Aetuts+ Photoshop Contest Halfway Over!

This is simply a post to remind you that the Aetuts+ Photoshop Contest is halfway over. I’ve only gotten 13 submissions thus far and remember that we’ll be giving away prizes to the top 20 entries… As of this moment, all 13 are getting $10 free for the Envato Marketplaces… not to mention the other amazing prizes for the Grand Prize Winners!

Competition Banner

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Interview With Ari Weinkle

Ari Weinkle is a designer that creates some unique abstract works of art. It is this unique style that helped earn Ari a place in the prestigious Depthcore collective as well as many other features and accolades. In this interview Ari discusses why he decided to go to the Rhode Island School of Design and how he benefited from it. He also gives our readers some really fantastic advice. So don’t miss out on this excellent interview.


Q Welcome to Psdtuts+, please introduce yourself. Could you tell us where you’re from and how you got started in the field?

I am from Boston, Massachusetts and have just graduated from the Rhode Island School Design. I have been interested in art and design my whole life, but began working in the digital realm in high school. Currently, I am working at a design and branding firm in Boston.

Q Why did you decide to become a designer? Who or what exactly drew you to the profession?

I have always enjoyed creating things and making artwork. I wanted to be able to work creatively in my day job, and graphic design allows me to do that. I landed specifically on graphic design because it always seemed like one of the most tangible ways to bring art into one’s work. On another level I have been surrounded by art my whole life and was very fortunate to be able to travel a fair amount at a young age. That exposed me to many different cultures and aesthetics, which greatly contributed to my desire to become a designer.

Q What aspect of an illustration do you enjoy working on the most, and why?

To me the best part is that “ah ha” moment that comes after hours and hours of working on a project. Some people call it “flow” or something similar. After lots of errors and setbacks, things finally start to come together. Then the fun part comes where you lose track of time and can enjoy the process of creating. This usually occurs after I’ve settled on a concept and am working on the microscopic details.

Q In your portfolio you write that you have attended the Rhode Island School Of Design, why did you choose to attend opposed to becoming a self taught-designer like some?

That’s an interesting question. I felt that going to art school would expand my thinking and attitude towards art and design. On a practical level, it’s great to have a degree. I also had an opportunity to meet and work with many talented people who pushed me to work harder, and inspired me to think differently.

Q What would you say is one of the more important lessons you learned from going to college for design?

Much of what I was taught at school relates to process. For me, one of the most important things I learned was to enter each project without expectation. Instead, it’s better to work and let the process and act of creating/designing lead your decisions. It’s a very tough thing to incorporate into one’s work, but I think its really important.

Q You recently created 5 illustrations that were inspired by a trip to India, please talk about what exactly inspired you to create them and also which is your favorite?

During my trip, I went to many sacred spots across northern India. Being surrounded by so much devotion, vivid imagery, and unique sensory stimulus made me want to create this series as a response to what I experienced. The series of work was inspired by five of the principle deities in Hinduism. Each piece attempts to reduce the iconography of the particular Deity to something abstract, and not directly related to form. If I had to choose a favorite, it would be the Shiva piece, because it was the final work I created and the one which in which I pushed myself the furthest. The forms were actually generated by igniting charcoal, paper, and handmade Indian paper.

Q Who would you say are your all-time heroes of design? Both traditional and modern, and how have they shaped you as a designer?

In terms of contemporary graphic design studios, some of my favorites are, Grandpeople, Project Projects, and Onlab. Each of those studios is a bit different, but they all have me to think differently about typography. In terms of more traditional artists, some of my favorites are Joan Miro, Hiroshige, Piet Mondrian, and Mark Rothko. Mondrian in particular is someone who I never get tired of. Of course, the whole Depthcore. collective is one of my main sources of inspiration… everyone there is top-notch and have really helped bring my work to a new level.

Q Thanks again for providing Psdtuts+ with this opportunity to interview you. Any final thoughts for our readers?

Thanks for having me… all I can say is to keep creating! The world needs more meaningful art and design.


Where to find Ari on the Web

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Quick Tip: Color Your Artwork Using Actions in Photoshop

Photoshop actions can make lots of tasks easier; from batch processing to handling simple, every day tasks. Actions can seriously improve your workflow. In today’s quick tip we will demonstrate how to use actions to help color your artwork. Let’s get started!


Introduction

I must to tell you, I’m a lazy person and I always want to reduce the amount of extra work I have to do, even if it’s just one more click. I work at an advertising agency and every minute counts, today I’d like to share a quick tip that I learned that really makes my life easier.


Step 1

To start things off, I scanned one of my drawings and opened it in Photoshop.

Adjust the image a little with levels to get cleaner lines.

