#tools practice

[whatthehellamidesigning-blog]

Layers and brush practice in Photoshop. I found the brushes (the leaf brush and the brush for the background) while wandering around on the internet, and I wish I could give proper credit because I love them both. That leaf brush does the falling look automatically, and the background brush does a very neat paint effect I am terrible at explaining.

I created the first foursome of falling leaves on separate layers, then copied and moved them around to get the fuller effect.

I'd like to do this project again with serious intent and see if I can't make a willow tree effect.

[whatthehellamidesigning-blog]

My current tools practice for Adobe Illustrator.

Process: The first picture is the original comic panel (dimmed to 50%), and the rest of the pictures show the current progression of the project. I'm building a layer at a time, having skipped around a little early in the project. I started with the hair (bottom left), and then I did the face outline (middle left), and now I'm working on the face details, trying to figure out the best way to recreate the pen strokes that are original to the piece. 

This one's going to take awhile.

[whatthehellamidesigning-blog]

Process: A friend, after giving notes on the previous set of cards I made, issued me a challenge: Tahoma (a well-used font) and a monochrome color scheme. It sounded like fun, so I gave it a try.

The results were mixed. I like the idea of the semi-transparent descriptors, but I couldn't quite figure out how best to use it. I think the final card is the best design, and I like the use of the length of the card.

InDesign tools used: Frames, Effects, Swatches

[whatthehellamidesigning-blog]

Business card layout practice in Adobe InDesign.

Process: I chose a font ([ank*]) and a color scheme (CMYK) and tried to come up with four distinct designs.

InDesign tools used: Frames, Tracking, Swatches

[whatthehellamidesigning-blog]

Two label mock-ups for practice done in Photoshop.

Process: I designed around the background image, which is a brush I found online some time ago. I spent a lot of time on the font choice, trying to find something that was weighted enough to stand out against the background while also being visually interesting. After finishing option 1, I sought feedback and changed the title font to something that carried the proper weight but more closely echoed the general idea of the label.

Photoshop tools used: Layers, Brushes, Text Boxes

Fonts: Eulogoy (title font, option 1), Ashes to Ashes (title font, option 2), Excelsior Sans ("aged five years" both options)

[whatthehellamidesigning-blog]

Adobe Illustrator tools practice using a panel from an issue of "Batgirl" by Bryan Q. Miller. This was one of my first completed projects when learning Illustrator.

Illustrator Tools used: Pen tool, Shape tools, Pathfinder tools, Live Draw tools

[whatthehellamidesigning-blog]

A mock-up wine label for practice.

Process: Were "Chug Wine" an actual company, I imagine it would be a wine ranging from $5-10, comparable to Two-Buck Chuck and Yellow Tail in terms of taste expectation and availability. "Chug" is a winery that doesn't take itself too seriously and wants to promote wine as a drink that can be enjoyed simply because it's enjoyable. 

Tools used: Adobe Ideas for iPad (to create the Chug logo), Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign

Fonts used: Dissatisfaction (subheadings); Eras Light ITC (back label text), Arial (government warning title)