of colour, start off with these colour stripped templates. You can choose from two different design options; going with more or less text. The size is 3.5x2in (excluding bleed area) with a resolution of 400 dpi and a PSD format. 15. Cartoon The perfect business card templates for an illustratorThese are the perfect business card templates if you're working as an illustrator. The cartoon inspired design measures in at 3.5x2in (excluding the bleed area) with a resolution of 300dpi. The gorgeous font on the card is Impact. 16. Die Cut Stand out from the crowd with these quirky business card templatesWe loved the style and shape of these quirky business card templates. Placing your logo in the speech bubble will instantly make it stand out and draw attention to what's most important - your work. You'll need a vector editing program to open this file (such as Adobe Illustrator). 17. Dezine Guide Keep things sleek and simple with these modern business card templatesHere we have the sleek and sophisticated side of business card templates. The elegant colour scheme make it a must for any designer that wants to keep things simple whilst still making an impact. The download contains two PSD files of the front and back. 18. Minimal You can choose from two patterns with these business card templatesSome of you may want to opt with a more minimal style business card templates and this design from Karmicfix on deviantART is the perfect example. The download comes as a Adobe Photoshop layered PSD where you can choose from two patterns. Related articles: Social media meltdown as the famous Star Wars logo changes colour 9 great uses of illustration in logo design Castrol unveils new 3D branding View the full article

A cybercrime outfit stealing from as many as 10 banks in Russia, Armenia and Malaysia has borrowed heavily from one of the kingpins in this realm, Carbanak. View the full article

VR has come of age and we now have the technology and tools to engage the end users. Not only can we create compelling experiences, but we can now actually conceive and build projects in a virtual environment. In the new issue of 3D World we delve into VR, exploring narrative projects before jumping in to sculpt a robot character using Oculus Medium. At any point in your career you might feel the urge to step up the ladder, or change tack completely. For that very reason, we bring you all the knowledge you need to make it happen, with tips from some of the biggest and best known studios out there. We also have a fantastic tutorial on sculpting in Blender, as seen in our cover image. Check out some of the other brilliant articles you can expect from issue 228 of 3D World below: Buy your copy of 3D World 228 VR: Changing the story In this feature we look at some of the ways in which VR experiences have developed and how we can now create immersive experiences that have meaning and emotional context, rather than focusing more on the tech. Unity particle system training course This month we also bring you a complete training course for Unity artists, focusing on the particle system. Once completed you will have all the fundamental tools to create all manner of visual effects for your real-time projects. Realflow tutorial You may be very aware of Realflow's use in movie visual effects, where it excels, but have you ever tried to sculpt with particles? In this tutorial you will learn how to create stunning liquid sculptures. Mattepainting tutorial It may be the unsung hero of a VFX shot, but a believable matte painting shouldn't be recognised. It should purely support the rest of the shot, creating a realistic world for the action. In this in-depth tutorial, we show you how to create one using photo elements. What's more, we give you free access to some mattepaint.com credits, so you can download your own assets to use in your projects. Click here to subscribe to 3D World You might also like these 3D articles: 37 brilliant Blender tutorials 30 inspiring examples of 3D art How VR is revolutionising the creation of 3D art View the full article

When it comes to self-promo, being featured in an industry-leading magazine offers a great way to get your work out there and start making a name for yourself in your particular community. At Creative Bloq, we represent a number of amazing design and creative magazines, including Computer Arts, net, ImagineFX, 3D World, and Web Designer. Each of them represents a different creative specialism or community, from graphic design and illustration to 3D art and web design. And they all appreciate the talent and expertise from their community of readers. If you think you have what it takes to have your work featured in a magazine – or show off your expertise by writing an article or tutorial – there are a few steps you need to follow. In this article, we'll run through some general advice for pitching to a magazine, then on page two we'll go through the specifics of getting in touch with each magazine. Pitching: Designers and artists Make it clear which part of the magazine you envisage your work being featured in. Often, this will be in a showcase section – most of our sister magazines have a section dedicated to showing off the work of the community it represents. Flick through and see if your work fits the bill. When you're contacting the team (click through to page two to find out how), a link to your website is