I coach a YMCA swim team during the winter, so that’s why you’re getting this particular vector. This little platypus’ all ready for the Olympics this summer. Have fun.

Download the Platypus (.ai and .eps)

GodBless:VQ

I have to get this out of the way, I am a huge fan of Wordpress. Both our blogs use Wordpress. Whenever I get a web design project, my first thought is, “How can I best utilize Wordpress for this project.” Granted, my second thought is frequently, “Maybe Wordpress isn’t the best solution for this [flash, static, e-commerce] site.” Be that as it may, Wordpress is still by far my favorite blogging platform. And it’s not just for blogging. With a few minor changes WP can become a truly powerful CMS as well. So if you’re looking for a free, powerful, and open platform with an insane developer community, look no further than your new best friend Wordpress.

This is the first in a series on turning the Default WP Theme into something wonderful. Today we’re going to go over the basic structure of a Wordpress Theme. I’m not going to go over the WP installation process, so check out the Wordpress 5 Minute Install if you need some help with that (if you are having any issues with the install, feel free to ask me).

By the way, we’ll be using Wordpress 2.5.1, the shiny new version of this beautiful platform.

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Here are some messy vector swirls. They’re great on headers, borders, footers, pretty much any -er’s you need to spice up. Enjoy, dear friends.

Download the Messy Swirls vector pack (.ai and .eps)

GodBless:VQ

Here’s a neat effect that I happened upon by accident. It’s a really simple Photoshop trick that results in a cool little watercolory smudge. Now you may be thinking, “You fool! Why bother with this? What could you even use this for?” The answer, my friend, is anything your heart desires. They make great ambient backgrounds, nice accents, and are just a fun thing to throw into your composition when you need a bit of subtle color.

Step 1:

The first step is creating a new layer with a transparent background and dragging a small radial gradient onto it. Make sure you don’t bring the gradient to the edge of your canvas, as you’ll have to stretch it in the next step.

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We just launched a new “just for fun” blog.  Don’t worry, we’ll still be posting our regular tutorials and free stuff here, but we just needed this.

So why doncha stop by and see what we like other than pixel patterns, actionscript, and sql queries.  Leave us a comment when you come by.  Or else…

You really lucked out today. For the first time ever, we’re offering free Illustrator pattern swatches. This set is a collection of curved and angled patterns. There are six total: curved and sharp flat b&w, curved and sharp shaded, and curved and sharp windowed.

Patterns are some of the most useful things imaginable, and you guys are a bright bunch, so I’m sure you’ll come up with some neat stuff. Let us know if you do anything worth showing.

Download the Waves and Ridges Swatches (.ai and .ai swatch library)

GodBless:VQ