Published on January 28, 2008
in 3D.
I don’t usually link to our admissions website - it seems narcissistic, somehow, especially with the link quite evident in the sidebar there. However, Evan and I recently completed this Behind the Scenes photo essay. I had a quick concept for a character, and Evan put in the man-hours to flesh out the concept, then model, texture and rig him using 3ds max and ZBrush. (ZBrush isn’t yet offered in our programs, but we expect it to be added this summer.)
After the model was rigged up, I posed him and created a print ad, and Evan did up some Flash animations. There are some longer animations which will be available on our website at a later date, as well.
The photo essay takes you through all the steps, and gives a pretty good impression of the work (and fun!) involved in creating a 3D character from scratch.
Behind the Scenes with DArTT –>
Very pretty place to find top-quality web fonts. Remember, never use decorative fonts for body copy (”copy” being a fancy word for “words” or “text”) - these should be used only to create images with text on them, for headlines, etc.
Fawnt.com –> [via hello.bauldoff]
In the spirit of showing my students some examples of how to make one animal look like another, here are the top two entries in Worth1000’s latest Mamsects and Insmals contest. Above is a leopard insect. If you look closely I think Mandrak (the artist) has used grasshopper and wasp as well as leopard sources.
See how the placement, size, and orientation of the markings lend reality to the piece? Another reason I like this one is the great contrast between the blurry lime green and the bright yellow and black on the ‘mamsect’ - it allows the subject to really stand out. The lighting is really important here as well - all of the source images were either lit from the same light source, or altered to appear so. You can see why it won the contest!
Below is a set of source images posted by HopePhoto to show how he put the final image together. I’ve posted some detail closeups for you to peruse as well. See how the horse’s texture was kept while altering the structure of the legs to match those of a fly? This is almost an artistic skill, to use a reference like this. It’s important to note that the wing’s resolution was very high in order to be placed so large on top of the horse. Little details like the fur under the horse’s chin and around the knee joints are why this one stands out for me!
You can see full-res versions of these entries (and the rest of the contest) here:
Worth1000 Mamsects & Insmals 7 –>
Published on January 22, 2008
in Tutorial.
Peachpit press is where many of our favourite book series and authors come from - Hands On Training, Robin Williams, Classroom in a Book - and they’ve recently begun publishing articles and videocasts on their website, free to browse and view.
There are plenty of topics to choose from, but today I’m pointing you at two Photoshop topics that should be immensely useful, especially for beginners.
Layer Masking 101 Video Tutorial –>
Photoshop Shortcuts –> (note: CS3 does not have ImageReady, but the rest of the tips I use every day!)
A fascinating read into the undertakings of Nick Sherman in his Advanced Letterpress class a while back. Along with the process he went through to get the physical output you see above, a read of this will give you more insight into type and typography.
Intercut wood typeface project –> [via coudal.com]
Published on January 15, 2008
in Design.
I don’t often recommend books here, but this one has such an appropriate website I couldn’t help myself. I actually don’t even have this book, but the website makes me wish I did. When you rollover each of the principles where the navigation usually is, instead red notes appear showing actual examples of each principle used on the site itself. Genius, pretty, usable, and totally web-standards friendly.
If you don’t buy the book, at least check out the site!
The Principles of Beautiful Web Design –>
I probably can’t express properly my adoration of the artwork furiae.com. The site navigation needs some work (the confined box is way too small!) but Linda Bergkvist, the genius behind it all, hasn’t posted or updated since January 2007, so I suppose she can be forgiven!
The whole site is gem after gem of brilliant digital painting and artistry, but what I really want to point your attention to is the tutorials. It’s not obvious right off that she has them, but if you choose Gallery, you’ll then get an option for Tutorials. Then you can choose from a nose tutorial, thoughts on skintones, a lip tutorial, painting an eye, textured brushes, painting hair, & smooth blending. Every now and again I go back to these pages as a refresher, and I’m always inspired to paint something new.
Furiae.com –>
Published on January 15, 2008
in Business.
A highly impressive group of more than 100 Flickr sets by Maryellen McFadden, a retired graphic designer in Oregon, this is an excellent resource for graphic designers. Vintage photos, Pictorial Modernism, the graphic design history from Switzerland, Canada, Cuba, Japan and more, film posters, calligraphy - you name it, she’s got it, and it’s in spades and very high quality, at that.
It’ll take a long time to get through this, so make sure to bookmark it and use as part of your morgue files for reference whenever you need a boost.
Graphic Design Photosets on Flickr –> [via SwissMiss]
Here’s a description of Semantics, CSS, and web standards that should help the newbies get a grasp on it. It’s geared towards helping people who are used to designing with tables let go of the old and embrace the ‘new’ (this is of course a year or two old, but I’m thinking of my students!).
12 Lessons for Those Afraid of CSS and Standards –>
