fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
2020 Inspo
By: Craig Berry
Tags: Fashion, Design, Photography, Graphic Design, Illustration

As a creative, it’s useful to have and keep visual references as inspiration and to provoke your imagination. For me, this usually done by keeping (aka losing) a bunch of random images in my downloads folder. But this year I tried something different.

From January to December in 2020 I gathered these images (mostly through Instagram, but also via other sources) and dumped them into a Tumblr blog page as a way of making a huge moodboard. This page is now filled with images to have as a sort of online archive to look into for reference; it has also been a great way of discovery and an organic way of learning about new creatives, new artists, new brands, new perspectives and new things in general.

As a graphic designer, the kinds of things it features are what you might expect a grapihc designer to be inspired by such as visual identities, typography and other nice design things; which it does. But I am not only inspired by these things for my professional practice; in fact, these kinds of graphic design things don’t feature so often. More common are images of photography projects, fashion and footwear brands and collaborations, artworks, paintings, 3D and illustrations as well as product/industrial design, architecture along with archival film and music references.

My pool of creative inspiration to dive into is vast, metaphorically and literally. I would suggest to any creative to keep a reference bank of images like this, either in Instagram, Pinterest boards, a notes document or even just a downloads folder; the ability to quickly pull up a reference now is invaluable.

Throughout this post I have curated a selection of images from my Tumblr moodboard and grouped them into categories. Beneath this is the credit for each image linked to their page. Please check these out and discover more for yourself.

My full moodboard archive can also be found here.
永遠在沈睡的老爸
By: Aileen Wu
Tags: 插畫, 繪本, 育兒, Illustration

Learn more. Medium is an open platform where 170 million readers come to find insightful and dynamic thinking. Here, expert and undiscovered voices alike dive into the heart of any topic and bring new ideas to the surface. Learn more

Make Medium yours. Follow the writers, publications, and topics that matter to you, and you’ll see them on your homepage and in your inbox. Explore
DIY Holiday-Themed Procreate Brushes 🖌
By: Zaira Khemani
Tags: Digital Drawing, Procreate, Drawing, Digital Art, Illustration

1. Candy Cane

This one is my favorite — and it cut my holiday card-making time in half. Now I do not have to worry about adding in the stripes and different colors; it will do it for me!

To make this candy cane pen, start a new set by scrolling up in the brush menu and selecting the +. Create a new brush for the pack by clicking the + within the tab.

Do not be overwhelmed by all the settings — we only need to focus on a few sections. For the stroke path, turn the spacing fully down and the StreamLine fully up.

Next, tap the color dynamics tab and turn the Stamp Color Jitter and Stroke Color Jitter saturations to the maximum. Do not change the Color Pressure or Color Tilt settings below the jitter controls.

Rename your brush in the About This Brush tab — and you are all set!

Here is a sample of the brush’s abilities:

2. Glow Script

Want to level up your holiday handwriting game? Forget about leveling up; want to transform it? This brush is smooth, colorful, and perfect for calligraphy. Did I mention it glows? If you are ready for some lit holiday lettering (literally), read the instructions below!

Within your pack, begin a new brush. Remember, we are only looking at a few out of the many tabs. Turn the stroke spacing fully down.

Tap the shape tab and select the edit button. Press import, and choose the source library. Flip through the options until you find the pen glow. Then press done to return to the main studio.

Open the color dynamics and turn the Stamp Color Jitter, Stroke Color Jitter, Color Pressure, and Color Tilt saturations to 100%.

Rename your newly-made calligraphy brush in the About This Brush tab.

Here is a sample of the finished brush’s abilities:

3. Star Light

On exceptionally cloudless nights, you can see the stars sparkling above you. But what about your drawings? Here is how to make a shining star brush that resembles a glimmering winter night sky!

Enter your previously built pack and start a new creation. For this brush, we are going to leave the stroke path alone.

Go to the shape tab and press edit, then import from the source library. Scroll through the choices until you see the star option. Select it, and tap done to return to the main studio.

Enter the color dynamics and only turn the Stamp Color Jitter saturation fully up. Leave the rest of the color settings to the default.

Finally, rename the product in the About This Brush tab.

Here is a sample of the brush’s abilities:
A Year in Illustration
By: Jason Fujikuni
Tags: Storytelling, Visual Design, Design, Illustration

As the art director for NYT Open, I have the privilege of working with artists and designers from all over the world to illustrate for The New York Times. Every piece that is published on Open is led by a unique illustration that is commissioned specifically for that article — and sometimes our articles have a closing illustration, too. At The New York Times, we use illustration to add layers of humanity and emotion, and to convey ideas that build upon our articles through visual metaphor, narrative storytelling and thoughtful design.

