Some of my favourite creative people and sources of information

ARTISTS

Alberto Cerriteno – one of my favourite artists and I can’t get enough of this illustrator from Mexico City’s work.

Drawn Wild – Australian wildlife Artist Terry Jackson who produces exquisite graphite drawings

Eric Wilson – British wildlife artist who produces jaw dropping artworks in oils and pastels, featuring the big cats of Africa.

Sandi and J W Baker – American airbrush artists who specialise in wildlife and fantasy art in their Wolf Song Studio

Pietrieve - Italian artist who paints rocks and turns them into sensational wildlife creatures

Jo-Anne Clarke – British artist who does portraits, wildlife and contemporary artworks

Szabolcs Kokay – Bird Illustrator from Hungary

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Tiny Landscapes – Blog of Mike Moats, a professional photographer from Michigan, USA who specialises in macros in nature

Matthew Burrard-Lucas Photography – Site of this young and talented wildlife photographer

Notes from the Woods – Blog of nature photographer Mark Graf, from Detroit, USA

Greg du Toit – South African professional wildlife photographer who raises the bar

Andrew Zuckerman -  American photographer who has also produced books. His latest one “Bird” contains breath-taking photography of birds on a completely white backdrop.  Watch the video on his home page and be amazed!

Paul Nicklen Photography – Canadian National Geographic photographer whose latest book is “Polar Obsession”

Daily Walks – Diane Varner - Stunningly beautiful and personal photography with gorgeous post processing.  Diane writes “My photoblog is a visual journal of my daily walks that I take with Boomer (my dog) on the northern California coast. I live in a location that lends itself to beauty but I’ve discovered that there are spectacular views just below and above our feet no matter where we are.”

Wildlife Photographic Journals – Fantastic captures by British photographer Richard Steel

Bence Mate’s Hide Photography - Bence Máté is the most distinguished, flagship figure of Hungarian nature photography, which is becoming more and more recognised. He is also occupied with the drawing up and creation of new bird photography hide-outs in Hungary and nowadays abroad as well.  Very inspirational website.

ART

Making a Mark – Blog by artist and author Katherine Tyrrell who draws and writes about art for artists and art lovers. Heaps of info on this site.

Daily Art Muse – An online space where artists find inspirational art and fine craft to fuel their creative fires. The blog highlights cutting edge work in jewelry, sculpture, wearable art, recycled art, alternative materials, glass, metal, plastic, polymer clay, paper, fiber art, wood, ceramic.

Art Market Blog – provides analysis of the art market and advice on art investment by the Sydney, Australia based art critic and art market analyst Nicholas Forrest.

ART HISTORY

Smarthistory – This site is being developed by Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker as a dynamic enhancement (or even substitute) for the static Western art history textbook. This site makes the history of art fun.

Art cyclopedia – The Fine Art Search and Guide to great art on the Internet

PHOTOGRAPHY

Nature’s Best Photography Magazine – Blog showcasing the very best in wildlife, landscape, ocean, and outdoor adventure photography

Photo Tuts -  is a source of learning on all aspects of photography. They pump out regular tutorials on composition, equipment settings, post-processing, film photography, retouching and much more. If you love photography, you will find a treasure trove of useful advice at Photo Tuts.

PHOTOSHOP

Photoshop Roadmap – Photoshop tutorials, plugins and downloads

Scott Kelby’s Photoshop Insider – scoops, tips and comments

Planet Photoshop – Online tutorials, tips and news

INSPIRATION, TIPS AND WEB DESIGN

Designer Folio – a site dedicated to the creative aspects of Web Design & Development

Ist Web Designer – dedicated to bloggers, freelancers, web-developers and designers. Topics focus on web design,graphic design, tutorials and inspirational articles.

Smashing Magazine - aims is to inform readers about the latest trends and techniques in Web development.

Abduzeedo – blog about design, inspiration for designers and tutorials

Blog.SpoonGraphics – is the personal design blog and digital playground of Chris Spooner

You The Designer - graphic design blog, featuring tips, tutorials, design jobs and more!

Inspiredology – design inspiration lab

BittBox – give aways of the best quality to help designers everywhere plus workflow tips to help people work faster.

Lost at E Minor – is an online publication of inspiring art, design, music, photography and pop culture. You may submit an article for approval.

The Colour – Aussie Culture in pictures -  a community site where you may join and upload photos for approved submission

Empty Easel – This is a fantastic site whose goal is to publish helpful information for both new and professional artists—without any of the vague or confusing “artspeak” common to the art world.

Designers Hub - a community that provides High Quality Design Inspirations and Resources. “If you are hungry for creativity and inspiration then you are in the right place”

WORDPRESS

Weblog Tools Collection – all things WordPress including themes, plugins and news

Daily Blog Tips – tips for bloggers plus how to market and make your WordPress blog profitable

Blog oh Blog – sizzle up your WordPress blog

NATURE,WILDLIFE,ENVIRONMENT

Australian Wildlife – an educational site – This community site has been set up for everyone to enjoy with a large collection of educational resources being created for all ages to share about Australian wildlife.

Treehugger - the leading media outlet dedicated to driving sustainability mainstream. Partial to a modern aesthetic, they strive to be a one-stop shop for green news, solutions, and product information

Scribbly Gum – an Australian site devoted to celebrating seasonal events in the natural world with a new story every month and an interactive forum. A great place for anyone who finds joy in observing the everyday wonders of Nature.

Buglopedia – NSW Government Site about bugs

Animal Planet – Pets, Wild Animals, Dog and Cat Breeds

National Geographic (Animals) – Animal facts, quizzes, photos, blog, tv show, magazine

Kanga Blog – Brett Clifton’s touching site where he shares his experiences in raising several orphaned Eastern Grey Kangaroo joeys from a very young age through to their eventual release back into the wild.

Rainforest Rescue (SaveRainforests) – Rainforest Rescue is a not-for-profit organisation that has been protecting and restoring rainforests in Australia and internationally since 1998 by providing opportunities for individuals and businesses to Protect Rainforests Forever.

David Shephard Wildlife Foundation - A small, effective charity, funding key projects in Africa and Asia and working to save critically endangered mammals in the wild. A prestigious “Wildlife Artist of the Year” Competition open to adult artists and “Global Canvas Art and Poetry Competition” for children aged 8 – 16.

BirdLife Australia – BirdLife Australia is dedicated to creating a bright future for Australia’s birds.

Birds in Backyards -  Birds in Backyards is a research, education and conservation program that was developed in response to the loss of small native birds from our parks and gardens, the rapid expansion of our urban landscape and the consequent loss of habitat for native birds.

WIRES – Australian Wildlife Rescue Operation -  WIRES operates a coordinated network of wildlife carers and rescuers in New South Wales.

CRAFTY BLOGS

The Design Files – great designer products

Creating a Likeness – Juggling life through a bi-polar lens. Sometimes up, sometimes down. Mostly trying to tread water in the middle. Creating a likeness to a normal life. Whatever “normal” is…