BlogmyQuery – BMQ

Dribbble is one of the most famous online designers community. It’s an amazing gallery where people can show screenshots of their recent or upcoming works and share high-quality freebies with others. But Dribbble is not only place where you can show off your skills, it is also a source for inspiration, and a place where you can ask for an opinion or help from professionals in the field. Thus, this community can help you to become a more mature designer.

Since this site is a concentration of serious people not everyone can become a part of it. This is an invite only community, so the only way to get in is to earn a special invitation that can come either from players (invited members) or team.

What To Do To Become a Player?

First of all, prepare several mind-blowing designs or make screenshots of your best of the best previous works. Type of design does not matter. Your samples can be dedicated to website design, graphic design, icons design, typography, illustrations etc.

Secondly, sign up as a prospect and surf for a spare invitation in order to enter into the game. Be prepared, there will be a plenty of people who want to become a Dribbble player so you have to be very quick since invitations tend to go like hotcakes.

But never fear, members give away at least one invitation fairly often so you can bump into it anytime and someday become a proud part of all the action.

So What Should You Look For?

In order to facilitate your search we want to give you an idea of what these Dribbble invite shots tend to look like. With so many talented people involved in the community it should be no surprise that they create really unique and remarkable “invite to give away� shots. Many of them use this opportunity to create something special and show their creativity. Below is a showcase of some of these fantastic designs.

The Invite Shots

Lots of designers use brand colors and logos to draw attention.

1. By Eddie Lobanovskiy

2. By Mike

3. By Christophe Tauziet

4. By Alfie Robles

5. By Giorgio Pia

6. By Miika Fabritius

7. By Román Jusdado

8. By Catalin Fertu

9. By Nicola Felaco

10. By Simone Marcarino

11. By James Oconnell

12. By Alessio Atzeni

13. By Silviu Stefu

14. By Krzysztof Koziol

15. By Gert van Duinen

16. By Shota Mickaia

17. By Vadim Sherbakov 

18. By Michael Shanks

19. By Jesse James Pocisk

20. By Olga Epikhina

21. By Michele Giorgi

22. By Linus Carlsson

23. By Clément Paquette

24. By Wes O’Haire

25. By Roberto Torres

26. By Taly Emmanuela

Since the invite is a kind of entrance ticket, many designers go that route.

1. By denorme jerome

2. By Jan Luts

3. By Christophe Tauziet

4. By Daniela Alves

5. By Kim Wouters

6. By Dave Finger

7. By Daniel Klopper

8. By Diego Monzon

9. By polevaultweb

10. By Alexander Spliid

11. By Ignazio Lacitignola

12. By Dime Kuzmanovski

13. By Alex Castro

Some designers go more traditional and draw an Dribble invite in an envelope.

1. By Jamie Brightmore

2. By Ney Ricardo

3. By Seth Terpstra

4. By Gadzhi Kharkharov

5. By Matteo Di Capua

6. By James Graves

7. By Yakim van Zuijlen

Some resort to a simpler way using only typography.

1. By Leandro Bernardini

2. By Courtney Joy Jemison

3. By Alexey Masalov

That wraps up this collection of invite shots. Good Luck in finding your ticket to the famous designer’s community!

(rb)

In the following new Adobe Illustrator tutorial you will learn how to create a detailed restaurant specials style chalkboard. We’ll start with the Rectangle Tool and some simple vector shape building techniques. Once you have your starting shapes you can continue and add the colors. We’ll use multiple fills and strokes along with a bunch of new effects and some simple blending techniques. For the finishing touches, we’ll use several built in brushes and patterns along with some simple masking techniques.

This is a pretty challenging tutorial, but with patience and some basic Illustrator knowledge you will make it through, and have a new illustration to play with. We hope that you enjoy the process. Here is a peek at the final image we’ll be creating:

Step 1

Hit Control + N to create a new document. Enter 850 in the width box and 650 in the height box then click on the Advanced button. Select RGB, Screen (72ppi) and make sure that the "Align New Objects to Pixel Grid" box is unchecked before your click OK.

Now, turn on the Grid (View > Grid) and the Snap to Grid (View > Snap to Grid). Next, you’ll need a grid every 10px. Go to Edit > Preferences > Guides & Grid, enter 10 in the Gridline every box and 1 in the Subdivisions box. You can also open the Info panel (Window > Info) for a live preview with the size and position of your shapes.

