I often refer to myself as a “Mack of all trades” (a play on the phrase “a Jack of all trades” if you’re not familiar). I have intermediate to advanced level skills in programming and developing, data analysis and reporting. And like many engineers, I have an artistic soul that cries out…
The Creative Suite is a graphic (wannabe) artist’s dream. Adobe an has always lured me to purchase and subscribe to the latest and greatest and over time, I have become proficient in InDesign, Acrobat, Photoshop and Illustrator and building skills in Animate.
I have a high level of respect for graphic designers who can mentally construct images and design the pieces to put them together. Given my budget as a freelance IT, translation and training professional, I often have to find free stock images online, or take the creative route of designing my own.
Though creating new images takes time and effort—including the time to research how-to videos— Today I needed to create a custom magnifying glass. With that idea in mind, and an hour of focused time, I searched “how to create a magnifying glass in Adobe Illustrator.”
I quickly found Kaukab Yaseen’s Illustrator Tutorial on YouTube, which is an easy to follow visual guide.
I followed the demonstrated steps but deviated (to save some time) and to create a different look and light perspective. I designed custom gradient swatches, and made use of the Gaussian blur and transparency where he used a different technique. I could spend all day tweaking and getting this image just right—but I cannot today!
I reserve custom artwork creation/editing for translation clients who already have an image, and only need the text adjusted within an image. This particular image is for Two Talk LPS and will be used in an upcoming production. Check back in the next several weeks for the final results!
Have an image you created in Illustrator? Send me your YouTube video and I will post it here. Let’s share ideas!
Two Talk LPS Learning, Language & IT Services 
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