ideal so they can quickly get an idea of what you're about. If you don't have one, a link to your Behance page, DeviantArt profile or even Instagram page is absolutely fine – whatever best shows your recent work. If you're submitting a specific piece of work, attach it to the email. Pitching: Writers Want to write for a mag? The more specific you can be, the better. Saying you're happy to write anything will result in your email being immediately forgotten. Look through the magazine and see where you'll fit in. Think through what you want to cover in your article. You don't need to send in a full draft (although if you have one, you certainly can), but a suggestion of the headline and a short synopsis is very helpful. Magazines don't feature articles that are already available – so if you've published the work on your medium channel, for instance, there's no point pitching it to the magazine. However, if you have a specialist interest, it's no problem to point out a different article on a similar topic you've written. If you have them, include hyperlinks to previous published, your website or your Medium account. If you haven't been published before, that's not a problem. Everyone has to start somewhere! If this is the case, it's probably a good idea to send in a draft so the team can see your writing ability. How to submit files There are a few guidelines that make everyone's life easier when you're actually submitting work. Here's your basic checklist (you can find more detail below): Supply images as hi-res as possible (aim for 300dpi at full page) JPG or PNG is best for images Don't embed images in a text doc If a copyright credit is required, include a note with the image caption For text, use a plain text doc (not Pages, not PDF) Use WeTransfer or Dropbox to send large files Avoid RAR compression It's worth thinking a little about what you name your files and folders. For artwork, the title of the piece is your best bet. Definitely include your name in the folder title (and possibly in the individual file titles too) to avoid any confusion if the files get mixed up. Titles like 'Computer Arts submission' may make sense to you, but they're not at all helpful for the person receiving the file. Generally, we want your images as hi-res as possible. Aim for 300dpi at full page (222mm x 300mm if portrait, 444mm x 300mm going over two pages). If you're sending large images, zip them up in a folder and send them all at once (avoid using RAR compression as not everyone can open these). Dropbox and WeTransfer are useful for avoiding having to send multiple emails. For text-based documents, use plain text files. Avoid Pages documents, as not everyone can open these. PDFs are also no good, because someone will need to edit your work. Don't embed images in your article, because someone will need to strip them out and rename them before they can be used. If you're writing an article or tutorial, much more helpful is if you indicate where in your copy the image should be included – a note such as //image// paintbrushes.jpg makes it clear what you mean. Next page: Submission notes for specific magazines ImagineFX Contact: fxpose@imaginefx.com ImagineFX is packed with an eclectic mixture of in-depth workshops from the world's best fantasy and sci-fi artists, plus interviews, community news and product reviews. Each month, the FXPose feature showcases work from the very best digital and traditional artists. To apply to be featured, please send in the following: Your full (real) name, location, website A list of software you use (for digital artists), or media (for traditional artists) A little info for your biog section (no more than 50 words) A photo of yourself 5 high-res 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 Computer Arts Contact: hello@computerarts.co.uk Computer Arts is dedicated to providing insight and inspiration to the global design community. Each issue features a roundup of the very best new design projects – spanning everything from branding and identity work to packaging and illustration. If you're an independent designer or studio with an exciting and unique new project to show off, please send it in. The best approach is to include a brief description of the project in the body of your email, then somewhere the team can find more info (either include a link to the project on your company website, or attach a press release including images). 3D World Contact: rob.redman@futurenet.com 3D World is the best-selling international magazine for 3D artists. Each issue boasts a strong line-up of tutorials, plus features and a showcase section. To submit work to 3D World, email editor Rob Redman at the above address. Rather than attaching examples of work in your message, please include a link to your portfolio, plus a short biog. 3D Artist Contact: carrie.mok@futurenet.com 3D Artist magazine offers practical inspiration for 3D enthusiasts and professionals. To submit your artwork, email editor Carrie Mok and include your name and a link to your website, and a short bio. Web Designer Contact: steve.jenkins@futurenet.com Web Designer is the ultimate magazine for digital designers and online creatives, packed with features and tutorials. Editor Steve Jenkins is always on the lookout for new writers. If you want to put your name forward, please include a short bio, links to three examples of written work, details of your areas of work (e.g. UX, frontend development) and any specific tools or technologies you have particular expertise with – CSS, HTML, React, Photoshop, Sketch, and so on. net Contact: philip.morris@futurenet.com net magazine is the number one choice for professional web designers and developers. There's a big tutorial section, so if you're an expert in a particular tool or technology, send in your pitch to editor Philip Morris. There's also a handful of opinion pieces each month, so if there's a burning issue you want to discuss, let the team know your ideas. Read more: UK top 50 studios 2017 Calling all 3D artists: Join us at Vertex 2018 14 fantasy artists to follow on Instagram View the full article

