Hello everyone! I’m very sorry I haven’t been able to update my blog in a while, I’ve been pretty swamped. I likely won’t be able to post again until the New Year (Happy Holidays in advance), but I promise I’ll be back with new content as soon as I can.

I’ve had a couple people ask me about the Cinitq. The truth is, I’ve had a devil of a time trying to get it up and running. I have one more last-ditch trick to try on it, which I’ll be attempting this weekend. Wish me luck, and stay tuned for more details on what’s been going wrong for me once I post my review of the 21UX!

It can be tough when you’re starting out as a vector contributor on microstock sites. There are so many little things to watch out for! One tiny mistake could mean you need to submit your file all over again… Even worse, if you’re still in the application phase of becoming a contributor you may be forced to wait a set number of days before you can send in your application samples again.

We often hear from frustrated contributors who’ve overlooked a small detail in their file and received the dreaded rejection email. So I’ve decided to put together a short list of things you should always be checking… BEFORE you submit your file. Click here to read more!

Yay! iStockphoto has announced that they are now accepting Logo Designs. You can read the original announcement here. If you’re interested in applying to contribute, you can start off by reading the new Logo Training Manual. Questions or comments? Feel free to pop by the new Logo Forums!

This week, author Cheryl Graham talks about how to put your own personal stamp on your vector illustrations by creating customized color palettes. Whether you’re pulling swatches from nature or history, color can make or break any illustration. Click here to read more!

This week, author Cheryl Graham covers everything you need to know about setting up global color swatches in your vector files – and why you should be using global colors in the first place. Click here to read more!

A little while ago, iStockphoto.com announced that they would soon be selling logo designs. Why? Because under iStock’s current licensing agreement, customers can’t use anything on the site as a logo design (because the artist who uploaded the file retains full copyright of the image).

As a contributor, I’ve gotten literally hundreds of requests over the years from customers who wanted to use one of my files in a logo. Sometimes I’m able to turn the request into a work-for-hire agreement and design a logo for them on the side. The problems with this are customers are rarely willing to pay my going rate for custom work, and I’ve often found myself in a position where the number of revisions required on the logo start to exceed the price I originally quoted.

This is why I’m so excited about iStock’s new logo offering. There are so many customers out there who simply can’t afford to spend thousands on a corporate identity. Instead, they’re more than happy to let the Yellow Page designer give them a dingbat or a wingding as a logo when they purchase their ad! Click here to read more.

Hello everyone,

Apologies again, it’s going to be some time before I can post my next tutorial. I’m off to Toronto for a few days and a little mini-holiday. It’ll be nice to get out of the city and recharge my batteries!

But coming soon, I’ve got a doozy for you guys I just purchased my dream toy, the Wacom Cintiq 21UX drawing tablet. I got to play with it briefly the other day before bringing it home, and unfortunately the monster’s too big for my puny little computer desk! Once I figure out where to put it, I’ll post my initial thoughts and impressions as well as compare it to my tried and true Wacom Intuos 3 tablet. Stay tuned, this is going to be a fun review to put together!

To follow up to our recent tutorial, ‘Draw a Face Using Simple Shapes’, we’ve decided to take things a step further and show how to draw an entire body. This second tutorial will take the basics of anatomy and proportion that we learned in Drawing People Part 1 and apply them to a vector drawing of a woman. Click here to read more!

This week, author Cheryl Graham explains Spot Colors. This is an absolute must-read for anyone working with vectors! Spot Colors are an often overlooked element when building your files, and in this article, you’ll find out why it’s important not to use them willy nilly. Click here to read more!

To follow up to our recent tutorial, ‘Draw a Face Using Simple Shapes’, we’ve decided to take things a step further and show how to draw an entire body. But before we dive in, we need to discuss some very important considerations when drawing the human figure. Since we’ve got a lot to cover we’re splitting this tutorial into 2 parts. This first tutorial will cover the basics of proportion, anatomy, and other things to keep in mind when drawing people. The second tutorial will apply these principles to a vector illustration. Let’s get started. Click here to read more!