TH: When did you start being creative? Where and how did you learn your skills and profession?

Ivana: Since early childhood I loved to draw, but for me it was more interesting to do it on some other item, like doors, a table, even a gutter was much more appealing than a blank sheet of paper. I remember I was in the lower grade primary school when I used my mom’s nail polish to “brighten up” this old, gray landline phone with couple of red, straight lines. I felt I gave it a new life and that feeling led me to what I do today with old furniture. I studied Architecture at the University of Novi Sad, Serbia and specialized in the course of Methodologies of intervention on built heritage at the Faculty of Architecture in Porto, Portugal.

I wanted to reconstruct and revive old buildings and urban spaces and did some of those projects, but ended up reconstructing and redesigning old furniture, more or less for practical reasons. I figured out I can put the knowledge I gained in Portugal to practice on something of a smaller scale than buildings, since furniture is something I can invest my own money in, have more creative freedom working on it and participate in every part of the process – which lasts less longer and lacks all that legislative problems you have with some old building. As for photography and graphic design, they came along as passionate, self-taught hobbies that sometimes even pay off independently.

TH: You work in different fields, which one do you prefer? Do they influence each other in your work?

Ivana: Yes, different art fields give me the opportunity to explore many angles of creativity. The one I prefer is furniture reconstruction and redesign because of it’s complexity. There, you already have an existing artifact that has a history, some meaning, some value that I want to preserve through the process of reconstruction. I want to give it a new life but keep its value as a piece. Knowledge of photography helped me to zoom out and see the whole context, but also to focus on the right detail that should be highlighted. Graphic design taught me to keep it simple. Architecture, of course, is the basis of it all because it’s an artistic, technical, and philosophical discipline. On the other hand, the aesthetic knowledge I gained as an architect gave me the sense for the composition and colors that helped me make good photographic images, so, in a way, all these fields are mutually interviewed. Exploring them separately gave me the opportunity to drift away and exit from the borders of one field, see things from a different perspective and in the end to find the reflection of all of them in my own view.

TH: What sources of inspiration do you have?

Ivana: Inspiration is something I believe any artist finds in himself. I guess it is that feeling or a thought you have about a certain thing when you look at it, or hear it, or sense it in any other way. I also believe that many different life experiences, seen places and people met contribute in a great way to the richness of this inner well. So then, those thoughts or feelings launched by any subject can inspire you to make your own piece of art, hoping that the consumer will recognize it too and value it for that particular thing. For an example, while packing my stuff to move I have found so many beautiful memories, old ideas, keys to important places, hidden deeply in the drawers I didn’t open for a long time. Then I got the idea to make a transparent one, so I could never forget about all those valuable things and that is how the Edward drawer occurred. In photography it’s the same thing. I try to capture the moment that will give me the same feeling, or make me think about a certain thing, that the scene in front of me had when I saw it.

TH: Where do you find your furniture? What is so fascinating about Recycle Art?

Ivana: I find my furniture in different places. Sometimes it’s a flea market, sometimes I find it online, other times I pick it up by the trash container or someone gives it to me when they don’t need it. I don’t take just anything old that I find, but it is always something that has at least some valuable part. Pieces that excite me most are those that I can imagine with a different function after the intervention. That’s what, for me, is most fascinating about the recycle art – the fact that you can put into function and use something that looks dead or ruined for some new purpose. And there is, of course, this ecological factor as well, you know, saving the resources.

TH: You do Fashion photography. Do you like the contrasts between new and old? New clothes // old furniture?

Ivana: Fashion photography came as some kind of exercise. I did with a few friends. They needed someone to take pics for their fashion blogs and I needed to find my way through the photography. We had lots of fun doing it and, even without thinking about it, we influenced each other a lot. Their apparel was mostly second hand and they were more than creative with the combinations they made. According to their wardrobe choices we had to find the appropriate ambient for shooting. It turned out we did a lot of photographs in some old, abandoned or unrepresentable places that served well, either for the contrast to their clothes, or as a modern upgrade to the ambient. So those photo sessions were also, in a way, one aspect of the play with old and new, which is the basic line of my creative interests.

TH: You have many different themes in your work: empty landscapes, sports, fashion …how do you find your motifs?

Ivana: Motifs in my photography are different for several reasons. First, I wanted to explore all or most of them to see where I can find my way. So I took shots of everything I found amusing, architecture, nature, people, dogs… What I found as their ground line and something I was actually searching for, is namely their character. I believe everything around us has it, but sometimes it’s hard to recognize it. So that became my goal in photography. To take an image that reflects it. I try to frame the character of the person in the image, or the character of a particular place that certain kind of light reveals it and even the character of some activity as sports gymnastics. When you look at the photos of those gymnasts you can see how powerful, yet elegant that sport is. Sure you can see that when you watch it on TV or live, but it’s other thing to capture it’s true spirit in couple of images. I guess it is that decisive moment of pressing the shooting button that takes all the credit for it.

TH: What do you love most about your work?

Ivana: I enjoy both, making furniture and taking pictures almost equally. It’s practically different kind of work but there is one thing that I love about them both. It is the process of their creation and the excitement of “that is it” moment when I get what I wanted. Unlike architectural design, where the result of the idea you first put on paper takes months or years to come, here I have the result more quickly and the best thing is that I participate in, and very much enjoy, every part of the process.

TH: What are your plans (projects) in the near future?

Ivana:  In the near future I am planning to move to another part of the globe so I can get new experience, enrich my inner well and also find a way to apply photography to the furniture design and unite both passions.

Website • Website • tumblr

Selected Artist

88Ninety Remix

Liam Payne, “I’ve never heard a One Direction track remixed like this before! Really feeling the tropical house vibes on this one.”

Highest Voted 

Joseph Woollard (Nomero)

Finalists 

Adam Harris

“I’ve never heard a One Direction track remixed like this before! Really feeling the tropical house vibes on this one.” – Liam Payne

Didrick Didrick

“Nothing like a great EDM remix to kickstart your weekend, thanks Didrick Didrick – let’s get the party started!” – Liam Payne

Big thanks to all who submitted!

This film boasts artists like Martin Sheen as ‘Warren Anderson’, the CEO of Union Carbide, Kal Penn as ‘Motwani’, a local reporter, Mischa Barton as ‘Eva Gascon’, a U.S. reporter, and Rajpal Yadav as ‘Dilip’, the protagonist in the film. The director of the film Ravi Kumar created this film to bring awareness to this tragic event and wake people up to whats going around them. Till this day there are still many after effects in Bhopal including contaminated water and soil, making it impossible for things to grow. The company has yet paid anything for clean up.

The true purpose of this film is not only to bring awareness, but Ravi created this film so that the money earned from it playing in theaters would go to the people living in Bhopal right now.

The film was shot very nicely depicting a very beautiful landscape and colorful culture of India with the juxtaposition of a grey and dark factory right in the middle.  The use of wide shots and extreme wide shots are plentiful and show the vastness of the city and the factory in relation to the people living among it. This film was shot in 35mm with an Arri and Ziess Ultra Prime Lens on an Arri camera. The cinematography paired with composition of the music flowed very well and drove the viewers deeper into the story with melodic lows and intense empathetic sound highs. The composer Benjamin Wallfisch did an incredible job with this film score, building up the feel and flow of the movie as it progresses through the different events. This film is one worth watching.

If you are interested to watch the movie you can get it here.

Go out and watch this incredible film. The money will go to help the people in Bhopal.

Here are a couple ways you can receive one of these prestigious Talenthouse Certificates.

In order to be eligible for one, you have to participate in one of our Creative Invites.

You then have to be chosen as a:

Selected Artist
Highest Voted
Finalist

Only people that earned these titles will receive a Talenthouse Certificate.

This certificate not only represents our appreciation for all your hard work, it represents the high quality of your work, your passion, and mastery of your art-style. The certificate is signed by our Talenthouse Founders in approval of your phenomenal work and it also means that our Creative Invite hosts find your artwork as one of the best from all submissions for that Creative Invite.

Get inspired, be creative, and participate in our Creative Invites. There are life changing opportunities in each one for you to take advantage of. You have nothing lose. Who knows you might end up receiving a Talenthouse Certificate and the incredible opportunity of a lifetime.

With hours of contemplation, Kiesza and her elite panel of judges including producer Rami Samir Afuni and Island Records, came to the decision of choosing Hans Kroes from Oldebroek, Netherlands as the Selected Artist.

Hans will not only have his artwork placed as the official image of Kiesza’s new website, he will also receive exposure and credit across Kiesza’s social channels and website. Additionally he will also receive $1,000 and the opportunity to create an additional web banner for Kiesza.

Selected Artist

Hans Kroes

Natalia Barantseva from Omsk, Russian Federation has earned $500 and the title of Highest Voted with the most votes from friends, family, co-workers, and the artistic community.

Highest Voted

Natalia Barantseva

Highly Commended

Maria Aguado 

Valladolid, Spain

Andy Valde

Chicago, United States

Mauricio Ortíz Estrada

Azcapotzaco, México

Ariana Koultourides 

United States

Xenia Altunian

Samara, Russian Federation

Alicia McCarthy

Windsor, Canada

Elizaveta Romanova

Moscow, Russian Federation

Jordan Brittain

Austin, United States

Azzurra Vasta

Rimini, Italy

Lisui Zhang 

Beijing, China

Michelle Choi

London, Great Britain

Congrats to the Selected Artist.

Thanks to all the designers and visual artists that participated in this Creative Invite

With hundreds of hours of remixes listened to, the judges at Universal Pictures and critically acclaimed composer Ramin Djawadi, settled upon Pablo de Tarso from Cancun, Mexico as the Selected Artist.

As the selected artist, Pablo will receive exposure across Dracula Untold’s social channels, $1,500, and the possibly of having his remix featured on Back Lot Music as a digital release for Dracula Untold.

Thank you to all who participated in the Dracula Remix contest. Tarso’s Remix reflects the Dracula score while embodying personal style and creativity. The remix has great shape, form, and interesting sounds that leave you wanting more…- Ramin Djawadi 

Selected Artist

Pablo de Tarso

Cancun, Mexico

With the highest number of social votes from friends, family, co-workers, and the artistic community, Maniac Agenda took the title of Highest Voted along with $500 to spend on new music gear.

Highest Voted

Maniac Agenda

United States

Finalists

Marco Monti

Moltrasio, Italy

Skinny Invader

Los Palacios y Villafranca, Spain

John Elliott

Newcastle Upon Tyne, Great Britain

KILLRBITE Music

Dallas, United States

Congrats to the Selected Artist.

A big thanks to everyone that submitted their remix for this Creative Invite. 

Coming from a creative family, Nune was only at the age of 4-5 years old when she started to take part in art exhibitions and contests having already a couple of creative years beforehand. She was 15 when she started to attend a Fine Arts Academy and received her diploma with honors in Industrial Design at 19. When it comes to art style, Nune defines herself as a mix between classic painting and modern graphics. As an artist, Nune likes to add subtle patterns to her pieces using pens and markers, then finally discovering how her artwork will end up looking once it’s finished.

Artists, designers, and illustrators around the world were invited to create the cover art for the digital album release of Dracula Untold. With inspiration from the film itself, these talented creatives submitted over 500 outstanding entries for this Creative Invite. These submissions not only included bats, dragons, and floods of blood as we scrolled through, but sculptures, swords, and cartoon renditions as well.

With a difficult task at hand and much debate, the judges at Universal Pictures declared Chet Slater from Boise, United States as the Selected Artist.

As the Selected Artist, Chet will now receive the opportunity to have his artwork included as the cover art for a digital release on Back Lot Music. Chet will also receive social media exposure across all of Dracula Untold’s channels and $1,500 to splurge this Black Friday.

Selected Artist

Chet Slater

Boise, United States

Ruben Dario Duran Fonseca was elected as the Highest Voted with the most number of votes from the artistic community, friends, and family. Ruben will receive $500 to spend as he wishes.

Highest Voted

Ruben Dario Duran Fonseca

Barranquilla, Colombia

Talenthouse Favorites

Steven Lynch

Liverpool, Great Britain

Ana Correal

Bogotá, Colombia

Fotis Papadopoulos

Thessaloniki, Greece

Daniel Quiroga

La Paz, Bolivia

Carly Watts

Sheffield, Great Britain

Congrats to the Selected Artist.

