Articles for the ‘Art’ Category
Design Your Own T Shirt Text Like A Pro
If your funny t shirts are turning out funny-looking, the problem may be your text. No matter how awesome your cool tshirt designs are when you imagine them, if your text is poorly designed, your shirts will always look unprofessional. But don’t fear! With these 5 tricks of professional graphic designers, you can quickly turn those amateur custom tshirts into perfect and polished works of tshirt art.
TShirt Design Secret #1: Choosing the Right Font
When choosing a font for your t shirt sayings, make sure to pick one that supports your message. For example, if you’re designing a funny t shirt, choose a font that has a funny feel to it. If you’re designing a sexy t shirt, choose a font that has a sexy feel to it. And if you’re designing a t shirt for a serious, professional law firm, you probably don’t want to use that font with letters shaped like kittens.
While this may sound like common sense, many new t shirt designers and would-be t shirt entrepreneurs skip this step and just pick any standard font they might have lying around. Unfortunately, it’s obvious in their results; what could have been a fun tshirt design ends up being boring and amateur-looking. If you’re careful to choose a font that represents the content of your words, however, you can avoid this fate and your shirts will always be one step ahead of your competition.
TShirt Design Secret #2: Tracking and Kerning
Most of the time, when font text is typed into a computer program, the spaces between the letters and words are a little uneven, and often a little too wide. This extra and uneven space not only makes your t shirt sayings look a bit awkward and unprofessional, it also makes them slightly more difficult to read because the words don’t visually hold together as units. Even if the viewer doesn’t notice it, the eye and the brain have to work a bit harder and that extra bit of difficulty gives the viewer a subconscious feeling of unease.
Fortunately for novice t shirt designers, this problem can be addressed by a combination of tracking and kerning, which are simply two methods of adjusting the spacing between letters.
Tracking has to do with adjusting the average spacing of letters across entire words, sentences, or selected ranges of letters. By adjusting the tracking, the t shirt artist can either decrease the average spacing between all the letters in the selected range (making the spacing “tighter”), or else increase the average spacing (”opening up” the text), depending on what’s needed. Since the raw, unadjusted spacing varies from font to font, you’ll have to decide which one is needed for your particular tshirt design. But a good trick used by professional t shirt designers is to start out by tightening the font too much (so the letters are too close together) and then slowly increasing the tracking until the words look right.
Kerning is very similar to tracking, but with one important difference: instead of adjusting the average spacing across an entire range of letters, kerning only adjusts the spacing between two letters at a time. This allows a greater degree of control than tracking, and allows a t shirt artist to fine tune the spacing between single letter pairs that still don’t look quite right, even after the text has been tracked.
In general, the best practice is to use tracking to get the entire range of letters in a t shirt slogan to look pretty good, and then use kerning to fine tune the spacing between letter pairs until your t shirt saying looks perfect.
TShirt Design Secret #3: Word Spacing
Once the letters of a t shirt slogan have been properly tracked and kerned, the next important step is to adjust the spacing between the words. Adjusting word spacing is very similar to tracking and kerning — in fact, it’s done exactly the same way as kerning and is really just kerning the spaces between words rather than letters — but the rule of thumb for proper spacing between words is a little different, and so word spacing is a whole step unto itself.
In general, the best practice when adjusting spacing between words is to visualize the width of a lowercase “L” in the font that’s being used, and then make the space between each word that wide. This means that the width of the spaces between words will be different from font to font (because the size of the lowercase “L” is different from font to font), but it also means that the spacing will be custom designed for the font in question. Creating the proper amount of space between words will support the effects of your tracking and kerning, thus helping your words to hold together better as separate visual units and improving readability.
TShirt Design Secret #4: Leading, aka “Line Spacing”
Another place that new t shirt designers often go wrong is in the leading, or “spacing between lines of text.” Leading — which is pronounced like the metal “lead” rather than like a “leader” taking people somewhere — goes back to the days of the printing press, when a person would actually use small, thin pieces of lead to create vertical space between the lines of type. These days, of course, computers handle the leading for us. Unfortunately, when it comes to t shirt text, they often handle it poorly.
When a t shirt slogan is typed into a computer program, it often starts out with a little too much space between the lines. This helps make the text look very “fonty” rather than natural, as well as making the tshirt design (and the designer) seem very amateur. With just a small change to the leading, however, that same t shirt saying can be made to look very tight and professional.