Image editing is the bread and butter of design agency work, and is performed not just by junior designers but also by team members at a range of levels. Scott Kimble, image creation director at London design agency BrandOpus, says that every photograph it produces in-house has to be edited in some way. “If say, we had a shot of some food, we might add steam to it to make it look nice and hot. We’d add that in afterwards, because it’s very difficult to get that in on a shoot,” he says. “So it’s about cutting that scene in such a way that it’s on a transparent layer, so you can overlay it on top of the food, airbrush it out, make it soft.” Another common job is cleaning up images. “There are always bits of fluff, hair and scratches in there,” he says. “You can’t always see it straight away, it’s only when you start to work into the image that you notice. For those sort of clean-up tasks, you’d use something like the Dust & Scratches Filter or the Spot Healing Brush Tool in Photoshop.” Get Adobe Creative CloudHere we spoke to designers about what is commonly involved in image editing, and asked them to share their advice. 01. Ask questions As a junior, being handed real-world image editing tasks – which may be very different from anything that you’ve had to do before – can dramatically expose gaps in your knowledge. That’s what happened when Kara Clifford started as a junior at PWAR Creative, a Huddersfield-based design agency. “I realised I didn’t actually know as much as I thought I did,” admits Clifford. “I feel like image editing is something that most universities seem to skip past, which is a shame because once you’re thrown into the real world, it’s something you’re almost instantly faced with.” She found the best way to learn was to ask questions. “So if you find yourself staring at your screen thinking: ‘How on earth do I do this?’, just ask someone who might know.” The saturation levels were lowered here for a more natural look “This image required lots of small retouching to remove plug sockets, parts of the ceiling, and straightening tables along the bottom. The original image was far too saturated and warm, so we reduced the saturation and adjusted the colour balance to better represent how the wall would look in reality. We rebuilt the type on the wall and added in the logo, adjusting the layer blending options to let some of the wall texture from below show through.” 02. Be resourceful That’s pretty much what Sarah Gray, a Dublin-based creative specialising in graphic and motion design, did in her first role as a junior. “When I started, I soon picked up a few extra tricks that my immediate boss showed me,” she recalls. But she also realised she wasn’t working quickly enough. Fixing this involved a lot of practice, both inside and outside of work. “If you know the sorts of tasks you’ll be asked to do, have a quick look on YouTube to revise it beforehand,” she recommends. “It’s enormously stressful if you face something you’re not sure of. Photoshop isn’t the most user-friendly or intuitive to use, because there’s so much you can do with it. But frantically pressing buttons, accidentally changing formats and tools is an absolute mare, especially if you’re trying to impress your new boss and co-workers. Polish your Photoshop skills and you’ll feel a lot more in control.” 03. Learn by doing Andrew Kitchener, junior designer at London-based agency Ragged Edge, says it's important to learn in your own time. “The key here is to learn by doing,” he says. "It’s like most design work: when something doesn’t quite go how you intended, often it ends up being a solution to a different problem. And you never know when a new trick is going to come in handy.” With plenty of practice, you should soon start to develop your skills in a way that image editing tasks won’t phase you. And that’s exactly what happened to Clifford. “Since I started working as a designer, my image editing skills have improved massively,” she says. “The pressure of working for clients and alongside other talented designers has taught me more than any course has. Some jobs can get a little routine, such as cropping and editing 300 photos of one type of product, but most of the time it’s really fun.” 04. Take your time But don’t go overboard in trying to increase your speed; that can be counter-productive, says Elena Morán, a UX/UI designer at London digital agency atom42. “My biggest advice is to be patient and not rush your work,” she says. “For example, to separate the figure from the background, hugely zoom into the picture and be very meticulous with the cropping. You may feel it takes ages to complete the shape, but it will save a lot of time in the long term. Some editing jobs can takes a little longer than others“This image took a lot of rebuilding," says Clifford. "As well as perfecting the colours throughout and adjusting the levels to make the image more vivid, we added in light blurs from passing traffic, removed pedestrians from the shot, warped the image to make all the verticals straight and replaced the billboard itself. This required rebuilding the lighting and shadows around the billboard, using the Multiply and Linear Dodge blend modes to reconstruct the light as realistically as we possibly could.” 