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TUAW's Daily App: Corel Paint it! Now
Corel was a big deal back in the days before Photoshop -- I remember CorelDRAW as being one of the most premiere art apps out there. It still is, of course, but Corel has fallen to the wayside now that Photoshop and Illustrator have become so popular. However, Corel has made an interesting step onto the App Store with the awkwardly-titled Corel Paint it! Now (free). Not a drawing app, Corel Paint It! Now lets you apply artistic filters to your photos, like oil or pen and ink. It works well and does its job in an interesting way, as you can watch it "draw" the resulting image, suggesting some sort of drawing engine is at work. You can create some pretty funky pictures, and then you can send them off via email, Facebook or Flickr. At even 99 cents, I'd question what this app is for, but at the current price of free, it's probably worth a download just to see it in action. In fact, Corel tells TUAW that the app has seen over 175k downloads already, so you'd be in good company. I wouldn't depend on it for anything important (the resolution is sadly low), but it's a nice little trick to spice up some pictures that could use a cool effect on them.
iPad patent suggests landscape dock connector ... again
We've heard about this before, but a new patent illustration hints again at a second dock in a future version of the iPad, one that will enable you to both charge and sync your iPad from a landscape setup. Honestly, it seems a little redundant to have two dock connectors on there, since you'll never use more than one at a time anyway. Still, competitors are already making use of a landscape charging setup, and Apple's been hinting about switching to a landscape charging display for a while. Could be that when we do see the next version of the iPad announced (likely next January), you'll have your option of which way to display it while charging.
TUAW's Daily App: Cartolina
Cartolina is an app that I noticed over on the great Drawn! illustration blog. While you might not want to get it yourself (it's the thought that counts with greeting cards, and I think that, with both cards and letters, the real thing is still better), you can't disagree that the art of this one is pretty incredible. Cartolina is originally a stationery company, printing cards and letterheads with elaborate and elegant designs on them, but they've also released an iPhone app. For US$2.99, you get access to nine different artistic templates, which can then be made into beautiful email or text messages. It's not a big deal (and it's no substitute for actually writing someone a letter -- something I already don't do enough of), but for classing up the standard congratulatory or simply nice email or text message, it'll work wonders. The app also has a built-in calendar with reminders of major events, and the app promises even more designs and features coming soon. Again, if you already have a schedule and a plan for sending greeting cards, the app probably won't interest you that much. But it's always nice to send someone a reminder that you're thinking of them, and having Cartolina around might help you do just that.
Want to BBQ with the iPhone? You don't even need an app
Not really -- if you really are planning to grill up some meat (or mushrooms and pineapples, they're good too) today or this weekend, you'll need a little more heat than your iPhone will give. But it's true, Apple's little handheld can get nice and toasty when it's really working*, and illustrator Chad Covino made a little Fourth of July BBQ-themed sketch about that very subject. We love it -- very nice work!My iPhone does get hot, but not so hot I can't pick it up -- usually when I'm running 3D for a longer stretch of time or when the phone is doing some serious calculating like audio or photo editing, I start to feel the heat coming off the back. Batteries are to blame for some of the more extreme problems, however, and that's not a huge surprise, given that batteries in any mobile device have their issues. The good news in that case, however, is that the phone is unlikely to actually explode -- the repair guy Wired talks to says that "a little bit of smoke eventually is probably the best bet." Not that a smoking iPhone is a good situation at all, but you can at least be sure that your iPhone is not quite as hot as the fire under your burgers this weekend.[* Note that the Apple KB article referenced here about temperature warnings/"don't leave the iPhone in the glove compartment" for the iPhone 3G and 3GS is not a new post, nor is the temperature alert screen unique to the 3GS; the KB was simply updated to include the newer device. Jim Dalrymple at The Loop has a solid rundown. FoxNews incorrectly reported that the support article was specific to the 3GS, but then did cite PC World's Melissa Perenson and David Coursey with personal stories of wicked-hot 3GS units. If your 3GS is overheating, check in with Apple support or your local AT&T store. -Ed.]
The DS Life: Phosphorescence
Even as a kid (or perhaps especially as a kid), artist David Gibbons had a fascination for all things glow-in-the-dark. Really, though, what's there to not like about glow-in-the-dark junk? David covered his bedroom walls with every glow-in-the-dark decoration he could find -- posters, stickers, and stars. He even wore glow-in-the-dark pajamas and braces! While we never went that far, we happen to have a glow-in-the-dark rosary hanging off our car's rearview mirror (It's a Filipino thing! Also, it makes it easier for us to pick out our car in the mall parking lot at night.).Anyway, David used his childhood glow-in-the-dark obsession as inspiration to create the art piece we've featured a today, an illustration depicting all of the Christmas toys he wished for as a kid while laying awake at night, gazing at all their glow-in-the-dark incarnations blue-tacked to his walls and ceiling.
