This August there were some really awesome Photoshop tutorials on the web. Just check out these amazing tutorials about smoke photo effects, filters and brushes, frost texture, fire effect, custom brushes, post-processing and creating abstract elements.

Create an Ink Splattering Knight Composition

Combining Custom Brushes for Wild Effects in Photoshop

Create an Abstract Cloud Jumper in Photoshop

Making of Little Girls With the Clouds

How to improve your dull and boring landscapes in 5min

Create a Vibrant and Eye-Catching Drink Composition using Photoshop

Create Beautiful Mystery Grunge Effect in Photoshop

Create a Stunning Pin-up Collage

Paint With Fire

Create a Beautiful Frosted Fashion Advertisment

Smoke Portrait

Creating a Dramatic Polar Panorama Effect

Design a conceptual symmetrical composition in Photoshop

Photoshop Tutorials Roundup: August 2010 is a post from Designious Times - Graphic design tutorials, resources and inspiration.

Today’s post is about one of the most “popular” art movements of the Modern Era: Pop Art. This movement arose from a rebellion against Abstract Expressionists, that was considered by the Pop Art artists as pretentious and over-intense.

Gold Marilyn Monroe (1962) – Andy Warhol

Pop Art is thought to be an art style that returned to the material realities of everyday life, to popular culture (this is where the “pop” term comes from) which derives from most of the visual pleasures of people – like television, magazines or comics.

If you want to read more about the influence of art history on modern designs check out our other posts about: Gothic Style, Baroque Style, Art Nouveau and Cubism.

Drowning Girl (1963) – Roy Lichtenstein

When and where appeared the Pop Art movement?

The Pop Art movement appeared in Britain in the mid 1950s’ and in the United States in the late 1950s’. Pop Art artists wanted to challenge tradition assuming that an artist’s use of the mass-media visual elements of popular culture is considered fine art.

Pop art is about removing the material from its context and isolating the object or combining it with other objects for contemplation. This concept actually refers to the attitudes that led to art.

Viki (1964) – Roy Lichtenstein

It’s widely known that Pop Art coincided with the pop music phenomenon of the 1950s’ and 1960s’ and it was very much associated with the fashionable, swinging image of London. As an example, Peter Blake designed covers for Elvis Presley and the Beatles. Moreover, he starred actresses like Brigitte Bardot in his pictures, in the same way artist Andy Warhol used the image of Marlyn Monroe in the United States.

British Pop Art vs. American Pop Art

American Pop art was known to be anonymous, emblematic and aggressive. On the other hand, English Pop art was more referential and subjective. English Pop artists used to deal with popular culture and technology primarily as themes or metaphors. American Pop artists were more into these ideas. For example, Andy Warhol’s motto was “I think everybody should be a machine” and actually tried to make it artworks that looked like there were made by a machine.

Jackie (1964) – Andy Warhol

In 1952 in London appeared The Independent Group (IG), which was considered the precursor of the pop art movement. At the first meeting of the IG in 1952, the co-founding member, artist and sculptor Eduardo Paolozzi introduced a lecture using a series of collages called Bunk! that he created in his time spent in Paris in the period 1947-1949. This series of collages was composed of “found” objects like comic book characters, advertising, magazine covers and all sort of mass produced graphics that mainly represented the American culture. The first work of art which included the word “pop” was Paolozzi’s collage called I was a Rich Man’s Plaything (1947), where the pop appeared in a cloud of smoke emerging from a revolver.

Bunk! collage series - I was a Rich Man’s Plaything (1947) - Eduardo Paolozzi

The melody hunts my reverie – Roy Lichtenstein

In the United States, pop artists used to reproduce, duplicate, overlay, combine and arrange endless visual details that represented the American culture and society, introducing transformations and acting like commentaries. The most famous American Pop Artist, Andy Warhol had a very special interest in movie stars and this passion of his was represented in his art in 1962 when he started creating portraits of Marilyn Monroe.

Warhol tried to keep his personal fascination with fame from showing too clearly in his art work and preferred to let the meaning at the interpretation of viewers. The Pop movement and the role of the media was summarized by Andy Warhol in this famous quotation: In the future everybody will be famous for fifteen minutes. The magazines, television, newspapers and Hollywood are producing new images everyday, meaning that they are constantly enlarging the popular culture. Everything that surrounds us is just an image ready to be consumed.

Which are the most important characteristics of Pop Art?

Pop Art is characterized by techniques and themes drawn from the popular mass culture like comic books, advertising and mundane cultural objects . This movement is widely interpreted as a reaction to the ideas of abstract expressionism. Pop Art intended to employ images of popular in contrast to elitist culture in art, emphasizing the banal elements of any given culture, usually through the use of irony.

Figures in Landscape (1977) – Roy Lichtenstein

The colors used by the Pop Art artists – the predominant colors being yellow, red and blue – are vivid and, in comparison to other movements, they do not depict the artist’s inner sensation of the world. They actually refer to the popular culture, culture that inspired artist Andy Warhol to experiment with the technique of silkscreen printing, a very popular technique used for mass production.

Famous Pop Art artist, Roy Lichtenstein developed a style that was based on the visual vernacular of mass-communication: the comic strip. The features of this style were: black outlines, bold colors and tones rendered by Benday dots (that was a method of printing tones in comic books from the 50′s and the 60′s).

The features of the Pop Art artworks were: clear lines, sharp paintwork and clear representations of symbols, people and objects found in popular culture. Actually, Pop Art replaced the satirical, destructive and anarchic elements of the Dada movement (a cultural movement which appeared in Zurich during World War I and concentrated its anti-war politics through a rejection of the prevailing standards in art through anti-art cultural works) by having a reverence for mass culture and consumerism.

Just What is it that makes today’s home so different, so appealing? (1956) - Richard Hamilton

Pop Artists liked to satirize objects and they sometimes enlarged those objects to large proportions. In the pop movement food was a common theme, but also household objects as chairs and toilets being realized out of squishy plastic rather than the materials there were usually used. As an example we have the Soft Toilet by Claes Oldenburg.

Which are the main domains where Pop Art emerged?

Cubism in painting

The artist that personified the Pop Art more than any other was Andy Warhol. His painting of Marilyn Monroe are the most famous icons of Pop Art.

Elvis I&II (1963-64) – Andy Warhol

Painter Andy Warhol had an obsession with Hollywood’s fame and glamor. He used photographic silkscreen to create his famous portraits of Mick Jagger, Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe and Jacqueline Kennedy. The process he used allowed him to create a large number of prints. Actually, Warhol used a method of mass production to create his art work because he thought that celebrities themselves were mass produced.

