Designer Sally Cox caught our eye with her work created using the Adobe Touch Apps, including Photoshop Touch. We got in touch with Sally to speak with her about her work, and how the apps have changed her workflow. Check out her interview below, along with a sample of her work using Adobe Touch Apps.
Description: I duplicated the layer, added brush strokes using the dark blue from the water (via the eyedropper) set to transparent. I built up the contrast using the strokes with hardness. I enlarged the stroke and added feathering for the top and bottom edges and then kept building the color. Finally, I used the brush with “Shadows and Highlights” effect to paint over the land in the background, adding details.
Description: I duplicated the layer, then used a brush set with the “Comic” effect applied, and I painted in details of the rocks and branches in the water. Next, I added two duplicated layers with blending modes applied – saturation and darken. A final layer using a brush with “Shadows and Highlights” effects was added to create more contrast.
Description: I used a brush set to “Comic” effect with high opacity and painted vertical strokes on the wall, picking up detail between the panels. A transparent red brush stroke on the floor, overlaid with brown opaque cross strokes. Same brown cross strokes on the top and ride side. Strokes of “Darken” effect all over and finally text set to “Overlay” blending mode.
Description: I selected the dog (my Jack Russell, Lily) and deleted the background. On a duplicate layer, I chose “Saturate” to play with the color, and then “Graphic Pen” to create a cartoonish effect and flatten it out.
Creative Layer: How have the Adobe Touch Apps changed your creative workflow?
Sally Cox: I always took my laptop to visit a client, in case I needed to work up a quick comp. Opening Photoshop or another Adobe app in front of a client can be a troublesome process for me. They want to know what all the tools do, we end up getting sidetracked and I prefer not to “show my magic” in front of the clients. Now I can take my tablet, which I use for jotting quick notes, and can open PS Touch for a quick comp or Proto to sketch up a website, right on the spot.
Of the different Touch Apps, which is most instrumental to your creative process and why?
I have two favorites. PS Touch has such depth, including layers and selection tools, blending modes and color adjustments. I can access Google and even my Facebook albums directly from within PS Touch, in addition to grabbing images and other files off Creative Cloud. I can easily create a realistic looking comp for a client or just play with images when I am stuck at the airport. I store my work directly on my tablet or upload it to the cloud to fine tune later.
I find Proto to be the best tool for quickly whipping up a website prototype. The touch gestures are not only fast but also fun to use. Within seconds, I can create a working navbar, header or body text. When I add multiple pages and link everything together, my client gets to see exactly what the working site will look like.
With the ability to use Adobe Touch Apps & create on mobile devices, we’re no longer chained to our desks. Tell us, where is your favorite place to create?
I do my best work with the Touch tools sitting in a coffee shop or waiting for my next flight. I like the fact that I no longer have to balance my laptop on my lap if space is limited. The tablet is much more maneuverable and lightweight.
As a designer you’re constantly being challenged to think outside the box. How have Adobe Touch apps assisted in this?
The ability to take my tablet anywhere is the first thing that comes to mind. I find I am taking my creative tools with me to places I didn’t before. Sometimes a laptop can be cumbersome, and sketching on a paper napkin doesn’t lend a professional touch.
If you had the opportunity to travel to anywhere in the world with your Touch Apps, where would it be and why?
Since we haven’t clarified there is any life on the moon, I would say anywhere in Europe. I was on a business trip to Germany last Fall, and ended up giving Photoshop lessons to the woman next to me on my Paris flight. And flying to Pennsylvania in January, I taught PS Touch and Revel to the woman next to me. Seems there are curious people everywhere!
Where do you find inspiration?
Everywhere I look! I hike a lot and take lots of photos out in the wild and at the beach. The colors of nature inspire me. On a recent hike to Sunol Regional Wilderness, I saw fungus growing on rocks that was the most vibrant shades of orange and green. And I like to study the arrangement of shapes in nature, and tie that in with my design work.
About Sally: Sally Cox is an Adobe Certified Instructor in the Bay Area, who also runs Creative Suite User Group of San Jose. She specializes in Adobe training and eLearning design and production for her company, kreatable.com. Sally regularly travels to teach Adobe software and currently is helping to spread the word on the new Adobe Touch Apps. A lap swimmer and dog lover, she also enjoys hiking, and pen and ink sketching.
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