14 Feb 2017
Valentines_thumb

Happy Valentines Day!

Valentines

 

Roses are Red

 

Violets are Blue

 

I’m working on a new serial that should be ready soon…

 

…and the store has some products that are new!

14 Mar 2016
howto_single_5

Single Page Fold Books

This is the simplest method of home binding, and while it is limiting in format it is a fun and easy craft that requires very little in the way of supplies. If you have a six (6) page story in a vertical format this is a tiny little ashcan you can create with one page of printer paper. This is also a great craft for older kids, since you can fold the booklet and then create the contents when using a single page fold format.

PaperSIZE

This guide utilizes a standard letter size sheet, 8.5 x 11, but any standard printer paper size larger than that would work; mix it up with legal and tabloid sheets to get different book sizes.

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02 Mar 2016
resolution

DPI vs PPI – Understanding the Difference

With advances in modern computer and printing technology the distinction between these two terms has blurred significantly; 300 ppi can be translated to roughtly 300 dpi on modern printers, but being aware of the fundamental differences is essential if you want your artwork to display well on both computer screens and print correctly on your finished projects. At this point a dot or pixel is fairly comparable and the thing to remember is the necessary resolution range you want your files saved to for your desired format(s).

Being able to use the terminology correctly just makes you sound like you know what you’re doing!

DPI

PPI

  • Dots (or drops) Per Inch
  • Pixels Per Inch
  • Used to measure the amount of ink per square inch on printed page.
  • Used to measure image quality on electronic devices.
  • Print quality ranges from 150 dpi to 600 dpi depending on paper type you are printing on. 300 dpi is the most common resolution.
  • Web quality ranges from 72 ppi to 96 ppi depending on your Operating System. Image compression is usually used on files saved for ppi to reduce file sizes.
  • Print quality requirements are determined by your paper quality and your printer type, professional printers will let you know what dpi is required on raster image files when you submit a job. 300 dpi is pretty universal if you don’t know for sure.
  • Web quality is about balancing image size, dimensions and ppi against load time. Many computers are now capable of displaying a print resolution image online, but it will take FOREVER to load. Smaller file sizes make for faster load time.

Saving a copy of your final art in a print resolution format with no compression (.tif, .pdf, etc) for print and a copy of your final art in a web resolution format with proper compression (.jpg, .png, .gif, etc) for use online will help your artwork display correctly and quickly where ever you want it.

Microsoft Word tends to over compress image files to grainy pixelated garbage, even for web resolution in this day and age it isn’t ideal. I really don’t recommend Word for image handling unless you know how to adjust it’s advanced settings.

17 Feb 2016
Punches tapes, ribbons, brushes, and clamps

Building Your Bookbinding Essential Tool Kit

Most of the mini comics I have made to date are books I have bound myself, using simple methods or complex ones. All of my hand bound sketchbooks are items I have sewn in a perfect bound style, with simple hard covers as I think the spine stitching is part of what makes them pretty. I don’t see why anyone shouldn’t pick this up as a hobby, or even better, make mini comics or zines all on their own!

There are tools that you need before you can actively do anything, so I’m making this informational supply list with links to suggested retailers for anyone who wants to play along at home. Gathering your supplies as needed is the way to go, this can get expensive and depending on the nature of your project you may not need all of them. You might also find you need additional items as your projects demand them, this is in no way a comprehensive list…just a starting point for a true beginner.

I’m all for saving money by using alternative items and eschewing the fancy option, and if you know what you are trying to do buying what you anticipate needing in advance will usually allow you to get the best price on the items you need.

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14 Feb 2016
Valentines_thumb

Happy Valentines Day!

Valentines

 

Roses are Red

 

Violets are Blue

 

My next round of sketchbooks are unfinished…

 

…and my fingers are covered in glue.

12 Feb 2016

Security Concerns

I’m sad to announce that we had a site wide security concern last weekend that I have spent most of this week resolving it. Please be cautious of emails generated from the ideafishpublications.com domain for the next few months. I’ve installed an additional Anti-virus & Firewall measure and am in the process of running diagnostics on the site.

I will pause my plans for a site hosted shop for the moment, so I may be building an etsy shop in the meantime – I had always planned to move hats to etsy but now I’ll probably start logging other things there as well.

24 Dec 2015
Announcement Blog Post

What a world, what a world…

You may notice that I am finally making good on all my threats of updating this site into something that resembles an actual shop and portfolio. This isn’t an easy task, so pardon my mess as I progress again toward relevancy.

Also, if you need a graphic designer I’m officially open to new freelance clients once again. I plan to have my intake forms updated by this weekend.

25 Dec 2013

Next Gen & WordPress 3.8

Updates…
The absolute bane of my existence. There are family and friends in town for the holidays, but the weekend after next I am going to sit down and figure out how to get my galleries functioning again. All the better to relaunch the store and add some over due new minicomics once I take photos of them.

Very unimpressed by how broken NextGen gallery is right now. =(

22 Nov 2013

A Warm Winter Welcome

Hello again everyone, two positions and a continuing job hunt later I am back to marvel again at how many updates I have to run on this site. I have been away from my digital life thanks in part to some busy family times, also the whole three part time jobs deal is getting old. Watch in amazement as I slowly check out my long abandoned accounts and check back in with everyone I’ve been missing for so long.
I am excited to announce that there will be portfolio upgrades from multiple sources as my most recent position was with a full service ad company. I can confirm at this point that my intent to visit C2E2 this year has fallen through, although I may be soon attending some Alabama conventions for the first time.

Portfolio updates aside I’m interested in the now proprietary child theme development that WordPress seems to have streamlined. What does this mean for IDFP?
Well…no more complaints about themes being outdated and reloading my CSS documents, custom headers and footers…at least once I get the child theme tested on my desktop mirror. Yes the fancy animated banner will be back on the feed page! You (read: Mazume and KAB) might remember it from the entire two months I have successfully kept it up and coded in the past. XP

More announcements to come as I force myself to actually update the site.