At Open, our approach to illustration is conceptual. Before I assign an illustration, I talk with Sarah Bures, Open’s editor, about the ideas behind the article; I then think about ways to complement those ideas with the unique voice of an outside artist.

When we’re ready to assign an illustration, I look for not just a technical hand to illustrate our ideas, but a conceptual partner who can bring their own perspective to the piece. I like to hire artists who have never worked with The Times because they bring diverse visual approaches and voices to the column.

This year as we adapted to the new normal of working from home, we published 38 articles, including a new interview series called “Meeting…,” which is illustrated by Claire Merchlinsky and features Times colleagues from different parts of the company.

Reflecting on a year like no other, we chose five memorable pieces to highlight from 2020.
This is true
By: Voicing Freedom
Tags: Warrior Women, Moral Of The Story, Tenacity, Facts, Illustration

This is true

Sums it up pretty well for Women like myself

I’ve said it probably many times at this point as outlined in a great visible representations of this. As said Women like me have seen it all, heard it all, or experienced it all more or less so not much if anything fazes us at all. IE Refer to post as posted many times over the years. lol

To be entirely blunt the decline of American society and why we are one of the dumbest countries in the world is based on what is valued in society as well as a reality tv mindset began that began being peddled in the media. When Pop Culture became the center of the universe which doesn’t last for 5 minutes in the span of life- as pop culture comes and goes with the times just as fads do rather than gauging what matters or important in life. These people in the media and such just want attention, that’s how they make their living via attention and PR. Personally I do not care about current Pop Culture at all or anything of the sort. It doesn’t pay bills, has 0 to do with real life or anything else. It’s not mind or life enriching at all especially on a world view level. Point is anyone that challenges that status quo by just not giving it any weight or credence is always deemed “tempestuous” more or less. What matters in life matters in life what doesn’t just doesn’t.
Here come the Shahs of Legend
By: Pendar Yousefi
Tags: Childrens Books, Parenting, Design, Illustration, Art

The Shahnameh is a thousand-year-old epic that tells mythical tales of ancient civilizations. It’s an often-overlooked seminal work of world literature. Its 62 stories are told in 990 chapters through 50,000 couplets of poetry that took 30 years for its author Ferdowsi to complete.

The Shahnameh is written in modern Persian, which makes it understandable in spite of its age. I remember as a young boy spending hours at the library reading through its many magical stories, marvelling at its fantastic creatures, and feeling proud of the fact that I could understand its poetry with little help. Reading Shahnameh formed a big part of my childhood identity.

Ever since I started dabbling in illustrations almost two decades ago, I had the goal of illustrating all the characters of Shahnameh. The trouble was, I wasn’t a natural illustrator. So for most of those years, I was paralyzed by the desire to figure out the perfect illustration “style”, before embarking on the project.
Texture trends of the month
By: Martina Soraci
Tags: Artist, Trends, Texture, Inspiration, Illustration

Learn more. Medium is an open platform where 170 million readers come to find insightful and dynamic thinking. Here, expert and undiscovered voices alike dive into the heart of any topic and bring new ideas to the surface. Learn more

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Our Values
By: Small Town Folk
Tags: Life Lessons, Values, Studio, Illustration, Culture

Say Hello

We, at Small Town Folk, love saying hello. Say hello and watch as the world becomes a nicer, happier place. We’ve got some of our best projects by just walking up to people and having interesting conversations.

Have fun

This may be the most important rule of them all. Go ahead and love what you do. Open briefs are the best things in the world. Dive in headfirst and splash about. Make Bryan Adams proud and have the best days of your life.

Share freely, accept openly

“I have a thought.” is one of the most used phrases at Small Town Folk. Closely followed by “What do you think?”. Our policy is that you’re never going to know how good a batsman you are unless you take a swing at it. Remember, share without fear and listen without bias.

Hold each other up

If you ever feel bogged down in any way, just look up and ask for help. There are no stupid questions. Reach out, we’re nice people. We don’t bark. Well… Eva might, but that’s probably because she wants to help too.

Join forces

Phil Jackson famously said that “The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.” It’s time to take our individuals skills and multiply them together. It’s almost exactly like those Captain Planet cartoons.

Be honest

Honesty is the best policy. A little cringey, we know. But hey, it’s the truth. Working with a lot of different people can be a little daunting at first. So, if you ever feel a little lost in translation, try the truth. It’ll (we’re going to make you cringe again) set you free.

Save the day

We’re all here to do the same thing — solve problems. So, don’t worry about which department you’re in or which project you’re working on. If you can jump in and save the day with a kick-ass idea, we’d never ever stand in your way. In fact, we usually brainstorm with the whole team because you really never know where the ‘big-idea’ is going to come from.

Welcome the unknown

It’s okay not to know everything all the time. The wise thing to do in these situations is to embrace it as an opportunity and learn. Every project we do makes us better because every project we do teaches us something new. The moment you stop learning, you stop growing.

