The first time I saw artwork by Aidan Hughes, I was in the local record store (Back when you still purchased CDs) and came across an album by KMFDM. I studied the artwork. I loved the dynamic black, white and red illustrations. It was one of my first inspirations into exploring illustration. Aidan, a experienced illustrator, provided an interview for Vectips with Illustrator, style and industry insights.

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There are a number of great tutorials, freebies, and articles related to vectors coming out on the web daily. Each month, I roundup some of the best posts that I have found useful. I can’t include everything I’ve seen throughout the month, but you can follow my Twitter feed to get all the daily links. Post comments with links that I have missed so everyone can see them!

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Designious is giving five free Vector Packs to five Vectips readers! It is easy to participate and these Vector Packs are essential tools for any designer. Moreover, Designious Royalty Free Vector Packs are full of vector wings, patterns, skulls, scrolls, buildings, florals, halftone elements, grunge elements and more! These are great for designing t-shirts, websites, print collateral and more.

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I love vectors, and if you are reading this, I’m pretty sure you love them as well. Show how much you love vectors by getting a geeky Vectips t-shirt. Sport your favorite tool or let everyone know that rasters suck! If you haven’t checked out the shop lately, now is a good time. There are more t-shirts in more colors. Also, get 20% off purchases of $30 or more until the end of October!

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I have been working with the new Illustrator CS4 everyday for the past week. To test out the functionality and new features of CS4, I worked on logos, illustrations, web designs and more. There are some great improvements in the CS4 version of Illustrator. What are the new functions? How do they work? Is it worth it to upgrade? I’ll answer these questions in my review of Illustrator CS4!

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Last week I posted the UPrinting.com 5,000 Business Cards Contest and today I’m happy to announce the winners! There was tons of great comments, but only five were chosen. Look below to see if you are one of the winners! If you are I will be contacting you shortly. Even if you did not win, check out the business cards printing services of UPrinting.com.

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Chirs Leavens is an amazing vector artist who produces most of his art, from start to finish, in Illustrator CS3. This includes all the fantastic textures and tones in his illustrations. Chris’s art incorporates absurdity, anthropomorphism, and a healthy dose of humor. Chris was kind enough to provide Vectips with an interview with insights on his style, Illustrator, and the design and illustration industry!

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