Web graphics for beginners

For those who would like to take creating their own webgraphics further without incurring cost there are a few free programs on the internet that will give you a good result.

Paint.Net

I can personally recommend Paint.Net, which I use almost daily for the past few years. This program “…started development as an undergraduate college senior design project mentored by Microsoft, and is currently being maintained by some of the alumni that originally worked on it. Originally intended as a free replacement for the Microsoft Paint software that comes with Windows, it has grown into a powerful yet simple image and photo editor tool. It has been compared to other digital photo editing software packages such as Adobe® Photoshop®, Corel® Paint Shop Pro®, Microsoft Photo Editor, and The GIMP.” Source: Paint.net

The ‘poor man’s photoshop’ as I have heard it described, however there is nothing poor about the various editing features it provides.

Paint.Net Tutorials

For those who like to work with a tutorial rather than just trying first there are written tutorials in the forum and a video with some basics that accompanies this post.

Click on the logo above to watch a video tutorial

Once downloaded, install the program and check the HELP on the toolbar for the forum and tutorials for more information and inspiration. With this program you can create, edit, scan, resize, add text, colour and much more. There is a whole array of editing tools which allow you to create an amazing variety of graphics, just let your imagination dictate your creations. Once you grasp a few basics the rest will follow. Astound your friends with some awesome handcrafted web graphics.

Enjoy the fun!

Zo Nicholas

Web graphics made easy

Creating a unique web graphic to illustrate a web page or blog post doesn’t have to be a daunting experience. There are quite a few easy ways to create a unique image that don’t cost money, but just needs your time and a bit of effort.

Collecting Pictures

When first starting to collect pictures on your pc store them in a folder and organise this folder further into various topics. This makes it much easier when searching for something specific. Just for example, create a folder called family, then create further further folders for each family member.

There are many places on the internet that offer free graphics or free photos to download and collect if you don’t have any of your own, just make sure you don’t violate any copyright. Collect pictures that appeal to you. If you own a digital camera just take pictures and collect them for later use. I personally have a old Fuji FinePix A510 digital camera which takes a reasonable picture.

Foto Fun

Now creating something unique for your friends, family or blog can be real fun. Just type in Fotofun into Google and you will find lots of sites that offer free graphic effects where you can create a unique web graphic that you can just save to your computer. Each and every one unique.

Here just some examples of some Foto fun.

No expensive programs are needed like Photoshop to buy and learn. With a few simple mouse clicks you can create a whole image library to use.

For those who want to learn more about webgraphic creation and having fun blogging do join our training and webmaster calls

Zo Nicholas

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Swarovski Crystal

Swarovski Polar Bear

Having received a beautiful gift of a real Swarovski Polar Bear many years ago, due to my interest in the extinction of the Polar Bear brought on by climate change,  I was most intrigued to find out where these beautiful crystal sculptures came from. The craft of producing elegant glass crystal objects has been around since the 17th century.

“Swarovski is the luxury brand name for the range of precision-cut lead crystal glass and related products produced by Swarovski AG of Wattens, Austria. Daniel Swarovski was born to a glass cutter in the Austrian monarchy. In 1892 he patented an electric cutting machine that facilitated the production of lead crystal glass jewellery….The Swarovski Crystal range includes crystal sculptures and miniatures, jewelry and couture, home decor and chandeliers” Source: Wikipeadia

Swarovski Retailers

Today there are many retailers worldwide selling these beautifully crafted lead crystal glass objects. Go to Google and type in Swarovski and your city and your bound to find a local stockist near you.

There are many other countries, like eg: Poland, that produce superb lead crystal glass. By adding lead oxide to glass it improves its luster and clarity, and softens the glass allowing it to be cut in such a way that the surface patterns reflect the light and sparkle just like diamonds do.

Swarovski Crystal Kicks

Today I see that the beauty of sparkling glass is indeed appreciated even by the young, as in the the Swarovski Crystal Kicks, created by Fiaz Mohamed or Ismail Kahn at GlobalSportsUS in London UK. If you love the Swarovski sparkle then you will love these beautifully custom crafted Kicks.

Zo Nicholas