Creature Design from Noise

This is a sketch I did the other night. It started out just as a contour line drawing of the head only, which I molded with values.  The idea came from "Noise" ...what I saw in an abstract object.

How To Use KGamut

KGamut is a very small but useful tool that enables one to view the color gamut of an image.  It is great for analysis and creating color choices for to use in your own projects.

How To Extract Image Sequence From A Movie

 

Have you ever wanted to capture or extract multiple images from a movie you took? In this tutorial I take a MOV file, convert it to AVI with Pazera and then save the AVI as an image sequence with Virtual Dub Mod. 

How To Paint In Symmetry

There are very few programs that will allow one to paint or draw in Symmetry, which is very usefully to designers and concept artists. This is not a "How-To" in drawing symmetrically but an overview of four programs that have a symmetry tool.  I added a video walk through of the applications HERE.

Create Color Palettes in PS CS5

Here is a video that I posted to YouTube last year but never included on my blog. Keeping in the theme of "Color", I demonstrate how to create and edit color palettes from an image automatically and manually in Photoshop CS5.  The manual method is also compatible with GIMP and CS6.

-Steve

LINK: https://youtu.be/0LMsDNM0MoM

Adding Custom Brushs to Photoshop

This is an easy and fast way to add brushes to Photoshop without having to restart Photoshop.  For years I have navigated my way through layers of folders to add or delete brush sets in Photoshop, then restart it so the new brushes were available.  But by chance I stumbled on to a very simple way to accomplish it. Weather we are doing work on our laptops, desktops or  other computers, It is very helpful to keeping various installations of Photoshop the same.

-Steve

LINK: https://youtu.be/YejwZrsuIsU

Blender 2.65a Released

Well evidently I have been busy enough to miss a few things.  In this case I missed the release of Blender 2.65 and just noticed the 2.65a release. One of the changes has been the addition of "Anisotropic Shader" allowing for the brushed metal look.

Here is the LINK to download Blender.

-Steve

Hurricane Sandy

The weather has no concern for artist's schedules. Seriously we are thankful that we made it through yet another storm.  Though we did have power from our new generator, we did not have phone or Internet access so we were a bit isolated from the world.  Considering the devastation in other states, we fared quite well.  Our prayers go out to those who have lost their homes and loved ones.

Remove Linux from Windows Dual-Boot

This is not my usual post but for those who want to work in the digital world, you must know how to repair your computer ...and there are so many things that can go wrong.

I know I am not alone in setting up a dual-boot system with Windows and Linux who have later decided to remove the Linux partition, then being faced with a corrupted Master Boot Record (MBR).  I can tell this by all of the posts requesting help and the wide range of ways to fix the now "bricked" PC.

Blender 2.6.4 Released

Blender 2.6.4 has been released and can be downloaded HERE.  List of changes and features can be found HERE.

Thank you Blender Foundation!

Transform Tool Short Cuts in PS CS6

Another quick tutorial demonstrating the short cuts for the Transform tools in Photoshop CS6.  Learn how to quickly duplicate a selection, merge and transform it.

Steve

Adjusting Photoshop Brush Size

Just a simple tip to speed up productivity. Unlike the traditional way of changing the brush size in Photoshop with the bracket keys, I pass on a shortcut that I learned years back using the "ALT+Right Mouse Click+Dragging" method.  It allows to change the size quickly without reaching over the keyboard (if you are right handed) and adjust the size in faster increments.

Steve

How To Add a Color Wheel to Photoshop

Ever wanted to add a Color Wheel to Photoshop similar to the found in Corel Painter or other painting applications?  In this video I show how to not just add the color wheel but the keyboard short cuts that will help speed up your productivity.

Steve

Digital Painting Programs ...which is the best?

The question of what application is best for digital painting comes up over and over again.  The fact is that there is no so called "best".  Which application you use is based on a variety of things. such as affordability, platform (which OS), capabilities, hardware and personal preference.  Here is the run down on the ones I would suggest.

Krita For Windows

After going through the hassle of adding a dual boot to my laptop and a virtual Linux machine with Virtual Box on my desktop just to try out Krita 2.4, I come across a Windows installer for Krita.

Blender 2.6.4 Test Builds

Blender Test Builds for 2.64 are out.  That means that 2.64 will be released soon.  Download the test builds and check out the list of new features HERE. 

-Steve

Copying Is Good Practice

There are a lot of ways to learn how to perform a task.  In art one of the fundamental ways is to copy other artists work that you admire taking away skills and approaches that you may not otherwise learn. 

Spring Colors

    

Every spring I am amazed at the colors.  Part of it is how gray winter can be and the contrast that spring brings with it.  But I can't get over how brilliant and bright the colors are.  They seem faked.  If I were to see these same values in a photo or in a painting I would find it hard to believe. 

Blender 2.6.3a Update

The Blender Foundation released version 2.6.3a a few weeks back to corrected a few issues prior to the version 2.6.4 that should be out soon.  The Blender Foundation is keeping a greate pace with release dates being about every 10 weeks.  Blender can be found HERE.

-Steve

JDownloader - Download Favorite Videos

Have you ever been in a situation where you wanted to view a video or work with a video tutorial that you saw on YouTube or Vimeo or somewhere else but you didn't have access to the Internet? JDownloader will allow you to download your favorite tutorials and take them on the road with you.