Make the world better

You have the power to use design for good. Break barriers, cross cultures and be selfless. There can be no brave new world if there is no brave new design.
Procreate? Atau Photoshop?
By: Vinsensiana Aprillia
Tags: Photoshop, Childrens Books, Illustrator, Procreate, Illustration

I am an Illustrator also master student. Interested in art, design, culture, business, knowledge, music, space, and 🐈.
Three years of unDraw
By: Katerina Limpitsouni
Tags: Startup, Design, Undraw, Illustration

A milestone I never expected to reach and celebrate, but here we are! Three years of continued design, style exploration, amazing interactions and opportunities.

What started as a side-project has now grown beyond my wildest expectations and maybe control! unDraw surpassed 400k monthly users (2x since 2019) and is now ranked with products like Gatsby.js and Product Hunt. It’s been a lot of growing for me, for Aggelos and for the website itself with a rebuild from scratch, new styles to overcome design fatigue and a way to make it long-lasting but I can honestly say that we’ve succeeded.

An innovative community

This wouldn’t have been possible without the amazing support of the community and awesome persons who are there and motivate me to go on. Thank you so much for everything. I’ve seen unDraw being used in new AWS products, established companies like Algolia, promising no-code tools and so many products, presentations and designs by creative people that make me wanna get back and improve each illustration again and again.

UnDraw in unexpected places like a Manhattan store! Thanks to Hector Kolonas for sending this image.

A glimpse in 2021

Every year, I like to set the goals for the next but this one feels different, so I’ll do my best to outline them as much as possible.

Despite the natural urge to grow the collection, I will continue to perfect it with all the data I’ve learnt throughout 3 years of designing at a large scale. Making the illustrations even more impressive, versatile and most importantly, effective.

I always wanted unDraw to grow steadily and even slowed down the progress so it stands through time. After Adobe XD, we took another step by bringing a visual feedback collection to Miro. Now it’s time to think how and who will be able to continue it in a way that it maintains its openness and keeps helping creatives with their goals.

With all these going on and unDraw stabilized in a great course, I’m ready to revisit my personal work and in the process share a few tools we’ve developed and can have a similar impact on the creative community.

A huge thank you

Numbers, growth and personal projects are nothing without amazing people and this is exactly the reason unDraw keeps going. A community of creative and gifted persons who I’ve met through social media and online interactions but are now true friends. Thank you so much for all the support and hope 2021 will be a great year!

P.S.: A few people I want to especially thank this year who helped in different ways.
Celebrating 20 Years of Music
By: Nathan Veshecco
Tags: New Music Friday, New Music, Posters, Illustration, Art

The time to unveil is finally here! After over five years of keeping this wild-ass piece of art shrouded in secrecy, HERE YA GO! Presenting Or Is It Purple: The Very Best Of (me) 2000–2020, featuring the cover art piece “One Man Record Machine” by legendary Hollywood poster artist Steven Chorney.

ABOUT THE ALBUM: Or Is It Purple is a celebration of 20 years of recording, which I’m marking today — December 18th — on the 20th anniversary of my very first recording session back in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. This career-spanning compilation exists in two versions. On Spotify, iTunes, etc you’ll find a two-“disc” version that leads off with the never before released vault single Me And You And Her, written by myself and Marc Seeley, Jr. You can find, stream, and download this version on every platform worldwide. On Bandcamp, the comp is in two separate volumes — The Records (my favorite recordings/productions I’ve worked on) and The Songs (my favorite songs I’ve written). This is the ideal starting point if you’re new to my music or want to introduce someone else to it. I really hope you approve of the song choices and enjoy listening to the compilation!

ABOUT THE ART: Steven’s art followed my directives, which were pretty weird — Have it be like a movie poster, with Dad’s face centered and huge; include my Mom, Sis, and best friend Aaron; create a femme representation of “The Muse,” and throw Filby the turtle and some geese in there somewhere. Oh, and have it be in space, in a starry night sky. This is what he came up with! It’s as weird, as cringe, as random, and as hopefully beautiful as my music life has turned out to be.

I’d like to once again thank and send all my loving to everyone who has supported me in spirit, in love, in song, in shelter, and in funds along the way, especially my core family Mike Veshecco, Lynda Terry, Kira Lugo, and Brad Terry. Thank you for letting me live this kind of life. From Grey Age in 2002 to Marilyn in 2004 to Cassiopeia in 2006 to I’d Be Here in 2009 to Coyote Hours in 2014 to Under The Palms (For Zara) in 2019 to Quiet Storm in 2020…this has been an amazing musical adventure. To quote Stevie Wonder, here is my music — it is all I have to tell you how I feel.

