For years now, we have been using and teaching a slightly more powerful approach to digitally coloring scanned sketches/drawings/artwork (art) in Adobe Photoshop. The de-facto technique for coloring scanned art in Photoshop is to switch the document color mode to ‘RGB Color,’ set the blending mode of the layer containing your artwork to ‘Multiply’, and create multiple layers containing color underneath your artwork. What if I told you that a few extra (simple) steps before you picked that first color could make you better, faster & stronger? And what if I gave you an Action to do it?

While there is essentially nothing wrong with the Multiply approach, it falls short with regards to flexibility, speed and creative potential.

The larger pain points being:

• Your artwork layer still has white data in it, and you are not using it. The action of modifying the artwork layer becomes somewhat conflicted: “Do I erase or paint white?”
• What if you want white line-work? or orange? Multiply has you somewhat boxed in here.
• Any fill or action dependent on transparent pixels will fail, as your artwork layer contains no transparent pixels. This leaves you missing out on some pretty substantial & speedy tricks.
• The mess seems to multiply (no pun intended) as you continue to add and color additional artwork layers within the same file.

Setting the blending mode of the layer containing your artwork to Multiply is a seemingly a hacky attempt to separate the parts of the artwork you want, from the parts you don’t. Conveniently, Photoshop has a better solution for this — it’s called Channels and it has been there since the beginning.

Before you start: scan your artwork, and open it up in Adobe Photoshop. Resize if necessary, and if it’s not already there, switch the document image mode to grayscale [Image menu > Mode > Grayscale]. Most scanning software will allow you to scan directly to grayscale.

1. First, adjust your Levels [Image menu > Adjustments > Levels]. You want to clean up the lighter areas of the of the scan, removing noise and lighter grays. Adjust the darker end of the levels so that you have some true black information with the greatest possible tonal range in between. Ideally you want to get this right in one go, as your image can get pixelated looking if you keep opening and adjusting Levels. If it’s not right, revert the adjustment (undo) and try again.

2. Locate the Channels panel [Window menu > Channels], it should look like this… containing one channel named ‘Gray’.

3. The Photoshop-using free world is divided into two camps, those who use Channels, and those who never touch them. Spiritually, Channels represent the tonal values required by each color (or channel) needed to display/print whatever is currently visible on your canvas. Since we are now looking at a grayscale file, there is only one channel and it contains just the tonal values required to draw your stuff.

Functionally, all you need to realize is that Channels are essentially constantly updating saved selections, and if you Command click (right click on Windows) on that Channel preview icon you are going to select just the lighter side of the tonal information currently visible on your Canvas.

So command click (right click on Windows) that channel preview icon. You will know things are working if (like the image above) you see the selection/dashed line show up on your canvas.

4. We don’t necessarily want the lighter side of the tonal information we just sampled, we want the darker side, the line work. To accomplish this we will invert the current selection via the [Select Menu > Inverse] command.

5. So here we are, we have successfully & perfectly sampled just the dark tonal values from our artwork. Now we need to convert the selection on the screen into a new clean layer. We DO NOT want to do anything with the default “Background” layer that is currently selected and active, we want to create a new layer and then turn off the visibility of the original layer. You can do all of this while the selection sits there on your canvas. Note: in order to shy the visibility of the “Background” layer, you first have to create another layer above it.

Before we move forward you want to make sure that the NEW layer is visible and selected (highlighted) in the layers panel (see above).

6. Convert the Photoshop document to RGB (or, CMYK if that’s your fancy) color mode [Image menu > Mode > RGB Color].

7. The last step is to use the current selection to fill that information into our new layer. You can use any color you want, but black will start you off in a manner that’s identical to the scanned image. There are two ways to fill the using the current selection:

• [Edit Menu > Fill]: Use whatever color you wish, Blending mode Normal, Opacity 100%.
• Option (Alt on Windows) + the Delete Key (two above the Return Key) will fill with the current foreground color, while Command (Control on Windows) + the Delete Key will fill with the current background color. (Those are some powerful keyboard commands – use them for good, not evil.)

Deselect the current selection via [Selection Menu > Deselect].