05. Be organised Doing it right at first will avoid repeating the job many times until you achieve a professional result. “Try, experiment, play and enjoy,” concludes Morán, “but always have a backup to revert the work you have done if you mess up your image. Also, be organised; very organised. Name your layers and files properly, group elements, get rid of unnecessary elements… that will save you a lot of time.” This article originally appeared in Computer Arts issue 271. Buy it now. Related articles: 5 top new image editing apps Automate image editing with Photoshop Elements 15 updates The ultimate guide to compositing images in Photoshop View the full article

Another October has come and gone, and for plenty of artists that means another Inktober challenge is over. It also means that there are plenty of new ink illustrations to marvel at, thanks to the hard work and talent of online artists. Get Adobe Creative CloudFor the uninitiated, Inktober is a challenge created by illustrator Jake Parker way back in 2009, which calls on artists to create an illustration using ink every day throughout October. Over the years the challenge has really grown in popularity and attracted the likes of artists from Walt Disney Studios. We've already seen some of the best artists from Inktober 2016, but that's so last year. To see what Inktober 2017 has produced, scroll through our roundup below of 10 of the most inspirational artists to take part in the challenge. 01. Cathrine Sandmæl Alas poor Inktober, etcSeeing as Inktober happens in the same month as Halloween, a lot of artists create spooky sketches with their pens and brushes. Oslo-based artist Cathrine Sandmæl brought her drawing challenge to a close with these delightful skulls, which strike a nice balance between the supernatural and the illustrative. Whipped up with with ink and watercolours from Windsor and Newton, the skulls and foliage work together nicely and are one of the prettiest reminders of our own mortality that we've seen recently. 02. Kanzaki Yufei That's one way to keep dryTwitter user Kanzaki Yufei is a 2D artist and video game enthusiast who has fully embraced the Inktober challenge. Perhaps the challenges posed by video games have given Yufei a good work ethic, because the artist has managed to keep up with the pace of Inktober to deliver some truly original and eye-catching characters. Just take a look at this glum figure sheltering underneath a toadstool. What's more, Yufei has posted work in progress images so we can see how the art came together. 03. Becky Cloonan Samara goes skinny dippingAmerican artist Becky Cloonan is something of a superstar in the comics industry, so it's been a real treat to see her Inktober illustrations emerging on Twitter. Cloonan, who was the first woman to draw the main Batman title, has been posting haunting images that appear to gaze right into the core of your soul, such as the above image which she captioned "Awaiting the judgement of Osiris". Although if we were to judge Cloonan's Inktober art, we'd say it's outstanding. 04. Staz Johnson When was the last time you watched The Rocketeer?Another Batman artist, Staz Johnson, has also been sharing Inktober illustrations on Twitter over the last month. Johnson has sketched out an array of characters, ranging from James Bond to zombie Nazis, but it's this image inspired by the 1991 film The Rocketeer that we like the best. It could be because we think The Rocketeer is an underrated film (although nostalgia is probably playing a key factor - I'm youngish, bite me) which is why the illustration caught our eye. However that's not to downplay the expert inking on display which captures the personality of the character perfectly. 05. Laura Heikkala The perfect cloak for concealing everything except your anklesJust like Cathrine Sandmæl, Laura Heikkala blends watercolours and inks to achieve stunning results. The Finland-based artist also has a real eye for creating surreal images that draw the viewer in, especially with the above image entitled Grandma's Cloak. With a short title and a striking character, Heikkala instantly creates a world that we want to know more about. We're also blown away by the invisible effect, which looks so smooth and effortless. 06. Lüleiya We love the textured effects in this imageHungary-based artist Lüleiya describes her work as dreamy illustrations that are brought to life with both digital and traditional tools. You can see all of this in action in the Wizard of Celes (above) which is packed with enchanted imagery and fantastical textures. (Is the wizard some sort of master of the night sky? We like to think he is.) As well as being a formidably talented illustrator, Lüleiya is also a dab hand at decorating her images with flowers and crystals to add to their overall effect. What's more, if you like what you see, you can buy Lüleiya's Inktober art from her online store. 