art, culture and humanities
Gifts and Stocking Stuffers for Creatives and Art Lovers


(Family Features) When looking for the perfect present, hone in on your loved ones’ favorite hobbies. The options for creatives and art lovers are nearly endless, with stocking stuffers and thoughtful gifts ranging from pens and pencils to markers, personal drawing lessons and beyond.
Give the gift of creative expression this holiday season with a present that helps spark ingenuity and encourages recipients to tap into their creative sides through drawing, journaling and more. Consider this assortment of drawing and writing tools to excite the imagination of anyone who unwraps them.


Fast-Drying Markers for Vibrant Art
Uncap the possibilities of dazzling art with a Sharpie Permanent Marker Holiday Pack, a limited edition set of 30 fine point and 30 ultra-fine point colored permanent markers that allows users to switch between bold strokes and intricate detailing. Remarkably resilient, the iconic permanent ink writes on most surfaces, dries quickly and resists smearing to create vibrant, eye-popping impressions. Included in the pack is one exclusive “mystery marker,” revealing one of three surprise colors. Shop this gift exclusively at Walmart.com.


Beautiful Colors, Brilliantly Smooth
Spread joy by gifting Paper Mate InkJoy Gel pens with vivid gel ink that dries three times faster for reduced smearing and ergonomic grips for maximum comfort. With a smooth style, you can keep the joy flowing as fast as your thoughts while brightening your writing with 14 brilliant assorted colors. Your pages can come to life like a vivid party where smudges aren’t invited. Perfect for students and journalers, you can fill stockings by visiting Amazon.com.


Draw, Shade and Illustrate with Colored Pencils
Give the ultimate gift to aspiring artists with the Prismacolor Technique Landscape & Nature Drawing Set. This 3-in-1 set pairs high-quality art supplies with nature and landscape-themed digital lessons, which teach fundamental skills as you create three unique pieces of artwork. The set includes 38 Soft Core colored pencils, one Turquoise Graphite pencil, two illustration markers, one mini sharpener, one eraser and one drawing pad. Find these art essentials exclusively at Target.com.
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock (family coloring)
SOURCE:
Sharpie
Paper Mate
Prismacolor
art, culture and humanities
Paramount+ in Canada and The Shine Network Institute Announce the Indigenous Producers Budgeting Intensive
TORONTO /CNW/ — Today, Paramount+ in Canada and The Shine Network Institute (TSNI) announce the Indigenous Producers Budgeting Intensive, an online course and new resource to support the professional development and mentorship of Indigenous women in film, television and media. This first virtual course will be geared toward budgeting for film. It will be accessible on TSNI’s @Learnatshine platform and will launch on National Indigenous Peoples Day – Friday, June 21, 2024.
Geared toward emerging and mid-level Indigenous female producers, this first intensive course of 10 x one hour modules offer students hands-on learning accompanied by Indigenous framed tutorials designed to empower students as they prepare to produce their first feature film. The course will also include candid conversations with Indigenous female producers to inspire and motivate students by giving them access to industry veterans who can dispel myths and misconceptions about producing.
“Working with The Shine Network Institute on this course is truly the first step in our partnership,” said Doug Smith, SVP Streaming & Content Licensing Paramount Global, Canada. “After listening and consulting with Jennifer Podemski and her team over the past few months we are proud to collaborate on this online course which will provide tangible skills to those interested in line producing, one of the most important jobs on any set. It is also a project we can build on in the months and years to come to support even more of TSNI’s membership and the next generation of Indigenous producers.”
“I am thrilled to be partnering with Paramount + Canada for this course,” said Jennifer Podemski, President & CEO, The Shine Network Institute. “Partnerships like this allow TSNI to offer the highest level of training and mentorship while building capacity for Indigenous people within the screen sector. Although our mission at TSNI is to foster the careers of Indigenous women who are the least represented across the sector and experience the most disproportionate outcomes, this course, which will be offered on our @Learnatshine platform, is open to all Indigenous professionals working within Canada’s film, television and digital media space.”
This initiative is the third partnership Paramount+ in Canada has announced that reinforces its long-standing commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Earlier this fall, the company announced a collaboration with the Black Screen Office for the Black Creators Festival Initiative; a joint venture with BIPOC TV & Film, and the National Screen Institute Partner for the new ELEVATE program; and now TSNI’s Budget Online Intensive.
These programs are intricately connected to the mission of Paramount Global’s Content for Change initiative, which seeks to counteract narratives that enable bias, stereotypes and hate using the power of our content, the creative supply chain that powers it, and the culture that underpins everything we do.
About Paramount+
Paramount+ is a global digital subscription video streaming service from Paramount that features a mountain of premium entertainment for audiences of all ages. Internationally, the streaming service features an expansive library of original series, hit shows and popular movies across every genre from world-renowned brands and production studios, including SHOWTIME®, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures and the Smithsonian Channel™, in addition to a robust offering of premier local content. The service is currently live in the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean, Australia, Italy, Ireland and South Korea.
About The Shine Network Institute
The Shine Network Institute (TSNI) is an Indigenous not-for-profit organization providing professional development programs, advocacy and mentorship, for Indigenous women in the film, television and media sector. TSNI is committed to knowledge gathering and knowledge sharing, understanding that culturally informed research practices will deepen our understanding of the needs within the communities we serve. We are committed to dismantling systemic and structural barriers Indigenous women face in the screen sector and creating pathways to advancing Indigenous women’s careers within the screen sector while creating safer spaces for all Indigenous Peoples in the industry.
SOURCE Paramount+ (Canada)
art, culture and humanities
Artlist releases its 2024 Trend Report – Empower your brand to craft the content of tomorrow
TEL AVIV, Israel /PRNewswire/ — Artlist, the creative technology company used by millions of digital creators and major brands worldwide, today released the Artlist Trend Report 2024, featuring industry insights from business leaders from Google, Amazon, Meta, and actionable data from more than 7,000 global content creators. It provides the most comprehensive look into how international brands should approach video content in 2024. The report explores how brands can push their boundaries, embrace new technology, and create a local connection in an increasingly global landscape.