With leading, the goal is to create enough space between the lines of text so they fit nicely together and don’t interfere with one another, without creating so much space that they look artificial or become difficult to read. The eye should be able to easily jump visually from one line to the next without losing its place, and without any effort at all. While there is no real rule of thumb for the proper amount of space between lines, t shirt designers who begin adjusting the leading will quickly learn to “feel” when it’s right. In general, the best way to start is to decrease the amount of leading — tightening the space between the lines — and then keep tweaking it up or down until it feels visually balanced. When it looks natural and reads smoothly, your t shirt slogan is one step closer to the big time.
TShirt Design Secret #5: Phrasing, aka “Line Breaking”
Phrasing has to do with where t shirt designers choose to break the lines of text, and is yet another aspect of good tshirt design that’s often overlooked. Many new designers will just type in their text at the size they want, and pay no attention to which words the lines end on, and how those line breaks affect the t shirt’s readability. More often than not, this results in a t shirt that reads terribly and feels amateurish.
For example, a poorly line-broken t shirt slogan might look something like this:
I’m not a
doctor but I play
one in real
life
As you can see, it’s a little difficult to read this slogan because the semi-random breaking of logical phrases and groups of ideas causes both the eye and the brain to work harder to make sense of it all, and the result is the t shirt slogan ends up feeling choppy. With a little more thought and effort put into breaking the lines at natural points in the text, however, we end up with this:
I’m not a doctor
but I play one
in real life
Suddenly, the t shirt slogan flows naturally and is much easier to read. By keeping the logical phrases visually together, you can create a much more natural visual rhythm to your t shirt saying, and the reader is easily able to process the t shirt’s message without having to fight against poor phrasing to understand it.
TShirt Design Secret #6: A Bonus Tip (Because I Like You)
Once you’ve applied these 5 secrets of the tshirt design professionals, you’ll find that your t shirt text already looks much better and more professional than it did when you started. Unfortunately, you’ll probably also find that you’ve been staring at your text for so long, it’s become difficult to really properly judge its improvement. Such is the life of a t shirt artist! But don’t panic! The professional graphic designers have a couple more tricks up their sleeves that’ll help you overcome this professional hazard.
To check the spacing of your t shirt text and make sure that it’s truly perfect, you can:
- Look at your design upside down. If you see any spaces that look uneven or inconsistent, fix them.
- Look at your design reflected in a mirror. If you see any spaces that look uneven or inconsistent, fix them.
- Print out your design on a piece of paper, hold it up to a light source, and look at your text from the back of the page. If you see any spaces that look uneven or inconsistent — you guessed it — fix them.
By doing any or all of these three strange things, you force your eyes and your brain to pay attention to the empty spaces between the letters rather than trying to read the words themselves. The words become abstract shapes to your brain, and you, the t shirt artist, are free to properly judge the empty spaces between the words.
So, Now What?
As you can see, professional t shirt text design is really just a matter of creating text that not only supports your message, but also presents it in a way that is visually balanced and nicely spaced. By properly applying these tshirt design tips, your t shirt sayings will be much nicer to look at, easier to read, and miles ahead of all those amateur tshirt designs hitting the market. And, most importantly, your funny t shirt designs will finally be funny in a good way.
Now, if you’re ready to start taking your tshirt design skills to the next level — or you just need a more visual illustration of the stuff we’ve been talking about — you can find a free, simple, easy-to-follow video tutorial on tracking and kerning at Channel Shirt’s tshirt design blog. Did I mention it’s free? Check it out!
About the Author: Much to his parents’ continuing surprise, “Hollywood” John Harris has been a professional artist, designer, and freelance writer for 20 years. He is also co-founder of Channel Shirt, where he not only freely gives away all the secrets of tshirt design that “they” don’t want you to know, he shows those secrets in action on tons of his own funny t shirts, as well as on all the best shirts from around the web.
All You Need To Know About The Maneki Neko Sculptures
Nowadays Japanese is very hot and so are the little cats called maneki neko that you can see in every souvenir shop. They look very funny and are available in all forms and variations. They are also often used as a piggy bank where people save their money.
The maneki cat sculpture shows a cat with an upright claw and is used at the entrance of stores and restaurants. There is the believe that these sculptures made out of ceramic bring luck to its owner so more and more people jump in the trend all around the world.
The beckoning cat can also be found as air fresheners or keychains and even more creative variations are made every day. If you don’t have one of them you should have a look around at your local area or you could find some cheap ones right on the internet without a doubt.