07. Marc "Doodles" Pattenden Sure we've seen a two-step tutorial on how to draw owls like this...A handy tip for artists struggling with Inktober is to pick a theme you can hang your illustrations around. That's just what illustrator Marc Pattenden AKA Marc Doodles did for Inktober 2017 with his series of bird images. Pattenden's full list of Inktober illustrations can be found by visiting his Twitter profile, where's handily collected them into one picture pinned to the top of his timeline. If we had to pick a favourite though it would have to be this quizzical eagle owl. 08. Daria Golab That's either a huge dog or a tiny housePolish illustrator Daria Golab describes herself in her Twitter bio as a "creative soul, coffee drinker, failure". We're sure the first two points are true, but we can't agree about the last one when we see the stunning work she's created for Inktober 2017. Just look at the flowing detail in Golab's illustrations, such as the one above from day five of the challenge. Golab's not just a master of linework either. She also has an eye for vibrant colours, which she uses to give her art an added boost. Be sure to head over to her Twitter profile to see this skill in action. 09. Derek Laufman War, what is it good for? In this case, Inktober inspirationLondon Ontario-based artist Derek Laufman sure likes to keep busy. As well creating RuinWorld comic and working as a freelancer for the likes of Marvel, Warner Bros, Hasbro and Mattel, he also found time to squeeze in daily Inktober illustrations. This picture, titled Metal Slug, takes its inspiration from the run-and-gun video game series of the same name and gives the characters that distinctive Laufman twist. It's also the last picture from Laufman's Inktober challenge, but if you like the look of his work you're in luck as his ink art is up for sale in his store. 10. Brian Stelfreeze Don't worry, we're jealous of Stelfreeze's talent tooAnother big name to take part in Inktober 2017 is Brian Stelfreeze. Comic fans are probably already aware of the American artist who illustrates for both DC and Marvel among other publishers, but for those that haven't seen his work just check out the sample of his brilliant work above. We're in awe at how Stelfreeze can blend his inks so smoothly to create a sense of depth and texture, but when he needs to he can also lay down solid shades to really make his art pop. This image brings his Inktober art to a close, but we recommend heading over to his Twitter page and checking out his other ink illustrations. They're so good they look effortless, and are sure to inspire you to pick up a pen and a brush and create your own masterpieces. Related articles: 7 tips for smashing Inktober 2017 Inktober tips from acclaimed illustrator Yuko Shimizu 10 mesmerising MerMay 2017 artists View the full article

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Bringing 3D art to life using ZBrush and Maya is a process involving a dozen different disciplines, from sculpting all the way to rendering. Being able to achieve the best result on every single detail certainly takes a lot of time. But, from my experience, it has always been an appreciated quality and ultimately helps you become a better artist. With this 3D portrait of Peter Dinklage playing Tyrion Lannister (from Game of Thrones), I tried to capture not only the look of the actor, but his personality, expressions, emotions and, of course, all those details that usually end up being sacrificed just because it takes too much time to create them. This includes elements such as the rings and the jacket pattern. In this tutorial I’ll provide an overview of the creation of the image and the software I used. I’ll show you how to solve some common issues and I hope you’ll find it interesting, helpful, as well as productive. If you have questions about a specific matter, follow me on my ArtStation page. 01. Find references Draw upon existing characters for inspiration Personally, before jumping into ZBrush, I love spending time finding references to get ideas about the pose I want to give my character. This is important for two reasons: we are probably working with a limited selection of resources, and depending on the quality and number of photos we find online, we could settle on an initial idea for the pose and the camera angle. 02. Sculpt the head Use layers as you sculpt to compare stages as you workWhen you sculpt the head, I’d say to start with a sphere and sculpt on it. Every once in a while use the DynaMesh tool to rearrange your mesh and update your sculpture. When you obtain a decent block-out with no details, it is a good time to make a rough retopo and start subdividing it. From now on, I would work on different sculpting layers in order to work individually on wrinkles, skin pores and volume definition, or even just to be able to see the difference a specific area makes to the image by switching the layer on and off. 03. Create the body T-pose model for sculpting clothingFor this particular asset, I sculpted the jacket directly, instead of creating his naked body first. Because of the stiffness of the fabric, I thought it was not worth using Marvelous Designer, this time at least. I sculpted a rough model, focussing only on the main folds. For the initial T-pose model, the jacket was entirely polygonal (over 200 millions polys), but that was too heavy for this render. The final pattern was obtained via texturing. The T-pose render is on my ArtStation page. 04. Sculpt the rings Objects created using Maya and ZBrushI sculpted the rings in ZBrush, one at a time. For the ruby ring, the metal material should be separate from the gem. This will help you when rendering out the ruby’s refraction. I created one of the hooks covering the ruby, duplicated it three times and placed the copies on each side of the ring. The jacket buttons were modelled in Maya and detailed in ZBrush. 