Mick Jagger Suite of 10 (1975) – Andy Warhol

Whaam! (1963) – Roy Lichtenstein

Pop Art in packaging designs

Logos and product labeling often figures in the imagery chosen by the pop artists. For example, we have the Campbell’s Soup Cans labels by Andy Warhol. Even more, the labeling on the shipping carton which contained retail items was used as a subject of pop art. As example we have Campbell’s Tomato Juice Box by Warhol or his Brillo Soap Box sculptures.

Campbell’s Soup (1968) – Andy Warhol

Campbell’s Tomato Juice Box (1964) – Andy Warhol

Pop Art in sculpture

In the Pop Art Sculpture, Claes Oldenburg was considered one of the most important representatives of the movement. He created many large scale public works. A famous work of his, in collaboration with Coosje Van Bruggen, is the Spoonbridge and Cherry in Minneapolis.

Are contemporary design works still influenced by Pop Art?

Jeff Jaffe, the co-owner of Pop International Galleries in New York states that “Pop Art is stronger than ever”. Collectors, art dealers, publishers and auction houses of course agree with him. All of them point to some of the greatest names in art today: Clemens Briels, James Rizzi, Romero Britto, Steve Kaufman among others. All of these artists work in a Pop style and they have all found success in today’s art marketplace.

Needless to say, art has always been an expression of what takes place in society. In the 50′s in England, and in the 60′s in the United States, art was rather a chaos of chaos of consumption, advertising, television, comics and fashion. Art reinvented itself more than ever before because of the pop art movement, which is still highly appreciated by people today.

Today, Pop Art is still very popular, whether we’re talking about old originals selling for thousands of pounds or copies of those which are selling in large numbers for a small price. It’s clear that pop art has became more than just a statement and it’s impossible to ignore, it’s absolutely everywhere you go, in everyday life places, used for advertising (that is what it was initially used for in the 50′s).

Pop Art can mean a lot of things, but one of those things is clearly “popular”. All art appeals to people on an emotional level, but Pop Art is experienced on an experiential level it comes from our daily lives, said Julie Maner, director of business affairs for Museum Editions in New Rochelle, N.Y. By this she refers to the “Pop Dog” series, created by Gloria Lee. This series features 25 different dog breeds in some electric Pop colors. Of course this print in particular is put by dealers in the window of their shops because they are colorful and whimsical.

Pop Art is so popular today that it’s used for creating awesome birthday cards, t-shirts, badges, calendars, posters, canvases – so it’s really hard to ignore. The features of this art like the bright colors and the prints haven’t yet faded and I seriously doubt that they’ll ever will, as the popular movement still continues to fascinate today.

Some people asked why did the Pop Art returned so strongly, even at 47 years after it appeared? The answer given by some was that Pop gained a lot of supporters over the years and it proven to be a solid investment.  Others said that it’s just the time to swing back that way, as fashion returns to some of the early years. Moreover, it’s thought that it came back as a need of the American’s to be comforted by familiar things.

Art in the Pop genre is constantly changing, it’s a way of keeping up with the times, said Julie Maner. “What I think is great about Pop art is that it’s cross cultural. It’s not making a political statement. It’s the best art form for anyone who might be intimidated by art.” states Ruth-Ann of Thorn of Crown Thorn Publishing. Anti-war protests, war itself, threats of foreign attacks and fear of nuclear bombs are as real today as they were in the 50s’.

Pop Art influence in contemporary artworks.

Artists still use today most of the features of the pop art style as inspiration for their artworks. Andy Warhol’s and Roy Lichtenstein’s works are the most often used as models for their contemporary works. You will see that today’s artists are creating cool illustrations, prints and posters with details like: dotted image, strong and multiple colors, series of images on one print, famous people faces and home utilities like tv, radio, cameras.

Pop Art influence in home decorations, accessories prints and fashion.

Pop Art artwork, because of it’s bundle of colors represents a great inspirations for designers, whether we’re talking about product prints, posters, canvases, t-shirts or many other things. Check out some everyday products with awesome pop art inspired prints:

The Influence of Art History on Modern Design – Pop Art is a post from Designious Times - Graphic design tutorials, resources and inspiration.

Today we have for you an interview with typography artist Moshik Nadav from Jerusalim, Israel. He seems to have a special passion for typography, graphic design and branding. He creates some awesome and unique typography and brand designs.

When did you start your career as a designer?

My career started a long time ago actually. I remember when I was 10 years old (1993) and my father, who is a great graphic designer and awesome calligrapher gave me my first Apple computer. It was the IISi model.  Then I started to learn the first versions of Adobe Photoshop and Macromedia Freehand. From the beginning I knew that Graphic Design is what I wanted to do in my life. Typography and Typeface design came later. Afterwords, I grew up, I learned the new versions of the software, got better on mac models and became more involved in the graphic design style that was created outside of Israel. I never really liked the “Israeli Design”, I don’t know why, I guess that it wasn’t that impressive, and maybe because of it, it makes me want to do better graphic designs.

What is your educational background?

When I finished the service in the Israeli Armi I was 21 years old, I knew that I have to go to learn in a University. My parents always wanted me to go and learn something and in those days I didn’t even knew that there are academies that teach graphic design. When I did a research, I found out that I can actually study it and get the degree that my parents always talked about it. For me, it was perfect! I knew that my parents will be happy with it, and I will love it! I saw an add on the newspaper that there is a place in Tel Aviv where I can study Visual Communication. I was so happy because all the other academies had already closed their registrations. It was crazy because in one week I had to leave my parents house and move to the big city, Tel Aviv. I did it, I studied there for two years (in a program of 4 years) but I didn’t found it good enough for me, unfortunately it wasn’t a good school, and I had to do something. There is a great art and design academy in Jerusalem, which actually is the best one in Israel for graphic design, Bezalel – Academy of Art and Design. To be honest, I didn’t really believe that they would let me study there, it is a high-class school. Anyway, they got me in (yey), my father was really proud of me, and now I just finished my third year, one more to go! I have to say one more thing, on the first semester of this year, I studied in Toronto, Canada, in a great school, OCAD – Ontario College of Art and Design. I was sent by Bezalel on a student exchange program. It was the most exciting and amazing experience of my life!

You’ve surely worked on several projects so far. What would be the most relevant ones?

