baal_uriel

Good work!  I usually cheat by using Inkscape to do the bitmap-to-vector conversion (something I hope future versions of Affinity Designer will add)... I've only tried to re-draw one from scratch by hand, so I give props to you.    I know nothing of Pikachu, so I can't comment on the accuracy, but I like how your design looks.

Hi there guys! 
My son wanted a cake-topper and his birthday decoration of Pikachu (he just saw Detective Pikachu Movie) so, I tried my best, I found an image in google, I started working on it. Here is the final result. 
I will appreciate any recommendation or suggestion.
Thank you so much!
 

Hi there guys! 
My son wanted a cake-topper and his birthday decoration of Pikachu (he just saw Detective Pikachu Movie) so, I tried my best, I found an image in google, I started working on it. Here is the final result. 
I will appreciate any recommendation or suggestion.
Thank you so much!
 

Nice!! Looking good - I think this will be a big hit for your son's birthday.
I really like the shadow detailing on the hat, and overall. Really good job here :).

My first logo work with Affinity Designer Ipad versiyon.

Hi there guys! 
My son wanted a cake-topper and his birthday decoration of Pikachu (he just saw Detective Pikachu Movie) so, I tried my best, I found an image in google, I started working on it. Here is the final result. 
I will appreciate any recommendation or suggestion.
Thank you so much!
 

Hi there guys! 
My son wanted a cake-topper and his birthday decoration of Pikachu (he just saw Detective Pikachu Movie) so, I tried my best, I found an image in google, I started working on it. Here is the final result. 
I will appreciate any recommendation or suggestion.
Thank you so much!
 

Hi there guys! 
My son wanted a cake-topper and his birthday decoration of Pikachu (he just saw Detective Pikachu Movie) so, I tried my best, I found an image in google, I started working on it. Here is the final result. 
I will appreciate any recommendation or suggestion.
Thank you so much!
 

Hi there guys! 
My son wanted a cake-topper and his birthday decoration of Pikachu (he just saw Detective Pikachu Movie) so, I tried my best, I found an image in google, I started working on it. Here is the final result. 
I will appreciate any recommendation or suggestion.
Thank you so much!
 

Hi there guys! 
My son wanted a cake-topper and his birthday decoration of Pikachu (he just saw Detective Pikachu Movie) so, I tried my best, I found an image in google, I started working on it. Here is the final result. 
I will appreciate any recommendation or suggestion.
Thank you so much!
 

Looks nice but I think you've made it a bit too dark in some places. For example, the middle "e" is hardly visible.
Also, some highlights - similar to those on the "Stranger Things" logotype - might look good too. I realise you're probably not trying to copy it but the dark and light parts go together to make the whole thing more complete.
No big issues, I just think a few tweaks here and there will make a big difference.

sethif,
There's no offset function in Affinty Designer yet. The best way to have a consistent offset now it to add a stroke to a copy of the shape (use the size of the stroke to define the offset distance) and then convert it to a shape going to Layer -> Expand Stroke.

Websites consist of HTML for the structure/markup, CSS for the look/style, and possibly JavaScript for some dynamic functionality. What you do in your graphic design application is create a visual guideline so you know what the site is going to look like while you are working on the code in your preferred code editor. Except from exporting a few images for use on the website, AD has not much to do with getting a website online and functional. If you have no idea about coding whatsoever, and aren’t willing to learn it, it might be better if you hire someone who does. While there are applications that can output code out of graphic designs I wouldn’t recommend them for production sites. Any application is just a tool, and a tool can only be as good or useful as the person using it. And no tool can currently replace a real web developer (yet).

This is a minimalistic view of my layout on the desk at home.
I started out with the intention of only making the keyboard, but then I wanted to make more :D
 
 

And some others I made recently.

I am not a professional artist or designer. I was just playing around with Affinity Designer one day, drawing some flowers and trees... and I got hooked! And now, I every time I see nice flowers or trees, I feel challenged and look forward to draw them.  I have a lot to learn about Affinity Designer and digital art drawing, but I am enjoying every moment of it.  So thank you so much! :D

Please scroll down to the end of this post to see the latest added tutorials.
Thanks.
 