05. Retopology in Maya Optimise and export in readiness for the retopology processAfter finishing the high-res sculpture (with no hairs), I optimised it with Decimation Master, from the Zplugin palette, and exported it in Maya to retopologise it. In Maya, make the decimated high-res mesh live and, in Modeling Tool Kit, activate the Quad Draw tool. From now on, you’ll be able to create new topology directly on top of the high-res mesh. Once I created my final meshes for the head, jacket, buttons, hands, and rings, I spent some time creating the UVs for each part of it. 06. Flask and glass modelling Modelling the tableware with reference to photographsAfter the asset retopo, now is the point where I decided to start modelling the glass and the flask in Maya, according to my photo references. Then I exported everything to ZBrush for the posing. These props will be used with our final character in order to create a sense of narrative – and to give our character a sense of personality – in the final image. 07. Pose the asset Subdivided meshes reflect changes to both hi-res and low-resI usually prefer to project my high-res sculpture on a subdivided version of my retopo meshes. This way, whatever adjustment I make on my high-res sculpture, I’ll be updating my low-res mesh at the same time. At this point, using the Transpose Master, I force my asset into pose. After that, I’ll have to re-tweak clothes wrinkles and the skin on the hands and face. 08. Wine sculpting Creating the liquid sculpture that will become the wineAfter posing the asset, and having both the flask and the glass in position, I sculpted the wine in ZBrush, starting with a sphere and using DynaMesh often, until I obtained a decent rough shape. I divided it into some polygroups in order to split the side shape, and connected it to the flask, the glass, and the top surface, where I wanted the wine to be wavy. At that point I used ZRemesher to achieve my final mesh, and then subdivided it in order to add some more detail. 09. Eyeballs mesh setting Focus on eye detail with separate meshesI split the eyeballs in three parts: 1) the iris with the sclera, 2) the cornea with the thin wet layer on top of the eye, 3) the meniscus. Having three meshes helped me obtain the most realistic material in Marmoset. The iris has its own roughness but, without having a second mesh for the cornea, that roughness would be visible in the reflection highlight, which would be wrong. 10. Hair strain grooming Use a combination of density strains for more natural hairI used XGen to grow long, single strain of hairs, to give me more texture space for longer curls. I had high-density strains for the thicker lower layer of hairs, mid-density strains for the basic layer of curls, and two or three strains for the external curls. These were pretty dense but with a thinner shape. I used them to create scattering curls from the main thick ones. Finally, the last two strains were proper scattering hairs. These revealed a minimal amount of single hairs, used to create the scattering effect all over the head and the curls. 11. Hair texture baking Add more detail to hair with texture bakingI used Arnold to bake the Diffuse and the Ambient Occlusion channels but, because the hairs were so thin, I had to use a trick to get the normal map, cavity, specular, fuzziness, and transmission textures. For the normal maps, I used Handplane Baker to project the strain onto a plane. In Photoshop, I used a copy of the Ambient Occlusion channel to obtain another normal map layer, focused on the single hair, so I was able to get more detail on each strain overlaying this second layer. I also added some manual variation. 12. Placement of hair cards Patience and attention required for hair placementPlacing hair cards is a process that you’ll have to do individually. Unfortunately there is no way around it. Of course, you can help speed up the process with some script to adjust the pivot of each strain, and organise different hair layers in groups, so that you can hide them easily, but at the end of the day, you’ll just have to work hard on it. 13. Place beard cards Shorter hairs like those in a beard are easier to create and place The beard, eyebrows and eyelids are easier. Because the hairs are short, you don’t have to work too hard to place every strain, but be careful with the density of your strains. I painted these textures myself in Photoshop, using the space I left in the hair texture. You’ll end up having many more polygons in the beard than in the hairs, but it’s fine. 14. Texture head and hands Bringing life to head and handsThe first pass of the Diffuse channel was done in Mari. Once I had an homogeneous layer, I moved to Painter and Photoshop to refine it, and tweak the other channels. Ambient