OPEN THOUGHT...OPEN EXPRESSION

Hi, I'm Nicki, Digital Artist. Come in, poke around and most of all get a little inspired about how wonderful digital art—in it's many forms— can be.
» Please send responses and questions to ideas[at]nickihart.com
» View my complete portfolio at nickihart.com

A Sampling of My Artwork...


I’ve been waiting for new and improved features to Gmail for awhile now. I use Gmail as my main email hub and pour about 5 different email accounts into it so I only have one program to login to. It’s easy, it’s fast and it’s a huge time saver! So what’s next for the mega email client?

Priority Inboxes
Priority Inboxes. It’s a simple way to break out of the mountain of email you get everyday and take care of the most important email first and then shove all the rest aside for a more appropriate time. No more wading through tons and tons of emails or working from the time sent up.

Tackle the email you need to get to now and put a hold on the ones you have a bit more time to think about. Gmail automatically determines what’s a priority over other email based on your reading and replying methods. If Gmail messes up, you can label your own emails according to your rating system using handy plus and minus buttons. Pretty slick.

Catchy Promo
Google has released the above video to advertise the new feature. I have to say that I love companies that launchcreative videos to share their products with the world. Who knew filtering inboxes could be so fun?

Look for this new feature in a Gmail inbox near you in the coming week.

Caption this…

Photo taken by me: Copyright 2010 | Digital Hart Studios

Caption this…

Photo taken by me: Copyright 2010 | Digital Hart Studios

Finding hidden treasures in your own town is a very rewarding thing about photography! I didn’t even know this little section of lovely was only about 15 minutes from my home. The point is to get out and explore. You never know what you might find. Once you get to your destination be sure to walk around. Photo opportunities lie in every corner from macros of wild flowers to old bridges. 

Keep your mind open, and you may discover more about the town you call home and really spruce up your photography portfolio at the same time.

Photo taken by me: Copyright 2010 | Digital Hart Studios

Finding hidden treasures in your own town is a very rewarding thing about photography! I didn’t even know this little section of lovely was only about 15 minutes from my home. The point is to get out and explore. You never know what you might find. Once you get to your destination be sure to walk around. Photo opportunities lie in every corner from macros of wild flowers to old bridges.

Keep your mind open, and you may discover more about the town you call home and really spruce up your photography portfolio at the same time.

Photo taken by me: Copyright 2010 | Digital Hart Studios

Design Like a Pro now on Facebook!

For those of you watching my tutorials, they are evolving! I have launched a Facebook page to host episodes, answer questions and share more in depth talks about design. Head on over to watch my new web show unfold…

(Oh, and give it a “like” while you are there too please!)

AEJMC 2010 Conference attendees placed their votes for the new AEJMC logo this weekend. My logo design is the first one in this video.

Composing for Characters

The filmmakers behind “Up” discuss the making of the score.

This is an amazing look at how important a score is to the success of telling the story. Back when I was animating, I always thought of the music first. I would play diffrent songs and the possible stories would start flowing. Without music, the mood, theme, etc. is very hard to convey. It can be done, but why tell a story without accompanying music? Who would want to live life without music? Which leads me to wish that we all wallked around with our own score to DJ our life. How would yours play out?

I was in the mood to create something a bit patriotic for the 4th of July holiday that still followed my abstract art style. It turned out a bit impressionistic but it was fun to just paint and see what happens. Fireworks were the inspiration behind the abstract, and as always, light was a major factor as well.

Enjoy and Happy 4th of July!

I was in the mood to create something a bit patriotic for the 4th of July holiday that still followed my abstract art style. It turned out a bit impressionistic but it was fun to just paint and see what happens. Fireworks were the inspiration behind the abstract, and as always, light was a major factor as well.

Enjoy and Happy 4th of July!

This is a PSA for the Big Kids Care Charity event project I’ve been working on. It shares a very important message for kids and big kids everywhere.

About Big Kids Care:
Big Kids Care PSA for the charity event being held on July 21, 2010 at the XAI Verandah Lounge in Los Angeles California. To reserve tickets go to www.bigkidscare.org. All proceeds will benefit the SBC P.R.I.M.E Organization (501c3). Brought to you by ARC Talent Management. Directed by Dallas King of Onyx Entertainment. Featuring Patrick Gallagher, Brittany Flickinger, Gabreon Womack, Helenna Santos, Ariel Teal Toombs, James Giordano, Paul Butler, Madisen Hill, Kristen Ruhlin, Rene Cadet, Nadjah Dabney, Scott Vinci, Nya Womack, Amy Scruggs, and Invinceable.

Don’t fear technology. It can be turned off!

New products (shirts, hoodies, t-shirts, messenger bags and laptop cases) are now available with a fun tech quote! Share a bit of geeky wisdom aimed at those who might not be comfortable around technology. Reassure them in style. Most products are under $20.

» Start shopping…

Don’t fear technology. It can be turned off!

New products (shirts, hoodies, t-shirts, messenger bags and laptop cases) are now available with a fun tech quote! Share a bit of geeky wisdom aimed at those who might not be comfortable around technology. Reassure them in style. Most products are under $20.

» Start shopping…

“Aurora” combines some of my old styles with some new painting techniques. I’m focusing on textures with my newer abstracts. I still start with a base photograph and work from there to create the finished piece.

“Aurora” combines some of my old styles with some new painting techniques. I’m focusing on textures with my newer abstracts. I still start with a base photograph and work from there to create the finished piece.