acreativehouse.com http://acreativehouse.com A Creative House - Lets Learn,Create and Inspire! Tue, 28 Feb 2012 06:32:26 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Louis Daguerre, a pioneer of photography http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/acreativehouse/~3/LNv3fFnk-oY/ http://acreativehouse.com/louis-daguerre-a-pioneer-of-photography/#comments Tue, 28 Feb 2012 06:32:26 +0000 Abinav Thakuri http://acreativehouse.com/?p=166  Louis Daguerre’s ‘Boulevard du Temple,’ 1839. Click image for full view.  

Louis Daguerre (Louis Jacques Mande Daguerre) was born near Paris, France on November 18, 1789. He was a professional scene painter for the opera with an interest in lighting effects. Daguerre began experimenting with the effects of light upon translucent paintings in [...]]]>  Louis Daguerre’s ‘Boulevard du Temple,’ 1839. Click image for full view.

 

Louis Daguerre (Louis Jacques Mande Daguerre) was born near Paris, France on November 18, 1789. He was a professional scene painter for the opera with an interest in lighting effects. Daguerre began experimenting with the effects of light upon translucent paintings in the 1820s.

Louis Daguerre devised the daguerreotype, the first successful form of permanent photography. He developed the process of transferring photographs onto silver-coated copper plates.

According to writer Robert Leggat,”Louis Daguerre made an important discovery by accident. In 1835, he put an exposed plate in his chemical cupboard, and some days later found, to his surprise, that the latent image had developed. Daguerre eventually concluded that this was due to the presence of mercury vapour from a broken thermometer. This important discovery that a latent image could be developed made it possible to reduce the exposure time from some eight hours to thirty minutes.

The daguerreotype process was unveiled at the French Academy of Sciences in Paris in 1839. Since then, it became the first commercially successful way of getting permanent images from a camera.

]]> http://acreativehouse.com/louis-daguerre-a-pioneer-of-photography/feed/ 2 http://acreativehouse.com/louis-daguerre-a-pioneer-of-photography/ Get started with responsive web design http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/acreativehouse/~3/t0wkBaiMHrg/ http://acreativehouse.com/get-started-with-responsive-web-design/#comments Tue, 28 Feb 2012 05:20:29 +0000 Abinav Thakuri http://acreativehouse.com/?p=162
Responsive web design has recently become a usual trade in web design. Almost everyone wants a mobile version of their website. It’s pretty essential due to the number of devices getting out on the market these days. With that, comes various screen resolutions. [...]]]> Staffanstorp — Responsive Web Design
Responsive web design has recently become a usual trade in web design. Almost everyone wants a mobile version of their website. It’s pretty essential due to the number of devices getting out on the market these days. With that, comes various screen resolutions. There’ll probably be a lot of other inventions in the near future and this won’t stop, of course. Creating different versions of a website for each resolution and device would be impractical. So should we suffer losing visitors from one device for getting more from another? No, that would be a serious problem.

Responsive web design is the technology and methodology that makes the website automatically switch to accommodate different resolutions, image sizes and scripting abilities. This can be accomplished through a mix of flexible grids and layouts, images and intelligent use of CSS media queries. This eliminates the need for a different design and development phase for each new gadget on the market.

So are you ready to delve into the subject and start building responsive web designs? Here are a few of the best articles I’ve put together to help you kickstart.

Ultimate Guide To Responsive Web Design: Tools and Examples

www.1stwebdesigner.com2/23/12

Having a fluid and responsive website will not only make you cooler, it’s the new way of increasing conversions and engaging your visitors. Not sure where to start? Responsive design might not be as big a mystery as you’ve imagined it.

Wes Chyrchel: Responsive Web Design With WordPress …

wordpress.tv2/22/12

Wes Chyrchel: Responsive Web Design With WordPress. Wes Chyrchel: Responsive Web Design With WordPress. Rate this: Like this: Like. One blogger likes this post. Kyriakos Brastianos. WordCamp Location. San Diego …

Seven lessons learned from responsive web design | Feature | .net …

www.netmagazine.com1/30/12

What’s good for the developer isn’t necessarily good for the customer. Vince Allen, senior front-end developer at Lot18, gives the background on why responsive web design is the right focus for web development.

