Friday, May 31, 2013

Inspiration & Reference



Character Design Page, a blog that I have mentioned in the past as a wonderful source of inspiration, has a Pinterest Page as well!



http://pinterest.com/characterdesigh/



The curator of the blog, Wagner, has done an amazing amount of work organizing more than 14,000 images into extremely useful reference categories for artists, such as: Heads, Hands, Teenagers, Children, etc.



And if you don't follow the regular blog yet, be sure to check it out. It's full of wonderful work, and especially great for those that are interested in animation and concept art. Wagner spotlights the work of 3 different artists each week. http://www.characterdesignpage.com

Free Directory List,Free Web Directories Submissions List

http://www.networksystemone.com
http://www.my-india.net/
http://www.findelio.com
http://www.bestseowebdirectory.com/
http://www.mez.co/submit.php
http://www.fullwebdirectory.com/
http://www.seoway.info/
http://www.addurlsites.info/
http://www.omfericit.net/
http://www.robolinks.com/
http://adacommons.org/
http://gilchrest.org/
http://www.2flowcity.net/
http://www.sgvfd.org/
http://www.xtremesxm.com/
http://webable.net/
http://dwdir.com/
http://fcdir.com/
http://www.h8store.com
http://www.seourl.in/
http://www.directoryonlinelistings.org/
http://www.directory-listingsstore.org/
http://www.directory-listingsonline.org/
http://threddit.org/
http://conceptnova.org/
http://www.gobood.net/
http://www.dinkna.com/
http://www.1m1.biz/
http://visithollywood2020.com/
http://www.webtowns.org/
http://www.directory.gov.vn/

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Framed paintings


                                                                   By Petar Meseldzija






During my studies at the art academy I once heard the teacher saying that a painting is considered finished only after
it is framed. In the past, many artists used to frame their paintings before
they applied the final layer in order to make a perfect match between the two.
Beside it’s aesthetic purpose, frame’s
primary function is to separate two different realities, the reality of the art
work, and the reality of the surrounding space.  



I must admit that I
do not frame my paintings before they are finished; on a few occasions I even
repainted the frame so that it worked better with the painting. But I never
forgot my teacher’s lesson about the importance of a frame. However, choosing an
appropriate frame for my pictures has always been a challenge and I must say I
am not very good in that.







For the past few
years I did many commissioned paintings. Most of these paintings were delivered
unframed.  And because I am always interested
in how the “finished” painting looks like, I often ask the client to send me a photo of the framed painting. I also like to see where and
how my “babies” hang for I know I will never see most of them again. This
makes me a little sad sometimes.


 











 






















 




In front of a small portion of their huge collection, Gregg and Yvette Spatz, with Shadow Comes behind


 






















The Rescuer preliminary drawing hanging next to an original Tarzan page by Burne Hogarth






Jean and Morgan Bantly in front of a part of their collection, with Gandalf behind

 

Sketchbook


-By Mike Butkus







This is one of my sketchbooks that I carry with me everywhere along with my travel-size Windsor Newton watercolor kit. With a cheap black Bic pen to start off my sketch, and with the help of the wonderful mid-value paper, I was able to create some creatures that are still some of my favorites till this day. A little trick for making your sketchbook illustrations more vibrant is to later use Gesso for the highlights and then once dried, apply a thin layer over it using Acrylic dyes increasing the vibrancy ten fold.







This next one is a character design sketch, using black prismacolor pencil, watercolor and gesso on a bristle paper. I also use a 9 h pencil for the designs on the vest and a little airbrush to enhance the overall form and shape of our little guy. Gesso works great for the highlights and with a little water.






Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Helmets Set 2







Greg Manchess



Here's the second set of helmets I revealed at Spectrum LIVE 2.



I was excited that so many people wanted to own one. Most of these sold in about 2 hours. Apparently, I'll be doing another set soon. (wink) But after that, I'll likely be shifting the theme.



Thanks for everyone's support and enthusiasm for helmets, astronauts, divers, spacemen, warriors, and whatnot. Planning on producing a poster of all of them.








Gladiator










Planet of Storms










Deep Diver 4










Gagarin




Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Some Sketches for You




By Justin Gerard








The new sketchbooks are shipping out right now! This past weekend (after some time to recover from a phenomenal time at Spectrum Live in Kansas City) I took some time and did some drawings in the first 30 orders.








The topics for these sketches ranged from men in strange hats...










 to ancient dragons...










to orcs with limited table manners...










To crocodiles who mean well...










And even into reliquaries of great power...










And finally, (as always) to princesses.  









