DANIZCONCEPT

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Breathtaking Pictures of Africa

Breathtaking Pictures of Africa

It definitely the most beautiful continent in our little planet... the wildest of them all, Africa is getting some attention thanks to this year's World Cup at South Africa, but we really hope that it gets more than just plain attention. We hope for major problems solving.

We've seen for so long people dying in Africa from starvation, thirst, war, etc, that in today's world, we got used to these things... but we must remember that it could be me, you, your parents there, dying of these things. I don't know... just looking at Africa and enjoying its beauty just seems a little empty now. Those people need help. We need help. This world is agonizing. I'm sad now.

... ok... just lemme finish this: you should all visit these amazing, talented photographers for more great shots. They'll appreciate. I hope you enjoy these. And think about it. Seriously. :/

Eric Lafforgue


Breathtaking Picture of Africa

Lia "Boca Vermelha"


Breathtaking Picture of Africa

Ben Heine


Breathtaking Picture of Africa

Ben Heine


Breathtaking Picture of Africa

Nick Brandt


Breathtaking Picture of Africa

Cheryl


Breathtaking Picture of Africa

Eric Lafforgue


Breathtaking Picture of Africa

Eric Lafforgue


Breathtaking Picture of Africa

Hamad Darwish


Breathtaking Picture of Africa

Lyndon Firman


Breathtaking Picture of Africa

Tris "More Altitude"


Breathtaking Picture of Africa

Eric Lafforgue


Breathtaking Picture of Africa

Eric Lafforgue


Breathtaking Picture of Africa

Eric Lafforgue


Breathtaking Picture of Africa

Guilherme Amorim


Breathtaking Picture of Africa

Maurizio Peddis


Breathtaking Picture of Africa

Ben Heine


Breathtaking Picture of Africa

Paolo Livorno


Breathtaking Picture of Africa

Nisa and Ulli Maier


Breathtaking Picture of Africa

About the author

Hello, everyone! I'm Paulo Gabriel, a 25 year old designer from Porto Alegre, Brazil. I have worked as a webdesigner since 2006, but websites and blogs have been a hobbie for me since 1999. Here in Abduzeedo, I try to bring only the hot stuff for you... and hope that all of you enjoy my posts! For more cool stuff, you may also follow me on Twitter.

Friday, July 30, 2010

THE RENAISSANCE


A revolution is provoked by war, but renaissance is provoked by the mind. Hence a revolution's path is paved with blood and renaissance is paved with ink

THE RENAISSANCE. LIVE IN LAGOS. A 3 day workshop on photomanipulation and composition

FEATURING: Daniel Emeka, David Osagie, Opabisi Oluwaseun.

7th - 9th of October 2010
Course Fee: N20,000

To Register send your name. sex and occupation to
danizconcept@gmail.com or 08058964424

For further info call: Daniel 08058964424

Incredible Character Illustrations by Tiago Hoisel

Incredible Character Illustrations by Tiago Hoisel


Tiago Hoisel is a super talented illustrator from São Paulo, Brazil. You have probably seen some of his work in sites such as FFFFound, Design You Trust and of course on our Daily Inspiration. One that is pretty popular is the Davy Jones character illustration and he has so many more amazing pieces that we were really surprised that we haven't had featured him before.

For more information about Tiago Hoisel, visit http://hoisel.zip.net/, it's fantastic and definitely worth to checking it out.

I also would like to thank Marcelo Souza (@msouza3d) for the heads up about Tiago.

Incredible Character Illustrations by Tiago Hoisel

Incredible Character Illustrations by Tiago Hoisel

Incredible Character Illustrations by Tiago Hoisel

Incredible Character Illustrations by Tiago Hoisel

Incredible Character Illustrations by Tiago Hoisel

Incredible Character Illustrations by Tiago Hoisel

Incredible Character Illustrations by Tiago Hoisel

Incredible Character Illustrations by Tiago Hoisel

Incredible Character Illustrations by Tiago Hoisel

Incredible Character Illustrations by Tiago Hoisel

Incredible Character Illustrations by Tiago Hoisel

Incredible Character Illustrations by Tiago Hoisel

Incredible Character Illustrations by Tiago Hoisel

Incredible Character Illustrations by Tiago Hoisel

About the author

My name is Fabio Sasso, I'm a graphic/web designer from Porto Alegre, Brazil and I'm the founder of Abduzeedo. I hope we can share lots of information, tips, and ideas through Abduzeedo. Also you can follow me on Twitter or my personal site at http://fabiosasso.com.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Artist Profile :: Nigerian Artist :: African Artist :: African American painter


Sculptor Chidi Okoye

Painter * Poet

Sculptor Chidi Okoye

Painter :: Poet :: African Artist

Nigerian born, Chidi A. Okoye graduated with a distinction in sculpture (Higher National Diploma) from the Institute of Management and Technology in Enugu, Nigeria, in 1988. For the next six years he taught sculpture and drawing at Federal Polytechnic Oko Anambra State Nigeria. During this period, he created an outstanding collection, not only sculpting, but painting and writing as well. In Nigeria, He had his national solo exhibition “Textures of Life” and launching of his book “Lamentation” at national museum Lagos in 1993 sponsored by Mobil Producing Nigeria. Okoye is as famous for his poetry as for his painting and sculpture.

