Create your own fonts – Fontself Review
How to create your own fonts?
Have you ever wondered how fonts are created? Well, creating your own unique typeface is actually a lot easier than think. In this article we’ll take a look at Fontself, which is an available extension for Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop. This extension is all you really need to get started on creating your own fonts!
What do you need?
First, you’ll need the following tools:
- Adobe Illustrator CC or Adobe Photoshop CC
- The Fontself extension.
- There are two versions: Fontself for Illustrator and and Fontself for Photoshop. The Photoshop version is no longer available as a stand-alone version, but you can still purchase the BUNDLE that contains both versions: Fontself for Photoshop AND Illustrator at a discounted price.
- Optional: Pencil, Paper and Scanner
- A little bit patience while you familiarise yourself with the process
How does it work?
If you prefer, you can sketch all the desired characters, numbers, symbols and special characters of your font onto a piece of paper. You can then scan your sketches onto Illustrator in order to digitize your font.
Alternatively, you can begin designing your font and all its characters in Illustrator or Photoshop right away. Fontself comes with an easy, adjustable template that you can use for guidance. It allows you to adjust the ascender height, cap height, median, baseline and descender height – all variables that will contribute to the uniqueness of your font.
Once you have designed your individual characters, the actual font-making process starts. In order to put your font to use, you’ll need to create either an OTF (OpenType) font file or a TTF (TrueType) font file. This is where Fontself comes in – using Fontself you can turn each design into a digitized, usable, unique font character.
How does it work? Well, once you’ve created all the characters necessary (for example: “a to z” or “A to Z” or “0 to 9”), you drag them into the Fontself Extension. Fontself then connects each character to the corresponding keystroke. Just ensure that each individual character is grouped. You can also drag and drop individual characters if you have made any adjustments.
Is that all?
Not at all! Fontself offers a number of other features needed to create a final font. Of course you could just save your font to OTF and start typing, but it’s likely your font will need to undergo additional kerning before it’s complete.
Kerning
Kerning is the process of adjusting the spacing between characters in a proportional font, usually to achieve a visually pleasing result. This process is relatively simple with the help of Fontself!
Ligatures
In typography, a ligature is a combination of two or more letters combined into a single symbol. In Fontself, it’s very easy to create one or more ligatures. Although you aren’t able to combine separate letters, you can combine multiple characters as well as words to a ligature. This serves as a great way to enrich your font.
Alternates
Alternates are variations on characters. Using alternative glyphs, you can add a unique touch to your designs. What are glyphs? Glyph palettes are often added to large software packages. The word ‘glyph’ essentially refers to all the available characters in a font, including letters, numbers and all the special characters.
Extra features
One of Fontself’s best features is the ability to create colored fonts!
We love the way Fontself works – it’s easy, feels natural and serves as a one-stop-shop for everything you’ll need to get started on creating your own font.
Check out Fontself here:
Print on Demand earnings calculator
How much can YOU earn with Print on Demand?
Have you ever wondered how much money you could make by selling your designs with print on demand (POD)? Or whether selling your designs with POD can generate an adequate passive income for you?
The simple answer is yes, you can earn a lot! You can calculate the potential earnings of selling your designs via POD using this print on demand earnings calculator that we’ve built for you.
Print on Demand earnings calculator
We created the earnings calculator for POD to provide you with an easy to use tool, to help you get insights on how much you need to sell, and how much you should charge to create a certain amount of income each month.
Print on demand earnings table
This print on demand earnings table gives you a calculated example of earnings when you assume your income per sold design (or earnings per product) is $4. Selling one item a day already makes you $1460 a year, with 5 items a day generating almost $7500 a year!
Do you want to learn more about earning money by selling your designs via Print on Demand? Read our article How to Design and Sell your own Apparel Online and learn how to sell your own designs easily!
| Sale per | Income per | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day | Month | Year | Day | Month | Year |
| 1 | 30 | 365 | $ 4 | $ 120 | $ 1.460 |
| 5 | 150 | 1.825 | $ 20 | $ 600 | $ 7.300 |
| 10 | 300 | 3.650 | $ 40 | $ 1.200 | $ 14.600 |
| 20 | 600 | 7.300 | $ 80 | $ 2.400 | $ 29.200 |
| 30 | 900 | 10.950 | $ 120 | $ 3.600 | $ 43.800 |
| 50 | 1.500 | 18.250 | $ 200 | $ 6.000 | $ 73.000 |
| 75 | 2.250 | 27.375 | $ 300 | $ 9.000 | $ 109.500 |
| 100 | 3.000 | 36.500 | $ 400 | $ 12.000 | $ 146.000 |
| 150 | 4.500 | 54.750 | $ 600 | $ 18.000 | $ 219.000 |
Articles about Print on Demand
Make sure to read our articles to help you start or get traction with Print on Demand:
- How to start with Print on Demand is our latest article discussing all the steps you need to follow to start with POD.
- Just getting started with Print on Demand and want to take your first steps in creating your own merch empire? Read our article about how to design and sell your own apparel online.
- If you feel like you are getting stuck, then you can read more on how to make your print on demand business a success.
- Tired designing your own Merch Designs? Step up your Print on Demand game and check out our where to get high quality t-shirt designs for Print on Demand. We cover everything, from stock images, to t-shirt bundles to hiring your own private designer.
- Want to hire a designer to create professional t-shirt designs? Make sure to read our guide where we explain everything you need to know about how to hire a freelancer for your project or business.
- Knowledge is Power. This is where the Heidorn Report comes in. Learn about niche selection, discovering trends, trend analysis, keywords and much, much more. Read our Heidorn Report Review and learn why we are so excited about them.
- Learn! Make sure to check out our article about the top rated Print on Demand Courses where you can expand your knowledge like a boss.
Finally, you can check our full catalog of Print on Demand articles available.
How to add animated snow to a photo
Adding animated snow to a still image can be a great way to add a festive touch to your visuals this holiday season. Incorporating simple animations into a still image can help give your design a more playful, dynamic feel that will help capture the attention of viewers. In other words, it’s an eye-catcher that will always catch more attention than a still image. It can help bring a photograph to life and elevate its impact.
Imagine sending your loved ones an animated photo for Christmas, or that you use it to create an eye-catching product promotion for the Holidays.
Whether you’re a professional designer looking to add a creative touch to your work or a hobbyist looking to spruce up your holiday photos, this blog post will guide you through the process of adding animated snow to a still image. In this tutorial we’ll explain a few ways how you can achieve this.
You will be adding snow to your images soon, keep reading!
Add snow using PhotoVibrance
PhotoVibrance from Vidello is an innovative video editing tool that helps creators like you to take their projects to the next level. It is designed to make professional-looking videos with ease and simplicity, even if you have no prior experience in video editing.
PhotoVibrance makes it easy for everyone to transform static images into moving motion pictures that get attention. Great for driving traffic from social media!
Its powerful features allow you to quickly create videos in a matter of minutes, without the need for expensive editing equipment or software. If you want to know more, read our PhotoVibrance review or visit the product page.
In the tutorial below we show you exactly how we have created the snow falling image using PhotoVibrance.
Another image we’ve created:
Adding snow using Adobe AfterEffects
Adobe After Effects is a powerful and widely-used program for creating motion graphics, visual effects, and animations. With After Effects, you can create 2D footage layers in 3D space, composite them together, and stylize them with special effects. It is used to add elements such as animated titles and transitions to videos, special effects, online content, movies, television shows, and other media.
You can follow the steps as described in the video below where you will use the special effect (Simulation -> CC Snowfall).
In terms of complex
When it comes to user-friendliness, Adobe After Effects and PhotoVibrance offer significantly different experiences. Adobe After Effects is the industry standard for creating cinematic movie titles, intros, and other effects but can be difficult to use due to its complexity. Photo Vibrance, on the other hand, is an easy-to-use photo animation desktop software that allows you to add magic motion, advanced 3D parallax effects, 3D particles, sky replacements, and incredible visual effects with little effort. It also has a lot of creative tools that make it easier to learn than After Effects. So if you’re looking for an easy to use photo editing software that’s still powerful enough for professional work, PhotoVibrance might be the right choice for you.