Thank you guys for the support and the renewed interest in these. I love working on them and I'm looking forward to getting started on the 2013 one soon. We will be doing something a little different and a little bigger for 2013.  Stay Tuned...



----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



To see sketches from the previous years sketchbook releases check out:



2011 Sketchbook Sketches Post



2012 Sketchbook Sketches Post



To order one check them out at:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/JustinGerard



Monday, May 27, 2013

Bridge to Somewhere







Finished pages from my issue of Young Allies



As with any pursuit that spans several years, organizing projects, new and old, can grow to be a daunting task. I use Bridge, Adobe's asset management application, to keep a decade's worth of professional work in some semblance of order. Why use this instead of the Finder on my iMac? Because it does much more than just keep things organized.











First of all, the previews are big and beautiful. Because Bridge is the same place where you can set (and unify) the color profiles for all of your Adobe Creative Suite programs, what you see is what you get. You can view a file at full screen by pressing the space bar, and full resolution by clicking on it. It does it instantaneously, so you don't have to wait for large files to open in order to see all the details. While the Finder has gotten better over the years, it still gives me strange colors, especially for CMYK files (and will do even stranger things to layered files with channel masks). As with the Finder, you can label files with colors so they're easier to spot. Hitting return opens a file, and you can also designate which programs open which types of files.



"Collections" are another simple but effective tool for keeping things organized. They allow you to group files together without moving the original from it's home folder. That means I can put all my Spider-Man artwork in one collection, while still keeping the stories organized by story arc and year. This is also where I keep frequently used photo reference. I've got collections of athletes, NYPD, Rooftops, and suits — all subjects that I draw fairly often.








My various Sculptris maquettes



"Favorites" is a familiar concept, but since this is separate from the Finder's "Favorites," I can keep things strictly professional. Any files or folders that I use often get a link here (you can drag and drop things here, or select "Add to Favorites" from the right-click menu). This includes my templates (pages, covers, and perspective), Sculptris maquettes, my blog folder, and paolorivera.com watermark. It's a simple concept, but it makes things very easy to keep track of.



Metadata is available in its own panel window, but can also be shown beneath each and every file according to your specifications. I like seeing the file name, date, pixel dimensions, ppi, file size, and color mode (RGB/CMYK) at a glance. As for naming your files, your client may have their own conventions, so always ask at the beginning of a project. I also have my own 3-letter codes that I append to every name. While not necessary, these work well for me. The important thing is to keep consistent to your own system.



lyt: these are layouts and preliminary sketches, often numbered when many iterations are required.

cmp: digital composites, where I finalize things like perspective grids or type.

pcl: pencils

cyn: the cyan print that I send to my inker (my Dad)

ink: his inked files

flt: the "flats" that my assistant sends me (basically a rough color pass)

col: the final, colored file that I send to the client



But all those benefits aside, the real key is automated tasks. I most often use it to create jpeg previews of uniform size that can be easily sent to editors for review (or uploaded to my blog). You can do this to entire groups of files thanks to batch processing. I've even used it to organize lectures, collecting all the images I want to show, moving them into order, and renaming them numerically to open in another program like Preview (and in my last lecture, I did the whole thing right from Bridge). All of these tricks can be found under the "Tools" menu.








100 Marvel Covers. 2002-2013. Various mediums and sizes.



I'll leave my favorite feature for last, which is especially important for illustrators who work in series. When you click the "Output" button at the top (also accessible under Window: Workspaces) the entire format changes. You're then free to select any number of files to create a pdf or web gallery. Both are fully-customizable with parameters like columns, rows, spacing, pagination, background, and format. I used the pdf feature to organize my first 100 Marvel covers, shown above. As for the web gallery, there are many styles to choose from, and if you have your own web site, you can even upload it directly from within Bridge. Here's a link to all 20 page layouts from my Daredevil #1 issue.








Daredevil #1, Page 3. 2011. 1: Layout, Digital Composite, and Pencils



While this post may have been on the more technical side, it happens to be the digital tool I use most since it's the primary way I interact with myriad files. If you have Creative Suite and have always wondered what in the world Bridge is used for, I hope this will give you some ideas. (Adobe has recently revamped its business model into a monthly service called Creative Cloud, but I'm still using CS5 at the moment.)



P.S. I hope you don't mind my plugging an auction for a good cause. My painted sketch cover to The Walking Dead #100 is now open for bidding. All proceeds go to the Hero Initiative. Have a great Memorial Day!









The Walking Dead #100 Project. 2012.

Acryla Gouache on sketch cover, 14 × 10.5″.



