Illustrator variables allow text URLs to behave like proper hyperlinks when saving the document as a PDF. It’s a useful trick to avoid relying on Acrobat or InDesign. Illustrator can be touchy however, so I’ve gathered a few tips to help.
Read MoreLongleaf Home is a remodeling, repair, and custom carpentry shop in the Charlotte area specializing in kitchens, baths, living spaces, and bedrooms. Although the company is new, the folks at Longleaf have years of experience to give homes the love they deserve.
Read MoreI was skimming through my sketch book the other day and decided to vector all the margin doodles and notes that never really went anywhere. For your consideration, here are 16 half-baked t-shirt illustrations with unique font pairings – all using a singular 5-color palette.
Read MoreI’ve always wanted to try my hand at glitch art by using random effects to create an unpredictable series of images. This tutorial highlights my process of creating bitmap textures in Photoshop, applying those textures to vector art in Illustrator, breaking things, assembling things, and hoping for the best!
Read MoreThe real heroes of planet Arakkis are the spice harvesters who keep the spice flowing. I finally had some free time to vector the new spice harvester from Denis Villeneuve’s Dune. Because the movie is AMAZING and I always have plenty of free time. Enjoy this overview of my illustration process.
Read MoreDesigning a playing card deck has always been one of those bucket list items for me. Playing cards can be relatively expensive and require lots of time (and artwork) to see the project through. After releasing two decks from two different printing providers, here are some tips and helpful links to get your deck idea off the ground.
Read MoreA vendor at the local farmer’s market has the most amazing pickled peppers. I’ve been chasing the recipe for years, and once I’m able to replicate the delicious fiery goodness, I’ll be ready to start my own small cannery. Enjoy this sampling of labels and logos inspired by my lady doggos, who are also very spicy and loud.
Read MoreDog treats are something of an anomaly—they are often clever, have charming illustrations, but never really go the extra mile to be memorable. Let’s address the missed naming opportunity with the salmon skin treats that are crunchy, smelly, and delicious. I beg to put before you: Crumpledfishskin.
Read MoreThird up in my series of vectoring Studio Ghibli films, and likely the most complex, is the iconic set piece from Howl’s Moving Castle. This half Illustrator, half After Effects breakdown will cover creating the castle illustration and animating everything into a short bouncy walk cycle.
Read MoreA selection of graphics to explore the challenges and benefits of working from home, as a team, during quarantine. A select few pieces from this exercise would wind up as t-shirt graphics, stickers, and even a keychain.
Read MoreThe bath house from Spirited Away is the second in my series of Studio Ghibli pieces, and I wanted to share a few details on its construction. So turn on your pixel grids and get ready to snap things to it!
Read MoreAn exploration with various marks and symbols around the mighty Spinosaurus, just for the fun of it. The resulting fact sheet makes a nice printable and t-shirt graphic—I always have fun with the science × kids illustrations 😎🦖
Read MoreTruly one of my great loves is creating architecture in Illustrator. It's mechanical, calculated, precise, and relaxing. Here's the first in a small series of Studio Ghibli pieces and some details on how I’ve created the vector illustration.
Read MoreWhack-bat requires at least thirteen players, consisting of three grabbers, three taggers, five twig-runners, one center tagger, and the player at whack-bat. The center tagger lights a pinecone on fire and throws it to the player at whack-bat…
Read MoreTexturing goes a long way towards making a piece feel complete; it adds a certain richness and depth. This tutorial will quickly take you through a vector illustration from beginning to end, and focus on how to create a colorful vector texture brush from scratch.
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