TheVirtualInstructor Blog

The digital age is well upon us and many artists are creating artwork or ehancing artwork using software designed with the artist in mind.  Many of us are aware of the big players like Adobe Photoshop and Corel Painter, that sometimes can be out of the price range of some artists.  Although if you are a student or a teacher, you may find that you can get some great deals on these products.  If you are not sure whether you’re ready to take the plunge into the realm of digital art, you may take a look at some of the free drawing and painting programs that are free to download.  I’ve included a list of some of the ones that I know about.  Feel free to leave a comment with others that I may have missed.  Using theses free programs will give you a chance to experiment and decide if digital art may be something that you want to pursue.

Free Software for Drawing and Painting

Gimp -

“GIMP is an acronym for GNU Image Manipulation Program. It is a freely distributed program for such tasks as photo retouching, image composition and image authoring.

It has many capabilities. It can be used as a simple paint program, an expert quality photo retouching program, an online batch processing system, a mass production image renderer, an image format converter, etc.

GIMP is expandable and extensible. It is designed to be augmented with plug-ins and extensions to do just about anything. The advanced scripting interface allows everything from the simplest task to the most complex image manipulation procedures to be easily scripted.

GIMP is written and developed under X11 on UNIX platforms. But basically the same code also runs on MS Windows and Mac OS X.” -From Gimp Website

Google Sketchup-

“Model anything you can imagine.

Redecorate your living room. Invent a new piece of furniture. Model your city for Google Earth. There’s no limit to what you can create with SketchUp.

SketchUp makes 3D modeling fun.

We believe powerful software can also be a pleasure to use – the secret is intuitive tools that work the way you think they should. Apparently, millions of people agree.” -From Google Sketchup Website

Project Dogwaffle-

“Project Dogwaffle version 1.2 (this freeware version) is based on the powerful achitecture of  Project Dogwaffle 2.0.  It’s a light, yet powerful tool for artistic expression.  We felt that the aging prior free version (v1.11b) was in need of an update, since it was written for earlier operating systems and we wanted our new users to have the speed and power of our newer software architecture. ” -From Project Dogwaffle Website

Artweaver-

“Artweaver lets you paint creatively with the help of a huge range of painting tools. You can create sketches from photos or just experiment with colors.”- From Artweaver Website
Free Trial Adobe Products- Check out the Adobe products(Illustrator, Photoshop, Flash) for free with these free trials.
Free Trial Corel Products- Check out the Corel Products (CorelDRAW, Painter) for free with these free trials.

If you are aspiring designer, then you must be able to work effectively with text in Adobe Photoshop.  Learn as much as you can about how to use the effects and tools that Photoshop has to offer to create dynamic, eye-catching text.  So why not add a couple of new tricks to your Adobe Photoshop bag with this new lesson posted on TheVirtualInstructor.com.  This lesson focuses on two interesting and easy to create effects that can be used to add to your text.  These effects aren’t limited to text either.  You can use them on any shape.  The first effect is creating a natural reflection.  This effect requires a simple duplication of the layer, a transformation, and then a layer mask.  The result is a reflection that may happen on a highly polished surface.  The second effect in this lesson shows you how to create a cast shadow.  Again, this effect requires a duplicated layer, a couple of transformations, and a simple layer mask.  To see a detailed walk through of this lesson and to see a video demonstration of this lesson click here-> Text Reflection and Shadow in Adobe Photoshop

Often times the need arises to create many copies of the same shape, image, or text.  You could select what you want copied and then paste carbon copies to edit but why waste all of that time?  Instead you could quickly create a custom brush to save you lots of time.  Or maybe none of the brushes in Photoshop suit your fancy, well-just create a new one.  It’s incredibly easy to create custom brushes in Photoshop.  Best of all, the brushes that you create are completely editable, just like all of the brushes already included in Photoshop.  You can get really creative with custom brushes.  Here’s how easy it is..

First, select your image, shape, or text that you would like to make into a brush.  The go to “edit”->”define brush preset”.  Name your brush and you’re done.  All of the brush attributes can now be applied to your custom brush.  And, until you delete it, your brush stays in your brush menu.  Have fun and be creative.

To see the video demonstration of How to Create a Custom Brush in Photoshop click here-> How to Create Custom Brushes in Photoshop

Using clipping masks to create interesting effects is a skill every designer and artist should know how to do.  Although there are variety of ways to create the same effects, using clipping masks is by far the easiest and the quickest.  Using a clipping mask allows you to create an image that shows through text.  It is not just limited to text, though.  Any shape can used to create a clipping mask. You are only limited by your creativity when it comes to using clipping masks in Photoshop.

