My Mesh Tool Fruits

If you have gone through my previous posts, you might have noticed that I have posted some of my fruit illustrations using the Mesh tool in Adobe Illustrator.
These fruits were drawn for a reason - Packaging. The packaging is going to be displayed in a branding gallery where I work along with many others that my colleagues and I have created.
This project is what kept me away from making videos and posting on my blog.

I will be posting some of my final artwork here after the launch of this new gallery. So please keep checking!
I shall also (hopefully) start making my videos again soon. I have truly missed them and I really hope I can squeeze in this hobby into my tight schedule.

Till then. take care and stay inspired!!

Another Self-Reflection

I was reflecting on my life today...summing up all the things I used to do, have been doing and want to do...
Here is what I came up with:

USED TO DO:
- Write poems...tons of them!
- In the process of building six pack abs
- Collector of various Photoshop goodies - brushes, textures etc
- Read lots of novels
- Work out daily
- Drink Avocado milkshake and have a banana daily!

WHAT I DO NOW:
- Work as a Graphics Designer
- Blog occasionally.
- TRY to work out once in a while
- make video tutorials for youtube.

WHAT I WANT TO DO:
- ALL that I used to do + what I do now + get a new exciting hobby

After this self-reflection,
I tried to tackle the no.1 thing in my list. Write a poem.
what used to come naturally to me before, took me ages and in the end I just gave up. A bad case of writer's block and a warning sign that I shouldn't let go of my passion!!
This really scared me.
My word of Advice for all today is:
if u like to do something, DO IT! don't leave it for a later time. Time don't wait for no one! we all know that...yet we take it for granted?
hmmmm...

What a strange morning

I slept like a baby last night; feeling really relaxed and calm. I woke at 7am, 30mins before I usually wake up for work and I felt happy that I had gotten enough sleep.
Then I felt something strange: I could not open my right eye. It felt like dust or my puppy's fur had gotten inside my eye. I stood up to wash it off...after a few minutes I realized that it wasn't dust or fur. My eye was infected :( It had turned terribly red and wouldn't open.
The worst part about this was that it was my right eye - my good eye. I can barely see from my left eye. I had to skip work (yay) and go back to sleep.

An hour later, I was awakened by my phone ringing. It was DHL with great news. My new laptop that I was expecting on Monday had arrived 2 days earlier. that boosted me up.

A few hours later, my eye felt better. It is still slightly swollen but I can now see and keep it open. Thank God.

I am glad I can now get back to making my videos. I really missed it!

I really like the idea of sharing my thoughts in here...I think I am going to do that more often now :-)

Why I haven't been posting on my blog lately...

These past few weeks have been terribly depressing for me...my laptop has been giving me lots of problems. It goes off without warning and disrupts everything I have been doing. I just lost heart in making my tutorials and posting in here.

I have been saving up for a Macbook and I have finally managed to purchase one. Once my order arrives (on Monday) i will be back to uploading videos once a week and be more active in my blog.

Just thought of updating you all :)

So till my next post, take care and stay creative!! :)

Using the Layer Mask - Adobe Photoshop CS3 tutorial

This is one of latest tutorials where I teach how to use layer mask to create an entirely different look on Sandra Bullock.
Transforming a beautiful natural look into a glamorous sexy one!

Layer mask is great fun to use. The advantage of it is when you make a mistake, you can easily fix it by switching between black and white color using the brush tool. If you want to know what I mean, check out my tutorial :)

Here is the link:
Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7ngcwmix10
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MN4zwU2Pqfw&feature=related

Using the Mesh Tool - Adobe Illustrator Tutorial

Hello All!

My new tutorial is out! this time it's all about creating realistic images using the Gradient Mesh tool.



This tool is one of my favs and I really enjoy using it. It is a bit complicated but when you have mastered the skill and passed the frustrating stage of erring, it gets fun!

Here is the link to it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quxqxXh5OdI

I hope you enjoy watching as much as I enjoyed making it!
Am extremely tired tonight, so will continue blabbering tomorrow!
Goodnight all!
Have a great weekend!

RE: Tutorials...

Last week, I posted my very first tutorial. It felt great doing that...to know something and be able to share it with others.