A big thanks to everyone that submitted their great work to this Creative Invite

Here’s the news you’ve all been waiting for.

Artists worldwide were invited to create the official merchandise for 100% MAD, to be sold online and in major retail stores to raise $1 Billion dollars, $1 dollar at a time, to help those in need of water, education, and nutrition. Over 420 submissions were brought in for this Creative Invite, with some depicting goats, backpacks, chameleons, pineapples, and an array of other creative designs.

In the end, and with much deliberation, the judges settled upon a hip design from Rijan Hamidović.

As the Selected Artist, Rijan from Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina will have the phenomenal opportunity to have his artwork used across all retail merchandise and at all global P.R. events for 100% MAD. He will also receive $2,000 and the opportunity to have future commissioned work by 100% MAD.

 Selected Artist

Rijan Hamidović

“To be honest, when I started  working on this design, I started working as soon as I read the brief, realizing that there are few people that really want to help in some way. I wasn’t inspired by love, flowers, peace, because lately we don’t see much of that on TV, Internet, The News. When you watch the news you see people suffering, wars, crisis, those few people that actually want to help are not visible, or they are not able to. This organization inspired me to unleash the beast inside me, the beast that wants to help, but sometimes I’m really not able to, which makes me really angry, watching all the people need help, and just being a watcher, its frustrating.  So I tried to unleash the best, the good beast that is hiding in all of us, that cares and wants to help people around the world no matter what, this is how I see this organization 100% MAD. We are all 100% and we can make a difference, in any kind of way, its still greater than just being a observer”, – Rijan Hamidović 

One artist with the highest number of social votes from his family, friends, co-workers, the artistic community, and more received $500 and the opportunity to have future work commissioned by 100% MAD as well. With the most votes, the Highest Voted title went to Rahul Bhadauria from Hyderabad, India.

Highest Voted

Rahul Bhadauria

Finalists

Varpu Kronholm

London, Great Britain

“I was inspired by 100% MAD’s very core – the raw energy and power to make a difference and I thought that a jumping tiger epitomises it perfectly. I included the purple and yellow from 100% MAD’s graphic look and spiced the colour palette up with orange and red to give an impression of fire for an even more dramatic effect. The paint splashes give the design some more edge and a nod towards graffitis and street art keeping it young,” – Varpu Kronholm

Charlene Eckels

Riberalta, Bolivia

“The 100% MAD logo and concept was the inspiration for my overall design. The lion/tiger is both spiritually and physically a powerful animal that transcends cultures. The pattern I developed on top of the tiger reminds me of my mother. My mother is from the Bolivian amazon. Identity and attention to detail are a large part of this culture. I believe this to be true of many cultures. I felt the design I created should reflect this idea,” – Charlene Eckels

Nicholas Lokasasmita

Jakarta, Indonesia

“The concept for my design is ‘come closer and get participated’. You can’t see the detail of words in the artwork without looking closer. Just like people, you can’t see the important of this movement without asking or joining with 100% MAD. The words content for this artwork, I picked from the detailed information of 100% MAD. Like different, youth, rebel, fun, solution, etc. I’m using the handwriting brush as a medium to show the creativity, playful and the youthfulness from this movement. The color I picked was a pastel purple as the 100% MAD identity,” - Nicholas Lokasasmita

Famel Zaro

Florida, US

“I’ve entered various creative invites on Talenthouse, but I only participate in those that have some kind of meaning to me. Whether is a musician or a movie I like or in this case a great cause. I like to consider myself a charitable person, I’ve volunteered at a couple of relief events, donated funds to different causes and I’m a registered blood donor in New York City (But I live in Florida now :/  ). Having my design as a symbol for help would be a HUGE honor for me. While brainstorming for this design I came across the picture of the boy with the superhero costume on and his fists up in the air. The boy looks like he has all the power in his hands even though his surroundings suggest otherwise. I feel like we have the power in our hands to help those in need, some people just need the drive, that little push to remind them that not everyone is as fortunate as they are and need help NOW. And that was my inspiration. That boy,” – Famel Zaro

Shawn Dsouza

Mumbai, India

Highly Commended

Guadalupe Herrera

Houston, United States

“I took the opportunity to run with Mr. Daley’s quote I felt it was perfect. I wanted to create a strong design that would convey the exact message. Both verbally by use of words: Give a Buck. 100% Committed, $1 at a time. And, visually: The repetitive +1 in hopes it will encourage to Give a Buck. To convey the message as if someone is actually speaking and standing before them. Someone asking to give or has gave, a subliminal message now part of the 100% MAD logo. I believe I made a difference and captured the entire concept suitable for any form of media usage,” – Guadalupe Herrera

Burcu Orhan

Istanbul, Turkey

“In the website of 100% Mad I read a sentence: “We can change the history of the future right now without governments, without elites, without white collar nonsense -we can be an army with mobiles in hand and music in our ears and love in our hearts and anger at the injustices of the world.” The sentence gave me the inspiration because it says ‘come together’. We can be like an army if we get together with the people who shares the similar positive thoughts. Our advantage is the technology, we use internet and applications so there are no boundaries. 

That’s the reason why I used 5 hands of different people making a star. (they have different kind of accessories, gender, tattoos) It symbolizes the power of being together, the power of the team! We can be a part of the star and we can shine like a star. We can make a difference. We can change something!” – Burcu Orhan

Rifal Jaelani

Medan, Indonesia

“I was so inspired by the 100% Mad initiative to solve the problem of shortage of clean water. In some cities in my country Indonesia is also experiencing the same problem. The basic shape of my design is love, water and hands. Air describe the source of life, the hand depicts an empowerment, and love describe everything. There are also plants and animals there that describe the nature, as well as other items such as shoes, cassette, eye glasses, it all depicts modern life can co-exist with nature,” – Rifal Jaelani 

Amaranta Suarez 

Colombia

I was inspired by reading the mission of the organization 100% MAD, because I felt very identified due to the fact I being young and knowing that so many people of my generation and even younger who do not have the opportunities I had. It inspired me to think of that moment when the organization achieves its aim and could make free all those guys that are tied to the poor state of education, health, and nutrition. I imagined a time when those same kids possess and share the same opportunities I had, and that all young people, regardless of which context we live, we may be able to “fly”, we could be free to build the world we need and we want to work together without fear and with that energy that characterizes our stage of life. – Amaranta Suarez 

Alexander Bakunovitch

Minsk, Belarus

‘”Got watta?”Got water? Have you got any water?Excuse me, can you spare any water? The simple picture illustrates question via the gaze and sadness,illness of one who asks from one handand gladness of hope to receive plenty of clear, sand-free, delicious “watta” from the other,” – Alexander Bakunovitch

Victoria Kirichenko

Russian Federation

“When I found out about the competition I decided to create a Goat. I was inspired by the Goat – a symbol of the Year 2015 according to the Chinese horoscope. Goat is a peaceful animal and it will bring peace everywhere. It also brings luck and  financial success. I wanted my Goat to look glamorous so I decorated her. I wish everybody who buys production of 100% MAD success, good health and financial stability!” – Victoria Kirichenko 

Nunu Dagne

United States

“‘One People’ was inspired by the concept that the world is a global village and that technology has helped bring humanity closer together than ever before.  Each face was designed to capture the diverse faces that make up the human tapestry.  Furthermore, the design goes beyond gender and color and taps into the notion that we are One people.  As a graphic designer whose life experiences include places such as Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, Germany, and the United States, I strive to create designs that challenge the viewer’s notion of who we are as human beings,” – Nunu Dagne       

Congratulations to everyone! 

Special thanks to all the artists that submitted their designs and artwork for the 100% MAD movement.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

If your feeling ambitious, you can add a lighting system to your sweater with some colored LED’s and a 9 volt battery to power your creation.

8

9

 10

Finally the 10th sweater. As you can probably tell, we saved the best for last. This sweater not only incorporates lighting, Christmas stockings, and a reindeer, but also a Santa Claus coming down a chimney to leave us all presents.

Be sure to use hashtags – #PTXUglySweater and #ArtistsInAction, when creating your ‘Ugly’ Christmas sweaters.

Here’s our Ugly Sweater Pinterest Board you can use for more inspiration.

Have Fun & Be Creative! 

Samsung Mobile USA is looking for U.S. based mobile phone photographers to showcase their impressive images on their Talenthouse profile. These Mobile photographers should be the ones always pushing the limits of what their mobile device can do and capture, while giving new perspectives, and experiences the world has yet see.

If this sounds like you, here’s the dream opportunity for you to build up your portfolio and boost your career.

All you have to do is submit a minimum of three pictures captured with any mobile device for the opportunity to get your work screened by Samsung Mobile USA and the potential for future paid assignments.

Assignment projects with Samsung Mobile USA could include trips throughout the U.S., attending festivals, or even be paid to work on your own personal projects.

The judges are looking for work that is consistent and has a subject matter focusing on either landscape, architecture, food or interesting still life, and environmental portraits.

All photographers that submit their mobile photography will have their work and profile reviewed by Samsung Mobile USA personally. From there, a select number of photographers will be contacted directly by Samsung Mobile USA for more information about the paid projects.

Don’t miss out on this outstanding opportunity!

Make sure to read the guidelines beforehand and have your Talenthouse profile updated with all your work and bio information.

Submit By: December 1, 2014 at 10:00 AM PST

Have Fun & Be Creative!

We at Talenthouse are proud to announce our new invite with Cara Delevingne, along with Sophia Kerrison, and New Hope Animal Rescue to create original artwork inspired by animals.

Designers, illustrators, and artists worldwide have a great opportunity to showcase their animal inspired art and have their work printed and sold as limited edition art prints by curators of contemporary art and fashion website Kids of Dada to help New Hope Animal Rescue save animals.

Create artwork that depicts the joy animals bring us, the bonds we create with them, and their importance in our everyday lives. These animals need lots of love and care. They’re not just cute gifts to give away and disregard, they’re our unconditional friends who are always there to comfort us and make us laugh when we most need it. Here is a great chance to help them out.

Animal loving celebrities will be helping out as well by submitting artworks that will be auctioned off for the charity at the end of the #Art4Animals campaign.

#Art4Animals

16 talented artists will be selected by Cara, Sophia, New Hope and Kids of Dada for the opportunity to have their work re-produced and receive 50 limited edition prints of their artwork priced/sold for £150 each on the Kids of Dada website. Selected Artists will also receive 10% of all profits, with the rest of the money going to The New Hope Animal Rescue charity to help out these amazing animals in need.

Additionally these Selected Artists will have themselves and their artwork featured across all the social media channels of Cara, Sophia, New Hope and Kids of Dada!

One artist with the most votes from their friends, family, co-workers, artistic community will become the Highest Voted and have their artwork added to the limited edition run of prints sold on the Kids of Dada website.

Just make sure to read the guidelines before you submit and take care of your pet.

Submit By: December 1, 2014 at 10:00 AM PST

Have Fun & Be Creative! 

Artwork: #iHeartRadio

The first Creative Invite is inviting artists worldwide to create an original artwork that could be made into an ad and tells the “iHeartRadio Story” something else that is new, exhilarating and exciting that fits with iHeartRadio. Submit creative imagery that captures iHeartRadio’s essence and its attitude towards bringing listeners the joy and bonding that music creates.

Two talented artists will be selected by iHeartRadio judges and their marketing experts to have their work exposed across  multiple iHeartRadio platforms and social channels as well as a potential billboard campaign. Additionally, the two Selected Artists will receive $2,500 each.

One popular artist with the most votes from his friends, family, co-workers, and anyone else will be selected as the Highest Voted and will receive $500 as well.

Film: #iHeartRadio

The second Creative Invite gives filmmakers their breakthrough chance.

iHeartRadio is inviting filmmakers, producers, and cinematographers around the world to create a 15 or 30 second short film advertisement that captures iHeartRadio in a new, original and completely revolutionary way than seen before. It can also be inspiration from the brand and it’s shared experience that brings us together when listening to a great radio station.

Two top videos will be chosen by a panel of marketing experts at iHeartRadio and used across multiple iHeartRadio platforms and social channels as well as a potential international ad campaign. Additionally, the two selected filmmakers will receive $5,000 each.

With the most number of votes from friends, family and supporters under their belt, one filmmaker will be crowned the Highest Voted and receive $1,000.

Thinking of participating in the film Creative Invite? Ok, just make sure you end your video with a call to download the iHeartRadio App.