Sunday, May 26, 2013

Forum Sites List| Internet World Top 100


Forum posting sites list 2013  - Top 100 Forum sites list USA, UK, Europe, Asia, Australia, India

Top-100-best-forum-sites-list-internet-world-2013

List of top 100 best forum sites on the Internet for various categories that are further listed as top 10 forum sites in the world for SEO, Webmaster, Designers, making money, affiliate marketing, web developers, web designers, and other best forums based on miscellaneous topics and subjects.  What is forum posting? Why it is so important for SEO for blogs and websites? Why there are so many paid forum services on the Internet? What are the top 100 Dofollow forum posting sites 2013? What are the top 10 best forums for generating online income as part timers ? You will get all the answers here related to forum posting sites and paid forum services ! Webmasters and bloggers can get forum posting sites for SEO for their web pages. Forum posting sites listed here are of great value considering that you get free SEO backlinks with your forum link signature  . Get forum posting tips along with a forum posting sites list of  top 100 best forums online on the Internet for the year 2013 for an audience from the countries mainly  : USA, Canada, UK, Europe, Australia, Asia, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, etc.

Most popular Top 100 forum sites for : SEO, Dofollow backlinks, Webmaster, Web devolpment, Blogging, Music, Online Gaming, Science, education, technology, Physics, Business, Online income, Web Designers, Tech geeks, Digital World, Life, Entertainment, Computers, Online Marketing, Advertissing, Affiliate Marketing etc.   


Post content digest 


  • What is forum posting ?
  • List of Top 100 forum sites on various topics and subjects
  • Forum posting tips
  • Ways of making money with forum posting

What is Forum Posting?

The meaning of Forum Posting is simple: posting comments and sharing discussions on online forum sites related to any topic of your interest (it could be personal, professional, marketing, promotion, advertising related- its range is very vast )
So forum posting could mean : finding answers to a problem from other users, learning new things, making money, marketing your blog/website/product, online advertising, improving SEO/backlinks, etc. What is your motivation/ intention? (please share with us in the comments )
   

Top 100 forum sites- Huge list of forum posting sites for learning, Technology, Science, Education, Business, SEO, link building, and online marketing and advertising

Top-100-forum-sites-list
Freshly updated Top 100 Forum Sites on the Internet ! This is a huge list of best 100 online forum posting sites that could be utilized for variety of reasons, including SEO, Technology, Science, Life, Entertainment, Webmaster, Web Developing, desiging, back link building, online marketing, brand promotional activities, making money forum posting, solving your problems, asking online help.

Top 10 SEO forums list
Dofollow High PR forum sites : Best SEO forums for 2013 on the Internet. List of great SEO forums where you can get seo related backlinks and learn SEO. Most of the forums mentioned here are high authority Dofollow sites where you could get quality one way dofollow back links for free ! 

  1. http://forums.searchenginewatch.com/
  2. http://sitepoint.com/forums/
  3. http://seoforums.org
  4. http://seomoz.org/community
  5. http://forums.digitalpoint.com/
  6. http://forums.seochat.com
  7. http://highrankings.com/forum
  8. http://seo-guy.com/forum/
  9. http://forums.site-reference.com
  10. http://seoblackhat.com/forum/
Top 10 webmaster forums / forum sites for website owners


High PR webmaster and site owners related forum sites (most webmaster forum sites are Dofollow) . Ask, browse, earch topics related to Web mastering and web development . These are great sites to get any help related to your website. 
  1. http://v7n.com/forums/ 
  2. http://www.webmasterworld.com/
  3. http://www.webmaster-talk.com/
  4. http://sitepoint.com/forums/
  5. http://www.theadminzone.com/
  6. http://www.siteownersforums.com/
  7. http://www.kirupa.com/forum/
  8. http://webmasterpeak.com/  (PR4)
  9. http://webproworld.com/webmaster-forum
  10. http://www.webmaster-forums.net/
  11. http://www.webdevforums.com/ 

Top 10 Web developer and Web designers forums

High PR English language forums for developers n designers- If you are a buddy web developer or web designer, you must join these best forum sites or online community made for developers and designers.Here is top 10 forums-
 
  1. http://forums.devshed.com/    (PR7)
  2. http://www.webdeveloper.com/  (PR7)
  3. http://www.codingforums.com/  (PR6)
  4. http://forums.mysql.com/  (PR6)
  5. http://forums.asp.net/ (PR6)
  6. http://www.codeproject.com/  (PR6)
  7. http://www.designerstalk.com/forums/  (PR4)
  8. http://www.dreamincode.net/ (PR4)
  9. http://www.dynamicdrive.com/forums/forum.php  (PR3)
  10. http://www.htmlforums.com/ (PR4)

