I love Google Reader.
I love Instapaper.
And InstaReader makes both of them even more awesome and convenient.
What’s InstaReader?
InstaReader is a free service that sends anything you star in Google Reader to Instapaper.
You don’t even have to give InstaReader your Google sign-in if you make your GReader Starred Items public.
Terrific.
Ugh. The gradient mesh tool hurts my brain. But it’s one of those features that will make you a better person because you took the time to learn it.
Here’s an interesting tutorial from your friends at Layers Magazine that combines the magic of the gradient mesh with the wonder of Ilustrator’s 3D capabilities to make a simple little road sign graphic.
Macworld magazine did a little write up on the announcement of Wacom’s new Cintiq 21UX. It’ll be released in early April. You know, like 2 months after I buy what is now the old version.
Typical. Not that I’m bitter or anything.
But you can help lessen the blow.
Pre-order the Cintiq from Amazon by clicking this link, and I’ll get a sweet kickback. You KNOW you want one. They really are quite awesome.
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Wacom announces new Cintiq 21UX pen display
Wacom CINTIQ 21UX (DTK2100) 21-Inch Pen Display – Graphics Monitor with Digital Pen
From the Typekit website:
“Just add a line of JavaScript to your markup, tell us what fonts you want to use, and then craft your pages the way you always have. Except now you’ll be able to use real fonts. This really is going to change web design.”
Sounds pretty cool. Simple, flexible, and cool.
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The clipping mask is one of the myriad of tools that Adobe Illustrator sports. And I never really got the hang of it or understood where it would come in handy.
Until last week.
I’m putting together a new comic strip called The Winchcombe, and I’ve just saved myself a ton of time and headaches by finally figuring out just what the clipping mask can do for me.
Long and short: I’ve drawn several “set pieces”, background images of locations that will be used frequently in the strip, places like an office, an exterior shot of the restaurant, and the break room.
I can slap the full-sized backdrop down on a layer, scale it to fit the specific shot I’m composing, and then use a clipping mask to trim it to fit the panel, quick and clean. It’s much better than erasing or slopping big blobs of white ink down to cover the unwanted portion.
Thanks to Jay Hilgert of bittbox for making it so embarrassingly clear how easy clipping masks are to use.
How to Make a Clipping Mask in Illustrator | BittBox
The Winchcombe
