Layers TV: Episode 50

RC talks about how a little organization can go a long way when preparing to layout a site in Dreamweaver.

• Always start by brainstorming your website ideas on sheet of paper
• Have someone else go over your ideas and give some feedback
• Start grouping related content together
• Use the outline to build the skeletal structure for the site
• Open Dreamweaver and start setting up your website

Special guest Megan O’Brien shows RC how she uses Photoshop with a pen tablet to draw and color her 2D illustrations.

• Sketching directly in Photoshop will save the step of having to scan an image in
• Draw in a lower opacity and in some color other than black so that black will stand out when you use it
• Use the rough sketch to create a lines layer
• The Wacom tablet is great for this kind of work because of the pressure sensitivity that acts like a real pen or pencil with an eraser
• Select the drawing and contract the selection by a pixel, then fill the area with color
• Lock the transparency of your layer so that the color does not spill outside the lines of the sketch
• Watch Part 2 of this tutorial to see how Megan finishes the drawing off by adding more color and shadow

Contest Winner
RC and Corey have decided that the weekly contest winner from Layers TV will be announced in RC’s blog post. Remember when you submit your answer in the contact form to choose Layers Blog from the drop-down menu. Be sure to check the front page post for the name of this week’s winner and tune in to this week’s episode to find out what the contest question and prizes are.