Creative Apps: A Selection of My Favorite Apps for Design

Whenever I am not in my personal space working, I prefer using my smartphone as a secondary device for editing, sketching or creating stellar artworks. As an artist, you will never know when inspiration might hit. Hence, I decided to install some useful mobile applications as a safe place for recording my ideas before I lose them.

Image source: webdesignledger.com

 I would like to share the following applications, which you might find useful in your daily artistic task:

Doodle buddy. For all “doodlers” out there, this might just be the right application for you. It is a drawing app that has over 44,000 colors to choose from, which can be applied in various forms of textures using paintbrush, glitter pen, chalk and text. I love using this app whenever I am out in wide open spaces while searching for inspiration for projects.

Ruler plus. Most of the artists I know are obsessed with measurements. This app, for me, is vital as it allows me to take accurate measurements whenever I am out of the work place. Ruler Plus has a ruler that allows users to move their phones and measure things around them.

FX Photo Studio. This app provides users impressive ways to edit and enhance images. It features hundreds of filters and high-quality effects for creating beautiful photography. If you like taking snapshots, this is the perfect app for you.

Image source: icanbecreative.com

 All these apps are surprisingly free. So take a chance and try using them in your next artwork!

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Nowhere to go but up: How to choose hiking trails

People who are new to hiking may have a lot of questions regarding proper techniques, appropriate attire and equipment, and where to go to get the best view or the most challenging ascents. Here are a few helpful tips on choosing your first (or next) hiking trail:

Determine your fitness level

Be honest to yourself because you're the best judge of your own skills and limitations. Ask yourself questions such as: "how far can I run or walk?" Don't overestimate your skills though if you've only started. It's also a good idea to consult your physician first to be sure.

Image source: naturallyintense.net

Choose a hiking companion or choose to go solo

If you're going up for the first time, you should avoid going solo. Even though going alone is a sign of independence, being in a group is advised for beginners. At least then you'd have someone who's got your back.

Image source: ipfh.org

Decide the length of the hike

How much time are you willing to give for hiking? Do you have the whole day, only a couple of hours in the morning or are you planning on staying overnight? These are all important considerations to remember.

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The most beautifully rendered cityscapes in popular animation

While many animated films often feature excellent storytelling and lush visuals, a few of them go above and beyond to create a truly living environment. Here are a few of my favorite fictional cities realized in animation, featuring a balance of exceptional art and incidental details that make them truly alive.


Metropolis and Legend of Korra's Republic City

First off, let's start with 2-D and 3-D hybrids. What I like about these cities is that they both boast of a volatile political situation their heroes must navigate. They're also set in an analog of the 1920s (replete with jazz tracks; Metropolis even uses Ray Charles' music extensively).

Image Source: comicvine.com

Republic City fully represents the next generation of the world of “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” an early 20th century-styled Asian-themed Dieselpunk City that also lends itself to adventure and conflict from day one (as Korra, the next avatar, finds out the hard way). It features a diverse set of districts, a volatile political situation, organized criminal activity, and non-cooperative government authorities.

Image Source: fact.co.uk

Like its live-action predecessor, Rintaro's anime features a retro-futuristic false utopia that belies a festering mess of social inequality. Metropolis is a layered city where the poor live in colorful underground ghettoes while the rich and their robots live in the city's bustling upper levels at the foothills of its super-skyscrapers.  

Big Hero 6's San Fransokyo and Kung Fu Panda 2's Gongmen City

I usually don't like the sterile look many 3-D animated urban cityscapes have. While their architecture may be impressive, they lack the liveliness brought about by crowds and traffic. Disney and Dreamworks lock horns in overturning this archetype.

Image Source: allposters.com

Gongmen City boasts not just of incredibly and authentically detailed Chinese architecture, but also of bustling streets with wares and people (animals, actually, but you get the point) that you would find in real-life medieval China. Combine that with authentic kung fu styles and Chinese philosophical symbolism, and you've got yourself one happy wuxia fan.

Much like Republic City, San Fransokyo is a hybrid of Western and Asian architectural styles, specifically that of Tokyo and San Francisco. Technological advancements allow the depiction of a lived-in modern city with hundreds of people crowding the realistically lit streets, and traffic and transit going to and fro its 23 architecturally distinct districts.  

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