See This Atlanta Portrait Artist
Melissa Crawford, an Atlanta portrait artist, spends the majority of her artistic time painting commissioned portraits. Examples of her work along with procedures and fees can be seen on her website, www.MelissaCrawfordArt.com. Melissa strives to create portraits that go beyond a mere likeness. She wishes to create a beautiful work of art, admired for its beauty and merit, whether one knows the sitter or not. Melissa has developed quite a following, being commissioned by many local residents, along with clients outside of the area. She is a member of two national brokerage agencies, in which she is represented across the United States.
Melissa recently took part in a prestigious juried competition put on by the Portrait Society of Atlanta. It was open to artists across the country. Melissa won second place, finishing behind California artist, Tony Pro. The competition was judged by Raymond Kinstler, perhaps America’s most well known living portrait artist. Melissa won with her commissioned portrait of local girl, Julia, in Julia with Toy Horse. After the competition, Melissa was notified that she was awarded the Society’s Member of Merit Status.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte – A Summary
Jane Eyre is one of the most romantic classic novels ever, and still a favorite among women who love romance novels and stories. It is a novel in five phases in which Charlotte Bronte carries us along a journey to a woman’s eternity. The novel Jane Eyre, a first person narrative by its main character Jane Eyre, starts at her childhood (rather, orphan-hood), moves on to her phase of education, then to the phase when she becomes a governess and falls in love, next the phase when she goes to St. John Rivers and finally come the final phase. What does finally happen to Jane Eyre? Read the full book on Online Literature.
Charlotte Bronte has brought out a lot of emotion in describing the thirteen years in Jane Eyre’s life. With solid language and flawless presentation, Jane Eyre can make the reader become emotional and cry at points, and feel a great surge of romance at other points of reading. Overall, Jane Eyer is an immortal classic – easily a top 10 romantic classic ever written – and still finds an amazingly enormous number of fans and followers. It is the novel that really established Charlotte Bronte, one of the three Bronte sisters, as a writer.
3 Reasons to Consider a Distance Learning Masters Degree
The corporate and business worlds are getting tougher and tougher. There are more people fighting over promotions and jobs than ever before. In order to ensure that you gain yourself a competitive advantage, you need to make sure that you differentiate yourself from your competitors. One way to do this may be with a online classes.
Completing a Masters Degree does not mean attending more classes and keg parties. You can complete your course via distance learning. The purpose of this article is to outline for you 3 reasons for you to consider Distance Learning if you have decided that further study is for you.
You can fit your studies around your career- Completing your study online and via correspondence means that you do not need to change too drastically other aspects of your life. Whereas an on-campus student must attend classes at a set time each week, distance learning means that you can tailor your study to fit around work. You can do it in the morning before work or you can study at the end of the day after you get home for your office
You can fit your study around your family life- A Distance education Master Degree also means that you need not put your family life on hold. You need not give up on any family activities. You can study and complete your assignments when it is convenient for you.
You can tailor your learning at your own pace- Another disadvantage of traditional on-campus learning is that your learning pace is dictated by other people- your professor, your tutor and your classmates. Distance learning enables you to pace your learning in a way that suits you. If you find some aspects of your learning easy you can gloss over them. Other sections of your learning that you may find more difficult can be reread to help your understanding.
One of the best ways to get ahead in the workplace is to get better educated. If you don’t want to put your career on hold whilst you get more qualified you should enrol yourself in a Distance Learning Master Degree.
Celtic Tattoos – Why Are They So Popular
Celtic tattos are still one of the most popular types of design despite their long history. These designs have existed for thousands of years, yet more than one thousand people search for information about celtic tattoo designs every day. So why are these designs still such a popular choice for tattoos?
The Celtic people have a long and proud history. From ancient times their people have shown an artistic ability to create complex works of art. These elaborate patterns took pride of place on their stonework, metalwork, weapons and jewelry. In fact ancient celtic designs carved in stone can still be found in both Ireland and Scotland.
Celtic tattoo designs usually consist of elaborate patterns of lines, loops and spirals that are linked together in a decorative manner. Occasionally animal designs, often depicting the tiger and the lion are incorporated into the tattoo design. These celtic animal designs (often known as zoomorphic tattoo designs) differ from traditional celtic patterns as the various lines and strands of the design end in animal heads, feet and tails instead of following a never ending path.
The meaning of these patterns is not readily apparant. To find the real meaning of celtic artwork you have to look much deeper. The constant interlacing of lines and spirals symbolizes the connection between the physical and spiritual worlds. And the never ending route of the loops and spirals represents the never ending cycle of life, death and rebirth.
