Its been over a year since I attempted a painting as large as this and I felt it had been too long so bought myself a canvas, came up with a few ideas what I wanted to create and started to paint. It was quite therapeutic and I want to keep this side of me alive especially with most of my creativity now taking place in the digital realm painting has a more human and spiritual feel to it.
Abstract painting style
My style of painting is never aiming to be accurate as I feel with the advent of computers they have removed the need to be able to paint or draw accuaretly, computers and robots can do that perfectly anyway. Something that computers and robots will always lack is emotion and that is what seperates man from machine thus my style is an emotional response to an experience I have had in my life.
The concept
This painting is representative of a time when I didn’t really know where I was going and I felt frustrated, angry and incredibly lost in a world that seemed to be totally against me progressing to a place where I wanted to be.
I don’t want to give too much away in terms of the design of the painting at this stage but as it progresses over the next few days I will update you with some more information here on my blog so watch this space!
I realise that not everyone enjoys reading and some prefer a more visual approach to learning. Video blogging is something I have been interested in doing but never got around to trying out. Now I have decided the time is right to venture into YouTube to try and share some of my knowledge in a different format. Why not check it out in this video below : –
Now you have seen my first free tutorial if you have any suggestions what you would like to learn in Photoshop or other programs then please suggest ideas in the comment box below and I will try to adhere to your needs. Look forward to hearing from you guys and follow my rss feed or youtube channel for further free youtube photoshop tutorials 🙂
Remember the good old days of red and blue glasses before all this high-tech 3d imagery came in. One lens red, the other blue? Well in this totally free tutorial I am going to teach you how to create your very own 3d imagery! The things you will need are a) patience and any version of Photoshop as the same rules apply for cs to cs6.
Being a designer can be one of the most rewarding professions available to you (if your main talents are creative) but getting your first fully paid professional design job can be difficult particularly in this economy. It is a highly competitive market with thousands of new design graduates graduating every summer, opportunity to step into the creative industries is becoming more & more difficult. In this blog post I discuss what you will need to secure that dream vocation combined with my own search for a job in the creative industries.
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Passion
Most people find their passion when they are a child. Francis Xavier once said “give me a child untill he is 7 and I will give you the man” meaning that you will know what that child is likely to succeed well in by that age. What did you enjoy when you were just a toddler? Do you remember? I remember I used to draw,paint lots, design my own computer games, create my own paranormal magazine with membership & I was always on the computer! My passion was art, design & computing and it still is.
Go back to your childhood, find what it is you love and continue to develop that passion!
Skill Progression
With time comes new technology, new technology means as a designer you must be willing to and wanting to learn about the latest trends, fashion & tools for creation. If you decide to stop learning and just happy to deal with the skills you have within 5 years you will be outmoded by the other designers that are constantly improving themselves. Don’t loose the race, keep practicing and keep learning.
One way to do this is use youtube for free photoshop tutorials, stumbleupon for the latest news in your industry, websites like www.photoshop.com for free tutorials or do a google search for the thing it is you are wanting to learn. The internet is a haven for everything you have EVER wanted to know if you search hard enough.
Website
Again if you are serious about becoming a designer buy a domain name, hosting plan & start making content for the web. Also sign up to creative social media such as creativpool , behance, dribble, deviantart & flickr. Getting your work out to the masses is important…
Time Management
What do you do with your time? Do you spend more time watching tv than progressing your skills? Do you go out drinking three days out of seven? Could that time be used better? Everyone has a choice how they use their time but if you are serious about becoming a top designer , or a top anything in the industry you have chosen to enter you will have to reassess your time usage and see if you can use it in other ways. With the job market so competitive drinking with friends will keep good friends but they wont necessarily help you with job opportunities unless you are fortunate enough to have friends that are in the same industry as you.
Do another job but keep practicing
Its okay if you are doing something totally irrelevant to your dream vocation of a design job, we all need to live.
My first job I was 18 in 2001 & i was working as a sales assistant in Burton Menswear, then I did bar work as a cocktail barman, I then tried plumbing, labouring, painting and decorating for years whilst practicing to become an architect, RNID Typetalk Operator ( so deaf people can use phones), a photo lab technician & eventually…when i was 28 in mar 2012 I finally landed my first creative job I had seeked since 2008…but it wasn’t in my hometown.
To make sure you don’t loose your passion that you had as a child, be focused & allocate time to your hobby when you are free so advancing your skills and knowledge base will continue to increase. One day you will have the portfolio to show to potential employees.
Do a degree or don’t do a degree?
This is something that many designers wonder. The benefits to degrees are you are learning from highly experienced designers with a lot of knowledge, you are learning how to research properly, you are showing potential employees your ability to commit to something with some intellect and you will have an aim such as design briefs to where you are designing to keep you motivated.
If degrees are good value for money is still in question. I think if you are really talented, with a strong portfolio and you have confidence ( not arrogance) you don’t need a degree.