Be sure to include the iHeartRadio logo on both invites, artwork and film which you can downloaded here.

Invites must be submitted by: January 12, 2015 at 10:00 AM PST

Have fun & be creative!

Already in the holiday spirit, the Pentatonix want to see the wackiest, looniest, craziest, most foolish, and UGLIEST Christmas Sweaters they’ve ever seen.

The entries can be a physical sweater you designed, or a graphic design that can easily be printed onto an already made sweater/sweatshirt. The artists music videos, personalities, musical style, and the holiday season should be a source of inspiration for your ‘ugly’ sweater design.

#PTXUglySweater                                                                                                                                        #ArtistsInAction!

One talented artist will be selected by Pentatonix for the opportunity to have their ugly Christmas sweater design worn by one of the members of the group for an upcoming holiday video. Selected Artist will also receive exclusive exposure across Pentatonix’s social media channels, a shout-out in the YouTube video description and email blast, plus $1,500 prize money to spend on more ugly holiday sweaters or gifts.

Another artist with the highest number of votes from family, friends, Talenthouse community, and artists will earn the title of Highest Voted and receive an honorable mention in the Pentatonix email blast on 12/23 and $250.

Not a bad way to start off the holiday season.

So, come on and get started. Create the ugliest Christmas sweater you can think of.

Just be sure to read the guidelines and follow the deadlines.

Submit By: December 1, 2014 at 10:00 AM PST

Have fun & be creative!

Fashion designer Iris van Harpen revealed her Spring Summer 2015 collection in Paris and everyone was shocked when she showcased her 3D-printed attire and accessories inspired by magnetic forces. The ideas for this design collection came to her when she visited the Hardron Collider at the CERN facility in Switzerland.

Artist Paul Jadoul created 3D printed animation called ‘Men at Work’, with a man simply shoveling dirt, but the task of doing this was not simple. Paul created the short animation with 85 small 3D printed figures that where printed in a sequence of frames and then attached to clear acrylic panels on a roller that pass through a light projector to create an image on the screen. Paul used a 3D printer from FormLabs which uses stereolithography or lasers to harden resin giving more accurate detail to the objects printed rather than traditional 3D printers that use ABS or PLA plastics and melt the plastic to create the objects in layers.

Artist Bryan Allen and his partner Stephanie Smith designed the world’s largest 3D printed art installation named ‘Echoviren‘ in the middle of Redwood forest. With about 10,800 hours to print, this artistic structure was constructed entirely with bio-plastic that will eventually decompose back into the forest within the next 30 to 50 years without a trace. In an interview with Forbes, Stephanie said this art installation is a “space for contemplation,” and the name ‘Echoviren’ is a reference to how the landscape is always changing. Evidence that an artistic imagination and a 3D printer can create beautiful structures that make a statement and catch an eye of the people passing by.

When people go to the beach one of the things they like to do is to build sand castles. If you are an artist and like technology, a solar powered 3D printer named Stone Spray creates ecological structures with sand/soil and it may be the next thing in your beach picnic basket.

A small startup invented a 3D printing robot that blends the soil with a special mixture  and sprays the blended soil to create sculptural forms that resemble the beautiful sculptures of the coral reef. This technology could then especially be used to design outstanding eco-scupltural structures like the concept seen below. Architects and designers would be able to leave their marks for everyone to enjoy.

Is the 3D printer here to stay or is it just a current fad that artists will only use for now and put into the closet once it becomes outdated? What do you think? 3D printing is making a huge impact in design, fashion, and art right now.

So here is the news everyone has been waiting anxiously for!

Artists, designers, and illustrators worldwide were invited to create a design inspired by Paloma’s new album. Selected submission will later be turned into Paloma’s limited edition poster for her new album ‘A Perfect Contradiction’. This Creative Invite brought over 460 outstanding entries from every edge of the globe featuring some of the best design work we’ve seen thus far.

We enjoyed to see the array of designs featuring Paloma with snakes, doves, butterflies, as sculptures, stained glass, pixels and the long flowing cascades of red as we scrolled through the artworks.

With lots of deliberation and hours of sorting, Paloma and her panel of judges chose a talented designer from Ukraine named Daria Hlazatova.

Daria will get the life changing opportunity to have a portfolio meeting with a Sony Music Creative, will have her artwork used as Paloma Faith’s official social skins, a fantastic feature of her artwork on Hunger, and $1,300 to fill her workplace with new Moleskine’s.

Selected Artist

Daria Hlazatova

Chernivtsi, Ukraine

So much work has gone in to this . Its dreamy and very textural, - Paloma Faith

 Highest Voted 

Digital artist and photographer from Limerick, Ireland Ken Coleman was elected as the highest voted by the community, friends, family, and everyone else he could gather round to vote. Ken will receive $350 for his graphically detailed depiction of Paloma Faith.

Ken Coleman

Favorites 

When Paloma and the judges were selecting finalists and winners, they highlighted their favorite entires. Paloma gave us incredible insights as to each and every one of her favorites. Here they are.

Allison Grey

 Penang, Malaysia

This is so bold and graphic and strong, - Paloma Faith

Pete Humhreys

 St.Helens, Great Britain (UK)

I love the choice of colours and style. Cant believe this is completely hand done. Its so wonderful, - Paloma Faith

 Ian Hinley 

Scarborough, Great Britain (UK)

I love birds and there is no denying that this artist is very technically skilled, - Paloma Faith

Isabelle Gerstner

Berlin, Germany

I love bold images. Its graphic and strong. I am a little afraid of myself in this though, - Paloma Faith

Dan Brown

Leigh on sea, Great Britain (UK)

I love this so much… It would have made such a beautiful t-shirt, – Paloma Faith

Congratulations to the winner! 

Special thanks for all the stunning submissions from everyone that participated in this Creative Invite. 

Talenthouse and Stevie Nicks invited fashion designers and stylists across the globe to design a shawl inspired by Stevie’s mystical visual style and symbolic lyrics. With the task at hand, fashion artists submitted over 620 outstanding submissions.

We loved all submitted entries that included countless hours of detailing roses, feathers, beads, leather, moons, stars, and even some depicting landscapes and thunder. Many impressive shawl designs, but with much contemplation, Stevie went with a shawl designed by Celeste Meyeres from Kanab, United States named “NAY-TIV RAY-VIN.”

As the Selected Artist, Celeste received the incredible opportunity to have Stevie Nicks wear the shawl at live concerts including Indianapolis and Columbus with professional pictures taken by Fleetwood Mac’s tour photographer, Justin Wysong. Celeste will also be given credits across all the official channels of Stevie Nicks and Warner Bros.

Lastly, the icing on the cake was $2,000 she will receive for her shawl design.

“I was so moved by the amount of submissions and the amazing detail and effort that was put into all of the designs. It was such a difficult decision for me to choose just one!

Ultimately, I chose NAY-TIV RAY-VIN by Celeste Meyeres. I felt this garment could have been made for Rhiannon or for Gold Dust Woman~ the color really isn’t that important. It just seems like a “Celtic” or a “native American” piece ~ and I found that very interesting because it is obviously the tribal element that drew me to it~ be it Welsh or Southwestern~ Congratulations!!!” - Stevie Nicks

Selected Artist

Celeste Meyers

Columbus Concert

Indianapolis Concert

“I never in my wildest dreams thought that Stevie Nicks would choose my shawl to win…so honored by this! It would have been enough to have participated alongside such talented peers.” – Celeste Meyeres

Highest Voted

Aside from one overall winner, one designer had the opportunity to gain votes from his friends, family, the community and anyone who liked his design in order to receive $500 for their design and be selected as the Highest Voted. With the majority of votes, Ashley Rose from Boston, United States took this title with her design “Belle Fleur.” 

Ashley Rose

 Favorites

Here are Stevie’s highlighted favorites that she chose when selecting her final shawl designs.

Stella Dottir

Los Angeles, United States

Tracy Welling

Collinsville, United States

Maia Quinn

Baltimore, United States

“I’d like to give a special shout out to 9 year-old Maia Quinn. Your design was in my top 10 before I even realized you were only 9! By the time you’re 15, you’ll be a famous fashion designer living in Paris!” – Stevie Nicks 

Yvette Horvath

Winchester, United States

Vivi Avigal Ortelli

Minneapolis, United States

Alia Bland

Auckland, New Zealand

Marianne Connors

United States

Kate Power

New York City, United States

Kambriel Design

Wonderland, United States

Joanie Jenkins

Frederick, United States

Laura Mannning

Tampa, FL, United States

Congratulations to the winner! 

Special thanks to everyone that participated in this Creative Invite. 

“As a child, I wanted to be a rock star or a football player, but I really dug skeletons, TMNT (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) and crazy comics early on. Finally it took advantage of me, and now my life revolves around drawing things I loved when I was a kid!“- Mathieu 

Mathieu’s work has been featured and seen in many places including VICE Magazine. When asked how he managed to get his work featured in outlets like this he said that it was a matter of building friendships. Every person he has worked with has recommended him to their friends and so on, building exposure through a word of mouth.

“First, I worked with bands, labels, and fanzines, and finally these people came to work for clubs, magazines, galleries and were following me since day one, which is great. Now that I’m a little more “popular”, people are coming to me from different horizons, but it always revolves around music, clothing, art – everything I love. Working with friends is the best way to make new ones, and it’s a nice way to have great times!” – Mathieu 

When it comes to creative tools and mediums, Mathieu likes to use ink on paper because it him it’s “pure and raw” and he can’t get enough of it. When he’s not using these tools he likes to use paint, digital processes, spray cans, and any mediums that he needs in order to do a specific project. Mathieu went on to say that he’s not afraid of trying new things, as long as he can maintain his identity and create Freak City things.

Not only is Mathieu inspired by comics, modern architecture, retro-future art, skateboard and surf culture, punk rock, 70’s and 80’s movies from Carpenter to Tati, he is also influenced by many of his favorite artists, designers, and illustrators. A few of the artists that inspire this creative mind are the likes of Parra, Mike Giant, Jaime Hernandez, Jim Phillips, Charles Burns,  Nathalie Du Pasquier, Will Sweeney including french illustrators Franck Pellegrino, Shane and Ilk. A combination of the works and styles of these artists can really be reflected in the work of some of the Freak City pieces.

When it comes to favorites, Mathieu said that the last one is always the best because he is the type of person that can’t be satisfied with the work he did three months ago. He likes looking forward and improving his style by as he said, “pushing things hard and trying to be better.”  The set of drawings he did for the Faraway So Close exhibition in Bordeaux are now currently his favorite. Here are two of his illustrations from that recent exhibition bellow.

When I asked what kind of goals he’s looking to achieve as an artist and illustrator he responded by saying that there are lots of things he wants to achieve and people he would like to work for including his favorite cinema magazines, bands, and brands. Mathieu went on to say that he would like to explore new medias like video, digital animation, installation for exhibition, and even learning to tattoo. He also said, “That’s quite an agenda, but that helps me setting goals and having the discipline to reach them, before setting new ones! It always takes time and effort, but I always learn from it, so that’s worth of trying.”

With his newfound success, Mathieu wanted to tell all aspiring artists, designers, and illustrators:

“Don’t settle to trends and stick to your guns, because fads will fade! Build yourself a strong identity and work HARD. I don’t believe in talent-born people, I believe in work, effort, and discipline. You can go everywhere if you push things hard, but you need to suffer for it. There’s no a secret recipe!”

I hope these wise words from a talented artist inspires all of you to work hard and not give up on yourself. Your art will speak for itself and will keep evolving and getting better as you progress through time. Find your sources of inspiration and your own voice like Mathieu did. It may take time, but if its a subject you really like and enjoy working on, all the effort will eventually show. Get inspired and be creative, don’t be afraid to fail, you can learn from it and become a better artist.

Follow & Like Freak City On

Talenthouse

Facebook

Instagram

Hit him up for commissioned works!

Founded in 1984 in California, the TED conference is an annual meeting of the finest minds in “Technology, Entertainment, and Design.” It has since spread to a number of other cities worldwide, and features guest speakers from the top of each field. Here is a collection of incredibly inspirational TED talks that speak directly to all artists.

1) BE AN ARTIST, RIGHT NOW – Young-ha Kim

This TED talk comes from a celebrated and well known Korean author. His main gist is that we all have an inner child that’s superbly and instinctually creative, and that we need to let that aspect of ourselves play.