Do not forget to set the unit of measurement to pixels from Edit > Preferences > Unit > General. All these options will significantly increase your work speed.

Step 2

Pick the Rectangle Tool(M) and create a 640 by 420px. Fill it with R=140 G=105 B=75, remove the color from the stroke and go to Effect > Stylize > Rounded Corners. Enter a 10px radius, click OK and go to Object > Expand Appearance.

Step 3

Pick the Rectangle Tool(M), create a 590 by 370px shape, fill it with black and open the Align panel (Window > Align). Pick the Selection Tool(V), select the two shapes created so far and click on the border of the shape created in the previous step (it should get emphasized). With this selection still active, move to the Align panel and simply click on the Vertical Align Center and Horizontal Align Center buttons. In the end your black shape should be centered as shown below.

Step 4

Reselect the two shapes created in the previous steps, open the Pathfinder panel (Window > Pathfinder) and click on the Minus Front button. The resulting shape should look like in the second image. Move to the Layers panel, double click on this fresh compound path and name it "Frame".

Step 5

Disable the Snap to Grid (View > Snap to Grid) then go to Edit > Preferences > General and make sure that the Keyboard Increment is set at 1px. Select the "Frame" and make two copies in front (Control + C > Control + F > Control + F). Select the top copy and simply hit the down arrow once. This will move your selected shape down 1px.

Reselect both "Frame" copies and click on the Minus Front button from the Pathfinder panel. Move to the Layers panel and you will find a new group with two shapes. Select it, turn it into a compound path (Object > Compound Pat > Make) and fill it with R= 169 G=124 B=80.

Step 6

Select the "Frame" and make two new copies in front (Control + C > Control + F > Control + F). Select the top copy and move it 1px up. Reselect both "Frame" copies and click on the Minus Front button from the Pathfinder panel. Turn the resulting group of shapes into a compound path (Object > Compound Pat > Make) and fill it with R=74 G=54 B=28.

Step 7

Reselect the "Frame" and go to Object > Path > Offset Path. Enter a -10px offset and click OK. Fill the resulting shape with R=74 G=54 B=28, move it 5px down and to the right, lower its opacity to 50% and go to Effect > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Enter a 4px radius and click OK.

Step 8

Next, you need to mask the blurred shapes created in the previous step. It’s a small detail but it’s better to take care of it. We’ll use an Opacity Mask, so open the Transparency panel (Window > Transparency). Select the "Frame", make a copy in front (Control + C > Control + F), fill it with white and bring it to front (Shift + Control + ] ). Select this white shape along with the blurred shape from the previous step, open the fly-out menu of the Transparency panel and click on Make Opacity Mask.

Step 9

Reselect the "Frame", make a copy in front (Control + C > Control + F) and bring it to front (Shift + Control + ] ). Re-enable the Snap to Grid (View > Snap to Grid), pick the Pen Tool(P) and draw the four oblique paths shown in the second image. The Snap to Grid will make it easier.

Step 10

Select the for oblique paths and the "Frame" copy created in the previous step and click on the Divide button from the Pathfinder panel. Move to the Layers panel and you will find a group with five simple shapes. Find the large rectangle shape (the one with no color set for fill or stroke) and delete it. Now focus on the remaining shapes.

Start with the top one. Select it, replace the flat color from the fill with the linear gradient shown below and open the Appearance panel (Window > Appearance). Select the fill from the Appearance panel, lower its opacity to 50% and change the blending mode to Overlay.

Keep focusing on the Appearance panel, make sure that the fill is still selected and simply click on Duplicate Selected Item. It’s the little file icon from the bottom of the Appearance panel. This adds a copy of the selected fill. Select it and simply change the gradient angle. The yellow zero from the gradient image stands for Opacity percentage.

Step 11

Keep focusing on the group of shapes created in the previous step. Continue with the right shape. Select it and fill it with the top linear gradient shown below. Move to the Appearance panel, select this fill, lower its opacity to 50% and change the blending mode to Overlay.