Adding snow using alternative software
There are a few websites that can help you online creating an animated snow effect, but the possibilities, export quality and features are very limited.
Funny.pho.to
Funny.pho.to works super simple. You upload a file from your device, enter an URL or use a photo from Facebook and they will add an animated snow template on top of it. The results are nice for personal use.
Pixiz.com
An alternative to funny.pho.to is pixiz.com. It is even more limited and the images are only 400 x 300 pixels.
Lunapic
Last online animated snow creator we’ll mention is Lunapic. It’s similar to the other two applications. You upload a file or URL and a template will be added. You can make some adjustments in terms of scale and the amount of frames, but that’s it.
Top NFT Collectibles: What’s Trending
As of late, NFTs have made their mark within the world of cryptocurrency, specifically generating buzz around the term ‘digital collectibles’. NFTs, or ‘non-fungible tokens’ are collectible digital assets that hold value in the form of cryptocurrency. These digital assets are issued on an Ethereum blockchain.
Unlike Bitcoin, NFTs are unique and non-fungible, meaning that it can’t be exchanged like-for-like. Additionally, NFTs store an increased amount of information, elevating it above pure currency. For this reason, NFTs can be introduced to any and all spheres of trade.
With the looming pandemic, many have turned to online investments in the form of NFT collectible items. Such items can range anywhere from art to virtual cats and baseball cards.
We’ve put together a list of some of the top trending NFT collectibles available at the moment. We’ll delve into what they are, how they work and why exactly they’re trending.
What is a NFT (or Non-funginble token)
A non-fungible token (NFT) is a unique digital asset that is recorded on a blockchain. It is used to prove ownership of digital assets such as art, music, in-game items, videos and more. Unlike physical money or other fungible tokens, NFTs are not interchangeable – each one is unique and can not be replaced. They are bought and sold just like any other asset and the ownership is cryptographically stored on the blockchain. An NFT offers a secure way to verify the authenticity of an item and is becoming increasingly popular with digital collectors and investors.
For more information on non-fungible tokens and how they work, check out our Ultimate Guide to NFTs, that breaks down all you need to know about this new phenomenon.
Where to start
Getting started with NFTs can be quite complicated at first if you have no experience with cryptocurrency. If you don’t have any cryptocurrency yet then you can buy them at Binance, Bitfinex or Hotbit. The second step is to get a wallet, like Metamask, to transfer the cryptocurrency to.
Metamask is compatible with most of the NFT-sites mentioned in this article and our Ultimate Guide to NFTs article.
Once you’ve transferred the cryptocurrency to your wallet, you can connect it to for example OpenSea and start buying, or selling your first NFT artwork!
Trending NFT Collectibles
Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC)
The Bored Ape Yacht Club was created by four friends who set out to make some dope apes, test our skills, and try to build something. Something ridiculous as they say themselves. Look how that escalated, becoming one of the most wanted NFT’s on the blockchain.
BAYC is a digital collectible platform for 10,000 unique pieces of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) living on the Ethereum blockchain. As a Yacht Club Member, your Bored Ape grants you exclusive access to various benefits, including THE BATHROOM, an interactive graffiti board. Future plans for the platform include continued development of innovative features.
The most expensive Bored Ape ever sold is Bored Ape #8817, which sold for an incredible $3.4 million (819 ETH). This is the highest price ever recorded for a Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT and it was purchased by an anonymous buyer in 2022. Not far behind this record-breaking sale is Bored Ape #3749, which sold for $2.9 million (769 ETH). Other high priced Bored Apes include #4580 at $1.8 million and #8585 at $933.9k. These sales are all testament to the popularity of these collectible digital art pieces and their value to dedicated collectors across the globe.
Each Bored Ape is completely unique and programmatically generated from over 170 possible traits, including expression, headwear, clothing, and more. All apes are dope, but some are rarer than others.
CryptoKitties
You may have heard of CryptoKitties before, in relation to Bitcoin and Ether. CryptoKitties was one of the first types of NFTs when the movement began.
Just like all NFTs, CryptoKitties are unique and exist as a digital asset that is stored on a blockchain. Unlike owning cryptocurrency on a blockchain such as Ether, CryptoKitties record ownership of an individual token that a ‘kitty’ represents.
You can buy and sell the CryptoKitties, but you can also breed them yourself if you own to kitties, but you can also let your kittie breed with a public sire. Instead of selling your cat, you can also make it available to breed with someone elses kittie. You can buy, sell and breed on the website of CryptoKitties self, but you can also trade them at the huge Opensea NFC marketplace.
CryptoKitties are similar to Bitcoin in that you own a digital asset that holds value. Using something called your private key you’ll be able to assign your kitty to a new owner, if you decide to sell it.
This can be done on exchange for other NFT digital collectibles, cryptocurrency or fungible cash. For a glimpse into the value that these kitties hold, note that recently a single CryptoKitty was sold for around $110 000!
CryptoPunks
The CryptoPunks platform was first launched in June of 2017 by American Game Studio Larva Labs. Released before CryptoKitties, CryptoPunks are undoubtedly an OG of the NFT game.
Currently there are 10 000 CryptoPunk characters available, and are paired with proof of ownership via the Ethereum blockchain.
Of the CryptoPunks, other creatures are also available – including zombies, apes and aliens!
Prices of CryptoPunks are in a league of their own, with 1 alien CryptoPunk 7804 selling for around $7.5 million. It was this sale that broke NFT records, winning as the most expensive NFT ever! The original buyer of CryptoPunk 7804 purchased the collectible for around $15 000 – making an exponential profit of over $7 million.
It’s important to note that CryptoPunks have ensured they remain a rarity and will not be creating any more outside of the pre-existing 10 000. Owning a CryptoPunk is an incredible achievement – to get your hands on one you can visit Opensea, the largest platform for NFT digital collectibles.
NBA Top Shot
NBA’s Top Shot is a digital platform created by Dapper Labs in a partnership with basketball leagues.
The platform has created its own basketball trading cards that track ownership via NFTs on a Blockchain put in place by Dapper Labs. These digital card packs have become increasingly popular as users can showcase their owned cards online. The partnership has been extremely successful, with cards valuing at tens of thousands of dollars.
The service itself also allows users to both buy and sell NBA match highlights in the form of short video clips. To put the demand of these digital collectibles in perspective, recently a NBA Top Shot highlight video featuring LeBron James was sold for a whopping $208 000.
The desirability depends on a few factors. First of all the rarity level is important, because that determines the edition size per moment. Legendary packs are rare with an edition size of 50, they are also the most expensive. Rare packs are a bit cheaper as the edition size is between 250 to 300. Common cards come in large editions and are cheap to buy. Second, each card of a moment has a serial number, where serial number 1 is the most desired (consider it the first edition). The third deciding factor is the player and the moment itself.
It’s important to note that trades do rise and drop with platforms like these, however, it’s more than likely that NFT collectibles aren’t going anywhere any time soon!
Minecraft NFTs
A more recent form of digital collectibles that has been introduced to the market are Minecraft NFTs. This upcoming form of NFTs Is likely to boom in coming months as it was only just introduced in January of 2021.
The concept was launched by Microsoft and works in a way that rewards players of one of the most popular games, with NFTs that they can use inside Minecraft itself. With the acquired NFTs, players can unlock new quests on the Minecraft server and spawn Microsoft Azure heroes using the EnjinCraft plugin.
Creating a sort of interconnectedness between gaming, applications and the cryptocurrency, Minecraft NFTs allow users to unlock unique perks such as fungible tokens, Telegram/Discord benefits and protective companions to name a few.
