Creating Grunge Effects in Illustrator

One of the more popular design elements these days isn’t an element at all, it is really destroying the elements you already have in your design! Simply put, grunge.

We have all seen many tutorials on creating grunge elements and grunge brushes in Photoshop, but I would like to show you that it is just as easy to apply grunge elements to your vector art work in Illustrator. Try it Now>>

Avoiding White Outlines in Photoshop

Most Photoshop users build up their own libraries of images that they’ve photographed. If they’re objects, then it makes sense to save them with a clipping path, so that they can be easily lifted from their background at a later date.

The trouble is that when objects are saved as cutout images, with no background, the act of turning a clipping path into a selection will, because of the anti-aliasing process involved, include a thin white border from outside the object within the selection.

This is not a difficult problem to deal with. But wouldn’t it be better if the problem didn’t arise in the first place? Here’s a simple solution that can save a lot of time later. Try it Now>>

How to Make a Seamless Offset Pattern in Illustrator

There are many ways to create seamless patterns in Illustrator, but I’ve found many of them to be too simple and limiting, or even worse, too complicated. Through practice and experimentation, I’ve found a method that gives me the creative flexibility I’m looking for, but is also easy enough to be achieved in minutes instead of hours. Try it Now>>

Effortless Reflections

Create a Reflection in 5 K.I.S.S. Steps

If there is one thing I have learned in my years as a graphic designer, it’s that I need to keep things simple. I always try to keep in mind the old adage, K.I.S.S. (keep it simple silly). Now, I’m aware that normally the word “silly” is replaced by “stupid,” but the word “stupid” is not a very positive thing to be repeating to yourself each day. Try it Now>>