Add a second fill for this shape using the Add New Fill button. It’s the little, white square icon from the bottom of the Appearance panel. Select this new fill, lower its opacity to 50%, change the blending mode to Multiply and use the bottom linear gradient shown below.

Step 12

Move to the left shape from the group created in step #10. Select it and fill it with the top linear gradient shown below. Move to the Appearance panel, select this fill, lower its opacity to 50% and change the blending mode to Overlay. Add a second fill for this shape, lower its opacity to 50%, change the blending mode to Multiply and use the bottom, linear gradient shown below.

Step 13

Finally, select the bottom shape from the group created in step #10. Fill with the linear gradient shown below and move to the Appearance panel. Select the fill, lower its opacity to 50% and change the blending mode to Multiply. Make a copy of this fill, select it and edit the gradient angle.

Step 14

Pick the Pen Tool(P) and re-draw the four oblique paths from the ninth step. Add a 1pt stroke for these paths, set its color at R=84 G=64 B=38 and go to Effect > Stylize > Drop Shadow. Enter the data shown below, click OK, then group them (Control + G).

Step 15

Reselect the "Frame", make a copy (Control + C > Control + F) and bring it to the front (Shift + Control + ] ). Select this copy along with the group created in the previous step and go to Object > Clipping Mask > Make. In the end your group should look as it does in the third image. Move to the Layer panel, select it and drag it below the group of shapes created in step #10.

Step 16

For the following step you will need a built-in bristle brush. Open the Brushes panel (Window > Brushes), open the fly-out menu and go to Open Brush Library > Bristle Brush > Bristle Brush Library. A new window with a nice set of bristle brushes should pop-up. Double click on the Mop brush and increase its size to 10pt.

Pick the Pen Tool(P) and draw several horizontal paths (690px long) as shown in the following image. Set the stroke color at white, add the 10pt, bristle brush for these paths, then group them (Control + G).

Step 17

Reselect the "Frame", make a copy (Control + C > Control + F) and bring it to front (Shift + Control + ] ). Select this copy along with the group of paths created in the previous step and go to Object > Clipping Mask > Make. Make sure that this masked group is still selected, lower its opacity to 25% and change its blending mod to Overlay.

Step 18

Reselect the "Frame", move to the Appearance panel, add a second fill and select it. Set its color at R=35 G=31 B=32, lower its opacity to 7%, change the blending mode to Multiply and go to Effect > Sketch > Graphic Pen. Enter the data shown below, click OK and return to the Appearance panel.

Add a new fill, lower its opacity to 7% and use the linear gradient shown in the following image. Finally, make sure that the "Frame" is still selected and add a stroke. Make it 1.5pt wide, set its color at R=84 G=64 B=38 and align it to outside.

Step 19

For the following step you will need a grid every 5px. So, go to Edit > Preferences > Guides & Grid and enter 5 in the Gridline every box. Pick the Rectangle Tool(M), create a 590 by 370px shape, fill it with R=35 G=31 B=32 and place it as shown in the first image below.

Move to the Layers panel, find this new shape and name it "Board". Switch to the Pen Tool(P) and draw several vertical paths as shown in the second image. Select them, set the stroke color at white and add the 10pt, bristle brush. Lower their opacity to 10%, change the blending mode to Overlay and group them (Control + G).

More On Page Two

We are about halfway through the tutorial, but there is still plenty more to work to be done. So go ahead on over to page two to finish it up.

Every year designers are pushing the boundaries of what WordPress can do. 2012 is no different. In just a few short months we have seen a large increase in the number of premium WordPress themes being released, and the bar is certainly being raised with the new additions to the ranks.

It’s encouraging to see so many designers making their themes responsive so that their themes look great on desktops, tablets and mobile devices. Designers are also adding more custom page templates, short codes and portfolio functionality to their WordPress themes too.

Today we would like to show you 25 of the best WordPress themes that desginers have been released so far in 2012. We hope you enjoy the list.

The Themes

1. Indie Fest
Regular License: $99

A fantastic looking design for bands and musicians that comes with 8 different backgrounds and 17 main colour schemes. It features a customized twitter feed widget for updating fans, a SoundCloud player to promote your music and a newsletter sign up widget too. It also utilizes the WordPress plugin GigPress for promoting upcoming gigs.