From here, the sky is the limit. What you are looking at is essentially the same starting point you had using Multiply, but with much more potential. As you move forward, here are a few more things to consider:

• By creating a full canvas white layer below your artwork layer, you will be able to better see the full tonal range in your artwork layer.
• If you enable the Transparent Pixel Lock (shown above) on your artwork layer, you can endlessly use the Fill command [Option + Delete] to change the color of your artwork.
• If you need to edit or retouch your artwork layer, just use the Brush & Eraser tools. If you want to mask parts of it out (without destroying it) then use Layer Masks.
• As you create new layers, consider keeping each color separate (layers are free), use that Transparent Pixel Lock / Fill trick to quickly cycle through color options.
• Shadows (black) and Highlights (white) work great on their own layers. This is where using Multiply and other layer blending modes come in real handy with shadows and the blending of color layers.

The core Photoshop techniques behind this approach should come in handy quite frequently. Everything shown here was done in Photoshop CS4 but should work identically in the last few versions of Photoshop. With regards to coloring drawings and illustrations, there a few great alternate approaches that take advantage of Adobe Illustrators vector toolset. Leave a note below if you are interested.

Lastly, thanks to the excellent folks at Adobe, most everything Photoshop can do can be recorded in an Action, therefore you can simply download and load up the ‘Prep For Coloring’ action below and accomplish most everything shown above in one click. It works best if you run it on a Grayscale mode image thats fresh off the scanning bed.

T-shirts, mousepad, binder and mugs at Zazzle

A vector cartoon character designed and illustrated by Vincent. © lowvincentyh. All Rights Reserved.

Am mai exersat un pic.

Desen vectorial în Inkscape.

Adevărul că numai exersând poţi descoperi valoarea unui program sau a unei unelte / instrument.

Mai jos sunt prezentate câteva etape din realizarea desenului:
- linia desenului
- culorile plate (plasate pe un layer inferior)
- fond (pete/dungi de albastru – cel mai jos layer)
- blur, efecte de 3D (layer separat)
- efecte de păr (linii – alt layer)
- introdus şi un text

Etape în realizarea desenului.

Etapele dispuse în serial.

Şi în final câteva detalii.

Detalii din desen.

Cam asta e.

Alte lucruri utile:

Obiectele se pot suda (Weld în Corel, Union în Inkscape), ilustrate mai jos.

Liniile de contur intersectează litera, până este aplicată opţiunea Union.

O linie trasă poate fi ştearsă gradual dacă se apasă tasta Alt. Cu tasta Shift se poate adăuga o altă linie care să o continue pe prima.

Şterge din linie şi adaugă.

Sper să vă fie utile.

Spor!

Azi am vrut să văd în ce măsură se poate desena caricatură în Inkscape.

Prima încercare

Primul desen preluat apoi în Corel şi colorat.

Am încercat apoi să fac variante de expresie.

Variante de expresie.

Al doilea desen făcut în Inkscape şi detalii.

Al doilea desen şi cu detalii.

Un elefant roz în Inkscape (prima imagine) şi corectat puţin în Corel (a doua imagine.)

Elefantul roz.

Şi în cele din urmă setările pe care le-am folosit.

Setările mele pentru "Cartoon Brush".

Cam asta e, deocamdată.

Ah, şi pentru tot eram la capitolul desen am făcut şi un test de schiţare.

Schiţă de cutie cu haşuri.

http://www.vetorizar.com/

http://vectorstuff.blogspot.com/

http://www.iheartvector.com/

http://www.vecteezy.com/

http://coolvectors.com/

http://www.bittbox.com/

http://www.bittbox.com/

http://www.vectorvault.com/

http://dezignus.com/

http://dezignus.com/

http://www.freevectors.net/

http://www.vectorportal.com/

http://www.webchantier.com/

http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/

http://www.keepdesigning.com/

http://www.clipart-design.com/

http://vektordb.lafkon.net/

http://garcya.us/blog/

http://vectors.crazyleafdesign.com/

http://qvectors.net/

http://www.gfxworld.ws/

http://avaxhome.ws/

Thanksgiving is coming up and there is so much to be thankful for. Life is inspiring.

When one gives thanks, one often wants to give back. I recently had the amazing opportunity to go to New Orleans and work on homes with Habitat for Humanity.

Co-sponsored by Cutco Cutlery and Vector Marketing, the group you’ll see in this video had such a good time doing good work. Not only did we help build four homes, we raised almost $10,000!

I hope you like this special JPB vlog.

