Evaluation of blog

At first I was reluctant to create the blog but now I can see how it is really useful to display and advertise my own work.

I now think I have mastered the basic requirements to set a successful blog.

I think I chose good strong colors for my web banner which would attract the viewers attention.
I'm looking forward to scanning my own work in and presenting it to readers so they can see my artistic talents.

A problem I may have is the timings so i might not have all of my work up just like that.

How to make a cool Blog header in Photoshop

This is a quick guide to how to make a decent Blog header / Banner.

the first thing your going to need to do is set the size of your page.

• Make the page sure the page is set to RGB color mode.
• Next make sure the with is 760 (in Pixels)
• The Height should max 300% (also in Pixels)

Now look for your desired texture and go to file- place. I used a texture from a friend so credits go to Gemma Nunn.

• Make a new layer and using the gradient tool drag out your desired gradient.
• Create another layer for Brushes name it brushes, remember to name your layers.
• Click Pallet- load brush and choose a brush or make your own brush. You can also mess around with the brushes properties by going to window- brush palette.

You should use shortcuts to improve the speed of your work.

Use fill on the layer palette to blend in image keeping more detail then using opacity.

Now it's time to add text

• Choose a font from Photoshop's font library or If you haven't found a font you like go to this site. http://www.fontsquirrel.com/ this is a recommended site for free fonts. Download the TTF of your font and install it and you should have it in photoshop if it doesn't show up just restart Photoshop.

Make sure Once everything is finished you save the header as a JPEG.

Five Brilant Blog Designs

These are just a few blogs

The Links to the Original Blogs will be below the picture along with a little description of what I think.

http://demainjarrete.stpo.fr/blog-60-demain-j-arrete-les-retraites.html
I picked this because I like the Comic style theme, probably because it inspires me to draw more comic characters of my own. In doing so I might make a Comic blog similar to this.

http://www.cult-f.net/
I like the way this person has expressed there art at the top of the page. How everything looks consistant.

http://www.narfstuff.co.uk/
This blog is very colorful, not only that but I like the way the pages look like they overlap.

http://www.gzdesign.com.au/blog
The Gell like buttons are what stood out to me I like the modern glass like look.

http://www.pearsonified.com/
A reason I picked this blog is because I like the simple sleek look all the colors stand out and I like the cute jump that the buttons make well you roll over them.

Copyright

What Happens If You Infringe Upon Copyright?

Copyright is an automatic right where individuals or companies work. It was established to protect the artists's / creator's work.
If you take, draw or write something that's not yours, without the proper permission of the artist you could be fined great deal of money.

What Are The Penalties For Copyright Infringement?
By infringing Copyright you are breaking the law and because of that you will either get a letter, phone call or a knock on the door and  be taken to court. That is where you will be forced to give back what's not yours basically. The fines can vary from a small amount of money to a ridiculously large price, however, if it's not your work to begin with  it serves you right, the artist is entitled to sue you for how ever much her/ she wants.

How Do You Protect Yourself?
So you're probably thinking how do I protect my work from begin stolen, right?
To protect yourself form someone else claiming your own work as their own you need to register it with a company who deals with copyright infringement.

Some very interesting tutorials

Here are some cool links to some inspirational tutorials, to advance your computer arts knowledge!

Now before I  start the list I'm assuming you know the basics of  Photoshop. If not double click this link http://mashable.com/2010/08/12/12-beginner-tutorials-for-getting-started-with-photoshop/ it's just a get you started sort of site to get you more familiar to Photoshop.

Here are five useful tutorials that I found both interesting and useful, to making a web banner, plus 2 extra links that hold more advanced tutorials for those who like a challenge.

http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/95-Creating-Your-First-Banner-Ad-in-Photoshop
I find this kind of hard to read because I'm more of a picture and text person I can't really stare at oodles of writing but it's out here as a comparison to other tuts.

 I like this tutorial because the there are only 5 steps it's easy to follow and there are images
 if you don't know where a specific tool or property is located
http://www.92pixels.com/how-to-design-a-banner-in-photoshop/

 I know this isn't really a banner tutorial link but I thought I might put it in because it's interesting it's a link which basically has 18 tutorials on making inspiring headers.
http://urlm.co/blog/2009/05/21/18-photoshop-header-tutorials/

I thought this link was good because how simple and easy the tutorial is to follow.
http://www.entheosweb.com/photoshop/banner.asp


Here's another tut which isn't really anything to do with banners but still sort of falls into the line up
http://psd.tutsplus.com/articles/web/45-step-by-step-tutorials-on-web-design-with-photoshop/
It's a site which lets you make webpages out of scratch, it's more to do with the layout of things.

This link is quick to follow and shows images to help you if you get stuck.
http://learn.winona.edu/Adobe_Photoshop/Making_a_Web_Banner


 I leave you with a good tutorial to making a animated banner in Photoshop.
http://tutorialbasement.com/create-an-animated-ad-banner-in-photoshop-cs6/

Images and Navigation

Which file formats, resolutions and colour modes should I use for my online images?

What kind of navigation do you need, How can you make navigation easier to use?

What will be the best way to organize my images and other blog content?

Here are the answers...

• RGB- Red,green,blue Is used because colors on screen are made up of different light Intensities.

• JPEG -  Joint Photographic Expert Group- used for photographs
• 
  
• PNG -  Portable graphic Network Graphic, used for Transparent logos Vector art and some photographs
• 
  
• GIF- Graphic Interface file, can be animated, used for solid colors, not good for photographs
• SVG (under development)

Tagging is also a good way to organise your work it allows the viewer to search for a keyword and find that particular word or image.

Remember! 72PPI- keeps file sizes low and is quicker to download this is the recommended size to have your page resolution set at least for the web.

Brainstorm of my Blog... blog...blog!

This is just one of my brainstorms or mind maps which ever you prefer. ;)
Yep I draw cartoons this is just a semi rough sketch.

Basically this is just what was going on in my mind at the time, just kidding this is all of my ideas I came up.
Each image is just there to make the brainstorm a little more exciting.

Now you might be saying to yourself  (it's empty there's hardly any ideas) Well that's true and while this mind map stays bare of having aguzillan ideas, that shows it's still in development which it is.

One main Idea I was thinking about is having a change of layout you know a flow of new layouts new colours picks and text just to make the blog just that tiny bit more exciting.

Setting up my creative blog

When you first set up a blog you need to think  of these questions like

Who is your blog aimed at?

this blog particulary is aimed at...

•  Designers
• Fellow Students
• Animation
• Interactive Design
• Web Design
• Mixed media/traditional art techniques

However whoever is interested is more than welcome.

What is it for
What exactly is it and what is it for?

A blog is basically here to...

• discuss your and my own work and interests.
• to attract potential clients and employers.
• and most importantly... To connect with people with similar interests

What content will your blog have? What could you feature?

Well these are just a few of my ideas I'm thinking about

• Futuristic technology
• Character Concept art
• Environment Design
• Animation/videos
• Artists that inspire you/ me
• reviews- video games, animations, software
• Current/past projects
• Inventions/ Gadgets
• Existing technology