Explore each of the ARTISTkarin Galleries…

~ Oil Painting Gallery
~ Website Design Gallery
~ Article Gallery

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Have Your Custom Logo, Header, Banner, or Button Created

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A FREE download of  GIMP is available by clicking here:

GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program)

is a photo editing, free-form-painting, logo and website creator, as well as a graphics software program; and it’s FREE & ‘open-source’.

Some of the photo editing features of GIMP include:

• Resizing & cropping
• Digital retouching
• Photo Enhancement
• Allows remote loading of Transparent Virtual File Systems, from remote locations using FTP / HTTP
• Coverts images to various formats ‘jpeg, gif, png, tiff, eps’
• Saves images with archive extensions ‘zip, BZ2, GZ’ (automatic file compression w/ transparency for saving disk space)
• Creates animated images using ‘gif’ format
• Online batch processing system
• Easy to use, with extensive tutorial support

Gimp Edited Photos

are easily edited with an organized drop-down categorized menu system. With it’s extensive features GIMP gives you the versatility to enhance your images using a variety of methods such as adding borders, scaling images, image manipulation, creating layers, adding text, as well as rendering professional website graphics for individuals as well as web designers. Artists & graphic designers will find a multitude of options related to altering & enhancing color elements & image effects.

GIMP is continually under development in order to make it compatable with the latest computer technology & newest devices such as digital tablets, and GIMP offers support for the use & implementation of features and device actions; such as MIDI controller sliders & rotating USB wheels, size, angle, or brush opacity can be changed while you work, which can aid in decreasing work-times. You can also bind scripts to buttons, using the advanced GIMP scripting interface; which allows scripting of the simplest to the more complex image manipulations.

GIMP Edited Photos : Color   

Color is one of the key elements in web design, from colorizing, saturating or desaturating colors, altering color hue, blending, adding default or custom gradients & 3-D effects, to creating & changing backgrounds or text elements.

GIMP offers many tools to aid web web designers & developers in maximizing a website’s graphic elements. Features such as an ‘eye-dropper’tool which converts a selected color in an image to a web-safe hexidecimal color codes to insure color accuracy & consistency in a design on different web browsers, many of these features allow you to create custom gradients for backgrounds or other visual elements.

GIMP Edited Photos:  Color Selection Tools

• Palettes
• Eye Dropper Tool (which allows you to select a color from an open project you are working on)
• Watercolor Selector
• Color-Wheel Selector
• Color choosers such as:
• Hexadecimal Color Codes (HTML friendly),  (Examples:  #000000 = black; #ffffff  = white; #3366FF = blue. Codes are always “#” + six number &/or letter combinations).

• RGB/HSV Color Models:

    (RGB – red, green, and blue light added together to reproduce a broad array of colors)

      (HSV – based on the three properties that a color possesses: Hue, Saturation and Value)

• Color Blending Tool: fills selected areas wof your design with a gradient, which is a blend consisting of the foreground/background colors.
• Color Gradients (customizable to allow you to create custom gradients)
• Image Creation Tools Include:
• Paintbrush (allows you to choose the type & size of ‘brush’)
• Pencil / Ink
• Eraser
• Airbrush
• Bucket Fill (allows you to fill large areas with a selected color)
• Transparency (allows you to place an image on a different background)
• Smudge Tool (allows you to drag exisiting colors into one another)
• Other tools are included to allow you to: Saturate / Desaturate the colors of an image, colorize an entire image.

GIMP Edited Photos   Shape Creation & Manipulation

is achieved with the use of other Selection Tools, such as:

• Shape Selection Tools: Come in a variety of shapes, such as: rectangular, circular, free-select: for irregular-shaped objects, & fuzzy select)
• Transform Tools allow you to: Move, rotate, scale (resize entire images), change the perspective, flip (horizontally/vertically), sharpen (sharpen or blur areas of an image) & cropping (which allows you to choose the part of the image you want to save).
• Filter Tools: Various effects called ‘filters’ can be applied to your image to: enhance elements such as: “Artistic” (elements like watercolor, impressionistic, artist ‘canvas’, etc. ‘Decor’ styles such as: ‘old photo’, You can also make the edges of the border around an image fuzzy or add a ‘drop-shadow’ to give it a finished look. or you can even add a coffee stain to your image for a whimsical look.
• Layering Tools: Allow you to work on different elements of your design & add them to your design in the order you want.
• Clone Tool: By using the current brush to copy from an image or pattern you can repair undesirable or damaged areas in a digital photo, by painting over it with colors & tones from other part. Other uses of cloning are to draw patterned lines or curves. Perspective can been addressed, using a special ‘perspective clone tool’.
• Healing Tool: Is similar to the clone tool, however it also corrects color & tone if needed.
• Dodge & Burn Tool: Makes specifically targeted areas lighter or darker.

“Maliseet Child”

Example of a logo created with graphic design software.

One of the essential components of  using  website & logo graphic art design…

is the use of visual elements to create an impression to express an idea.  Using graphic art to ‘communicate’  the essence of a certain type of business, product, or service, being offered; makes the all-important 1st impression’ that someone will have whenever they view a website.   Other than the content you are providing for them; the way in which a website appears, can determine whether they continue to browse the site.  Understanding the power of how people perceive images & aspects of style, and including elements that visually convey this; is crucial to drawing people to your site.

Basically, you need visitors to notice your graphic art design… by having it stand out from all the others by being unique.

Colors used in your background or headers;  the aspects of style;  such as the size & the type of  font you use,  as well as images like  graphic art  photos & logos;  all contribute to the perception someone will have of what is being offered.

For example a website that is selling childrens’  toys, would want to have elements that express how most people view childhood… i.e. choosing colors & fonts that are bright & fun to convey a feeling that is related to that perception.  In contrast;  someone looking to find a website to obtain a lawyer’s services, would be looking for a completely different style;  one that conveys trust,  accuracy & professionalism;  & you would choose graphic art  style elements to include on your website… ones that portray a style that speaks to those aspects.

Website & Logo graphic art design software programs…

use many different tools to achieve the style you are looking to project.  One such graphic art program that offers  a multitude of graphic design options, is ‘GIMP’, (GNU Image Manipulation Program).  By following this link, you can find out more information about GIMP & you will also find a FREE download of this software program.

Below is a screenshot of a graphic art  design software program.

By using the graphic art  design software programs & tools available to them… web designers & developers are conveying a message visually…using today’s digital software to create appealing, exciting & functional websites.

Oil Painting  ~  “Garden Wedding”

For Sale Unframed ~ 16″ x 20″

Click here to view other paintings available for purchase by ARTISTkarin