Services

Graphic Design and layout

Advertisement / Poster design and layout

I will design a look and feel for your advertisement or poster and position the text and imaging in an esthetically pleasing way. You can make suggestions on the direction and provide materials to use. I will make sure that your product look striking and targets your target market.

Pamphlet / Brochure / Card / Booklet / Article design and layout

I select the optimal font, feel and style for your layout as well as possible printing techniques, binding etc. Each project needs a unique look and feel suited to the design in question and I provide just that.

Book cover design

Sometimes you have the information you want on the cover of a book, but you just need someone to create a striking layout to help sell the product. Contact me and I will assist you by providing this service.

Magazine/book look and feel conceptualization and design as well as layout

Every magazine looks different. People tend to take magazine design and layout for granted, but it is a huge job. Hire me to design your magazine's look and feel or provide layout services for an existing or new magazine.

Logo / Letterhead design

I can create a corporate design for your business including letter heads, business cards logos and more. It is important that these materials are not generic but fully embody your company's function and ideology.

3D visualizations

If you need visualization of interiors, architecture, characters, mechanical parts, or just about anything I can model, texture and light the scene, or build objects in 3D and render quality 3D images for you to use. It makes a clear difference when your architectural visualization, or other rendering looks professional.

Certificate Design / Certificate Layout

Need a certificate for an occasion or event? I can design certificates with various fonts, images and concepts for you. I not use templates for these. Foil stamping and gold foil stamping can be used to get shiny lettering etc.

3D Stereoscopic and 3D Anaglyph images

Images are created in 3D software so various angles can be rendered. These 3D images are then superimposed using coloured filters so you can view them as 3D with red and blue stereoscopic glasses, just like those ones they used to use in the cinemas before the new 3D technology became available.

Animation

Video editing and manipulation

Hire me to edit your corporate video, advertisement, wedding video, or any other video material. I have edited many corporate videos for various clients in different industries. I use Adobe Premiere for most of my editing. I also have some Adobe After Effects skills which come in handy when using video effects. It is important to incorporate effects in order to stand out from other products.

Flash animation / Animated presentations / Animated invitations

These are created as flash or video presentations. The perfect way for you to draw attention to your project, or invitation. I can create digital art for this or it can all be done with moving logos, text and designs.

3D modeling

If you need visualization of interiors, architecture, characters, mechanical parts, or just about anything I can model, texture and light the scene, or objects in 3D and render quality 3D animations, or stills for your to use.

3D animation

If you need moving visual animations of spatial designs, architecture, prototypes, characters or any kind of animation, I can provide you with the services you need by modeling, texturing, lighting and rendering the material in 3D.

3D Stereoscopic and 3D Anaglyph animation

Animations are created in 3D software so various angles can be rendered. These 3D animations/videos are then superimposed using coloured filters so you can view them as 3D with red and blue stereoscopic glasses, just like those ones they used to use in the cinemas before the new 3D technology became available.

Art/Visual

Illustrations

I have done various illustrations for books, articles and comics. There are many different kinds of drawings and this service will usually include 1 or more of the following 5 services.

Comic penciling

This is the basic act of producing a clean well-drawn pencil drawing with, or without shading which can then be inked, digitally painted or shaded to make an artistic drawing. For a comic style result the shading will have to be done in a vector style. One of the important factors for the comic penciler is to work in a clean way.

Comic inking

The pencil lines are digitally colored with a black line that has varying width, weight and curves. This gives character to drawings and in usually used for a comic or graphic novel look. The inking process is essential in giving an illustration it's fleshed-out look and is arguably the most important step towards the final artwork. As a comic inker I used to ink in adobe illustrator, but have now found that Photoshop is a much better program to ink in for most purposes.

Comic coloring

The inked drawing is flatted with basic colors and is then colored with various gradients, marquees and shades. This can be smooth or heavily vectored. A comic colorist can have a huge impact on the look of the final art work, or page look and feel.

Digital painting

This is a lot like coloring but it can be done with or without inking and can be done with or without pencil/charcoal shading. This technique creates a more artistic feel.