Hello Everyone,
 
In the last couple of weeks I shared in the Forum different topics related to video tutorials I upload to my YouTube channel. To make it more practical, I'm gonna share them and new ones in just this topic. Feel free to scroll down and find all the videos I already uploaded.
If you want to know a bit more about me and what to expect, then keep reading.
 
Photography (and design) is part of my life for more than twenty years. I began working in the advertising industry in the 90's and from there I covered many different areas from the creative process to production. Today I mainly do portrait photography, fine art, special assignments and some design projects.
 
In the last years and as a certified trainer, I began to share what I've learned and continue to learn in workshops. I mainly cover Portrait Photography, Black & White, Digital Workflow and Retouching. For the love of sharing my passion about photography, I decided to start making video tutorials and this is the reason I end up here. The amazing software the Affinity Team made gave me the enthusiasm we normally have when we get a new toy. For me it's been a fantastic experience and discovery of new ways of doing the same things in a different, and many times better, way. And this experience is what I want to share with you.
 
This is also the reason I'm going to cover more the Affinity apps in a photography scenario. But you can expect more, a lot more... I'll also be covering photographic tips and techniques and other software that I find relevant to my/our work. This is the case of Capture One Pro that will have also a special feature. Apart from this I'm also preparing some "extras" but that's for another time
 
What to keep in mind:
Every time I make a tutorial where I create a special resource, like a macro, a brush, a style, etc. I'll share it for free. You just need to follow the video tutorial or blog post to see the download links.
 
Some tutorials also have a related post in my blog with more details. You can check it here: (available in Portuguese and English): http://blog.pedrosoares.photo/
 
The tutorials are made in Portuguese but they have English subtitles. Nevertheless I make them in a very easy to follow pace. For that reason they are suitable for both beginners and advanced users.
 
The list I have for upcoming tutorials is long but if you have a specific topic you would like to be covered just let me know. You never know if your request is my next tutorial. This was the case of the Glow Effect video.
 
I'm going to share them chronological so the new ones will be in the end of this topic.
 
Finally my idea is to share tutorials on a regular basis so feel free to subscribe to my YouTube channel to be the first one to know about it: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxdrAaW4Zr9lYktQmt5O4VA
 
You can also subscribe to my Blog where you can find other topics: http://blog.pedrosoares.photo/
 
Sorry if I made this introduction to long, but it was important for me to share this.
I hope you'll find each tutorial a useful resource and also a source of inspiration.
 
 
 
TUTORIALS
 
How to Create "Good Looking" Snow | Affinity Photo Tutorial + Free Snow Brushes
 
How to Combine Text and Imagery | Affinity Photo Tutorial
 
How to Extract Detail | Affinity Photo Tutorial + Detail Extractor Macro
 
How to Create a Glow Effect in Letters | Affinity Photo Tutorial
 
How to Create a Winter Scene | Affinity Photo Tutorial
 
How to Create an Anaglyph 3D Effect | Affinity Photo Tutorial + Anaglyph 3D Macro
 
How to Create Light Rays | Affinity Photo Tutorial + Light Rays Style
 
How to Make Amazing Bokeh | Affinity Photo Tutorial
 
Mock-Up Design - Clothes & Shoes | Affinity Designer Tutorial
 
Ribbed Glass Effect - The MDNA Cover | Affinity Designer & Photo Tutorial

Thanks Paolo!!! The workbook is on its to my house, I order it a couple of days ago. and I will follow Sir Jonathan.

Hi Jose,
 
for shading and texturing Affinity is second to none.
Obviously it has its own workflows, and these are so powerful that it is easy to live without Mesh Tool (even if in roadmap).
 
I suggest you to follow Sir Jonathan Ball course
https://www.skillshare.com/pokedstudio/teaching
 
Also to purchase the AffinityWorkbook where he wrote an awesome tutorial, together with other masters such as Ben and Kevin specifically about vector illustration and relative shading techniques.
 
 
If you want a suggestion about a design strategy I could say Shapes +  LayerFX Gaussian Blur + Blending modes could do the trick maybe?

