2.14pm – Wednesday afternoon The keys on this plastic alphabet are sticky. The seat has no back and the minutes are expensive. The sub…
2.14pm – Wednesday afternoon The keys on this plastic alphabet are sticky. The seat has no back and the minutes are expensive. The sub audible hum of ten thousand anxious people reverberate through the terminal floor. The timeless neon glow of Gates 31-40, Baggage Claim, Toilets and a Foodcourt burn into my pores. A voice informs me that Mr Nigel Sankey should really hurry along to Gate 36, because all the people already wedged onto the plane are getting seriously annoyed. In another life our original flight had not suffered the generic ‘engineering difficulties’ and we were already home, but in this life we were destined to spend half a day in Sydney airport at an internet cafe, so still in this life I wrench the keyboard from a neighbouring computer and walk resolutely towards the mannequins at the Virgin Service Desk, a blank look in my eye. / How did it come to this? 7.55am – Earlier that same day El Presidente and I burst into the breakfast room of the Shangri La hotel in Sydney, where NetGuide are holding the ceremony of their yearly internet awards. The room goes slightly quiet, the dog in the corner ceases playing the piano, and the 100% suited and booted occupants turn to look at these last minute arrivals, one in a vibrant red limited edition RedBubble tee, the other in a faux-Napoleonic military jacket. I wave my cane in the direction of some empty seats and we take our place between the MD of eBay and a man from the Bureau of Meteorology. A general air that we may be ‘chancers’ prevails. The ceremony begins, and decorum is held in fine corporate silence, broken by an intermittent golf clap as another nervous individual waddles up to claim their glass shard. The 14th prize is for Best New Site, and it is won by a company called Web Menu, but also has a Highly Commended Category, which RedBubble wins. None of the other categories really have second place awards, and so we still appear like we are here for the free breakfast. The final two awards, however, are a little more prestigious, and they begin with the ‘People’s Choice’ which NetGuide are very proud of, and after building it up to unprecendented heights they announce that RedBubble has conquered it without question. You can hear the room inhale in unison, then vigourously clap. Afterwards everyone was very friendly, coming over to congratulate and talk details, I was even accosted by one man in the gents but I requested he wait until I finish, I think he had something to do with the ceremony. We hand out some t-shirts and greetings cards and even some bubbles, which could be seen floating around the room towards the end of the event. 9.45am After a suitably cheesy photoshoot, we jump into a taxi and head for the airport and hopefully, a quick flight home. —-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—— I’d just like to take this opportunity, on behalf of the whole team, to thank all of you, and not just all of you who managed to read this whole post, or even all of you who voted for us, but ALL of you. Because you really do make this site as vibrant as it is, without you we’re nothing, well, not nothing, we’d be a bunch of nerds in a room with some flashy computers and an endless biscuit supply, but I don’t think there’s an award for that. / So thanks and don’t stop now, we’re just getting warmed up. onetonshadow, and everybody else Oh and big up to NetGuide for the whole event, bacon and free mousemats, here’s what they have to say about it Addendum / I’d also like to thank the mighty Anne van Alkemade for stumbling across the competition in the first place and alerting our eager community. May your days be filled with fine wines and tasty cakes.
We’ve just broken the 80,000 members mark. So if the average weight of an adult human brain is 1350g and we assume that we’re only creati…
We’ve just broken the 80,000 members mark. So if the average weight of an adult human brain is 1350g and we assume that we’re only creative with the right half of said brain, that means there’s currently 54 tonnes of pulsating grey matter putting out all of this incredible art. You should be proud to be part of it. We’re certainly proud to have you here. Oh, and I found this advert in a magazine this morning. You can get his champion tee here but I have no idea where you can get trousers like that. Bye
As we all start to gear up for the holiday season – it does rush in upon us – it is easy to get overwhelmed by stuff. The objects of our …
As we all start to gear up for the holiday season – it does rush in upon us – it is easy to get overwhelmed by stuff. The objects of our lives are important. They provide comfort, inspiration, memories, humour and even insight. But around and through them are our friends and families and all the other people who we share this human journey with. One of the common themes on RedBubble is that many people originally join to sell things but over time than the community and friendships become even more important. There are always lots of things happening in the community. If you are just getting started on RedBubble one of the easiest ways to meet people is to check out the groups and find a group that interests you. It may be a group from your local area or some sort of art/design that interests you. There is always a lot going on in the groups. Just some examples that I am aware of right now: The Art of the Middle East is running a challenge for art on a religious themes Sydney Group member bodymechanic is coordinating a group exhibition for 2009. Actually, Sydney bubblers are exhibiting right now too! The Photography 101 group is always active with advice and currently has three interesting challenges underway T-Shirt Revolution is changing the world one T at t time Don’t have much to say but want to say it well then try your hand at Flash Fiction And if you love the smell of paint on your hands then Painters in Modern Times is there for you with lots of things underway. If you can’t find a group from your area or want to start a group for a specific purpose then you can just follow the instructions here. Aside from the groups the more general forums are there. You will find advice on Equipment, help with Sales and Marketing, a Learning Centre and of course General Discussion. Finally, the easiest way to get to meet folks is to make comments on works or introduce yourself (via Bubblemail) and before long you will have a steady stream of interesting work turning up in your My Bubble to consider. We all like to get comments and Bubblemails so don’t be shy. Martin (aka Pilgrim)
