Welcome back , my fledgling hackers! Lately, I've been focusing more on client-side hacks. While web servers, database servers, and file servers have garnered increased protection, the client-side remains extremely vulnerable, and there is much to teach. This time, we'll look ...more
The artwork for Minnesota's Land O' Lakes butter packaging is classic, dating back to 1928 when it was first created by Brown & Bigelow illustrator Arthur C. Hanson. The logo was updated ("modernized") once in 1939, again in the '50s, and has undergone minor modifications here ...more
Vectorizing your graphics will help improve the quality of your content. Task Tutorial helps you out in this Illustrator tutorial by showing you how to take a crappy jpeg image (a logo), clean it up and turn it into a vector graphic.
Pioneered by Rufus Butler Seder in his popular children's picture book Gallop!, and ably demonstrated by WonderHowTo favorite brusspup in the video below, "scanimation" refers to a novel (but distinctly old-timey) technique for cramming multi-frame animations onto a single she ...more
Google has added some fun Easter eggs to Hangouts that'll give you a few more ways to procrastinate throughout your day. All of them (except for one) work on the web browser version, the Chrome app, and the mobile apps for Android and iOS, and are activated by sending a specif ...more
If you're a graphic designer, you've probably dealt with clients who sent you the wrong files, like JPG and BMP "source" files. You need to the EPS vector files, but they don't know what that is, and they don't care. They want that image or logo they sent you blown up to poste ...more
Every good illustrator knows the advantage of using a Wacom tablet with Adobe Illustrator. When you plug in a Wacom tablet it doesn't automatically set your tools to be pressure sensitive. Terry White will show you how to set your brushes to really take advantage of your new t ...more
Want to create some cool effects in illustrator? Create a new layer. Draw the ellipse tool and add radial gradient, then go to transparency and select screen. Then create the star tool and deselect stroke. Drag and place the star shape on ellipse and group them. Then duplicate ...more
This video shows you how to convert a hand-drawn sketch to a vector drawing using the Live Trace Tool in Illustrator CS3. You learn how to manage tracing options, fill in gaps, and convert a Live Trace object to traditional Illustrator shapes or a Live Paint group. Check out t ...more
In this Adobe Illustrator tutorial, Bert Monroy from PixelPerfect shows you how to use the Gradient Mesh tool, which lets you divide pretty much any shape (like an apple) into a mesh. Wish a mesh created, you can alter the color of an intersecting point of the mesh with a soli ...more
Acrylic paintings of the human face are a great form of artistic expression. Paint acrylic portraits with tips from an illustrator in this free video series on art and painting. Part 1 of 15 - How to Paint portraits with acrylic. Paint portraits with acrylic - Part 2 of 15. Cl ...more
Copy the popular, retro-style 8-bit pixel art. You can use Adobe Illustrator to create this simple sort of art. This tutorial shows you how to set up your document and how to begin illustrating your project to get that old school feel for your artwork.
If you need to make some diagrams for a school project or a flowchart for a business proposal, you can easily use Adobe Illustrator 5, part of the Creative Suite package, to create them. This tutorial shows you a few ways to create your own customized diagrams.
This tutorial covers using the gradient mesh to achieve some simple shading in Illustrator. Use the gradient mesh tool in Illustrator for shading. Click through to watch this video on layersmagazine.com
This Illustrator tutorial shows you a way to make a double helix or twisted wire. Using Illustrator and the powerful pattern brush, Bert takes us through the steps from a wavy line to a realistic wire effect or double helix. To watch this episode of PixelPerfect, head over to ...more
Celebrated and award-winning children's illustrator, Jan Brett, shows how to sketch a horse. Jan teaches how to draw a colt and the Friesian horse breed specifically. Learn how to draw a baby horse by following Jan's simple instructions that go from making easy shapes to the f ...more
The Microsoft Surface has been the go-to device for many professional artists since its initial release back in 2012. Since then, the Surface line has continued to offer customers a portable, high-powered machine that's a near perfect value for both casual and professional art ...more
Give your type some perspective in Illustrator, and with much more control than the shear tool. Create perspective text in Illustrator. Click through to watch this video on vtutorial.com
Here's a neat little demonstration video on how to draw a Christmas tree using a pencil, an eraser and pen. This tree will be drawn with a more realistic looking drawing style, compared to the simplified abstract stack of triangles that people normally draw Christmas trees wit ...more
Since its debut, retro thriller Stranger Things and its characters have become ingrained in our popular culture — especially the telekinetic Eleven. For cosplayers, it didn't take long before they grabbed their boxes of frozen Eggo waffles, blonde wigs (or bald caps), and pink ...more
Bert invites Morty Golding to offer a tutorial on drawing within Adobe Illustrator utilizing the pencil tool. Follow along and start using some of Illustrator's advanced features and draw in Illustrator!