2) YOUR ELUSIVE CREATIVE GENIUS – Elizabeth Gilbert

Another author, Elizabeth Gilbert rose to fame after her novel ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ became a huge bestseller. In this talk, Gilbert explains that we all have a tremendous potential for genius, and that our creativity needs to simply be uncovered and cultivated.

3) EMBRACE THE REMIX – Kirby Ferguson

This TED talk is a must-see for all creative types and artists. At one point or another we find ourselves at point where we are questioning our originality. The good news: nothing is original, and even the creative greats have all just been “remixing” ideas from the past. Awesome talk!

4) THE CLUES TO A GREAT STORY – Andrew Stanton

Andrew Stanton, creative powerhouse behind the epic films “Toy Story” and “WALL-E”, delivers what is easily one of my all-time favorite TED talks. In this particular video, Stanton outlines the fundamental building blocks of a good story, and what key elements must be in place to compel your audience to care.

5) THE MYSTERY BOX – J.J. Abrams

If you’ve never heard of J.J. Abrams, you’re probably just now emerging from the rock you’ve been living under for the past few decades. The Writer/Director/Producer of such hits as “Lost”, “Alias”, the new “Star Trek” films, and now the reboot of “Star Wars”, discusses the secret ingredient at the heart of all his creativity: Mystery. This talk is a great look at what drives a very creative individual, creatively.

The dark bold and sharp black colors contrasted with the white make the designs look machine made and printed, almost like a high end printer. Never would one guess they are hand drawn and colored in. His work is featured on a regular basis in design related publications and known for his Unify, FitForm, and Chaser designs. Paul is relatively new to designing logos, lettering and branding, although he has 7 years of graphic design experience.

It all started three years ago when Paul was invited to Dribbble and he started to upload his college work, and found other designers like Sean McCabe who makes a living out of typography and hand lettering. Wanting to do the same Paul started doing design and now gets over 20 requests a week. Congrats!

When asked what it takes to create these flawless logos Paul said, “Actually, not much is needed to create a logo design. I started with a few free IKEA pencils and some old “inked” pencils, used my phone as a scanner and vectorized it in what I currently still use: the almighty Adobe Illustrator. Nowadays I use professional pencils like the Steadler, Tombow, and Pilot (links).” He now spends many hours exploring all type related websites, print media, and practices everyday to discover and learn new ways of lettering. Paul is inspired by the works of Sean, Tyrsa, and many other great designers he finds on Dribbble, Behance, Pinterest and Instagram. With plenty of his own created logos, his favorite are “Chaser” and “Unify.” His logos depict finesse and great technique with the use of his tools to create something that very few people and printers can replicate. 

It usually only takes Paul around 8-10 hours to create a logotype. This is including the exploration, reading briefing, sketching concepts, revisions, and vectorizing the final chosen concept. Paul went on to say that vectorizing was really underestimated and it takes a lot of time and expertise to do it.

In terms of aspirations, Paul wants to keep working on his logos and explore new possibilities in logo design, typography, and calligraphy. He would also like to expand his follower base and keep his clients happy and amazed.

Paul wanted to tell all aspiring designers to start creating profiles and uploading their work to design communities to get feedback. Once that’s done you can start creating your portfolio with your best works to catch people’s attention and possibly get your first clients. Paul said to keep updating your portfolio constantly with your best works and look at lots of typography and logotypes to learn from them.

Paul is well on his way to becoming one of the top typographers/logotypers with all his great works achieved through hard work practice and research. All artists, filmmakers, designers, musicians, and more can achieve their goals through lots of practice and hard work. Learn from your mistakes, keep moving forward, and all you creatives will get to the place you want. Get inspired and be creative!

Check out his website 

www.paulvonexcite.com

Follow, like, & love his work on: 

Talenthouse

Facebook

Twitter 

Instagram

These bro’s have spent most of the past year recording all over the world, filling stadiums and writing their songs on the road for their upcoming album FOUR, that will be released on November 17th of this year!

Ok, heres the deal.

Talenthouse is ecstatic to announce the Creative Invite  for incredible producers and musicians like you in the UK  for opportunity to remix “Steal My Girl,” the first single from their upcoming album.

These remixes will be hand picked by One Direction and their acclaimed panel of guest judges including a senior A&R and Radio executives from Sony Music! Sweet!

#RemixStealMyGirl

All you have to do is create a banging remix that will send people running to the dance floors at clubs on a Friday night.

One talented producer will be selected and have their career jump started by having their remix played on the radio, 1D’s social channels for the multitudes of fans to listen, and £1,500 in cash to spend on a new MPC or more boringly, save.

Two other talented producers will get exposure of their track across 1D’s social channels as well and £500 each to make it rain.

Last but not least, one producer with the highest number of social votes from all the friends, family, and fellow producers will receive £500 in cash as well for the remix.

Now I know that you’re excited to start remixing, so be sure to use the stems provided to create your remix and read the guidelines. Get on it!

Hurry don’t miss out on the chance to remix for 1D & have your producing future sky rocket.

Submit By: November 7, 2014 at 10:00 am GMT

Have fun & be Creative!

They say that hindsight is 20/20. It’s only after we’ve done something a handful of times that we really start to feel that we know how, exactly, it’s supposed to be done. Filmmaking is no different. In fact, it’s really only through lots of trial and error, and even more experience, that we start to feel confident in the process and can really produce quality content. So wouldn’t it be great if we could skip that painful learning process? We can’t, exactly, but there are a few things that we can learn prior to setting out on our first film that will make the entire process so much smoother. Here is a list of the most important things to know when making your first film.

1) PREPRODUCTION:

There’s an oft repeated saying, “when you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” This couldn’t be truer with the filmmaking process. When making a film, we’re excited and motivated to create. This energy and enthusiasm is vital for the longevity of the shoot and the process as a whole (films are a marathon, not a sprint), however it’s important that we don’t get ahead of ourselves and sacrifice preproduction in a rush to get to set. In many ways, the success of a film’s production is entirely dependent on how well it is planned and scheduled prior to the first day of shooting. The chaos and inevitable problems that arise on a film set can’t be avoided. However with solid preproduction and planning, these challenges will be fewer and further between, allowing more energy and time to be focused on the creative process.

2) CHOOSE WISELY:

In a way, making a film is a lot like starting a new company. You have to be mindful of your business plan, your budget, investors, your final product, and of course, assembling a solid team to execute your new business strategy. This last element is crucial to the success of your film. Whether you’re shooting a feature over the course of many weeks, or a short over a weekend in your buddy’s backyard, you’re going to be spending a lot of time with your crew. Even more importantly, you’re going to be depending on them to get the job done. The ability to assemble a solid crew for a film project is a truly valuable skill and will save loads of time and headache further down the line. Your team should be fun, hardworking, creative, flexible, and most importantly, responsible. Flakiness is the number one cause of strife on a film set. Make sure you pick people who will show up.

3) CASTING ABOUT

Your cast, obvious as it may sound, is an integral part of the filmmaking process. I’m not talking about finding the perfect actor for the role. I’m talking about an extension of item #2. When casting your film, you need to hire the best actor for the role who will also bring professionalism and work ethic to set. Films are collaborations, and while the idea of casting a passionate, fiery, Marlon Brando incarnate might seem like a good idea for your project, it will all end badly if the person isn’t easy to get along with. Actors are plentiful, good actors a little less so, but good actors who are also hardworking, easygoing, and dependable, those are the diamonds in the rough. Seek them out and your project will be well on its way to success.

4) KNOW WHEN TO FOLD ‘EM

One of the most common mistakes of a rookie filmmaker (and often enough, veteran filmmakers alike), is the tendency to keep shooting takes on something until they get it just right. While a strong director will fight for and push to get the performances and scenes that they like, becoming too focused on one element of what is a much larger picture is a sure recipe for disaster on a project. Too many takes will stress your actors and give you diminishing returns. Overshooting something also burns valuable time. From little indies, all the way up to $100 million studio projects, one thing everyone lacks is time. Films thrive on momentum and forward movement. Don’t get derailed.

5) COVERAGE

So, while the previous point was all about keeping a good pace and not getting bogged down, in complete contradiction to this it’s important to get as much coverage as possible. What exactly is “coverage”? This refers to any and all possible variations on shots. Close-ups, wide shots, different angles, multiple frames, and any other possible take on the scene that you think you might need, you should get. The reason for this is that once you’re in the editing room, you’ve got what you shot. With major films, we hear all the time about the release being delayed because they had to go back and do a month of reshoots. With your project, chances are this kind of redo is an impossibility. This is why you need to get as much variation of shots to pull from as possible while you are on set and in the moment.

6) KEEP LEARNING

This is the thing. No matter how much you prepare, who you bring on to help, or how many shots you get off, you’re going to make mistakes. As with your first time at anything, there’s no way to do everything perfectly. The most important thing as you set out to make your first (or second, or tenth) film, is that you stay open to the experience and keep learning from the process. This is the key to becoming a competent and skilled filmmaker. Happy shooting!

The Spotify team was thrilled with the fantastic quality and the sheer number of entries to the contest.

Congratulations to everyone who took part!

Selected Artist 

Ese Izhi

Community Choice (Highest Voted)

In addition to the one overall winner, there was also a chance for an artist with the highest number of votes to receive a cash amount $2,500. With the most votes, talented artist Ognen Trpeski from Paramus, US won the title of highest voted and $2,500 with his entry “The New DC Era.”

Ognen Trpeski

Finalists 

The DC Shoe judges’ top finalists that were in the running for the lead spot with their designs were Laura Acevedo from Medellin, Colombia and her entry “Free Player” along with Rik Reimert from Varel, Germany and his entry “Crosshatch.”

Laura Acevedo

Rik Reimert

Favorites

The DC team highlighted their favorite submissions when they were selecting finalists and winners.

Michelle Flemming 

Raleigh, United States

Shaked Glantz

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Vera Aye

Tomsk, Russian Federation

Domingo Santander

Santiago, Chile

Fernando Andres Trujillo M

Bogotá, Colombia

Ejaz Ahmed

Mumbai, India

Nadya Ivanova

Barnaul, Russian Federation

Digital Jules

Cairo, Mexico

Marty Arty

London, Great Britain

Congratulations to the winner! 

A special thanks to everyone that participated in this Creative Invite. 

Film races create a fun, faced-paced forum for filmmakers to flex their creative muscle.

Film festivals are great. They allow you to take a project you’ve crafted from start to finish over months, maybe even years, and showcase it before an audience. Although this is a worthwhile endeavor, what if you could take the entire filmmaking process; the scripting, the casting, the planning, shooting, editing, and finally screening, and then compress the timeline to a little over a weekend? Well, you can, and it’s a riot. The phenomenon I’m referring to is the “film race”. It’s where filmmakers are given a specific set of criteria, and an unbelievably short amount of time (24-48 hours, typically), and are unleashed upon the world to create short films which will screen at a competition. It’s a terrific way to exercise your creative film talents, and the results are often surprisingly good. Here’s are two of the more established film races for you to consider.

THE 24 HOUR FILM RACE 

Now in it’s 13^th year, this international film competition gives you a whopping 24 hours to write, cast, shoot, and edit a film for submission to the competition. The length of the film is capped at 4 minutes, and is based on a given theme, action, and prop assignment. They are headquartered in New York City, however they accept submissions from anywhere on the planet. Films can be live action, animated, and in any style, as long as they address the given criteria for that years themes. Each team receives the same set of theme, action, and prop specifications, and while they must be included in the film, they don’t have to be central to the plot. This is a great film race with a high profile, but in addition to all the fun you’ll have running around and making movies, there are prizes involved as well. First place gets $2,500 and whole bunch of filmmaking swag – editing programs, gear, and a load of other goodies.

THE 48 HOUR FILM PROJECT

24 hours seem like it’s cutting it a bit short? Not a problem. There are a handful of film races that double the time allotted for your project’s completion. This is one of the most reputable. The 48 Hour Film Project follows a similar structure to the 24 hour film race, in that you’re given a set of elements which must appear in the film (a theme, a prop, a bit of dialogue), and then given a set amount of time to get that film done and submitted. The major difference here, aside from the timeframe, is that The 48 Hour Film Project takes place in individual cities across the world, and you must be present in one of those cities to participate. But fear not, they’re coming to a neighborhood near you. Currently this film race takes place in nearly 100 different cities, in places spanning the globe from Detroit to Dubai. And there are prizes! $5000 goes to the film, and 10 of the best films will be screened at the Cannes International Film Festival.

