Computer Arts issue 151

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This issue of Computer Arts was a great pleasure to put together – there’s so much delicious imagery inside that your eyes will be popping out. On the visual front, I suppose we made our job quite easy this month by looking at the theme of self-initiated work, and how it can boost a creative professional’s portfolio.

The personal projects in someone’s portfolio tend to be what I like looking at most. You never know what you’ll get – it could be beautiful, it might be dark, and quite often it’s a bit bonkers. Even better when it’s a mix of all three. And just like we enjoy the pieces from the freestyle end of the spectrum, I’m certain this is the work artists enjoy creating the most.

One of the best things about self-initiated work is that it keeps the artist fresh, and enables them to experiment with different styles and evolve. New avenues and change are important in the creative world. The theme continues here at Computer Arts where after a year on the magazine, and a redesign, I am moving on.

Long-term readers will know that this has been my second spell on a magazine that I love, so I’m lucky to have been able to edit it twice. It’s hard to describe how passionate I am about Computer Arts. The staff here are both professional and wonderful to work with. Equally, I’ve really enjoyed all the contact I’ve had with Computer Arts readers. Without our fantastic readership we wouldn’t have such a successful magazine and website, and it’s great to be a part of the community that surrounds this title.

Farewell, and a big thank you to everyone who reads Computer Arts, everyone who has written in, and of course to all my colleagues. I’ll certainly miss it but hopefully won’t lose touch.

Garrick Webster
Editor, Computer Arts

IN THE MAG

Features

John Maeda interviewed
Why creatives are the force for tomorrow

The design graduate’s survival guide
How to launch your design career

Tobias Jones
The up-and-coming illustrator speaks

Round Table
Should designers learn to code?

Burnwater profiled
The booming Filipino design house

Build a better portfolio
How self-initiated work can win you clients

Technique

Retouching in Photoshop
With our new writer, Per Gustafson

Brief Encounter
The making of NoiseFive with ATTIK

A Flash portfolio
Create a stunning gallery

Inspiration Workshop
With Tom Bagshaw

MetalFX inks
Get perfect results

Video panorama
Combining Photoshop and After Effects

Website imagery
Make your art the basis for a web page

Maps in Illustrator
Create beautiful and effective 3D maps

Envelope distortion
A special Illustrator effect

Need to Know

Successful photoshoots
With advice from leading art directors

QuarkXPress 8
Does it have what designers need?

Organising your assets
Take control of all your image files