Last week Adobe Illustrator’s sweepstakes on Facebook ended and now we finally have all 1,000 winners of the limited edition Dylan Roscover Venus poster. See below if your name is listed and if it is, you should be getting an email from Adobe asking for your address so we can ship your poster. Thanks to all of you who participated!

There’s no denying the fact that Brian Yap is one talented Adobe Touch Apps user. We’ve seen his Touch Apps projectssuch as the Grovemade iPhone/iPad Cases, his demo videos on Adobe TV , and we’re excited to bring you more of his great designs. This time around, Brian has lent his talents to the self-described “world punk” band Firewater for their recent music video titled “A Little Revolution.”

We chatted with Brian to learn how he utilized his favorite app, Adobe Ideas,  CS6 tools, and Creative Cloud in making of the music video. Check out our interview below and pick up some useful tips along the way.

Adobe: How did this opportunity to work on the Firewater music video project come about?
Brian Yap: Paul Griswold contacted me about working together for no reason other than seeing and liking my illustrations on an Adobe TV video – where I was using Adobe Ideas and talking about how it fit my style. We connected and talked a bit about wanting to collaborate on a fun project. Then, earlier this year, a friend of Paul’s and musical hero of mine, Todd A., contacted him in the hopes that he could get help creating a music video on a tight budget. The band was Firewater and the video was created for the first single off their new album.

Live footage was shot in Turkey and was mixed with animation built from illustrations I did on the tablet with Adobe Ideas and then fine-tuned in Illustrator. The pieces were then animated with After Effects, as well as other programs outside of Adobe.  Being able to work remotely made it possible for me to connect with these amazingly talented guys and get in on this project, without ever actually meeting them in person.

Talk us through your creative process. How did you approach this project?
I started by working with the team to come up with a bunch of visual concepts to illustrate. I began collecting references and sketching things out. The process was cool because I would feed Paul Griswold sheets of designs and pieces, and then when the test animations started, it lead to other ideas and concepts.

Usually, whenever someone tells you to just draw cool stuff, the first thing that happens is white paper freeze, but Firewater’s music and the tracks from the new album are so filled with energy and ideas that it was easy to get things flowing and get into it.

Tell us why Adobe Touch Apps, specifically Adobe Ideas, was an ideal tool to use for this task?
I was able to work while traveling with Ideas and the Creative Cloud and keep all the many pieces and designs organized. Being able to draw while traveling for another project, or get out of the office or studio and work on this project really kept me inspired. The vector-based quality of Ideas meant that the process of cleaning up a sketch to make it finished and the way I wanted was super fast and easy so I could explore a lot more pieces quickly and feel okay about not sending everything.

What was the inspiration behind the images you created?
All the inspiration for the work I contributed to the piece was from the song. The tone of the music, the energetic and upbeat sound, and the themes in the lyrics, all helped to lead everything from color to what I was drawing. The video footage shot in Turkey had a “dance number” skew/protest march. It helped inspire me to keep the illustrations meaningful but usable in a way that matched the tone of the song.

Speaking of music, how critical does music play in your creative process? What genre or music gets you in a creative mode?
I’m definitely an aging music nerd. Everything I do is inspired by the music I listen to and when possible, like this project, actually part of the work. Todd A and Firewater’s sound and big catalog were on constant repeat during this project, and I think I made some new fans for them around me because of it. A lot of time it’s hip hop, like Ghostface Killah. When I need to slow it down, like when I’m sketching or playing with concepts, I get into bands with a more songwriting, musical exploration type feel. Lately groups like Manouk, Manchester Orchestra, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and instrumental outfits, like Red Sparowes, are as important to me working as the tools I use to draw.

What tips/suggestions do you have for creative individuals thinking about getting into Adobe Ideas?
The pinch and zoom allows you to work with an almost infinite sized canvas. Drawing on a tablet with a photo layer is an unbelievable way to keep a reference file, sketchbook and finished canvases all in the same place. I always say, just play around with it. Get used to the features and what it does and then make the tool work the way you work.

For veteran users like yourself, what tips and/or techniques can you offer?
I was using Ideas for a year before bothering to play much with opacity. It led me to a whole new way of drawing with Ideas that look like pencil by using a super low opacity and black or grey and just layering strokes. Always keep playing with the app. I think the simplicity makes it easy to use for everyone, but there are some smart guys behind this application and the ways we as artists use it is only fenced in by our imagination and willingness to adapt to a new artistic tool.

For more on the making of the music video, check out the project on Behance.