While these are two of the largest and most accessible film races (given that one is online and the other is in nearly every major city in the world), there are a bevy of other short film races attached with independent film festivals. Toronto Independent Film Fest (TIFF) has its own film race, for example. Whichever race you choose, it’s a great opportunity to really try out those filmmaking skills and test your ability to create under pressure. But most of all, it’s a lot of fun, and a great way to spend a weekend.

#KieszaWebArt

Now here’s your chance to create web art for Kiesza and show your artistic skills to the world. One artist will have the opportunity to be selected by Kiesza and her guest judges to have their artwork used as the background for her official website. This selected artist will not only receive exposure across Kiesza’s social media channels, and the opportunity to create additional web banner artwork for Kiesza, but will receive $1,000 cash as well.

One artist with the largest number of votes within the Talenthouse community will be selected as the community choice and receive $500 for their submission.

So now that we’ve got you intrigued, you can start working on this project by downloading the template and reading the guidelines.

Be sure to submit by November 10, 2014 at 10:00 am PST

This opportunity won’t be here for long, so you better hurry.

Have fun & be creative!

For almost any visual art, from photography to graphic design and everything in between, there comes a time when images must be manipulated. For stylistic, practical, or aesthetic reasons, you’re going to need a program with the tools to tweak and finesse photos. And let’s face it, the king of these programs is the ubiquitous Adobe Photoshop. It’s so commonplace in so many industries, that the name itself has become a verb: to have been “Photoshopped”. But at over two grand for CS 6 software, many artists find themselves at a bit of a disadvantage. To the rescue, we’ve complied list of five great free (or nearly free) alternatives to Photoshop.

1) GIMP

GIMP (Gnu Image Manipulation Program) is generally seen as the industry standard in free alternatives to the Photoshop monopoly. It has a great library of tools and can get you what you need from your photos. Because of the sheer number of tools it provides, the learning curve can be a little steep for first-timers, but once you get the hang of it, it’s a terrific program for photo manipulation.

2) Pixlr

As with a handful of the free Photoshop alternative applications, Pixlr began as a mobile app that gained in popularity to the point that a desktop version became necessary. Because of it’s origins, this application has a terrifically simple and intuitive user interface, making it very fast learn and quite powerful in tweaking you photos for most purposes.

3) Pixelmator

While the biggest, and most immediate downside to this application is that it’s only available on Mac OS, if you’ve got a Mac it’s a wonderfully simple and powerful alternative to Photoshop. Pixelmator offers great filter and editing tools, as well as multi-layer functionality. It incorporates Apple’s flawless user interface and candy-like aesthetic, and at $30 for the program, you’re getting a very powerful photo editing software at a fraction of the price for the Adobe alternative.

4) Paint

It only seems fair that since we mentioned a Mac exclusive editing platform, we’d offer a PC player as well. This particular program’s strength is its simplicity. It offers a great selection of filter and editing tools, multiple layers, and is completely customizable. It’s not nearly as advanced as proper Photoshop program, but for those looking to work quickly and get basic photo manipulation done, it’s a real treat.

5) Adobe Photoshop Express

Believe it or not, one of the better alternatives to Photoshop is actually Photoshop express. While it doesn’t pack nearly the punch of its big brother, this little gem is more than capable of performing your favorite maneuvers from the classic Adobe application. With Express, you can dodge, burn, tweak, and filter your photos to your exact specifications with ease. The bonus here, is that the program exists on all the major app markets, so you can “Photoshop” furiously no matter where you go, and on the fly.

Creators across the world submitted their artworks and we are happy to announce three finalists, who will compete live at the Moxy Milan ‘Blank Canvas’ event in front of European lifestyle and art media and members of Milan’s social society. The judges, including Charlotte DuToit and Rom Levy from Street Art News, had a hard time selecting from all 300 entries, but the three finalists are:

“Passion” by Nune D`amico Kerobyan

Nune D`amico Kerobyan, Italy

Hector Darcos, Spain

‘Liberty’ by a painter and graphic designer from Skopje, Macedonia – Ana Androska. Ana graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts in Skopje in 2006 and already launched two solo exhibitions. ‘Liberty’ is about celebrating one’s passion for life. It’s a passion about a glass of wine, good live music…evenings spent with friends…

Ana Androska, Macedonia

The Community Choice Winner is José Arturo Hinojos with his submission ‘Antibiotico”

Jose Arturo Hinojos

 Congratulations to our finalists and good luck in Milan! 

Lets face it, the best films in the realm of top filmmaking all have one thing in common: an incredible soundtrack. The blending of music and cinema is as old as the medium itself, with the original silent films relying solely on music to tell the story. So what are the quintessential “music movies”? We’ve compiled an entirely subjective list that will most likely be challenged by anyone who loves both music and cinema. As it should be. Enjoy, and happy viewing/listening!

1) High Fidelity (2000)

Starring the 80’s incarnate, John Cusack, this film centers around the idea of compiling the perfect mix tape. Well, truthfully, it’s about more than that. But it does take the science of music compilation and break it down in the most eloquent of ways. And he owns a record store. And it’s all for love. Also, be sure to read the book.

2) Empire Records (1995)

Carrying on with the record store theme, this cinematic epic captures the aural flavor of the 90’s music scene like no other film to date. The story revolves around the exploits of a group of record store employees as they fight for the legitimacy of the record store they call home in the face of a corporate takeover. It’s a lovely musical romp, replete with a terrific rooftop number delivered by the one and only Renee Zellweger before her Jerry Maguire days. Damn the man!

3) Almost Famous (2000)

This flick touches on one of the most key elements of music, the effect and influence it has on youth. In this picture a high school student is given the (highly implausible but based on the real life story of Cameron Crowe’s youth) job of writing a story for Rolling Stone about an up-and-coming rock band as he follows them on tour. This movie kicks ass, and features one of the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s best performances. Which is a hard thing to single out, as that guy pretty much killed it every time he stepped in front of a camera. “I’m on drugs!”

4) 24 Hour Party People (2002)

While the previous films tend to weigh heavily on the U.S. side of the pond, 24 Hour Party People is the UK’s answer to all that. Set in Northern England in the late 80s, this film features the early days of new wave rockers such as New Order and the Electronic Dance Pioneers The Happy Mondays. It’s showcases the birth of modern dance music and the rave scene as it was founded at the revered Manchester nightclub “ The Hacienda”.

5) School of Rock (2003)

Jack Black, a bunch of elementary prep school kids tearing up a band of the bands, and Joan Cusack as an uptight schoolmarm with a penchant for Stevie Nicks. What else could you possibly need? If this movie doesn’t make you want to be a substitute teacher, I just don’t know what will. Extra points for the epic scene where Black teaches orchestrates the kids in a stunning rendition of “Smoke on the Water”.

With huge leaps in technology and distribution over the past 10 years, one could easily argue that this current epoch of indie filmmaking is glorious. Affordable camera rigs that shoot studio quality, social media fundraising, and simplified postproduction have made making a film possible for pretty much anyone who applies themselves. Getting a film seen, on the other hand, is a wholly different endeavor. The film festival appears to be the arena of choice for most indie upstarts, but with even the most modest festivals charging a decent chunk of change for the honor of being considered, you’re likely to run low on postproduction budget right fast. So here are some great ideas on screening your project that no one ever thought of. Ever.

1) Backyard movie magic.

Never underestimate the power of the personal projector. While purchasing your own setup could and should cost about a grand, you can easily find a rental or borrow from a friend on the cheap. Pick a nice patch of grass, hang a sheet, and most importantly, feed your audience. You’ll be amazed at how food and beverages can attract the masses. This is a great way to fully craft your own viewing experience, as you can do up your guest list, decorate the venue accordingly (did someone say streamers?), and the night will be yours. All jokes aside, this is not only a fun event for all involved, it allows you to get a real read on your project as people feel more comfortable in this environment, and are more likely to discuss the project. Consider this a poor man’s test screening.

2) Where everybody knows your name.

Yes. A bar. Think about it. Where’s a venue that typically has a projector screen setup (all those football games gotta be projected) and can host a largish but not TOO large group? Your local bar. Pick a time when you know they’re usually empty, or maybe even closed, and pitch a screening party to them. They get a bunch of folks eager to drink booze and socialize, and you get a place to show your project to a bunch of people who are drinking booze and socializing. It’s a win/win.

3) Straight to the silver screen.

Depending on where you are in this great, big world of ours, chances are there’s a theater in close proximity that can accommodate a quick screening. If you’re located in an urban area, there are bound to be some independent movie theaters that wouldn’t mind a little publicity and traffic come their direction, and if you’re somewhere out in the cuts, even the local cinema house has got to have some down time which could be afforded to your film.

4) Go tech.

This idea is a bit out of left field, but might just be the potential for audience numbers is limitless. There are a number of website which offer live streaming services. With social media tools like Facebook and Twitter, you could easily organize a live, internet based screening to launch your project. As long as you do your job of advertising and spreading the word, it could be a great opportunity to reach a huge number of viewers, right in their living rooms.

5) Just one. Ok, maybe two.

So the cost of submitting your film to 20 festivals is enough to break the bank? No problem. You probably shouldn’t be submitting to so many, anyhow. Pick one or two festivals that you think really suit your project. A lot of festivals have a specific tone, and some even cater to a specific genre. Pick one that matches your project and go for that.

Stasi studied design in college and completed her BTEC National Diploma in Art and then spent about a year or two looking for inspiration and studying many forms of art. She said that it was during this time that she gained an interest in ancient civilizations and their primitive styles including the art styles of Greek Pottery, Warli, and Native American art.

Stasi: I really like the way these cultures used bold patterns and repetitive motifs throughout their designs to illustrate their lives, beliefs, etc, in such a straightforward, yet decorative manner. With newfound enthusiasm, I started designing these very bold, geometric pieces where color is either totally absent, or used sparingly for emphasis. And it’s this visual style that I now carry over into all of my different projects, in an attempt to create some unity between all of the different things I do.

Stasi creates her amazing art pieces with different mediums like acrylic paint on canvas, Indian inks and watercolors on paper. Simple yet complex paints executed perfectly to create designs that inspire the viewers with a single glance and gaze.

The scarcity of color defines her art in a way that hasn’t been seen since our ancestors, something truly intriguing that causes us to gaze at the detail and artistry. Capturing the essence of her art style, she started to experiment with the art of stop-motion animation and created her own short film Commute Of The Crow. With the belief in working with your hands and creating art, with much work and many hours, she created her stop-motion animation and would like to create a more difficult hand-drawn animation in the future.

Stasi: 

I have nothing against digital mediums, but I do believe that part of what makes any form of art interesting is that it is an honest reflection of it’s creator. This honesty comes from minor imperfections and accidents that can occur when a person creates something by hand. But digital art and animation can sometimes look a little too perfect for my taste. So if I do have to do some computer editing, I try to keep it to a minimum to preserve my own little “quirks.”

Her animation ‘Commute Of The Crow’ was inspired by a painting she created last year for a Talenthouse Creative Invite with Gary Russell’s “Crow Remix.” Gary selected her as one of the winners with her entry ‘Commute Of The Crow‘, and she couldn’t stop imagining what her painting would look like if it actually moved. Stasi was daydreaming about it and her imagination was running wild, she finally decided to go ahead and create her animation out of this painting bellow.

This was her greatest achievement thus far due to it being a great challenge for her in terms of having to learn stop-motion animation by herself and as she went along. She went on to say that this animation allowed her to use all her different strengths as an artist and combine them together for the first time. Happy with the end result, she mentioned that she would definitely see herself working on animation for the next several years. Here is her awesome animation ‘Commute Of The Crow’. 

Stasi finds inspiration from not only mischievous cats and animals, but from all things in her life. When she was at the age of 7, her mother developed Multiple Sclerosis and became color blind. Since then she has always been mindful about how important color can be and what it’s like not being able to see it. This is one of the main reasons why she is drawn to the scarcity of color in her imagery and using heavy black and white hues. A feline companion had always been there with her to comfort and cheer her up as a child when she had to move households several times as well. To her, cats are more than just cats, they bring her comfort and relaxation when she sketches them.