First, pick the image that you want to use a clipping mask with.  Second, type your text or draw or import the shape that you would like to use as the mask.  Duplicate your background layer (the one your image is on).  Pull the duplicate layer above the text or shape layer.  Go to “layer”->”create clipping mask”.  A small arrow that points to the text below it will appear on the duplicate layer.  Hide your original background layer and make sure that your duplicate layer is visible.  There you have it, you’ve created a clipping mask.  All of your layer effects can still be used on any of the layers.  You can even go to the text layer and type something completely different and it will stay locked within the clipping mask.  Have fun and be creative.

To see the video lesson of How to Use Clipping Masks in Photoshop click here-> How to Use Clipping Masks in Photoshop

Using selective color to enhance a photograph artistically is a popular Photoshop technique.  There are a variety of ways that this can be achieved.  I believe that the easiest way is using a layer mask to choose which areas are to be colored.  This is how it works.  First select the image that you would like to enhance using selective color.  Pick an image that has good contrasting colors.  Think about color theory when are choosing your image.  You will be highlighting the colors, so color theory should be very important. Open your image in Photoshop and duplicate your background layer.  Go to “Image”->”Adjustments”->”Desaturate” to take the color out of your duplicate layer.  Next, choose to “add layer mask” from your layer palette. Then you will use a soft brush with the opacity lowered a bit to paint black in the areas that you want colored. Remember, you are on a layer mask, so you aren’t really painting black.  Instead, you are removing the mask to reveal the color underneath on your original background layer.  If you make a mistake, simply paint with white to desaturate the area again.

To see the video demonstration of this Photohop lesson click here-> Selective Color in Photoshop

Creating an Art portfolio for college entrance or for a job is an important step for any emerging artist.  It is important for artists to create a well crafted portfolio of artwork in order to effectively communicate the potential of the student or possible future employee.  Portfolios these days can come in a variety of forms.  Some publishers and firms will still accept tear sheets  (or a single page printed with several small illustrations) of artwork.  Others require the artist to leave the portfolio for review.  These types of paper portfolios have become a portfolio work in itself.  Be creative with how you present your portfolio to a potential employer-within reason.  You want to stand out from the other creative professionals that may be vying for the job.  Consider creating a “leave behind” that you can leave with the potential employer.  This will help them  remember you.  It could be a postcard or tear sheet, or something more creative.  You are after a creative job, so be creative and original.

Portfolios don’t have to be on paper.  In fact many artists are making digital portfolios.  I help my students build portfolios for college and all of them are digital.  It is very easy to snap some pictures of artwork with a high quality digital camera.  Be sure that you use natural light.  You should then edit the images on the computer using a program like Adobe Photoshop.  Crop the images cleanly and then adjust the brightness and contrast to match what the artwork looks like in reality.  You may take a digital portfolio a step further by creating an interactive portfolio in Adobe Flash.  (Find out to Make a Portfolio in Flash with Free Flash Lessons.) This allows the viewer to interact with your artwork and gives you another opportunity to be creative and stand out from the rest.  Burn your work to a CD.

Websites are a great way to showcase your artwork.   You can create your own or hire someone to make one for you.  Many free hosting packages are available out there.  There are also programs that feature templates that you can use to create your own website.  Keep your website portfolio professional.  Avoid putting personal pictures and the like on your website.  Be aware of download times, so that your portfolio is easily accessible to everyone.

Many students ask me about the order of the artwork inside of a portfolio.  My answer is to lay all of your artwork out on a table.  Narrow your work down to 10-12 of your very best, most outstanding artwork.  If there are any works that you are not totally sure of, leave them out.  Evaluate your artwork.  Your best work,  in my opinion,  should be the first work in your portfolio.  A first impression is important in your portfolio.  Your second-best artwork should be the last work in your portfolio.  End your portfolio with a bang.

Remember that your portfolio is a reflection of who you are as an artist.  It should be clean, creative, and well organized.  It should highlight your artwork clearly and send a positive message about you to that potential employer or that college evaluator.

Using text to create imagery is called Micrography.  It is an ancient technique that originated in the Middle East.  A variety of media can be used to create Micrography. Most commonly drawing media such as pen and ink or graphite is used.  Adjustments in the application of value create the image through the text.  By adjusting the line quality,the illusion of value changes.

Micrography is usually a painstakingly long process, but it can be done quickly in Adobe Photoshop.  First, you will need to bring in the image that you want to use into Photoshop.  I have found that portraits work particularly well. Duplicate the image layer.  Next go to “image”->”adjustments”->”threshold”.  You can slide the adjustment bar to alter the threshold effect. Next, create a text layer and cover the entire document with a small font text in black . Be sure to cover the entire document.  Make the text editable by  going to “layer”->”rasterize”->”type”.  Go to the threshold layer.  Select the white areas with the magic wand tool.  (Be sure that the contiguous box is unchecked) Go to the black text layer and select the eraser from your tools.  Erase everything in the document that is selected. Don’t worry as only the black text in the white areas will be erased.

To see the rest of this lesson and to see the video of this lesson… click here-> Micrography-Text Drawing