Website graphics resources
Contents
Patterns, photos, gradients, brushes, and more
There are many generous people out on the internet who like to show off their work and allow other people to build on things they've produced. It is important to carefully read the terms of use that are provided with any person's work. Many people are glad to have you use their source material provide it isn't for commercial work. Some really want attribution on your website if you use their source material. No-one wants you to take their work and say it's yours, or resell it as is for profit, but there are many generous folks who will let you use their work even in commerical ventures. If you have any question about how you're using tools from the internet, contact the owner and ask them how they feel about. Below are some of my favorite sites for finding interesting and helpful tools for producing web graphics.
Brushes
If you've never played with brushes in Photoshop, Painter, or the Gimp you're in for a treat. Brushes can add texture or graphical elements at any size and can take a plain uninteresting web site that next step into eye-catching.
- http://fbrushes.com - A large source of brushes, textures and patterns collected from a variety of sources.
- http://webtreats.mysitemyway.com - Textures, brushes, icons, and many other resources. Free items available for commercial as well as personal use. Other items for sale.
- http://www.obsidiandawn.com/ - Excellent and original brushes and tutorials on graphic design. Her work is available for free for personal use, and there is a small fee for commercial use.
Advice on building a site
- http://www.smashingmagazine.com - Advice on design, CSS, Photoshop & Dreamweaver tutorials, and lots more.
Clipart
- http://www.clker.com/ - A huge collection of royalty free clipart.