Since I went to the first design school in Tel Aviv, typography was my favorite! I got to know and work with it a lot. I see typography as a distilled form of graphic design. When I was in Toronto I fell in love with Typeface design. I really think that a good typeface can be a great design by itself. Toronto gave me wonderful inspiration and I created the Typeface Toronto when I was there. I also continued the creation of my Moshik Typeface which I started to work on two years ago and I keep on working on it these days. But with all that, I think that the most relevant and the most exciting project that is still in progress and it should complete only on July 2011 is  my Moshik Hebrew Typeface. Typeface teaches me a lot on Calligraphy and Typography and I am proud of myself because I never thought that I could do it. The Hebrew letters are so beautiful.

Can you name 3 designs from your portfolio you like the most?

I can named 3 designs that I’m proud of: the first one is my Moshik  English Typeface, it is still in progress but I think  that it brings something else for the typography. I really hope to finish it soon. The second one is my Hebrew Typeface that it’s in progress and it teaches me a lot. About the third, I think that Toronto Typeface will be the one. I really love that Typeface and it’s nice to know that you can get inspiration from a city.  Toronto gave me a lot and this is my way to bring it back.

Our readers would definitely love to know what hardware and software you use when you create your designs?

Well, I don’t have any secrets, I’m using the most common software that everybody is using, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator and when I’m working on a new Typeface I’m using FontLab, it’s an amazing software!

What are the things that inspire you? Can you name a few websites you use for inspiration?

Inspiration is one of the most important things to get a high quality graphic work. The thing about inspiration is that it’s everywhere! I can get inspiration from people, from the weather, from a feeling, really from everything. I believe that inspiration is everywhere, you just need to keep your eyes open. I don’t believe that getting inspiration from others’ work is right. Every project has its own concept and research and other stuff behind the scenes. To get inspiration I suggest you to go for a walk, try to clear your mind, don’t even think about the project, maybe even try to get back home from a new way you never tried before, you can never know what you are going to see and what inspiration you will get. The website that I love to see is: Behance, Typojungle, Slanted, ffffound.

When you began your journey as a designer you probably had a few role models, would you name two of your favorite artists?

When I began my journey as a designer I must say that my father was my role model. Just to see him working gives me the passion to do what I’m doing. My father’s name is Jacob Nadav, he started in the days that there were no computers, and all the graphic works were made by hand. He is awesome, I admire him. On this days, I actually love to see young people that make new things. Today you can find great designers online, and they are really great and have fresh styles.

Designing has its ups and downs, what is the most difficult problem you ever faced as a designer?

As a designer I can say that the main problem is working with clients and understand their needs. Most of the times working with new clients is great, I love to meet new people, know them and get new projects from them. The only thing is that sometimes, the client who is not a designer, forgets this important fact, and gives you orders of how to create the design for him. When I started, it drive me crazy. I don’t believe that the clients should decide about what kind of fonts to use, colors, sizes etc. Although I always hear them and give them the best solution for their project, I believe that the design should be made right and not just pretty.

Looking a bit into the future, how do you think people will look at your designs in four years from now?

Today we are living in a world that changes every second, people change their profile picture on facebook everyday, meeting new people, and there are so much more opportunities to know and to make things better. I really hope that in four years, people will appreciate my work and will see it as the roots of the Type and Graphic design projects that I create. Lots of work till then…

What advice would you give to the newbie designers?

Never stop to be passionate about graphic design, always try to do something new, something that the world never saw before, something that your teachers will say about: wow! Before you start to work on a new brief, try to understand the problem, there is always a problem, think about how can you bring the most creative solution. And the most important one, don’t you ever try to look like another designer, he will always be better than you, be who you are!

What do you think your greatest achievement is so far?

My greatest achievement for now, is to see my works showing on young designers blogs, get their comments, read their mails, and to know that I give them inspiration. It’s very flattering to me. I don’t know if everybody knows, but I have a facebook page and I open it everyday and I see that new friends joined it,  and it makes me create more and more Type and graphic works. Of course that to know that editorials of Taschen, Gestalten, Slanted and more choose my projects to be published in their books, is a huge honor for me, it actually was one of my dreams…

How much free time you have in a week and how do you usually spend that?

This will sound a little bit weird, I’m working around the clock, I see my free time as an advantage to work and create new projects. I prefer to create new Typeface than to go to the beach. I spend at least 16 hours a day next to my mac, I just love it! Typography is my life and I’m here to make it better.

What is your favorite PC game and how many hours you spend playing it?

Well as you already read, I’m a mac guy, I don’t have any pc games or playstation.. I think it’s cool, but I really prefer to take advantage of every second and work on my projects. I believe that hard work will take you further.

I really liked this design: What was your drive to create it?

This project is called FontBox. I did it on my second year in Bezalel, while I was in Package design course. The brief was to create packages for Small, Medium, Large and Extra Large. Because I love Typography and Typefaces so much, I wanted to create a package of Fonts. The small package includes the smallest amount of fonts and the Extra Large package comes with the most amounts of fonts.  I also really like paper cuts, It’s one of my favorite technique and I use it to cut off the Hebrew letter, Because it’s a package for Hebrew fonts, and I decided that on the small package I’ll cut a tiny letter and on the extra large I’ll cut a huge letter. I really like that project. It takes me ages to cut the letters by hand, the small one takes me about 14 hours and I did it twice because I didn’t like the first one.

Check out Moshik’s Behance profile here.

Interview with typography artist Moshik Nadav is a post from Designious Times - Graphic design tutorials, resources and inspiration.

We at Designious prepared an awesome pack of graphic design files filled with the coolest stuff from our website and a GIVEAWAY.

Design Cocktail is a premium bundle of graphic files for designers worth more than $600. In this bundle you will find 6 Vector Mega Packs (55 individual vector packs), 3 fonts, 20 Photoshop brush packs, 9 t-shirt designs and a 1 month subscription from Vectorious.net. Everything a designer needs for only $29!

All the awesome stuff in this pack is created by Designious, so you can be darn sure you get top notch quality.

This design bundle will be available for only 7 days starting today, from the 25th to the 31^st of August, so go get your hands on it. It’s really a great deal that you shouldn’t miss!

The goodies in this pack include:

6 Vector Mega Packs: worth $290

The Vector Mega Packs included in this pack are: Vintage Mega Pack 10, Vintage Mega Pack 9, Floral Mega Pack 6, Seamless Mega Pack 2, Urban Mega Pack 2, Japanese Mega Pack.

