Julian Ardila and illustrator from Mexico shared a beautiful illustration work he’s done for a Google Doodle. The Doodle celebrates “Dr. Atl,” born Gerardo Murillo in Guadalajara in 1875. In a time of revolution and renaissance, Murillo greatly influenced Mexico’s political and cultural identity. He was an activist, artist, writer, journalist, and overall cultural leader.Murillo pioneered the idea of artistic nationalism. The illustration is full of style, it has this watercolor look but with a lot of depth. Julian was also really nice to share with us a bit of the process, check it out.

Description

To show his pride in his Mexican heritage, he took on the name “Atl,” meaning water in Náhuatl. He worked his entire life to promote Native Mexican culture, writing extensively on folk art, music, and dance. Murillo loved nature, and in volcanoes, he found his greatest inspiration. He frequently hiked to Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl, living and painting on the volcanic slopes for weeks at a time. In 1943, he witnessed the birth of Paricutín and documented the experience in his book “Cómo nace y crece un volcán, el Paricutín” (How a Volcano Is Born and Grows – Paricutín). For his contributions to the artistic and cultural heritage of Mexico, he was awarded the Belisario Domínguez  Medal of Honor and the National Arts Award.

Final Google Doodle

Illustration process

For more information about Julian check out:

• http://instagram.com/julianardila25
• https://www.behance.net/julianardila

Alright, gloves off. The sci-fi sequel movie who has been in the making for the last 30 years is coming to theaters (this week). Let’s welcome Blade Runner 2049! Bringing us back in the futuristic universe of replicants, we also get the return of Rick Deckard played by Harrison Ford himself. I can’t wait watch this movie, the first mastery definitely changed the genre. By the meantime, let’s take a step back and enjoy these art tributes!

Here is the synopsis of the movie: Officer K (Ryan Gosling), a new blade runner for the Los Angeles Police Department, unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what’s left of society into chaos. His discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a former blade runner who’s been missing for 30 years.

More Links

• Learn more about the movie Blade Runner 2049 movie

Credited Images

Design by Van Orton Design®

Design by Manuel Rovira

Design by Paul Chadeisson

Design by Paul Chadeisson

Design by Angelo Fajanilag

Design by Angelo Fajanilag

Design by Rico Jr Creation

Design by Ladislas Chachignot

Design by Richard Villarante

I was watching the Apple iPhone event last month when I saw the iPhone X announcement. Then I visit Apple website to check out the information about the new phone and one thing that kept getting my attention was the new colorful logo. There was something familiar about it, I could not say what exactly. Then I realize that the color effect was quite similar to one of Pixelmator’s effects. I have used that effect in the past in one of my Pixelmator tutorial so I took the time last week to try to recreate Apples logo. After literally a couple of minutes I was able to come up with something that was quite convincing. Of course it will never be the same but it gives a good idea and the most important thing, it’s another set of skills for your tool belt.

Tutorial information:

• Tool: Pixelmator
• Duration: 10 minutes
• Difficulty: Easy
• Resources: Download source file

Step 1

Create a new document in Pixelmator and add the letter X. I believe Apple use Myriad Pro for the font, I don’t have it so I use Avenir Bold for this tutorial.

Step 2

Add a new layer and with the Paint Bucket Tool (N) fill the new layer with a dark blue.

Step 3

Create a mask group from the X, masking the blue background. After that go to Effects and select Light Leak. From the Light Leak options select Nebula. At this point the effect is 80% done.

Step 4

Create a new layer and with the Brush Tool start adding some highlight colors towards the center. I used #8E5900 for the color. After that change the Blending mode for that layer to Color Dodge.

Conclusion

At this point the effect is done but you can go a bit further by using some other light effects like the Floor effect. Always create a new layer and added it inside the X masked group. I had forgotten how cool Pixelmator was for this type of quick effects. It also makes me excited for the new version coming soon, the Pixelmator Pro. I might start writing a few more quick tutorials. If you have any suggestion, please let me know. Enjoy!

Sadly but summer is definitely over…I mean for those living in North! I will try not to think too much about Winter just yet. Instead, let’s enjoy the beautiful colours of Fall/Autumn which we adore before the actual cold. Let’s travel to Germany with photographer Kilian Schönberger so we can discover the beautiful colours of Autumn captured through Kilian’s camera and digital photography. Hope you will like this one!

Kilian Schönberger is a professional landscape and architect photographer based in Cologne, Germany.You should definitely follow via Behance for more of his photography works.

Autumn at the lake – a tribute to the hidden beauty of fading colours at the lakeside of one of the many beautiful lakes in north-east Germany. The quiet water surface is like a mirror of life. The reflection captures endless moments of reality like thousands and thousands of photos. The real and the mirrored world, the evanescent appeal of autumn – a strong subject of vanitas to me.

More Links

• Learn more about Kilian Schönberger at kilianschoenberger.de
• Follow Kilian on Instagram

Digital Photography

Moment is easily one of my favourite brands out there. It’s a statement that goes a long way from their innovation, sense of humor, content and more. They are actually giving us and building tools to improve our mobile photography. They do believe that the best camera is the one that you always carry with you. I am quite a believer in that notion. With their latest V2 gear, I was one of their backers from their Kickstarter campaign and I ordered the photo case for the Google Pixel. Combined Moment with what “used” to be the best camera out there, the results are just incredible. Let’s dive into the review!

My gear for the review

• Google Pixel
• Photo Case
• New Wide Lens
• Lens Pen
• Original Lens Adapter

Welcome to Moment V2

Links

• For more information, check out Moment
• Follow Moment on Instagram
• Subscribe to Moment on YouTube

Shown is Photo Case (V2) and Original Photo Case (V1)

My Impressions

Coming from the first generation of Moment, this is an immense upgrade. Huge! For starters, the industrial design for the cases has been changed from scratch. It’s a totally new design. You get a refined slim design that still gives that everyday protection that you can attach with ease. Believe me, I have kids and they have dropped my phone many many times. Most importantly, it became even easier to attach a lens and boy it does feel solid in your pocket or backpack. It’s a functional case where I feel this might the last case that you will ever need.

Shown is Original Lens Adapter

Caring for all the details

A little accessory that proves how Moment cares for their users and their brand. They have been producing what they called: Original Lens Adapter. What does it do? Well, it’s an adapter for your V1 lenses on the new mounting system (V2). It’s a small detail but it’s giving support for those who choose to purchase the new photo case without buying any new lenses. One thing though, once you attach that lens adaptor to your V1 lenses, just safely know that you will hardly be able to take it off ever again.

Product Gallery

New Wide Lens

With the current Google Pixel, we don’t have the luxury of having a dual camera lenses if we compared to the iPhone 8 Plus for example. Even though I don’t personally think it’s necessary to own a Tele lens. I am sure it’s great but I am having this feedback based on the everyday use. Where I would put my investment on is the V2 Wide Lens, without a doubt. First of all, it’s a new design from its predecessor, I would say that is almost twice bigger and it’s awesome. Having this lens mounted on your case, you will never want to take it off. It feels strong, well-fitted and doesn’t bother much on the balance when you are holding it. The result? The “5 layer aspherical optics” actually makes your pictures vibrant and giving you a stunning wide perspective.

V2 Wide Lens in the Wild

Final Words

Moment V2 is totally worth your investment! They are building the best of the best for us makers to keep on making and elevate our photography game. My ace to Moment for keeping us wanting for more and being part of our everyday carry. One tiny tip to end this review, take a look at their wide range of accessories including the useful Lens Pen.

More Links

• Follow my tweets @aoirostudio
• Follow me on Instagram