Info & Download | Demo

2. Unsigned
Standard License: $70, Developer License: $70

Developed by WooThemes, Unsigned is a powerful responsive design for musicians and bands. The theme is very flexible as it allows you to customise the home page using widgets. Several modules are included to help you build the perfect bad website.

There’s an events module for displaying a list of your gigs and events, a discography module that lets you display album information and a galleries module to manage your photos. There’s also a video module, a SoundCloud player and a featured slider. It also includes lots of WooFramework standard features such as short codes, sidebar manager, built in SEO options and custom page templates.

Info & Download | Demo

3. LitePress
Single License: $69

A responsive clean magazine design from WP Zoom, LitePress could be used for an online magazine, news website or blog. Featured images are used heavily in this design. There’s a beautiful featured post slideshow on the home page, a featured category widget and a tabbed widget too. All of which use featured images to promote your posts.

The theme also includes a video custom post type for displaying video slideshows and a great theme options area.

Info & Download | Demo

4. Smooth Pro
Essential Package: $39.95, Standard Package: $69.95, Premium Package: $99.95

An advanced real estate theme that comes with IDX-MLS integration. One of the themes best features is the property information search box that lets visitors search by property type, number of bedrooms or bathrooms, location and neighbourhood. Results can be filtered by price too.

Agents can login to your site and add, modify or delete listings. It’s also possible to add video tours directly into listings by simply adding the video link in the post editor video field.

Info & Download | Demo

5. Backbone
Standard Pack: $79, Developer Pack: $159

With Backbone, ColorLabs have managed to create one of the most beautiful clean responsive theme frameworks available for WordPress. It uses a drag and drop user interface for the options area that lets you customise every aspect of your website. The layout and sidebar managers work great and it has a useful import and export feature for your settings.

Bacbone also comes with two stylish child themes. Kirei is a business template that is suitable for corporate websites and portfolios, whilst Vidio is a great looking blog theme made specifically for video bloggers.

Info & Download | Demo

6. A Personal Blog
Regular License: $30

A simple elegant WordPress design that is perfect for personal blogs. It comes with five custom widgets for displaying your logo, tweets and ads. It also has 5 built in short codes for controlling your typography and archives and contact page templates.

Info & Download | Demo

7. Guesthouse
Regular License: 35$

Guesthouse is a fully functional hospitality theme that was created for hotels, restaurants, B & Bs, camp sites, travel agencies, ski resorts and more. Designed using HTML5, it comes with 8 theme skins, lots of portfolio layouts and a home page slider that has over 20 effects.

A short code generator is also built in to help you style your content and the admin area can be branded easily with your own logo, colours and text.

Info & Download | Demo

8. Webworks
Regular License: $35

Webworks is one of the most unique and most stylish designs released so far in 2012. Users get to choose from 4 beautiful animated menus for the home page. It comes with a resume page template for your CV, FAQ page template, 6 portfolio templates, contact template and a blog template that can have the sidebar placed on the left or right or removed altogether.

The responsive design also looks great on mobile devices and it supports 50 font types.

Info & Download | Demo

9. ShopDock
Standard License: $39, Developer License: $59

Powered by WooCommerce, ShopDock is an Ecommerce design with a difference. Rather than having to go to the checkout page to view the number of items in their cart, a permanent shopping cart (the ShopDock) is displayed at the bottom of every page using Javascript. It sounds a bit gimmicky but is actually a very useful feature.

Coded in HTML5 and CSS3, ShopDock has a responsive design and it also comes with 7 colour schemes and a great looking customizable feature product slider on the home page.

Info & Download | Demo

10. Perseus
Regular License: $35

A simple yet beautiful WordPress design that is suitable for blogs or portfolio websites. The portfolio template allows you to place portfolio items in 1, 2 or 3 columns. You can also add a nivo slideshow to any of your pages.

It’s not the most feature rich WordPress theme available though this simplicity should appeal to those of you who are looking for a basic yet elegant design for their website.

Info & Download | Demo

11. Eleven40
Regular License: $24.95, With Genesis Framework: $79.95

Powered by the Genesis framework, Eleven40 is a beautiful responsive design that can have a 1, 2 or 3 column layout. It also comes with 4 colour schemes and works with custom headers, featured images and threaded comments.