SuperFarm
SuperFarm is the next generation NFT infrastructure, introducing a new and improved NFT farming. It’s no secret that NFT farming has been problematic in the past, with issues surrounding how it’s set up and the necessary coding. Adding continuous advancement to both decentralized and open infrastructures, SuperFarm empowers all users to easily set up their farms and create their own digital collectible ecosystem without any prior coding knowledge.
Users will also be offered a number of functionalities via SuperFarm, including NFT farming, an NFT store, NFT creation and access to The Superverse.
The Superverse carries out exclusive NFT drops on a number of the platform’s partners. If you’re able to save up the required amount of tokens, you’ll also be granted access to the Superverse NFT release.
Hashmasks
A little different to the collectibles we mentioned previously, Hashmasks is a platform that offers digital art collectibles from over 70 artists from around the world.
Originally launched by Suum Cuique Labs in Switzerland, there are currently 16 384 unique digital portraits available on the network. Each portrait has its own unique character, mask, characteristics and items.
As with all NFTs, each portrait can only be owned by one person at a time, however, Hashmasks required buyers to give the purchased portrait its own unique name. This can be done using the platforms unique token, the Name Changing Token (NCT). With a total of 1,830 NCT, users are able to rename a Hashmask on the Ethereum blockchain.
The first buyout of the artworks occurred in late January of 2021, after which they were resold at a higher price. There are a wide range of different Hashmasks, including animal masks, pixel masks and unicorn animal masks. To put the popularity of this NFT in perspective, since January of 2021, the sales of Hashmasks has reached around $45 million (27,269 ETH).
Decentraland – Virtual Land For Sale
Decentraland is a virtual world powered by the Ethereum blockchain. It allows anyone to buy, sell, and rent land in the form of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). The virtual world is made up of parcels of land that can be used to build games, projects or other forms of digital content.
The Decentraland Marketplace makes buying and selling land easy. Landowners can list their parcels for sale or rent on the marketplace, allowing other users to purchase them with MANA tokens. Landowners can also choose to charge a monthly subscription fee for renting out their parcel. This allows them to generate passive income from their holdings in the virtual world.
In addition to land parcels, Decentraland also offers wearables, emotes and name NFTs as well as various items such as weapons and tools on its marketplace which users can purchase with MANA tokens. These can be used to customize your avatar in-game or trade with other players.
Decentraland has become one of the most popular NFT collections over the past few weeks and continues to draw attention from investors looking for unique opportunities within the Web3 space. With its user-friendly interface and
Printful Review
Printful is a print on demand and fulfilment company that essentially handles printing, packaging and shipment for your print-on-demand venture. Launched in 2013, it currently operates seven fulfillment centres and partner facilities across the globe. With over 375+ K active customers and a net revenue of 208 million in 2020, the American company has earned its place as a household name in the industry with a reputation for reliability and quality.
But is Printful the right partner for you?
In this Printful review we share everything you need to know.
What Printful can do for you
Partnering with Printful allows you to outsource the labour of printing, packaging and shipping your products. As with all POD-providers, your products only get printed if an order is placed, thereby eliminating the cost and hassle of creating and storing inventory. You can sign up for free and there are no hidden fees, which means that you only pay Printful for fulfilment and shipping if a customer has bought the product.
They do not have an order minimum, allowing you to start small, but they also offer discounts on bulk orders. Printful’s fulfilment centres across Asia, America and Europe allow you to sell your products across the entire globe while reducing shipment times.
In short: If you would like to focus on the designing and marketing aspect of your POD business, outsourcing fulfilment and shipping to a well-established and experienced company like Printful may be a good way to get your Print-on-Demand-journey started.
TIP: Printful also offers you the option for storing inventory in one or more of their warehouses and other additional services, such as branded packaging, customized labels and graphic design at an additional fee.
There is also a possibility to upgrade to the Printful Pro Plan. For 49 EUR / month you get extra perks like a background removal tool and Keyword Scout.
Printful integrations
Printful is an online printing service that makes it easy for businesses to integrate their ecommerce stores with Printful and start selling custom t-shirts and other print products. It supports integration with popular ecommerce platforms such as Square, Weebly, WooCommerce, Shopify, Etsy and many others. With Printful, you can create high-quality designs for your store and have them fulfilled, packed and shipped with products with your own designs and branding. The advantage with the integration is that the products are ‘pushed’ to the store and that ‘out of stock’ notices can be displayed. On some platforms it even allows integration of product personalization and selling on social media.
This makes it a great tool for entrepreneurs looking to start their own business or expand existing ones. Additionally, Printful also offers print marketing tools for small businesses that make it easier to customize products. With all these features, Printful is the perfect choice for those looking to get started in the ecommerce world.
The most popular platforms you can integrate Printful with:
- Shopify
- Woocommerce
- Etsy
- BigCommerce
- Square
- TikTok Shop
- eBay
- Gumroad
You can find the list with all integrations here.
Services
Printful offers quote some different services. We have created a short overview of these services and the the prices at the moment of writing.
Here is a quick overview and pricelist of their services:
| PRINT ON DEMAND | Printful will charge you a fixed rate for printing your design onto a product. Their cheapest T-Shirt cost 7, 75 USD + VAT. Currently, their cheapest item is a postcard (1,30 USD + VAT per piece) while their most expensive item is a 24×6 Enhanced Matte Framed Poster, which will cost you a whopping 65,50 USD + VAT. TIP: They offer discounts on bulk orders. |
| WHITE LABELS (CUSTOM LABELS) | If you want to add your own logo to the label of your item, Printful will charge you $2.49 per label. |
| CUSTOM PACKAGING | You can also design your own packaging at $0,50 per item and add branded pack-ins. |
| INVENTORY STORAGE | The price depends on how much inventory you store, but the minimum price for storage is $25 per month |
| GRAPHIC DESIGN SERVICES | Printful’s Graphic Design services include Merchandise Design, Print File Editing, Illustration Design, Branding Design and Social Media Design. Their prices start at $5 for reformatting files and go up to more than $600 for a brand design guide |
| PHOTOGRAPHY SERVICES | Printful also offers the option of letting their team of professional photographers take pictures of your product. Price: unknown |
| VIDEO SERVICES | Need a Promo video? Printful can also shoot and/or edit your promo video material. Price: unknown |
| STORE SETUP SERVICES | If you don’t want to set-up your own store, Printful can do it for you. Price: unknown |
| PRINTFUL PLUS | For 9 USD/ month Printful offers you extra services such as a custom mockup maker, a promo planner and a background removal tool. |
| PRINTFUL PRO | For 49 USD/ month Printful offers you extra services such as embroidery design digitization, a custom mockup-maker and the possibility to choose your own shipping carrier. |
Product range
Their extensive product range includes custom printed apparel, accessories, home decor, and lifestyle products. They offer a range of designs and styles to suit all tastes, and they can customize each item with your own logo, artwork, or text. The quality of their products is second to none, and their prices are highly competitive.
If you want to sell only t-shirts, you can. If you want to add sweaters or track pants to it, you can. If you wish to expand, why not add AirPod cases, iPhone Cases and a Tote Bag to it? Anything is possible to grow your brand and expand your business.
Pricing
Printful offers a variety of pricing plans to fit the needs of any business. The Free plan allows you to use all the basic functionality of the platform.
Printful Plus is $9 per month plan is slightly more expensive, but gives you access to the custom mockup maker, a promo planner and a background removal tool.
