Livingly Challenged by Copperthistle

by Copperthistle

Vector Software Product Box Template

A great packaging design resource from GhostOfArt. You can fully customize the template with Adobe Illustrator or any other SVG editor.

You can use it for building package design portfolio samples. To use, decompress the *.rar file with WinRar or StuffIt (Mac OS). Download

Monkey vs. Robot Papertoys

I mentioned in a previous post that I have a fondness for monkeys and robots. Here is a papertoy set with both! :) This pair is from the "Brickboy" papertoy series. Together they are a set titled "Monkey vs. Robot". What I like best about the battling duo are the whimsical details like the robot's escape hatch on top and the monkey's bare bottom. These easy to build papertoys were designed by Sjors Frimbach, Netherlands, 2005 and can be found here.

Twitter For Artists Part 3

Wow, doing an actual video tutorial is soooo hard. The hardest part is trying to be brief and create something under 9 minutes so it can upload to youtube. This video was very tough, I was unhappy with my hair yesterday and tired from the week. With all of that said, please check out my tutorial on creating a custom twitter background.

If you don't have Photoshop and still want to pimp your twitter profile you might try these links:
http://www.twitterpatterns.com/
http://www.mytweetspace.com/

Oh and be sure and see parts 1 and 2 of Twitter For artists on this blog:

Twitter For Artists Part One

Twitter For Artists Part Two

Today's Vlog Delayed

I dunno what is up with youtube, but it is taking forever for my video to process. This one has been tough all the way around. For now I will post Charlie & Chance for your viewing pleasure. Happy Friday everyone!

Concept ship model by Nicolas Crombez

More work by Nicolas Crombez on dehollander.net.







Nicolas Crombez conceptships weekly header #43 January 30th - February 20th, 2009

Keywords: weekly header 3d three dimensional concept spaceship model by nicolas crombez from dehollander.net

John Wallin Liberto concept ship

A John Berkey inspired ship design by our friend John Wallin Liberto!



Keywords: digital concept spaceship image designed by john wallin liberto capt flush garden inspired by john berkey

More Dog Art Tips in Photoshop

Today I am posting a video that shows you how to add a background shadow in Photoshop. This process video is of Taz the Boston Terrier. Throughout the first 2 quarters of the year I want to experiment with weekly process videos as I think it is a great way to share my techniques and better educate my clients and potential clients about digital art. Too often digital artists that come out of a fine art background feel like they have to be on the defensive about their tools. I feel the best way to avoid that silly trap is to share process with folks so they can come to realize that digital artists can achieve the same high or low levels as their more traditional peers. When you get right down to it we all have the same basic elements to play with; line, color, composition, balance, light, shape, mass and so on. It is what we do with it all that makes it art.
Thanks for watching guys and for your comments and support.

Free Vector Skulls Pack for Adobe Illustrator

A collection of four anatomic and one cartoonish skull illustrations from sexualtyranosaurus.

The resource is fully editable with Adobe Illustratrator. To use it first, you need to expand the .zip file.Download

Vector Flames Tutorial

TUTVID.com is another great source of Video tutorials for digital illustration with Adobe Products. You can visit and subscribe to their Youtube channel here. Click on "continue reading" to access the video.

Below you can have a look at a tutorial for Adobe Illustrator that shows you an useful technique for drawing vector flames.

Papercraft Skull Dice

Here are two unrelated pairs of papercraft dice with skulls. The red pair on top are the Oogie Boogie's dice. Oogie Boogie is a villian from the 1993 Disney movie, The Nightmare Before Christmas. Oogie also is a reoccurring character in the Kingdom Hearts video game series.

The black pair of dice are a weapon called "Demon Dice" from the video game American McGee's Alice. When these dice are cast in the game a demon is summoned who then attacks your enemy.

The Oogie Boogie Dice are by Robert Nava, USA, 2008 and can be found here. The Demon Dice are by Rick the Webdude, USA, 2007 and can be found here.

Boston Terrier Painting Video

Today I am posting an in progress video of Taz The boston terrier. This short little clip shows me painting in whiskers on this cute pup. I am trying my hand at posting some progress clips so that I can experiment with this screen capture software. I create my work on a pretty large monitor so it is always a challenge to record things so that the brush cursor is big enough to show. Anyway ... enjoy, tomorrow I will post the steps I take to create a shadow.

Omur Ozgur concept ships

Omur's website.





