All posts by victoriapavlov

Digital Artist and Photographer
My news of the week

What’s new

Hello everyone.

Today I want to share with you some news from this week. First of all, I want to say to each and every one of you: thank you for all your support! I appreciate it very much!!!!
I’ll have something very exciting to share with you in the near future. I can’t wait! Stay tuned!!

P.S. Let’s stay connected. If you don’t follow me on IG on Twitter, please, follow me now. I will appreciate it very much!

Twitter: @Victoria_Pavlov
IG: victoriapavlovart
My Store
My Patreon

My News of the Week

How to get started with Adobe Illustrator on iPad

What’s new in Adobe Photoshop (Adobe MAX 2020)

What’s new in Adobe Fresco (Adobe MAX 2020)

Traditional Watercolor Painting

In this video, I used ZenArt supply watercolor brushes 


Watercolor Brushes 

 

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My news of the week

My news of this week

The Adobe Fresco Book
I am very excited to announce the release of my new Book.
In this book, I will show you how you can start your painting journey in Adobe Fresco, even if you never painted before. A step-by-step explanation will guide you through all projects in this book. Please read this book alone, or with your family and children. Everyone will find some helpful tips. I hope to boost your creativity and bring the passion of creation to another level. You will have access to all sketches in this book. Just download them and use them along with me.

My Etsy Store
I did add a few new items to my Etsy Store

My Live Stream
Still Life Digital Painting in Adobe Photoshop

My New Class on My Patreon
Impressionist painting for beginners in Photoshop

My Traditional Painting Tutorial
Watercolor Painting

I Need your Help
I am launching this fundraising in memory of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the woman who fought for human and women’s rights all her life.
Please, support this great cause 

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Uncategorized

Artsakh

Artsakh

In this post, I am asking for your help. I am asking for help to save the lives of mothers, fathers, children of Artsakh. We, as human beings and citizens of a free world, can’t stay silent or look away.
The Population Republic of Artsakh is only 150,932, and now, they are under another attack from Azerbaijan. Why? I can’t answer this question. I can’t explain why Azerbaijan committed “pogroms” of the Armenian population in 1988-1991. I don’t have an explanation of why Armenian people in Azerbaijan were killed, tortured, and raped. I don’t know and don’t want to know why they did it to Armenian people, civilians, families, children, mothers, grandmothers, grandfathers, brothers, uncles, aunties, and to the single families of each Armenian family in Azerbaijan.


What I do know is what I am, and my family survived the genocide committed by Azerbaijan to Armenian people. What I do know is that I really wish I could stop seeing my nightmares where I am trying to escape, save my family and loved ones from being killed in Azerbaijan. What I do know is that I will never stop seeing in front of me the 2-3 kilometer line of Armenian refugees, families with children and grandparents near the Azerbaijan airport trying to escape to ANYWHERE outside of Azerbaijan to stay alive.

I will never forget the pot of boiling water on top of our stove that my mother kept 24/7. She said, “if they come to our apartment, I will start splashing boiling water on them, and your grandmother will have the time to throw you from the balcony. I prefer that you die, then will let them torture and rape you before killing you.” I still hear every single word of the Armenian plane’s pilot saying, “You are in Armenian territory now. No one will touch you. You are safe now.” I remember how my heart counted every half second before the plane took off, and I still hear how everyone on the entire plane started crying and praying because we all understood that WE JUST SURVIVED. The entire plane survived, the entire plane of lucky people. Not too many Armenian people from Azerbaijan were as lucky as we were.

Many, many Armenians were killed, and before they were killed, they were tortured. The lucky ones, including myself, were relocated. We lost everything, which was built by generation after generation. But we did not complain about losing material things. Even when Armenian families were sleeping on the streets, train stations, and had nothing to eat or wear, in the cold or hot weather, we always felt lucky if all members of the family survived.
Armenian people survived two genocides: in Turkey in 1915 and in Azerbaijan in 1988-1991.

Now Armenian people of Artsakh are facing 3rd genocide by Azerbaijan, and that’s why I am asking you to please help the people of Artsakh. Please, help the children, mothers, and grandparents. Please help with your voices and donations. Every voice counts, every donation counts. I am asking you as a person who survived genocide. I did not read about it, I did not hear about it, I EXPERIENCED it, and that’s why I am asking you, please help. Please, don’t let another generation of Armenian people lose members of their families, homes, and lives. The Armenian people have survived two genocides, started their lives from nothing, and we are still standing and smiling. I am asking you to help the people of Artsakh to survive, smile, and not to bury their loved ones. Please, help the children of Artsakh to see the happy dream. Dreams where they are happy and not trying to escape being killed.