Create two new layers under the sketch layer, fill the lowest layer with white. Set the sketch layer’s blending mode to Multiply and set opacity to 30%.

Now fill it with basic colors. I use small hard-edged brush to paint edges of elements. Paint it on transparent layer between white background and sketch. Some people will ask, why don’t you use pen tool to do that? Right, you can use shapes to make basic coloring, but I prefer the hand-drawn look for my drawings, and not perfectly smooth.

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Step 2

Here comes our first action. Go to Window > Action. Click Create new action icon.

You get new action pop up, now let’s give it a name – Color fill, and most important thing: choose F9 in Function Key drop down. This will be your shortcut for this action. You can use any other F key from the list, just keep in mind what by default F keys bringing some pallets, for example F5 open Brush pallet, so may be you want to keep it. Now click Record.

Pick Magic Wand Tool (W) and click to choose empty area inside painted edges. Now go to Select > Modify > Expand, set Expend by 1px and click ok.

Now press Alt + Backspace/Delete to fill selection with foreground color. And press Command/Ctrl + D to deselect. We finished to record our action, so go to Action pallet and click Stop playing/recording icon.

Now when we have our action ready we can continue paint. I draw edges of cream on new layer with light pink. Using Magic Wand Tool (W) select the inside and press F9 to get a nice and clean fill.

I use same technique to fill all parts of image. I don’t have to use it for small parts, like hands, it’s only good for large areas.


Step 3

Now draw more details. I will create the action, which make a new layer with clipping masks, this way I can paint inside basic shapes, but each detail on new layer. So, like we done before, create new Action by clicking Create new action icon. Name it Clipping mask, I chose F8 for Function Key, and click Record.

Create a new layer above let’s say the cream layer and make it a clipping mask Command/Ctrl + Alt/Option + G. Then go to the Action pallet and click Stop playing/recording icon. It looks like a really short action, but believe me, its saves tons of time then you use it over and over.

Keep adding details, using the F9 action for fast filling and F8 action to create new clipping masks.


Final Image


Conclusion

As you can see, actions are great for performing small repetitive tasks. For example, at work, I use F keys actions to convert to smart object, save as jpg, duplicate folders –  all the small things you use hundreds of times per day. Each one of you can create a set of actions you use the most. You can also use Shift and Ctrl/Command keys combination if you don’t have enough F’s. I hope this little trick will help you to work a little bit less.

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Create Typography That’s Going Down the Drain – Psd Premium Tutorial

In this Psd Premium tutorial, author Alex Beltechi will demonstrate how to create another typographic treatment from scratch using pipes and hoses for letters. In this tutorial you will learn how to plan paths in Illustrator, model them in Cinema 4D and bring them alive in Photoshop. You’re going to need to know the basics of Cinema 4D for this one, as today’s focus is on Photoshop. This tutorial is available exclusively to Premium Members. If you are looking to take your typography skills to the next level then Log in or Join Now to get started!


Professional and Detailed Instructions Inside

Premium members can Log in and Download! Otherwise, Join Now! Below are some sample images from this tutorial.


Final Image


Psd Premium Membership

As you know, we run a premium membership system here that costs $9 a month (or $22 for 3 months!) which gives members access to the Source files for tutorials as well as periodic extra tutorials, like this one! You’ll also get access to Net Premium and Vector Premium, too. If you’re a Premium member, you can Log in and Download the Tutorial. If you’re not a member, you can of course Join Today!

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Build me a program by dkibel18

We currently need a writing program that includes an article spinner, grammer checker, word counter, and when a topic is typed into the search box it automatically searches for information for that topic and automatically writes an article, saving the skilled article writer time and money… (Budget: min $5000 USD, Jobs: C++ Programming, PHP, Ruby & Ruby on Rails, Software Architecture)


Redirect Script Needed now for Clickbank Product by hirefreelancers

I have a link for a special deal on a clickbank product but the link does not contain my affiliate ID. I need a way to redirect the user through my aff link but also let them use the special link that gives them the special price… (Budget: $30-$250 USD, Jobs: PHP, Software Architecture)


Write and post 160 x 150 word articles to wordpress by southerntulip

Only bid if you are a native english writer. The task is to write 16 x 150 word articles for each website (wordpress blog) provided to you. I will provide you with 10 websites, therefore a total of 160 articles need to be written… (Budget: $250-$750 USD, Jobs: Article Rewriting, Articles, Copywriting, Ghostwriting)


mobile web project for www.scrappfightmag.com by qnect

http://www.scrappfightmag.com/ – We need a rockin mobile / ipad / blackberry / droid / anything design for what you currently see. The app needs to detect the mobile device and offer the same state of the art look we currently have and format to every mobile device out there… (Budget: $250-$750 USD, Jobs: Mobile Phone, PHP)