Guide5 min read
How to animate on Procreate
Animation Assist turns layers into frames. Here is how to switch it on, what onion skinning is for, and a first six-frame loop you can finish tonight.
Read the postGraphic Design & Illustration · Blog
The design desk
Techniques, workflows and honest advice from the Graphic Design & Illustration school, written for people learning the craft.
Guide5 min read
UX vs UI design: what is the difference?
UX is how it works. UI is how it looks and feels to operate. Most jobs ask for both, and knowing which part you enjoy decides which skills to build first.
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Guide5 min read
How to edit photos in Lightroom: a beginner workflow
A repeatable order that gets a good result in two minutes per photo: exposure, white balance, contrast, then the local adjustments. Here is the whole sequence.
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Tools5 min read
Adobe XD is winding down: what designers should learn instead
Adobe stopped active development on XD, and the industry moved to Figma. Here is what that means for your existing files, your skills, and what to learn next.
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Guide5 min read
How to curve text in Canva
Add your text, open Effects, choose Curve, then drag the slider. Two minutes. Here is the whole process, how to make a full circle, and when curved text is a bad idea.
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Guide6 min read
How to learn graphic design (a realistic path)
You learn graphic design by making things, not by collecting theory. Here is the path that actually works: one tool, small finished pieces, and a portfolio that grows every week.
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Career5 min read
Is Photoshop still worth learning?
Yes, if you edit images or work with designers. No, if you want social graphics from templates or interface design. The honest version of a question that usually gets a sales answer.
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Career6 min read
How to become a graphic designer without a degree
Learn to see, learn two tools, build eight pieces, and get in front of people who need design. Here is the order, with honest timelines and no promises about jobs.
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Guide5 min read
How to merge layers in Photoshop
Ctrl+E merges down and it is permanent. Here is every merge command, the stamp shortcut that keeps your originals, and when grouping is the better answer.
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Career5 min read
Is a graphic design certificate worth it?
In a field judged on portfolios, a certificate does a smaller job than in most careers. It is still worth it for one specific reason, and it is not the reason people expect.
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Tools5 min read
What is Figma and what is it used for?
Figma is a browser-based design tool for interfaces. It became the standard because several people can work in the same file at once, which changed how design teams operate.
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Career5 min read
Canva certification: what it is and how to get one
Canva runs its own programs, mostly aimed at teachers and partners. For everyone else, a course certificate plus a portfolio does the job. Here is the honest map.
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Tools5 min read
Is Procreate free?
No, and it is a one-time purchase rather than a subscription, which makes it unusually good value. Here is what you actually need to buy, including the hardware.
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Career6 min read
10 portfolio projects that get graphic designers hired
A portfolio of ten pretty pictures loses to a portfolio of six explained decisions. Here are the projects worth making, and how to present them so the thinking shows.
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Guide8 min read
Figma for beginners: what UX/UI design actually involves
Figma is the free, browser-based standard for designing app and website screens. Learning the tool takes a weekend. Learning to design an interface people can use is the real work. Here is what that involves and how to start.
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Guide5 min read
How to crop an image in Photoshop
Press C and drag. Then the useful parts: cropping to an exact size, straightening a horizon, cropping without losing pixels, and content-aware fill on the empty corners.
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Tools5 min read
Is Figma free?
Yes, there is a genuinely usable free plan, and the limits are about file count and team features rather than crippled tools. Here is who hits the ceiling and who never does.
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Guide6 min read
How to make a comic book from scratch
Story, thumbnails, pencils, inks, color, letters. Here is the full pipeline, what each stage is for, and why your first comic should be eight pages rather than a graphic novel.
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Guide5 min read
How to blend in Procreate
The smudge tool is the obvious answer and usually the wrong one. Here are four blending methods, when each looks good, and why over-blending makes work look muddy.
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Guide6 min read
Character design basics: from first sketch to concept art
A good character design reads in silhouette, says something about who they are, and can be drawn again tomorrow. Here is the process that gets there.
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Guide6 min read
How to use Procreate: a complete beginner guide
The gestures, the four tools you will use constantly, and how layers and alpha lock work. Enough to finish your first proper illustration this week.
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Career7 min read
How to build a design portfolio when you have no clients
You build a portfolio without clients by giving yourself the briefs a client would. Design real solutions to real problems, present the thinking behind them, and keep six to ten pieces you would defend. Here is the method.
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Guide5 min read
How to add fonts to Figma
Install the font on your computer and run the Figma font installer, or use the desktop app. Here is the process, why the browser needs a helper, and what teammates will see.
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Guide6 min read
How to use Figma: build your first design in an afternoon
Frames, shapes, text, then the two features that make Figma click: auto layout and components. Here is an afternoon that ends with a real, clickable screen.
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Career6 min read
How to become a UX designer from scratch
Learn the thinking, learn Figma, build two real case studies, and use whatever job you already have as your first research subject. The route, with honest timelines.
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Tools6 min read
Photoshop vs Canva: which should beginners learn first?
Canva makes good-looking things fast without design training. Photoshop gives you control and a professional skill. Which you need depends on what you are making and why.
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Tools5 min read
Is Canva Pro worth it?
The free plan is genuinely good. Pro is worth it for three specific features, and if you do not need those three, it is not. Here is how to tell which group you are in.
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Tools5 min read
Lightroom vs Photoshop for photo editing
Lightroom edits hundreds of photos. Photoshop edits one photo deeply. Most photographers use both, and knowing where the handover happens saves hours every week.
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Guide5 min read
How to make pixel art: a beginner's guide
Start small, use few colors, and place every pixel on purpose. Here is the canvas size to begin at, the rules that make sprites read clearly, and a first project.
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Guide6 min read
How to remove a background in Photoshop
One click handles most photos. The other methods exist for hair, glass and soft edges, which is where the one-click version falls apart. Here is all of them, and when to use each.
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Guide5 min read
Digital illustration for beginners: tools and first steps
What to buy, what to learn first, and the practice routine that actually produces improvement. Including the uncomfortable truth about drawing fundamentals.
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Guide5 min read
How to make custom Procreate brushes
A Procreate brush is a shape, a grain and a set of behaviors. Change those three and you have made a brush. Here is the fast route to one you will actually use.
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Guide5 min read
How to remove a background in Canva
Select the image, Edit photo, Background Remover. It takes about five seconds and it is a Pro feature. Here is the full process, how to fix a rough edge, and the free alternatives.
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Tools7 min read
Photoshop vs Illustrator: which should you learn first?
Photoshop edits pixels, Illustrator draws vectors. If you work with photos, start with Photoshop. If you make logos, icons or illustrations that scale, start with Illustrator. Here is how to choose without owning both.
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Career5 min read
Is a UX design certification worth it?
UX hiring runs on case studies, so a certificate does a smaller job than the marketing suggests. It is still worth it for structure. Here is how to make one count.
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Guide6 min read
How to use Photoshop: a complete beginner's guide
Photoshop is enormous and you need about eight percent of it. Here is the interface, the six tools that matter, layers explained properly, and a first edit to try today.
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