Welcome to 2009. To kick off the new year, l want to reflect a bit on how constructive comments can encourage members to create new work …
Welcome to 2009. To kick off the new year, l want to reflect a bit on how constructive comments can encourage members to create new work and grow artistically. The majority of the member comments on my artwork pages are less than 100 characters in length (including spaces). That’s not a lot of information, but they do provide just the right amount of inspiration. The best comments motivate members to create more work or to see their existing work in a new way. Comments are also incredibly valuable if they come from peers that work in similar mediums. In my case, printmaking is a niche medium, so comments from other printmakers regarding technique are always welcomed. And at a visceral level, comments simply feel good; they bond us to the larger RedBubble community. Comments can also help guide art buyers. For example, your comment can link to an artwork or written work on RedBubble that’s similar in topic or aesthetic. When linking, it’s best to link text that best describes the image or subject matter that the member will see post-click. Here’s a real-world example: “What a wonderful photograph of the Perth waterscape. I especially like the way you highlighted the horizon and ramp/dock – great technique using the prolonged exposure. Check out this photograph of Perth by EOS20.” The “medium-plus-subject” link structure is helpful to readers and search engines alike. You can use this tactic on your personal websites and blogs in order to send visitors to your RedBubble pages (or other websites). RedBubble typically sees a dip in website chatter during the holidays, but the silence ends as members return from holiday, post new work, and reconnect with those they follow. If you would like to share a favorite comment or a positive feeling that you had as a result of a comment on your work(s), please post it below! Enjoy the New Year. We look forward to viewing and commenting on your new work in the coming weeks. Regards, / Jason
Light painting (otherwise known as light graffiti or light writing) is a photographic technique that involves slow shutter speeds, darkne…
Light painting (otherwise known as light graffiti or light writing) is a photographic technique that involves slow shutter speeds, darkness and a little bit of practice and experimentation. And it’s not just some newfangled thing all the cool kids are doing. Check out this image of Picasso giving it a go back in 1949. Want to try it? If you’ve got the urge to scratch that creative itch or to try something new this week, why not set yourself a challenge? All you need is a camera, a tripod, a light source (flashlights, LED lights, matches and glowsticks all do the trick) and a dark location. These resources might also come in handy: Make Magazine’s Light Graffiti Tutorial Howcast’s Light Graffiti Tutorial (video) We’d love to see what you come up with so feel free to post your brand new creations in the comments below. For further inspiration, check out some of these talented light painting bubblers: / Holding Smoke by EricD / all the pieces by melidiaz / Hearts by Chris Richards / Haunted House by bensound And if you want to see more, head over to the Painting with Light Group ...
When I first spotted Jódís Eiríksdóttir’s “A Little Planet” in the buyer’s booth I was mezmerised. I’d never seen anything quite like it. A little further investigation revealed that what I was staring at was a polar panorama. My next thought was “how did she do it?” I’ve managed to hunt down the following resources for those who would like to give it a try but you can find more online by searching “Polar Panorama Tutorial”. Basic ingredients include a digital camera to shoot your panorama and PhotoShop or Gimp to work the magic. If anyone’s had more experience making these then we’d love to see a tutorial or hear your hints and tips! Tutorial: Create Your Own Planets (PhotoShop and Gimp) How to make planet-like panoramas with photoshop Stereographic Projection is a similar technique which involves a bit more effort and a whole lot more maths but if you’re keen to find out more then try these resources: Stereographic Projection (wikipedia) Wee Planets Or you could just make yourself a cuppa, pull up a comfy chair and marvel at these wonderful images … / Lighthouse World by Digerati / Caloundra QLD Polar Panorama by Lars / Little Planet – Julianapark 01 Utrecht by mtths / Small world of Provincetown by Alyeska / Lonely Planet by Peter Marin And there are more over at the Polar Panorama Planets group …
For those who may be drooling over an expensive new lens or wondering whether you can justify sacrificing food for a new ring flash, here…
For those who may be drooling over an expensive new lens or wondering whether you can justify sacrificing food for a new ring flash, here’s a reminder that beautiful photos can be captured using the simplest of kit. The pinhole camera is made up of three basic elements: a light-proof container, some film and a pinhole. As there’s no need for a lens, you can make one out of pretty much anything from a Coke can to a cereal box. Too easy! This coming Sunday 26th of April is Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day so it would be almost rude not to give this a try some time soon. If you’d like to make your own pinhole camera, here are some useful links to get you started: How to Make and Use a Pinhole Camera Download, print and build your own pinhole camera Pringles Pinhole Camera How To Build a Matchbox Pinhole Camera If you’d like a bit more technical info on exactly how these low-fi cameras work, these links may be of interest: The geometry and mathematics of the pinhole camera How does a pinhole camera work? If you’d just like to marvel at some stunning pinhole photography, take a look at these works from talented bubblers who’ve fallen for the charms and simplicity of the humble pinhole camera: / Won’t somebody play me? by Duncan Waldron / Bubbles by Paul Cotelli / Cranston Water Tower by Paul Lavallee / a light on the horizon by Colin Powell / Pinhole Polaroid – “Experimental Farm II” by DavidAmosPhotography If you’re planning some pinhole photography action this week, feel free to show your masterpieces off in the comments below. Don’t forget to add your work to the PinHole Photography group too!
