*Repeat after me: It's not about the colors, it's about how the colors relate to one another. Say it loud. Say it one thousand times. And never forget it.* Don't worry about what I mean by that. Just read this blog. Ultimately, each and every post on this blog is written to support this premise. If color design is about how ...

From the swoosh on our running shoes, to the mermaid on our morning cup of joe to companies like Amazon, Oracle and Delphi, mythology is everywhere. Nike the Greek goddess of victory encourages us to banish our fears and “Just do it.” The Starbucks mermaid sets us adrift in a sea of caffeinated bliss. All of these logos represent the values ...

Gradients are one of those things that can take a design from good to great. Sometimes it’s hard to get the values just perfect though! No problem. We can check out what other people have done in the past. Below I’ve shown the original piece and then I took it into Photoshop and sampled a spot from the center of the ...

Before applying paint to your stretched canvas, you must apply a ground consisting of sizing (glue which protects the cloth fibers from the degenerative effects of oil paint) and primer (a base coat which allows paint to stick well and provides a consistent, all-over color). Utrecht Acrylic Gesso is both sizing and priming in one, and prepares any appropriate support to ...

*"Accidental Creative":http://accidentalcreative.com/ Podcast #53* Sometimes we can be guilty of artificially limiting our own creativity. When we live in fear – whether it be fear of failure or even fear of success – we can never really reach our creative potential. In this podcast, we discuss some of the sources of fear that might limit us and how to turn ...

There are tons of great website designs on the web out there. Sometimes, web users wanted to take screenshot of the website either for future reference or as collection. The easiest method to use is by hitting the Print Screen and Paste it in MS Paint. But what if we want a full page screenshot? Last time, when I want a ...

I recently got an email asking me two questions. (I’ll tackle the second one in a later post.) But the first one was: “I am interested in learning about techniques people employ for developing better connection with color - special exercises? do you keep library?” !http://artbistro.monster.com/nfs/artbistro/photos/0016/7351/paint_mix2.jpg! I thought this was a great question. And you all know how much I love ...

Most artists think sculpture is only possible in a large, industrial studio with access to a kiln, forge and foundry. While it’s true that certain processes are only possible in a large facility, there are many ways to work in three dimensions in a small studio, or even in your own living space, with no special equipment. Clay is certainly the ...

Mechanical drawings require precise, continuous lines of specific widths, drawn in a dark black ink. Originally, industry-standard use of dip pens and ruling pens (a split-nib pen with a variable width) meant that a great deal of skill was required among professional draftsmen. Ruling pens always carry the risk of dropping ink, potentially ruining hours of labor; dip pens produce lines ...

As designers, there are times when the client asks us to write copy for their project. In our experience, we're mostly called on to edit the copy written by someone else. That is a pretty easy gig, especially for those who have a good grasp of language, spelling, and grammar. But, what about writing actual copy and starting from scratch? Copywriting ...

How to pick colors for your home: Think combinations, not colors. Picking colors is in fact about picking a combination of colors. One color is no color. Did you know the human eye can't even perceive single colors? We can only see color differences, in other words: we only perceive contrasts. Therefor it's no use fretting over a single color for ...

Manufactured stretcher bars can be used to make frames that are superior to what most average artists can make in-studio. This is because the mitred mortise-and-tenons at the ends of each bar form tight friction joints that accommodate shrinkage or expansion of the cloth, whereas the joinery used in most homemade frames is rigidly fixed by nails, screws or glue. It’s ...

h4. *Fixing Your Drawing* When you have finished laying down your drawing, you can now go back and fix any small mistakes you may have made. *Using the Brush Tool,* Highlight the stroke that you want to fix. Now, simply “redraw” a brush stroke over it. Notice that the stroke that you highlighted changes. I find this tip useful for fixing ...

*ArtBistro Podcast: #76* Keith Ferrazzi Relationships are the key to success in any venture. As artists, it's critical that we be cultivating our relationships with others in our field. In this podcast, Keith Ferrazzi discusses some fundamentals of successful relationship building. Right-click (PC) or Control-click (Mac) here to save the podcast MP3 file.

Hopefully this admission will not be anathema to you, but I only recently purchased an HDTV for my home. Part of my reluctance to join the one-third of Americans in the high-definition era was cost: I recently left my job at the Wall Street Journal for the lucrative world of freelancing. But the other piece was philosophical. I didn't want to ...

*Langton Cherubino Group's new home page* Langton Cherubino Group creates marketing strategies and communications programs for others. It was time to take a dose of our own medicine. Once upon a time a Flash-based brochure-ware website showing our portfolio was sufficient. But now we have Web 2.0 and “Business as usual” is over. The new economy demands that we revisit ...

About two weeks ago, I was killing time and avoiding doing real work by checking out the site Etsy.com. On Etsy, people sell their wares (t-shirts, tote bags, etc) and what I saw over and over was some really nice screenprinting on different homemade items. Where were all these craftspeople getting access to a press? Home screenprinting is a huge pain ...