#HTE

About three years ago, a naked, hairless humanoid told us that it was okay to look at its butt. The internet obliged. The mesmerizing short animation Hi Stranger quickly amassed millions of views and was even featured on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The film’s soothing message that “everything was going to be okay” was a perfect antidote to the stress many were feeling in early 2017.

The film came from the mind of artist Kirsten Lepore, a stop-motion animator who has a knack for tapping into the psyche of the moment. Her animations are tender, captivating, and reassuring and seem to appear when things are looking particularly bleak. Her latest short film Natural History Museum presents a hopeful look into the distant future, a…

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#HTE

Clip Studio Paint, the industry-standard software for manga artists, is now available on the iPhone. Unlike the iPad version, which is just an identical clone of the desktop app ported over for the tablet, the iPhone app is optimized for smaller screens. It features cloud integration so that work on the iPhone will also sync with files on the desktop and iPad versions. There’s no word yet on when an Android version will arrive.

Celsys, the makers of Clip Studio Paint, is clear to point out that “unlike the app versions of many popular desktop software kits, Clip Studio Paint for the iPhone offers all of the features and functionality of the desktop original in a mobile package, without the usual mobile compromises.” That may be a jab at…

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#HTE

Clip Studio Paint, the industry-standard software for manga artists, is now available on the iPhone. Unlike the iPad version, which is just an identical clone of the desktop app ported over for the tablet, the iPhone app is optimized for smaller screens. It features cloud integration so that work on the iPhone will also sync with files on the desktop and iPad versions. There’s no word yet on when an Android version will arrive.

Celsys, the makers of Clip Studio Paint, is clear to point out that “unlike the app versions of many popular desktop software kits, Clip Studio Paint for the iPhone offers all of the features and functionality of the desktop original in a mobile package, without the usual mobile compromises.” That may be a jab at…

Continue reading…

#HTE

If you were told to draw a video game controller, what would it look like? Odds are, you’d scribble a rectangle with two downward wings for your palms to grip, a D-pad, four face buttons, shoulder triggers, and a pair of thumbsticks. In other words, you’d draw a PlayStation controller. Sony didn’t invent the controller, but it did essentially invent modern controller design, shaping the look and ergonomics of how we’ve interacted with games for over two decades.

There’s plenty of credit to award when it comes to video game controller design. Nintendo pioneered the core button layout with the SNES (D-pad on one side, face buttons on the other), and both Nintendo and Sega beat Sony to shipping an analog thumbstick for their consoles. But…

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#HTE

If you were told to draw a video game controller, what would it look like? Odds are, you’d scribble a rectangle with two downward wings for your palms to grip, a D-pad, four face buttons, shoulder triggers, and a pair of thumbsticks. In other words, you’d draw a PlayStation controller. Sony didn’t invent the controller, but it did essentially invent modern controller design, shaping the look and ergonomics of how we’ve interacted with games for over two decades.

There’s plenty of credit to award when it comes to video game controller design. Nintendo pioneered the core button layout with the SNES (D-pad on one side, face buttons on the other), and both Nintendo and Sega beat Sony to shipping an analog thumbstick for their consoles. But…

Continue reading…

#HTE

Dayton-raised artist Keith Rankin has an eye for the surreal and an ear for the avant garde. He puts these to good use not only in his professional illustration practice, but also as the co-founder of Orange Milk Records, where he scouts new talent, art directs album packages, and also releases his own music.

Rankin knew he would never have a regular job. He was obsessed with drawing and fantasy stories as a child, and in his teens, music too. He was also a terrible student, dropping out a year into high school and later struggling to finish some college courses. It wasn’t until he started the record label that he would begin to really hone his skill an an illustrator and settle into his style, which I can only describe as nostalgic…

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#HTE

Dayton-raised artist Keith Rankin has an eye for the surreal and an ear for the avant garde. He puts these to good use not only in his professional illustration practice, but also as the co-founder of Orange Milk Records, where he scouts new talent, art directs album packages, and also releases his own music.

Rankin knew he would never have a regular job. He was obsessed with drawing and fantasy stories as a child, and in his teens, music too. He was also a terrible student, dropping out a year into high school and later struggling to finish some college courses. It wasn’t until he started the record label that he would begin to really hone his skill an an illustrator and settle into his style, which I can only describe as nostalgic…

Continue reading…

#HTE

Famed designer Jony Ive has disappeared from Apple’s Leadership page, signaling an end to his time in Cupertino. Ive joined Apple in 1992 and led the design team from 1996.

Jony Ive’s last day at Apple was always a bit of a mystery. The press release announcing his departure only said that it would occur “later this year.” Some would say Ive checked out of Apple product design a long time ago after becoming distracted by the design and construction of the company’s new spaceship headquarters.

Apple will be a client of Ive’s new design company, LoveFrom, which the designer started in collaboration…

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#HTE

Famed designer Jony Ive has disappeared from Apple’s Leadership page, signaling an end to his time in Cupertino. Ive joined Apple in 1992 and led the design team from 1996.

Jony Ive’s last day at Apple was always a bit of a mystery. The press release announcing his departure only said that it would occur “later this year.” Some would say Ive checked out of Apple product design a long time ago after becoming distracted by the design and construction of the company’s new spaceship headquarters.

Apple will be a client of Ive’s new design company, LoveFrom, which the designer started in collaboration…

Continue reading…

#HTE

When Instagram opened up its platform this August for anyone to create face filters, it sent a wave of creators to download Spark AR, Facebook’s software for building augmented reality effects. It’s user-friendly enough that beginners can create simple effects pretty quickly, but it’s also powerful enough for artists like Ommy Akhe to create world effects like AR designer rugs, dancing Bearbricks, and digital tarot cards.

I first saw Akhe’s work in the Spark AR Community group on Facebook, a place for users to show off their latest filters and share tips. The London-based creator’s filters push the limits of what Instagram Stories are capable of, elevating AR lenses to an art form. She’s created dozens of filters that are not only…

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