Keywords: digital concept spaceship art by omur ozgur 3d port docked ship cranes load vehicles air traffic control tower transport hangar

"Copenhaven metro"

The metro map of Copenhaven.
1 AI : 2 MB

Download

"Skyline Set 3"

The last collection of skylines.
Author unknown. Only for personal use.
1 AI : 3 MB

Download

"Skyline set 2"

Aaand another set of some rough style skylines.
Author unknown. Only for personal use.
1 AI : 3 MB

Download

"Bottle cap"

A nice bottle cap tamplate fpr your own design.
Author unknown. Only for personal use.
1 AI : 1,2 MB

Download

A performance by Public Movement in Łódź

UPDATE (4.February):
Public Movement is an Israeli performance group. The action you see below was made by them in Łódź, Poland.
A short explanation: before WW2, Łódź used to have a very large Jewish minority. The Jews were, among others, the owners of a significant part of the textile industry thriving in the city. Today, there are practically no more Jews there - and no more industry as well (although the industry did go on until the 70's, I believe). It is a poor and degraded city, with a lot of social problems, and where antisemitism is still present (although the vast majority of the inhabitants have never seen a Jew).
It is one of the very few places I know where one can still find antisemitic slogans on the walls.
So here you have it: the Israelis arrive and correct the Star of David. They basically make a grafitti of how it should look like, and put the correct form over the incorrect one.

And a few little ideas:
- The grafitti they choose to work with are not openly antisemitic. They simply replace one of the letters of the name of a soccer club (ŁKS) with a Star of David. So this is a "neutral" correction on a "neutral" sign.

- The ritual. Ah, the ritual. Turns it all into an action of purity. Precious.

- Notice one other, much more hidden, interpretation: the Jews are back in town. They are here, after our land. They put their stamp on the walls. They claim what is theirs (the club, the building). They are tagging their city.

- But one idea I think is crucial, and might be overlooked in all this will to interpret every single aspect of the work. Public Movement seems to be saying "Yes, this is who we are. We see no reason to be ashamed of it. Do you? Are you not embarrassed to have thought this was inappropriate or even silly, in any way?"

This is some brilliant playing with street art, semiotics, identity and politics.
The one question that I find problematic is - yes, this is on the spot. But for whom? Who is the audience? Is it public art, or just private art in public space? Or maybe it is public art, only for the audience that is reading about it now? So where does that leave the people who walk by this daily? Do we expect them to have a surge of initiative and paint over the whole signs? Or are we, deep inside, enjoying the fact that it's still there, everything is just the same, while we, the smart ones, know and watch?
I really do not know. I do not have better solutions. This, of course, is not a solution either - it is highliting the question(s). But what are we to make of this insistent neutrality right in the middle of a political issue? Is it a curse, the curse of constant distance? Or the blessing of a delicately balanced gesture, for once?

Concept ship cabin

After studying box and spline modeling, I decided to try a new technique to make a quick aesthetic shape. I call it "slice and bend":)



Object lit with a high dynamic range image






Keywords: vector lines drafted in corel draw exported to lightwave flat object extruded sliced and bent slice and bend 3d modelimg technique

Where do we stand on Internet Copyright Law?

Do you see the image above the text? I chose it without the artist's approval from this website but traced the origin of the image back to this website. Should I feel guilty about it? I've done it hundreds of times before. If I stand guilty of this crime, I stand guilty of many others too.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume I'm not alone. The Internet is a vast cauldron of video-sharing, link-sharing, knowledge-sharing, and yes, image-sharing. The spirit of the Internet seems to be that of a free culture. We are less concerned with property rights in cyberspace, and more concerned with community and conversation.

I'm writing this essay because I want to know what are the claims to ownership on the Internet. Nobody seems to know the answer to this question. There is no absolute law we can refer to. And if there is an absolute law, then the spirit of the Net seems to challenge that rule, provoke the law, even mock its upholders. But there are also some of us who place a high value on the individual and therefore demand the individual know her work is being shared; we must ask her approval.

If getting an artist's approval to post her image on my site is necessary and universal, then I should probably go back and obtain a plethora of approvals. Surely some will not be granted and then I must find another approval and another. Does it seem to you that this is the way things work on the Net? Or do people merely take what they like (like myself) and showcase it. Keep in mind in no way am I trying to pass off these images as my own. In fact, I credit the artists here. But I do not go so far as to ask each and every one of them if I can post their pictures. Many are in fact dead.

The Internet poses this contradiction. We recognize that file-sharing is rampant and that the wheels and cogs of the Web involve a dissemination of information; and yet we also feel the twinge of our old system of rights, copy rights, property rights, etc. To what extent is cyberspace a common space? And to what extent is it privatized? At what point should one say, "No, that's not yours; that's mine. I know I put it out there for all of you to see, but I only wanted it to appear on my site and not anyone else's."

Luckily nobody has ever said this to me. And if they wanted their image taken down, I would immediately do so. But I do not feel the need--in this wave of free-culture dissemination--to ask each artist for the approval to use their image.

I was provoked into writing this essay because of a post on a favorite blog of mine. The article, entitled "How to use Hyperlinks in Blog Fiction" didn't specifically address copyright, but the nebulous area of Internet copyright turned up in the comments.