Affinity Designer is definitely my program now, so I will be listing any tips and tricks newcomers might be interested in. This is mostly for people just beginning, but even advanced members might learn a thing or two. It's amazing such a program exists. Here are 42 lessons.
 
_________________________________________________________________________________
 
Pinned:
 
Understanding what is Compatible:
Just because a program like Designer is compatible to many common file types does not mean everything in the documents is supported. You can open and export several of those files types, but consider certain features that are exclusive to certain programs. For example, Designer does not support Photoshop's "smart objects" but it does still support PSD file types. The file type is what is compatible, not everything in the file since tools behave differently for each program.
 
Adobe Illustrator Compatibility:
You can easily open Illustrator files in Designer, but you cannot open Designer files in Illustrator unless you change it to a file type that Illustrator recognizes. Through Designer, export it to a file type such as a PDF, and the vector quality will mostly stay the same. Be aware that any pixel editing, advanced gradients, or glows may appear pixelated.
Tip: When opening an Illustrator file in Designer, anything bleeding off the canvas will get cut off or become lost. Arrange the objects so nothing is getting cut off before opening the files in Designer. Understanding and Accessing Color Modes:
Different color modes are useful for different tasks. RGB is good for digital artwork and common printing tasks. CMYK is good for 4-colour rotary press printers. To access the different color modes, go into Document Setup in the File menu or from the Context Toolbar when the Move Tool is selected. The go into the Color tab, and then the Color Format dropdown menu.
 
Tip: To access the same color properties on your PNG image export as your file, click "More" on the Export dialogue, and under ICC Profile, select the very last option, sRGB. (Adobe is the only suite that converts RGB to sRGB automatically.) _________________________________________________________________________________
 
Other Lessons:
 
Change the Canvas Size Manually:
Create a box with the Artboard Tool and find the size you like. Once you are happy, press delete to remove that artboard but keep the new size. (This applies differently for creating multiple artboards for multiple exports.)

Creating Nested Layers:
A nested layer is a set of curves inside a route layer. The route layer can be opened and closed revealing or hiding the curves. By default, each curve is on its own layer. Create a new Vector Layer, and drag all of the curves in. (Make sure you drag them into a layer and not a curve accidentally.) Whether you are creating layers, groups, or clips, objects can be dragged in and out through the Layers studio.

Creating Clipped Objects:
If you drag curves in another curve through the Layers studio, then you clip those objects inside one. In other words, it is like creating a window. Anything that bleeds off the clipped object's space will be hiding. (The last button on the last set in the top right can also clip objects. Copied or cut objects will always be pasted in the position they were at previously. With the last button selected, they will be pasted inside the selected object in that exact position. This is good for shading.) To unclip the objects, drag them out of the clipped layer, or cut and paste with the last button on the top right unselected.
Tip: When scaling, any clipped objects must be updated manually. Cropping or Masking Objects:
The Crop Tool works differently from other applications. It crops the selected object(s) instead of the canvas. Additionally, you can drag objects to the right of a layer's thumbnail in the Layers studio to crop them in that layer's object. (This is good for creating the illusion of an unclosed path for drawings such as hair, and it is good for creating comic cells.) To remove your mask, click on the mask's "thumbnail" and delete it.

Selecting Individual Objects in Groups and Clips:
Hold Ctrl/Cmd and click (once). After that, you can hold Shift to select multiple objects in that group or clip.

Boolean Operations:
When two or more objects are intersecting, you can merge, subtract, divide, and perform other geometric operations. The second set from the top right are your boolean tools. With your objects selected, click on one to perform an operation.

Compound Booleans:
In addition to making regular geometric shapes (Illustrator's Pathfinder), you can also make compound shapes allowing the multiple shapes to be repositioned. Whether you are adding or subtracting multiple shapes, hold Alt before clicking one of the boolean buttons. You can expand your layer to select objects separately.

Power Duplicate:
Rather than copying and pasting all the time, hold Alt while selecting an object, and drag. After that, you can scale, stretch, or rotate the duplicate. Press Ctrl/Cmd J to make another duplicate in the relevance of the previous two. Keep pressing it, and keep making more duplicates.