20 Packs of Photoshop Brushes:worth $200

The Photoshop Brushes Packs included in this pack are: Skulls Brushes Pack 6, Trees Brushes Pack 1, Abstract Trees Brushes Pack 2, Koi Fish Brushes Pack 1, Shields Brushes Pack 1, Crowns Brushes Pack 2, Splashes Brushes Pack 1, Halftones Brushes Pack 1, Grunge Brushes Pack 3, Grunge Brushes Pack 2, Grunge Brushes Pack 1, Floral Brushes Pack 26, Floral Brushes Pack 24, Floral Brushes Pack 20, Floral Brushes Pack 19, Floral Brushes Pack 18, Floral Brushes Pack 17, Floral Brushes Pack 16, Floral Brushes Pack 15, Floral Brushes Pack 5.

3 Fonts worth: $45

The fonts included in this pack are: Sketch Font, Scratch Font, Graffiti Font.

9 T-shirt Designs worth: $120

The t-shirt designs included in this pack are: T-shirt Design 286 Detailed Roses, T-shirt Design 285 Eagle Head, T-shirt Design Plus 41, T-shirt Design Plus 35, T-shirt Design Plus 14, T-shirt Design 256, T-shirt Design 205, T-shirt Design 198, T-shirt Design 172 Raging Gorilla.

1 Subscription to Vectorious worth: 30

You get also a 1 month subscription to Vectorious.net with 600 vector illustrations.

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=$29 | get it now

THE GIVEAWAY! Check it out:

Tweet about our design bundle and you can win the following:

• 1st prize a Wacom Intuos 4 Medium Pen Tablet or 300$ cash in hand.
• 10 Design Cocktail bundles.

All you have to do is:

- tweet about Design Cocktail Tweet

- follow @designious

- leave a comment bellow (optional)

Winners will be announce on Monday 09.06.2010 in a special post.

Good luck to everyone.

Mega Bundle of Design Goodies for Just $29 + Giveaway is a post from Designious Times - Graphic design tutorials, resources and inspiration.

Teodoru Badiu is a freelance artist and creative media designer based in Vienna, Austria who was born in the city of Sibiu, Romania. Teodoru is a fantastic illustrator, character designer and 3d artist with an unique graphic style.

Badiu’s works were published in design magazines, websites and books like Computer Arts, PSD Magazine, New Masters of Photoshop: Volume 2, Expose 3 by Ballystic Publishing.

When did you start your career as a designer?

I started to work with Photoshop 10 years ago. I used to create digital photo based illustrations for Apocryph.net since then. In 2005 I started to work more with vector and 3D and later started Theodoru.com. At day I work as Creative Media Designer in a Vienna based company since 2005 and create all the work for Theodoru.com and Apocryph.net at night.

What is your educational background?

High School, 2 Years Art School and 2 years SAE College.

Can you name 3 designs from your portfolio you like the most?

It is hard to choose but if I will have to I will take one from each kind of media I am working with:

3D, Pixy Wonderland, Vector, Magic Breed and mixed media FlyTry.

Our readers would definitely love to know what hardware and software you use when you create your designs.

Depending on how I want the Illustration to look and feel I use Photoshop, Illustrator, Cinema 4D and Modo.

What are the things that inspire you? Can you name a few websites you use for inspiration?

It could be everything related to my life, it can be music, movies, religion, comics, toys.

I would say CGTalk, 3D Total, Juxtapox, Vimeo.

When you began your journey as a designer you probably had a few role models, would you name two of your favorite artists?

I am not really a guy who needs idols but there are artists out there that I like.

From the illustration field I would name James Jarvis, Katie Olivas, Jeff Soto …

Designing has its ups and downs, what is the most difficult problem you ever faced as a designer?

Lack of time is one of the most difficult problems to solve.

Looking a bit into the future, how do you think people will look at your designs in four years from now?

Wow, who knows? At the beginning I was interested only in Photoshop relate stuff, at the moment I am very much interested in 3D and vectors I can’t tell what will be in 4 years. Maybe motion graphics and animation.

What advice would you give to the newbie designers?

Work hard and believe in yourself and go your way.

What do you think your greatest achievement is so far?

That I had the courage to start over and I do what I do today.

How much free time you have in a week and how do you usually spend that?

I can’t say that I have free time because after the day work I have always something to work on at home. On weekend if I don’t work I like to see movies or to read and to spend the time with my family.

What is your favorite PC game and how many hours you spend playing it?

I don’t play PC games. From time to time I play on Wii or Xbox but I get bored quickly and I don’t like to lose my time playing games.

I really liked this design. What was your drive to create it?

I wanted to create an own world with fantastic characters and creatures. A world where Lilly, the main character will have different adventures.

Teodoru Badiu’s website.

Teodoru’s Behance profile.

Interview with 3D Artist Teodoru Badiu is a post from Designious Times - Graphic design tutorials, resources and inspiration.

In this tutorial we will create a poster using stock vectors, basic shapes and stock photos. Along with this, you will learn to use basic Blending properties and shading. Every step is well explained and you will learn a lot of things if you follow them accordingly.

Difficulty: Intermediate
Completion time: 1 hour – 1.5 hours
Tools: Photoshop CS3, Illustrator CS3

Resources:

- Wall texture
- Female stock by Katanaz-stock
- Floral Vector Pack 48 by Designious.com
- Andes font from dafont.com
- Riesling font from dafont.com
- Damask pattern from patternsshop.com

- Floral Vector Pack 53 by Designious.com

So let’s begin.

What you’ll be creating

STEP 1

Go to File > New… to create a new document of 1000 x 1700 px in RGB color mode at 300 dpi.

STEP 2

Open the “Damask pattern” from patternsshop.com. Whether you open it with Photoshop or Illustrator, doesn’t matter, the file is compatible with both. Set it to open for 600 px Width.
In the Layers palette (F7), CTRL+click the layer’s thumbnail to load a selection. Then grab the Brush Tool (B), change foreground color to a light green and paint over the flowers of the pattern.

STEP 3

Go to Select > Deselect (CTRL+D). In the Layers palette ( Window > Layers or F7), double-click the lock on the “background” layer and hit OK. Then create a new layer (CTRL+SHIFT+N) and click-drag this layer below the “background” layer.

STEP 4

Grab the Paint Bucket Tool (G) and fill this layer with a midtone green.