Printful Pro is their most comprehensive plan and costs $49 per month, giving you free digitization of all embroidery designs, a keyword scout tool for Etsy, access carrier-based shipping and more. Their prices are competitive and their order process is straightforward, making them an excellent choice for creating customized print-on-demand products for your business.
specs
Free plan
specs
✔ Customize 439 products✔ Integrate with 28 ecommerce platforms
✔ Create product templates
✔ Create designs in the Design Maker
✔ Download mockups and print files
✔ Use 16500+ clipart images
Prinful Plus
specs
✔ Customize 439 products✔ Integrate with 20+ ecommerce platforms
✔ Create product templates
✔ Create designs in the Design Maker
✔ Download mockups and print files
✔ Use 2400+ clipart images
✔ Create custom product mockups
✔ Remove image backgrounds
✔ Create marketing promos
Prinful Pro
specs
✔ Customize 439 products✔ Integrate with 28 ecommerce platforms
✔ Create product templates
✔ Create designs in the Design Maker
✔ Download mockups and print files
✔ Use 16500+ clipart images
✔ 480+ exclusive clipart images
✔ Promo Maker
✔ Keyword Scout for Etsy
✔ Custom Mockup Maker
✔ Background Removal Tool
✔ Premium Images at no extra cost
✔ Embroidery files digitized for free
✔ Carrier-Based Shipping option
Processing and shipment times
It takes Printful between 2 and 7 business days to print and package your product, but most of their orders are fulfilled within 3-5 days.
In addition to the fulfilment time, it takes Printful a minimum of 2 business days to ship your product to its customer. Their shipment times depend on the country you are sending the shipment to.
For example: It takes only 2-5 days for them to ship your product to Estonia, France or Spain, while it takes up to 25 days to ship to Vatican city. This means that it will take a minimum of 4 days and a maximum of 32 days for your customer to get your product.
You can learn more about the processing and shipping times here.
What do we think of Printful
EASE OF USE:
5 / 5 STARS
The process of setting up and syncing Printful with our online store was very straightforward and easy. You can customize your product, set your prices and publish it with only a few clicks and an easy drag and drop-interface. Their customer-support is well-reviewed, and our experience has confirmed this: When signing up we had to answer a few questions about what we wanted to use Prinful for. Only a few hours after signing up, we received an e-mail with personalized advice and links.
PRODUCT RANGE:
4 / 5 STARS
Printful offers over 2000 different POD-products includingT-shirts, mugs, dresses, jackets, bean bags, postcards, necklaces and backpacks.
To view their full product catalogue, click here.
You can download a spreadsheet with all their products (sorted by continent) here.
PRICING:
3 / 5 STARS
Printful will charge you for the printing and packaging of your POD product, starting at around 7.95 EUROS + VAT for a T-shirt. In addition, it will charge you for the shipment of your product, starting at 3,69 EUR for the shipment of a single T-Shirt.
So, for example, if you were to let Printful handle the printing, packaging and shipping of a simple T-shirt (one of their cheapest products) within the EU, you would be charged a total of 11,64 EUR + approximately 1,60 EUR in VAT.
There are no hidden fees and you don’t have to pay to sign up for their platform, meaning that you only have to pay if you actually get an order.
For their shipping pricelist click here.
For their product pricelist, check the catalogue.
FULFILLMENT TIME AND SHIPPING TIME:
3 / 5 STARS:
It takes Printful between 2 and 7 business days to print your product and an additional 2 to 25 (!) business days to ship your product to its customer. On average it will take a week for your product to get to your customer. In the age of Amazon next day delivery long shipment times may make you less competitive. On the other hand: While the fulfilment and shipment times may be on the longer side, Printful always meets their deadlines: The internet is full of reviews stating that Printful is very reliable and doesn’t deliver late.
To see all shipment times, click here.
TIP: If long fulfilment and shipment times are a problem, you also have the option of storing a stock of best-selling products in one or more of their warehouses.
PRODUCT QUALITY:
4,5 / 5 STARS
Over the years Printful has built a reputation for offering high quality printing and materials and the internet is full of positive reviews.
Overall verdict
Pros
- If you are looking for a trusted, reliable partner that guarantees high quality printing and allows you to sell internationally, Printful may be the right choice for you: It allows you to build your POD or dropshipping business without any upfront costs and only charges you if you if you actually sell a product, thereby saving you from making expenses you can’t recoup.
As Printful does not have an order minimum, it allows you to start small but is also able to print large orders, making it a viable long-term partner for your growing business. While it is slightly more expensive than its main competitor Printify, they offer higher printing quality and are known to reliably fulfil all orders within the given timeline.
Cons
- The main disadvantage of working with Printful is that their fulfilment and shipment costs drive up your price a lot, making your pricing less competitive.
While Printful’s automated order process saves you the hassle of having to approve and track individual orders and the POD model saves you money and space by eliminating the need for inventory, outsourcing the printing and shipment drives up the order processing and delivery time.
Our final verdict:
In the end of the day, only YOU know what your business needs. But it is safe to say that partnering with an experienced POD-company like Printful is a low-risk way of entering into the POD sector and finding out what works for you.
Invideo Review – Online video editing made easy
(Online) Video is the fastest growing medium, and InVideo makes creating, editing, and sharing your videos simple, fun, and affordable. This is important as with the rise of the internet and social media, businesses are now utilizing video content marketing more than ever to engage with potential customers and build brand awareness. Just think about all the Instagram Reels, TikTok, Youtube shorts and video ads you see on a daily basis. There is no way to escape it.
In this Invideo review we take a closer look at the online video platform InVideo to see if it matches our expectations and if an online video editor really can be good. The video above already gives you a small glimps of the platform. If you want to skip to the review of invideo, click here.
Why is using video important?
Video content is an effective way to capture people’s attention and keep them engaged. Therefor creating compelling videos is interesting for almost any audience, but maybe even more if you are a designer, influencer, marketeer or freelancer. Let’s take a closer look at these fields of expertise and see why video is important.
Why you should use video as a designer
Video is a great way for designers to showcase their work. It can also be used to help explain complex design concepts, tell stories about the design process, and demonstrate how products or services are used. Video is also an effective tool for engaging with potential customers, as it allows them to see and experience the design in action. Finally, video can help spread the word about a designer’s work by being shared across social media platforms.
Imagine being a photographer, graphic designer or artist and you are able to create a short portfolio video like this with your work? Quite a lot more appealing than a few images in a powerpoint!
Tell your stories with video as influencer
For influencers video is important because it allows them to connect with their audience in an engaging and personal way. Video content can also help influencers boost their brand awareness, credibility, and reach. Through video, influencers can demonstrate their expertise and provide helpful advice or tutorials to viewers. Additionally, video allows influencers to create unique content that stands out from the crowd and provides an opportunity for them to set themselves apart from the competition.
Promote products and services using video in marketing
Video is a powerful marketing tool that can be used to capture people’s attention and drive engagement. It can help you convey complex messages quickly, effectively, and visually. Videos can also be used to tell stories or showcase products in ways that are both eye-catching and informative, while also providing an opportunity to connect with viewers on an emotional level. Furthermore, videos are much more likely to be shared than other types of content, making them a great way of driving organic traffic back to your website.
See how you can make a product pop using a video?
Use video as a freelancer to showcase skills and services
For freelancers video is perfect to showcase their skills and services. Video allows freelancers to demonstrate their expertise, communicate their value proposition, and build relationships with potential clients. Video can also be used to create tutorials, explain complex topics or processes, or introduce new products and services. Additionally, video can help freelancers reach a wider audience and create brand awareness among potential customers.
To do that you need a good (online) video editor that is easy to use and provides you with easy to achieve professional results. Yes, you can use software like Adobe Premiere or After Effects, but they require a lot of practice (or education) and are packed with complex features you’ll probably never use.
What is InVideo?
InVideo is an online platform for video creation. It is co-founded in 2012 by three Engineering graduates: Sanket Shah, Pankit Chedda and Harsh Vakharia. They started it due to a personal problem, because the software at that time to create videos was either too simple or too complicated. They have over 800,000 users from more than 150 countries and about 45 employees. Read more about their success story here.
It is a comprehensive tool that allows users to create, edit and share videos with ease. What makes InVideo special is its cutting-edge video editing capabilities and the ability to add professional-looking effects and animations. With its core features, InVideo makes it easy for anyone to produce high-quality videos for various purposes. When they were developing InVideo, user needs where extensively researched and that shows.