Stasi: 

Some of these doodles later evolved into my ‘Catnip’ series, which is a personal collection of nonsensical, monochromatic landscapes populated by brightly colored felines. I’m sure I’ll probably try to incorporate these designs into some kind of animation project in the near future. I think they look a little too mischievous to be motionless.

Animation has also played a huge part in her inspiration as well from growing up and watching the films from Walt Disney and Hayao Miyazaki from Studio Ghibli’s films. Being inspired by the hard work and commitment both of these men, she created her own films.

Music, video games, and different artists have also had a strong influence on her art and design. A great source of inspiration for Stasi is orchestral music, due to it’s musical narrative and lets her imagination flow while she works. It’s for this same narrative style that she likes the music in video game soundtracks including composers like Hideki Naganuma known for the Sega Jet Set Radio game, Akira Yamaoka the composer for the Silent Hill series game, and Stuart Copeland’s composition for the original Spyro The Dragon series.

It’s the great artistic works of Aubrey Beardsley, Dali, Ernst, Picasso, Lichtenstein, Yoshitaka Amano, Paul Noble, and animator Yuri Norstein, that inspire this amazing artist to create the artwork we see today. The works of Aubrey flow with black and white depicting images likened to that of Greek pottery and reminiscent to that of some of Stasi’s artworks. Animator, Yuri Norstein is known for his works like Hedgehog in the Fog and unique animation style using glass as layers to give the animation a 3D look.

Stasi: 

…Yuri Norstein, who is a Soviet and Russian Animator that uses paper cut outs to create animated shorts that look as if they were taken straight out of a child’s storybook. The amount of work that man puts into his films is mind-bending! But very inspiring.

Stasi works on her projects and designs every day and scribbles down all her ideas in her journal even if they, as she mentioned, seem silly because they can be used later on and turned into something useful. Excited when working on her artwork, she works at a frantic pace and finishes her art only waiting to begin the next one. She aspires to earn a living with her artwork and share her work with the world. She would also like to try and be a part of gallery exhibits and create more animations to enter them into film festivals next year.

Stasi: 

I’d love to collaborate with different people from different backgrounds: musicians, fellow artists, writers, fashion designers, videogame developers, etc. I’m open to any freelance illustration opportunities! It’s one of the reasons I joined Talenthouse to begin with. Whether you win a competition or not, it’s a great way to practice designing for other people.

Every artist needs to find their source of inspiration and style, Stasi has found her own. Her artwork and animation are truly inspiring and depict the hours of hard work someone has put in to produce something everyone can appreciate and cherish. Stasi gave these tips to all aspiring artists and creatives around the world,

Stasi:

I think it’s really important that you create what you want to create. Don’t waste time worrying about what everyone else is doing, or what is popular and what isn’t. As long as you are passionate about your work, that dedication will show and eventually you’ll reach an audience and potential clients.

Keep a lookout for Stasi’s work on Saatchi Art as she will be selling some of her original paintings soon. She has also recently started selling prints of her collages inspired by her animation ‘Commute Of The Crow’ on nuvango. Whether you are a cat person or just an art lover, you’ll be able to find her cat illustration prints over on Society 6. Any money made off of her prints sold will go towards upgrading her equipment for future animations and paint supplies.

Check out & follow Hannah Stasi on:

hannahstasi.com

Twitter

Instagram

Youtube

Talenthouse

Titanium On Mars

Society6

Nuvango

Saatchiart

Look to nearly every industry in today’s world and you will find some aspect of it ruled by technology. With graphic design and visual arts, this is especially true. The ipad and iphone’s intuitive user interface has created a tool that works well with the creative impulses of the visual artist. We’ve compiled a list of the top mobile apps every graphic designer should have at their fingertips.

1) Photoshop Touch

FROM: Adobe

COST: 5 Bucks

This is the ultimate extension of your computer-based Photoshop activities. It features all the same essential tools of the iPad and desktop versions, including layers, adjustments, filters, etc. It integrates easily with the iPad version, as well as transitions back to the full computer version of Photoshop. Perfect for continuing, tweaking, or starting projects on the go.

2) Ruler Plus

FROM: Bananas Design

COST: Freebie

It’s a simple enough app, but one that you’ll use again and again until you’re not quite sure how you functioned without it. This application turns your phone’s screen into and 2 inch (7cm) ruler that allows you to measure to you little hearts content. It has a feature that enables easy extension for measuring anything long than the length of your iPhone.

3) MyPrice

FROM: MD Interaktiv

COST: Freebie

This is a no-brainer for pretty much anyone who works in a freelance environment. The app helps you calculate an appropriate hourly rate based on a number of variables and individual factors, including location, client, and your own personal background and experience. Best of all, it’s free.

4) Layers

FROM: Gotow.net

COST: 5 Bucks

Based on one of the most popular tools from the Photoshop desktop application, layers allows you to replicate the layering workflow giving you freedom to move between steps in the creative process. It’s fully compatible with Photoshop, and includes a number of familiar PS tools such as brushes, color options, erase, and smudge tools.

5) Evernote

FROM: Evernote

COST: Freebie

While this app markets itself to anyone looking to organize their ideas and notes throughout the day, it’s ability to save content in multiple medias – text, photo, handwriting, or even sketches – make it especially useful for the creative types who might find inspiration and ideas in a multitude of formats. It integrates across platforms, so any items you create and save on your phone or iPad are accessible from your desktop, and vise versa.

With back to back panels and masterclasses, the event was extremely informational. It was a great way to bounce off ideas with like-minded people. With plenty of panels each day, one of my favorites was one called “How Crowdfunding Can Help Your Start-up Blast Off” with four guest speakers including Peter Treadway, the Co-Founder and CTO of Acton. Treadway founded this innovative tech company specialized in the field of wearable transportation. He created a tech product called Rocketskates. Treadway’s main premise for this panel was to inform people how months of a well-thought Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign can work in your favor as a marketing campaign to gain exposure, not just money. Treadway along with a couple of employees worked on a crowdfuning campaign for months before they made it live. They only asked for $50K to get their Rocketskates going and reached that goal within a day. The campaign was live for only a month and raised over $500K for the Rocketskatess on Kickstarter. Their campaign was a perfect example of a well executed and thought out Kickstarter campaign.

One of the main points Treadway made was to ask for a lower amount of money for your crowdfunding campaign rather than asking for too much. Only ask for what you really need in order to get your prototype or project started. If you ask for a lower amount like $50K people would be more willing to invest. More people see that the campaign is almost funded, they will start thinking that maybe they should invest due to how successful the campaign is going, the ball starts rolling.  If you already crowdfunded $50K but asked for $1mill people will see that campaign as a failure and will think there’s something wrong with the business plan.

In addition, Treadway strongly believes that crowdfunding will be a pre-requisite and test run for start-ups to create their business plans and implement an idea. He said that venture capitalists and angel investors will start asking start-ups if they crowdfunded and if they did how it went. A crowdfinding campaign will be a sort of litmus test to see if a start-up is viable with how well the campaign went and how many backers they were able to get. With a bad crowdfunding campaign venture capitalists and angel investors will most likely pass on your idea and move on to the next.

Another point Treadway made was to keep all your investors/backers informed about what your start-up will be doing with their money and key timeframes when they can expect new results and breakthroughs. Keep them informed about what you are doing and be transparent about the process. If your are going to be late with a deadline or your are behind let them know what’s going on beforehand so they will understand rather than not telling them or giving them a late notice. There is nothing worse for a start-up company than getting bad PR from angry investors/backers about deadlines that are not met or hidden facts. No one will trust the company after that and future funding will be very scarce. You can avoid all this by letting them know ahead of time that there might be a delay in the schedule and they will understand if you have constant communication with them, even if it’s just through a monthly email newsletter.

Conference goers were able to relax in-between panels and play Xbox One, while others were able to work and get in some business meetings in small Skype booths set up.

On a panel called “Film On The Go: Making Awesome Movies With Mobile” with guest speakers from Microsoft and community film agencies, Tejal Patel Head of Digital Marketing at Microsoft, discussion was about creative communities that can help build stories and create valuable content through different mediums rather than hiring traditional PR agencies. Patel said that it’s all changing and traditional PR agencies cost too much comparing to having an entire community involved and telling their own authentic amazing stories for a lower price. Cell phones are now at a point where one can create a short film and tell their story without lots of equipment. The quality of the cameras are getting better and better, everyone has the power in their hands to create and share content. Here is a talented filmmaker creating a high quality stop-motion animation film in the lobby of Social Media Week LA.

With these Social Media Week panel takeaways, I  leave you with a video featuring Larry King and Vine Masterclass. The video was tweeted and re-posted by attendees making it the top trend on Vine that day in less than an hour and showing the true power of social media.

Photography

Stabilization

Over the past couple years the quality of pictures that cell phones can take has skyrocketed, up to the point where people don’t even use actual digital cameras anymore. With so many people taking pictures with their phones and many different kinds of smart phones, here are some features you probably didn’t know about your phones that can help you take better pictures.

On an iPhone, people usually tap the screen to capture the picture, but that can cause some shaking and blurriness in your picture. If you have the earphones your iPhone came with, you can use the volume + button on the earphones as a camera trigger to capture a picture, keeping your picture steady.

On Android, you can keep your pictures steady by capturing pictures with simple voice commands rather than taping the screen. If you open the camera app and tap on the gear that show all the settings, you can scroll down to voice control and turn it on. With that on, now you can take pictures with the commands “shoot,” “smile,” “cheese,” and “capture.” If your android phone doesn’t have this feature, you can download other apps including this one named Say Cheese.

On a Windows phone, a phone like the Lumia has a camera button already on the side to help with image stabilization without having to tap on the screen. You can also download the Voice Camera app which can take pictures with your voice commands as well.

Multiple Shots

The ability to take multiple pictures quickly is crucial when taking action sports shots or just fast moving shots and objects in general.

With the iPhone, you can take multiple shots by pressing and holding the volume + button on your phone or simply holding the shutter button on the screen when inside your in the camera app. You could then release the button when you want it to stop shooting. This is an incredible hidden feature as it can take up to 10 shots per second and will group them in order automatically.

If you have an Android device, you can go to your camera app and tap on the gear to go to your settings to turn on Burst shot. You could then tap and hold the shutter button on your screen to take multiple shots until you let go. These photos will be grouped together inside your gallery to view, edit, and delete. If your android phone doesn’t have this feature you can download Snap Camera HDR app which works just as well.

There is now a burst shooting mode in your camera menu on Windows 8.1 phones, where you can take multiple shots in just a second. If you have a Windows 8 phone you can download the ProShot app and take up to 5 pictures per second.

Film

Slow Motion

There are many creative filters and effects one can use with their phone to create an artistic looking short, or something professional looking with hundreds of dollars worth of equipment shot just with their phone. Here are some hidden features on your phones that can give you cool filming effects without the use of new equipment or expensive software.

If you have an iPhone 5s, you have the capability of shooting video in slow motion. Most if not all people record their video on 1080 pixels and never change it from that on their iPhone. If you have this phone, you can capture a 720 pixel video in slow motion by swiping to the left while shooting your normal video. This is a great and easy to use feature which gives the user control to choose which part of the video should be in slow motion and which part recorded at normal speed. If you don’t have an iPhone 5s you can download the free SloPro app on your iPhone and capture slow motion video as well.

If you happen to have the HTC One M8 Android device you can capture footage in slow motion. Simply go into your video camera mode and click on the camera button on the bottom which should bring up a menu where you would be able to click on the slow motion feature represented by a walking figure. If you don’t have an HTC One M8, but you have an android, you can download the ReAction app to record your videos in slow motion and show off your cinematography skills to your friends.

Microsoft released an app for Lumia phones running Windows 8.1 called Video Tuner where users will also be able to take advantage of a slow motion feature on their phone and much more. Very recently Microsoft announced that there will be a Lumia Denim firmware update for Lumia 930 (Icon) and 1520. What this means is that this update will bring Windows Phone 8.1 new features when recording video. One of the main features this will bring to the phone will be when using Moment Capture and long pressing the camera button. When doing that the app will automatically start recording 4k video at 24 frames per second giving you that perfect cinema quality. While this is not a hidden feature, this is something definitely worth noting if video quality is important to you on your phone or your an aspiring filmmaker.

Hope some of these hidden features help you in your creative adventures. Just remember get inspired and be creative.