Bekah, a blog fiction writer, wrote:

"Yes, linking to things should be fine, although not if you pretend it's your own work. But otherwise, of course that works. But putting non-stock images in blogs-- definitely a copyright infringement, even if you give credit. It is true that a lot of illegal activity occurs on the web, but it's also true that many lawsuits have followed. This isn't likely in any case, but I don't want to get near that."

I don't know much about the "many lawsuits" of Internet copyright law. What I'm more familiar with is the excess of abuses of copyright law. Especially surrounding file sharing. In the music industry in particular, copyright law is bending toward the file-sharers' favor. Apple has removed the copyright protection on its mp3s and the music industry has publicly declared that it will no longer sue individual file-sharers.

Bekah continues:

"That being said, I don't think it'll ever be okay to post someone else's picture on your blog without permission, but I don't think that anyone is suggesting that you can or should do that."

Now, artists who do not want their images shared take precautions. Some photos on Flickr for example will not copy to your hard drive because the artist has formerly set restrictions on them. In this case, it is impossible for me to copy them and the issue is moot. But what about in the cases where I can copy people's pictures. Is it wrong?

Another blogger, who runs an art blog called Vince's Ear, writes:

"Well, Chris that's an interesting question because copyrights and copyright law can be interpreted in a number of different ways, including in the courts. The main thing for me to know is something called "Fair Use." I won't be able to sell a copyrighted image in any certain form, but I can perfectly legally display the image on my site for educational purposes."

He goes on to say:

"Sorry for such a long response but I'd mainly say if a blogger is just putting images on a site, there is no need to worry at all, it's Fair Use. If you were to print and sell the Novel of Life, make sure any illustrations are in the Public Domain, or you have permission if they're not."

I consider my writing educational and therefore the "Fair Use" clause may apply to me. The educational purpose behind this essay (and its adjoining image) is to make people think. But I must be honest here. I pick the images for aesthetic reasons mainly. This reflects a deeper attitude I have about the Internet, art, and information.

I suggest we are entering a new model of human relations, one based on the macro level of exchange, not the micro level. The individual will benefit from this system just as she benefited from the old system; she may even benefit more. When information/art/work is shared by the media, libraries, universities, publications, and organizations more fluidly and freely, there is less emphasis on individual compensation and more on communal benefit. Pictures, photographs, and images are floating around everywhere. If you wanted to track down every "thief" who re-posted an image on the Internet, you would be swimming against the current not with it. The current is in favor of shared knowledge and shared art.

It will take us some time to re-imagine ourselves with fewer boundaries. Because that's what this all points to. The boundaries are dissolving all around us, geographical, political, cultural, racial, economic. The mutual exchange of ideas, images and texts will benefit us all, as it already has. We will only see this when we see it as giving work/information/art to each other, rather than taking it.

I am an artist myself. I write novels. But I've chosen not to pursue the path of traditional publishing (A) because it is crumbling and (B) because I feel I am part of a different economic model. I'd rather give my content away for free. What is a publisher but a protector, someone to handle my money? I don't need a publisher. What I need is an audience. When I find an audience, I will get paid by myself.

The tectonic plates are shifting. We will soon come to realize that the proliferation of an artist's work is worthwhile to everyone, artist, community and God. (I don't believe in God but I think He will benefit too.) So called "property rights" in an online world is a chimera.

Silvio Gaggi's scholarly work elucidates these truths. In From Text to Hypertext , the distinction between print and online worlds is made evident:

"Walter J. Ong argues that 'print creates a new sense of the private ownership of words' and that a 'resentment at plagiarism' develops with writing. Hypertext, in contrast, reinforces a sense of learning more as a communal than an individual endeavor. It creates situations in which individual contributions are likely to get lost within the conversation as a whole, and it creates new kinds of communities emancipated from physical, geographical, or political boundaries."

This book written in 1997 presages much of what is going on today. The author uses the term "hypertext" to describe the textual networks of the Internet. While that word sounds outdated, the gist of it has relevance. Hypertext is shared text, linked text, common text. Blogging is a form of hypertext. From their niches blogs are woven into the greater body of the Net. Blogging is also a conversation. Search engines determine the relevance and popularity of a site based on its links. Complex algorithms pick up on strong and weak links and thereby rank the page. This essentially means that the search engine, that great, sacred filter of online knowledge, values conversation and exchange over private ownership. In essence, what is shared is of higher value than what is not.

Silvio talks about the two mindsets behind the print and online world:

"Individuals accustomed to an ethical system based on the book regard any infringement on their authorial rights or any use of a published text, without appropriate permission, as a moral and legal wrong . . . In contrast, individuals who have become accustomed to hypertextual exchange tend to regard any impediment to free exchange as a serious wrong. The free development and dissemination of knowledge is more important than always giving precise credit where credit is due."

