hey guys! i just wanted to pop in with this month’s recap of the roost tribe, which gives you a sneak peek of what february has brought to the roost tribe. i also wanted to let you know that it’s not too late to get in on the goods! i’ll be sending out a newsletter recap on monday, march 4th with all of the content in it so no one will have missed anything, regardless of when you might have joined.

that means, that if you join before monday, march 4th you’ll still get all of this yummy content from february plus march’s content as well- that’s two months for the price of one!

this month, i shared a really fun tutorial on one of my favorite techniques in illustrator using the rotate and duplicate tools.

fun photo corners in several styles and colors plus 2 frames, perfect for both regular photos and instagram pictures!

several lovely printables including a coffee cup sleeve, coaster, notecard and chocolate wrapper. pssst.. this is perfect for mother’s day, too!

4 spring inspired patterns to use as wrapping paper or gift tags, backgrounds for photos or for all sorts of uses on your blog or website.

a sweet little desktop + iphone background to remind us to do all that we do in love. :)

one of my all time favorite southern recipes- veganized. sauteed apples and cabbage with apple sage ‘sausage’ and cornbread!

a truly inspirational article on how to stay connected with our friends by the lovely natalie borton.

and that’s not even all! tribe members also received a list of favorite links and resources and got exclusive discounts and deals in the awesome spring greens gift guide. being a member is tons of fun and we would love to have you join the family!

want to learn more? head on over to read this post or check out the FAQs.

wrap up: {discounts} {february} {illustrator} {member} {printables} {recap} {roost tribe} {tutorial}

i use shortcuts while working in adobe illustrator constantly, and find that it’s an incredible time saver! it makes things easier, quicker and more streamlined. however, it can be really hard to learn shortcuts for any new program (just put me working in photoshop and i’m lost!). that’s why i really like these keyboard shortcut guides. you can use them to refer to, or set them as your desktop background to keep them handy at all times.

wrap up: {background} {desktop} {guide} {illustrator} {keyboard} {photoshop} {shortcuts}

these are the topics i get asked about the most:

1) how do you use a pen tablet?
2) how do you turn your hand lettering into vectors?

well since i couldn’t live without my wacom tablet and think using my handwriting for projects and posts is possibly the most fun thing EVER, i’m really excited to share this pair of tutorials with the roost tribe this week!

in the first tutorial, i’ll cover what type of pen tablet is best, how to use one and what options and settings we have in adobe illustrator.

in the second tutorial, i’ll be covering three ways in which to turn your hand lettering into vectors, how to play with colors and patterns, and how to save the file to best use on the web. you’ll also learn how to do it both with and without a scanner.

sound interesting? tutorials will be sent out this friday (10.19) to the roost tribe. you can find out more information on the tribe and learn how to join here! **don’t have illustrator? adobe offers a free 30 day trial. you can check it out here!

wrap up: {adobe} {hand lettering} {handwriting} {illustrator} {tutorial} {vectors} {wacom tablet}

a little palette inspiration for artists of all kinds!

dream catcher art print by small talk studio – $20

wrap up: {art} {color} {illustrator} {inspiration} {palette}

welcome to my latest addiction: kuler. it’s a web-hosted application for generating color themes to help inspire projects of all sorts! no matter what you’re working on (illustrations, blog posts, paintings), you can quickly upload a photo and experiment with color variations or even browse thousands of themes from other kuler members.

and its even ‘cooler’ if you work with adobe illustrator! you can save color themes to use in illustrator, or just open the extension (located under window > extensions > kuler) and search right from the desktop. if you itching to share yours, feel free to add them to the ghtr flickr album!

wrap up: {adobe} {color} {generator} {illustrator} {inspiration} {kuler} {themes}

ana ventura is an illustrator, artist and photographer with a very unique sense of style.  with homey roots and colorful characters, her nature inspired work warms the soul.  visit her shop to start exploring more of her beautiful world!

elsewhere :: {site} {flickr} {blog}

wrap up: {ana ventura} {artist} {home} {illustrator} {nature} {roots}

polar opposites

i found hisss illustrator a few weeks ago, and have kept in my browser ever since.  i love the subtle colors, softness and depth of each of them.  from the raccoon costume to the mirrorcats to the chip off the ‘ol block, the visual commentary keeps be so intrigued!

elsewhere :: {shop} {flickr}

wrap up: {animals} {hisss} {illustration} {illustrator} {nature} {prints} {woodsy}