Create things for friends and family
Be warned, although this seems like a good idea it can be frustrating, very frustrating and the only benefit to you is that you will increase your portfolio..thats not going to put food on the table.
I would recommend you advertise yourself on fiver.com or freelancer.com and at least get a small fee for your time whilst you build your portfolio up as friends are unlikely to pay you..or at least not what you would expect to receive for your skill and time.
Hit a brick wall, hit it back..or alternatively ..go around it
I graduated from Architecture in June 2008 when architecture and banking had taken a huge hit due to consumer confidence around the world. Such an effect that there was a 3000% reduction in part 1 positions ( the first stage to learning the practice of architecture ). This was very hard hitting and devastating especially when you put a lot of money and time into progressing your career and educational cv.
Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, yes you feel low and like you are being wasted but push yourself on, im sure there is another avenue for you. I tried teaching but that was not for me, i never wanted to work for government and it is just isn’t rewarding especially when you have pursued a career as a creative for so long before. The good thing about that course is that it opened up my eyes to IT as a creative avenue. Two paths were wrong for me but both gave me skills and experience to becoming a branding/graphics/web designer today.
Take it on the chin
Naturally, most creatives are very in touch with their emotions, that is what makes great artists great but learning to control your emotions when dealing with others opinions is important because not everyone will be a fan of your work so you need to get used to criticism. Criticism isn’t bad, it is how we designer’s make things better just as long as it doesn’t become personal then it can only make you a stronger professional.
Hardest truth for anyone pursuing a career dream
How important is success to you compared to being close to friends, family and your home town?
The truth is your perfect job opportunity may not be where you have lived all your life and gained friends, life experience & comfort and for me…it wasn’t.
It was only after my most severe breakdown that I realized that I HAD TO leave my hometown as there was no opportunity and i was prepared to go ANYWHERE in the world ( I even began learning spanish & traveled to South America alone to work out if it was the place for me). You too need to adapt that attitude if you are serious about following your dream vocation, get you suitcase, pack your easel, paintbrushes & pens & get travelling! Remember, travel broadens the mind and being creative, that can’t be bad!
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Any other suggestions to how to become a designer please comment below
For a while , I have been thinking about creating a shop where you can buy art prints of my paintings, photography & sketches as I have quite a few but they are hidden away in my own collection not seeing the light of day. I didn’t really know how to go about this but I knew there must be some website out there that will offer the ability to create and sell prints to the public.
DeviantArt Print Shop
DeviantArt is a social media platform for visual creatives to display their work & connect with people who like the same things as them. Not only this but they also provide a service for you to be able to sell your works! Fantastic place to start for any new young artist! Whether I will make any sales or not is yet to be seen but it does give a platform in order to do this fairly easily.
Prints Available
Below is the art works that are available for sale in various formats from mugs, coasters, small prints, canvases & photos.
So you are setting up a new business and you need a business card created that really stands out from the industry you are entering, how are you going to do that? Hire a designer to create a very abstract creative design? Well Vistaprint recently contacted me with some fantastic novel ideas you may not have considered..
Aboveis an infographic with 31 creative uses for business cards .
8 of the best ideas from the Vistaprint infographic I particularly like.
creative uses for business cards no 1
Meeting a potential client in person? Why not make them feel extra special with a special discount on the business card you give them? That may just close the deal if they were wavering about it..everyone likes to feel a little bit special.
creative uses for business cards no 2
Every single business in the modern age now uses social media to connect to its audience and if they don’t they should do. Make sure to put your social media id’s on your business card for a more personal and direct connection to your fans, customers & business partners.
creative uses for business cards no 3
Got a major event coming up in the future or one that you attend regularly? Make your Customers aware on your business card.
creative uses for business cards no 4
Giving your business card a 2nd purpose other than to give your details to the person receiving it may get the recipient using it more places. A bookmark is one idea, particularly good if you are a 2nd hand book shop. Just think about your product or service you are selling and convey it on your business card if possible.
creative uses for business cards no 5
Are you an event organiser? A holdiay rep or maybe a tour guide? Why not ask your customers to upload their pictures to a location online to share their experiences? Your customers view points are the most valuable thing to help promote more sales to others.
creative uses for business cards no 6
Making others feel good about themselves or seeing another smile can be very rewarding, why not send a little positive vibe out into the world. Just be careful not to use quotes as not every quote will agree with every personality. An example, “you are beautiful” could be great for a beautician or life coach.
creative uses for business cards no 7
Getring good feedback from your clients?Great! That will surely help give your potential customers a little more confidence in you. Before you do this make sure you get permission from your customers first, you don’t want to upset anyone.
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8
Loyalty is a rare thing to find these days with so many different companies desperate to win your business rewarding that loyalty with something special will make your customer feel special & give a positive impression of your company.
Want more ideas for business cards? Check out my pinterest board or alternatively use the contact button above and i can help design you a very unique and creative business card for your company.