And here:

"Richard A. Lanham says that 'electronic information seems to resist ownership', and and Landow argues that 'from the point of view of the author of hypertext, for whom collaboration and sharing are of the essence of 'writing,' restrictions on the availability of the text, like prohibitions against copying or linking, appear absurd, indeed immoral, constraints".

So where do we stand on Internet Copyright Law? Should I feel guilty for posting the image above this article? I'm looking for answers.

Of Light Dreams and Dark

Oren Lavie - Her Morning Elegance (2007)
Upload by: IgnitionVM

Jerzy Kucia, The Ring (1978)

Volkswagen Papercraft - Two Tone Beetle

VW Beetle Series, Part 5
This has to be my favorite build out of the five papercraft VW Beetles I have completed so far. All the parts had a very good fit and whoever drew the template added some nice touches of shading. I was unable to determine who created the template or how old it is. The two page, sixteen part template is available on this web page. There you will find several other Beetle templates in addition to this one.

PS. If you missed the previous Beetle builds in this seven part series you can view them here.

New Maltese Art

"Dudley & Tucker"

Just uploaded proofs for Dudley & Tucker. If you are a client waiting on proofs please hang tight for just a few more days. I am working overtime to try and get 3 clients proofed per day every day this week.

Concept ships by Chipp Walters

Check out Chipp's blog.









Chipp's tutorial on creating a Sci-Fi model and scene using the free version of Vue 7 Pioneer.





Keywords: 3d three dimensional concept spaceship vehicle models from by industrial designer 3D artist software programmer chipp walters tutorial on creating a concept ship using the free version of Vue7 Pioneer

Random Vectors #04

A collection of random vector graphics for Adobe Illustrator from ysr1. The pack contains over 50 high-quality silhouette illustrations that could be useful logo design brainstorming and decoration...

The set is in EPS file format, so you can customize it with most vector editors. For a detailed preview of the set click on the image below. Download (EPS).

Concept ships by Mike Mu

metalkid on Deviantart.







Keywords: concept spaceship sketch paint designs from artist mike mu metalkid blue viper scout vessel

Twitter For Artists Part Two

Last Friday I started blogging about twitter for artists. Today I want to talk about customizing your background image for twitter if you happen to be a twitter user. The video above is a tour and discussion of creative backgrounds on twitter. I shortened it as much as I could and a few of my favorite grounds got edited out so I will include them here in this post.

This screen shot below is of Claudine Hellmuth's twitter profile. She has taken the professional approach of using the background stripe from her website as her background image on twitter This a great technique for reinforcing your brand and creating recognition between your various web out-posts.



Below we have "sparklepaw's" profile. This twitter user created a fun web badge that highlights items on the left from their Etsy shop. I have seen several twitter users take this very direct approach to promoting their Etsy shops. I like it and in fact I have purchased from twitters users that do this.

If showing off items for sell seems too bold for your on-line presence then check out the screen shot below where "artmind" has taken one large image and placed it at the left. I love this background image because no matter how you resize your browser it still looks good.

Next week I will post a simple tutorial on customizing your twitter page and include some helpful resource links for folks that may not have access to image editing software.

"Cleveland metro map"

The metro map of Cleveland. Enjoy.
Author unknown.
1 AI : 400 KB

Download

"Ugly insects"

Collection of some very ugly stencil style insects.
By vectorstuff.
1 AI : 4,5 MB

Download

"Moscow metro map"

The metro map of Moscow.
Author unknown.
1 AI : 1,5 MB

Download

"Bud Spencer"

Yeah! Bud Spencer sprayed style sillhouette. Enjoy.
By vectorstuff.
1 AI : 1,3 MB

Download

"Skyline set 1"

Rough but nice set of some city skylines.
Author unknown. Only for personal use.
1 AI : 2,8 MB

Download

Spirited Away Papercraft - Kaonashi Mask

I have finally finished another papercraft design: a full size Kaonashi mask. Kaonashi (a.k.a. No Face) is a masked, cloaked spirit who feeds on the emotions of others in Hayao Miyazaki's 2001 animated film, Spirited Away...

Template Info
Scale: 1:1 (approximately)
Finished Size: 6"(15.2 cm) x 9.75"(24.8 cm) x 1.5"(3.8 cm)
Number of sheets: 2
Number of parts: 13
Difficulty: 3/5
Download: Here

I tried to keep the joints and fold lines to a minimum which can make fitting the parts together tricky if you are not careful with the accuracy of your build. For best results start building from the center and work your way outward.

Andrew Ley concept ships

One of conceptships' favorites... Andrew Ley. Andrew's sketchbook on CAorg.





Keywords: concept spaceship vehicle design by senior concept artist andrew ley art director canberra australia manchester united kingdom