GraphicRiver

Inspiration: 30+ Feisty Felines

“Cats are creatures of sheer beauty. They are willful, independent, and proud animals. Come with us and explore the many personalities of cats in this hand picked collection of images.”

Inspiration: 26 Beautiful Photo Manipulations of Women

“Throughout history the female figure has appeared prominently in art and design. Tools such as Photoshop and Illustrator have given artists the ability to create female-based renderings in new and creative ways. Today, we have 25 beautiful photo manipulations of women to show you. Enjoy!”

Showcase: 20 Brilliant Designer Sketchbooks to Help Inspire Your Creative Workflow

“If you followed Ben Mounsey’s “Core Art Skills” Series, then you will know how important it is to have a Sketchbook. But why settle for something drab and dreary when you can use one that is as inspired as you are? In the following showcase you will find a collection of 20 Designer Sketchbooks that are made for creativity (much like the designers of the books themselves.)”

Colorful, Psychedelic-Style Digital Artwork

“Psychedelic art (as you may have guessed) is a type of artwork inspired by psychedelic experiences that are brought on as a side-effect by various drugs and substances known as hallucinations. The art movement began in the 1960′s (known as the “hippy years”) where sex, drugs and rock and roll played a huge role in the culture, and before long this artistic style was being used in concert posters, album art covers, comic books and newspapers. One particular style of psychedelic artwork was inspired by the hallucinations experienced by a drug called LSD, which was known for its kaleidoscopic patterns, similar to those the younger generation experienced with the popular kaleidoscope toy.

“As life moves on everything is becoming digital, and over the years digital psychedelic art, although not in vogue, has been slowly increasing in popularity. Bright colors and fractal patterns are fairly easy to produce on a computer, so it only makes sense that psychedelic art is being produced digitally. This showcase presents thirty unique, interesting and out-of-the-ordinary colorful and psychedelic inspired artworks. What’s your favorite, and do you think digital psychedelic art is the way to go, or will it never be quite the same as those produced with traditional media? Let us know in the comments at the bottom of the post!”

Showcase of Macintosh Dashboard Widget UI Designs

“There are various ways an application (or more specifically, a widget) can be presented to its users; some bad, some good and some tremendously well. Other than a widgets purpose, its user interface is the most important aspect; it makes the widget look good and (hopefully) makes it easy to use, making it compelling and user friendly, which is what all application developers should be aiming to achieve. Dashboard widgets are actually relatively easy to make, and most web designers/developers can produce them without much difficulty. They are developed using HTML, CSS and JavaScript, meaning everything that is possible on the web, is possible in a dashboard widget, making it relatively easy to achieve a great looking and easy to use widget.

“This inspirational compilation post showcases a collection of 32 creative, unique and easy to use Apple Macintosh Dashboard Widgets, including a selection of default widgets that ship with your Apple Mac, and a good handful or two of third party widgets.”

Amazing Clock-Stopping Photoshop Manipulations

“Time is a concept of which we all are aware. It’s the past, present, and future. It is infinite, yet there never seems to be enough of it to go around. Time is a popular concept for artists because it is something that we can all relate to. Today we have a round up of some amazing clock-stopping photo manipulations for inspiration.”

Inspiration: Fantastic TV Fan Art

“People are often inspired by what they see on TV. Sometimes we’re inspired by characters, sometimes costumes, sometimes scenery, or maybe just the storyline. This article showcases a huge collection of TV series fan art, from modern hits such as Lost, House and CSI, to some going a little further back in time such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Star Trek. The showcase is full of different kinds of art, from traditional pencil sketches to modern digital illustrations. These are sure to inspire!”

Inspiration: Colorful and Vivid Logos

“The world as we see it, is populated by colors. Every day we see brands and businesses using colors to define their identity (for example, the famous “yellow M” of a multinational fast-food chain). Although logos are traditionally made with minimal colors, the shift towards full color is unmistakable. In fact, a recently published article by Logo Lounge states that, for many years logos have been designed with one or two colors and recently designers have begun to look at the actual surface of the shapes as an entirely new canvas and the use of color is unrestrained. The article goes on to say that, rainbow-like color is often used to represent the concept of a full spectrum, more choices, or additional capabilities. In this compilation we present to you a selection of colorful and vivid logos that are fresh, inspiring and push creative boundaries.”

From A Childs View: 30+ Creative Children’s Book Covers

“This inspirational post is all about showing you a great selection of different ways the digital medium is put to use in the modern day world to create illustrations for children’s book covers: from toddlers’ short novels and picture books, to books about color for the youth, to older kids who have a keen interest in art and design – and of course everything in between.”