In 1994 Okoye moved to Vancouver, Canada, where he immediately became involved in a number of projects promoting international artistic exchange and was a leading light in the local Black creative community. Okoye believes that his art offers him a chance of relating to his environment, complementing the beauty of nature with man-made forms and images, which spring from his ancestral culture. He combines the strength, uniqueness and dynamism of his heritage with a technically skilled understanding of the power of forms, feeling and materials to create works, which continue to thrill audiences.

Nigerian Artist :: African Painter :: African American painter

The wide appeal of his works seems to lie in its identifiably African approach to colors and lines, but with an ability to turn his distinctive style to a wide rage of subjects. Okoye’s paintings and sculpture have been praised for their capacity to raise awareness of important socio-political issues without resorting to militancy.

He participated in various creative competitions, like those to design posters for the Festival Sundiata in Seattle, which he won in 1995, 1996 and Sundiata best artist of the Year 1998. He designed a poster and logo, “Spirit of the Nation”, for the Canadian Heritage Art Society in Victoria BC in 1997. He designed and created an award statues for Black Historical Society in Vancouver BC in 1999, also in 1999 won first prize in the Co-op Radio Poster Competition in Vancouver BC.

In 2001 Okoye came to Atlanta where he has been actively involved in the creative art community. He won the first prize, South Fulton County Gallery Best Artist of the year 2002. He has participated in the jury art shows of National Black Art Festival Atlanta from 2002 to 2004. He recently executed Award commission for 2004 Clark Atlanta University ADVANCE Leadership Award. Chidi collaborated with Nelson Mandela in Unity Series in 2004.

African Poet :: Atlanta based Artist :: Nigerian Poet

Apart from being the artist of numerous sold-out limited editions Chidi’s works have won the admiration of local and international collectors. Among his long list of works in private and public collection are in Delta Airline Atlanta, Water Resources, Atlanta; Resurrection Life Center Montgomery Alabama; President office, University of British Columbia, Vancouver BC; Villa Benzi, Caerano, Italy; Enugu State University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, Nigeria, Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu; Federal Polytechnic Oko, Nigeria; Mobil Producing Nigeria Head office Logos, Nigeria to mention a few.

Among His long list of solo and group exhibitions includes his most recent international group exhibition “ The Nelson Mandela Unity Series, World Economic Forum, January 26th 2005 in Davos, Switzerland.

“His paintings are noble, vivid, honest and poetic…” Diversity News, Seattle WA, USA.

“…A sculptor whose creative instincts are clearly channeled towards a reflection of both his contemporary and cultural heritage.” Daily Times, Nigeria.

Sculptor Chidi Okoye. Life and works of Sculptor Chidi Okoye, renowned Nigerian Painter, Poet and author based in Vancouver BC and Atlanta.

Create a Medieval Fantasy Castle Gate in Photoshop

Create a Medieval Fantasy Castle Gate in Photoshop

Final Product What You'll Be Creating

Photoshop’s wide variety of tools enable you to perform complex photo manipulations with relative ease. Today, we will demonstrate how to combine Photoshop’s tools with photo manipulation techniques to create a medieval fantasy castle gate. Let’s get started!


Resources Used

The following resources were used during the production of this tutorial. Each item is freely available to you on CG Textures; just sign up!


Step 1

First, create a new file with a size of 800 x 800 px and a resolution of 300 ppi.


Step 2

Next, open the files: SoilSand.jpg and Grass.jpg then resize it (Cmd/Ctrl + T) as shown below.


Step 3

Next change the Hue/Saturation (Cmd/Ctrl + U) levels of the SoilSand.jpg with the values below.


Step 4

Next open WoodPlank.jpg then resize it and place it as shown.


Step 5

Using the Pen tool (P), draw the shape shown below. After defining the shape, right-click and select Make Selection from the drop-down menu. Inverse the selection by pressing Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + I, then hit delete.


Step 6

Now press Cmd/Ctrl + L to adjust the Levels of WoodPlank.jpg and change its values as indicated below.