Xmas landscape card in 2 slightly different designs, with snowflakes, reindeer, pine trees,… and merry christmas lettered on christmass balls.  See download links further this post. Useful as greetings, announcement or invitation card. Have fun using!

wordpress “oh, hello there, fancy seeing you here”  me “omg, i know! its been a while”  worpress “you’ve been neglectful”  me “i know, and im sorry!”  wordpress *stares expectantly*  me “i guess i can try blogging again”   wordpress  *nods and smiles”

so im trying this new thing where i do creative things on the internet again. i know right? so not like me. i don’t think im quite ready to start making videos again. i have been photoshopping more and i am i am reading blogs again. i guess i sort of took  a leave from participating in the internet for a little while. not a whole lot changed in the time from when we last spoke. i think i got a bit taller, cause a lot of my shirts seem a tad too short. this is good, cause im like 5 ‘8 and i thought i stopped growing. also i managed to get my self a girlfriend. this is pretty new. not a ton of people know yet. were not super public about the whole thing just yet. i don’t know if shes okay with having her picture in the webz, so here is a vector of her i made.

she is very pretty and im crazy about her. this all feels so new to me. we have a very relaxed not very physical relationship. tonight we watched UP and it was pretty much the best thing i’ve ever seen.

Two very different styles of business cards for the Extreme Painter designed by Laura Stafford in Adobe Illustrator.

Business Card: Extreme Painter by Laura Stafford

Business Card: Extreme Painter by Laura Stafford

2010 calendar teaser feat Monique M.

To see more of the seek peak click here

Sneek Peak vIV -More to come

To see more of the seek peak click here

2010 calendar teaser 12 blunts of xmas…

To see more of the seek peak click here

Tot exersând texte caligrafice mă gândeam să încerc să fac un font caligrafic.

Litera e din alfabetul noului font

Deocamdată e în lucru şi astea sunt primele teste.

O mostră de text plasat pe o curbă

O scurtă animaţie cu un text mai lung

Alfabetul caligrafic în test.

Ideal ar fi să aibă mai multe variante de litere şi prelungiri decorative pentru întreg alfabetul.

Asta e.

CorelDRAW had its 20th anniversary just recently. If a software can stand for 20 years it couldn’t be that bad, right? But yes, it looks awkward and many people simply ignore it, since it is not “cool” enough. Its designer community isn’t large and the software itself has some disadvantages, which make it look a bit awkward. Let’s reviews some advantages and disadvantages of using this software.

Introduction

Why is that only people already addicted to CorelDRAW use it? Maybe they know something we don’t. In this article, I’ll review some of the issues with CorelDRAW. I think the developers of this software have created a sharp program, but not so user friendly.

CorelDRAW is very precise and reliable. All the tools give maximum control, but you must fight your way through to learn them. It’s definitely not the software that you can take for a quick spin and easily create great artwork.

The good news is that when you get used to its feature set, it becomes part of your thinking and can be a strong tool for creating astounding artwork. Let’s review a few pros and cons of CorelDRAW.

Er…How Do I Navigate?

First of all forget about the Space Bar equals Pan thesis. CorelDRAW has a navigator board but I must admit it’s not the real thing and most people don’t even know where it is (small box at the lower-right corner of the interface).

The easiest way to navigate is to zoom in and out to the pointer area with your mouse. This can be tricky sometimes if your mouse isn’t smooth enough. Sounds strange but once accustomed to this navigation technique you will get addicted to it. If you still feel lost grab the Hand Tool (H) to pan, and press spacebar to change back to the previous tool.

What About Freehand Brushes?

This is a real pain. CorelDraw’s freehand tools are only a concept but are nearly impossible to use them. Just try to do a quick hatching with the the freehand tool. You will end up with a mess, since you will continuously select the previously drawn lines.

It’s OK though, as this is not primarily freehand painting or sketching software. There are some other industry standard tools on the Corel palette (for example Painter) which excel in this field. But once again this is a week point since the core concept of the software is not to painting.

The World’s Best and Easiest Curves/Nodes Management

When you get down to the details you will be amazed how easy is to use the bezier tool and how precise its curve management is. If you are after vectorization then Corel Draw is great. Corel Draw is excellent software when it comes to vector tools. You have all the control over the nodes and curves with mathematical precision.

The right-click context menu makes vectorization so precise that technical illustration is easy to create. I take a deep bow in front of the team who developed this. This part is the strength of CorelDRAW from the dawn of vector software.

