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

Logos have always been a fascination for me as a graphic designer. Comparing the evolving logos with my family history, it puts the style of the time into perspective.

Traditional photoshop brushes are plentiful and freely available on the net. Most of them have one thing in common: they are Stamp Brushes because they are applied like a stamp (a one-off area of color). However, Stamp Brushes have their limitations. When a stamp brush is used as a line, it creates a monotonous pattern that looks computer-generated, as in the example below.

The Brushes Palette opens up a whole new world of options, allowing you to program the behavior of your brushes to create an infinite variety of shapes, sizes, textures, colors, angles, scattering and dynamics. Once a Stamp Brush has received these configurations, it becomes a Dynamic Photoshop Brush.

Having spent the past two years experimenting with the Brushes Palette and reading numerous books on the subject, I have an in-depth knowledge on the subject. Dynamic Brushes save time, are beautiful, and effortless to use.

I also use a Wacom pen (a pen mouse and graphics tablet), which gives me the ultimate expression and precision for painting in Photoshop.

The same square brush from the above example, when made dynamic, can create a myriad of completely different painting effects:

Some of the default Photoshop brushes do have Dynamic attributes, and there are sites on the net that produce Dynamic Brushes, but they are few and far between. The brushes on this site are unique in that they are varied, unique, and many of them are free.

Hanoch Piven has got to be one of the most inflential illustrators of our time. In his site, he showcases his incredible wit and accurate portrayal, by characterizing his subjects with everyday items attributed to them. Here are my favorites: Barbra, Homer with Cheerio eyes and trash-bin mouth, and my love, Tony Soprano, with a bullet mouth, pastrami nose, and penne eyes.