STEP 5

Go to Layer > Merge Visible (CTRL+SHIFT+E). CTRL+click the layer thumbnail to load a selection. Then go to Edit > Define Pattern (CTRL+F2). Name it “damask green” and hit OK.

STEP 6

Go to Window > Untitled-1 (our document), double-click the “lock” in the Layers Palette (F7). Hit OK. Click the “fx” button and select Blending Options.

STEP 7

Check the Pattern Overlay box and click its tag. Select the pattern we created from the patterns list. Hit OK.

STEP 8

With this layer still selected, hit CTRL+G to place it in a layer group. Double-click the group’s name to edit it. Name it “background”. Click on the small triangle to expand it.

STEP 9

Select the layer inside the group and click the “New Layer” button to create a new layer (CTRL+SHIFT+N). Name it “gradient”. Grab the Gradient Tool (G), click on the gradient on the top left corner of your screen and select the gradient shown below. Drag the purple color out of the gradient bar and hit OK.

STEP 10

Make sure the gradient is set on Linear, then SHIFT+click-drag from top to bottom on the “gradient” layer. Then go to Layers palette (F7) and set Blending mode to Soft Light.

STEP 11

With the “gradient” layer still selected, go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Curves. Click-drag the curve like in the image below and hit OK. Select the “Curve 1” layer mask, grab the Brush Tool (B), hit D, then 6 and paint over the middle of the image. This will create a nice spotlight for the background.

STEP 12

Contract the layer group (click the small gray triangle) and grab the Ellipse Tool (U) and set it on Shapes. Click-drag on the canvas, hold ALT+SHIFT keys and draw a circle.

STEP 13

Go to Layer > Duplicate Layer (CTRL+J), then go to Edit > Free Transform (CTRL+T). Hold ALT+SHIFT keys and click-drag one of the gripping points and make it smaller. Hit Enter.

STEP 14

Grab the Rectangle Tool (U) and draw a rectangle like below.

STEP 15

Draw more rectangles similar to mine.

STEP 16

Select the first rectangle, go to Edit > Free Transform (CTRL+T), hold SHIFT key and rotate them like below. Hit Enter.

STEP 17

Select the Shape layers shown below and go to Layer > Merge Layers (CTRL+E). I’ve changed the colors for you to better see the shapes, you can make them the same colors.

STEP 18

Hit CTRL+G to place this layer in a layer group. Rename the layer group to “Base shapes”. In the Layers palette (F7), click the “fx” button and select “Blending Options”. Use the settings shown below.

STEP 19

Right-click on the “fx” icon near the layer thumbnail and select “Create Layer”. This will create a layer below your current one. That’s the effect applied in STEP 18, but on a different layer.

STEP 20

Select the newly created layer, go to Layers palette (F7), click the “fx” button and select “Blending options”. Use the settings below.

STEP 21

Repeat STEPS 18-20 for the other shapes.

STEP 22

Open the “wall texture”. Hit CTRL+A to load a selection of the entire image, copy it (CTRL+C), go back to our document and paste it (CTRL+V). Make it smaller, hit enter and click-drag it into the “base shapes” layer group.

STEP 23

Expand the “Base shapes” layer group and place the layer with the texture above all layers in the group. CTRL+click the layer with the shape to load a selection, go to Select > Inverse. Hit Delete, then go to Select > Deselect (CTRL+D).

STEP 24

In the Layers palette (F7), click the “fx” button and select Blending Options. Use the settings below. Hit CTRL+SHIFT+U to desaturate the image and set Blending mode to Hard Light.

STEP 25

Create a new layer above all layers in the group. Grab the Gradient Tool (G), click on the gradient in the top left corner of your screen to edit it. Use the settings below and hit OK. Then click-drag the gradient as shown below.

STEP 26

In the Layers palette, set Blending mode to Overlay.

STEP 27

Repeat STEPS 22-26for the other shapes.

STEP 28

Create a new layer (Layer > New > Layer or CTRL+SHIFT+N), set its Blending mode to Multiply and place it inside the “base shapes” layer group. Now grab the Brush Tool (B), set Hardness to 0%, hit “6” to set its Opacity to 60% and start painting the shadow of the main shape.
Make sure your foreground color is black.

STEP 29

Repeat STEP 28 for the other layer groups.

STEP 30

Open the “girl” picture. Go to the Channels window (Window > Channels) and click-drag the “Red” channel over the “New Channel” button. Why red channel? Because the image contains a red tint.

STEP 31

Go to Image > Adjustments > Curves (CTRL+M) and drag the curve like below. Repeat until it gets darker. Don’t overdo it, else it will have choppy edges.

STEP 32

Grab the Burn Tool (O), set it on Shadows with 70% Exposure and click the areas where there are hair strands. Make them darker, until they have a nice sharp contour.

STEP 33

Grab the Brush Tool (B), hit D to set foreground to default (pure black – #000000) and paint over the rest of the body. This is easier if you have a tablet, but a mouse will do nicely.

STEP 34

When the entire girl is covered with pure black, go to the Channels palette (Window > Channels) and CTRL+click the “Red copy” channel. Then go to Layers palette, click the layer thumb and hit CTRL+C to copy it. Then go back to our document.

STEP 35

Paste it (CTRL+C) and make it smaller. Hold SHIFT key to preserve its proportions. Now go to Image > Adjustments > Curves (CTRL+M) and click-drag the curve like below.

STEP 36

Install the fonts (extract them in C:\WINDOWS\Fonts\), grab the Horizontal Type Tool (T) and type “august 17th”. Adjust the size as you see fit. Hit Enter. In the Layers palette, open the Blending options and use the settings below. Go to Edit > Free Transform to rotate it – hold SHIFT key when you do.

STEP 37

Repeat STEP 36: type “at my place”, but use these settings for Blending properties.

STEP 38

Grab the Rounded Rectangle Tool (U) and draw 3 rectangles. Then copy the Blending Options from STEP 37 and paste it to them (right-click on the “fx” tag of the layer). As an extra, check the “Inner glow box in the Blending Options.

STEP 39

Type more text and play around with the fonts. To throw some effects on them, simply copy the previous ones.

STEP 40

Open the “Floral Vector Pack 48” from designious.com, grab the Rectangular Marquee Tool (M), select a flower, copy it, then paste it into our drawing. Go to Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal all.

STEP 41

CTRL+click the layer thumbnail, grab the Brush Tool (B) with a green color, press 3 and paint over the flowers. Make sure the thumbnail is selected and not the layer mask. Then select the layer mask, press D, set Hardness to 0% and paint over areas you want hidden. Do this for multiple flowers.

