Mac Spring Cleaning: Rethinking How I Organize my Data

by Krishna on April 15, 2012 at 1:48 pm
Posted In: Mac, News

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I’ve been thinking a lot about file structure and folder organization lately, particularly when it comes to managing and accessing data across multiple Macs. While I’m accustomed to my current folder structures, I feel that I’m not managing and organizing my data as efficiently as I could.

To that end, I feel that I need to overhaul my approach.

Here’s my proposal:

First off, I plan on moving all my current projects and data files from both laptop and desktop Macs over to Dropbox. Doing so will let me access these files from either machine I happen to be working from. Having these files on Dropbox will also permit me to access them from any other machine, so long as the computer I’m sitting at has a connection to the ‘net.

Older projects and data files that I rarely access will be archived onto a NAS device, which will, in turn, back up to both a secondary hard drive as well as a remote server (via Backblaze).

Furthermore, my plan is to add a larger capacity SSD to my Mac Pro (120 GB) for housing all my apps and the OS. I will also dedicate a separate hard drive to exclusively house all my music and movie files. I think I’ll also have a separate drive dedicated to photos, as well.

Of course, I’m looking for thoughts and feedback on my proposal. On paper, it seems like my new methodology could work, but I want to make sure I’m not overlooking something significant. How do you organize and share your data across multiple machines? Sound off in the comments below.

-Krishna

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My Coloring Process: Step by Step

by Krishna on April 14, 2012 at 10:48 pm
Posted In: News, Tips

Ask one hundred digital artists how they color their comics and you’re likely to get one hundred different approaches. Based on a Twitter conversation I had with Tom Brazelton earlier this week, I decided to document my coloring workflow using Photoshop CS5.5.

First I make sure to keep my inks on a separate layer. I always color on a new layer underneath the “inks” layer to preserve the line quality of my inks. I also have the Anti-alias, Contiguous, and Sample All Layers options checked.

coloring technique: layer organization

Next I use the Magic Wand tool in Photoshop to select areas of my drawing that I would like to color. For the Magic Wand tool, I use a tolerance value of 95. The number isn’t important as much as the reasoning behind the number. Simply put: the higher value of the tolerance, the more coarse the selection, meaning that the more pixels you’ll be able to select within a defined Magic Wand selection.

I first start in by coloring using a darker shade of the actual colors I plan on using.

Once all the dark shade colors have been applied, I duplicate the layer (Command-J) and use the Hue / Saturation Tool (Command-U) to adjust the lightness and saturation values.

coloring technique: dialing in the lighter shade

This new color layer (light_colors) is a lighter shade of the base (darker) colors I started off with. (See below.)

coloring technique: layer organization

Now I have two layers of colors. To make the shading appear, I use the Eraser tool to remove areas of the light_colors layer to reveal the darker colors that reside in the dark_colors layer.

coloring technique: adding color overlay to inks

Lastly, I select the inks layer and apply a Color Overlay effect, making the ink color slightly reddish (off black), warming up the overall ink color. Below is the final image.

coloring technique: the final image

Questions? Comments? Want to share your own digital coloring technique? Add your input in the comments below!

-Krishna

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Is everyone entitled to their opinon?

by Krishna on April 9, 2012 at 6:39 am
Posted In: News, Rant

Seth Godin nails it on the head with his latest blog post, entitled “Is everyone entitled to their opinion?”

Artists are a sensitive bunch; it’s pretty much how we’re wired. But the fact of the matter is, while people are entitled to their negative (emphasis: mine) opinions – if they don’t buy stuff from you, or if they don’t have significant clout in spreading the word about your work, you’re better off ignoring them.

As artists, we must weigh the source of the opinion before deciding to take it to heart.

Which is exactly what I plan on doing.

-Krishna

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Rebootus Maximus SALE!

by Krishna on April 6, 2012 at 2:49 pm
Posted In: News, Sales Event

I’m happy to announce a one-day sale on the first PC Weenies collection.

Rebootus Maximus: Front cover

Rebootus Maximus interior

Buy a copy of PC Weenies: Rebootus Maximus, in PDF format, for only $3 today! 120 pages of comics, collecting over 1.5 years of strips. Plus, bonus goodies that have never been seen online!

Save 40%!

Buy Now

And, of course, hard copy print editions and other PC Weenies sundries are also available to order.

Thanks for your support!

-Krishna

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How to Feel Great as an Artist

by Krishna on April 3, 2012 at 4:08 pm
Posted In: News, Plugs

In response to Keri Smith’s “How to Feel Miserable as an Artist”, let me offer a more positive direction, to encourage budding artists everywhere.

How to Feel Great as an Artist

(Or, What to Do, Underline Any That Currently Apply)

  1. Don’t compare yourself to others. Celebrate your own unique skill set and style.
  2. Share your passion with like-minded creative folks. There are plenty of artists out there who share their love for the medium, just like you. Form a group and cheer each other on.
  3. Base your success on your own artist growth, tackle as many projects as possible.
  4. Challenge yourself constantly to push yourself to the next level.
  5. Be confident in your knowledge and your ability to creatively problem solve.
  6. Do it because you love it.
  7. Follow your own vision. If you build it, they will come. (and if not, you can be happy that you accomplished something all on your own terms.)
  8. Do work because you enjoy it. Please yourself first!
  9. Share your thoughts, concerns and feedback with the client / customer / gallery owner / patron. Frame your dialogue with the intent of helping your clients succeed.
  10. Set realistic goals, both short term and long term. Re-evaluate and refocus your goals. Take the time to enjoy the artistic journey.

-Krishna

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