Dedicated in loving memory to Mike Veshecco, 1947–2014-Forever in the music.
Bruce make-over part 1: Luccico edition
By: Mr. Bruce
Tags: Mascotte, Mrbruce, Illustration, Makeover, Tide

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邵族女孩與貓頭鷹
By: Aileen Wu
Tags: 插畫, Owls, 藝術家, Illustration, 貓頭鷹

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What if you had the very same tools as the artists you admire?
By: Amy
Tags: Design Thinking, Illustration, Design, Creative Process, Art

Menina IV: Paintbrush Portraits by Rebecca Szeto — based on Velázquez’s Las Meninas (1656) (source)

I might be exaggerating the title a little, but for a lot of people who works digitally, that’s exactly what happened when Kyle Webster’s brushes were made available for free for Adobe Creative Cloud users (the membership itself isn’t free though!) His brushes are loved the world over by artists and illustrators around the world like Christoph Niemann, Sophie Diao, Mark Conlan and Samantha Kallis.

What if the tools that these artists use were now in your hands? What would you do with them? What would you hope you could create with it?

Would you try your hardest to emulate the artists who’ve chosen certain brushes as their favourite? Or would you think of using their works as inspiration for your own practice, studying their strokes to see if you could recreate them? Or would you set out to just have fun with them to see where it takes you?

It’s all good, really.

While having special brushes in Photoshop does a lot to help elevate one’s digital work (or at least make things easier), I realized that traditionally, we’ve been using the tools that have been in existence for a long time as well. Tools that were used by Picasso, Monet, Mondrian: the humble pencil or charcoal. A paintbrush, and a variety of mediums that are in existence until today — oil paints, gouache, watercolour, pastel. Artists who play with sculptures, collages and paper, among the many, many different ways of expression, whether it’s in 2D or 3D.

It might be helpful to remember that the tool(s) that you have in your hand, whether it’s traditional, or digital; is merely an extension yourself. A complex culmination of things that no one else has: your history, personality, hopes, fears, ideas and concepts; along with your emotions, thoughts and passions.

And while we may be wielding the same tool, we’re all very different, and that is what makes art-making so beautiful.
婚禮視覺插畫設計 — 牽手：無所畏懼共度每一刻
By: Melody Cheng
Tags: Design, Marry, Illustration

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home school
By: Woawomen Urra
Tags: Online Lessons, Education, Illustration, Art, Back To School

At the beginning of lockdown it seemed like everyone was focused on learning something. Banana and sourdough bread, painting classes, new language. . . .people stuck at home wanted something new to occupy their minds.

Japanese vocabulary with Duolingo

During the earlier months wonder | wander | women were focused more on healing and regenerating. . . .stunned by the ravages of the year and getting used to the not-yet-normal, we staggered through the days trying to forge a new routine to anchor us.

Notes from Manga Symposium, July 2019

Learning is one of our passions and we love curator talks, masterclasses, short courses. . . .anything that tickles our brain and gets the neural pathways working. It was learning that slowly helped us register time again, that reminded us the world had not ended.

Notes from illustration and advertising master

Andrew Loomis: Creative Illustration

Reviewing past lessons peaked our waning interest. We dragged ourselves from doom scrolling and endless repeats of the news cycle and began to search for something to do with our hands that wasn’t part of our previous obligations or daily grind.

Mom is a veteran at adult education but I’m a bit newer to it. I’ve been blocked on some of my work because I’m struggling with new techniques and finding ways to work faster and more fluidly, especially with digital art, so I’m resetting my process by going “back to school”.

Even techniques we learned in art school can be relearned in new ways, or maybe I’m confident enough now to try things that I was afraid of in university.

Notes for Alphonso Dunn’s video

“6 ways to create depth”

A lot of my notes combine visuals and text, especially since they’re for art courses. When it comes to theory I lean heavily toward text. I like to think as I write, and write as I listen.

Notes from Domestika course “Artistic Illustration”

with Carlo Stanga

But as a visual artist I learn better when I mix pictures and text. Humour helps too: I illustrate my language notes with pictures that serve as memes, like the cartoons on flash cards.

Duolingo Japanese sample sentences

illustrated with characters from my favourite anime.

There are many free and cheap courses online, and some surprisingly in-depth lessons on YouTube. You can hone existing skills or learn something completely new. We’re excited to see what you pick up!
If you don’t like the rules, create your own
By: Leena Kisonen
Tags: Finding Yourself, Leena Kisonen, Finding Your Voice, Olle Eksell, Illustration

My studies were largely guided by the mindset that graphic design and illustration are something extremely serious, something that you should not take lightly.

Many teachers had the attitude that graphic design can only be done the “right” way by the seasoned, high-status white male professionals who wear only black and edgy eyeglasses. They created only in black and saw other colours as something that’s meant for children. They were the ones who would set the rules for everybody else and you were supposed to follow them.