Please call your U.S. Representative now ask to help the people of Artsakh and Armenia


Call Your Senators to Support Artsakh Aid; Block anti-Armenian Amendment

If you can help with ANY donation, please do it.

P.S. I am not referring to ANY link outside of this blog “proving” that Armenian people were killed in Azerbaijan. I saw it all myself.

Here is the link to my book where I shared part of my life with you, guys. They part where I tried to stay alive and keep my family alive.

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Uncategorized

I am who I am

I was thinking to myself about it for a very long time. I was whispering to myself, trying to bury what I feel inside. With all that is going right now in our country, seeing how people are fighting for their human rights, and fighting for their family’s safety, it keeps me awake at night. I never understand, and never will understand how people can discriminate against people for the color of their skin, their immigration status, or anything else.
I feel all this in my example. I am a “former” immigrant (I am a US Citizen with the same blue passport as you). When you are an immigrant, people have a “stereotype” and expectation of you. As an immigrant, you can only do housekeeping work in some wealthy houses, clean toilets, or work on farms. I want to point out that nothing is wrong with any of these jobs, and I did all of them. When you are an immigrant, it’s automatically assumed that you don’t have an education. You or your children don’t need to have an education or any dreams at all.
By my own example, I know that even getting a job cleaning streets in many neighborhoods would be hard because if you don’t have “good English” people wouldn’t feel comfortable having you around.
As a “former” immigrant, I learned that I need to work 1000% more than a person born in the USA to prove that I can do the same job. I lost count of how many times I was turned down for an “office” position I applied for because I have an accent. All the time, the same excuse but in a different interpretation. Yes, I learned my lesson. Just work 1000% more than anybody else who was born in the USA, try not to talk a lot, stay in the shadows. All of this because I am a “former” immigrant. I am tired of being asked all the time, “what is your nationality?” My answer all the time is the same “I am an American.” The next question right after that, ” I meant, where did you come from?” I don’t feel comfortable when people are asking me these questions. I don’t want to be “labeled” as “other, from somewhere else” because, after that, the person will say, “How do you know computers or art?” This is what I am talking about when I say, “if you are an immigrant, people have a “stereotype” and expectation of you.” Some immigrants are even changing their names legally to be “more American” to have more chances to be accepted in the professional world.
I have three children. One is caucasian, and two others are African-American. All my children know that they need to work 100% harder to prove that they are professionals in what they do. Why? Because of the same “stereotype” of expectation of them.” Half of my family is an immigrant/refugee, and the other half is Black. Do I need to say how much everything that is going on right now is affecting my family?
A few days ago, I started watching “Dear…” on Apple TV+. The entire documentary is like a “fresh breath” to me. I finally understand and have accepted (yes, a little later than I should) that I am who I am. Yes, I am a “former” immigrant, yes, I have an accent, and yes, I have a Black family. I don’t have to try to be quiet, I don’t have to hide my accent, and I don’t have to be ashamed that I am not “normal,” just because I wasn’t born in the USA.
I am who I am, and I am from the immigrant family, I am professional in what I do, and Black Lives Matter. Accept me or not.

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My New Coloring Pages

Because of COVID-19 many of us are staying at homes for a period of time.  I have created some coloring pages for children ages two and up. Feel free to download them for free. You can print out any of the pages and color them with your children using traditional pencils, or you can download them and use them in Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, or Adobe Fresco on mobile. 

I also created some elegant backgrounds you can use in your digital workflow (digital painting, photo compositing, or graphic design). All backgrounds are free of charge, so download them and create something beautiful, and positive. 

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Uncategorized

Always be who you are

Those of us that come from another country or just trying to get out to this world, we try to adapt and become “like everybody else”. We do this for one simple reason: we want to be accepted. You can ask me, “what’s wrong with this?” My answer would be: Nothing Is wrong about adapting or wanting to be accepted, but everything is wrong about becoming like everybody else. We all are individuals, and as individuals, we are having a different vision, different style, different education. And this what makes us and our art unique. I tried to be as everybody else, and I decided to create my art, take pictures in a way I thought it would be “accepted” and “appreciated” From the beginning, I was telling myself “don’t create art based on how you feel. Create your art in a way to be accepted. With some time, I started creating my art on “autopilot” without any passion, and guess what? I lost my vision, I lost my individuality. One day I was talking to a woman, she said, “How can you do it to yourself? Is it like slowly killing yourself? Your vision, your background, your accent is who you are. This all that makes you who you are.” I was thinking about what she said for several days, I understood that she is right. My background, my vision, my accent is who I am.
Stop trying to be “accepted” by society and social media. Be who you are. Because if you are who you are, you will create art reflecting your vision, your soul, and your style. Creating your art will help you to tell the story to make this world much better. Creating art that reflects your soul, passion, and vision will bring people close to you and will make people understand who you are. And this is the most important.
Because, as an artist, each of us has a voice to make a difference in someone’s life, make this world brighter and kinder. This is possible only if we will truly be who we are.

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Uncategorized, Wacom

Wacom One

Wacom introduced the new Wacom One tablet. I have been using the Wacom One for the last few days and I really love it.

The Wacom One display size is 13,3″, and the screen resolution of 1920 x 1080 is great for any of my workflows (painting, web/graphic design, photo restoration or photo retouching).
Wacom One’s pen has 4,096 levels of pressure and a tilt angle of 60 degrees. This all makes it very enjoyable working with the Wacom One.

Wacom One is light ONLY 2,2 lbs which means you can take it everywhere you go. Personally, I will take it with me on all my business trips, I will be working with it from my chair in front of the TV, or from my kitchen or just outside when I want to work in the park.

Wacom One system requirements: Windows 7 or later, Mac OS 10.13 and later, you can connect Android device as well.

If you just started your digital journey, if you are a student this tablet is for you. The price is $399.99 and it comes with a one year warranty.

This is my full review on YouTube

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Adobe, Adobe Photoshop, Uncategorized

One image and One Tool

Some of you asked me if it’s possible to create a successful image/project using limited assets and tools. My answer was “Of course, it’s possible!” Creating an entire project using only one image and one tool/workspace could be as challenging and exciting as working on the project using multiple images/assets with multiple tools/ workspaces.
And today we will create the project from scratch in Adobe Photoshop using only one image and one workspace.
I have opened the image I will be using today (I downloaded and License the image from Adobe Stock. You can use any image you like).

Open any Creative Cloud library, that you would like to work with and save your assets to.
At the bottom of the Library panel, click on “+” sign and then, choose “Create From Image”

Now we will build our image going through all the tabs in this workspace. I will start with the “Patterns” tab. Using this tab, I will create a pattern for my project. You can use any pattern type and setting to create a pattern. After you’re happy with your pattern click on “Save to CC Library” and your pattern will be saved to the active CC library.

Time to start working on our shape and to do so click on the “Shapes” tab. Now you can create a shape from your image. Click on “Save to CC Library” to save the shape to an active CC library.

The next stop is “Color Themes”. Using this tab you can create colors based on your image. Feel free to move color pickers to specify exact colors in the image you want to create your new theme from.

The last tab is “Gradients”. The Gradients tab is a very powerful tab. I create custom gradients all the time for my workflow.

After all the assets are created and added to CC library it’s time to start putting everything together.

Create a document any size you like. Click on the gradient in your CC library to apply it to an active layer.

Double click on Pattern in your CC library and specify scale value

Click OK and bring the layer’s opacity down.

Now click on the shape in CC library and drag it into your document.

Window > Shapes> Click on the “Palm” icon and drag it into your document. Use any Color Scheme in your CC library to add color to the shape.

Your image is ready. As you can see, you can use one image and one workspace to create all the necessary assets for your new project.

In the tutorial below I added just a few extra steps.

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My Books

My new book on Amazon

The girl who just wanted to create art: An autobiography

It wasn’t easy to share the story of the biggest part of my life. I never shared it with anyone because part of me wanted to forget everything about it. But my family asked me to share my story because this book can help many girls in the same situation that I was in.

This is a story about a girl who just wanted to create art. The universe arranged everything in a different order. This is a story of one of many women who fought to survive during an ethnic war and continue their survival journey after it to build a better life for her and her daughter. After many decades the same girl came back to what she was dreaming about – creating art. 

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