Ramin Djawadi (Music by) is revered for his melodic and memorable thematic scores. He is the three time Emmy® and Grammy® nominated composer, who challenges himself with each new project, selecting opportunities that allow him to reach into his repertoire of musical expertise. Ramin is the composer behind HBO’s critically acclaimed series, “Game of Thrones,” and is currently working with Guillermo del Toro on the “The Strain” after having collaborated with him on “Pacific Rim.” Ramin attended Berklee School of Music and once he graduated was mentored by Academy Award®-winning composer, Hans Zimmer. The DRACULA UNTOLD Soundtrack will feature 20 score cues from Ramin.

#RemixDraculaUntold

One submission will be chosen and featured as a digital release on Back Lot Music, and will receive $1,500. As with our other Creative Invites, the artists with the highest number of votes will receive $500.

The real bonus, however, is that the submissions will be judged by none other than critically acclaimed composer Ramin Djawadi. Your work will be reviewed by this three time Emmy and Grammy nominated composer, known for his work from “Game of Thrones”, “Pacific Rim”, and Guillermo del Toro’s “The Strain”. In addition to one overall winner, additional tracks may be selected for possible release, as well.

Producers must use the provided audio stems from the original track, provided on the site, and should use themes from the movie as well as the original Dracula story as sources for inspiration. Ramin himself says that he encourages “diversity, creativity, but most importantly, enjoyment in what you create. Have fun, surprise me.”

About the movie

Universal Pictures and Legendary Entertainment’s Dracula Untold, in theaters October 10, is the origin story of the alluring immortal we have come to fear as the sun sets: Dracula. Luke Evans (Fast & Furious 6, The Hobbit series) transforms from the cursed man history knows as Vlad the Impaler to an all-powerful creature of the night in an action-adventure that heralds a pulse-pounding rebirth of the age of monsters.

#DesignforDraculaUntold

One selected artist will be chosen to have their artwork featured, and will receive a prize of $1,000. As a bonus, the artist and their work will receive a ton of exposure across all of Dracula Untold’s social channels. In addition to the selected artist, the artists with the highest number of votes will receive a prize of $500.

The character of Dracula is universal and iconic, and inspires both attraction and terror. Dracula Untold goes deep into the origins of this conflicted and terrifyingly powerful character, asking the question, “what price would you pay to protect what you love?”. Artists are encouraged to use elements and themes from the film, as well as the original story of Dracula. For more inspiration, please visit the official Facebook page for Dracula Untold and our Creative Invite page.

About the movie

Universal Pictures and Legendary Entertainment’s Dracula Untold, in theaters October 10, is the origin story of the alluring immortal we have come to fear as the sun sets: Dracula. Luke Evans (Fast & Furious 6, The Hobbit series) transforms from the cursed man history knows as Vlad the Impaler to an all-powerful creature of the night in an action-adventure that heralds a pulse-pounding rebirth of the age of monsters.

Check our Creative Invite here to find all details. Use this hashtag #DesignforDraculaUntold when you share this opportunity with your friends.

Quiksilver and Otis College of Art and Design are calling on all print designers to submit their best, original textile print design to be featured at a catwalk show hosted by Otis College in L.A. in May, 2015. There are three categories to create for. Quiksilver is looking for your best surf and ocean inspired designs. Think waves, ocean creatures, and all things salty. Roxy is looking for a similar theme, only with a feminine touch. And finally, a DC design for both men and women, inspired by urban themes like asphalt, concrete, and feel of the L.A. streets.

Entering the contest is easy. Simply submit your best design for one of the categories described above, and wait for your opportunity to grace the fashion halls of Otis College. The entries will be judged by none other than Bob Mcknight, the co-founder of Quiksilver, and Rose Brantley, founding chair of the Fashion Department at Otis.

Three designs will be chosen, one for each category, and will be printed on garments designed by students of Otis. The designs will be printed using the new Brother International Corporation’s GT-3 garment printer, and will be showcased at the annual Otis Scholarship Benefit Show. In addition to the epic catwalk exposure, the designs will be featured as the backdrop during the show.

As one of the world’s leading art and design institutes, Otis is at the nexus of creativity and industry, and this Creative Invite is an incredible opportunity to be featured by this institution. In addition to the exposure at the benefit show, three winning designers will receive $1,000 each, the opportunity to collaborate via Skype or in person with the judges and Otis, as well as massive exposure for their work through the Quiksilver and Otis digital and social channels. In addition to the selected winners, the artist who receives the most community support on the Talenthouse page will be given the Community Choice Award and $500.

So get to designing, check out the details for submitting, and we’ll see you on the catwalk.

Filmmakers know that from the beginning of a project’s inception there are nearly five billion tasks and elements to keep track of and control. Because of the staggering complexity of the filmmaking process, there are occasionally some elements that get overlooked…until they become a problem. This is especially common with the “talent” on a project, as actors can, at times, be incredibly unpredictable. They’re human, after all. Because of this, having a game plan and a solid understanding of actors, their process, and how it relates to your production, are all essential tools to a successful project.

1) It starts in the room

The casting room, that is. It’s important to understand that while, from your perspective, casting the film might be a smaller task that comes at the beginning of the pre-production process, the “audition” is a huge deal for an actor. It comes with all kinds of anxiety, pressure, hope, fear, excitement, and whatever else they had for breakfast that day. Keep in mind when you’re seeing actors that the audition environment needs to be calm and neutral. Don’t take phone calls or handle production issues during casting, especially if the actor’s in the room, as it’s distracting and can make them feel unimportant. You want to get the best possible performance from that actor so you can see what they’re capable of. Limit anything during the audition process that would interfere with that.

2) Keep them in the loop

If there’s a single word to sum up how to win with talent and make your production go smoothly, it’s communication. This is important at all stages of the project, but is often overlooked between casting and the first day of shooting. With bigger projects and bigger actors, you’ll be communicating mostly through agents, however with indie projects you’re probably going to be dealing with a lot of actors directly. It’s important that after you lock them in for your project, that you keep them “in the loop” regarding the preproduction process and confirm impending dates and important steps. Does this mean they need to be in production meetings? No. I’m simply saying that all too often an actor gets cast and they don’t hear from production until they get their call time for the next day of shooting. This leaves actors feeling a little on the outside, and you won’t get their best work if they feel alienated from the project from the get go.

3) Rehearse

I’m not sure when or why the film world decided that rehearsals weren’t all that necessary for the actors. Quite often a production will skip rehearsals or minimize the time spent on them. Reasons given are that they don’t have time or budget for it, or that they want the actors to be fresh with the material. The thing is this, actors who come from theatre are used to spending weeks, and sometimes months in periods of intense daily rehearsal. Obviously the structure of a film and that of a theater piece are completely different, but the purpose of the rehearsal isn’t simply to learn lines, it’s to get to know the other actors, the director, and to begin the process of bringing the project to life. Whatever you do, don’t overlook this crucial element in filmmaking. Even if “rehearsal” consists of sitting around for table reads with some beer, make it happen. You won’t regret it.

4) Check in

Once that first day of production kicks off, a film takes on the momentum and general behavior of a freight train without brakes. Days get longer, breaks get shorter, and everyone on production gets tunnel vision focusing on getting things done. It’s important during all the chaos of production, that you check in with your talent and make sure they’re still on-board and feeling the project. Their jobs are easily the most demanding emotionally, and while the sound guy or the script supervisor can just down another Redbull and push on through till morning, the actors job requires that they are emotionally sound and mentally clear. It’s your job as producer or director to check in and make sure they’re not burning out.

5) They are PR machines

A huge sin that a lot of first-time filmmakers commit is that once the film is wrapped and the actors sent home, they sort of leave them out of the post process. While the actors have no place in the editing room (it would probably cause their egos to implode), when it comes time to start promoting the film and getting it to audiences, your cast are a PR goldmine. There is no other profession in the industry that self-promotes more than acting. These are people who spend about 80% of their time and income on telling other people about themselves and their projects. Keep in contact during post by giving them updates and progress reports, and when it comes time to start getting the word out about your project, arm them with all kinds of promo material. They will bring huge numbers of eyes to your project, and in the end that’s what you’re doing it all for.

In order to participate in this Creative Invite, artists were asked to capture the essence of Stephen Fry, his book, and the live show. We received 365 outstanding entries in which Stephen Fry and the guest judges chose one selected artist with a design to be used as the official poster for the show tour. This poster will be displayed on all the venues, Stephen’s own channels, and have an incredible audience reach of over 10 million people.

Inspired by the aesthetics of vintage Penguin Book covers, Daniel Weatheritt was chosen as the selected artist with an entry bursting wild with imagination in the form of cartoonish references.

Weatheritt said, “I have used a limited colour palette and incorporated as many Stephen Fry references as possible into my illustration, creating a comical and slightly surreal scene. All my drawings are created with a dip-pen and all typography on my poster is handwritten. Thanks for viewing my design.”

As the selected artist, Weatheritt will not only receive exposure of his design, he will also get a printed copy of his poster, signed by Stephen Fry, and a cash amount of £1,500.

 Selected Artist 

Daniel Weatheritt

With the highest community support, the community choice artist was Idea Bucket Agency from Mumbai, India. Idea Bucket Agency will receive exposure of their design across Stephen Fry’s social channels and a cash amount of £500 for their design.

Idea Bucket Agency: 

“We have portrayed Stephen fry in the postal format with many emotions of words in watermark because he is a multi-talented guy with its hand in most creative field. He is not just a comedian but he is also an actor, director, voice artist and what not. So we just tried to show him as simple and elegant as we can, also we are more focused to keep the look and feel of the poster in sync with Stephen’s third autobiography “More Fool Me.”

Community Choice 

Idea Bucket Agency

 Talenthouse, Stephen Fry, and Penguin Books want to thank all the creatives for their amazing submissions and hard work!

*Congrats to Daniel Weatheritt and Idea Bucket Agency!*

Make sure to follow and use the #morefoolme hashtag on Twitter for Stephen’s show tour and his new book.

 All Creative.

Creators across the world were invited to submit their finest work capturing the ‘theme’ a ‘shared experience’.

It was a difficult task selecting round one finalists and final winners from over 700 entries, however National Geographic’s lead photographer Steven Alveraz and Microsoft’s panel of judges, selected the following winners:

Anurag Verma – Chicago, US

Verma will receive a cash prize of $1,000 and a VIP pass for Social Media Week in Los Angeles, where he will showcase his amazing photograph. His Lumia Icon (or Lumia 930) arrived in the mail after being selected in round one, and Verma used it to make his winning entry ‘Don’t Blame The Social, Blame The Media’. His second round submission was inspired by social media and its power to take us to different places and moments in time.

Judge Alex Oberberg, the Global Head of Programs & Markets Engagement, Social Media & Digital at Microsoft said about Anurag’s selected entry, “Anurag used great creativity to reflect the theme well. His stylised shots demonstrated impressive use of the Lumia 930’s features and capabilities, such as colourpop and manual focus.”

Mia Mullarkey – Dublin, Ireland

With an outbreak of viral cat videos online these days, Mullarkey submitted an entry called ‘Nokia 930 Cat Video’. She made a short film using Lumia 930 or Lumia Icon video functions. Mullarkey will also receive a cash prize of 1,000 and the VIP pass to Social Media Week in Los Angeles, where she will showcase her great cat video. Judge and award winning photographer and film-maker, Stephen Alvarez went on to say:

“Winner! I hate to have a cat video be the winner, but I think the film maker is poking fun of the popularity of cat videos on the internet. Great production and story telling! Hilarious.“ 

Highly Commended Filmmaker

Creative Nathan Thomas (Auckland, New Zealand) was chosen by the judges to attend Social Media Week in Sydney, Australia with his great film entry ‘A Real Connection’. It is an incredible short film that tells the story of Nathan meeting a girl in person for the first time after he developed a deep friendship with her online.

During his visit, Nathan will have a great opportunity to meet leading brands and agencies, participate in workshops and sessions and enjoy VIP access to the after parties.

As more and more content is consumed online, filmmakers are beginning to look at the Internet as a starting point for getting their content seen. The web series is quickly becoming an equalizing factor in the film world as it allows almost anyone with an idea and some equipment to get their project into “day light” and have it accessible to the world. But navigating the waters of web series production can be a little tricky. Read on for a handful of tips to help guide you through the process.