Info & Download | Demo

12. Vintage Camera
FREE

A free, retro blogging design that comes in 5 different styles. It has a responsive design and supports WordPress post formats such as videos and quotes, custom flyout menus and 3 widget areas in the footer. Custom header and background options are supported too.

Info & Download | Demo

13. Delicacy
FREE

A beautiful clean design that was developed for food related blogs. Recipe details such as preparation time can be added underneath the post editor, though the design could easily be used for any type of blog.

It also features a nivo slider on the home page, 4 custom widgets, 6 colour schemes and 6 background patterns.

Info & Download | Demo

14. Resolution
FREE

One of the best looking free WordPress designs released this year. Resolution is big, bold and stylish. It uses beautiful fonts and blog post pages have no sidebar so that more emphasis is placed on content. The theme comes with a basic options area that lets you customise the background image and it supports WordPress menus too.

Info & Download | Demo

15. Convertible
Access to all Elegant Themes designs for $39 per year

A great theme for marketers, Convertible allows you to create professional looking landing pages easily. Pages can be designed using a user friendly drag and drop page builder. 13 modules are included to help you build your page including image and content sliders, testimonial boxes, tabbed content and ribbon headers. It also boasts a very cool Ajax powered options page.

Info & Download | Demo

16. Sundance
FREE

Sundance is a clean blogging theme from the Automattic team. It supports sticky posts and custom headers, backgrounds and menus. A full page template is included and the home page has a beautiful video carousel to showcase your latest video posts.

Info & Download | Demo

17. Veles
Regular License: $35

A clean corporate design that comes with 3 different home page layouts. It also comes with a services template, contact template, about us template, blog template and 4 different portfolio template layouts. 5 different sliders are included too and there built in short codes for styling your content.

Info & Download | Demo

18. Feature!
Regular License: $45

Feature! is a community magazine theme that integrates beautifully with the popular plugins BuddyPress and bbPress. Coded using HTML5 and CSS3, it comes with 6 different colour schemes and 100 background patterns and there is a built in review system with 3 different thumbnail types.

Unlimited sidebars can be created if you want to give each page a unique look. 6 custom widgets and lots of short codes are built in to the theme too. It’s a great option for an online magazine.

Info & Download | Demo

19. Domena
Regular License: $20

Domena is a simple clean template that will help you sell your domain name online. A light and dark version of the design are available and there is 4 different colour schemes available for buttons and links etc.

What makes Domena so special is it’s integration with Google Analytics. This option will be particularly useful to those who are selling domains with good traffic. A mobile version of the theme is also included.

Info & Download | Demo

20. Pixem
Regular License: $35

Pixem is a unique responsive portfolio design that was coded using HTML5. It’s an incredibly versatile theme which comes with light and dark colour schemes. It also includes 12 background images, 2 portfolio styles, four custom post types, seven custom widgets and 8 unique page templates.

Info & Download | Demo

21. HyperGrid
Regular License: $35

One of the best gallery showcase templates released over the last few years, Hypergrid is a great design for galleries and online portfolios. Advertising has been integrated into the design perfectly and it comes with a built in submission form to encourage visitors to submit their own websites or designs. The only thing it lacks is the option to charge visitors for submissions.

Info & Download | Demo

22. Big Company
Regular License: $30

Big Company is a clean corporate design that comes with 15 different colour schemes. What sets this apart from most other business designs is the ability to customise every single page with a different background. This is a great tool for branding different areas of your website.

A fantastic looking pricing table manager is also built into the theme and there are numerous custom page templates too.

Info & Download | Demo

23. Handmade
Regular License: $35

With a cute design that is more common on personal blogs, the Handmade theme from Obox is a fully functional WooCommerce eCommerce design that stands out from the crowd. Large images are used throughout the theme to list products and it has a stylish blog template as well.

Handmade is a great choice for an arts and crafts shop or a personal blog and is powered using the OCMX Live theme framework so WordPress beginners will be comfortable using it.

Info & Download | Demo

24. Right Now
Regular License: $35

Right Now is a stunning WordPress design for photographers that was developed using HTML5 and CSS3. The rotating full screen background supports images and video. Visitors can change the background using a gallery slider at the bottom of the page. Thankfully, there is a button at the bottom of the page for visitors to turn off audio if they find music from your video annoying.