InVideo comes with a free version for anyone who wants to get started. The premium plans have several advantages, like more video exports, no watermarks, access to stock libraries and a background removal tool.
What is special about InVideo?
What makes InVideo particularly special is its unique set of features and tools in combination with a slick user interface making it super easy to create stunning videos. Whether you want to start from scratch, use one of the templates or use the text-to-video feature,
With InVideo, users can easily create engaging and professional-looking videos, by utilizing a range of templates, stock images, and music. They have a library with over 5000+ templates, transitions and effects to help you in the best way possible. Additionally, due to its high level of user-friendliness and intuitive design, users can create a stunning video without having any prior experience in video editing or graphic design.
Key features of Invideo
Let’s take a closer look at the key features of InVideo . When you are starting a new project, you have a few options. You can use templates, use text-to-video, use stock media or start from scratch.
Brand kits
A great feature of InVideo, especially if you are working with one or multiple brands, is that you can create brand kits.
You can upload the logo of a brand and create a custom color palette for each brand. If you are working on brand X then it uses the presets you’ve made for that brand. If you select brand Y, it selects the preset of that brand. Brand kits are a real timesaver, because you don’t have to re-use an older video or setup all the colors again.
Templates
A great feature are the templates that you can use. InVideo has revolutionized the way people create videos. With their library of professional video templates (5000+ and counting), users can easily create stunning videos quickly and effortlessly. The templates are organized in categories ranging from marketing to corporate videos, so finding the perfect template for any project is easy.
Furthermore, Invideo constantly updates its library with fresh templates, giving users access to the most up-to-date designs. Additionally, the intuitive interface allows users to customize the templates with ease and make them their own.
If you’re not super creative, want a kick-start for your project or want to achieve a professional result without spending too much time, then templates are perfect!
Text to Video
With InVideo’s AI text to video generator you can easily transform your stories, blogs, and scripts into an engaging video production with no effort. The AI engine will intuitively add images and footage that complement your text, or you can customize with your own content. Voilà – a captivating video, crafted with ease!
Video Editor
Once you have started your project, you will be spending most of the time in the video editor. The interface of the Invideo video editor has improved significantly over the past few years and it’s easy to find your way around.
On the left side of the screen you can find everything you need: templates, your uploads, music, text, colors, overlays, stickers, masks and so on. On the bottom of the screen you can find the timeline editor. On the right side of the screen you can adjust all the details, for example, change the colors of the text, select a different font and so on.
One of the things they thought about really well is that you can hover over a text, overlay, sticker or transition and you see a minimalistic preview of that animation. This really is a time-saver, because you know exactly what you will get when you select it. No need for trial and error.
Stock video
If you want to get started with video, the most difficult thing is to start with a blank sheet. Imagine you need a scene with drone shots from a tropical island, then a shot of the local market and then a shot with people having a party on the beach. It’s not something you do yourself that easily, or you need to spend a lot of money to realize such professional quality footage.
This is where InVideo comes in. The premium plans come with access to the stock videos, giving you access to over 8+ million videos, photos & music tracks. They work together with established brands like iStock, Storyblocks and Shutterstock. Never again will you be empty handed or have to do concessions to a video.
Music library
InVideo also comes with a huge library with over 10,000 songs that you can use in your projects. It’s well categorized by either genre, mood, soundeffect and miscellaneous. So no matter if you need Rock music, something Jazzy or Religious, it’s all there. It’s great that you can search by mood too, because it makes it easier to find the track you are looking for.
Timeline editor
If you have experience with video editing then you know that the timeline editor is a crucial part of creating and editing a video. It can really harm your workflow and your motivation when it doesn’t work well or doesn’t feel intuitive. When we started using Invideo a few years ago, the timeline editor really needed to improve, because it felt clumsy. But, nowadays with the recent improvements, the timeline editor works incredibly well.
With the timeline editor you can control how long you want your scenes to last or if you wish to rearrange them. You can also control how long individual elements on your video—such as text or stickers—will last or when you want them to fade in and out. Another great feature is that you can quickly trim your videos and adjust their speed. It’s one of the most important areas in a video editor, so it’s crucial it is well build and easy to use. And, it does! You have full control over scenes, videos, audio, transitions and so on. It’s a breeze to shorten a video, add a sound effect of a voiceover.
Text
Text in a video helps to emphasize key points, provide clarity and accessibility, and add visual interest. It can also be used to make videos more engaging. Text is also a great way to add context, such as titles, subtitles, and descriptions, that help viewers better understand the content.
InVideo provides excellent functionality to add text to your videos. You can either go for adding simple text, but you can also choose from default typography templates, minimalistic effects, astons, Social media en CTA effects or trendy text effects.
Transitions
Transitions in video are a great way to create a smooth and fluid viewing experience. They help to move the story along while maintaining a visually pleasing aesthetic. They can be used to bridge the gap between scenes, to show the passage of time or to emphasize a powerful moment. For a video with a futuristic touch, you might want to use a transition with a glitch effect and for a romantic video maybe something with softer transition.
Whatever you need, InVideo offers hundreds of transition effects (scanline, zoom, glitch, 3d, wipes, curls and so on). They can be customized so you can set the duration of the transition. You can choose to either apply the transition from one video to another, but also replace all transitions at once.
Shapes, overlays and stickers
Using shapes, overlays and stickers in a video can create visually appealing and creative content. Shapes are a great way to combine multiple images into one coherent piece. Text overlays can be used to add titles, captions or calls-to-action that draw viewers in. Stickers are a fun way to add extra color and interest to a video. There are hundreds of stickers available and they are perfectly organized and categorized.
The overlays are really great to add visual effects, like light glitches, distortion, snow, glitter and so on to a video. It adds that bit of spice your video might need. There are dozens of overlays you can choose from.
Add your team and collaborate on your video
Wouldn’t it be perfect to work on a video with your teammates? Well, you can! The premium plan allows you to work together on videos you are creating. You can create, edit, comment, and share your videos together with your team members.
Mobile video app
The InVideo Mobile App is a perfect tool for creating amazing videos from anywhere. The app is available for Android and Apple devices and it has over 1M+ downloads on Android alone. With the InVideo Mobile App, you can easily drag and drop photos, videos, and text to create stunning videos with a few simple clicks.
It also offers a variety of features such as providing music, sound effects, and motion graphics, as well as giving users the ability to upload their own music, photos, and videos. Furthermore, the app can be used to create videos quickly, making it ideal for those looking to create amazing content quickly and easily.
The reviews on the app are okay (3.1 of 5.0 on Android), but we think the mobile app doesn’t represent the quality of the online video editor. Anyway, the app is a bonus as you get access to the PRO features when you are on the premium plan of InVideo.
Support
If you are getting stuck with InVideo or want to have a kick-start for your project there’s a lot of places for support.
You can sign up for live webinars, visit the tutorial section or chat with the support team.
The tutorial section is well build and offers practical tutorials to help you find your way in the editor.
Pricing options
InVideo offers three pricing options for its users. The first is the Free plan, which includes a watermark on the final video and limited access to features. The second is the Business plan, which features no watermark, 60 video exporta per month. Finally, the Unlimited plan offers larger cloud storage, more background removals, more stock media downloads and unlimited video exports. All premium plans offer 1080p video exports and access to a vast library of stock media.
Reviews of Invideo
Let’s take a closer look on what customers of InVideo think of the platform. For this we used trustpilot, capterra and g2 as a source. Hundreds of users have placed their honest review on these platforms.
On trustpilot Invideo rates a 4,4 of 5. On Capterra and G2 it rates 4,7 to 5 which are excellent ratings. A few of these reviews:
Doug (Trustpilot)
★★★★★
I signed up for InVideo quite a while ago and I’ve been impressed not only by the value they provide, but also the pace of their ongoing development. It’s worth the price just for access to the large library of stock video and music clips, and now the exceptionally intuitive timeline editor has more layers and is nearly as capable as a program like iMovie. My biggest request would be for them to allow us to select and move more than one clip at a time.