1) Understand the format

What does this mean? Well, it’s important that before you even begin writing your project, let alone shooting and producing it, that you understand the basic format of a successful web series. A web series doesn’t follow the same rules as a short film or a feature. The first thing to keep in mind is the time format. An episode for a web series should be as short as possible. This is easily the biggest challenge for a filmmaker, as it means cutting out a lot and learning to communicate a story in shorter segments. In the end, though, it will mean the difference between a series that gets watched and one that gets ignored. People don’t watch web series the same way they watch Netflix. Your series episodes should be short, contained, and leave the viewer wanting more. A good time to keep in mind is 5 minutes. This should be a per episode cap, as anything longer gets skipped.

2) Forget about a budget

You’re probably thinking “right, well, that would be nice…but who’s going to pay for the thing?”. What I mean by forget the budget is that your project shouldn’t be anything so elaborate that it takes a load of money to make. Anything that fits into the web series time format (see “Tip #1”) is going to be cheap and fast. One way to do this is to set your web series in a single location. A clever example of this is a web series from a few years back called Web Therapy. The entire series took place on a SKYPE-like computer chat window and featured the therapist and her clients. It was hilarious, concise, and most importantly would cost nearly nothing to produce.

3) Production value: wait, what was that about no budget?

Given all the big talk about slimming your budget in Tip #2, you have to bear in mind that you will need to have some production quality. This is where it’s important to call on friends and family. Obviously with a web series you have to use what you got, so planning your series around locations that you can get for free helps in the long run. If you have access to an office, set the series in an office. Work at a bar? Ask your boss to let you shoot during the day when it’s closed. Using your resources at hand will allow you to get a higher production value and will in turn make your series more watchable.

4) Getting it seen

Obviously there are the basic methods of posting it on YouTube and sharing it with your friends on Facebook. There are important marketing and promotion steps, but there are tactics to consider before you even start writing the script. Something that a number of web series have done is to find a niche audience that shares some common interest online. If you can identify something that you know about and that has a pre-existing community online, you will already have a built-in audience ready to watch and share your show. A good example of this is the hit web series The Guild. Created by Felicia Day, this series follows the antics of a group of online gamers and their quirky personalities. The series took off, got Day attention and offers of collaboration from major industry filmmakers, and eventually led to a sponsorship from Microsoft. The success of the show, aside from the fact that it was hilarious, was that it had that pre-established audience that shared the episodes and discussed them online. Look for that niche when planning your web series.

5) Stick with it

Look, everyone wants whatever they create to be immediately recognized and viewed by a million people overnight. Unfortunately, with the speed of the Internet and the occasional story like that, we’ve come to equate success with over-night viral explosion. The reality is that sometimes we just need to be patient and keep at it. If your project’s only getting a handful of views per week, think of new ways to market it and get it in front of people. The web series is a somewhat puzzling beast, but with a little planning and consistent work, it can be a great way to gain exposure and move up in your career.

Chef Ludo’s book isn’t scheduled to release or ship until early this December but you can pre-order the book now if you would like this special copy.

Since you all submitted outstanding work, from now until Septemeber 18 you can enter the discount code Crave10th at checkout and receive 25% discount on your pre-order of the book. Nice right? Not only that but it will come autographed by Chef Ludo himself.

Amazing work everyone, stay inspired and be creative.

All Creative. 

Dave Stewart is an English musician, songwriter and record producer, who is a very respected and accomplished talent in the music industry today. Dave is best known for his work with the Eurythmics and collaboration with Annie Lennox (“Sweet Dreams [Are Made of This],” “Here Comes The Rain Again,” “Would I Lie to You?”). We are so pleased to have him on board here at Talenthouse!

He has also produced albums and co-written songs for Bono, Bryan Ferry, Gwen Stefani, Tom Petty, Stevie Nicks, Katy Perry, Mick Jagger, Sinead O’Connor, Joss Stone, and many others.

Outside of the music industry, Stewart has also written books, directed films, and established quite a portfolio of photography. Besides hosting “The Ringmaster”, a bi-weekly show where he features music and ‘fun things’ with special guests, he recently enjoyed being the official ringmaster for the Beatles 50-year anniversary performances at the Hollywood Bowl.

His career spans three decades and over 100 million album sales. Keep on mastering, Dave!

Theme music has been a pop culture staple for years on ways to distinguish, characterize and identify a particular event, product, group or individual by using a specific song or tune.

Rocky, Star Wars, Titantic, The Terminator, The Lion King, Back to the Future, Jaws, Full House, The Golden Girls, The Benny Hill Show, Sanford and Son, The Price Is Right, etc, etc, etc…could be playing on television and you don’t even have to see it to know what is on because their theme songs are so distinctive.

Thousands and thousands of entities throughout society are specifically marked through these short references of music or sounds. Anywhere from companies, stuffed animals, cartoons, TV shows, soap operas, movies, wrestlers, sports teams, game shows, Slinkies, Kit Kat bars, stores, grocery markets, internet memes, national anthems, presidents, emperors, kings, indian tribes, militaries, and popes have their own theme song.

Being able to write a quick and catchy tune that automatically pops into our head’s, and we automatically associate to a particular person or thing is a talent and a work of art. Writing such songs, scores and jingles can become a prosperous and lucrative career.

So, how does one become a part of the theme song writing world? How can you market yourself to write these blink of an eye quick hits?

Well, take to the internet and scroll through a plethora of songs and videos from Parry Gripp. Parry has mastered the art of theme songs. He has also mastered the art of constructing 30-60 second songs for internet video memes.

Parry is the frontman for the band Nerf Herder, who found some success in the late 90’s and early 00’s with the song ‘Van Halen’. They also found success in producing a short instrumental piece that would become the theme song for the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Nerf Herder went on a small hiatus after their album American Cheese in 2002. So in 2005, Parry began to work on a solo project, which consisted of 51 songs titled For Those About To Shop, We Salute You. Each song was basically 30 seconds in length, and were commercial sounding clips for things like beer, golf, soccer, trucks, mouth wash, Kmart, food, deodorant, and waffles.

People and companies took interest to some of these product identifying songs, but his major break came from a video made for the song ‘Do You Like Waffles’. This quick 30 second song was accompanied by a video with a dancing waffle. The video was a hit, the song was catchy as hell, and the video has received over 21 million hits on YouTube.

He began writing and producing more songs of this type, while also composing songs for video memes that went along with the quick video clips.  Songs like “Hamster on a Piano’ and ‘Baby Monkey (Riding Backwards on a Pig)’ found their way onto the hit show Derek starring Ricky Gervais, with the titled character singing along to the video.

Parry’s songs and videos on YouTube have reached over 100 million views. His talent for making these quick, short and catchy tunes has made him a special commodity in the world of quick theme and meme songs. He has even had some videos reach into the top 10 viral videos of the year.

This newfound success of theme’s, meme’s and novelty songs is keeping Parry quite busy these days. He has written theme songs for the shows Being Ian, Super Hero Squad Show, Ben 10: Omniverse and The 7D. He does the jingle for Wawa Food Market’s “Breakfast Hoagiefest”, songs for Hallmark Cards e-characters hoops&yoyo and has song appearances on Disney Junior DJ Shuffle, Learning Town and Phineas and Ferb. Not to mention the countless video meme songs, his website Song of the Week postings, and finally getting Nerf Herder put back together.

Needless to say, if you’re looking for ideas or inspiration for fun, catchy, and identifiable tunes, look no further. Just do yourself a favor and spend 5-10 minutes searching songs and videos of Parry Gripp, and you’ll be laughing, foot tapping and humming these catchy tunes throughout your day.

So, go get some ideas and tunes in your head and submit for Festival Supreme and Tenacious D Creative Invite.

The very fortunate Arsenio Cadena was elected as the Community Choice Winner and one of the finalists, so he will receive a budget of £2,500 to produce his film. Prime & Fire are known for their love of action sports and creativity and all the submissions told stories that showed just that. Here are the lucky filmmakers and now winners with their stories.

Selected Artist

Over Achieving Pensioners by  James Callum

Community Choice/ Finalist 

 CURIQUINGUE by Arsenio Cadena

Finalists

 The Gift by Eduardo Bartolomé

 France with I Dance Against Myself  by Samuel Sebillaut & Pauline Vergne

Marble City by Sean Conley

VERSHININ by Hannibal Morris

Kushti – The Mud Warriors by Mukti Krishan

  Milk Race 1966: On and on… by Steven Green

Unfinished Stories (WOA Project) by David Suchar

The Year of the Charge by Dave Robson

Special thanks to our Creative Talenthouse Community for participating in the Creative Invite!

Congrats to James, Arsenio & all the finalists.

All Creative. 

Lets face it. Over the past decade or so, YouTube has grown and evolved to become the most prolific, influential, and massive outlets for video media. Whether it’s guerrilla news, web series, or cat videos, YouTube is the recognized hub of all that is random and short in the online video world. But more than that, YouTube has become an arena for artists, filmmakers in particular, to showcase their wares and get an audience. Some people have launched careers on YouTube, and now you can find pretty much everything and everyone on the site.

The problem, of course, is that this has led to a saturation of content. YouTube isn’t held in as high a regard for its artistic content, and it can be limiting with the length of video you’re uploading. To that end, we’ve complied a short list of alternatives to YouTube that are well worth checking out.

Vimeo.com

Second to YouTube in fame, most people who spend much time on the Internet eventually come across this site. Where YouTube champions the viral quality of its videos, Vimeo tends to focus on the “quality” of its videos. Vimeo has become the go to for interesting short films, documentaries, and anything that’s shot nicely and should be seen in HD. The free account allows for up to 500 MB, but an affordable upgrade to the pro account allows 5 GB of HD uploads. They’re much more trendy in their layout and UI, and it lends your film, music video, or web series a more professional feel.

Blip.tv

While Vimeo is best for short films and one-off projects, Blip.tv is becoming an arena for high-quality serial projects. If you considering a web series or anything with more than one installment this site is a great option, as it encourages its submitters to continue generating content. It allows 1 Gig of storage per video and includes loads of tools for self promotion and getting views to your content.

Funnyordie.com

If comedy is your thing, then you need go no further than funnyordie.com. Initially launched as an online channel for all video comedy related, it because very popular with celebrities and soon the main page was filled with videos featuring the likes of Will Ferrell and Jack Black. While this might seem like it would edge out some of the lesser known creative folk like us, it actually serves to benefit, as the audience for those videos often wanders the site after laughing at the famous people. Which means, simply, more eyes on you. Funny or Die has been known to launch a TV career or two, with recent comedy series Drunk History getting its start on the site.

Ultimately, when posting and promoting your content online, you’re really looking for one thing: exposure. So bearing that in mind, there’s no reason you shouldn’t be posting on every site you can find. YouTube has reached a saturation point, but given its ties to Google, and the sheer size of its audience, you would be wise to include it in your promotion. The alternatives should be seen as more precise methods of promotion and exposure. In the end, it’s all about the message you’re trying to get across, and the audience you’re trying to reach.

One overall selected artist will have the opportunity to become the Black Canvas “Artist in Residence” and be able to design and curate work for the next Moxy Hotel, receive $3,000 in prize money and much more. Wow!!

Aside from that, one highest voted community artist will receive $1,000 in prize money. Nice!

Come on, what are you waiting for? This incredible opportunity will end very soon, so get your art supplies, start creating, and submit to Talenthouse for this chance to shine. Have fun and be creative.

Make sure to submit your entries by September 22, 2014. 

All Creative. 

When I first thought about what I wanted on this cover it was all about illustration. I received some really beautiful illustrations that are truly pieces of art. Although the winner does not per se have illustration, his cover design just stood out from all the others! Great use of the French national colors. Crazy wild type treatment, but still gets across all the information we needed. Nice crop of the photo and an interesting choice to convert it to black & white. It makes me want to open up the book and see what’s inside. – Ludo Lefebvre

The choice was difficult, but the final choice came to a strong and original cover. The choice of the text, the picture in black and white, and the overall look of the book made it different and unique. – Lionel Deluy

Selected Artist Winning Choice

With a colorful entry and style reminiscent to Ludo’s tattoo’s, the Talenthouse artistic community voted for Cristian Cruz from Colombia as the community choice winner. As the community choice winner, Cristian will receive a cash amount of $500 dollars to do with as he likes. Sweet!

Community Choice Winner