The IPad is a device I once debated the necessity of. I admit that in the beginning I had my doubts about the value of this piece of tech, but it has won me over in a big way, and I believe that it represents a turning point in the Design industry.

MNOVA is a new client, a musician who produces an amazing style of electro/hip hop. I was approach by MNVOA because he saw my work on deviantart. This goes further to prove the point I’ve made in previous articles about branding that you have to show your work in as many places as possible.

Quick demonstration of photo retouching, mostly using the dodge and burn tools to enhance a photo.

Force of Nature is a fairly simple image to create but uses several techniques in combination to accomplish something clean and visually dynamic.

I really enjoyed working on Force of Nature. I’ve been so busy with agency and freelance work that I haven’t had as much time as I would like for blogging and personal work. Force of Nature was a chance to do something very interesting visually while using basic techniques and not “overdoing” anything.

In today’s job market it always pays to be prepared. Here are some simple but effective tips to help you nail your interview and land that new job!

As the previous articles in this series have covered, there are a number of skills you need as a designer, that have nothing to do with design. Today we are going to talk about Research Skills.

OASIS is something I came up with while looking at an old piece of work “Star Girl I”. I realized since working on that image that my skills have progressed a great deal and wanted to see what I could do with that stock image today, and that is how I made my start on this project.

In my time I’ve had the opportunity to work with many creative and talented people. Whether they have been models, musicians or dancers, each of these people has been unique and inspiring. One of the greatest talents I’ve had the pleasure of working with is Sir Ben Marx (Marc Benjamin).

Yes, believe it or not you will need to be good at communicating verbally as well as visually if you hope to make it as a designer. If you’ve ever wondered how designers with less ability than you have managed to surpass you professionally, this may very well be the deciding factor.

I’ve met a lot of amazing people through twitter, Designers, Artist, Social Media Guru’s and Web Masters. This week I’m going to share some of these amazing people with you in the tradition of Follow Friday! Feel Free to share your favorite twitter peeps with me as well!

Too often designers are other creatives jump right into the computer and fire up Photoshop or InDesign and complete forget pen, paper, and little brainstorming. Laying out your ideas on paper first will save you time because you can work out problems and ideas much more quickly and change them without a lot of effort. Not to mention that you will also have a guide or road map rather having to complete trust your memory.

For those not in the know a Gravatar is an online avatar or profile pic that you can tie to a specific email address. For example if you were to comment on my blog, if you had a Gravatar tied to your email address, the image you chose for you Gravatar would appear next to your comment. This is common for most blogging systems online today.

“There is not really a right or wrong to commenting on blogs, though there is something to be said for ettiquitte or as we are saying now, netiquitte! I personally try to avoid leaving simple generic or one line comments. I try to be polite, and I try to be specific in my commenting. This is the general rule of thumb most people try to follow.”

As many of you know I’m a huge fan and supporter of Kyle Lambert, a young UK Digital Artist that I know will go far very fast. Kyle’s work is always nothing short of amazing, and its the only world I can use to describe his latest iPad Artwork for Toy Story 3.

There are several skills that all graphic designers should have under their belt. However some of these exist outside learning the Adobe Programs, color theory and the principles of typography. Sometimes designers and the people who work with them struggle with either technical or administrative skills. Over the next few days I will cover some of these skills and provide you with some resources to help you. Today I will talk about FTP.