Design or illustration were definitely not done right by young women. They especially needed the guidance of old, serious men to get it right.

Olle Eksell is also famous for his bird drawings. So quirky!

Another mantra kept hearing during my studies was that your work shouldn’t feel easy. It could always be more perfect, more refined, more this, more that. If something came easily to you, you were probably cheating in a way or another.

Instead, creating design should be extremely painful. You should stay up late and feel stressed, suffer for your work and maybe even lose your mind in the process. That’s when you’re doing it right and your work can be approved by other Real Designers who suffer like you.
I Turned 1 Month, On Medium
Tags: Motivation, Writers Block, Inspiration, Illustration, Writing

I Turned 1 Month, On Medium

5 things that made me a decent writer from a mediocre one Lipika Follow Dec 16, 2020 · 5 min read

Photo by Juan Encalada on Unsplash

I know you have come across such articles for eons now. Trust me, even I have. And I promise you, these are not the ones I came across. These are my own recipes.

This will not be a long one, because — one, I respect your time, and two, I am not adding things which you must have read for the twentieth time now.

To cut to Hecuba, below is a list of 5 things I am following religiously and have witnessed remarkable progress in my writing quality as well as speed. I know I have a long way to go, but I wanted to share some of the things that have really worked for me.

So, off we go.
How to Avoid Losing Your Motivation While Drawing 😣
By: Zaira Khemani
Tags: Digital Drawing, Procreate, Drawing, Digital Art, Illustration

1. See the future

You can’t start drawing if you don’t know what to draw. Before you set your stylus to the screen, think about what you want to get out of this drawing session. List out the characteristics of your desired endpoint.

Having a clear goal will enhance your motivation because you understand what you want. Now you must put that thought into action.

2. To heck with people

Many people believe that it is easier to draw when you scour the internet for ideas or follow a tutorial.

Neither of the above helps you draw faster or better. When you sit down to 15 minutes of inspiration research, it will end up being 4 hours. Searching for ideas is just an excuse that your brain concocts to procrastinate getting tasks done. Do not give in to your indolent instinct.

When you watch a tutorial, you are unconsciously trying to replicate the instructors drawing. When the lines are not as straight, or the colors are off, it is frustrating, which leads to discouragement and quitting.

3. Become a hermit crab

Let’s say you were drawing with your phone sitting next to you. At first, this doesn’t seem like a problem. But fiery texts from a group chat keep flashing across your home screen. Your friends are at it again. Even though you are not focusing on that negativity, it impacts your optimism. You might find yourself muttering words of dissatisfaction as you erase, scratch out, and even delete.

You don’t need that negativity around you while you’re trying to be productive and enjoy yourself. Relocate your phone to another room, shut down your computer, isolate yourself in a quiet room, and clear your head. Take whatever measures you need to elude the destructive elements around you.

4. Be lazy

Yaaas! You can finally kick back, relax, and sprawl out on the couch to watch some Lilly Singh.

Not so fast. “Be lazy” means that you should work slowly and lightly so you can remember what a grand time you had. Your brain will yearn for the bliss of drawing, so you’ll feel compelled to revisit your art.

Do not rush your drawing, impose deadlines for no reason, or draw because you have to. Just smile, slow down, and unwind. Drawing is fun!

5. Celebrate your successes

Well, only celebrate if you are successful. You don’t have to perfect your drawing, go to extreme lengths, or even work too long on it. To me, success is when you feel like you have put in enough effort to be proud of the time you’ve spent on your drawing. In other words:

Effort + pride in time spent = SUCCESS

After you are successful with your drawing, you can reinforce your hard work with a small treat. Install that new drawing software you’ve been dreaming about, buy the funny mug you had your eyes on, or enroll in the 5-day writing course you have wanted since last month. When you meet your goal and accomplish an artwork to be proud of, you deserve a prize.
The Importance of Good Design
By: Ann Brennan
Tags: Creativity, Designer, Design, Graphic Design, Illustration

Good design. What is good design? The more I’ve experienced schooling in design, created my own designs, seen other’s designs, and used design in my everyday life, I’ve come to some conclusions about it. First and foremost, design isn’t a trend. I’ve come across and created pieces and projects that simply followed a trend; an easy and boring trend. I’ve become more skeptical of my own work as well as what I see around me because of this. What I deem to be “good design” is something clean, fresh, and alive. I think 50% of the “good” is determined by the authenticity of the creator’s originality, passion, and creativity. The other 50% is determined by quality execution of the idea/project. My biggest question for myself and for others is this: What is the point of creating easy work? To simply say I made work? I think the key is to pour ourselves into cultivating and perfecting a project that matters and makes a difference somehow. That arena is where the good, good design comes into play.