AndreyB (Trustpilot)
★★★★★
InVideo is by far the best video editor I have used, and I’ve used few already. This is great even if you have zero experience with video editing, to the most professional video editors. You will get thousands of templates, images, videos, sound effects, music, you name it !! Everything you need you can find here. And I really mean everything !!!! I highly recommend it to anyone who need to edit a video for Youtube, presentations, whatever you may need it for.
Stasha (Capterra)
★★★★
My experience with this product is positive because, despite some frustrations that I may have during work, in the end, I still get a quality product. The only thing is that background music is sometimes a problem when uploading videos to social media, and there is currently no adequate solution. FB, however, is interested in discussing it, and you can always appeal.
Pros and Cons of InVideo
So let’s start to wrap this review up and take a look at the pros and cons of InVideo.
Pros
- Easy to use: InVideo has a short learning curve, allowing users to quickly become familiar with the platform and create high-quality videos.
- Flexible: With InVideo, users can customize their videos to fit the exact needs of their particular business.
- Cost-effective: InVideo is an affordable solution, with a free starter plan and the premium plan starting at $15 a month.
- Impressive features: Create stunning, professional-looking videos quickly and easily using the simple interface, drag-and-drop and an excellent timeline editor.
- Stock included: Access a library of royalty free videos, images, music and sound effects
- Support: InVideo provides customer service and online resources, allowing users to get help quickly and easily.
Cons
- You can’t reach the customer service by phone
- Website crashes sometimes, but that can be related to the internet connection or your own device
- Rendering takes a while. It’s not the end of the world since rendering only happens when you export the video for publication.
Conclusion
Should you buy InVideo? Yes, you should if you are looking for a flexible video editor. We think you can’t go wrong with Invideo. It’s an excellent platform, packed with advanced features. The developers keep evolving the platforming, improving it with every update. The hundreds of positive user-reviews also prove that it’s one of the most favorite video platforms available on the market.
If you prefer an editor that runs offline, then we recommend to take a look at CreateStudio Pro which we reviewd a short while ago.
Best Christmas Design Bundles of 2022
Christmas is coming – so, to make your life as a creative a little bit easier, we’ve selected a few of the best Christmas Design Bundles that are available right now. Most of the Christmas Design Bundles contain hundreds of high quality designs that can be used for all your personal and commercial projects. Since most of the Christmas Designs are in SVG (scalable vector graphics) or can be saved as SVG, you can also use them with a Cricut or any other cutting machine.
Purchasing the Christmas Craft Bundles will save you a lot of money – they contain a number of different designs offered separately on the marketplace from different designers. If not for the Christmas Craft Bundle, you would have to buy each designer’s work individually. This package is offered at 90% off the original price!
The Holly Jolly Christmas Bundle
Buyer rating of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
For only $19.00($189.57) you’ll receive this massive bundle that comes packed with hundreds of different Christmas SVG designs from many different designers that you can use for your personal and commercial projects. The bundle is packed with different Christmas Quotes and Sayings, Christmas Papers, Christmas themed Illustrations and much more.
Make sure not to wait too long, as the package is available for a limited time only!
The Magic of Christmas Bundle v2
Buyer rating of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ho Ho Ho! This Bundle is a must-have for the Christmas Crafters! It comes loaded with designs from the most talented designers. For only $24.00 you will get over 3300+ Christmas Quote SVG designs. Also included are: Christmas Snowmen SVG, Christmas Porch Signs, a bundle with 130 SVG files of Christmas elements, Christmas ornaments, Christmas Kids Cut and Sublimation bundle, Papercut Cards and much more.
The Beginners Christmas Craft Bundle
The Beginners Christmas Craft Bundle is another very popular bundle. For only $16.00 you’ll receive thousandths of great Christmas designs. That’s a a saving of 91% with these 35 fantastically festive products!
Thist bundle includes a total of hundreds of Christsmas quotes and designs that you can use for any project.
The Christmas Sublimation Bundle Vol 2
The Christmas Sublimation Bundle is another very popular bundle. For only $19.00 you’ll receive hundreds of great Christmas sublimation designs.
Thist bundle includes a total of 1000+ cliparts of adorable animals, watercolor wreaths, santa’s village, nativity scene along with bonus Christmas cards & festive patterns from 28 different graphics packs.
A preview of what’s inside the Little Christmas Craft Bundle:
And some other Christmas Design Collections…
More Christmas Design Bundles are coming soon…
Our search for the best Christmas Design bundles isn’t over yet, so make sure to follow this post as we’ll be sure to add more design bundles later! If you have any tips, suggestions or comments please feel free to let us know!
Christmas Quotes Design Bundles
The Best Christmas Designs – Free and Premium
Christmas is just around the corner and although it may look a little different this year, that doesn’t mean the holiday spirit needs to be dampened! We’ve been scouring the internet to find the perfect festive touches to spruce up your Christmas decorations. Luckily, we’ve discovered some amazing Christmas SVG design bundles that will certainly get you in the holiday mood.
From classic Christmas trees to adorable snowmen and snowflakes, you’ll find the perfect design to add to your decor. Whether you’re looking for free designs or want to invest in some premium bundles, you can count on us to help you find the perfect Christmas SVG design to make your holiday even more magical. So don’t wait – start browsing our Christmas SVG designs and get creative!
All You Need For Christmas SVG Bundle (FREE)
This All You Need For Christmas SVG Bundle created by On the Beach Boutique is a great way to get started crafting this holiday season. It includes 12 different designs that are perfect for creating beautiful and unique decorations, apparel, mugs, decals, and more! The bundle comes with an exclusive Premium License which allows Commercial and Personal use. This bundle also comes with a zip-file containing the SVG & PNG & EPS & DXF format files needed to create your projects.
Free Christmas SVG Bundle, Vol 2 – 15 Dear Santa T-Shirt Designs (FREE)
This collection of Christmas Quote designs is offered for free by Red Willow Digital and is perfect for creating personalized and unique t-shirts or any other type of craft project. It includes 15 different designs with a unique funny Christmas Quote. Each design is high quality and ready to use in sublimation, printing, heat transfer vinyl applications and more.
Christmas Design Bundle SVG, DXF, PNG, EPS (FREE)
This Christmas Design Bundle created by RealDreamArt will give you the designs to create beautiful holiday designs for all of your festive projects. It comes with 24 unique, high-quality designs that are perfect for creating t-shirts, cards, posters, banners and more. From Christmas quotes to funny Christmas illustrations, this bundle is sure to help you make the most of your holiday season. Plus, it’s totally free!
Christmas Tree SVG Bundle – Christmas Tree Cut Files Bundle (FREE)
Christmas Tree SVG Bundle with 98 Christmas Tree designs created by Dasagani. The designs are great for creating Christmas t-shirts, Gifts, Home Decorations, prints and signs using a Cricut, Silhouette machine or Printing.
Free Christmas Snowflake Design Bundle (FREE)
Set of 25 Snowflake designs by Zoss Design. Use these lovely decorated snowflakes with sentiments and other designs. You can also cut them out of paper to decorate your Christmas tree. File formats included are PNG, SVG and EPS.
THE BEST CHRISTMAS DESIGN BUNDLES
In this article we have selected the Best Christmas Design Bundles available at this time that are stuffed with SVG Christmas Designs.
Check out these Alternative Christmas Design bundles:
How to find inspiration and beat creative block
Finding inspiration to draw, paint, write or make music can sometimes be tricky. Even though a creative block is super annoying, you don’t worry about it. It will pass. It’s normal to feel stuck in a creative rut and find yourself lacking in motivation and inspiration every once in a while.
