10 steps to getting a reluctant client to pay

The life of a freelancer is a precarious one. You're never quite sure if you're charging clients enough or too much. You can't say no because you never know when your next gig will be. And you constantly worry that you won't be able to pay your bills from one month to the next.Of course, the worst thing that can happen to a freelancer is having to deal with a client who won't pay. This rolls all the issues above into one gigantic problem, as you...

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How to combine 3D and comic art in ZBrush

3D specialist Glen Southern will be joining us on 8 March at Vertex – the ultimate event for 3D and 2D artists. He'll share some insights into the evolution of VR creation tools and prove just how useful they can be by rapidly building high-quality creatures and environments in Oculus Medium. Find out more about Vertex speakers or sign up for a free Vertex pass here.The planet Varsi Prime has vast oceans teeming with life. We’ve been using...

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The Valentine's Day gifts every designer will want

Ahh Valentine's Day. For some the most romantic day of the year, for others, a huge pain in the ass. Whichever way you look at it, the last thing you want is to be in the proverbial dog house with your other half because you forgot to mark the occasion. But designers and artists are notoriously hard to buy for, so what can you get them to best describe how you feel? Luckily for you, we've found a number of items that are sure to make the creative...

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The best cheap Microsoft Surface Studio 2 deals

Are you on the hunt for a cheap Microsoft Surface Studio 2 deal? Look no further. With our price comparison tool automatically checks thousands of prices from all the most reputable retailers, you'll be able to find the best offers as and when they appear.The Microsoft Surface Studio 2 is the robust digital drafting table that many creatives have been waiting for. Building on the success of its predecessor, the Microsoft Surface Studio 2 sets a...

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How to turn day into night in Photoshop

Day-to-night conversions have been around for as long as Photoshop has had adjustment layers, but mastering the effect takes lots of practice. The key to making a day picture look like night in Photoshop is in learning to navigate the various adjustments, such as the Gradient Map and Curves, to achieve a believable tone. Darkening the image to such an extent that there's hardly any detail left in the shadows is part of the technique, and we can...

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10 best new web design tools for February 2019

The dark months of the year are a good chance to hunker down and build your knowledge before spring brings opportunities that will distract you. To that end, this month’s tools focus heavily on learning resources. If you haven’t got into progressive web apps yet, there are two books from great writers that will get you up to date and show you what can be achieved. There’s also a performance checklist with all the resources you need to...

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Choose the perfect colour palette for your website

While there are many steps in creating a website, branding is one of the most important. Whether you're working for another company or simply designing your own web design portfolio, it's vital to choose an approachable and relatable colour palette. This can seem a bit tricky, but don’t fret! In this article, I'll offer some advice for finding the right colour palette for you, using psychological studies and the theory of colour.Know what...

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Calling all artists: Join us at Vertex 2019

Save the date! From the makers of 3D Artist, 3D World and ImagineFX comes the ultimate event for 2D and 3D artists – Vertex – for one day only on Friday 8 March at Olympia, London.Just like how a vertex connects everything, our event will bring these sister magazines and the CG community together for practical inspiration and a fantastic networking opportunity.This special event assembles experts from every industry and discipline in CG, from...

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19 cool CSS animation examples to recreate

You've probably noticed that lots of  CSS animation examples have been popping up on websites and in apps lately. Animation is has been a major trend for some time now, and is showing no signs of going anywhere.While it may seem limited when it comes to animation, CSS is actually a really powerful tool and is capable of producing beautifully smooth 60fps animations. All over the web, designers are getting creative and using CSS animations to...

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Typography meets Tinder in this type dating game

Graphic designer and Type Tasting founder Sarah Hyndman has been finding ways to make typography fun and exciting for a mainstream audience for years. Previous explorations have looked at how fonts taste and feel, but for her new type psychology dating game, What's Your Type: The Type Dating Game, Hyndman has started a conversation using a language we can all understand: the language of love.Designed to test how type-savvy you are and to help...

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