In the arena of good design, people have access to a plethora of ideas, feelings, and benefits that exude from the visuals of good design. Access to information, education, empathy, services, relatability, ideology, accessibility, creativity, entertainment, revolutions, perspectives, and beauty are all to gain through good, beautiful design. To me, the best design helps people somehow. It brings joy to people. Comfort. Beauty. Encouragement. Inclusivity. Awareness. Everyone’s talents and passions are different. And it is possible to create good design in many different ways. However, I think the way I’ve decided to take is one that can bring something to others, specifically help, inclusivity, and beauty. We all can make good design, but we need to rid ourselves of easy, trendy work and tackle what we were made to do; to make a difference.

How people interact with design is found in an endless ocean of techniques, research, execution, data, context, etc. Designers have the unique experience to reach people. To speak to people. To relate to people. Even to change people. Reaching toward growth and finding out how we are meant to do good should be everyone’s goal. I think every area of design needs people with this goal.
Face-Off — (Poetry)
By: Arijit_Das_ Antidepressant
Tags: Poem, Graphic Design, Digital Art, Illustration, Poetry

Hi! This is Arijit Das, from Kolkata, India. I find writing therapeutic and the best way to express and liberate myself. Partnered by medium.com/@arijitnews
Hot Cocoa in a Mug ☕
By: Zaira Khemani
Tags: Digital Drawing, Procreate, Drawing, Digital Art, Illustration

1. Backdrop

This is the easiest part — just fill the canvas with a color of your choosing. I used a warm yellow because it will contrast nicely with my dark navy mug.

2. Body

Select the Procreate Pencil under the Sketching tab in the brushes section. Holding your stylus at a perpendicular angle to your canvas, press firmly against the screen as you sketch out the mug shape. Make sure your lines are slightly curved so they add more dimension to your illustration.

3. Handle

Still using the Procreate Pencil and your mug color, add a roundish handle to the right side of the cup. Try to start in the upper half of the curve and end in the lower half. The handle should not stick out too far or be too thin.

3. Cocoa Base

Select a dark, rich brown color and drag it into the empty part at the top of your mug.

4. Cocoa Highlights

Switch to a lighter tan shade and draw a small swirl pattern centered in the middle of the cocoa. It’ll look almost like a peppermint. These swirls will add a secondary color to our drink, making it more interesting and 3-dimensional.

Then select the blending tool and lightly swipe it across the cocoa, just enough to mix the colors a little. You should not be able to make out the swirls, but you should see a blotchy and chunky mixture.

5. Mug Highlights & Shadows

Use a lighter blue to scribble highlights along the left side and top of the mug. Use a darker blue to apply shadows to the lower regions. Repeat this step for the handle.

Then blend the colors and ensure that they are spread evenly across the mug with no rough or choppy patches.

6. Outline

Finally, clean up the edges of your drawing and give it a playful cartoon-like look by tracing over the borders with a black airbrush. Try not to wobble too much — this outline shapes your entire illustration.

Done! I can already smell the warm, sweet chocolate. 🤤

I hope you had fun drawing this cartoon mug with me. Did you learn something new about Procreate? Or maybe you took a step out of your comfort zone? Whatever you did during this tutorial, I hope you got something valuable out of it.

Now go drink a cup of hot chocolate! You deserve it. ☕
還記得自己的夢想嗎？
By: Aileen Wu
Tags: 插畫, 育兒, Illustration, 繪本, Picturebook

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Alan Rickfan
Tags: Books, Comics, Illustration, Writing, Art

Follow Ellis working the ghost shift as a stockbroker following the 2007 Financial Crisis. Instagram: @wallspooks https://www.patreon.com/EzekielEsre
An Artist’s Opinion on Procreate 🔍
By: Zaira Khemani
Tags: Digital Drawing, Procreate, Drawing, Digital Art, Illustration

An Artist’s Opinion on Procreate 🔍

Procreate is a professional-grade drawing app that allows you limitless customization options so you can receive the most desirable illustration experience. Whether you are a beginner or advanced artist, Procreate will work for you. Allow me to explain why. 🧐

Pros

To start, it only costs a one-time payment of $10. In my opinion, Procreate is worth $50. Yes, it is that good. It’s by far the best drawing app I have ever encountered in my life, and it’s only $10? I am appalled in the best way possible.

Oh, and don’t forget- there are no advertisements within the app, so you don’t have to worry about losing focus while drawing! The whole application has a very minimalist aesthetic, from the homepage to the canvas.

Artwork illustrated by the author

Another famous feature of Procreate is the infinite amount of customization. You can create palettes, brushes, canvases, collections, and so much more! The entire outcome of your artwork is in your hands.

There is a comprehensive variety of all the essential drawing tools like brushes, colors, and blenders, not to mention they are all notably realistic and plentiful. Are 150 pre-made brushes enough for you? 😉

Cons

Though I’d like to say otherwise, even Procreate is not unconditionally perfect.

