BrushThis

Today, 3 years ago, Gilad Shalit was abducted from Israel by terrorists and is still being held captive in Gaza. I do not usually post subjects with political statements, but this is a special case which needs as much coverage as it can get.

I made this Jewish New Year card last September, in the hope that Gilad would be released. My thoughts and prayers go out to Gilad and his family, who are waiting for his return.

When Gilad was 11 years old, he wrote a story about a shark and a fish, and how they overcame their enmity and became friends. It’s now a beautifully illustrated book, which my children read often at bedtime. Watch this moving clip.

Please show your support for Gilad by visiting the website dedicated to him.

Here are two transparent gif “Doves of Peace” images which you can download FREE.

Also, I’ve made a set of FREE dynamic photoshop brushes in honor of Gilad. The set includes 4 brushes: one a static/stamp brush, and the other three are at different sizes, angles and color settings.

Click to Download

This week’s topic for Illustration Friday is “unfold”. My take on this one is very literal, I folded and unfolded a scrap of paper and made a small sketch of it with a black pen on paper. In photoshop, I colored the squares and added punched hole effects, stars and other decorative elements. To enlarge, click here.

I made this set of brushes specially for this illustration. They are dynamic brushes, so the colors, size, angles etc. vary as you paint. I’m giving this set of 4 brushes away FREE to the first ten people who leave a comment on this post!!!

This week, I’ve been playing around with dots and spots. Here’s a terriffic new brush, I just “invented” it and I love the way the line picks up strength with the Wacom tablet. It creates a flourish of color and movement, with an in-built pattern of white dots, reminiscent of the Adobe CS packaging.

To download this FREE brush, CLICK HERE.

Help yourselves to this pretty brush set which I’ve just made. These geometric shapes are inlaid with swirly patterns and grunge to lend some depth.

DOWNLOAD