Affiliate Marketing forums list- 10 best Internet marketing forums on the Internet

As you know that affiliate marketing or online marketing is one of the top most active communities on whole of the Internet world. This is a place where people talk about new ways and techniques to enhance their skills and improve their online incomes as affiliate marketers. Here are the most widely used online forums for online marketing or affiliate marketing- 

  1. http://www.warriorforum.com/
  2. http://forums.digitalpoint.com/
  3. http://www.wickedfire.com/
  4. http://affiliate-marketing-forums.5staraffiliateprograms.com/
  5. http://www.ewealth.com/
  6. http://cocreatingourreality.com/
  7. http://www.abestweb.com/forums/
  8. http://www.clicknewz.com/members/forum.php
  9. http://im4newbies.com/forum/
  10. http://www.affspot.com/home.php

10 best technology related online forums and communities

Forums dedicated to geeks, techies-  best tech forums related to- tech support, computer, software, online, troubleshooting, engineering, IT , and Science topics where you could actively participate with the like minded techies and geeks.    

  1. http://www.techsupportforum.com/
  2. http://www.techspot.com/
  3. http://www.computerhope.com/
  4. http://forums.techguy.org/
  5. http://www.cybertechhelp.com/forums/
  6. http://www.crossloop.com/
  7. http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/
  8. http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/
  9. http://www.geekstogo.com/forum/
  10. http://www.neowin.net/forum/

Science, digital techs, maths, physics, computer, mobile phones related 10 best forum sites list on the Internet ( Only English language forums )

10 Great forum sites for science enthusiastics, scholars, and tech geeks. You can discuss vast range of topics related to science, Maths, Computer, Cell phones, and other modern digital devices and applications.  

  1. http://www.physicsforums.com/index.php  (Physics/Science )
  2. http://forums.randi.org/forumindex.php (Science related)
  3. http://forum.gsmhosting.com/vbb/  (Cell Phones)
  4. http://www.howardforums.com/forums.php  (Mobile Phones )
  5. http://forums.psychcentral.com/  (Psychology )
  6. http://www.sciforums.com/forum.php  (Sci-Fi)
  7. http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/  (Mathematics Forum )
  8. http://www.digitalworldz.co.uk/  (Digital world )
  9. http://forums.cnet.com/ (Software/Computer products/ Technology related forum)
  10. http://forum.brighthand.com/  (Smart Phones/PDa's etc )
  11. http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/  (MP3, Computers, Cars related forum)
  12. http://www.symbianize.com/ (Cell phones/PDA/Technology )

10 Best business forums where you can discuss business ideas

Fresh ideas and active discussions and forum talks about how to run your business successfuly online or off-line. List of business forums for Entrepreneurs, business owners, and money makers.  

  1. http://www.startupnation.com/business-forum/
  2. http://www.smallbusinessforums.org/
  3. http://www.small-business-forum.com/
  4. http://www.thefastlaneforum.com/forum.php
  5. http://www.retireat21.com/
  6. http://forums.internetbusiness.co.uk/
  7. http://www.ukbusinessforums.co.uk/forums/
  8. http://www.shell-livewire.org/
  9. http://www.mylocalforums.com/
  10. http://www.aardvarkbusiness.net/chat/
  11. http://www.thewholesaleforums.co.uk/
  12. http://www.shell-livewire.org/
  13. http://www.aardvarkbusiness.net/

10 Best Music Forum sites on the Internet

List of top 10 music forums on the Internet world for year 2013- online forums dedicated to music of varied taste, geography, and time. Discuss and share all things musical with your online community.

  1. http://www.gearslutz.com/board/
  2. http://www.soundonsound.com/forum
  3. http://www.musicbanter.com/
  4. http://www.progarchives.com/forum/
  5. http://www.crf2.com/
  6. http://www.idmforums.com/
  7. http://www.futureproducers.com/forums/
  8. http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/forum/
  9. http://www.neoseeker.com/forums/75/
  10. http://www.buzzjack.com/
  11. http://forum.soundarea.org/
  12. http://www.music-discussion.com/forum.php
  13. http://www.classicrockforums.com/forum/
  14. http://www.hellridemusicforums.com/forum/