Illustrator's gradient mesh tool is a powerful one for vector artists... if you know how to use it. This tool can help create beautiful and vivid mesh-based vector portraits, as long as your skills are up to par. If not, try out some of the beginner tutorials on WonderHowTo fo ...more
Professional illustrator Stik walks through some drawing techniques using chalk pastels. Chalk pastels are familiar from Degas sketches, and create a soft finish. They can be used to shade and the hard edge can function as a pencil. Learn some techniques of rendering pictures ...more
To draw fancy letters, block out the basic outline, begin adding ornate details inside them and even add vines and filigree around the outside of the letters. Draw fancy letters to start off a new chapter in a book with creative tips from a professional illustrator in this fre ...more
Looking for a quick guide on how to use the Auto Trace tool when working in Adobe Illustrator CS4 or CS5? This clip will teach you what you need to know. Whether you're new to Adobe's popular vector graphics editing software or a seasoned professional just looking to better ac ...more
Ever wondered about the flare hitting your eyes from reflective surfaces (vehicle mirrors)? Let's create one. Open Adobe Illustrator with an image and embed it. Take the flare tool from tool palette. Draw the first shape and then second shape. To change settings, go to flare o ...more
Placing images inside text is nothing new. However, the old way involved converting the text to outlines first and thereby making the text uneditable. In this video you'll learn how to fill your text with an image while maintaining complete edit-ability of the text using Illus ...more
This is a quick little tutorial that will show you how to use these three versatile tools in Adobe Illustrator. They all involve getting rid of some part of the image you're working with, but each one goes about it in a different way. To get the most out of your Illustrator pr ...more
WonderHowTo is pleased to introduce Yumi Sakugawa, who first graced our front page last week when featured in the David Lynch meditation post. Yumi is an artist and illustrator currently working on a 100-page graphic short story collection, and she's officially joined the Wond ...more
In this image editing software tutorial we are going to show you how to easily create digital abstract smoke using both Illustrator and Photoshop. One of the best things about this technique is that it’s very customizable and you can do it pretty quickly. Watch and learn how t ...more
In this clip, Darrell Heath of Layers Magazine opens up Adobe Photoshop and talks about creating table styles. For more information, including detailed, step-by-step instructions, and to get started creating your own custom table styles in Adobe Photoshop, watch this free vide ...more
In this tutorial, user CollegeTut shows you how to customize the shapes of various fonts and text, essentially creating your own custom fonts, by converting the text of any font to outlines and then editing those outlines (bezier paths/strokes). You can modify the points on th ...more
In this three part tutorial Creative Cow leader Aharon Rabinowitz explains the process of converting video to cartoon by using only After Effects and Adobe Illustrator CS2. Even if you don't want to create this exact effect, this tutorial covers a TON of basics and is a worthw ...more
To draw bubble letters, draw elliptical shapes in place of straight lines in pencil, trace the outline in marker and erase erroneous pencil marks. Sketch out rounded and bubbly letters with creative tips from a professional illustrator in this free video on drawing.
In this video tutorial, Creative Cow leader Michael Park shows you how to achieve that classic introduction to all of the James Bond films using only basic After Effects plugins. Creative Cow is a support community for digital video, video editing, and media production profes ...more
Ah, falling leaves: They remind of the beauty of nature, fall, and the changing of seasons. And if you've ever walked alongside a row of oaks on the street it seems as if their leaves fall to some unknown, hidden perfect orchestration. Capture their beauty by creating a falli ...more
Learn how to design and create a stunning and unique logo for your business or website, using the gradient tool and texturizer features in Photoshop. Bert shows you everything you need to make a unique logo without Illustrator and just Photoshop.
Before there was Gray's Anatomy, physicians and medical students used anatomical flap books to explore the inner workings of the human body—a scientific illustrated guide that takes its name from the moveable paper flaps that can be "dissected" to reveal hidden anatomy underne ...more
Superb costumes generally fall into two categories; artfully crafted, time intensive, pricey facsimiles or the low budget option—ingenious, cheap and scrappy. When undertaking the admirable task of creating "one cool (or not) idea every day, for 365 consecutive days, from Janu ...more
This tutorial shows you how to use a pattern brush to create an interlocking metal chain. To do this, you will have to create a new custom brush.
