coyleart

May 23rd chat cancelled

I'm sorry to have to do this again, but my voice has not fully recovered. I had a cold for two weeks, I'm on antibiotics, but the voice issues still linger. So, the May 23rd chats are cancelled, and we will let you know when we reschedule. Thank you for your continuing patience.

iScrapit with Renee Pearson

It's been a busy Spring, but I can't wait to get started with ReneePearson's new class: iScrapit, Mobile Scrapbooking for iPad & iPhone.

I've been using my iPad a lot for music and for reading. For a while now, I've been wanting to create an illustration portfolio for my iPad and I think this class might be just the right inspiration. Renee shows you how to get creative with the Keynote app, so I can imagine bringing in a lot of the design elements and pattern backgrounds I use when I'm designing collections.

The 3-week class starts June 15th and teaches Apple keynote for iOS, integrating the images you create in Photoshop or other image editing programs. For more information visit the iScrapit page on ReneePearson.com.

May Chat rescheduled: Wednesday May 23rd

Our Illustrator class live chat for May has been rescheduled. It was formerly scheduled to take place on May 16th, but I've got a bad cold and my voice is too hoarse for chatting, so we'll do it the following week at the same times: Wednesday, May 23th at 2pm and 9pm EST. I hope you can still join us, and as always, we'll record them for watching later.

Interview and giveaway on TrueUp.net!

I'm happy to be featured today in an interview with Kim Kight on TrueUp, the blog for the fabric obsessed! She asks insightful questions including one on "warming up" illustrator artwork, which can sometimes look too "illustratory." It also gave me a chance to talk about my online Adobe Illustrator classes on ReneePearson.com. We're giving away my Ink & Paint class which features the Wacom Tablet and instruction on how to use Calligraphic Brushes with the Paintbrush and Blob Brush tools in Illustrator. Kim will be choosing a winner Friday, May 4th, so get add your comment to the post to be entered to win!

Kim Kight and Laura Coyle on ReneeTV recording

If you missed the chat this Wednesday, you can watch here.

We had a lot of fun talking about designing for fabric, Kim answered bunches of attendee questions and a good time was had by all! Near the end, Kim gives a demonstration on using the Adobe Illustrator Recolor Artwork feature to mix up your color palettes and incorporate the Spoonflower Color Guide colors into your design.

Kim Kight of TrueUp.net chat this Wednesday!

This Wednesday, April 25th at 9pm EST, Kim Kight of TrueUp.net will be the guest on ReneePearson.com Meet The Pros. Mark your calendars and go to ReneeTV to join in on Wednesday. We'll be talking fabric design, color and the Recolor Artwork feature in Adobe Illustrator.

Kim started TrueUp in 2008 and since then, it’s become an active source of inspiration and information about the art, craft and business of fabric. With the advent of Spoonflower.com and other on-demand printing services, fabric design has opened up for self-taught artists and crafters. With software like Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, artists can create patterns, upload them to a printer’s website and order yardage of their own creation.

 

Recognizing the need for technical and design information among those new to the world of fabric, Kim Kight published her book A Field Guide to Fabric Design in the fall of 2011. I’ve found Kight’s book to be colorful and comprehensive, an abundance of well organized information. She gives readers important background on types of fabric, the terminology and the technical aspects of printing. Kight enumerates the steps for creating repeats digitally and addresses important practical and aesthetic considerations. The book also offers an informative section on the business of fabric design, and provides colorful photographs throughout with insight from leading designers in the field. For those interested in getting their hands dirty, Kight offers chapters on printing by hand. 

As an illustrator I’ve had more experience in creating repeats for giftwrap and other paper products than I have with fabric. For me, Kim’s book has shed a lot of light on the practical design considerations unique to this medium that artists learn through trial and error and experience. She also offers vital information on the topic of color to help designers bridge the gap between computer screen and printed cloth.

In our Meet the Pros chat with Kim on April 25th, you’ll have the chance to ask questions and find out more about the growing craft of custom fabric design. Join us at 9pm EST on ReneeTV and everyone is welcome to come, so please tell your pattern-loving, fabric-loving friends!

 

 

Chat with Laura Coyle Wednesday, April 18th!

All Adobe Illustrator students (current and former) are invited to an Illustrator chat with me Wednesday, April 18th at 2pm and 9 pm EST. I'll be working on a repeat pattern in Illustrator during my demonstration. I'll I hope you’ll join me for one or both of the chats, but if you can't make it, you can watch the recorded versions in the ReneePearson.com Illustrator Forums.

Adobe Illustrator demonstration

 

I've just posted this video of my time-lapse drawing of a Siamese Fighting Fish in Adobe Illustrator condensed from 2 hours of live chat demonstration. You can also watch on my YouTube channel at YouTube.com/coyleart

My online Adobe Illustrator classes are self-paced and always available when you're ready to learn, but as an extra benefit, I host live chats online every month, full of Adobe Illustrator demonstrations and tips, to give students the chance to interact and ask questions. You can attend the chat live, and we also record every chat so you can watch them later just by visiting the Illustrator forums on ReneePearson.com. You can even suggest topics you'd like me to cover in the forum.

These hour-long chats take place one day a month at two different times, to catch as many time zones as we can. And if you are enrolled in any of my classes, you can watch the recorded chats we've had so far this year. Here are some of the topics I've covered:

January: Repeat Patterns in Illustrator

February: Layers Panel 101, 102, Distributing Objects, An ocean wave background with the Blend Tool, Laying out business cards in Illustrator for one-sheet printing with crop marks and bleed.

March: Drawing and tracing in AI using photo reference. Creating shapes with the Pen Tool and Brush Tool.

Visit ReneePearson.com for more information on my Illustrator classes, or visit my Illustrator class page on this blog. We have a growing community of Adobe Illustrator enthusiasts to keep you inspired and engaged in the learning process, and we'd love to have you join us!

Watch Laura's March Adobe Illustrator Chats

If you are a student enrolled in any Laura Coyle Adobe Illustrator class on ReneePearson.com, you have access to my recorded Illustrator demonstrations. Just click this link to the Illustrator Forum and log in to watch the recordings. The March demonstration consists of two, one-hour segments on drawing and building an illustration from scratch using photo reference and an assortment of AI tools and techniques.

These monthly chats are an added benefit of enrolling in any of my Online Illustrator Classes. All classes include lifetime access to all course content, the Illustrator Forum and our monthly chats. Classes start at just $20, so it's inexpensive to try one out and see if my teaching style works for you. I also have many free tutorials available on my Coyleart YouTube Channel.

Chat with Laura Coyle Wednesday!

All Adobe Illustrator students (current and former) are invited to an Illustrator chat with me Wednesday, March 14th at 2pm and 9 pm EST. My demonstration will be about drawing from scratch in Illustrator. I'll be using photo reference and talking about working with different drawing tools, layers and discussing my workflow. I hope you’ll join me for one or both of the chats, but if you can't make it, you can watch the recorded versions in the ReneePearson.com Illustrator Forums.