Remember the fun we had creating Little Planets? W…
Remember the fun we had creating Little Planets? Well here’s another cool technique we think you might enjoy playing around with. Tilt shift miniature photography uses a technique where a tilt shift lens is used to make real life scenes appear as miniature scale models. / / The good news for those who don’t have the budget for an expensive lens is that this effect can easily be achieved using photo editing software like PhotoShop or Gimp (which is free). Below are some amazing tilt shift miniatures from around the web to get you inspired: / Keith Loutit’s time-lapse tilt-shift videos / Serpentine by Harald Kirr / Harvard Book Store by Azripal / Tiltshift, outside Waterloo station by Cloudsoup Keen to give this a try? The following links should help to get you started: Creating the tilt shift miniature effect in Photoshop or Gimp: Gimp tutorial PhotoShop tutorial by Alison Johnston Faking tilt-shift in PhotoShop by Martin Pot Using a tilt shift lens: Build a DIY Tilt-Shift Camera Lens Using a tilt shift lens Using a tilt shift lens (video) And just for fun … (purists – look away now): A website that will do it for you An app for your iphone that will allow you to achieve the miniature effect For more inspriation, look no further than these tilt shift miniatures from our very own talented bubblers: / US Open final … in minature by hazy / Sydney Opera House by Lorraine Creagh / Robin Hoods Bay, Tilt Shift by TallGuy / Monsal Head – The Peak District by Steven Lee / Minature Bangkok by David Goymer If you’d like to give this a go, please feel free to post your results below … and don’t forget to add them to the The Tilt-Shift Photography Gallery. Good luck!
Bokeh comes from the Japanese word boke which can be loosely translated to mean ‘fuzzy’. It is used to describe the out of focus elemen…
Bokeh comes from the Japanese word boke which can be loosely translated to mean ‘fuzzy’. It is used to describe the out of focus elements in a photo and it is achieved by using a shallow depth of field. There’s much debate as to the true definition of bokeh, how it differs from background blur and whether it refers only to the out of focus highlights or bright spots. For the purposes of this post we’re going to stick with our old pal Wikipedia which describes bokeh as the appearance of point of light sources in an out-of-focus area of an image. Ok … now that the long winded explanation is out of the way, here’s some further reading and a few tutorials which should point you in the right direction if you’d like to give this a go yourself: About Bokeh: What is Bokeh? Bokeh lens test A little bit about Bokeh Tutorials: DIY – Create your own Bokeh DSLR Bokeh Tutorial Pocket Camera Bokeh Tutorial DIY Bokeh (Video) Take Bokeh Photographs (plus how to achieve effect using PhotoShop) Here’s some inspiration from our very own talented bubblers: .ljuset by Stina Haugen You know it’s true, I’m still in love with you by StephenJames the older the fiddler, the sweeter the tune… by Natalia Campbell Daily visitor by organica Riding Through the Air by Lala Mártin Morning Coffee by Kristybee faded memories by mkendall We’d love you to share your favourite bokeh images in the comments below. If you’re keen to have a go yourself, please also feel free to show us the results. Good luck! ~ Nat Don’t forget to add Community to your watchlist if you’d like these posts to appear in your activity monitor.