Responsive Web Design, Complete | Stack Complete

stackcomplete.com2/26/12

Responsive Web Design allows your websites to fit the screen, This is the time for smartphones and iPads, all browsing websites is not limited to standard computers. Now people are browsing websites through mobiles and …

CSS3 Responsive Web Design – Media Queries

Doctype – Episode 49 – jQuery 1.5 & Responsive Web Design

]]> http://acreativehouse.com/get-started-with-responsive-web-design/feed/ 4 http://acreativehouse.com/get-started-with-responsive-web-design/ The ACH Weekly Roundup http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/acreativehouse/~3/XlH6cMyTzWw/ http://acreativehouse.com/the-ach-weekly-roundup/#comments Mon, 20 Feb 2012 11:26:28 +0000 Abinav Thakuri http://acreativehouse.com/?p=129 Well, I guess you have already realized that I love looking around and finding interesting, inspiring and beautiful stuff . This gave me an idea for a weekly round up where I can show you some of the best random and beautiful things I come across everyday. We will be calling it “The ACH Weekly [...]]]> Well, I guess you have already realized that I love looking around and finding interesting, inspiring and beautiful stuff :) . This gave me an idea for a weekly round up where I can show you some of the best random and beautiful things I come across everyday. We will be calling it “The ACH Weekly Roundup” and it will be continued every week from now on. Be sure to keep coming back for more of the series and I really hope you guys enjoy it!

Make yourself a good cup of coffee, dig into the beautiful works of art and get inspired! (if you’re like me, make your day indeed..).

Anchors Away

Works of artists, Neil Gaimen and Dave McKean. Despite dabbling into various mediums, markers are the medium of choice. The bright colours and strange patterns are meant to create a world of childlike fantasy set in a graphic layout. Have a look at more of the works at the Anchors Away Blog .

Funny Animal Illustrations

Cool and funny comic miniature animal illustrations from London based designer and illustrator, Aled Lewis. Get to know more about him and his work through his Tumblr blog.

Double Exposure Painting

I was completely blown away by Pakayla Biehn’s paintings based on double exposure photographs. They are close to reality and you’ll find a beautiful yet haunting story behind all of them if you look closely enough. Visit Pakayla Biehn’s website to view more.

Outdoor Photography

Some really nice outdoor photography by Cody Cobb. Check out his Flickr Photostream for more.

Girl with 7 horses

A splendid photo project by illustrator and photographer, Ulrika Kestere . Check out the full series through her blog.

The World’s Most Bizarre Beers

This is a cool list of the world’s most bizarre beers listed by CoolMaterial. Check out this post at CoolMaterial to view the full list.

Presidents Reloaded

Wacky and really creative illustrations of presidents by Jason Heuser. Check out his store for more of these prints.

Colorful organic shapes

Beautiful and colorful arrangement of organic shapes by Portland based artist/illustrator, Yellena James. Check out more of her work at her website.

The other side of the Angry Birds

This fun and cool Angry Birds series by Sylwia W. shows the battered and bruised states of the Angry Birds, mostly known for smashing and cracking things in the hit game. Check out her DeviantArt gallery for more of her works.

All Copyright of the images on this post belong to the respective artists.

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A blind contour drawing is similar to a contour drawing except the fact that you look at your object all the time and not at the paper. That’s the primary reason for the term “blind” . This exercise is widely used by art teachers because it is the best and simple means to teach [...]]]>

Blind Contour Drawing

A blind contour drawing is similar to a contour drawing except the fact that you look at your object all the time and not at the paper. That’s the primary reason for the term “blind” . This exercise is widely used by art teachers because it is the best and simple means to teach you how to draw what you see instead of what you know.