Fortunately we have good news for you on how to beat that creative block. Soon you will have new drawing ideas and know how to handle that art block. There are several effective strategies you can use to help reignite your creative spark and get your drawings flowing.
In this post, we share some great tips on how to get drawing inspiration in a way that is both helpful and enjoyable. We will go over the various types of inspiration approaches, from finding inspiration in everyday life, to using creative sources such as books, music, and art. We’ll provide practical advice and tips on how to channel inspiration and make it last.
So, if you’re looking for ways to get inspired and get drawing, this post is for you.
What is a creative block? (or Art block)
A creative block (also known as artist’s block, writer’s block, or blank canvas syndrome) is a phenomenon experienced by many creatives in which they are unable to access their internal inspiration and therefore cannot produce creative work. It can be likened to growing flowers in a garden: There is a cycle of germination, growth, and harvest that must take place before one can enjoy the fruits of their labor.
A creative block is not just about being unable to think of ideas; it’s about feeling uninspired or unmotivated and being stuck in a state of low creativity. It’s good to realize that everyone has felt this at some point; however there are ways to help break through the barrier or find ways around it. It’s important to remember that creative blocks are normal and that you should never give up on your creative endeavors! So heads up and let’s take a look on what you can do about it.
How to beat the creative block?
1. Look at other works of art
One of the best ways to get drawing inspiration is to look at other works of art. By studying the works of different artists, you can learn new techniques and gain insight into different styles. You don’t have to limit yourself to just one genre either.
Visit (online) galleries, look at online collections, or even rent art books from your local library. You can also look at illustrations and photographs for ideas. Take note of the colors, textures, and composition and use them as inspiration for your own works.
A few great places to start are Pinterest, Artfinder, Saatchi art, The National Gallery, The New York Metropolitan Museum of Art or the The British Museum.
2. Visit a museum
Visiting a museum is a great way to get inspired for your next drawing project. Museums are full of incredible works of art from different cultures and time periods, which can help to spark new ideas.
Make sure to take a look at the different colors, styles, and techniques used by different artists. Note how they use scale, texture, and light and you’ll find yourself with plenty of creative ideas. Maybe even better, you’ll learn about the history of art as you explore, which can further inform and inspire your own work.
We’re not going to make any recommendations here. Yes, the large museums can be super-inspiring, but so can a local museum be. Just take a look online what museums are available in your region and which ones appeals you.
3. Take a nature walk
Prepare yourself a lovely lunch, grab a picknick basket and find a beautiful spot of nature to visit. Taking a nature walk is a great way to get inspiration for drawing.
By exploring the natural beauty of nature, you can find inspiration all around you. Look for patterns and textures in leaves, the way the light hits the trees and the way the shadows play on the ground. Take a sit on that rock, take a deep breath and pay attention to the way the clouds move in the sky and the sound of the wind. All of these things will help you to come up with creative ideas for your drawings. Don’t forget to pack your camera, so you can take photos of what you see during your walk to use as reference material later.
4. Draw from life
Buy a small sketchbook, some soft pencils, watercolour or any other medium that you like. Drawing from life is a great way to find inspiration. It encourages creativity, allows you to tap into your own imagination and express yourself in unique ways. It is also a great change of pace from the usual routine and can open up new avenues of exploration. Drawing from life also helps us connect with nature more deeply, as it enables us to observe things that we may not have noticed otherwise. Furthermore, drawing from life can teach us valuable skills such as perspective and composition that will help us create better artworks later on. Finally, it is a great way to practice our skills and become better at creating art in general.
Therefore, if you are looking for some creative inspiration or just want to explore something different than what you usually do, then drawing from life should definitely be considered!
5. Try a new medium
Are you still painting on canvas? Still drawing on paper? Why not try something else to paint one? Trying a new medium is a great way to find inspiration and develop your creative skills. Whether it’s charcoal, ink, watercolor, or colored pencils, experimenting with a new material can open your mind to new possibilities and techniques and give a boost to your inspiration and creativity.
You can explore how different materials interact with each other in new ways and create something unique that only you could imagine. Trying a new medium can also help you build confidence in your abilities as an artist, as well as give you an opportunity to learn about techniques that are unfamiliar to you or combine them!
Taking on a new style of drawing can also help you think differently and come up with fresh ideas. Don’t be afraid to go out of your comfort zone and give something new a try. Who knows, you might even find a new favorite!
6. Participate in an art challenge
Participating in an art challenge is a great way to find inspiration and develop your creative skills. The reason for that is that challenges provide structure and guidelines that help push you out of your comfort zone, while also giving you the opportunity to explore different ideas within the constraints of the challenge.
Interacting with other artists and seeing what they create on social media within a specific theme can be incredibly inspiring. Just search for Inktober on Instagram and see the incredible works of other people. Art challenges also give you an opportunity to step back from current projects or low periods of artistic energy, refocus on something new and exciting, and reignite enthusiasm for creating art. Finally, taking part in an art challenge will open up new possibilities for experimentation, help stretch your imagination and sharpen your skills as an artist.
If you like to know more about art challenges, then make sure to check out the Art Challenge Calendar which covers most of the art challenges. If you don’t want to participate in an art challenge, then you can use our drawing ideas generator which will generate a subject for you to paint.
7. Use an AI Art Generator
What? AI Art isn’t good? AI art can’t be inspiring? Think again, the developments has been sky-rocketing last months!
Using an AI art generator can be a great way to find inspiration and create stunning visuals. Artificial intelligence algorithms take the mystique out of ideating a new artwork, while still creating thought-provoking images.
With AI tools like OpenAI‘s DALL·E 2 system, Midjourney or Stable Diffussion, it is now possible to transform simple sentences (also called prompts) into fully fledged pieces of art. Advanced algorithms are using machine learning to create art based on patterns learned from neural networks, allowing for incredibly complex visualisations with limitless potential. Using an AI art generator is not only a great way to get creative ideas but also helps save time and hassle in the ideation process. For example, some artists use an AI Art Generator to help visualize an idea and then use it as a reference for their oil-painting. How cool is that!
If you want to start creating AI generated art, but also want to explore other types of AI (AI writer, AI pattern creator) then we recommond you to look at CreativeFabrica Spark.
How to make a living as an artist – 8 tips
Are you an artist or designer struggling to make a living? Do you dream of being an artist, but are worried about not being able to support yourself financially? While the image of the starving artist is very prevalent in the way we think about art, it doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, we believe that you CAN and SHOULD be able to turn what you do best into a source of income that sustains you. In this article we share some tips about how to make that happen…
1. How much money you make says nothing about the value of your work
Before we start, I would like to drive in the following important point: Some of the most famous artists of all time have struggled (and even failed) to make a living from their artistic work. One of the most famous examples is the painter Vincent Van Gogh, who lived in poverty and struggled with mental health throughout his entire life. He ended up cutting off his ear and killing himself. Little did he know that after his death he would not only achieve immortal fame, but that his paintings would sell for millions of dollars.
Van Gogh is not the only artist who wasn’t able to live from his work. Even artists who achieve fame during their lifetime, have historically struggled with money: The writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky was notoriously in debt, while the child protégée and world-famous composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart died in poverty.
Long story short: While in today’s capitalist system we have gotten used to the idea that success = money, we should let go of using financial success (or approval of the art world) as a way of validating our work.
2. Think about whether you really want to make art your source of income or not
Just because many artists have lived (and died) in poverty, doesn’t mean YOU have to. There are plenty of ways of creating income and financial stability with art. However, you should be aware that doing something “just for the love of it” is very different from doing something for money.
Turning your passion into an income stream is a double-edged sword: While it may allow you to spend all day doing what you love, it will also make your art into “work”. It means that there will be days where you don’t feel like doing it. This means that you will need to commit to it the same way you commit to your (non-artistic) day job. It means that you will have to keep putting in the work, no matter whether you feel inspired or up to it on a particular day.