Our team noticed Photoshop trainer, author, speaker and photographer, Dave Cross (@DaveCross) sharing Creative Cloud tips on Twitter, so we tapped him to see if he’d be up for sharing his insights with our Creative Layer readers. Dave told us that in the relatively short time that he’s been an Adobe Creative Cloud member, he’s already benefited in some unexpected ways, and continues to see additional opportunities where he can take advantage of Creative Cloud features. Here are Dave’s top 5 Creative Cloud tips (and really some benefits), written by the pro himself:

Tip #1: Apps

Of course, having access to all the Adobe applications is pretty sweet. But there’s a “hidden” benefit: Adobe Creative Cloud members get access to new features before they are released to everyone else. There have already been exclusive new features added to Illustrator, Dreamweaver, Muse and more, and I expect that will continue in the future with other apps.  

read more…

Arnold Skolnick’s iconic 1969 Woodstock poster

When some of the memories begin to fade, gig posters are ever-lasting reminders of experiences past. Take for instance Arnold Skolnick’s Woodstock poster that went on to become one of the most recognizable images of the last 40 years – or another 60s classic, the Monterey Pop Festival artwork, which still continues to be recognized.

Today, gig posters are still making their mark, and are becoming the ultimate pop art and coveted collectibles. Here are some of our recent favorites.

Are there any you would add? Tell us in the comments below.

Phish by James Flames

Dave Matthews Band by DKNG Studios

read more…

Like a superhero, Eric Merced possesses a special power – the ability to unleash creativity. With his trusty iPad loaded with Adobe Touch Apps, along with access to Creative Cloud and the Creative Suite 6 applications, there is no project too big for Eric to tackle.

We sat down with Eric to learn how these Adobe products have improved his workflow capabilities, given him the ability to seamlessly transfer his work between technologies and helped him become the illustrator he is today. Read our Q&A with Eric below and be sure to check out the new hero-themed Twitter background we created to celebrate his work.

Adobe: When were you first introduced to Adobe Touch Apps?

Eric Merced: It was with my first generation iPad (I currently own the iPad 2) and Adobe Ideas. There was a lot of complaining going on about how the iPad was not ideal for creating high-resolution art and Ideas was the first app that made me think otherwise.

What was the very first creation you made with Touch Apps?

Even though I had already used Ideas to dabble in creating art on the iPad, my first “wow” moment that cemented my desire to create illustrations and comics, was when I used Creative Cloud to upload an image of The Dark Knight Rises’ character, Bane. The idea of being able to back up my work directly from the iPad and have it available on my iPhone or desktop was thrilling. I later took that image into Photoshop Touch and added textures, which brought the image and my workflow to another level.

How has the integration from Touch Apps through to the Creative Cloud features changed your creative workflow?

It has simplified everything. I feel good knowing that I have a powerful mobile studio with Ideas and Creative Cloud.  The iPad’s feature of allowing apps to store files in iTunes is good, but I feel Creative Cloud is a step up because it allows you to access those files from other devices (i.e., iPod, iPhone, desktop). That’s true integration right there, and it’s also essential for a true mobile studio experience.

You may have stumbled across Lee Daniels’ work on our Adobe Stories site or our Adobe Facebook Page, but we recently caught up with him to really find out the depths and origins of his creativity when it comes to animation and cartooning.

Adobe: What’s your story? How did you get to where you are today?

Lee Daniels: After experiencing a lack of support for cartooning in grammar school, I decided to get a job in graphic design rather than University education. I got to learn all the Adobe software by trial and error in a real world environment on company hardware, which was always better than what I could afford at the time. I then became a digital retouch artist and graphic designer for a magazine publishing firm for 13 years after leaving school. Since then, I’ve been working as a freelance illustrator in London for almost 4 years (8 including the crossover with my last design job).

Adobe’s product teams are keenly aware of a creative professional’s desire to experience the highest quality creation experience. That is why I am delighted to announce our plans to optimize a selection of our products to display your content and creations on HiDPI displays, including the Retina Display available on the new MacBook Pro. Over the next few months, key Adobe products will deliver HiDPI display support to all customers on current releases.

HiDPI displays allow for a dramatic improvement in image fidelity and resolution. Naturally, designers, photographers and creative professionals want to take full advantage of this new technology. Software that is not native to HiDPI display uses interpolation to duplicate pixels to fill the screen, meaning text is not as sharp and images don’t have as much detail. The increased resolution of these displays requires that each product update the interface of the application and ensure that the content or the creation itself is displayed accurately with the appropriate level of fidelity. As an example, to enable HiDPI display support in Photoshop requires the replacement of 2500 icons and cursors and other engineering work which will be complete and ready for customers this Fall. This resolution shift in the new display technology presents unique challenges to teams that support bitmap, vector or video content. Therefore each product team will be releasing support for HiDPI display for Apple’s Retina Display as soon as the development is complete and tested for each individual product.