Super Fine Gradient Mesh

You need photo-realistic vectors? Just grab the super easy gradient mesh tool and you will make unbelievable vector portraits in no time. The Corel company has bundled photo-realistic art already in the version 8 clip art, and don’t forget the Hedy Lamar illustration on the cover of version 8. If you check the Corel community galleries you will find some gorgeous photo-realistic portraits, though the galleries are sometimes awkward and the community isn’t very exciting.

Highly Controllable Boolean Operations

I simply love this part of CorelDRAW. When you need to cut, weld, trim or intersect just open up the shaping docker and you have maximum control over the Boolean operations and the resulting shapes. Actually, you can base your style on these fine set of tools. Check them out for yourself.

Strange and Useful Effects

The effect palette is also a strength of CorelDRAW. I use these tools most of the time, especially the contour tool. Try some of this for extra options.

Color Separation and Prepress Goodness

If you’re working in the DTP business, CorelDRAW is your humble servant. It corrects your mistakes silently and makes color separation and prepress work as easy as it can be. The main concept of this software, the precision, has its word in the printing menu.

Screen Refreshing

If you want to spare yourself from getting upset, then don’t forget to press Command + W often to refresh the screen. CorelDRAW tends to forget to do this for you, which can be quite annoying sometimes.

Trace!

CorelDRAW has top notch tracing software integrated. It is quick, highly-customizable, and precise. Even if you don’t like other parts of the software, trying Corel Draw’s trace is a must. As a plus they have included a font recognition routine in the X4 version, which uses What the font! to find out what font was used on your scan. Nice idea!

Who uses CorelDraw Anyway?

Some really great artists from all around the world use CorelDRAW. Here is a short list to demonstrate.

AtixVector (Santiago, Chile)

machine56 (Bandung, Indonesia)

umidelmare(Wonderland)

Igor Tkac (igortshirts)

anhem

trojza (Alexander Poslykhalin)

GruberJan (Tatsyana Prokofieva)

Alexxx1 (Alexey Oglushevich)

RookeMare (Denvah, Colorado)

Ramonova (Russia)

Bmart333 (Pittsburgh, PA)

Conclusion

CorelDRAW can be awkward, especially to new users, but powerful in the hands of a seasoned user. You must decide the right vector software for you.

If you are a fan of South Park, choose Corel Draw because all the characters, scenery, and props are drawn using this vector package, as wikipedia states.

Finally, below is some artwork from renowned vectorist Roberlan, which showcase the choosing a vector software platform controversy.

Series: Kamui (manga)

Finished: December 6, 2008

Estimated time taken: 47-55 hours

Layers: Around 500.

Made in: Photoshop CS3.

Details and progress »

Original:

Comparison:

Close-up:

Note: The vector is larger than the original!

I can say that this is the vector that “took me to the next level”, and it’s therefore one of my best ones. I wasn’t precisely “skilled” and “experienced” enough when I made this, which is why it took me so long, because I really wanted to improve so I spent a lot of  hours on this vector. There is a huge difference in my old vectors and this one, which I will sooner or later also show in a new post… With my newer vectors (which I will post up soon too) I have noticed that I have become better at working with them and they take less time too because I am more secure in what I am doing.

The title is from the song Promise Me by Quietdrive.

If you’re interested in the large piece (2300px × 2000px) you can DOWNLOAD it directly from my deviantArt.

by Eileen Leopold, SA Electrotechnical Export Council

On the one hand, business is tough. South African companies are facing increased competition, particularly in Africa. On the other hand, there are still many opportunities in the energy and telecommunications infrastructure markets, and some projects are less at risk of being delayed. These include smaller to medium sized projects and those that involve “niche” technologies. This is exactly the space in which many South African electrotechnical companies excel… (more)

There has been much controversy lately over the mercury content of fluorescent tubes and CFLs. Many people are still unsure about how to dispose of redundant luminaires safely. Following all the discussions on the safe disposal of fluorescent tubes and CFLs, I have attached a sketch of a fluorescent tube breaker that we fabricated for the safe disposal of used tubes.  The pipe that the fluorescent tube slide down can be a piece of  50 mm pipe with the screwed end at the top so that a pipe cap can be used to close it when not in use – or a plug can be used. This pipe must be of adequate length so that when the tube is broken in the drum there is no chance of it shattering outside the pipe… (more)