Artistic drawing

A pencil or charcoal drawing which is shaded like any fine art drawing. This can be digitally painted or left as is. You can commission me to do a work based on the subject matter of your choice, or you can enquire about my existing works.

Family Portrait / Family Drawings

I can draw you family members, whether it is a picture of one person or a group of many. These drawings often need to be larger than most drawings when there are various figures in order to keep the details and keep the figures recognizable.

I can also put various figures from different photos into one composition on the artwork. For this service I prefer to work from photographs rather than live models in order to make sure that the resemblance is clear.

Nude art / figure drawing

I am fond of the human form as a tool of expression and emotion. I have therefore focused much of my love of art on figure drawings and the emotions they capture. If you want to commission a figure drawing or nude art work you may. I have also provided such services for husbands who wanted art works for their wives' birthdays etc.

It is possible to work from photos, or from a live model. There are advantages and disadvantages to both situations. One thing which is true is that you can never make a good artwork if you receive a bad photograph

Web site related skills

Web site design and creation

Your site will be planned, discussed, designed and built. There are also ongoing maintenance options. I code W3C standards compliant HTML and CSS which is up to date and won't leave clients with embarrassing outdated web sites. A web site or page can also include examples of any of my other skills.

Interface visualization/ interface design

If you need a software package developed, but you want to make sure you know what you are getting into before-hand, this is an excellent choice. I have done work with large internal systems for the AA Training Academy which involved designing a very extensive interface and creating an HTML preview for that interface. The preview is completely clickable and allows the client to see what using the program would be like before spending a bundle of cash to get it developed.

Search engine optimization and search engine ranking advice

This service consists of establishing the details that will make the pages appear in better positions on search engine results when users search for relevant key phrases and keywords. This also includes the construction of a site map and generating site maps specifically for use with Yahoo and Google tools.

Search engine and index submission as well as web research

I submit your web page to major indexes and search engines myself. Often pages will not be listed if this is not done in the correct way. You will also receive some detailed information about your site's visibility on the net. This can often be a major indicator of what needs to be changed.

Individualized per page meta tag optimization

For the web page owners who wants every single visitor they can find. I will look at the content of every page and write page specific meta tags. I will also consult the client about this in more detail and take other steps to maximize search engine results.

Photoshop and editing work

Digital photo manipulation / optimization

These can be professional or silly depending on the requirement. Objects and drawings can be added to photos, or photos can be combined. Colors can also be tweaked and marks can be removed.

Digital effects / Digital designs

These can also include photo manipulation, but are more based around digital effects with logos and art incorporated into the look. Perfect for posters and desktops.

Digital photo makeovers

I can clean up the skin tone, color and lighting on your photos, including removing skin problems and enhancing certain elements of beauty. These can also be pushed to extremes for desktop designs and can include the creation of elaborate backgrounds.

Training

Software training / Software tutorials

I have taught courses at government institutions covering Adobe Photoshop training, Adobe Indesign training, Adobe Illustrator training and Adobe Acrobat Pro Training.
For the same courses I have created video tutorials for Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Indesign, Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Acrobat Pro.

Music performance

Performance and background music

Small groups and bands can be organized for functions and background music. Style preferences are required. This service is only available in and around Pretoria / South Africa. I am particularly fond of small jazz or blues bands and gigs

Music and audio editing

Music and Audio: Composing / Recording / Mixing / Sequencing

I can write, arrange, record, mix and/or sequence music for presentations, movies and projects, or for any other application. Requests in any styles are welcome. I can also help to write and arrange solos and ideas for existing projects.

Tip of the week

Realize that designs and visuals are a valuable commodity and a skill to perfect. When a plumber or mechanic does work for you, you notice the difference... They have fixed a problem and you can measure the change that has occurred. Just because designs and graphics are more difficult to measure in terms of value, does not mean that they are any less important. It could in fact be seen as more important in some ways. Want to try it out? Design a flyer in MS Word and send it out... Then ask a graphic designer like myself to do it and see whether you get more or less responses. :-)

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