February was a great month full of awesome tutorials, interesting articles and interviews, and stunning showcases for inspiration.

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Photoshop Tutorials


Super Easy Typographic Portrait in Photoshop

This tutorial, from Abduzeedo, will show you how to use the Displace filter and some Blend Modes to a great looking typographic portrait.



Create a Stylish Grunge Poster with 3D Typography in Photoshop

This tutorial shows you how to make a great looking grunge poster in Photohop. Blending modes, stock images and filters are used to create some cool effects.



How to Create a Somber Composition in Photoshop

In this tutorial, from PSDTuts+, you’ll learn how to manipulate stock images and other objects to create this amazing composition.



How to Give a Retro Look to Your Photos

The tutorial is perfect for Photoshop beginners who are looking to understand how to manipulate colors using adjustment layers and filters.



How to Make a Worn Vintage Beach Ad in Photoshop

In this Photoshop tutorial, you’ll learn how to create a worn out vintage beach ad in Photoshop. Brushes, color editing, filters, and masking are just some of the techniques used.



How to Create a Dark and Mysterious TV-Head Scene

This Photoshop tutorial will show you how to replace a person’s head with a television—and how to create a stormy sky using brush strokes.



Neon with Layer Styles

In this tutorial you’ll learn how to create a cool neon looking effect using basic techniques such as Layer Styles and a few brushes.



How To Create a Detailed Apple iPad Icon in Photoshop

With the news of the Apple tablet called the iPad, Chris Spooner, wrote this tutorial on how to create a detailed iPad icon.



Create a Professional Web 2.0 Layout

In this Photoshop tutorial you’re going to learn how to create a professional website layout. A lot of techniques are used and all of them are explained in great detail.



Design a Brilliant Product Advertisement

In this tutorial, you’ll learn the steps and techniques involved in creating a great looking ad that integrates the use of multiple images. Also Check Out: Abduzeedo’s Version.



Illustrator Tutorials


Create an Abstract, Textured Artwork in Illustrator

In this tutorial, you’ll use the Blend Tool, Paintbrush Tool and textures to create a stunning abstract piece of art.



Make Watercolor and Marker Style Portraits with Illustrator

This tutorial will teach you the techniques used to create digital portrait illustrations that have the unique feel of marker and watercolor.



Create A Briefcase Icon

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to create a briefcase icon with basic shapes and gradients. You’ll also learn some useful techniques that can be used for other projects.



Create An Editable Stitched Label Type Treatment

This tutorial, from Vectips, uses Appearance panel in Illustrator making it easy to edit the text and apply the treatment to other fonts and vector elements.



Create A Mouthwatering Chocolate Covered Strawberry

In this tutorial, you’ll learn tricks and techniques to create a chocolate covered strawberry but can also be used in an array of projects.



How to Design a Cheeky Koala Mascot Head

This great tutorial from VectorTuts+, will show you how to combine basic shapes, blending modes and smart coloring to create a koala illustration.



Learn Gorgeous New Shading Skills

This tutorial from Digital Arts, teaches you how to transform a pencil sketch into a beautiful, digital artwork using Illustrator and Photoshop.



Lego Bricks Typeface

This great tutorial on Vectordiary teaches you how to convert the beloved LEGO bricks into a cool looking typeface in Illustrator.



How to Create a Seamless Argyle Pattern in Illustrator

A great screencast tutorial from </strong>Colorburned</strong> that explains the steps needed to create a seamless arglyle pattern.



Web Tutorials


Share Feedback with Twitter and the Bit.ly API

This tutorial from the guys of Build Internet will walk you through the creation of a customizable “Tweet this” link that integrates Bit.ly API and acts as a type of inderect polling system.



Tips for Designing Unique and Attractive Blog Posts

It’s interesting that as time goes by, more and more designers are “Art Directing” their blog posts. This article on Line25, gives some tips on how to do it right.

Also Check Out: The death of the Boring Blog Post?



How to Code up a Web Design from PSD to HTML

This is part two of a tutorial that created a website layout in Photoshop. In this tutorial, that design is now converted into HTML and CSS.



Design a Prettier Web Form with CSS 3

This tutorial, on Nettuts+, will teach you how to create a lightweight and beautiful form and help you learn and understand CSS3 effects that can really spice up a design.



The Principle of Contrast in Web Design

A well designed website has contrast to establish some type of visual hierarchy. This article, from Web Design Ledger, explains how contrast can be achieved in a website design.



Fundamentals for a Kick-Ass Creative Company

A great post from the guys at Build Internet that explains their answer to a simple question: What makes an awesome company on the inside?



How to Guest Post Properly to Build Your Readership

In this great guest post by James Chartrand on Fuel Your Blogging, you’ll learn how to get your guest articles accepted and how to make the best of the opportunity.



5 Bad Work at Home Habits: Are You Guilty?

Working at home can have many advantages. However, it also has its temptations. This article on Freelance Folder talks about the five most common pitfalls of working at home, why they’re bad, and how you can avoid or overcome them.



Freebies, Inspiration &#038; Resources


Free Medical Icons Set (60 Icons)

60 original medical icons in .png 32 bit in resolutions 32×32px and 128×128px. This set was designed by the user interface design agency Centigrade and released exclusively for Smashing Magazine and its readers.



NIXUS Icon Pack: 60 Beautiful Premium Icons

A great new icon pack here on Tutorial9 called NIXUS is great for corporate and creative situations or any other project.



Lighting Effects Pack – 50 Free Brushes and Images

This is a great freebie pack from Media Militia that’s filled with 50 different types of glowing light streaks. The pack is available as either Photoshop Brushes or images. Great for your personal or commercial projects.



Creative and Inspirational Wedding Invitation Cards

Ahh… the day of your wedding is a special one. What makes it even better is a beautiful invitation. This is a inspiring showcase of some of the best wedding invitations.



A Showcase of 50 Amazing Personal Blog Web Designs

A beautiful &#038; inspiring showcase of blog designs that capture the personality and writing style of its owners.



A Showcase of Beautiful Typography in Web Design

An amazing showcase from Line25 of websites that use typography effectively to communicate their message.



50 Stunning Pieces of 3D Typography for Inspiration

Inspiration can be found in a variety of places, one of them being light art. In this round-up Matthew Kammerer did a great job in collecting some beautiful forms of light art.



Weapons of Mass Creation Interview: Fuel Brand Inc.

GoMedia had a chat with Adelle Charles &#038; Joshua Smibert of Fuel Brand, Inc and talked about their background, goals, and views on the design industry. Very interesting interview complete with a video and conversation transcript.



Get Featured in Creative Bookmarks

If you’d like to be featured in the next volume of Creative Bookmarks, simply send us you’re tutorial, resource, or article link before the end of the month. If we think it’s a top notch link, we’ll be sure to share it with all of our readers!

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