Celtic designs also represent the fight and the heart of the Celtic people who were renowned throughout the world as courageous warriors. And it’s thanks to a combination of these noble values and the timeless symbolism of these patterns that they remain such a popular choice for tattoo designs.
The most popular and well known of all the celtic designs are the celtic knot and the celtic cross.
Celtic Knot: This tattoo consists of decorative loops with no beginning and no end which represents the continuing cycle of life and death.
Celtic Cross: The celtic cross is usually a highly elaborate design containing many interlinking spirals and strands. Once again, the lines used to create the outline of the cross don’t have a beginning or an end, and as such represent the immortality of human life and love. The cross is also significant as the Celtic people believed it would protect them from their enemies.
Celtic tattoo designs are a great way of expressing pride in your ancestry whether you are of Irish, Scottish or Welsh descent. In fact these designs are highly popular among people from North America who have Celtic ancestors.
However, you should be aware that due to the elaborate nature of these patterns, celtic tattoo designs are not easy to create. So before you start, make sure that you find a tattoo artist who has experience in creating celtic tattoo designs. An eye for detail and the ability to place the lines and spirals in exactly the right place is vital. And even once you find a talented artist, it will take a lot of time, patience and dare I say it, tolerance of pain, in order to get your celtic design just right. So make sure that you find the perfect celtic design before you go any further.
How a DIY Wind Generator Can Help Make Your Life Better
Do you reside in a place where you feel you will be able to put the gustiness of the wind to good use? Then you ought to by all means obtain your own DIY wind generator for your residence. If you are curious on the way it will be able to make your life better, then keep reading to find out more.
You will be stunned to learn that these days, there are a lot of wind generator kits available to the normal customer. What seemed to be merely a simple science project of invention in the past decade, is a viable alternative source of energy that lots of individuals are beginning to warm up to. There is a wide array of diverse types and sizes that you can choose from determined by where you want to to install it on your property. And not to mention numerous offers and special deals that various merchants and manufacturers are giving with each kit. So prior to you get excited and begin buying every single type out there, be sure that you do your research first so that you will be more apt to pick.
The essential parts in a wind generator are the propeller, the rotor, the tower and the generator which is highly responsible in transforming wind energy to electricity that can be used in the house. It is also important to mention that the wind generator needs a powerful battery system that will be capable to correctly store the electric energy which will be produced.
It would be wise to install the DIY wind generator on a high tower in order that it will be subjected to more power that could then be changed to electricity. For the reason that the rate of the wind is of course a lot quicker the higher it is from the earth. Stronger wind means stronger pressure to push the propellers to rotate faster and more electricity will be stored.
The great part of a DIY wind generator system is that you will be able to take control over the various components that you might want to change. As an example, if you want a wider propeller to catch the wind, you are able to easily ask for a larger one from the producer or store you are buying form. You will also be able to be more flexible when it comes to the design and other specs for example blade location and turbine power capacity. You can even choose more battery backups systems so that you are ensured of having stored electricity even during the days when the wind in the area is not strong enough.
A DIY wind generator is important if you would like to be able to help the environment by depending more on renewable sources of energy rather than the electric companies. This then will help you save more money on power costs because you are making use of a free renewable source of energy. As long as you do the maintenance measures which are specifically necessary on your wind generator, you can expect a smooth sailing power source for a very long time.
Infrared Sauna Reviews
Saunas have been perceived to be an item of luxury. And the other reason that they have gained attention is the role that they are capable of playing when it comes to weight loss. Interestingly, the new-age infrared saunas are way better compared to the classic old steam saunas when it comes to any of the above. Multiple infrared sauna reviews make the viewpoint absolutely clear.
Let us review the key aspects you should look into while buying your sauna. Interestingly in each of these cases, an infrared sauna works way better than a conventional steam sauna. The list of aspects follows.
· Detoxification: This is the single-most important aspect of a sauna that you should look into. The better the detoxification capabilities, the better off you would be with your sauna. The detoxification aspect is related to the stress relief aspect described subsequently.
· Weight loss: According to Guyton’s textbook of Medical Physiology, 1 gram of sweat needs 0.568 kilo calories to produce. With a good infrared sauna, an average sauna user can produce 500 grams of sweat. A therapeutic session thus is capable or burning around 350 calories. This is equivalent to running a couple of miles or more. Infrared saunas also help your body to get rid of cellulite. Cellulite is a substance generated by the body fat cells, water and wastes. So sauna weight loss is not “water loss” as perceived by many, it is real weight loss if you use the right kind of infrared saunas.