Step 7

Next we’ll make a set of stones to form an arch. To do this, open Concrete.jpg, then rename it "Stone." Then press Cmd/Ctrl + T to resize it as shown. Use the Eraser tool (E) to erase the edges of the "stone". Then, use the Burn tool (O) to burn the indicated areas shown in figure (c). After that, apply a layer style to the “Stone” layer and apply a small Drop Shadow as shown in figure (d). Now, create a new layer and place it below the "Stone" layer and Cmd/Ctrl + click the thumbnail of "Stone" layer to activate its selection as shown in figure (e). Using the Paint Bucket tool (G), fill the entire selection with #000000 as shown in figure (f). Finally, go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur, and apply a radius of 5.0px.


Step 8

After merging the "Stone" layer and the blurred selection from Step 7, duplicate (Cmd/Ctrl + J) the layer until you’ve reached the other side of the arch.


Step 9

Using the Burn tool (O), burn the areas as indicated below in the "SoilSand" layer and in the "Grass" layer.


Step 10

Next, use the Eraser tool (E) to erase the areas as indicated below in the "SoilSand" layer.


Step 11

Now, let’s create the gap between the doors. To do this, use the Pen tool (P), then create a line as shown in figure (a). Then, right-click and select Stroke Path from the drop-down menu. Make sure to set the Brush tool (B) as indicated in figure (b) prior to using the Pen tool. Lastly, go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and enter a 2.5 px radius as shown in figure (c).

Repeat the same process to create the gap below the door as well.


Step 12

Using the Pen tool (P), make a line as shown below. Next, right-click and select Stroke Path from the drop-down menu. Make sure to set the Brush tool (B) to a Master Diameter of 20px and Hardness of 100% prior to using the Pen tool. Next, go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and set it to 8.0px. After that, decrease its opacity to about 50%.


Step 13

Now, let’s add the door hinges. To do this, open the file "Ornament." Then, using the Magic

Wand tool (W), select the background of the image.


Next select the Refine Edge tool (Cmd/Ctrl + Alt + R) and check the box for Smart Radius. Then using the brush for Smart Radius, follow the outline of the hinge. After that, check the box for Decontaminate Colors and hit OK.

After hitting OK, add a Drop Shadow in the Layer Style window by double-clicking the "Ornament" layer.

Duplicate this layer three times and position them as shown below.


Step 14

Using the Pen tool (P), make a shape as shown below. Right-click and select Stroke Path from the drop-down menu. Make sure to set the Brush tool (B) to a Master Diameter of 45px, Hardness of 0% with color #000000 prior to using the Pen tool. Finally, set its Blend mode to Soft Light.


Step 15

Open the file "OrnamentHead.jpg." Using the Magic Wand tool (W), select the background of the image. Next select the Refine Edge tool (Cmd/Ctrl + Alt + R) and check the box for the Smart Radius. Then, using the brush for the Smart Radius, follow the outline of the Ornament Head. After that, check the box for Decontaminate Colors and hit OK.

Add a drop shadow to "OrnamentHead."

Duplicate the "Ornament" layer and place them as shown.


Step 16

Next we’ll add some Sunrays. Using the Pen tool (P) make a line as shown below, after that right-click and select Stroke Path from the drop-down menu. Make sure to set the Brush tool (B) to a Master Diameter of 95px, Hardness of 0% with color #ffffff prior to using the Pen tool.

Add some more using the same technique. After that, merge them and name them "Lights."

Next, go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur with a 25 px radius

Finally, decrease its opacity to 50%.


Step 17

Next we’ll add some sparkes. Using the Paint Brush tool (P) set to Hardness 0% and color #000000, apply varying sizes of “dots.”

Next go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and apply a radius size of 5px. Decrease its Opacity to 40%.


Step 18

Next step is to add highlights for the stones of the arch. To do this, use the Brush tool (B) set to a Master Diameter of 7px and a Hardness of 0%. Add the highlights according to the source of light, like as shown below.

Then go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and apply a radius of 3px.


Step 19

Next we’ll add a brownish tint for the image. First, add a new layer and fill it, using the Paint Bucket tool (G), with #714200. Next, change its Blend mode to Color Dodge and decrease its Opacity to 60%.


Step 20

For the last step, we’ll add subtle shading to complete the effect. To do this, first add a new layer, then fill it with the #000000 and name it "Shade."

Using the Polygonal Lasso tool (L), make a shape as shown below, then hit delete.

Lastly, go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and change its radius to 22px then decrease its Opacity level to 60%.


Final Image

That’s it! The final product is shown below. Hope you had fun working on this project! Thanks for reading.

Enjoyed this Post?
By Patrick Lopez

Rollover to read this author's bio or click through to see a full list of posts by this author.

My name is Patrick L. Lopez. I am in my senior year at PATTS College of Aeronautics in the Philippines. I love Photoshop because it gives me a way to express my inner feelings through art.