The theme also supports over 450 Google fonts though one of its best features is the gallery manager that lets you upload more than 100 images at the one time. It’s shaping up to be one of the best selling WordPress themes in the ThemeForest marketplace in 2012.

Info & Download | Demo

25. Wisdom Of Life
Regular License: $35

Wisdom Of Life is a clean corporate theme that has a magazine style layout. It was designed for charities and non-profit organisations though could easily be adapted for a news or business website. It includes options for events management, 4 different portfolio page templates and lots of custom widgets.

Info & Download | Demo

What’s your favourite design from the beginning of this year? If your favourite theme didn’t make our list, please leave a comment below and share it with other Noupe readers.

(rb)

When I was with a former employer there were rumors of upcoming layoffs (obviously the rumors ended up being true or I wouldn’t be referring to it as a FORMER employer). The company denied the rumors, which sent employees a message to be nervous. Sure enough, layoffs started. First it was some forced retirements. Then the sales force got hit hard. Naturally, the creative department, which was one of the largest of any American company, started suffering odd hits among the staff.

Many of these people were leaders in creative innovation that were completely undervalued and underused. Matthew Hawkins was one such individual. His success at making his passion the top priority in his life shows how much untapped potential went to waste while working for the company. But, as the saying goes, “one door closes and another opens.� The open door also allowed him to profit from his passion, rather then let it bypass his pocket and go directly to his employer.

Matthew Hawkins. Self portrait in paper.

How He Started A New Creative Path

“Well,â€� Matthew begins, “I was working at a greeting card company as a production artist and they had these free soda machines. So every time you went to get a soda a little plastic cup would drop down and at the end of every day I’d amass a small stack of plastic cups. One day I turned one over and drew a face on it with a Sharpie. Then I used some index cards and made little paper limbs for my little ‘Cupenstein.’”

“So I started making more and more cup figures,” Matthew resumed, “and started making more and more elaborate paper accessories like cars and whatnot. In a little while these creations were more paper than plastic cups. About this time I came across the website http://www.paperforest.blogspot.com and they feature artists who were making these amazing little paper crafts and sharing the templates online. I made a paper craft character to promote a comic I had just released. I was hooked and things just took off from there.”

“While at the card company,â€� he continues, “I got a couple art directors interested in the idea of putting some punch out and assemble toys inside of cards, so we developed a line for Father’s Day. We thought kids and dads would enjoy making these models. So I was given the time and resources to fully develop them.â€�

Unfortunately, as can happen with innovative ideas, Matthew’s ideas were a bit too fresh for some. As he relates the story, “they were presented to a certain retailer that didn’t go for them and I’m not sure why we never tried the concept again. People seemed to dig them. I know I’ve hit roadblocks with other companies because they feel they aren’t instant gratification, they’re too hard to build, kids don’t have the attention span or parents don’t really want to spend time with their kids — they want something to throw at them to keep them quite for a few minutes. I disagree with all these things and that’s why I continue to work with companies who believe these toys are a great project for families and kids and have great value and fun.â€�

Luckily, Matthew landed at a company that saw value and fun in his work. “I do a lot of papertoys for my current employer, who specializes in fast food premiums — stuff you would find in kids meals from fast food restaurants. We use ‘papertoys’ (Matthew’s term for his paper creations) to cost balance plastic or plush toys. So we might do a month of papertoys so we can afford to do really cool plastic or plush toys the next month or will put one papertoy in with a group of plastic toys. With the price of oil/plastic going up, shipping getting more expensive and a rising wages in China, papertoys have become a great option for us. They are cheaper, can be domestically produced and at the end of their life, biodegradable! I also design and illustrate a lot of kid’s menus for them.

Just a few of Matthew’s creations for fast food premiums.