Wake up. Turn computer on. Click on MyBubble. Check activity monitor. Look at works and journals from watchlist. Comment on works and jou…
Wake up. Turn computer on. Click on MyBubble. Check activity monitor. Look at works and journals from watchlist. Comment on works and journals. Skim main forums. Look at homepage. Look at featured art page. Look at featured tees page. Go and check groups to see what’s happenng. Quick glance at buyer’s booth photos. Coffee. This may be an unhealthy sign of addiction but since about my second month on RedBubble I have had a morning routine. As I went through my routine today I started to think about all the places on the site which we may not visit regularly. So below is a list of 10 different ways to explore RedBubble. Read on and you might just discover some hidden treasures. / / / 1. Choose the RedBubble homepage thread / This can be found in the main forums under general discussions. The word on the street is that those who choose images for the homepage check these suggestions regularly. It’s also a great way to discover new works. 2. Artist interviews / Try searching ‘interview’ and then clicking ‘journals’. Ever since this the dawn of RedBubble time, artists have been interviewing each other. This has given us a great collection of entertaining and insightful artist interviews. If you fancy learning about what makes your fellow bubblers tick, take a look at some of these. 3. New groups / Did you know that by clicking on groups > all recent groups, you can keep an eye on the new groups that have been launched? If you did, you might have noticed the Diptychs & Triptychs, Black and White Film and Haiku groups that have launched this week. 4. Have a look at what’s been selling / By clicking on Community > Activity > Sales, you can watch what’s selling like hot cakes. 5. Follow the favourites trail. / Pick an artist. Go to their favourites. Pick a work. Go to that artist’s favourites. Repeat. You can lose hours doing this. 6. Fresh talent / Want to be the first to discover some talented new artists? The new users link under the community tab lets you welcome RedBubblers as they board the good ship bubble for the first time. Think about how you felt about your first comment … it’s a pretty nice way to make someone’s day. 7. Group snooping / Go to Community > Activity > Posts. Oh look … It’s a whole list of posts happening in discussions all over the site. It’s a great way to find groups who’s forums are really active and handy method of stumbling on hives of activity in dusty corners of the bubble you may not always frequent. 8. Challenge yourself / Clicking on Community > Challenges will take you here, where you can find group challenges that may interest you or pop into a group challenge and vote on an image you love. I just voted in the BARNS in AUTUMN! challenge. Crazy! 9. Filter activity feed / Under MyBubble, on the right hand side you’ll see this handy feature. Have a look at Favourites of My Watchlist and Featured Users & Work in your groups. Both are great ways to discover new works. 10. The Buyer’s Booth. / Not only is the buyer’s booth a great way to check out real life products, it’s also the source of some comedy gold. Like these for example: Speaking of which … our buyer’s booth winner this week is DiegoT with the clever number below. We’ll be sending Diego a $30 USD RedBubble gift voucher. / / So over to you. Do you have any tips for finding hidden gems? Any places you’re drawn to on a regular basis? Please feel free to share these with us below. Nat
I’ve just spotted this wonderful poster (thanks to the decor8 blog) and it’s given me the itch to play with some…
I’ve just spotted this wonderful poster (thanks to the decor8 blog) and it’s given me the itch to play with some type so I wondered if anyone else would like to join me in a very spur of the moment mini challenge? The task is to create your very own typography poster. You will need … Some great font resources: 40+ Excellent Free Fonts For Professional Design 30 Fonts You Want to Have DaFont 10 Great Free Fonts You Might Have Missed Some nice colour palettes: / palettes courtesy of colourlovers.com The file sizes for our posters: 2500×3500 pixels for the smallest print 3500×5000 pixels for the medium print 5000×7100 pixels for the large print And finally, some inspiration … / A selection from the Keep Calm Gallery / Keep it Simple by Seb Lester / Stop Destroying Our Planet from Make My Mood / a selection from ffffound And from our very own talented bubblers: / Birth of the bomb by Hingo, IPS Skylines by Ian Fleming, The Gift by Joey Wharton and I ReNted aN opiNion by Steve Leadbeater All you need now is a suitable collection of words and you’re away. Please post your results below so we can oooh and aaah over how wonderful they are. If you don’t have time to create one of your own, perhaps you can help us by posting some more inspiration. Good luck! / Nat
Another week, another creative project for you to get your teeth into. This time, the task is to create a work using textures. Wonderful …
Another week, another creative project for you to get your teeth into. This time, the task is to create a work using textures. Wonderful effects can be achieved by adding a bit of texture to your works. From aged and worn looking photos to grunge typography and vintage and distressed t-shirt design, textures can be applied to nearly all types of art. Textures are added to images by creating extra layers in graphics programs like PhotoShop or Gimp and the best thing about the process is that there are no rules. You can experiment with multiple layers, colours and opacities to fine tune the results. You will need … Free textures and other resources: You can create your own textures by photographing textured surfaces such as wood or concrete. Alternatively, there are loads of websites with textures that are free for commercial use. These include: CG Textures Texture Warehouse There are also textures available from some very generous bubblers: Cameron Gray Johanne Brunet These links may also give you some ideas: 10 Quality and Free Grunge Brushes for PhotoShop and GIMP Five Free Hi-Res TTV Textures Vintage Scratch brush set / Tutorials: The following tutorials should help to get you started. Playing with textures (by Vanessa Pike-Russell) Grunge Text/Type (by Alison Johnston) Using textures in photoshop (by atrei) Add texture to a photo using Photoshop Adding texture using Gimp Adding textures to your photography (lots of great ideas) / More inspiration from RedBubblers: / There are more inspiring images over at the Layered with Texture group and the The Grunge Art Gallery. Please post your results below so we can marvel at how talented you are. If you don’t have time to create a work of your own, perhaps you can help us by posting some more inspiration or linking to your favourite examples of textured artwork. Good luck! Nat