World of WarCrafts: Color the Wendigo
Every Thursday, Shelbi Roach of The Bronze Kettle guides you in creating WoW-inspired crafts using real world mats with World of WarCrafts.Between the high possibility of servers going down, potential queues, or just general lack of mobs to kill because of the massive influx of Northrend nubs you're probably going to have some downtime. Yeah, you could probably join in with the Barrens Chat-esque Chuck Norris jokes that will inevitably plague the general channels of the two starter zones, or you could bust out the Crayolas and color this awesome Wendigo.Here is what you will need: White Cardstock Printer Colors (Pencils, Crayons, Markers, etc.) Scissors Glue Click on the images below to view a gallery of step-by-step instructions. %Gallery-36756% Want to print the step-by-step instructions? Copy and paste the instructions below.
It's-a Mario World: Fan Art
This week has been relatively quiet in terms of Mario-related news, but should that deter us from our regularly scheduled plumber fanfare? If you answered "yes," you're wrong. It was a trick question. Today is Friday and we are going to damn well talk about Mario. We don't take this feature lightly. In fact, each Friday the WiiFanboy offices are rife with Mario cosplay and Mush Kingdom decor. We even release various species of turtles and name them after the Koopa Kids to keep us company during the course of the rigid blogging workday.* This blogger is presently sporting his sweet denim overalls, beneath of which are a pair of Goomba boxer briefs that he probably grew out of years ago and a Toad tank top that reads, "I'm the best!!" So! All things considered, let's dive into this thing. Today we're admiring Mario fan art, and our new gallery is comprised of what we feel to be the outstanding work among so many scribbled Mario atrocities on the Internet. We kept this collection mostly limited to hand drawings, digital renders and photographs, which means you won't be seeing any wedding cakes. Now kick back and click through!*No turtles were harmed during the making of this blog. It's-a Mario World is a weekly feature in which the ubiquity of Nintendo's flagship character is celebrated: We'll incessantly ruminate about mustache wax, debate the curious whereabouts of the princess and covet the luminous power stars strewn about the galaxy. Check back here every Friday to find out what strange and wonderful thing has got us tipping our caps.
EVE illustrator breathes a dark, gritty life into the game's setting
Writer Annalee Newitz from the sci-fi centric io9 blog recently took a look at some of EVE Online's memorable artwork, by Icelandic concept designer B. Börkur Eiríksson (apparently also known as "Nag" according to The Art of EVE book). Börkur has been the Lead Artist/Illustrator at CCP Games since 2004, imbuing New Eden's futuristic backstory with his very dark, gritty style that really helps set the tone. On Börkur's "Industra" -- a depiction of a gloomy, burn out industrial city -- Newitz writes, "This image of a future city... feels to me like some anachronistic mashup of impressionist art and science fiction. The people in their hats and bonnets look almost nineteenth century..."io9 has a sampling of Börkur's artwork, but his online gallery -- Björn Börkur Eiríksson: Industrium -- is the prime place to find numerous examples of his work, divided between Concepts/Illustrations and Sketches/Speedpaints. EVE Online fans will recognize much of this artwork, which has been featured alongside fiction appearing in E-ON magazine and the official site's Chronicles over the years. If you're a fan of unidealized depictions of the future -- hell, if you just liked Blade Runner -- you'll probably appreciate the artwork of B. Börkur Eiríksson. [Via CrazyKinux]
Adobe to drop GoLive, Freehand
The Mac Observer is reporting that Adobe announced at Adobe Live that the company is giving the axe to GoLive and Freehand for CS3, due out spring of 2007. Before the Adobe-Macromedia merger, GoLive was Adobe's Dreamweaver (and a far superior product, might I add), and Freehand was Macromedia's Illustrator (here's hoping Adobe means every word of their comment that "Dreamweaver will get a new interface"). I'm sure that since this decision was made some time ago, Adobe has had extra development hands to spend on making an Intel-native Creative Suite other projects.If this announcement disappoints you, just remember something John Gruber said in his translation of Adobe's PR announcement and FAQs of the merger: "Competition is overrated - it only benefits customers".
EazyDraw 2.0 - illustration and drawing for Mac OS X
EazyDraw dubs itself as a "balanced vector drawing application," and from browsing its feature list, that sounds just about right. It looks like it has a nice array of illustration tools and abilities including some CAD-related features like wall and window tools, as well as drawing on a grid. EazyDraw can even import and edit old school files from Claris Draw, Mac Draw II and Mac Draw Pro.EazyDraw is a Universal Binary, and a demo is available. Licensing the app, however, is a little strange: a full download license can be had for $95 (CD in the mail is $115), but you can also purchase a nine month license for a mere $20. Take that as you will, but if you've been looking for a solid and feature-rich illustration app, EazyDraw probably has you covered.
WouldjaDraw illustration software
Dave Caolo showed you an open source image editing tool, so I thought I'd pick up another end of the spectrum with an illustration tool by the name of WouldjaDraw. While it isn't open source, WouldjaDraw does have a healthy array of illustrating features and tools. Inspector palettes, gradient tools, a nice selection of export formats and a strong toolset should make WouldjaDraw a satisfying alternative to the illustration mega-suites.A demo is available, and a license will run you a mere $29.95.[via Daring Fireball]