I know my tutorials may not be a big deal to some, and some might be way better than me, but then I also know that there are people who have no idea on how to go about with Photoshop and other such software; people who would love to learn what I share. My tutorials are therefore mainly for them.

I have decided I will post a different one every week, and sometimes more than once a week, depending on how much time I have in my hands.

My tutorials will be found on my Youtube Channel: www.youtube.com/designaholism you can subscribe to it so as to be able to follow all my other vids.

I will be making tutorials using different software and I will also try to improve my video quality as I gain more experience.

Apart from that, I shall continue to post my work and thoughts :)

So if you are a fellow design-a-holic, keep checkin in here!

Goodnight! =)

Beautiful Ray Burst Effect - Adobe Photoshop Tutorial

This is a very quick and easy tutorial on creating a ray burst effect. It is extremely simple, but the results are amazing in my opinion. You could use it when wanting to make something the center of attention...or as any other part of a design.

A lot can be done with this, so just experiment! :)

This video can also be watched on Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33I7rAaMVVc

Adobe Photoshop CS3 tutorial - using the Patch Tool

This is a great tutorial if you are a beginner and want to touch up on your photos by removing areas you do not like such as skin blemishes, tattoos, scars and so on. you can even fix stains on your clothes or torn areas by using this tool. It is a very handy tool for me, and I am sure for those who don't know how to use it, you will find it very handy too.

Note that this tool can lead to even better results when combined with other Photoshop tools such as the healing brush tool, brush tool and so on. So experiment with it to get your desired results.

You can also view this video in my Youtube channel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emM4SGqk5-A

Subscribe to my channel: www.youtube.com/designaholism for more tutorials :)

My Pagoda Singlet TVC's!

Here I am with another Pagoda campaign!
We were required to make it a global brand. I thought we could use celebrities to make this possible. My idea was therefore to use celebrities like Rihanna and Lindsay Lohan to notice men wearing the Pagoda Singlet and approach them using cheesy pick-up lines.

Usually, it is men who use these lines...so I gave it a silly twist and applied these lines on a woman.

Have a look!

Working at MDI

so... I graduated, and 2 weeks after that I was working. It was a bit sad that I could not get a longer holiday, but then I appreciate it in a way as i was turning into a lazy ass, waking up at 5pm, fooling around all day watching youtube vids and then going back to bed at 7am without getting any other stuff done.

Ever since I walked into this place, my life has become more active, and I haven't had much time for anything else, which explains why I suddenly stopped posting in here.

Working at MDI is a great experience. It feels different from being a student. It's like now am working backstage. Before, I used to be receiving the brochures, books, badges (etc) from LUCT and now I design them. All my graduation certs? the gradution booklet we received? It's been designed by my colleague who sits next to my desk haha. Small world.

I am learning a lot from this.
My only complaint? lack of sleep. This is where I thank coffee once again.
Thank you coffee!

I shall be posting more of my work soon. I have also decided to make some design-related tutorials, so I will be sharing them as well.

Till then, Goodbye! :)

Pagoda Singet Print ad campaign

This campaign is for Pagoda Singlet - a white, simple, comfortable singlet usually worn by the elderly people. Our job was to make this a 'cool' product - the new in-thing.

If you were my classmate, you are probably sick of seeing these ads and can close the window now as we have presented it and displayed it several times during our presentations and final exhibition!

Well, here it is, my Pagoda Singlet "Get Noticed!" Campaign

I believe this campaign is self-explanatory so I don't think there is a need to explain much. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them :)

I thank all my friends and classmates who agreed to act in these ads. It was a great experience working with you all :)

My Oxy Cover print ads

This was a very rushed last minute work,
we were given a list of products and we had to choose 4 from them and make ad campaigns of different media.
my idea may not be very strong for this ad, but i love the execution :)

For those who haven't figured it out yet, OXY is a medication that not only heals one's acne, but also covers it. it is therefore a great solution for those who try different ways to hide their acne by covering it.

The idea is to show that it is better to get to the root of the problem by healing+covering rather than just covering!

Will upload more of my work later. That's all for now. Ciao!