Occlusion and the normal map were exported via Handplane Baker but, on top of that layer, I added a pass obtained by converting the diffuse channel, so that Diffuse and Normal were more alike. All other channels – Specular, Glossiness, Subdermal, Translucency and Fuzziness – have been tweaked in Painter. Next page: Learn how to texture your figure's clothing, add shaders and finish off your model 15. Create tileable pattern textures Using tileable pattern layers to create maps for jacket textureI took a decent photo of the pattern and imported it into Photoshop. After removing photo distortion, I traced the pattern onto a layer and made it tileable. For the normal map, I baked the folding of the sculpture from ZBrush in Handplane and then, using my tileable pattern layers, I created a normal map focused just on the jacket pattern. All other channels duplicated the Diffuse one in grayscale, before editing in Photoshop. I painted the dots and the lines in two layers to save as separate patterns to then fill the jacket texture. 16. Make sleeves and inner layer Tileable pattern painted by handI painted this tileable pattern by hand and used it to fill the jacket and the sleeves. For the normal map, I baked the sculpted wrinkles with Handplane and using my three pattern layers, created an additional normal map for just the jacket pattern. This was overlaid onto the basic Normal Map channel. All other channels were from duplicating the Diffuse one in grayscale. 17. Marmoset file setup Having lights assigned to groups allows for more flexibilityOne way I use Marmoset to handle lighting is choosing an HDR environment, but limiting visibility to 0.3. This way, reflections are visible mainly on glossy surfaces, but not so much on rough surfaces. A good tip is if you put all lights into a group, but NOT inside the HDR sub-group, it is possible to spin the lights group and HDR independently. 18. Create the head and hands shader Glossiness gives skin surfaces an oily finish where requiredThe main channels of a PBR material are the Normal Map and the Glossiness. I just set the Specular value to 0.04, but didn't add any texture. I spent some time detailing the Glossiness one instead. You'll notice that the forehead, nose tip and areas around the nostrils, lips, and ear tips are more oily than the cheeks, neck, chin, and all the surfaces where hair grows. Scatter, Translucency and Fuzziness textures need some testing to work properly. Depending on your model you could decide to use different values. 19. Make the eyes shader Eyes need moisture so Glossiness is the tool to useThe bumping volume in front of the iris is one of the most glossy and perfect materials in nature, so Glossiness should be set at 1.0. The actual iris is almost non-reflective. The eyeball is a translucent material, and veins in the sclera are thin but the glossiness comes from the wet layer on top. This blurs the effect, making it look more neat and homogeneous. 20. Add the hair shader Remember to set both your reflection channels to AnisotropicI had to do some experiments with the hair. I initially set up my Specular channel with a Microfibre algorithm, but it wasn’t the result I was hoping for. I ended up using the Subsurface Scatter, like the face and the hands. Using the Ambient Occlusion channel, together with the cavity map, helped break the flatness of the Specular highlight along the even polygons. Using a secondary reflection gave the best result on the hairs, more than on the other materials. Remember to set both your reflection channels to Anisotropic. 21. Rings shader Adding some fingerprint marks in the Glossiness channel helps the final resultThe rings were an easy setting. The most important value came from the tone of reflectivity, which can be found online. Everything else is a picky use of Normal Map and Glossiness to create variations along the surface. Adding some fingerprint marks in the Glossiness channel helps the final result. Just remember to model the ruby socket, and then place the gem into it so that they do not intersect. If you model this ring as a unique object, the ruby will end up looking transparent. 22. Glass shader Creating a duplicate mesh with a different process produced good glassThe best way I found to obtain decent glass was duplicating my whole mesh for the glass and flask (and ruby), and inverting the normals of each polygon. But this means values of refraction will be calculated twice. Also, in order to make this material more interesting, I suggest adding a lot of details like fingerprints, scratches and water drops on top of it. 23. Wine shader Changing the colour gradient for more realismI treated wine the same way as the glass. The only difference is that red wine’s transparency gets higher near the surface. That’s why, in Photoshop, I painted a refraction texture, gradually turning to black as it got closer to the bottom of the flask and the glass. Also, in order to make it more believable, there is some noise in it, so that the final result looks thicker. But let’s face it; it still looks like black cherry syrup! I’ll keep testing Marmoset to see if I can find a better way to handle these refractive shaders. This article originally appeared in 3D World issue 226. Buy it here. Related articles: 30 free 3D models How to sculpt a 3D-printed goblin How to create a realistic digital portrait View the full article