It’s really fun to hear and share the many different stories how fellow creatives got where they are; how they might have stumbled into their career, or got there on purpose. I recently had the pleasure of an interview with illustrator Cory Thoman, founder of myStockVectors.com. Cory has an amazing knack for creating some of the coolest cartoons and cliparts, which are being used all over the web and in many other commercial applications. His artwork covers a wide range of subjects and topics, and all of them are available for royalty-free licensing in vector format.
Hi Cory, tell us a little about yourself.
Yay! My favorite topic, me. Well, I’m an illustrator and designer living in Austin, Texas. I have a Bachelor’s of Fine Art from the Ringling College of Art and Design. Don’t let the fine art part fool you though. I mostly spend my time drawing silly cartoons, but there was an emphasis on figure drawing and painting when I went to school. So, I guess I’m classically trained, but most of my work happens on the computer now.
As far as career, I’ve worked a few graphic design jobs. My favorite was a toy company called Jazwares. I was there for about five years and learned a lot. In 2005, I decided to leave the 9 to 5 world to pursue a freelance career. That’s where I am today. Read the rest of this entry »
Here are 30 of the best graphic design t-shirts found on Zazzle. Some of these are pretty funny! If you’re looking to purchase any of these, check here first for current zazzle t shirt coupons and other great discounts. Right now you can use promo code: SUNLOVINSALE for $5 off (thru June 26, 2011) or code: SAYITTSHIRTS (expires August/31/2011)
I recently had the pleasure of meeting a skilled freelance designer out of the UK on twitter named Pritesh (everyone calls him Pritz for short). Here is a brief interview I had with him recently.
How did you get into the creative field?
When I was at school, I wasn’t interested in anything other than Art and Design, so that’s all I’ve ever done. As I got older I got more involved with digital arts and that’s how it all started.
Would you recommend education for those that are just starting out, or thinking about getting into the design business?
Education is always important. A good set of qualifications goes a long way, but you also have to make the right choices in courses and institutions. I went with what I thought would be best for me, so I would say go with what you feel seems right, and something you enjoy doing. I’ve learnt that education brushes up on the things you already know. I think my choices in education have helped me improve in my work, and gained my interest in areas I would never think about going in to.
What is one of the most important things you think freelance graphic designers will need to do in order to stay successful?
Staying motivated and inspired. This is why I blog things that I’ve looked at nearly everyday, that’s what keeps me going. I would also recommend printing things off and keeping things you like for example in a sketchbook. You just have to keep at it and work hard, then opportunities will be knocking on your door when you least expect it. Read the rest of this entry »
Yup, this is pretty much what you have to deal with if you’re a graphic designer. Everyone fights over you and your time, the deadlines, and everyone is an expert… except for you, of course. The individual with the actual design degree. Despite the crappy acting, this video is worth a couple of chuckles.
And yeah… if you use Comic Sans or Papyrus fonts, you need a serious reality check.
The creative imagery of Carlos Caetano has always amazed and inspired me, ever since beginning my journey as a stock photographer. Born in the sixties, Carlos Caetano started and developed his career as a graphic designer in studios and advertising agencies. He stood a few years in a magazine and multimedia publishing house and, later, worked as web designer in a major internet portal in Portugal. Self-taught, Carlos took advantage of his privileged access to the digital graphics tools and specialized in the use of Photoshop for image post-processing and optimization.
Being a photo enthusiast since a very early age, Carlos took a course in professional photography between 1994 and 1997. Today, he works as a freelance graphic designer and photographer and is a contributor of stock imagery to several online image banks. The royalty free stock photos that he creates can be bought and downloaded by designers that use them in various marketing and advertising products, books, blogs, or editorial pieces.
Carlos Caetano is a “Pentaxian” and actually uses a Pentax K10D DSLR, several Pentax and Sigma lenses and Manfrotto tripods. When not outdoors shooting landscapes, he is at home, busy with tabletop shoots of objects in his improvised studio: the dining-room table next to a big, luminous window, and a piece of white paper or styrofoam to bounce light into the shadows. This is all he needs as studio gear, allied with his Photoshop skills. His images can be found for sale on stock photography sites such as Shutterstock.com, istockphoto.com, dreamstime.com, fotolia.com, bigstockphoto.com, and several others. He is available for photographic assignments, photo post-processing and manipulation.
Would you like your work to be featured on the Arena Creative blog? Whether you are a photographer or a graphic designer, if you have something creative to share we would love to feature your work! Contact us if you are interested.