There’s something a little big magical about images that are divided into sections or frames. Often they contain imagery that fits togeth…
There’s something a little big magical about images that are divided into sections or frames. Often they contain imagery that fits together to tell a story. There’s really no limit to how many times you can segment your images. Diptychs and Triptychs are images that have been divided into two or three frames but the style also extends to a whole bunch of other more inventive layouts including images shot with superssamplers. One of the biggest keys to making these images work lies in good composition. To help with this aspect, we’ve gathered together some basic resources which might be worth a read: The rule of thirds Design elements and principles Rule of Thirds Composition in Photography If you’d like to give this a go, here are some tutorials which should point you in the right direction. The technique is fairly straightforward so you should be able to apply these instructions to most software programs: Diptych and Triptych and a Tutorial Creating a Triptych in Lightroom Creating a Triptych in Photoshop And here’s a little inspiration from some talented bubblers: / There are more inspiring images over at the Diptychs and Triptychs group. Please post your results below so we can marvel at how talented you are. If you don’t have time to create a work of your own, perhaps you can help us by posting some more inspiration or linking to your favourite examples of split images. Good luck! Nat (pssst Mr Baxter has started a Picture of the Week feature over here)
Each week we post a weekly wrap up from the Community account, celebrating the big news and t…
Each week we post a weekly wrap up from the Community account, celebrating the big news and the little wins we’ve spotted around RedBubble that week. If you’d like to get these delivered straight to your activity monitor then just add Community to your watchlist. If there was one theme for the week it is the importance of getting out and about engaging not only with the RedBubble community but the people down your street (virtual or otherwise). This week was so jam packed we thought we’d post from the RedBubble account for a change. Here’s a peek at just some of the action: We admired works from these new bubblers: We kicked off the week with a mammoth t-shirt sale. UK artist Rubyred’s latest t-shirt design was featured on the mother of all US t-shirt blogs, Tcritic by Karl Long. Romanian designer Apasun and UK designer Reece Ward also got a mention on UK t-shirt blog hideyourarms.com. / / / Rhys McDonald was interviewed for the Cult of Pop website. Scott Robinson was also featured recently so we think they might have a thing for RedBubble t-shirt artists! Ross Ford and Derek Stewart were featured in US publication, The Artist’s Magazine. You can read the article here. Opening night of Red Door Creative Galleries went off with a bang. If you have a Facebook account, you can imagine you were there as Sleek Images has posted a time lapse video of the launch: / / Ingz was approached by an Australian interior designer asking if she could use an image for her website and Peter Dudley was featured in his local paper, the Sun City News. Thanks to the wonders of the intertron, you can read the full article here. . Flic Manning shared 3 tips to plan and write your book and Craig Goldsmith channelled his artistic talents towards supporting a friend in need. Miron Abramovici announced his exhibition at THE GALLERY in the Summit Free Public Library, New Jersey from August 1 through September 31, 2009. Martin introduced RedBubble artists to the TEDGlobal conference in Oxford and popped into the Saatchi Gallery on his way home only to be confused by plastic wrapping and packing tape (Mr Baxter would have loved it!) / Image from TedGlobal Conference photostream on Flickr And last but not least, Mr Baxter selected another well deserving buyers’ booth winner and also received a rather interesting parcel from an anonymous admirer. / / So over to you … What creative adventures did you get up to this week?
Encaustic painting is a technique where hot pigmented beeswax is used to create beautif…
Encaustic painting is a technique where hot pigmented beeswax is used to create beautiful, unique art. The tools the artist uses need to be kept hot so that the beeswax can be manipulated and modern encaustic artists have been know to use all sorts of tools including curling tongs, hairdryers and irons to create their art. Here are some talented bubblers who have created works using this technique: / / Art by liesbeth / Art by Mysticmoon / Art by Maria Louise Moore / Art by Alison Howson / Art by Barry Moulton / Art by Tezz / Art by NinaMosi Art / / / If you’d like to explore this technique, here are a few links that should point you in the right direction: Beginning Encaustic Art Techniques for Encaustic Art / How to Begin a Encaustic Wax Painting How to Make Encaustic Medium / Over at the EncausticNow! group you’ll find a bunch of enthusiastc artists who have a lot of knowledge and information to share. You’ll also find may more wonderful examples of this style of art. If you’d like to tell us about any other encaustic artists you’ve spotted on RedBubble, please feel free to give them a plug below. You’re also welcome to link to any examples of works that have impressed you as well as your own experiments with this technique! / / / Don’t forget to add Community to your watchlist if you’d like these posts to appear in your activity monitor.