We expect to update the following products with HiDPI support, free to all CS6 and Creative Cloud customers, over the next few months:

Dreamweaver

Edge Animate

Illustrator

Lightroom

Photoshop

Photoshop Touch

Prelude

Adobe Premiere Pro

SpeedGrade

We are currently evaluating the roadmap for when other products may support HiDPI displays, and we will announce those plans as they are finalized.

At Adobe we work hard to support the latest innovations. We will continue to release security patches, bug fixes and support new hardware changes, like HiDPI display support, to all of our customers outside of our regular development cycles just as we have always done.  Additionally, with Creative Cloud we now have the opportunity to release new features as they are ready, outside of major release cycles. On August 28, Illustrator released several features exclusively to Creative Cloud members. I am excited to announce that beginning this Fall, even more our flagship products, including Photoshop, will begin to release features exclusively to Creative Cloud members. Creative Cloud members will be able to enjoy the latest product enhancements as they are ready without having to wait for major product releases.

This is an exciting time. Stay tuned over the next few months for more exciting developments to come.

Delivering on Adobe’s promise that Creative Cloud members get early VIP access to new product updates, we’re excited to announce new Adobe Illustrator graphic design software feature updates exclusively to full Creative Cloud members and point product subscribers.

Focusing mainly on productivity, new features in this include:

Package Files – a long-requested feature that allows designers to automatically collect all the files used in an Illustrator project, including linked graphics and fonts, into a single folder helping make handoffs and sharing of projects more efficient and error-free.

Unembed Images – a new capability that helps enables production artists to quickly unembed images that have been embedded into an Illustrator file by other designers or customers, eliminating much wasted time in day-to-day production work.

Links Panel Enhancements – a new feature enhancement that allows users to access and track information on any artwork placed in an Illustrator file much quicker. What used to require multiple clicks to ensure all placed graphics meet necessary requirements for output, is now surfaced up front.

To learn more about these features, please check out the videos below or visit the Illustrator Team Blog.

Package files

Unembed images and Links panel enhancements

If you haven’t had the chance to join Creative Cloud, you can subscribe for 40% off if you have a CS3 product or later. To learn more about Creative Cloud, visit: http://www.adobe.com/products/creativecloud.html

Summer is the perfect time to untether yourself from the wired-world and create outside with Adobe Touch Apps, and no one knows this better than digital artist, Kevin Spear (@speartoons). After stumbling on his summer creations, we reached out to see how he utilized the creative combination of Touch Apps, Creative Suite 6 and Creative Cloud to come up with some “fun in the sun” art work.

Find out where Kevin’s summertime spot to create with Touch Apps is (hint – it’s not indoors), why the grouping of Adobe Ideas and Illustrator is a match made in heaven for him, plus much more in the full Q&A below. Also, don’t forget to see his summer-themed art on display on our new Twitter background.

Are you ready to be our next featured artist? Send your Adobe Touch creations our way via Twitter, Facebook, or simply link us in the comments below. 

Adobe: When were you first introduced to Adobe Touch Apps?

Kevin Spear: I got an iPad in the winter of 2011. I was looking for a good drawing program when I came across Adobe Ideas. I was very excited when I discovered it was a vector-based app. I also loved how it allowed me to draw naturally in a way I hadn’t done in Adobe Illustrator.

What was the very first creation you made with Touch Apps?

I drew a profile of my wife. I was excited that I could finally draw a quick sketch with my finger on the iPad, take it into Adobe Illustrator and keep the vectors.

How has the integration from Touch Apps through to the Creative Cloud features changed your creative workflow?

It has made drawing digitally while mobile easy. Before, I’d test things out on the sketchbook, and then hope I could keep the same spontaneity when I made it back to the desktop. Now, I can draw it digitally from the very beginning.

read more…

Words can’t describe how excited we were after Michael Startzman (@startzman) announced that he was going to create an eBook for Adobe Touch Apps users, highlighting techniques and tips for creating in Adobe Ideas. For the past few months we’ve been in contact with Michael, checking in on the process and teasing his work to our Facebook Fans and Twitter Followers. We’re so very pleased to announce that Michael’s “How to Use Adobe Ideas” eBook is complete, and believe us when we say it’s a must have for any Adobe Touch user.

With all of the hard work behind him, we sat down with Michael to learn how his love for the Adobe Touch Apps began and how the combination of Creative Cloud, Creative Suite 6 and Touch Apps have changed the way he creates. Check out the full Q&A below and be sure to visit our Twitter channel to see his work displayed on our background.

Whether you’re working on an Adobe Touch Apps project or simply just capturing ideas as they hit you, we want to see and hear about it! Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter  or even in the comments below.

read more…