So, think carefully: In some cases, you may be better off keeping your day job and keeping the freedom that comes with making art for pleasure, rather than as a way of paying your bills.
On the other hand: Life is short, and we should spend it doing things that make us (and others) feel alive. We should also spend it on doing and creating things that feel meaningful. So, if you feel your time, energy and love is best spend on creating art, then go for it!
3. Get organized
While part of the beauty of great art lies in the fact that we only see the result, it is important to keep in mind that acquiring artistic skills requires hours and hours of work. It has been proven in various experiments that talent makes up less than 20% of artistic skill. The rest is hard work. It took Michelangelo four years to paint the Sistene Chapel. And these four years don’t include the time he spent honing his craft before starting this project.
While artists have the reputation of being undisciplined, this is very far from the truth: Most artists are, in fact, very disciplined when it comes to putting in the time and effort of honing their skills and creating their art.
One great way of ensuring you stay on track is building routines and setting goals. For example: If you are a painter, you may set a goal of completing one sketch every morning. If you are a writer, you may set a goal of writing a certain number of words every day. Do not worry about monetizing your skills yet. Just keep going back to doing the work every single day. When you look back, you will be surprised by how far you have come!
In short: Create art every day. Set yourself goals and build yourself routines that keep you on track. This is something you can start doing even while having a day job and juggling other responsibilities.
4. Change your mindset about the value of what you do
One big issue I see many artists face is their mindset. As artists we do what we do out of love or passion. But just because you love what you do, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get adequately compensated for it. A doctor may also love what he does, and yet nobody questions that a doctor should be adequately paid. We live in a society that teaches us that work should be “hard” and non-enjoyable.
This leads to a mindset wherein we easily start to financially undervalue the work we enjoy. But the sooner we realize that the pleasure our work gives us doesn’t mean we don’t deserve to get paid, the easier it will be for you to ask for the money your work deserves.
Another argument that is often against adequate pay for artists, is that art is a luxury we don’t really need. But think about this: Do we really need a new iPhone, car, or lipstick? In fact, most of us work in jobs that produce things (or services) we don’t really “need”. So, why should artistic work be treated as a luxury that doesn’t deserve to be adequately paid, while nobody questions that someone who works for a company creating iPhones, cars or lipsticks should?
In short: Most jobs involve products or services that make life easier or a little more enjoyable. So, does art. In fact, one may even argue that art does more than does: It helps us transcend the limits of our existence. It can inspire us, create empathy and take us into unknown realms. In that sense art creates a lot more value than a lipstick or iPhone.
While you may not be creating art “for money”, this doesn’t mean your artistic work does not deserve to be compensated financially. In fact, I would go so far as to say that art deserves a higher compensation than a consumer product. Once you understand this, it will be much easier for you to ask for higher compensation for the creative services you offer. It will also help you put a higher price on your artistic works.
5. Think out of the box
While thinking out of the box and being creative is our bread and butter, many artists stay surprisingly traditional when it comes to monetizing their art. So, my suggestion to you is this: Your creativity is your superpower. Use it to come up with new and innovative ways of turning your art and creative skills into money.
We often don’t even realize that we are already sitting on a mountain of gold. If you are an artist, chances are, you have something to share with the world! This could involve creating (and sharing) your artworks, collaborating with others or even teaching. Maybe you can teach a course, start a print on demand business, publish an e-book or create an event? The possibilities are endless…
6. Take charge
Many of my artist friends sit around waiting for an opportunity to come around. Instead, I encourage you to take charge and create your own opportunity. Thanks to the internet there are many ways of reaching a global audience. But even if you don’t want to take your work online, there are probably plenty of ways in which you can start sharing your art in your neighbourhood: How about a street exhibition? Or maybe your local café would be willing to display (and sell) some of your artworks? You don’t need a museum, gallery, or theatre. The street, the internet and even your home can be the place from which you start sharing.
7. Believe
If you don’t believe you can make money from your art, then chances are you won’t be able to monetize (and live from) your artistic work. At the risk of sounding like a corny self-help book: You are the main obstacle to your success. If you honestly believe that you can and should make money via your art, then you will find ways to do so. But, of course, it won’t happen by itself.
We therefore advise to start with the following two steps:
1: Write down your dream scenario: What would you like to be doing? How much would you like to be earning? Try to dream as wildly as possible.
2: Work out a strategy: What would need to happen for your dream-scenario to become a reality? What resources do you need? Are there skills you need to acquire? Do you need to work on your self-discipline? Are the limiting beliefs you need to let go of?
3: Now set about making it happen. Even if you don’t reach your goal, taking concrete, determined steps will most likely lead you further towards your dreams than you are ever thought possible.
8. Sell your knowledge by teaching online
Have you ever considered sharing your skills by teaching online? Xquissive is currently expanding its platform into offering online courses for artists and designers. If you believe you have something to teach and share, check out our courses-page for more information.
How to fix Pen Pressure Issues in Photoshop 2022
A common issue that probably many Adobe Photoshop and Wacom tablet users experience is that the Wacom pen pressure stops working. If you have issues like drag delay, press-and-hold issues and dynamic feedback rings, make sure to read try these tips as well. If you have a Huion Kamvas drawing tablet, make sure to read our solutions here.
The problem usually arises when Adobe comes with a new version of Photoshop or when you install Adobe Photoshop for the first time on a fresh Windows installation, for example when you’re using a new computer or did a re-install of Windows.
The problem seems to occur on any Wacom device and not to one device specific. These solutions work up to the most recent version of Photoshop (2022).
How to fix the pen pressure issue in Adobe?
There are 4 solutions that you could try. We’ve selected a few of the best tips that seems to fix the pen pressure problem for most Wacom and Adobe users.
Solution 1: Create a PSUserConfig.txt file
This simple solution solves the pen pressure problem every time we run into it.
Go the the folder: “C:\Users\[USER]\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop 2020\Adobe Photoshop 2020 Settings”. Make sure [USER] is replaced for your personal user handle. If you can’t find it, do it step by step: Go to the C drive first, then to Users, select your user-id and so on.
Create a file in the folder that is called “PSUserConfig.txt“.
Then you have to edit the file and add the following text:
# Use WinTab
UseSystemStylus 0And that’s it. If you restart Adobe Photoshop now, the pen pressure should work like a charm.
Solution 2: Turn of Windows Ink
If Windows Ink is turned on in your Wacom-tablet settings, it can cause issues as well. So make sure to see if it helps if you disable Windows Ink in the Wacom Settings settings.
Open the Wacom Desktop Center with your Wacom device connected to the computer. Then select Pen Settings, this will open the Wacom Tablet Properties window. The last step is to click on the mapping tab and uncheck the box for “Use Windows Ink”.
Disabling Windows Ink also helps to get rid of these problems:
- No more Dynamic Feedback rings
- No more Press-and-Hold
- No Drag Delay
Solution 3: Reset your Wacom tablet settings
Another thing you can try to do when you have pen pressure issues with your Wacom tablet is to reset the preferences in the Wacom Tablet utility. Maybe somehow the settings got changed and it’s causing the troubles.
- First step is to open the Wacom Tablet Preference File Utility on your computer.
- Next click on the Remove button that is under the All User Preferences section.
- Save the changes you have made and restart your computer.
Solution 4: Update or Re-install your Wacom Driver
If the Wacom driver is outdated, missing or not functioning properly it can cause a lot of problems. To make sure this isn’t the cause of the problems, it’s a good idea to update your Wacom drivers or do a fresh re-install.
The easiest and most secure way is to go to the Wacom website and download the latest drivers there.
If you downloaded and installed the latest drivers and still run into problems, then you could try to uninstall all the old Wacom drivers first, then restart your computer and then download and install the drivers. That way you make sure there’s not an old piece of software causing any issues.
Solution 5: Get expert help
Last but not least you can always hire professional assistance if these tips won’t work. You can checkout Upwork or Fiverr for example to find the right person to help you fix this or other problems.