Today we thought we’d feature some of the most popular, helpful journals from the history of the bubble. These journals have been comment…
Today we thought we’d feature some of the most popular, helpful journals from the history of the bubble. These journals have been commented on and favourited by many artists and they contain great little nuggets of info that bubblers have found extremely useful. As a thanks to those who’ve taken the time to share these tips, we’ve featured some of their works in between the links. These bubblers are not only great teachers, they’re also very talented artists … / How to enhance your profile by Karin Taylor Format n found by accident by Webgrrl / Help for Redbubble members by Mel Brackstone Sixteen ways to increase your sales by Stephen Mitchell / Creating sets in your profile by Craig Shillington The easy guide to creating the Orton Effect using Photoshop by Peter Hill / How to do Infrared by Naomi Frost Exposure for beginners/ intermediate photographers by Mark German / Selective colouring – The cheat method by Julie Langford Vintage effect – simplified by Rosalie Dale Resolution, pixels, and DPI by davoid / / These journals come up when we type in our secret, magic formula for the most popular journals of all time. If there are any helpful journals you’ve bookmarked, we’d be grateful if you could share the links below. Or perhaps you’ll be inspired to share your wisdom in a journal of your own … Nat
I ran across this quote by a former Australian Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam. “A healthy artistic climate does not depend solely on the work of a handful of supremely gifted individuals. It demands the cultivation of talent and ability at all levels. It demands that everyday work, run-of-the-mill work, esoteric and unpopular work should be given a chance; not so much in the hope that genius may one day spring from it, but because, for those who make the arts their life and work, even modest accomplishment is an end in itself and a value worth encouraging. The pursuit of excellence is a proper goal, but it is not the race itself.” RedBubble has people with all levels of experience and talent. For me this is part of its richness. And in my experience many who start the creative journey discover gifts they did not know they had. I would put myself in this category. But what do people think? is there room in the creative tent for all who would want to enter? And what about work that is unpopular or uncomfortable, where does this fit? Pilgrim Attribution Jail Cell by MayYouThinkArt / Gough Whitlam by Valerie Sherwood / Rada 1 by Remus Grecu / Shy by Priscilla Rodriguez Quote is taken from The Obstacle Race by Germaine Greer (1979 edition). (And a bit of warning there will be s site upgrade for approx 1 hour from 00.00 1 October – GMT/UTC see here for your time.)
I’m told that the one of the hardest things about night photography is getting up from y…
I’m told that the one of the hardest things about night photography is getting up from your couch and leaving the warmth of your house once the evening sets in. I’m not entirely sure that’s true, but those who brave the dark and the cold can be rewarded with some wonderful images: These works show just a few of the techniques and ideas that can be explored once the sun goes down. From light painting to long exposure, experiments with bokeh and the effects created by star and light trails, there’s plenty of inspiration offered up by the night. Tutorials: Night photography tutorial Star trails photography tips Star Trail Photography How to Shoot Night Landscapes How to Shoot Light Trails Photographing Car Light Trails Groups on RedBubble: Night Photography After Dark If you’ve been itching to experiment with night photography then why not put aside some time this week to venture out after dark. We’d love to see the results. You’re welcome to post your favourite night photography images below or share your experiences if you’ve given this a try. Nat See here for instructions on how to post your images.
Vector art is created using graphics software programs such as Illustrator, Photoshop and …
Vector art is created using graphics software programs such as Illustrator, Photoshop and Inkscape. The pen tool is used to create points, lines and curves which make up the final image. Vector graphics files store the lines, shapes and colours that make up an image as mathematical formulae so that images can be increased in size without becoming pixelated. It takes some practice to master the art of using the pen tool but a little patience and persistence can result in some wonderful illustrations: As these examples demonstrate, vector graphics can be used to create all types of art, from basic logo designs to intricately illustrated scenes. There are hundreds of tutorials available on the web including: How to use Photoshop’s Pen Tool Draw A Realistic Vector Guitar in Inkscape Illustrator pen tool exercises Related RedBubble Groups: A Vector Tshirts Only Group Vector Goodness Lounge Pierre Bézier Fans | The Pen Tool If you’re keen to give this a try and don’t have Photoshop or Illustrator, Inkscape is a great, free software program. Please feel free to post your favourite vector based images below or share your experiences if you’re a dab hand with the pen tool. Nat See here for instructions on how to post your images.
