Best of the Web – May 2009

May 31st in Web Roundups by Grant Friedman

Each month we scour the Internet in search of the best tutorials, freebies, and vector-related content. In May, there was no shortage of content to choose from with lots of excellent tutorials, freebies, and vector-related content being produced on lots of websites. Please take a moment to review some of our favorite picks for the month of May.

Author: Grant Friedman

Grant Friedman is the creative mind behind Colorburned Studios, a freelance graphic and web design firm. Grant got his start as a designer in 1999 when he began drafting electronic newsletters for organizations he was involved with. Over the years he has worked for a number of businesses, organizations, and individuals. His primary design tools are Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Fireworks, and InDesign.

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  How to Create a Cute Hippo Character!

  One of the biggest advantages of Adobe Illustrator is the ease at which it enables you to create illustrations from even the most basic shapes. This tutorial from Ai Vault demonstrates how to create a cute hippo character from simple shapes and drawing techniques.

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  Create Marine Square Tiles

  This stunning tutorial from Vector Diary shows how to create a fantastic tile effect in Adobe Illustrator using some rounded rectangles, the transform tool, and a well-chosen color scheme.

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  How to Create an Abstract Vector Design in Illustrator

  A great looking abstract design can be created from the simplest of shapes. This tutorial from Spoon Graphics combines several geometric shapes and objects to form a dynamic composition in Illustrator.

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  Illustrator Swatches Gradient Background Effect

  The packaging for Adobe Creative Suite 4 uses a subtle gradient to produce a stunning effect. What a lot of people may not realize however is how easily this effect may be achieved using Illustrator’s blend tool.

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  Create a Vector Art Twitter Bird Character Icon in Adobe Illustrator

  Lately, one of the biggest trends in web design is the incorporation of a unique cartoon-style Twitter bird in the header of a site’s design. This fantastic tutorial from the GoMediaZine details the steps involved in creating a unique vector Twitter bird from a sketch.

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  Aligning In Illustrator

  Sometimes one of the first questions we ask ourselves while learning Adobe Illustrator is how we can align objects. This quick tip from The Design O’Blog shows how you can quickly align objects in Adobe Illustrator using some of the basic functions of the align palette.

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(FREE!) Download Picks

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  Ink Splatters Big Pack

  You really can’t have too many ink splats to use in your designs. This set of 25 vector ink splats from MDGraphs on Deviant Art includes 25 Illustrator CS3 files and can be used to add interest to your grunge designs.

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  Ornaments Set 2

  This gorgeous set of vector ornaments from DuroArt on Deviant Art is really fantastic and well put together and can be used in an endless amount of ways. Feel free to download these elements and use them to create flowing floral designs, seamless patterns, or whatever else you can dream up.

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  27+ Abstract Geometric Wireframe Vectors

  Abstract geometry works very well when incorporated into a design appropriately. Geometric shapes can be used to add interest or to fill up some empty space. This set of 17 abstract geometric wireframe vectors from Think Design Blog is perfect for use in your next retro or abstract design.

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  Freebie: 14 Exclusive Floral Stamps Vectors

  With this set of 14 floral stamps from Vectips, you can quickly get lost creating and experimenting with scatter brushes and seamless patterns. Download this set and incorporate these awesome vectors into your designs.

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  Scandinavian-Style Simple Patterns

  Seamless patterns literally have an unlimited amount of uses in your designs. These Scandinavian-style patterns from Pehaa are simply fantastic and can be used for just about anything from package design to web design.

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  Weekly Vector Inspiration #18

  This inspirational post is part of Vectips’ weekly vector inspiration series and includes some truly amazing pieces of vector or vector inspired art from a variety of sources. The Vectips weekly vector inspiration post is a must see for any aspiring vector artist.

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  Cartoon Websites and Characters 2

  Cartoon characters and mascots have become increasingly popular in web design. This post from Inspiredology contains a list of really nice website cartoons and mascots for inspiration in your next web design project.

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  30 Artistic and Creative Résumés

  In a slowing economy you can bet that design companies and agencies are seeing the number of resumes that they receive increase. This post from Web Designer Depot showcases some highly artistic and creative resumes to look at for inspiration so that your resume can get noticed.

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  New Vector Pattern Website

  This new website from the guys that brought us Pattern Head features some very high quality seamless vector patterns in an easy to use, browseable format. Check out this new vector resource today and start using these patterns in your designs.

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  Super Amazing Vector Art by Tstout

  This inspirational post from Abduzeedo features the work of Tstout, an amazing vector artist who frequently remakes movie posters in his own vision. Tstout’s work is amazingly detailed and high quality and very inspirational.

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