First of all, it is not compatible with Google devices. If you do not use Apple software, then you need to buy an iPad (Pro or regular) to install and use the Procreate app.

Another flaw is that there is no free trial before purchase. This means that you cannot test out the app before buying it, which can be a barrier. Thank goodness it’s cheap!

Artwork illustrated by the author

Finally, Procreate lacks some cool features that would be useful in many situations. Tools like an outliner, graph/diagram assist, or brush filter would make using Procreate easier and less confusing.

Conclusion

All in all, I say that Procreate is great for beginners but better for advanced or professional artists. Beginners don’t require as many options or as much focus, and it may be overwhelming for complete newbies. Professionals would benefit especially from the variety, focus, and peaceful aesthetic. Procreate works excellently with any kind of digital art, be it lettering, cartooning, doodling, hyperrealism, or even animation!

So if you need a professional digital art app but you’re on a budget, Procreate is perfect for you! 🖌️
Generasi 90an: Muda, Kreatif dan Penuh Inovasi
By: Pryastuti Handhayani
Tags: Merchandise, Local Business, Apparel, Moselo Expert, Illustration

Learn more. Medium is an open platform where 170 million readers come to find insightful and dynamic thinking. Here, expert and undiscovered voices alike dive into the heart of any topic and bring new ideas to the surface. Learn more

Make Medium yours. Follow the writers, publications, and topics that matter to you, and you’ll see them on your homepage and in your inbox. Explore
Hikku the little alien
By: Yamini Hundare
Tags: Kids, Kids Stories, Storytelling, Illustration, Passion

The story is written by my 7-year-old son Rudra who loves to tell stories and Illustrations done by Arya Marathe,17 years old and pursuing arts. She is passionate about dancing and drawing.

Thanks, #canvas for making it so easy to design and create a digital storybook.
About Userloids (My original characters)
By: Praw Promnate
Tags: Concept, Fiction, Character, Illustration

What’s Userloid?​​​​​​​

Userloid is a character especially vocals created from singing or vocal synthesizer as Vocaloid, UTAU-Synth, Synth V or Alter Ego by Plogue use voicebank recorded by human voice or Text-to-Speech programs as Balabolka or AquaTalk for user only.

Userloid is means “User’s Robot” from “User” is “Creator” and “-loid” transform origin is “Android”

History

In 2014, I signed up on DeviantART and Facebook. I have joined bleach role play with people. I have an idea that original singing synthesizer characters can role play in Self-insertion, Crossover and Alternate Universe. Also, I can do original songs, fiction or fanfiction creating. I decided to design characters and records for the voicebank, but on that day, I can’t create their voicebank. So, they didn’t have voicebanks until 2020.

Nicole Cat is my first an Userloid Character in 2014, her old name’s “Ponnyama Tenseru”

On 16th April, 2014. I released Ponnyama Tenseru, she is first an Userloid character on Facebook and DeviantART, in a year later. On 14th March, 2015, I released Ponnyama Tensera, he is second an Userloid character from gender bender of Tensera.

Trevor Christ is my second an Userloid Character in 2015, his old name is “Ponnyama Tensera”

In 2017 later, I did redesign their character. I had idea name to call them, I decided give their name are “Userloid”

New costumes design Userloid Characters in keychains

In 2018 to 2019, I changed their names. Ponnyama Tenseru change to Nicole Cat and Ponnyama Tensera change to Trevor Christ, also I did redesign official character and rewrite to data profile in 2019 on Tumblr.

Userloid Characters illustration in 2019

They are twins and they didn’t have voicebanks. are different other characters these:

Voicebank files cannot be downloaded, because they are created for creators only.

They can role play in fanfiction type Self-insertion, Crossover and Alternate Universe or creating original fiction or using other ways.

Read more on Behance
Password Protection with ActiveRecord
By: Matt Lazewski
Tags: Ruby on Rails, Web Development, Ruby, Coding

Password Graphic

In today’s world, all of our personal information and data is stored somewhere online. Whether it be our bank accounts or even a personalized collection of our favorite memes. All of this information is usually tied to an account on a website protected by a personalized password. Unfortunately, most us of tend to have one, maybe two, passwords that we use for our dozens of accounts scattered across the web. This means that if a hacker were to obtain the password for your meme collection, it wouldn’t be long until they had access to your bank account as well.

So how do we prevent this?

As developers, it is our job to put in the work to protect the common internet user. Luckily for us, ActiveRecord makes this incredibly easy. By simply using ActiveRecord and adding the built in method, has_secure_password, which ensures each user has a unique password, to your model, along with the ‘bcrypt’ gem, we’ve already taken care of most of the core work to make sure your information is protected.