Hello! Today we’ve released our first ever ‘community guidelines’. The guidelines have been released to better communicate our think…
Hello! Today we’ve released our first ever ‘community guidelines’. The guidelines have been released to better communicate our thinking on the nature of RedBubble. They provide guidance on the culture we’re fostering and the sort of behaviour that we want to encourage on RedBubble. Here’s the introduction: People are inherently creative. Deep down, most of us love to come up with new ideas, express who we are, or take a different perspective on the world around us. We see this in children. Remember chalk on the footpath, crayon on the walls, or a painting stuck proudly to the fridge with a magnet. Kids love stories, they love learning about new things, they ask obvious yet somehow overlooked questions. So why do so many of us lose this spark? Is there something about growing up that leads us to become wary of our creativity? Do we lose the creative ability? Or does it just get buried amidst the responsibilities, worries and priorities of adult life? Whatever the reason, RedBubble was founded with a burning desire to bring creative expression back to the forefront of our lives. The desire to nurture and encourage creativity permeates RedBubble – including the atmosphere and culture of the community. / / We’re firmly of the view that the best way to encourage creative exploration and expression is through positive reinforcement. A supportive and encouraging community can do wonderful things for someone who’s taking their first creative steps after a long hiatus. Or for someone trying out a new technique. Or for someone who’s shy with their work. / / RedBubble is also a place to be inspired, meet like minded folks, exchange ideas, learn, make friends and more. But the foundation of the community is it’s supportive and encouraging nature. / / And as you start, or continue, on you RedBubble journey please keep this in mind. / / Paul, Martin and Peter / RedBubble Founders The guidelines contain a lot of fine print (including details on the limits we place on behaviour and material). But the above quote provides a good sense of our overarching thinking. You can find the guidelines here I’d be interested in your feedback on the RedBubble community and culture. What does the community mean to you and how would you describe the culture? - Peter
There are times in our lives where we all feel like we’re not producing enough work or nurturing our creativity. It’s easy to reach a poi…
There are times in our lives where we all feel like we’re not producing enough work or nurturing our creativity. It’s easy to reach a point where you feel as though you haven’t been creative for ages. Today I’d to share a little tool that has helped me avoid that feeling, even when I’m too snowed under to even contemplate spending time on a project. It’s called a feed reader (otherwise known as a software based aggregator or RSS reader). A feed reader allows you to read updates from multiple blogs and websites in one place, and saves visiting all your favourite blogs on a regular basis. It’s a useful tool for keeping up to date with news an information on the topics that you’re passionate about including art, design, photography and writing. It can serve as a great learning tool and source of ideas and inspiration … a bit like having a daily newspaper written just for you. Here’s a peek at just a few of the many (currently over 60) blogs I keep an eye on: / / / / / / Setting up a feed reader is quite simple. There are many web based feed readers including Google Reader, Bloglines and Netvibes. All you need to do is sign up for an account then add the feeds you’d like to follow. Each time you sign into you feed reader, you’ll have a list of recent posts on your chosen topics. For those who are interested in finding out more, these links should help: Which Feed Reader is best? Web Based Aggregators How News Aggregators and RSS Readers Work RSS explained And if you’re interested in finding some creative content, these lists are a good start: Top 20 (or so) Art Blogs 160 t-shirt blogs Bloglines most followed blogs The Top 100 Photography Blogs Best art and design blogs of 2009 Top 10 Blogs for Writers Top 100 Creative Writing Blogs This is how I make sure I get my daily dose of creativity outside of the bubble. How do you stay inspired and motivated when you don’t have time to create? We’d also like to hear about the creative blogs you follow … Nat
In the not too distant future, bubblers will be given the chance to win a Lensbaby Composer...