Something I am quite fond of seeing in people is when I see compassion, love & a genuine interest in wanting to help others better themselves. On Twitter I stumbled across a tweeter that has created a very nice concept.
Children + instuctions + Cameras + Develop + Print + Exhibit = Gift
Their concept is simple. To stimulate & cultivate creativity in youngsters through the power of photography. Now how is this innovative you may say? How is going to make a difference? There was a famous guy that you may have heard of, Albert Ironstein, that once said “Imagination is more important than knowledge”, which to some degree is very true, you can be extremely good at remembering facts and learning new techniques but unless you can put the facts and knowledge you gain together with the special ingredient of creativity then the experience remains quite useless.
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Sharing our world
For me, creative professions of all shapes and sizes try to make sense of the world through communicating our experiences to others in various forms hoping to improve the lifestyle or mind of the participant who is interacting to what we have created. By giving children cameras it allows them to communicate their view of the world to people and realise that their voice does matter.
Helping others live better without wanting anything in return is the most rewarding thing you can do
When you are a creative and you have been trained to be harness the creative potential of your mind ANYTHING is possible. I was trained for over 10 years to develop creativity. From the ages of 14 to 26 I pursued a greater interest in the arts. Beginning in Graphics, pursuing a dream of architecture when the big bad recession pushed the dream down & then realising that creative skill sets are transferable to just about any profession I retrained myself in the “creative” IT world.
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Why is what I am saying about my life experience relevant to the The Gift of an image scheme? I understand that developing young peoples creativity can vastly improve their lives and help them to dream, realise what they have to share matters & give them the skills to develop their creative genius.
View more about this scheme on Behance & see some of the images that the children have taken
As a regular blogger of all things creative and design related I know how difficult it can be to get your work out there and noticed, especially if your marketing budget doesn’t stretch so far, i.e. a start up company or someone hoping to break into an industry. If you design business cards and are particularly proud of what you have created the design industry love to see your work. I know how much I love admiring the works of others, sometimes I get completely wow’d and think how did they do that!? Other times I get hugely inspired and it leads me onto a trail of creative thoughts of my own. Like the more money you spread around, the more creativity you share with the world the more than that comes to you.
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I recently uploaded my business card design for MigSolv Data Centre Consultancy & Data Centre Designers to a fantastic little website, cardobserver.com .
If you are either : –
a) Looking for business card inspiration
b) Looking for a clever business card designer
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Then this is the site for you. Don’t delay, visit today!
[button url=”http://www.cardobserver.com/” style=”” size=”small” target=”_blank” type=”primary”] Visit Site [/button]
At the age of 20, as many creatives do, I undertook an art foundation BTEC which gave a taste into a fair few of the arts. Graphic design, illustration, 3d design, textile design & fine art where the main subject matters we got a taste of but regardless of the subject a student decided to undertake we were compulsory made to do some life drawing. When I first heard I would be drawing a life model ( or a nude ) whom I had never met it was quite a bizarre thought. Would it be a man, would it be a woman? Would they be old, would they be young? Would they be attractive or not?
ample buzzoms
The very first life drawing I did was a woman roughly around 30 with ample sized breasts. The first time I saw the woman unrobe I thought this was a bonus of becoming an artist..but then..the more I got into the drawing of her the less it was a naked woman and the more it became just another object to convey artistically on paper.
high praise
My first life drawing I did actually got high praise from my tutors. I had a very difficult angle to draw ( not shown here ) as I was at the head of her so had to draw the perspective in so she didn’t look like she was floating. I was quite happy with what I had achieved with the charcoal and chalk on A0 paper. It was actually a really fun experience.
people have character
The next time I did a life drawing it was a large woman around 70 years old …o_0. Not good! Just as well I started imagining the person as an object rather than a naked person. It wasn’t quite the enjoyable expereince as before but she did have character which is why i suppose they choose an older person for us to draw, plus it doesn’t have any connection to anything else we might be interested in at the age the most of us where.
various media experimentations
I tried testing different medias and different tools for each time I did a life drawing and the more I did it the more I enhanced my drawing skills and creativity. I do miss life drawing and it has been nearly a full decade since I last did any sort of life drawing which means it is long overdue. These are just a few of the life drawing examples I have done.
If you would like to know any more about these pieces of work then please do not hesitate to contact me.
As a child born in the 1980’s i was a keen video game player. One of the computers I played the most was the Amiga 500. I used to spend many hours playing these games, loosing myself in the imaginary world of video game artists. One of the most famous games that I used to play was Lemmings. Lemmings was about helping a group of little green haired. blue gown wearing critters get home without being squished using various means such as building brings, floating to the ground , bashing walls and more little activities. This acrylic painting is based around this game and my philosophy on the journey of life. Continue ““Let’s go” – an Acrylic Painting by JA Wilson Designer & Artist”
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Life Drawing