Bitmap Pattern Fills:
With the Fill Tool (gradient), you can use a Bitmap type to insert an image as a fill. That image will be tiled, and it can be stretched, rotated, and scaled. (Click the lock icon to maintain its aspect ration.)

Making Corners Easier:
With the corner tool selected, you can select multiple corner points of a shape at once by holding Shift, and then you can change those corners round. There are also corner types you can choose from (straight, concave, cutout.)

Create a Fade Effect:
Move the Transparency Tool across a selected object(s) to create a faded transition between a solid and empty space. You can add nodes on the transparency map and slide them to adjust the level of fade.

Type on Path:
With the Artist Text Tool selected, hold your cursor near a line or shape until the cursor changes, and then click. You can start typing on that object.

Edit Smart Shapes:
There are lots of manipulation options for the smart shape presets, but if you want to edit them as you would with any other object, then you must click the option that says "Convert to Curves" under the Shape Tool's context toolbar. (Sometimes it hides in a drop down menu at the end of the list.) Once this is done, you cannot convert them back to smart shapes.

Convert Strokes to Fills:
When you are happy with the size of your stroke, select Layer > Expand Stroke. Once this is done, you cannot convert them back to strokes.

Breaking and Closing Lines:
This is important since vectors consist of closed shapes. This means to break a closed shape into an open shape, or to close it back up. With the Node Tool or Pen Tool selected, the first two buttons in the "Action" set can do this. If you want to break a path, you must first select the node where you want the break, or first create the node by double clicking on a spot on your line with the Node Tool.

Joining Lines:
This means to have two "different" open paths connect. Select the two lines and click on the fourth button in the "Action" set. (Whichever end points of the two lines are closer to each other is where the connection will occur.)

Edit Throughout All Affinity Applications:
Click File > Edit in (other app) to edit your drawing in another Affinity Application. All are compatible with each other. If you bring the file back into Designer, you will still have the vector quality. Just be careful with the operation you perform. Mesh warps and perspective tools in Affinity Photo will rasterize your artwork.

Creating Color Palettes:
In the Swatches studio, click on the flyout menu in the far right, and click on one of the Add Palette options. After that is done, you can add swatches to your palette with the palette icon underneath your recent swatches. To remove a swatch, right click on one and select "Remove Fill." To remove a palette, click on the flyout menu again and select "Delete Palette."

Add Noise:
When an object is selected, click on the circle icon in the Colours studio next to "Opacity" to change the slider into "Noise." Slide the nob up and down (right and left really).

Change Weight Variation:
With a line or object selected, click on the Pressure box in the Stroke studio to bring up the line's profile. You can add and remove nodes. Hold Alt to change the ends individually (not necessary for closed shapes).

Pixel Editing on Vectors:
Create a new Pixel layer, and drag it inside the vector object you want to edit (the same as clipping). You can now use pixel brushes right inside your vector objects.

Create Pixel Masks on Vectors:
With the object or set of objects selected, click on the Mask icon in the Layers studio. This will allow you to use the pixel Eraser Tool and selection tools on the masked vector objects. But since they are only masks, the Eraser tool does not actually break apart the paths. If you want to get your vector object back without any of the pixel editing, then click on the mask's "thumbnail," and delete it.

Only Edit the Selected Layer:
Toggle the first button in the Layers studio off to work with only the layer you have selected.

Scale Vectors on Resizing:
Toggle on the box "Scale with object" in the Stroke studio while and object(s) is selected.
 
Convert Line to Brush or Brush to Line:
The Stroke Styles in the Stroke studio are actually styles made by the Pencil or Pen Tool and Brush Tool. To convert a pencil line to a brush stroke, click on the Textured Line Style. To convert a brush stroke to a pencil line, click on the Solid or Dashed Line style.

Advanced Text Formatting:
To accomplish formats like leading, tracking, and kerning (line spacing, word spacing, and character spacing), find your option in the Character or Paragraph menus in the context toolbar of either of the two text tools.