In the not too distant future, bubblers will be given the chance to win a Lensbaby Composer lens when we launch a brand new site-wide challenge. To get us in the mood, we thought we’d take a look at some work from RedBubble artists who’ve fallen in love with the charms of a Lensbaby. But first a little background info for those who aren’t familiar with these lenses. Lensbaby lenses are used to create unique images that mimic those you get from a Holga, toy or pinhole camera. Their appeal lies in the ability to achieve these effects with a digital camera but without the need for photoshop or other post production. Images feature a sharp area of focus, contrasted with a blurred or out of focus area and with a little practice, you can control where the focused area or ‘sweet spot’ lies. They’re great for creating images with a vintage feel or experimenting with effects like tilt-shift. The following images are from our own talented Lensbaby lovers: How do they work?: The lens is attached to your camera like any normal lens. The “Composer” design features a ball and socket so the lens can be tilted to move the sharpest area of focus to almost anywhere in the frame. You can then adjust the focus using a manual focusing ring. If you’re interested in finding out more, these links are a good start: Mel Brackstone on her love of Lensbaby Wikipedia’s Lensbaby page Lensbaby review from PhotographyBlog Lensbaby video tutorial For more inspiration, head over to RedBubble’s own Lensbaby Group. Our challenge will be launched in the not too distant future and will be open to all artists. If you’re lucky enough to have played with one of these lenses, we’d love you to share your experiences and your favourite Lensbaby images below. Nat
Photojournalism and Street Photography a…
Photojournalism and Street Photography are styles of photography that capture candid, and sometimes decisive or poignant moments. Street photography describes photographs taken in a public place, documenting life as the photographer sees it, while photojournalism describes the use of images to document a news story. The following images from talented RedBubble photographers demonstrate the storytelling nature of these styles: Interesting Reading: There are a number of topical debates surrounding photojournalism and street photography. Some argue that professional photojournalists are a dying breed while others claim that the growth of citizen journalism levels out the playing field and provides more opportunities for the non-professionals. And in recent years, street photographers have had to face increased suspicion from the public and the implications of newly introduced anti terror laws. The following articles cover these issues: Citizen Photo Journalists Are Changing the Rules (Wired.com) Photojournalism today (BBC) Lament for a Dying Field: Photojournalism (NYTimes) Street photographers fear for their art amid climate of suspicion (Times) If you’re looking for some tips and hints on technique, these links may be of interest: 5 Tips for Great Street Photography 10 Tips For Photojournalists And if you’re after more inspiration, visit these related groups: Street Photography and Photojournalism Analogue Photojournalism & Street Photography 1:1 with the News Kairos – The Decisive Moment All Street Portraiture Candid Photography We’d like to hear about your experiences of photojournalism or street photography. Have you got any tips to share or tales of extraordinary experiences? Any images that have inspired you or caught your eye? Perhaps you have an opinion on some of the topics raised above. Please feel free to leave a comment below. Nat
The generosity and support that artists on RedBubble show each other is something that makes the community unique. We encourage each othe…
The generosity and support that artists on RedBubble show each other is something that makes the community unique. We encourage each other by leaving positive and meaningful comments, favouriting works and adding artists to our watchlists. Some bubblers also do an incredible job of spreading the word about other artists through newsletters, interviews, journals, by maintaining blogs and other through activities. Many group hosts in particular are tireless in providing opportunities and exposure for others. Take a look at some of these examples: Inside Solo Inside Solo is a magazine featuring members of the Solo Exhibition group. F.A. Moore and team produce the weekly magazine and it includes news, features and articles and celebrates the achievements of group members. Past issues of Inside Solo are available here. Earthmonster Illustrated Magazine Editor Mark (aka earthmonster) produces Earthmonster Illustrated, a monthly e-magazine showcasing RedBubble talent. They’re packed full of interviews, tips and tricks, artist features and spots from guest contributers. If you’d like more information about the magazine, head over to the Earthmonster Group. Group Newsletters: A number of hard working hosts also produce regular group newsletters, including: Painters in Modern Times International Heroes of Drawing, Illustration and World Domination Photo Manipulation Geelong Throng Tee HQ Group Projects and Opportunities: In 2008, the Melbourne and Victoria group organised a group exhibition at Rialto Towers. Both The International Superheroes of Drawing, Illustration and World Domination and the Flash Fiction groups recently put together books featuring works from group members. Earlier in 2009, the Australian Travel Photography and Writing group organised a competition giving the winner a chance to be featured in Australian Travel Magazine. The Ruby Tuesdays meet regularly to share ideas and collaborate on photoshoots. The Game of Kings are a group of designers who have worked closely together to produce a series of works and an accompanying story. / Danny and Barbara Glatzeder show off recent group projects, plus the Game of Kings and The Ruby Tuesdays collaborations These are just a few examples of the types of projects that we know take a lot of energy and effort to organise so we’d like to thank the group hosts and artists who work so tirelessly to provide opportunities to raise the profiles of others. / / / Images by EileenLangsley, pdandrews, jan lakey © Passionate Pixels, and Wendi Donaldson We wholeheartedly encourage the sharing of works and the promotion of other artists when done in a positive and respectful way. These types of activities reflect the values behind RedBubble. They give artists the opportunity to have their work seen by more people and they provide well deserved encouragement and acknowledgement. A few tips when promoting other artists: Use small thumbnails rather than larger previews unless you have permission. Images larger than small thumbnails should have attribution (at least the artist name). Always link back to the works. There’s some info on creating image and text links here. Include some commentary. Let us know what you love about the artist or the work. If you have time, drop the artist a quick bubblemail to let them know. For more info see our guidance on featuring in journals and forums Does your group have a regular newsletter? Have you been involved in a group project? Perhaps you’re planning something for the new year or maybe you’d like to thank your group host. If so, please feel free to let us know in the comments below.
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