STEP 42

Add shadows to them like in STEP 28. Also do this for the rest of the elements, since now it’s starting to shape up.

STEP 43

Select the top-most layer group and go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Exposure. Use the settings below.

STEP 44

Grab the Horizontal Type Tool (T) and type “pijama”. Use Arial Black font. Then repeat STEPS 18-26 and apply the same effects. Also add some shadows like in STEP 28.

STEP 45

Expand the “background” layer group. Open the “Floral Vector Pack 53” and place some flowers in the folder. Go to Blending Options and apply a nice gradient – a blue to light blue will do.
Paste more until you are satisfied with the result.

Done!

You can download the source file from the link below.

How to Create a Vintage Party Poster in Photoshop is a post from Designious Times - Graphic design tutorials, resources and inspiration.

Fruits are most often used in logos because they have pretty and warm colors and they are easy to remember (when you want to establish a better position of the company’s name or products in the consumer’s mind). In today’s article I made a collection of logos with fruity designs.

Generally, the logo of a company can be represented in two ways: a visual, illustrative element generally called “icon” or “symbol”; or a textual element, respectively the name of the company, which, most of the times also contains the illustrative part and it’s called “logotype”.

Colors are very important when it comes to logos. They play an important role in brand recognition, but they don’t necessarily have to be an integral component of the logo design (this could come in conflict with its functionality).

Colors are usually associated with certain emotions and the use of one particular color depends on the feeling which the designer wants to transmit. For example, the loud primary colors, like red, are used to attract the attention of drivers. Green is usually associated with ecological, health and hygiene themes and blue or silver is often used in logo designs to reflect diet foods. Even more, some brands use some subdued tones and with lower saturation in order to communicate quality, reliability or relaxation.

As an important component of graphic design, a company logo is one of the most difficult elements to create and perfect. The common belief is that the logo or the ideogram is the image embodying an organization. Because logos are supposed to represent companies’ brand or corporate identities and achieve customer recognition, it really is not recommended that you frequently redesign your logo.

Some logos may seem easily done and you may think that any designer could do them. Actually, designing a logo for a company is much more than that. The logo designer must know and inform about the company, about its products or services, about its mission and objectives and it’s target in order to create the appropriate logo design. Also, you have to take in consideration the cultural sidelines of the country or the region the company is from. Also, you always have to be updated and aware of the constantly changing cultures around us.

Showcase of Cool Fruit Logos is a post from Designious Times - Graphic design tutorials, resources and inspiration.

To help you in your design work, we at Designious.com are constantly creating new and fabulous vector packs. This time we came out with some mind blowing floral, trees, birds and Christmas vector packs.

They are available now for download on Designious.com.  Check them out!

Floral Vector Pack 76

Floral Vector Pack 77

Birds Vector Pack 5

Trees Vector Pack 4

Christmas Vector Pack 10

For more great vector packs visit Designious.

Fresh Vector Packs from Designious.com is a post from Designious Times - Graphic design tutorials, resources and inspiration.

Michael Myers is a fantastic illustrator and designer from Waterloo, IA. His illustrations are sometimes dark and scary but full of expression and personality. Michael‘s work is very versatile and full of imagination and it comprises vintage prints, cool animations, t-shirt designs, freaky design works and disturbingly awesome drawings.

When did you start your career as a designer?

I started drawing at the age of 5, and have always been doodling or drawing since then. I landed a job doing design work for t-shirts at a screen printing company when I was 14. Since then I have worked as a web designer and currently work as an artist full-time at a video game company that develops casino games for the PC.

What is your educational background?

I received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. I feel I have learned the most from online art communities such as Threadless.com and Emptees.com.

You’ve surely worked on several projects so far. What would be the most relevant ones?

I feel that the most relevant of the projects I’ve worked on haven’t been for clients, but were personal projects. The two I can think of recently are my series of LOST character illustrations, and a set of DC Superhero posters I created this year.

Can you name 3 designs from your portfolio you like the most?

I think the pieces I’m most proud of are: Birth of Icarus, Invasion and perhaps my interpretation of the Smoke Monster from the ABC show LOST.

Our readers would definitely love to know what hardware and software you use when you create your designs?

For the longest time I was a PC guy, but over the past couple of years I have started working strictly on macs. I am currently working on an i7 Macbook Pro, and I have to say I’m loving it! In terms of software, I usually sketch my ideas in Autodesk Sketchbook Pro, then take the sketches into either Photoshop CS3 or Manga Studio for inking and color. But don’t ever underestimate the power of a pencil and a sketchbook. They’re indispensable.

What are the things that inspire you? Can you name a few websites you use for inspiration?

I guess I draw inspiration from movies, TV shows, video games and books. I’m always finding some great T-Shirt designs at Emptees.com, which features some of the greatest apparel designers currently working in that field.

When you began your journey as a designer you probably had a few role models, would you name two of your favorite artists?

Matt Rhodes, who currently works as a lead concept artist at Bioware and I’ve always been a huge Joe Madureira fan. I’m gonna throw a 3rd in here and say Olly Moss. He’s been a more recent inspiration, but his design work is top-notch.

Designing has its ups and downs, what is the most difficult problem you ever faced as a designer?

I think the most difficult problem I’ve ever faced (and am currently facing) is keeping my work fresh. I find it very difficult at times to keep trying new things. It’s easy to fall into a comfort zone with your work, but it’s hard to grow as an artist when you fall into that trap.

Looking a bit into the future, how do you think people will look at your designs in four years from now?

I hope they will see them as quirky, inspirational, and still relevant.

What advice would you give to the newbie designers?

Learn the basics. Nail down form, basic color theory and lighting. These are things I’m still trying to work on, and I don’t think you can ever know too much. Also, keep with it. You won’t be an amazing artist just by thinking about it, you’ve got to DO it. Keep sketching, keep pushing, and keep learning.

What do you think your greatest achievement is so far?

I would say getting to the point where people email me wanting to work with me on projects. For the longest time I was pursuing clients, trying to get whatever work I could. This isn’t a bad practice, but I’ve found that once you start getting contacted from clients based on the personal work they’ve seen from me, they generally want something similar. It makes the job more fun when you can create imagery and work in a style you really enjoy.

How much free time you have in a week and how do you usually spend that?

Between a full time 9-5 job, a wife and 3 children, my free-time is pretty minimal. I try and do as much artwork as I can (when I’m not distracted by the T.V. or video games) during what little open window I have during the night.