10 Best online gaming forums list (video games/flash/3d)

Best video games forums, flash games, gaming forums to play online games free and share ideas and make discussions about your gaming skills in these top 10 Gamin forums.  
  1. http://www.neogaf.com/forum/
  2. http://www.gamespy.com/
  3. http://www.gamespot.com/
  4. http://www.videogamer.com/
  5. http://leagueoflegends.com
  6. http://www.ign.com/
  7. http://www.gametrailers.com/
  8. www.wizard101.com
  9. http://community.us.playstation.com/
  10. http://forums.twoplustwo.com/
  11. http://www.pcgamer.com/forum/

10 Useful and interesting forum sites on miscellaneous topics

List of best online community and forums on life, fun, entertainment, learning, experiences, and various other interesting topics
  1. http://www.somethingawful.com/ (Humor, comic, entertainment related )
  2. http://forum.deviantart.com/ (Art, litrature, politics, digital, philosophy.. related forum )
  3. http://www.buddypic.com/forum/ (humor, rate pictures of others) 
  4. http://www.gaiaonline.com/forum/index.php  (life, humor, games, discussion, interests)
  5. http://www.nexopia.com/  (real picture rating, relationship, friendship) 
  6. http://forums.offtopic.com/ (as the name suggests)
  7. http://www2.fanforum.com/ (discussion about your favorite star/artist/ celebrity)
  8. http://forums.vwvortex.com/ (Volkswagon cars related ) 
  9. http://www.exbii.com/ 
  10. http://www.dpreview.com/forums/ (digital photography related ) 
  11. http://vine.rottentomatoes.com/vine/index.php (movies and video games related forrum) 

Top 10 Forum posting tips-

  1. Always stick to the rules and regulations of forum posting sites- no one likes nuisances  to stay for long.
  2. Read briefly all the instructions and forum tips written by moderators of the forum sites
  3. Show your presence by posting on the joined forum at least once in a month.
  4. Be prompt to help others selflessly. Though, we always do have our own intentions and interests for being visible on the online forums, but keep this fact aside the moment someone asks something you already know. 
  5. Never try to spam a forum, sooner or later this side of yous is going to get uncovered, and you will not only be shown the exit door, but other forum posting sites will also get alerts of not only your IP, emails, but your web links. You know how sad it could be for your web links !
  6. Do not make very short comments just only to make your forum signatures visible everywhere on the forum sites. It could be counted as a 'violation of forum rules' long before you release.
  7. Do not look anxious to market/promote your products in a day. It takes time marketing and advertising your products over the web while keeping your online reputation in tact . Really !
  8. Before posting a new thread or post, always look for the content if it's already there on the forum. 
  9. Maintain your behaviour, stay cool and think about others as well (including the forum owner ) . Whenever something goes wrong, try to put yourself in others shoes (see how sweetly they bite ! )
  10. Be : patient, helpful, sober, concise. Do not: shout, criticise, spam, show superiority.
And, oho, i left the most important tips for posting in forum- be eager to learn new things, and try to be creative. Did i say 'always'?  

Make money posting on forums

Anyone can make money posting on forums provided that if you have average writing skills in English. If you are a fresher, you should first learn from others how they are posting in forum sites and making good money. The plus point of making money via forums is that you have to write online smaller posts and you get to learn a lot by being active on the forum sites. It can improve your knowledge and writing skills along with fetching you some monthly income.
Here is a list of top 10 forums sites where you can register free and earn money and learn new things.  

Please Share this useful list of online forums on various important aspect of Life, Society, Learning, and Personal Growth. Any comments, suggestions, and feed backs would be highly appreciated . You can suggest a new forum or modify the rankings of the listing. Thank you.              

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Arkham Origins






In case you missed it last week (because you were at Spectrum Live like me, or otherwise), the new trailer for the video game 'Batman: Arkham Origins' was released... and it truly is a stunning piece of animation. In fact, at nearly 5 minutes long, it's hard to really call it a trailer at all.



Blur Studios is responsible for the short film, which showcases some redesigns of several well-known characters. Illustrator and Concept Artist, Wesley Burt (who we showcased here just the other day), was responsible for some of these designs, including the new Deathstroke (seen below).












Thursday, May 23, 2013

My College Portfolio


-By Dan dos Santos



I've really been enjoying Donato's 'Portfolio' posts recently. I hold his work in very high esteem, and somehow seeing his own humble beginnings makes my own personal endeavors seem that much more achievable.



I've thought about doing a similar post before, but cringed at the idea of some of these works seeing the light of day again. Though, in the spirit of sharing, I thought I too would showcase some of my earliest paintings.



I graduated from the School of Visual Arts, NYC, just over 13 years ago. Upon leaving those doors, my portfolio consisted of just 5 mediocre oil paintings. Nonetheless, I began shopping them around, looking for freelance work. These are those 5 pieces.