The Pixelthinker.com blog

Sometimes looking for good things on the Internet is like endlessly sorting through gravel to find the occasional rare diamond. When you find one, you just want to share it with your friends. For beginners playing with graphics, there are some few delightful resources out there which can keep you very busy and happy.

So with no further ado, here are 5 fun resources on the net where your creativity can really fly:

1. The Generator Blog (www.generatorblog.blogspot.com/)

A generator? Isn’t that a gizmo that creates electricity?

Well, yes, but in this instance, we have a whole new meaning to the word “generator”.

Instead of creating electricity, these generators generate fun graphics, cool banners and silly pictures automatically with words that you type in. This web page is a directory of many graphics generators found accross the internet. These range from very strange to very cool to very silly. A hilarious example is the Alphabet Soup Generator at www.redkid.net/generator/soup/sign.php where you can spell out your own message within a picture of alphabet soup.

1. Best Free Fonts on the internet: www.dafont.com

Everyone knows what a font is. However do you know just how creative fonts can get? Go to www.dafont.com and click on any category and be amazed at the creativity. You can have a font that looks like it came from a horror movie. You can have a font that looks like a kid’s handwriting. Whatever theme you can think of, chances are there is a font that matches that theme.

3. Best Source of Dingbats (similar to “Wingdings”): www.urbanfonts.com/free-dingbats.htm

Everyone is familiar with the Windows font knows as Wingdings. When you choose Wingdings as your font, every key on your keyboard produces an interesting graphic instead of a letter of the alphabet. This is known as a “dingbat font. Well, if you like Wingdings, you will LOVE this ultimate online source of dingbat fonts! You can find fun wingding-like images from animals to sports to architecture.

4. Best Source of Cool Color Schemes: www.colourlovers.com/

What colors go together for the best effect? What can set the mood for your sketching project – or even painting a room? When you need great inspiration towards choosing great colors for a project, look no further than www.colourlovers.com.

5. Best Free Graphic Creation Programs: www.your3dsource.com/makeyourownanimation.html

Feeling ambitious? Want to go beyond just ordinary graphics and learn how to create your own original computer images? This website contains several FREE programs to get you started, including 3D programs for creating your own alternate universe. You can even use some of these programs to design your own house!