· Pain relief: Infrared saunas lead to pain relief. The infrared energy can penetrate up to 1.5 inches inside our muscle tissues. Interestingly, almost 95% of this energy is absorbed through the skin. As a result, the blood circulation dynamics are positively affected, leading to reduction and even elimination of painful conditions such as Fibromyalgia, Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis. Evidence has been found through studies that with the right kind of infrared sauna, the injury healing is quickened if the heat is applied 24-48 hours post-injury.
· Stress relief: Some top-quality saunas, especially the one mentioned at the end of this article (explore the resource link given in the last line of the article to find more), are equipped with Carbon 360 far infrared technology or its equivalent. This calls for improved blood circulation and quick stress relief. In other words, you get better refreshed in some saunas compared to others, and the best refreshment comes if your sauna has the Carbon 360 or equivalent technology incorporated.
· Safety: This is important – you would want a sauna which is shock-proof with ample guarantee, no matter what the manufacturer claims. I strongly recommend you never buy a sauna that is not certified by an authority. An ETL-certified sauna, for example, is a perfectly safe one to use and is on the top of my list of recommendations. ETL stands for Electrical Testing Laboratories.
Yes, to make sure that you are getting the best from your sauna, it is exactly the above five aspects that you should concentrate on, though I can think of a lot of other benefits that you get from a sauna.
And I have seen such huge lists of benefits and features on a number of websites, with none really telling you what are the actual aspects you, as a user of sauna, should really care about.
If you are planning to buy a sauna, I recommend that you go for carbon-based infrared saunas. Avoid ceramic saunas and avoid steam saunas – strictly. I know it may mean a couple of hundred extra bucks, but then, if that is difficult for you then I believe not owning a sauna at all is a better option.
Where to Find a Good Web Host
Finding a good web host can be tricky, particularly if you are new to the industry. There is a TON of jargon, that most likely will make no sense. Before you invest in web hosting, visit WebHostInsider. We make choosing web hosting easy, and provide the details that pierce the marketing vail of these companies so that you can see what real users think about them.
PX 90 Workout
The PX 90 workout is from Beach Body. The instructor is Tony Horton. He’s 40 years old, very ripped, and very funny. Even in the first week of the program, you will move your body in more ways that you ever thought possible. The PX 90 workout videos are intense but enjoyable.
The P90X Workout is a home fitness and nutrition system. It took more than a year to develop by leading fitness experts in the field. No angle was overlooked as the PX system combines exercise videos with a nutritional plan. Fast food is out. Eating right is in.
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The PX 90 videos are very long. You may not be able to complete a whole workout the first few times if you are not already in good shape.
The Lean Phase workout, for instance, has three cardio routines, two strength workouts, and a yoga session. You won’t just run or dance. You’ll also incorporate techniques such as kickboxing and pylometrics.
The PX 90 workout plan is designed for both men and women.
The system is flexible. It allows you to progress through the 90 Days at your own pace, but you should be prepared to work hard. There are 12 extreme, heavy-hitting, muscle-pumping, sweat-pounding workouts. P90X is simply the most comprehensive home workout system available on the market today. From intense weight training and advanced Plyometrics to Core Synergistics and Extreme Yoga, you are sure to see results if you stick to the plan.
The PX 90 workout is so effective because it uses the training science of Muscle Confusion. As your body changes over the 90 day period, so do the workouts. new moves and routines are constantly introduced so every stage of P90X becomes as effective as the first.
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In addition to the exercise program, the PX 90 Workout has a Nutritional component. The P90X Nutrition Guide was developed by nutritionist Carrie Wiatt. The eating plan compliments the exercise program. It takes guess work out of knowing what to eat and when. You will also be eating very healthy.
If you are to sure what carbs or fats are good for you or what snacks, dairy products and even what condiments you should be eating it’s no problem. The Px90 Nutrition Guide gives you a list of recommended foods, and also outlines daily meals and recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. This is not a starvation diet either.
When you first start the program you may even have a hard time eating everything on your plate. But the idea is that you want to have the energy (through food calories) to complete the intensive PX90 workout.
You need to be moderately fit to be able to benefit from this program. If you are 250 pounds and haven’t exercised in 6 years, this is not the thing to jump right into. You need to lose some weight and work up to a place where you can handle an intensive workout program.
However, if you are active and fit, but want to take your body to the next level, consider the PX 90 workout.