{Digital Art Blog}

One of the many joys of being an artist is the ability to tackle...

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 21:37:16 -0700

One of the many joys of being an artist is the ability to tackle many art forms. I am a designer, photographer and a musician. A lot of my personal art (art I create for myself) is abstract in nature. This is a sweet release from the corporate imagery I work to create everyday. While personal projects are easily put on hold in order to finish up client work, I’m making a true effort to complete a couple personal projects this year.

I’ve posted a couple piano jams on my blog and I’m excited to announce that I plan to expand these jams into a full album in 2012. My abstract piano jams are completely improvised and never repeated. Some melodies and notes make repeat appearances, but I enjoy sitting in front of my piano and playing whatever flows. The next step is to record these abstract jams.

For a musician that means time in the studio recording your tunes. For a graphic designer that means designing an album cover. For me, that means doing both of those things, YIKES! I’m ready for the challenge and can’t wait to share my progress. Check back for updates as I venture into album production.

Use Transparent PNGs In Your Print Projects

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 07:17:08 -0700

Use Transparent PNGs In Your Print Projects

I love photography that’s simple therefore, I am drawn to only...

Sun, 18 Dec 2011 22:02:59 -0700

I love photography that’s simple therefore, I am drawn to only using one light. This weekend I took a couple friends a blue light gel and my Nikon SB700 speedlight on a photographic adventure. The results were more than expected with an added punch to my urban photographs.

The simpleness of one light photography makes it an outdoor photographer’s dream. The equipment is minimal yet you can achieve dramatic results. The above photos were all shot with one SB700 covered in a blue gel set to the left and the sunlight. The set up can’t get much easier unless you only use ambient sunlight.

Adding colored gels to your speedlights really add drama to any photograph. They mimic stage lighting used for theater productions. For this dance photography lover, it doesn’t get much better than reproducing theater shots outdoors! By placing the colored speedlight to the left of the subject and using the ambient sunlight on the right, you get a balanced photograph that isn’t too blue. You can also move from high key to just a rim light effect when you adjust your shutterspeed and aperture accordingly. You can also vary the distance between the light and your subject to deepen or lessen the intensity of the blue light.

I would highly encourage any new photographers to master one light before moving onto others. You’ll be surprised how much easier it is to carry around one set of lights and get amazing effects. Once you’ve mastered this technique you can add more lights to your kit, but it’s definitely not mandatory!

Share your one light photography uses or tips in the comments and keep shooting!

The Logical Creative

Sun, 18 Dec 2011 02:28:19 -0700

The Logical Creative

I’ve been super busy in Photoshop over the last few weeks...

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 22:54:23 -0700

I’ve been super busy in Photoshop over the last few weeks creating fairy tale lands for an upcoming project in 2012! Most of you know my artwork is mostly abstracts mixed with a little photography here and there. This is the first project where I literally dived head first into photo composition thus, unleashing completely new Photoshop powers.

While challenging, this has been a very rewarding and fun project. As artists, we should always try to evolve our skills and sometimes that means stepping outside of our normal routine. I’ll share more fairy tale photos soon.

3 Ways to Create Movement in your Designs

Sat, 22 Oct 2011 23:22:41 -0600

3 Ways to Create Movement in your Designs

Festivals in the Fall (Taken with instagram)

Sat, 24 Sep 2011 20:43:11 -0600

Festivals in the Fall (Taken with instagram)

Balloons! (Taken with instagram)

Sun, 04 Sep 2011 23:59:43 -0600

Balloons! (Taken with instagram)

‎{ART BREAK} This paper artist is nothing short of AMAZING!...

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 22:12:04 -0600

‎{ART BREAK} This paper artist is nothing short of AMAZING! Brittney Lee’s work is all paper cut outs and the detail work is so elaborate. I can’t look away they are too cool.

LOL! Well at the least the rhino is still pleased with his work!

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 21:52:49 -0600

LOL! Well at the least the rhino is still pleased with his work!

Check out the progression of this abstract in four steps on...

Sun, 28 Aug 2011 20:16:08 -0600

Check out the progression of this abstract in four steps on nickihart.com

Episode Secrets

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 06:07:29 -0600

Episode Secrets

After taking a short vacation deep in the seclusion of the...

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 17:55:00 -0600

After taking a short vacation deep in the seclusion of the mountains, I came back with some new photos! Sometimes a relaxing jaunt in the woods is all it takes to get the creative juices flowing.

Country roads! (Taken with instagram)

Sat, 23 Jul 2011 11:02:03 -0600

Country roads! (Taken with instagram)

{Art Break} Pixar’s Brave

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 01:27:37 -0600

{Art Break} Pixar’s Brave

For over a year I’ve been playing a stream of conscience...

Sun, 01 May 2011 02:31:00 -0600

For over a year I’ve been playing a stream of conscience like melody on the piano. There are no written notes and each time I play, the tune varies slightly from the last time I played it. I play what ever comes to mind and whatever my ear picks up as wonderful sounding key combinations.

The best part about this type of piano playing is how it clears my mind and eases away the daily stresses. My artwork has always been about abstraction to distract from the corporate imagery I work to create on a daily basis. This piano tune is the same only through music instead of visual arts.

Enjoy a short minute preview of my piano tune as it streamed from me to the piano keys.

Exotic Adventures and Samba Beats Spice up Rio

Sun, 17 Apr 2011 08:38:46 -0600

Exotic Adventures and Samba Beats Spice up Rio

5 Tips for Designing a Feature Article

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 18:59:09 -0600

5 Tips for Designing a Feature Article

Source of Awesome...

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 21:48:31 -0700

While looking up song loops for future vids, I fell in love with the titles: Whimsically Lonely,...

Part 2 of magazine design is all about decisions and figuring...

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 21:44:57 -0700

Part 2 of magazine design is all about decisions and figuring out how to use your cover image to draw readers into your content through the use of headlines and subtext. Understand hierarchy of font sizes, styles and colors to create an eye-catching magazine cover that gets readers to dive inside for more. Learn some insider tricks as well as solutions to common problems in placing your headlines and subtext.

*Note this tutorial assumes you have basic knowledge of Photoshop layers and the text tool.