Escape / KellyLWatson

Escape is just an interesting shot at the side of an old, brick building. Interesting that after all these years there hasn’t been something safer or more convenient developed than shoddy, ratty staircases bolted to the side of a building.

The Road I Seem To Keep Walking Down / Jocko B.

The Road I Seem To Keep Walking Down has had many post-processing effects added to it, but they add to the mood of the picture. The signs blocking the road add to the gloomy feeling you get. The picture portrays snow, which is usually something cheerful, in to something almost depressing.

Balcony / Miguel De Leon

Balcony is a case where a composition is simply stumbled upon. It’s unlikely that anyone planned the look of the flower pots in contrast with the blue and yellow background. Shame that bigger sizes aren’t available of this one.

Markus' Balcony / Andreas Solberg

Markus’ Balcony is probably my personal favorite out of the bunch. Keeping on the subject of balconies, this time the view is from the other side of a balcony. You’re looking out on to a village of houses and their bright lights. The colors in this shot really come together to form a great composition.

I Love A Rainy Night / J.D. Fielding

I Love A Rainy Night found the right viewpoint to take this picture from. There’s a reason why streets at night are always wet in movies, as it creates beautiful cinematography.

Old Bridge / ginamccaleb

Old Bridge is just that. A piece of old architecture which has since been torn down in place of a new highway. The author comments that the only way on to this bridge is by going around the “Keep Out” signs.

Raging Building Fire / eecue

Raging Building Fire is a shot that shows emotion. Not in people, but in the situation. Peaceful chaos, as the fire crew is there to extinguish the flame, but there doesn’t seem to be a single onlooker at all.

Sun And Signs / .: sandman

Sun and Signs shows a situation where everything was just right for a photograph. A very lightly-clouded sky combined with the bright sun and haze of the mountains make for a great, docile scene.

Another Sunset Study / SkipSteuart

Finally, Another Sunset Study just seems to be an experiment by a photographer to get colors just right. Not sure why any studying is needed, because this shot seems to be nearly perfect. The blue atmospheric tint on the gate contrasts with the green of the grass and orange of the sky, and the barn in the back makes for an excellent added focal point.

Sure, I get jealous looking at shots like these and marveling at the superb skills of these Flickr..ers, but even with a cheap digital camera and some quick Photoshopping, nothing’s impossible, right?

Starting with just the logo, I was playing around with typography and a couple tutorials and was able to come up with something along the lines of this:

Oooooh.. shiny...

I’m still stuck with a feeling of uncertainty, however. 6 months ago I was very happy with the scissors-and-paper look of the website, and now I’m considering other routes to take. This logo is just an experiment and will likely never see any more daylight than it already has. I’ll be playing around with the design, but I won’t be skimping. I’ll only make changes if I feel they really benefit the website…

Then again, I get at most 40 visitors a day. What does it matter if I screw it up? Tootaloo!

35 Gorgeous Black Wallpapers at Abduzeedo. These are some very, very nice wallpapers with a black/dark theme. I don’t mean Chris Brown black, I mean black black. The one above, for example, is a very dramatic background that is also charming at the same time.

Cool Free High Quality Desktop Wallpapers at Coolthings.co.uk. This compliation features lots of breathtaking backgrounds that are also a treat to the eye. Ranging from grungy to clean, all of these are great options. I personally love anything portraying a ‘big city’ in a grungy light.

“In studying the dynamics of the Rugrats’ bodies, one will notice a few basic traits: the necks are straight, long and skinny; the babies have faces that are much wider than long (while the adults have faces that are much longer than wide); the widest part of the head is the cheeks at the mouth; the eyes are circles or ovals with dots for pupils and when glasses are used, the rims are extremely thick; and each characters hair has a signature style that can easily be recognized, even in silhouette.”

Some of the tips are essential for anyone studying character design or animation. A good character is instantly recognizable. It even goes on to point out how the simplest, smallest details can throw off an entire character, and explains the terms “on-model” and “off-model.”

Watching The Heavens Fall is a serene image with very vibrant colors. Designed by Javier Ocasio, it’s become one of the most popular wallpapers available on DeviantArt.
Available in: 1280×1024, 1600×1200, 1920×1200, dual-monitor

The Magic Tree is not magic. It’s not making rabbits appear out of hats. Yet the effects added to the image really enhance it to make it a very interesting composition.
Available in: 1600×1200, 1280×1024, 1024×768, widescreen

Daylight is a very simple landscape with the effect of planets in the sky. Who wouldn’t want a skyline that looks like that?
Available in: 1024×768, 1152×864, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1600×1200, 1920×1200

Highway reminds me of my various trips through Indiana. Those exits sneak up on you. No giant rocks in the background, though.
Available in: 1600×1200

For more wallpapers, check out Illogical’s own Sanford Lane and the Harbury Series.

As I’ve matured (physically, not mentally,) I’ve learned to properly polish my random drawings. Yeah, I’ll admit that I’m not the best at drawing by hand or mouse, which is why I’m in college for design and not art, but I still enjoy putting things together, especially cartoons.

These three classmates were just a random doodling of mine that I recreated on the computer. Sure, it’s a bit sketchy and far from perfect. The legs could use some variety, the hands are unconvincing, and some of the perspective’s off. But, hey, who’s ever perfect?

Lastly, this kid was just completely random. I open up Illustrator and drew the hair, and went from there. What’s he doing? Does he want a hug? I don’t know. His hands are in the air, not because he just don’t care, but because I couldn’t get the illustration to look quite right with his hands behind his back. So it went from a menacing smile to a “Look at me!” smile.

I’ll share more as they come, as usual, and happy Labor Day, of course.

designfeedr dug up some very interesting illustrations that use vivid colors and lighting combined with dark backgrounds to really make them pop, such as these beauties: