Erindale
Jan 10, 2022
Please welcome Erindale Woodford, @erindale_xyz 3D Artist & Designer
Jan 10th to 17th on @imakefoss
Interview: https://t.co/vCiffIT0gW
@imakefoss is a Twitter rotation curation account. IUseFOSS is a new series of IMakeFOSS and about people who use #FOSS every day. https://t.co/XayrwXnNEv
Jan 10, 2022
Hey folks, I’ll be taking over the IMakeFOSS account this week to bring you some of my own perspectives on FOSS as a professional artist and educator!
-Erindale @erindale_xyz
#IUseFOSS
Jan 10, 2022
Allow me to introduce myself - I’m Erin and I’m a 3D artist from the UK. I make my living, not by creating artworks, but by educating others to do so using the wonderful #FOSS @Blender!
-Erindale #IUseFOSS #b3d
Jan 10, 2022
If you’re in the Blender space then my work might have come across your feeds. I have a bit of a reputation for taking things too far with nodes…
-Erindale #IUseFOSS #b3d https://t.co/M2tnVoIjXW
Jan 10, 2022
While my own output is very single-mindedly focused on Blender, it takes a lot of tools for me to carry that work out. I’m excited to shine a light on those projects that are so invaluable!
-Erindale #IUseFOSS
Jan 10, 2022
My #FOSS journey started when a friend introduced me to #Ubuntu with its centralised Software Centre and themes galore. It wasn’t until the Unity DE of 11.04 that I made the switch permanent.
Do you remember your first distro? What won you over?
-Erindale #IUseFOSS #Linux
Jan 10, 2022
I’ve tested many #linux distros and dozens of desktop environments over the years and the ones that really stood out were #Ubuntu Unity, @elementary OS, Pop!_OS from @system76 and more recently I’ve fallen in love with Gnome-flavoured @ManjaroLinux.
-Erindale #IUseFOSS
Jan 10, 2022
While I’m a tech artist, I am not a developer. What’s most important to me is that my tools just work.
#Manjaro has a huge benefit to me as 1) rolling release, and 2) AUR.
Incremental gains rank highly for user experience and things don’t break from major updates.
-Erindale
Jan 10, 2022
Why #Manjaro and not pure #Arch #Linux?
Manjaro has the benefit of being an easy-to-use, works out of the box experience with the strengths of Arch but not quite the bleeding edge instability.
To me, it’s the Ubuntu of Arch-based distros.
-Erindale
Jan 10, 2022
Why does my main PC run Windows 11?
It comes down to compatibility:
- Hardware drivers
- Proprietary software
- Confidence
That last one is a kicker because it’s that ‘what if" problem. “What if a client needs X software”. Can #Linux and #winehq fill the gap?
-Erindale
Jan 10, 2022
Are you using Windows / MacOS? What would pursuade you to switch to a FOSS alternative? Do you want to?
-Erindale
Jan 10, 2022
@NE555 @elementary @system76 @ManjaroLinux I’ve not tried Fedora in a long long time! Maybe it’s time though, I am a big fan of Gnome.
Jan 10, 2022
@jeffeb3 Do VMs have any issue with hardware (graphics tablets etc)?
Jan 10, 2022
@SimonJustesen I used to dual boot way back and then I transitioned to Linux fully for years which was great. I’ve only been back with Windows for a few years. It’s hard to say how much / if I actually need it. I would love to go back to having Linux builds all round!
Jan 11, 2022
95% of my digital painting (and therefore my ability to draw and my career path) can be attributed to 3 #FOSS projects:
- @GIMP_Official
- @MyPaintApp
- @Krita_Painting
-Erindale #IUseFOSS #DigitalArt https://t.co/OKVXySys3s
Jan 11, 2022
All software has its own perks and quirks but @Krita_Painting has become my go to painting software and it’s not let me down for the last 10 years.
What makes it so excellent? Canvas control that feels like it’s designed for a human. Incredibly deep brush engines!
-Erindale
Jan 11, 2022
The impact that your #FOSS project can have on a person’s trajectory in life cannot be understated.
Your passion project can become someone’s raison d’etre.
-Erindale #IUseFOSS https://t.co/L1PevFVptY
Jan 11, 2022
#Krita saw a huge update at the end of 2021 with the release of Krita 5.0. Here are my 5 top highlights from this release 👇
-Erindale #IUseFOSS @Krita_Painting
Jan 11, 2022
@Krita_Painting UI Improvements
I’m putting this first because, as someone who will regularly spend 12+ hours a day in a single peice of software, the UI and UX is as important as the functionality.
It has to work AND it has to be workable.
Jan 11, 2022
@Krita_Painting File Formats
I could write a whole thread on interoperability alone. The power that comes with being able to access more data natively is huge so I’m really happy to see these improvements.
Jan 11, 2022
@Krita_Painting Recorder
Tools which aren’t THE tool are often forgotten but for a user (especially for creatives with social media in our marketting strategies) having more ways to showcase our work is very exciting!
Also for workflow review, and creating edutainment content, this is great!
Jan 11, 2022
@Krita_Painting Pop-up Palette Improvements
One of my favourite parts of painting in Krita is the pop-up palette. Having access to brush presets and, more importantly, the colour selection without moving your pen means that your workflow is super fluid and intuitive.
UX done right.
Jan 11, 2022
@Krita_Painting Search
Pressing CTRL+Enter in Krita 5 will open a search bar allowing you to search all operators within Krita and even showing their shortcuts. https://t.co/DupesT5sHx
Jan 11, 2022
@aboomination1 Definitely! I was surprised to see that GIMP is 23 years old - No wonder there are so many plugins for it. GIMP 3.0 might come this year too which is going to be a big upgrade!
Jan 11, 2022
The #FOSS world is so wonderful because of community. @Krita_Painting is no exception.
Here are 5, free resource packs from the community 👇
-Erindale #IUseFOSS #Krita
Jan 11, 2022
@Krita_Painting @Rakurri Brush Set V2
This is a pack of beautiful brushes all built specifically for #Krita 5. They say stylised but I’m not so sure. You can get a really nice painty feel with these too.
Jan 11, 2022
@Krita_Painting @Rakurri Freed Creative
A YouTube channel with a bunch of great content. Very clear and concise delivery covering #Krita in the last couple of weeks. @FreedCreative
Jan 11, 2022
@Krita_Painting @Rakurri @FreedCreative Won’t Teach You To Draw V6
A brushpack from @wojtryb. While this was made for #Krita 4.x, it still works great with 5. A wonderful set with some really great painterly vibes.
Jan 11, 2022
@Krita_Painting @Rakurri @FreedCreative @wojtryb Wet Paint Brushes
Here’s an excellent video (with resources linked) by @ramonmva on using the RGBA brushes in #Krita 5 for a tasty thick paint look!
Jan 11, 2022
@Krita_Painting @Rakurri @FreedCreative @wojtryb @ramonmva SomaBrushes
One of my favourite artists, @somartist, has created a pack of 30 brushes from presets made on their recent paintings. Definitely worth a look!
Jan 11, 2022
@gcasqueirocom @elementary @system76 @ManjaroLinux For me the main strength is the rolling release model. I have had in the past with Ubuntu and similar where there’s a bigger update every 6 months or so that things break and need fixing. The rolling release just keeps things working and up to date constantly instead!
Jan 11, 2022
@gcasqueirocom @elementary @system76 @ManjaroLinux I believe @PabloVazquez_ is using Fedora these days?
Jan 12, 2022
One key benefit of #FOSS projects, and one that I think gets skipped over by a lot of smaller projects, is community.
-Erindale #IUseFOSS
Jan 12, 2022
Up to a certain point, #FOSS projects are built on inertia. The excitement from the core developers needs to be transferred to a community to foster a group of contributors, testers, and advocates.
Are you taking advantage of social media in your strategy?
-Erindale #IUseFOSS
Jan 12, 2022
More important than the potential of income, a community brings the potential of innovation.
If your project answers a question (and you publicise) people will buy it. If you have a community of users and developers, your project will expand and build worth.
-Erindale #IUseFOSS
Jan 12, 2022
When your community wants to try experimental features they can branch, or even create entire forks.
This ecosystem of software can then become symbiotic, passing code back to your master.
This is one of the inspiring beauties of #FOSS
-Erindale #IUseFOSS
Jan 12, 2022
Developers engage in the community.
The degree to which FOSS developers seem to integrate with their communities is amazing and something we just don’t seem to see so widely outside.
-Erindale
Jan 12, 2022
Having a direct communication with users and a genuine interest in how real people use your software allows the software to become human-shaped.
-Erindale
Jan 12, 2022
When a user tells you your software doesn’t work how it should, they’re not wrong.
You either need better signposting (don’t underestimate UI), better documentation (or access to the docs), or if their problem is common, maybe consider a redesign of that element.
-Erindale
Jan 12, 2022
@Coppola_Emilio Perhaps some sort of way to display the reported bugs so it’s clearer to users if something is known, in progress, patched etc?
Jan 12, 2022
@realdoctormo Thick skin definitely required!
Jan 12, 2022
@jeffeb3 Agreed! And sometimes a developer is trying to introduce a new workflow paradigm but in that case, a bit more hand holding is required by the user (at least initially). Perhaps by gamifying the onboarding process.
Jan 12, 2022
In 2022 I’d love to see more documentation written for non-technical users, rather than as a reference for developers.
RTFM does not work if the manual requires an understanding of the software for it to make sense.
-Erindale
Jan 12, 2022
No user will read your documentation cover to cover so make sure that each page can be read in isolation. If prior knowledge is required, please provide links to that.
-Erindale #IUseFOSS
Jan 12, 2022
Developers, Talk to people who are creating tutorials. We want to provide the best and most salient information but we can get it wrong or miss something.
Let us know. We spend hours making videos because we love your work and want to share that.
-Erindale #IUseFOSS
Jan 12, 2022
If you want to get bug reports from your community, make it as easy as possible for non-technical users.
Maybe reference @Blender ’s bug tracker. A button in the Help menu takes you straight to the tracker form with clear instructions of what’s wanted.
-Erindale #IUseFOSS https://t.co/xSPlPpXejy
Jan 12, 2022
Your communities are your best ambassadors. Take advantage of that.
Community Discord servers, Instagram tags, retweets, community conversations etc.
Give people an excuse to talk about your #FOSS.
-Erindale #IUseFOSS
Jan 12, 2022
I used to do retail and commercial interior design and let me tell you, ‘instagrammable moments" are not trivial. It might make your skin crawl, but is there something in that world that you can harness for growth?
-Erindale
Jan 12, 2022
Have you had any highlights in your #FOSS community? It’d be great to hear your stories!
-Erindale #IUseFOSS
Jan 13, 2022
@dekuve Usage docs. I’ve seen a lot of times there is either no separation between documentation for users and devs. Or even just that the documentation for users is so technical and relies on so much prior knowledge that it’s essentially useless to most of the target demographic.
Jan 13, 2022
It’s a great time to be an artist because all you #FOSS developers keep pushing out huge updates.
On Tuesday I talked a bunch about the new #Krita 5 but in 2020, #MyPaint 2.0 and #Inkscape 1.0 were released and it looks like GIMP 3 is on the horizon as well.
-Erindale #IUseFOSS
Jan 13, 2022
@CorrMelanie Maybe have a check with the Export PNG Image options in 1.1! I was just able to both import and export a tif file without trouble
Jan 13, 2022
Inkscape 1.0 was a big update and we’ve seen another update (1.1) in 2021 that brings a whole load more features such as improved UI and onboarding, performance gains, search dialogues and more.
@inkscape now vs 5 years ago feels like a totally different beast.
-Erindale
Jan 13, 2022
For me, Inkscape 1.0 marked the start of a shift. Rather than using #FOSS for my ‘hobbies" and relying on Adobe / Autodesk for work, suddenly I found myself shifting.
Inkscape was not just useable, it was competitive.
-Erindale
Jan 13, 2022
Inkscape’s largest gains recently, I feel, are in accessibility and useability. It links back to something I mentioned yesterday about ‘becoming human-shaped".
Your software may well just be a tool to process data, but that tool must interface with a human.
-Erindale #inkscape
Jan 13, 2022
@begalovr These look great! Are you using LibreOffice Draw for the layout?
Jan 13, 2022
‘Onboarding" as a concept has become inextricably linked to VR it seems. And yes, it’s needed there but I think it’s important for regular software as well. Users want to land on their feet.
Check out the @inkscape 1.1 welcome!
-Erindale https://t.co/1FcgWlU5cF
Jan 13, 2022
@joneuhauser @inkscape Yes! The multipage is one of the big things I’m looking forward to.
Jan 13, 2022
One thing that I’ve been missing in the #FOSS world is desktop publishing software that can keep up with InDesign and Affinity Publisher.
What tools do you use for multipage documents? Are there projects in the works that fit the bill?
-Erindale
Jan 13, 2022
@merdamosca I will have to give it another swing! It’s definitely the one that people always recommend.
Jan 13, 2022
RT @scopelmatt: Thanks to @imakefoss I’ve entered an @inkscape rabbit hole. I’ve just realized how much this software has grown and what po…
Jan 13, 2022
If you saw me talk about @Inkscape today but you don’t know where to start, here’s my favourite resource - Logos by Nick.
@logosbynick is an excellent YouTube channel going through many different scenarios in both Inkscape and GIMP.
-Erindale
Jan 13, 2022
@muhuk @inkscape @logosbynick These are excellent! Thanks for sharing!
Jan 14, 2022
To wrap up my week with IMakeFOSS I can’t not talk about Blender.
Being a 3D artist, and specifically a Blender-native, has been a large of my identity for over half of my life. I think #b3d makes a great #FOSS case study.
-Erindale #IUseFOSS
Jan 14, 2022
How did Blender grow into what it is now, an industry standard digital content creation software with full-time, salaried developers and patronage from Intel, AMD, Epic, Google, Microsoft and more?
-Erindale #b3d https://t.co/ub7Mtqpnzf
Jan 14, 2022
How has Blender become the success that it is today? Community.
-Erindale #b3d
Jan 14, 2022
Full disclosure: Blender did not start out FOSS. When it went public adopting the GNU GPL license in 2002 they knew that this software had appeal and value outside of who’d developed it.
The history is interesting so have a skim if you’ve got 5 minutes: https://t.co/VpJtc02wpi
Jan 14, 2022
The Blender Studio list 15 productions created as a means of essentially stress testing the software. Rather than doing small in house tests they’ve shared everything.
These projects build interest and excitement, and excitement breeds community.
-Erindale #b3d #FOSS
Jan 14, 2022
I’m using the term ‘community’ vaguely on purpose. It could be a full fledged developer community all the way down to people for whom the project is just in their awareness.
To sell, people need to see that you’re selling.
-Erindale #IUseFOSS
Jan 14, 2022
Blender is a platform for creativity.
It’s not just a 3D modelling package. The #FOSS mindset encourages people to build it into the tool that fits them. Add-ons allow you to fit to any workflow. Custom builds can change the core code. Forks can change everything.
-Erindale
Jan 14, 2022
Check out Bforartists, a fork of Blender which fundamentally overhauls the UI/UX allowing for a visual-first workflow paradigm.
-Erindale #IUseFOSS @bforartists #b3d [Image credits to @Trinumedia] https://t.co/ZfMUYtznym
Jan 14, 2022
Blender’s community activitation goes beyond just creating the Open Movies. There are weekly livestreams about interesting commits with @PabloVazquez_, the Blender Studio outputs training and BTS content, there’s significant developer presence on Twitter…
-Erindale #IUseFOSS
Jan 14, 2022
Community is not passive.
Jan 14, 2022
The idea that Blender is well suited to parametric design and IFC/BIM workflows seems almost funny yet Blender provides a platform for parametric add-on #Sverchok to run alongside @BlenderBIM. Designers can lean into this while still having the core Blender tools.
-Erindale
Jan 14, 2022
If anyone is interested in learning how to do parametric design with @Blender and #Sverchok, I teach a course on it!
-Erindale #IUseFOSS #b3d @futurly_space https://t.co/LFcg2ReQOI
Jan 14, 2022
It’s overwhelming how much Blender can do but it’s not because Blender has made this all this functionality, they just opened the doors to the sandbox.
-Erindale #IUseFOSS #b3d
Jan 14, 2022
Graphics are inherently shareable so I appreciate that this process is more or less involved depending on your own project. At risk of sounding like a broken record, community is really important and worth investing some time into building alongside your project.
-Erindale
Jan 14, 2022
Do you have a strategy that you’ve found works towards building community around your project?
-Erindale #IUseFOSS
Jan 14, 2022
@RafaelRiva0 Partly the industry they’re used in I think, but also Blender has always felt like an alternative rather than a replacement. I expect Krita to grow a lot for this reason. Inkscape will definitely gain popularity but it’s competing directly with Illustrator which makes it harder.
Jan 14, 2022
@sebastian_wenk Agreed! Blenders explosive growth since 2.8 is definitely a big indicator for the importance of UI!
Jan 15, 2022
We teach digital litracy in schools but not digital security or ethical computing.
What’s one computer lesson you would want taught to kids?
-Erindale #IUseFOSS #ethicalcomputing
Jan 15, 2022
@adambelis @Trinumedia @inkscape Maybe when making a new file. Currently it just repeats the format you have set but it could be useful sometimes if you’re wanting to change your page preset
Jan 15, 2022
RT @ivyhac: @imakefoss Password managers and FOSS 🌟💯.
Why FOSS? It openly demonstrates transparency, community, teamwork, and ~innovation…
Jan 15, 2022
@TheZarlo Who needs folders when you can just save everything to your desktop!
Jan 15, 2022
@brunomiguel @ivyhac Can you expand what you mean by ‘security hygiene"?
Jan 15, 2022
@ManuVision What kinds of things did it cover? Does anything stand out as an ‘a-hah!" moment?
Jan 15, 2022
RT @ManuVision: @imakefoss Basic definition of white/grey/black hats, learning linux and popular distributions (red hat back in the days wa…
Jan 15, 2022
RT @scopelmatt: @imakefoss I would provide them with the basic tools to distinguish between services where your data is the product and too…
Jan 15, 2022
@begalovr @konyv1977 Agreed! I use a non-FOSS one called NetLimiter and I was shocked to see how many things are using the network - even if I’ve not opened them for months.
Jan 15, 2022
Start software skills young so it’s a game, not an obligation. I started Photoshop and ProDesktop when I was 9 and Blender when I was 13ish and there was never a sense of grind to learning. It was just an adventure to see what could be made. https://t.co/thUqzvxqIX
Jan 15, 2022
RT @RudyEChin: @imakefoss When things are easy there is a price to pay. Privacy online should be guarded
Jan 15, 2022
@Esteban7GT Making it relevant is huge. Big game platforms like Fortnite and Roblox have so much access to so many young people. Getting on for 300M users each month and Roblox is 86% under 25 years old.
Jan 15, 2022
Thanks for listening to me this week! I’ve been (and continue to be) Erin.
You can find me over on my account @erindale_xyz or on YouTube if you are interested in learning some Blender nodes! ✌️
#IUseFOSS #b3d