If you haven’t put this kind of exercise into practice before, try it out and you’re bound to witness a significant change of perception when you are done with this exercise. Here’s a small list of how-to’s and inspiring stuffs on blind contour to get you started:

 

]]> http://acreativehouse.com/blind-contour-drawing/feed/ 0 http://acreativehouse.com/blind-contour-drawing/ Things to consider when designing from web to print http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/acreativehouse/~3/u7fBtuFrYh8/ http://acreativehouse.com/things-to-consider-when-designing-from-web-to-print/#comments Sun, 12 Feb 2012 09:57:23 +0000 Abinav Thakuri http://acreativehouse.com/?p=90

For designers who only design for the Web, you precisely know what platform you’re going to be working on because you know that whatever you do is definitely going to be on the Web. It’s completely different in print, as you need to initially decide what kind of print material you’re going to [...]]]>

For designers who only design for the Web, you precisely know what platform you’re going to be working on because you know that whatever you do is definitely going to be on the Web. It’s completely different in print, as you need to initially decide what kind of print material you’re going to be designing. Does your client need a direct mail postcard,brochure,poster or flyer?

Choosing your printing medium
Portability is  one of the prior things in print design. Why will people pick up this particular piece of paper and take it with them? Print does usually include URLs, but you will need to decide the exact and best location for the URL on the printed piece. And with no search engine or reviews to guide people to pick them up, your design is so much more important. It does have to follow the same design idea of the Web to attract someone’s attention, usually in a matter of seconds.

You also need to consider what you want the print to accomplish. Different objectives lend themselves to different kinds of design and can be achieve in multiple forms of prints like flyers,postcards or sales letters.

The Natural Competition
So now that you’ve chosen the best print material for your objectives, you have to think about where people will be viewing your prints. There’s not much to think when you’re sending postcards to people’s homes. But something like a poster outside your building has natural competition, such as the effects of bad weather or tree blocking the views of your billboard.

Your choice of paper and ink will depend on the season and other factors such as direct sunlight. Use of UV- and water-resistant paper will help you keep your work waterproof and fresher for a longer time, but it can also change how the colors look. That can significantly affect your design. Another factor is finish: a high gloss finish will take on weather conditions better than matte, so you will need to design accordingly.

A visit to the location is worth it, if your work is going to be hung somewhere. You’ll get to know if there are things like tree limbs in the way. If you’ll be hanging it on a red building, it will not be a good idea to use rust red as a background color. Also, visit the location at night and see how factors like street light will affect your printed material. You will need to use a good combination of colors and unique design to make your work stand out from the surrounding elements.

]]> http://acreativehouse.com/things-to-consider-when-designing-from-web-to-print/feed/ 10 http://acreativehouse.com/things-to-consider-when-designing-from-web-to-print/ An Interview with Jim Woodring http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/acreativehouse/~3/7McKvUWTHoE/ http://acreativehouse.com/an-interview-with-jim-woodring/#comments Sun, 15 Jan 2012 08:43:19 +0000 Abinav Thakuri http://acreativehouse.com/?p=73 Jim Woodring is a cartoonist, comic book author, artist and toy designer from Seattle. He also produces fine art works in a variety of  other media comprising of painting and charcoal. He is known for his dream-based comics he published in his zine Jim and also as the creator of the anthropomorphic cartoon character Frank, [...]]]> Jim Woodring is a cartoonist, comic book author, artist and toy designer from Seattle. He also produces fine art works in a variety of  other media comprising of painting and charcoal. He is known for his dream-based comics he published in his zine Jim and also as the creator of the anthropomorphic cartoon character Frank, who has appeared in a number of short comic stories and graphic novels. Jim has won and been nominated for a number of awards and two of his works, The Frank Stories and The Book of Jim, ranked #55 and #71 respectively on The Comics Journal‘s list of the 100 best comics of the century . Visit his online site to know more about him and have a look at some of his work – http://jimwoodring.com

Many of Jim’s works are my personal favourites and they are certainly addictive. I am thrilled to feature him on A Creative House today. So, lets talk with him, get to know a little more about him and get a few valuable tips.

“Big Red”, from The Book Of Jim. Any form of use or reproduction of these work is prohibited without permission from the creator.

 

When and how did you get interested in art and cartooning?

It’s been a lifelong thing.

 

Where do you draw your inspirations from?

The strangeness of life, an acute perception of personality in nature and abstraction and the continual whispering of Mahakali in one’s ear.

 

What gave you the idea for starting an illustrated auto-journal, JIM that was later collected in THE BOOK OF JIM ?

It was the desire to have an outlet for original ideas which could be printed and distributed without any outside editorial interference. The first issue came out in 1980, well before zines became commonplace.