Add Text in a Shape:
Aside from the regular square shaped text boxes from the Frame Text Tool, you can change objects into text boxes. Select an object, and select Layer > Covert to Text Frame.

Export Multiple Objects as Multiple Files:
In the Export persona, use the Slice Tool to carve a box around objects you want exported as themselves. Your slices will be listed in the Slices studio.

Change the Opacity of Stroke and Fill Separately:
Select the fill or stroke indicator in either the Colour studio or Swatches studio, and adjust the opacity in the Colour studio. The Opacity slider in the Layers studio, on the other hand, changes the opacity of the entire object (not layer, or just stroke or fill).

Show Objects Bleeding off the Canvas:
Select View > View Mode > Clip to Canvas
 
Only Show the Selected Layer (Temporally):
If Alt is held, clicking on a layer will show just that layer until deselected or edited.
 
Create Pixel Selection on a Layer:
Hold Control or Command and select the layer's thumbnail.
 
Edit Nodes without Selecting the Node Tool:
With the Pen, Pencil, or Brush Tool selected, hold Control or Command to bring up the Node Tool only while the mouse click is held.
 
Work with Small Pixels Easily:
When working in large zoomed in and tight areas, the space of moving or editing objects may not be positioned properly. Hold Alt to position them more appropriately, but do not hold Alt before moving. That will create a duplicate.
 
Set Key Commands for Rotating the Canvas:
In the preferences and under "Keyboard Shortcuts," locate the View option in the second dropdown menu. Then scroll down the list until you see "Rotate Left" and "Rotate Right." Add in a key command in the box to the right of those two actions.
 
Create a Raster Brush:
Create any design, and then in the Export persona, use the Slice Tool to create a slice box around the design. Then in the Slices studio, locate that new slice and click the last icon to export it. Now in the Pixel persona, go into the Brushes studio, and open the hamburger menu and select "New Intensity Brush."
 
Create a Vector Brush:
Set the canvas to a complete square so each side is the same size, and close it down close to the design's edges. (The left and right sides must overlap the design.) Make sure the furthest left part of the design matches the furthest right part of the design on the vertical axis. The background must be black, and the design must be white. Export your design as an image file (preferably PNG). In the Brushes studio, click open the hamburger menu, and select "New Textured Intensity Brush." Now double click that new brush, and in the new window, the bottom picture shows a preview. Move the red indicators to touch the brush's edges. And select "Repeat" if you want to repeat that brush stroke.
 
Turn Black and White Photo into a Colored Photo:
This is not really a vector designing feature, but it can still be done. Use the Selection Brush Tool on an area of a black and white photo. Then in the menu of the adjustments icon from the Layers studio, select "Recolor," and then find the right color for that selection. Repeat the same thing with the other areas on the photo. (Since each color is on an adjustment, you can go back any time and change the color.)
 
**Create Palette from Document:
This will create swatches of the colors in a document. In the Swatches studio, click on the hamburger menu and scroll down to 'Create Palette from Document.' Then you choose whether you want that palette to show throughout all of your Designer files, that one document, or your system.
 
Edit: Dec 2017
I forgot all about this topic. I made another with a very similar title on videos.

In the hopes that someone can use this. I had trouble figuring this out so i want it to be available to anyone who needs it.
 
 
https://youtu.be/l3W8zz94DEA

Try to convert this excersize from Illustrator to Designer. You can practice a lot of features of Illustrator and Designer and you can see what features Designer still needs.
 
BTW, you will have to buy some fonts (200+ in 19 families) for $29 but they worth it every cent.
 
https://www.designcuts.com/tutorials/design-typographic-movie-themed-magazine-cover/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=A+free+sample+from+our+current+fonts+bundle&utm_campaign=0902017_TheCompleteFontLoversLibrary_TutorialBundle

Did a quick tutorial showing how to set up and mask a pixel persona layer over your vector object. 
 
https://youtu.be/PQkr7J12mbQ

Hello Anna,
 
Just to let you know that this is one of the topics I'm gonna cover in an upcoming tutorial, the mirror and prism effect.
I'll post here at the forum as soon as it goes online.
 
Pedro