Matthew has also discovered that his 3d work has become an art form, showing in galleries around the globe. “I have sent papertoys to shows in LA, New York, Vancouver, Amsterdam. Places like Rivet Gallery in Columbus and Pink Hobo in Minneapolis. Lately I’ve been doing these larger scale Shadow Box type pieces that use my paper craft atheistic but applies it to a more ‘hang on the wall’ type art. I love doing large freestanding pieces but they don’t sell because people don’t know what the heck to do with them!â€�

After so many creations and successes on the market and in galleries, it was inevitable that Matthew do a collection in book form. “Urban Paper was my first book experience and it sold out in its first year but didn’t get a second printing,â€� he reflects. “Mostly I think due to a bad economy when it came out a few years back but since then I’ve done publishing projects for books and toy kits that have been selling well!â€�

One of the many books in which you can find Matthew’s work. Check out his site for more!

There’s a good chance you’ve already seen Matthew’s papertoys in a magazine or newspaper. As a 3D illustrator, he has had some impressive clients. “I started out wanting to do editorial illustration,â€� he recalls, “so I love it when I get a chance to build a little paper craft scene or toy that gets used for illustration. I’ve done stuff for a kid’s magazine, alternative newsweeklies and even did a papertoy version of Rupert Murdoch driving a paper machine robot for Newsweek!

Cover of The Pitch — Kansas City (Village Voice Publishing).

Naturally, I had to ask how long it takes him to create one of these pieces, from concept to finished piece, as it’s not just design but also paper engineering. “A long, long while,â€� he answered, dodging the question nicely. “I really have no idea. All I know is it always takes longer than I think. I enjoy the process so I don’t really count the hours but when a commercial project comes down I’m almost always under the time quoted.â€�

With a growing reputation and exposure, Matthew’s work is gaining popularity. I asked what projects he has on the horizon. “I’m actually doing some small kids crafts and a big paper craft piece for an upcoming event at the Nelson-Atkins Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. I also have a full year of gallery shows to which I’m sending pieces. But this year, I’m really concentrating on getting some retail stuff in the market place. I went to Toy Fair a few week ago and saw a lot of crap paper craft kits being offered and I thought ‘HEY! I can make crap paper craft kits, too!’ So, I’ll be focusing on some of those projects.â€�

What’s Matthew’s future in this creative avenue? “I’m just going to keep plugging away, and I want to get back to doing more free models to download from my site. I love to share these things for free as it was a big part of what inspired me to start making them. I’m working with a few different toy companies to make a few retail papertoy kits for the market.â€�

Matthew imparts some advice for those who want to explore making 3D papertoys. “Grab a piece of paper and start cutting, gluing and folding! Really explore the medium with your hands. Don’t open up Illustrator and start making cubes.â€�

Creativity Is The Key Basis To Success!

It’s been a while since Matthew left his fulltime job and the safety of a weekly paycheck. I asked how he feels about his success as a 2D illustrator/designer, moving into the 3D arena. “It’s weird!â€� he admits. “It wasn’t something I planned. I just found something I enjoyed and shared it. As soon as I stopped trying to make a career drawing and designing what I thought would sell and just followed my passion, things just started to happen for me!”

“I’ve managed to make a decent career doing what I love.” He adds, “I find having that background in concepting, illustrating and character design gave me a leg up over some paper engineers who are more engineer-centric and not as creative. So I’ve found a sweet spot between the technical and the creative. I love it when I get to jump a technical hurdle in pursuit of a creative goal.â€�

One of Matthew’s innovative projects.

Matthew’s piece from the Pee-Wee Herman Show in Los Angeles.

Available at Barnes & Noble: Robot Wars. Build ‘em, battle ‘em, love ‘em!

Andy Warhol and his fifteen minutes of fame… unless you leave him out in the rain!

I asked Matthew what other uses his toys might have and he answered: “Kindlingâ€� demonstrating how important it is to have a sense of humor about one’s work. His papertoys are worthy of a place of honor in our lives… though not when on fire! Mostly because they are whimsical, fun, colorful and beautiful; but also because it reminds us that creativity is boundless and that is our strength and gift. Use it well.

Check out Matthew’s site for more information, lots of more cool papertoys, videos, books and other stuff. You can even download some free toys!

(rb)

The other day Rachel Andrew posted Stop solving problems you don’t yet have, where she brings up an increasingly common problem with front-end development – unnecessary bloat.

I agree completely. Too many people include too much by default in their web projects these days. Boilerplates, polyfills, shivs, crazy conditional comments, rare or uneccesary meta elements, and so on.

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Posted in CSS, Coding, JavaScript.

Copyright © Roger Johansson