 

What are some of your favourite comic strips?

Too many to mention, but some are Buster Brown, Little Nemo, The Kin-Der-Kids, Krazy Kat, Mutt and Jeff, the Clare Briggs strips, Polly and her Pals, Li’L Abner, Dick Tracy, Nancy, Ferd’nand, Moon Mullins, Bringing Up Father… the classics, basically.

Taken from  Congress of the Animals. Any form of use or reproduction of these work is prohibited without permission from the creator.

 

You are a self-taught artist. What do you think is needed to achieve that level of success when you’re learning by yourself?

You need to know that you have something to contribute, the willingness to sacrifice a lot to bring your vision into being and the drive/self-confidence to make it happen. You also have to be able enjoy the struggle as much or more than any success, because the struggle may be all you will get.

 

You have been producing a variety of popular toys. When and what got you into toy design?

Offers came from companies and agencies. Going after jobs has always been a personal weakness, Some people are good at going and getting commissions. That’s not the case here. This wait-and-see-what-comes-in approach is not recommended, but if that’s how one is constructed it must be endured.

 

What do you think is the most important thing for a new cartoonist to secure a good career in cartooning?

Have something of value to offer and be willing to work like a drudge to bring it about.

 

What have you enjoyed most in your work in the field of art?

Two things; the decades-long experience of working for oneself, by oneself, on exactly what one wants to do; and having work come out well. The pleasure one feels when one exceeds one’s own expectations and creates something strange, new and unquestionably good is an incredible high.

]]> http://acreativehouse.com/an-interview-with-jim-woodring/feed/ 13 http://acreativehouse.com/an-interview-with-jim-woodring/ An Interview with Ben Hood, from The Creative Panic http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/acreativehouse/~3/6y51bt646O0/ http://acreativehouse.com/an-interview-with-ben-hood-from-the-creative-panic/#comments Thu, 12 Jan 2012 04:24:27 +0000 Abinav Thakuri http://acreativehouse.com/?p=65 For those of you who don’t know about The Creative Panic, it is a spectacular blog with the basic aim of drawing something(anything) every day for a whole year. The project started on January 20th 2011 and is near to an end on January 19th 2012. Ben is a graphic designer with more [...]]]> For those of you who don’t know about The Creative Panic, it is a spectacular blog with the basic aim of drawing something(anything) every day for a whole year. The project started on January 20th 2011 and is near to an end on January 19th 2012. Ben is a graphic designer with more than 15 years of experience in print and web media, and works over at helloFriday. Lets talk with Ben and know a little about him  and his handful of tips and turns on the design industry.

Taken from The Creative Panic’s Aliens Are Real series. Any use or reproduction of these illustrations is prohibited unless with expressed permission from the owner.
 
 

Firstly, I really love your work at The Creative Panic. Why did you start The Creative Panic and what gave you the idea of a “One a Day Project”?

Thanks Abinav for inviting me to be featured on your blog. The Creative Panic started out of a need to do something creative away from the confines of a client brief and also my wanting to get back in to Illustration which, because of my design work with helloFriday had been neglected for a long time! Sausage Jesus was the first illustration to be drawn and I posted it to Facebook for a bit of fun… My friend’s dug it so I did another the next day and so began the One a Day theme. From there a friend suggested I start a blog and the rest is history (well, 357 days ago!).

 

How do you come up with such cool and crazy illustrations everyday and where do you draw your inspirations from?

Sometimes I’m not even sure where the subject comes from… I’d say 50% of the Panic’s I have drawn I have gone in with absolutely no idea what to draw and from doodlings and messing about something cool begins to form. That being said, I have about 5 or so illustrations I really don’t like but I ran out of time to make sure it was posted on the certain day. Religion and science tends to feature a bit in my work too because I enjoy both subjects and they are normally very easy to make fun of!

 

What are the most valuable things that you have learned and cherish through 15 years of experience in the design industry?

The most value thing I have ever learnt from my time in the industry can probably be used in any industry or life in general… And that is: do it because you love it. I have a wallpaper on my two monitors that says I WORK BECAUSE I LOVE THIS SHIT. Pretty much sums it up.

 

Your points that every beginner in the field should note down.