What is your favorite PC game and how many hours you spend playing it?

Sadly it is World of Warcraft. I haven’t played in a while, and I’d rather not say how many hours I have played :).

I really liked this design: What was your drive to create it?

I had just purchased some ink and a new sable brush, and wanted to ink a drawing. I started sketching the angel character, and then started adding elements from the game “Kid Icarus”. It slowly evolved into a classic Nintendo throwback illustration, and I was pretty pleased with how it turned out.

Check out Michael Myers Behance profile here.

Michael Myers website portfolio here.

Interview with Artist Michael Myers is a post from Designious Times - Graphic design tutorials, resources and inspiration.

If in the previous posts I wrote  about the influence of art history on modern design and I posted about the Gothic Style – Medieval Period, the Baroque Style – Western Art and the Art Nouveau Style – Modern Art, today’s article is about one of the most influential art movements of the twentieth century’s modern art: Cubism.

If you want to read more about Modern Art, click here.

When and where appeared the Cubism movement?

Because of the emerging of new technologies like photography, the motor car, cinematography and the airplane, artists felt the need to a more radical approach, a new way of seeing that will expand the possibilities of art like the new technologies were extending the limits of communication and travel. This new way of seeing was called Cubism, also known as the first abstract style of modern art.

Dynamism of a Soccer Player (1913) – Umberto Boccioni (1882 – 1916)

There seems to be different opinions regarding the moment when cubism began. Some say that the year 1907 is its starting point. This was also the year in which Picasso was introduced by the poet Apollinaire to Braque. These two great painters developed their ideas on Cubism around the year 1907 in Paris and it’s widely known that their starting point was a common interest in the later paintings of Paul Cezanne.

Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (1907) – Pablo Picasso (1881 – 1973)

In the same year, before meeting Braque, Picasso completed the painting Les Demoiselles d’Aviginion in his Monmartre apartment house which was called the “Bateau Lavoir”. This work is very important because it’s considered to be the painting which foretold the future development of Cubism, and along with Cezanne’s influence appeared a new search due to the suggestions from African black sculpture.

Le Portugais/The Emigrant (1911 – 1912) - Georges Braque (1882 – 1963)

The Cubist painters rejected the inherited concept that art should copy nature, or that they should adopt the traditional techniques of perspective, modeling, and foreshortening. They wanted instead to emphasize the two-dimensionality of the canvas. So they reduced and fractured objects into geometric forms, and then realigned these within a shallow, relief like space. They also used multiple or contrasting vantage points.

Violin and Glass (1915) – Juan Gris (1887 – 1927)

Which were the phases of Cubism?

In the development of Cubism there were three phases: Facet or Pre-Cubism, Analytic Cubism, and Synthetic Cubism, although some divided this movement only in Analytic and Synthetic Cubism.

1. The first phase of Cubism – Pre-Cubism

The first phase, which was also known as pre-cubism lasted until the year 1910 and it is under the strong influence of Cezanne and his famous characteristic of reproducing nature in paintings by using cylinders, spheres and cones. Picasso and Braque, which were painting in this period characters, landscapes and still life, were not satisfied with the attempts of renouncing on perspectives and aim at reducing the motifs to fundamental geometric forms.

Still Life with Chair Caning (oil on canvas, 1912) – Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)

2. The second phase of Cubism – Analytical Cubism

Analytical Cubism is considered to be one of the major branches of the Cubism and it was developed in the 1910 – 1913 period. In comparison to Synthetic cubism, in this phase, the cubists “analyzed” natural forms and they reduced forms to basic geometric parts to create a two-dimensional picture plane.

In this phase, color was almost non-existent except for the cases when the artists used monochromatic schemes that included blue, gray and ochre. Analytic cubists focused more on forms like spheres, the cylinder and the cone to represent the natural world. Because of these features, the works created by Picasso and Braque had stylistic similarities.

Violin and Jug (1910) – Georges Braque (1882 – 1963)

3. The third phase of Cubism – Synthetic Cubism

The last movement of Cubism and the second as importance, Synthetic Cubism was developed by Picasso, Braque and Juan Gris and others in the 1913 – 1919 period. This cubism movement was characterized by the introduction of different surfaces, textures, papier colle, collage elements and a great variety of merged subject matter. This was the beginning of collage materials introduced as an important ingredient of fine art works.

Still Life with Mandolin and Guitar (1924) – Pablo Picasso (1881 – 1973)

In comparison to Analytic Cubism, which was an analysis of the subjects (pulling them apart into planes), Synthetic Cubism is actually pushing several objects together. Less pure than Analytic Cubism, this movement has fewer planar schematism and less shading, creating flatter space.

The Influence of African Art on Cubism

The artists of the cubist movement considered that the traditions of the Western art were overrated and the remedy they applied to revitalize their work was to draw on the expressive energy of art from other cultures, especially from the African art.

The inspiration to cross-reference art that came from other cultures it’s believed to come from Paul Gauguin, a French post-impressionist artist, whose prints and paintings were inspired by the native cultures of Tahiti and the Marquesas Islands, places where he spent his final years.

Head of a Woman (1907) – Pablo Picasso and right: Dan Mask

A controversial element of early Cubism was the grotesque face that evoked African masks. The exaggerated features of these masks represented a hallmark of Cubism. The artists tried to interplay elements in their works and to create a sort of detachment in technique, resulting in grotesque, exaggerated forms.

Which are the most important characteristics of Cubism?

In Cubism, proportions, organic integrity and continuity of life samples and materials objects are abandoned. The artist’s canvas resembled more like a field of broken glass, some critics said.

The shattering of objects in focus into geometrical sharp-edged angular pieces and the geometrically analytical approach to color and form baptized the movement into “Cubism”. Actually, despite what some vicious critics might have said at that time, a closer look to cubism art works reveals a very methodical deconstruction into three dimensional shaded facets and some of them are caving others convex.

The Bargeman (1919) – Fernand Leger (1881 – 1955)

Cubism considers the “whole” images perceived by the retina artificial and conventional, based on the influence of the past art. This movement rejects these images and recognizes that perspective space is an illusory, a rational invention or a sign system that comes from art since the Renaissance.

Factory, Horta de Ebbo (1909) – Pablo Picasso

In cubism works, instead of an image of an external world we are given a world of its own, analogous to nature but built with different principles. Cubists seek to reproduce different perspectives simultaneously, like they might be seen by the mind’s eye. It tries to mimic the mind’s power to abstract and synthesize its different impressions of the world into new wholes.