How does this work?

has_secure_password and bcrypt work hand in hand. In fact, has_secure_password add methods to set and authenticate against a bcrypt password. has_secure_password also brings in extra validations. For instance, it requires the user to enter a password upon creation. It also requires the password to be less than or equal to 72 bytes. This lays the ground work for other validations we see today, such as requiring a capital letter or symbol.

Bcrypt

So what exactly is a bcrypt password? Bcrypt is a hashing function that builds a secure password database. It takes the user’s password and “salts” it. Salting is the process of taking a user’s password and adding random bits to it so it is unrecognizable and cannot be unveiled by a hacker.

By using these hand in hand, not only are we getting saving ourselves having to write out protection code manually, and most likely making a grave mistake that could lead to a breach, we are implementing extremely valuable security measures to protect both our users and ourselves from the dangers the web has to offer.
Ruby 裡的 Hash
By: Henry Huang
Tags: Ruby on Rails, Ruby, Backend

Learn more. Medium is an open platform where 170 million readers come to find insightful and dynamic thinking. Here, expert and undiscovered voices alike dive into the heart of any topic and bring new ideas to the surface. Learn more

Make Medium yours. Follow the writers, publications, and topics that matter to you, and you’ll see them on your homepage and in your inbox. Explore
Off the rails with Ruby on Rails
By: James-Ryan Stampley
Tags: Ruby On Rails Development, Rails, Flatiron School, Codingbootcamp, Ruby on Rails

After finishing up an intense section on the lightweight framework of Sinatra, I find myself where I knew I would always be: My Mod 3 Rails portfolio Project. Now, I created a similar program for my Sinatra Mod 2 project, but this time, armed with the magic and power of the Rails framework, I would build the website I always wanted to. I’m not just trying to pass, I’m trying to create something I am proud of, and something I can show off to prospective employers looking to bring me on as a Software Engineer. The beginning process felt like the longest. Starting the project from scratch and learning how to properly use my migration generators to build my application was the first and one of the most difficult steps, but one I went through the process, it felt easy and familiar. So the next time I create a Rails project, it won’t seem like such a daunting task.

Next, I needed to make sure my associations we correct. This was probably the hardest out of all tasks. I couldn’t wrap my head around the has_many, through: relationship. Once again, powering through the project through trial and error driven development led to me discovering how to leverage the relationships, and the nested associations.

The final important leap propelling me through this project experience was understanding how routes really worked behind the scenes. I was frustrated in the beginning, getting so many error messages saying my routes didn’t exist. I watched tutorials, ready the API docs countless times, and finally, I began to understand routes enough to define my own custom routes and understand exactly where they’re going. Once I figured out my routes, the rest of the project was all fun. I incorporated error messages that display in user signup form while the user is signing up. For example, if their username had space in it, immediately a hidden label would pop up saying to remove the space. When the space was removed, the error was hidden again. This was done by the magic of Javascript. I can’t wait until I can move into the JavaScript section with all this knowledge I hold in Ruby on Rails. Javascript will be the next stepping stone to mastering web development, now that I’ve officially conquered the 3 Ruby mods.
Business in the front, party in the back.
By: Felipe Cruz
Tags: JavaScript, Json, Space Invaders, Ruby on Rails, API

Moving on from building exclusively with Ruby on Rails, the next step was to learn how to create a backend API with Ruby on Rails and front end with JavaScript. Bringing the two together into one single app can sound slightly intimidating at first, but let’s get to it. This will be a basic tutorial for beginners struggling to set things up.

First, I created 2 separate repositories, one for the frontend, one for the backend. You can then use ‘rails new appname — api’ in order to generate your backend API.

It’s worth noting that you should be careful when using ‘rails new appname — api’ in your backend as that can generate some .git directories which can prevent you from pushing your code up to github. The following is the best option I found in order to mitigate this issue.

cd appname

rm -rf .git

cd ..

git add .

After creating the 2 separate repos, you can proceed with the following:

Backend (Ruby on Rails):

Create models and relationships

Create the database tables and seed

Create controllers with some of the views that might be needed

Frontend (JavaScript):

Create functions that create and append elements

One of the main differences with this project is we will no longer need to create/use any views, rather, we will render things on the frontend using JavaScript.

The Rails backend is now only meant to create the APIs needed for JavaScript to fetch data from (GET) and to (POST, PATCH, etc.). For this, we still need our controllers.

This means that we can now go to http://localhost:3000/users in our browser and see the data in json format, which can be now easily fetched with Javascript:

In this case, we’ve persisted a user in our database using our fetch request on the frontend.

This is of course the basics and the very beginning of what you can with this set-up. In this case, I’ve built a Space Invaders game, and you can see below that the process to instantiate a new game in our Rails backend using a front end fetch request is very similar.

Here’s our controller:

And our fetch request in the frontend:

Now it’s your turn to have fun and use this powerful tool in order to build something that inspires you!