A great free video training from tasktutorial on how to create a cartoon cloud in Adobe Illustrator. All the project files are available to download for free at the Adobe website. First create a background: select the rectangle tool then create a new layer and draw a rectangle ...more
Tutorial/demonstration showing how to use Calligraphic Brushes in Illustrator to do line drawings (inking) and then import them into Photoshop as a Smart Object to retain the vector quality of the line art. By using clipping masks, we can change the color of the line art witho ...more
The video demonstrated clearly about how to draw and sketch the hand of a girl in an easy way. First the illustrator drew a rectangular circle in the plain window. Then he drew another rectangular shape close to the first and divided the second shape into two halves so that it ...more
Create crazy looking images by 'unzipping' a person or object using Adobe Illustrator to create the zipper and then adding it to an image in Adobe Photoshop. Your tools in Illustrator will be the basic shape tool, the brush pallet, and a transform filter. In Photoshop you'll n ...more
This short tutorial presents a guide on how to change the stroke and fill colors in most versions of Adobe Illustrator. Whether you're new to Adobe's popular vector editor or a seasoned graphic arts professional just looking to better acquaint yourself with the program and its ...more
In this tutorial, Bert shows you how to make a realistic 3D looking wine bottle, complete with label. This uses the 3D part of Illustrator and is great for those of you without access or time to use an actual 3D software package.
When you want to distort text, make sure to have the pathfinder tab open. This tutorial will show you how to manipulate text by moving around the letters and parts of each word, and using different effects that are pre-built into Illustrator. Simple, but well explained, this t ...more
In this clip, you'll learn how to make use of the ever-useful Shape Builder tool when doing design work in Adobe Illustrator CS4 or CS5. Whether you're new to Adobe's popular vector graphics editing software or a seasoned professional just looking to better acquaint yourself w ...more
Celebrated and award-winning children's illustrator, Jan Brett, shows how to sketch a bunny in this instructional video. Learn how to draw and paint a rabbit by following Jan's simple directions that go from making easy shapes to the finished product. Let kids join in the fun ...more
This software tutorial shows you just how easy it is to design a great looking logo in Adobe Illustrator. As with any other software package, it's all about getting to know the interface; and then from there it's all about developing your design skills. As with most others, I ...more
Learn how to use Maxon CINEMA 4D R10 - along with Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator for vector image editing - to create 3D objects from vector images. Cinema 4D has everything to satisfy your professional 3D modeling, texturing, animating and rendering needs. It's fast, stable ...more
Stencils can be made in lots of ways, but using Adobe Illustrator gives a more professional finish. Acetate sheets and an X-acto knife are also required to cut our the image. Learn how to make a stencil by watching this tagging how-to video.
This is a quick tutorial that shows you how to import Adobe Illustrator files into Maya. If you're going to use your illustrator files in Maya, make sure the fonts can be exported because they won't all work. Import Illustrator files into Maya. Click through to watch this vide ...more
This quick guide shows how to create outlines from text so you can manipulate letters as objects. It also allows other computers to open your files with out having any issues because a particular font is not loaded. Whether you're new to Adobe's popular vector editor or a seas ...more
This tutorial shows you how to use vector graphics to trace images in Adobe Illustrator 5 without using live trace. Do a manual trace, which will give you a little more creative control over the image you're working on in Creative Suite 5.
In this video tutorial, CreativeCOW contributing editor, Nelson Fernandes demonstrates a method to obtain a quick and dirty mask using the find edges effect combined with the auto-trace feature. Creative Cow is a support community for digital video, video editing, and media p ...more
In this clip, you'll learn how to use and work with the Perspective tool when doing design work in Adobe Illustrator CS4 or CS5. Whether you're new to Adobe's popular vector graphics editing software or a seasoned professional just looking to better acquaint yourself with the ...more
Do you want to add some 3D effects in your 2D designs? Open illustrator and draw an oval tool holding shift key. Then draw an ellipse with a different color and place it on the oval. Take blend tool,then click on ellipse shape and then oval one for a gradient effect. Draw anot ...more
In this Final Cut tutorial, Richard Harrington discusses the common problem of backlighting, exposure and what can happen when shooting video outdoors. Proper exposure of all elements in a shoot can be a pain to achieve with a bright sun and blue sky but using the three way co ...more
In this video you will learn how to Warp your text into any shape or design you want. This is a really handy effect for applying logos or designs to images of clothing. Using this effect you can warp your text to the wrinkles in your fabric and make it really look like it was ...more