Which are the main domains where Cubism emerged?

1. Cubism in painting

Picasso and Braque are credited with creating this new visual language, but this movement was adopted and further developed by many painters like Fernand Leger, Juan Gris, Marcel Duchamp, Robert and Sonia Delaunay, Albert Gleizes, Roger de la Fresnaye and Jean Metzinger.

Nude Descending Starecase No. 2 (1912) – Marcel Duchamp (1887 – 1968)

The Cubist painters did not embrace the concept that art should copy nature, or that they should adopt the traditional techniques of modeling, perspective and foreshortening. The artists wanted to emphasize the two-dimensionality of the canvas so they fractured and reduced the objects into geometric forms and then realigned them within a shallow, relief like space. A specific feature also was the use of multiple or contrasting vantage points.

2. Cubism in sculpture

Although it was primarily associated with painting, Cubism also exerted a great influence on the 20th century sculpture. The most important Cubist sculptors were Raymond Duchamp-Villon, Alexander Archipenko and Jacques Lipchitz, identified as the first Cubist sculptor.

Walking Woman (1912) – Alexander Archipenko (1887 – 1964)

It’s believed that cubist sculpture developed in parallel to Cubist painting, having many of the same artists. For example, some sources name the first cubist sculpture Picasso’s 1909 Head of a Woman or Otto Gutfreund’s Anxiety, which were showed in Prague in 1912.

Head of a Woman (1908) – Pablo Picasso

Just like in Cubism painting, the style has its origins in Cezanne’s reduction of painted objects into component planes and geometric solids (spheres, cubes, cylinders and cones). Like in painting, cubism sculpture had its course by 1925, and it became an influence and contributed fundamentally to Constructivism and Futurism.

3. Cubism in architecture

Some people might say that the relationship between Cubism and architecture was at best a tentative and it involved the application of Cubist decorations to stripped Neoclassical buildings. However, in Prague, the Czech Cubist group (Chochol, Gocar, Capek, Hofman, Janak and Novotny) managed to do more than treat the facades with prismatic ornaments.

The basic features of Cubism, however, which included asymmetrical compositions, transparency, interpenetration of volumes and simultaneous perception from different points of view were enshrined in the Modern Movement and played an important part in its evolution.

House of the Black Madonna, Museum of Cubism in Old Town Prague

The most representative feature of cubist architecture was the multi-faceted facade of a building, which was also a way of articulating a vision of space, especially the relation between inside and outside. In other words, the cubist design should not celebrate the solid tectonic qualities of the material but to call those into question, establishing an ambiguous relationship between the space on the inside and on the outside of the structure.

Is contemporary art work still influenced by Cubism?

Although Cubism was born in France it emigrated across Europe and integrated with the artistic consciousness of several countries. This movement emerged as futurism in Italy, vorticism in England, Suprematism and Constructivism in Russia and Expressionism in Germany and it also influenced several of the major design and architectural styles of the 20th century and it still prevails to this day as mode of expression in the language of art.

The Key by Marcos Andruchak

Cubism is far from being an art movement confined to art history, its legacy continues to inspire the work of many contemporary artists. Cubist imagery is regularly used commercially but also a significant number of contemporary artists keep drawing upon it stylistically and, more importantly, theoretically.

YetAnotherFace by Petra Stafankova

Some said that the latter contains the clue as to the reason for cubism’s continuous fascination for artists. When it came to image making, photography was an increasingly viable method and Cubism attempts to take representational imagery beyond the mechanically photography and to go beyond the limits of traditional single point perspective perceived as though by a totally immobile viewer.

Art and Culture by Marcos Andruchak.

As an example of the contemporary feature of Cubism, the questions and the theories which arose during the initial appearance of the movement are, for many representative artists, as current today as when first proposed.

Woman Arranging Her Flowers – Michael Yee.

Some artists believe that Cubism will have durable consequences because it influenced all the important movements in modern European and American art. Without Cubism we couldn’t imagine the collages of Max Ernst, the surreal work of arts of Joan Miro, the art of Roy Lichtenstein and, seeing the subject in ensemble, pop art, the “ready made” art work of Duchamp and finally, the whole abstract art.

The Chef by Kristen Stein.

The influence of Cubism in contemporary designs, especially from the features of Synthetic Cubism, seems to come from a structural design of the picture plane, the grid. We can also notice the use of reducing the pictorial space and figures to hard-edged geometric forms.

Cubism in Contemporary Designs

A representative characteristic that Cubists proposed was that your sight of an object is the sum of many different views and our memory of an object is not created from one angle, as in perspective, but from many angles selected by our sight and by movement. Keeping that in mind, contemporary artists create paradoxically abstract in form graphic designs and not only  with an attempt at a more realistic way of seeing.

Kitty in a Box by Alma Lee.

Cubism Cafe collage by Mischi92.

Cubism by Toesinhand.

As in the art works of the representatives of famous Cubists, contemporary artists create designs with people, objects, places, but not from a fixed point of view. Their art works often show you many parts of the subject at the same time but viewed from different angles and reconstructed into a composition of planes, colors and forms. The purpose of this feature specific to Cubism is to reconfigure the space: the front, the back and the sides of the subject will become interchangeable elements in the design of the work.

The Cello Player by hummingbird44.

Cubism… by CrazedQuetzal.

Cubism in Modern House Designs

This modern movement was also influential in contemporary architecture. The Cubist houses are being recognized by having many geometric lines, sharp edges and many facades with fantastic perspectives from different angles.  Even the colors used in the house designs are monochrome or very limited.

Multifarious Modern Cubic House Architecture.

Aggressive Cubism.

Cubism – Notes

• Cubism appeared around 1907 in Paris and its parents were Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque.

• Cubism was the first abstract style of modern art.

• A Cubist painting ignores the traditions of perspective drawing and shows you many views of a subject at one time.

• The Cubists introduced collage into painting.

• The Cubists were influenced by art from other cultures, particularly African masks.

• There are two main distinct phases of the Cubist Style: Analytical Cubism (pre 1913) and Synthetic Cubism (post 1913)

• Cubism influenced many other styles of modern art including Orphism, Futurism, Vorticism, Suprematism, Constructivism and Expressionism.
• Cubism continues to inspire the work of many contemporary artists, which still use the stylistic and theoretical features of this style.

The Influence of Art History on Modern Design – Cubism is a post from Designious Times - Graphic design tutorials, resources and inspiration.