The best thing I did was get a really firm understanding of the complete print process (pre-press, offset print, finishing etc) so I knew what happened to the design job once I handed it over to the printers. Obviously with the digital age upon us, the same still applies to web design and development… Make sure you understand exactly how a user will be served a site, if you don’t code yourself still get a good understanding of what your programmer does so you can work with them in delivering an awesome product… And always remember usability and function is king… but never skip on the form!

 

Would you like to share some tips and tricks that can help excel in design?

With so many tutorials on the web these days, anyone can get a great grounding in design and how to use the applications associated with the industry… Just remember to find your own style. Start a personal project, do work for yourself, keep trying new things and new mediums like painting, photography, sculpture… It’s great fun and it helps your design too. Know your applications inside out, read blogs, visit museums, pick up old books and magazines and study the layouts, watch movies, eat awesome food, go to galleries, hang out with weird people, hang out with normal people, be nice.

 

Any dos and donts in professional design.

Don’t copy other people’s work and pass it off as your own and find an awesome proof-reader… It will save you heaps in the end!

Get 50% deposit on the start of a project and when you can have a contract between yourself and the client outlining exactly what it is you expect from one another.

Don’t be a design-wanker… Some people take themselves way to seriously.

 

What got you into design?

Album covers from some of my favourite bands really got me hooked on design. Im a product of 90s grunge and some really cool design started to come out in the 90s after the 80s crashed and burned ;)

 

What springs your passion for design?

Awesome art and movies, funny t-shirts and red wine. Lots of red wine.

]]> http://acreativehouse.com/an-interview-with-ben-hood-from-the-creative-panic/feed/ 7 http://acreativehouse.com/an-interview-with-ben-hood-from-the-creative-panic/ Big Bang Big Boom http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/acreativehouse/~3/VMHUVexHt_w/ http://acreativehouse.com/big-bang-big-boom/#comments Sun, 08 Jan 2012 09:53:36 +0000 Abinav Thakuri http://acreativehouse.com/?p=51 I had a look at this amazing wall painted animation video by BLU on Vimeo. It is an  unscientific point of view on the beginning and evolution of life and how it could probably end. This is definitely a great work of art. Have a look.

 

]]> I had a look at this amazing wall painted animation video by BLU on Vimeo. It is an  unscientific point of view on the beginning and evolution of life and how it could probably end. This is definitely a great work of art. Have a look.

 

]]> http://acreativehouse.com/big-bang-big-boom/feed/ 5 http://acreativehouse.com/big-bang-big-boom/ Free fonts http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/acreativehouse/~3/7I-fY_NV3ZI/ http://acreativehouse.com/free-fonts/#comments Sun, 08 Jan 2012 08:57:51 +0000 Abinav Thakuri http://acreativehouse.com/?p=46 Smashing Magazine has compiled a list of excellent free fonts. Some of them are noteworthy and really good. Want good free fonts for your next design? Have a look at Smashing Magazine’s 40+ Excellent Freefonts For Professional Design

 

]]> Smashing Magazine has compiled a list of excellent free fonts. Some of them are noteworthy and really good. Want good free fonts for your next design? Have a look at Smashing Magazine’s 40+ Excellent Freefonts For Professional Design

 

]]> http://acreativehouse.com/free-fonts/feed/ 6 http://acreativehouse.com/free-fonts/ The relationship between beauty and art http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/acreativehouse/~3/6Skj7l1oXa8/ http://acreativehouse.com/the-relationship-between-beauty-and-art/#comments Sat, 07 Jan 2012 07:54:40 +0000 Abinav Thakuri http://acreativehouse.com/?p=35 Though beauty as a whole defines a huge array of things, art is a major part of it. All forms of art eventually lead to pieces of beauty.

A work of art is intentionally created to spring a sense of beauty to the beholder. The sense can be varying according to the type of art [...]]]> Though beauty as a whole defines a huge array of things, art is a major part of it. All forms of art eventually lead to pieces of beauty.

A work of art is intentionally created to spring a sense of beauty to the beholder. The sense can be varying according to the type of art and the message it relays.

To conclude, the relationship between art and beauty is unending and beautiful. Everyone can sense and view this relationship almost everyday in various little things they do, see, use or go through.

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