AgroKrag Graphic Design/Illustration, Web Design, Web Marketing

As most of the civilized world learned last weekend Alaskan Governer Sarah Palin was named Republican GOP candidate John McCain’s Vice Presidential running mate.  It was something of a shock a number of us since we had no clue who she was.  Then she got up on that podium and our collective eyes lit up… Now I am a Democrat (though sometimes I wonder why) but I’m not above offering a job well done round of applause to our geriatric friend McCain.  Before I found out that she stands against most everything I believe in I was captivated.  Instantly I had a crush on a 44 year old house wife running for VP.

So how will her looks effect the votes of the commonwealth?  Who knows, but if American’s have a single shred of diginity they wont base the future of the country on how hot the VP will be.  All I know is that its nice to see someone on TV 24/7 who is easy on the eyes.

Now you are wondering what the hell this article is doing on AgroKrag, rightfully so.  I had some spare time this past weekend and had the urge to write my first tutorial on a Photoshop technique so here goes.

She loves guns, babies, and America.  The illustration is scanned into the computer and modified in Photoshop.  If you have a scanner like mine you will need to hit ctr+L to bring up the levels menu, now build enough contrast so that the outlines are defined.

Nice little sketch of Mrs. Palin eh?

The process of creating a full color illustration in Photoshop can be either super complicated or very simple.  Depending on the application of the graphic you may need tidy lines and perfect colors.  Here the goal is to take a sketch and color it in while still looking like a sketch.

Once the contrast is set create a new layer and place is below the sketch layer.  Now go to the sketch layer and turn the layer option to Multiply.

Go to the newly created layer and begin coloring the sketch as though it were a coloring book.  The color show appear underneath the dark sketch lines. When you are done it should look dishearteningly ugly.

Note that I have gone through the original sketch layer and used the Smooth tool to get rid of the unsightly grain from the graphite in some places.

Now comes the part that everyone hates. Detailing.  Well I hate it anyways.

There are two approaches to this. One, hand paint the new lines with a paintbrush. Two, use the pen tool to carefully created shaded regions.  In this instance I chose freehand.

Now all that remains is the final highlights and we are done…seems simple enough right?  For the highlighted areas simply take the Brush tool and choose 0% hardness and a pure white, then hit all the spots you want to see light up.  From here you can do anything you want to the rest of the image, sepia tone her who cares, it’s all gravy from this point.

The word tutorial may be a bit condescending here, since most any artist in the field knows these basics.  This is more like showing your work on an equation.

Mmmm finished product.  Feel free to share this image with the world, hopefully everyone will enjoy it, even the lovely Mrs. Sarah Palin.

-Jesse

“The browser will become the equivalent of an operating system” - Wired Magazine

The begining of a new computing era began today, September 2nd 2008, as Google releases the soft beta of it’s new browser, Google Chrome.  Released to the public early, due to a leak of the 32 page comic book story of the browsers development, Google Chrome is the software giants attempt to make cloud computing the next reality of the internet age.

As Wired magazine explains - “the coming era of cloud computing, the Web will be much more than just a means of delivering content — it will be a platform in its own right.”

What this means is that Google wants its users, which potentially is the entire globe, to be connected to all of their bookmarks, spreadsheets, documents, and files wherever they go.  No need to carry around a flash drive, just enter your google username and password and access your file instantly.

This is a very interesting, yet slightly scary, move.  Scary because of the amount of money this browser will make for Google by allowing this new browser to string together all pieces of the web that Google has helped create.

Cloud computing will become a reality, its just a matter of time.  Weither or not Chrome is the invention that delivers it is yet to be seen.

To read more about Google Chrome and get a first look at the browser and it’s capabilities, read this article.

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If there is anything I can do about it then, yes, yes I will be making the cross country trek, just in time for my birthday too! This won’t simply be a joyride to the west coast, I will be there with a purpose…hopefully.

Tha bags are far from packed as this trip hinges on winning a contest that is really kind of a crap shoot. The ever time consuming (for me anyways) website Aint It Cool News has announced a contest this summer regarding an Art exhibit at the LA based Gallery 1988. This contest is like a movie geek artists dream come true, the theme is Cult or in other words your undying love for cult film. The medium is limitless, all that is required is heart, creativity, and some talent. So how can you create a piece of art, a SINGLE piece of art that can perfectly sum up everything that has inspired you about your favorite cult film? Sounds like the job for a graphic designer to me. We are bred to take large concepts an hone them into one all-encompassing image, to evoke 3,000 words from an image rather than 1,000.

My concept is cocked and loaded, now the execution. I don’t want to reveal the ideas behind the piece, not because I think someone would steal it, but to add an element of surprise to the whole thing. I will tell you this, the contest will be flooded with entries, many of which will be amazing so the competition will be tight. So I need to bring my A game, getting into this show and being present while hundreds of prominent Hollywood types look it over would be an epic break for my illustration career.

Watch for updates in the coming weeks.

Hint: When there is no more room in hell, the dead will walk the earth!