Photoshop Artist Research

 I have been tasked with researching artists who use photoshop. I didn't have to look too terribly hard because as it turns out, I've been doing "artist research" on deviantart.com since the internet was invented! Deviant Art has been a huge source of inspiration for me since I was but a wee lad. Just seeing all the different artists and the things they were doing always drove me to want to be able to do what they were doing with my own work. Photoshop has always seemed so inaccessible to me because the interface is a tad bit intimidating and there's so much you can do with it that I didn't even know where to start! As for Illustrator, I didn't even know such  dream existed! So, here goes. These are some of the photoshop artists I've been following since the dawn of the interwebs...

Kandoken 

Gallery Link

Kandoken has been a huge inspiration to me because of his vivid use of color and his strong line work. Also, a lot of his material is video game/cartoon/comic-related

CHAMBA

Gallery Link

Chamba has always been a big influence on me because of his crazy foreshortening (not really evidenced much here) and his crazy ability to use color (and photoshop!) so well. Also, he does video game fan art. That's pretty much a pre-requisite for this list…

Darren Geers

Gallery Link

This is an artist that I've only recently discovered but his skill and efficiency in photoshop are just as admirable as those who came before him. Also, video games…

Kizer

Gallery Link

Kizer layers his colors and values in a very loose but cohesive way. He has a very concise painterly technique that adds a certain energy to his art that is difficult to attain without getting to messy. In some ways his work is more of the same stuff (comics/cartoons/video games) done in his own style. 

Junon

Gallery Link

This guy's pretty good even though he's also relatively new to the scene so-to-speak. I particularly enjoy his ability to depict believably immersive environments as well as his playful use of color. 

FONT-TASTIC INFOGRAPHICS

Why, hello there!! Where in the dickens are my manners? Allow me to introduce you to my friends font and typography. Typography is basically the arrangement of letters on a page (duh, ya big dummy!) and font is the way or style the letters are written in. Today we will be studying infographics, visual images such as charts or diagrams used to represent information or data, and how they are successfully organized and arranged in order to best convey whatever message we need to get across to our reader while still maintaining legibility.

Example 1

Here we have a very simple, efficient infographic which gives you the basic idea of what an infographic is and how it works. Basically it's a combination pictures and type which convey whatever information.

Example 2

In this example, we see a lot more information being crammed into one area. Some portions of its composition are effective while it seems to get a bit jumbled and busy at the same time. The breakup of the different bodies of text helps the viewer's eye to divide the text into separate groups of information. The pictures relate to the bodies of text that they are placed next to and the words they're relating to are often large and exaggerated in order for the viewer to better identify and separate the information.

Example 3

This example is better organized and is connected by one big illustration to cohesively unify all of the text into the infographic's main idea instead of a bunch of different images relating to each body of text.

Example 4

In this hilariously entertaining example we have a game review (of a game that you play through and win by only pressing the space bar) that has moving text that illustrates the words being spoken. The text is very well-organized and is presented in a way that is both entertaining and clear.

Example 5

Here is a compilation of examples of animated infographics that are effective in delivering their respective messages and also maintain and hold the viewer's attention.

Okokokokok, so I won't say much more on the matter because just typing about all this type is typically  mind-numbing, especially to those who have to read it all: @_____@  <----type face (OOOOOOooooohhhh….!) But, you get the general idea; Be entertaining. Keep your text organized and be clear about your message. kthxbai