The Artlist Trend Report 2024 is a first-of-its-kind, not-yet-trending report with upcoming predictions designed to inspire and empower brands to look toward the future and create without limits. The full report has several surprising predictions and data for any brand looking to stay ahead of the curb with impactful content.
The top predictions of the Artlist Trend Report 2024 include:
- Less technical work, more content. AI will continue to make the content creation process faster, cheaper, and more accessible. You’ll often no longer have to invest time and resources into intensive editing and post-production. The survey reports that 52% of video creators already use AI in their creative process.
- Push the boundaries of your brand. Minimalist design is out. Instead, thanks to Generative AI, surrealist visuals will start trending. Brands that want to stand out in 2024 must use these tools to innovatively reimagine visuals, sound, video, and motion design. Creators will find new ways to use FPV drone tech, AR/VR, and immersive consumer experiences.
- Local talents, global reach. Technology and social media have made it easier for creators to monetize their content and get found online. For brands, this means greater opportunities to discover diverse and niche influencers with fiercely loyal audiences. Tapping into audience niches with voices they trust is a great way to authentically connect to new audiences and diversify your customer base.
- Hire creative fire. There’s been an uptick in companies taking their creative in-house rather than outsourcing to agencies. New technologies have also lowered the barriers to entry in terms of technical skills. So, in 2024, brands must employ top-notch creative talent and prioritize strategic thinking to stand out.
- Personalization is paramount. In an era of content overload, personalization will be critical to cut through the noise. Brands should look to tailor and curate their content as much as possible, especially for Gen Z audiences. The era of passive and generic content is fading, and consumers expect to be able to actively engage.
Today, brands are operating in a rapidly advancing technological landscape. Shrinking attention spans and an explosion of digital content have led to a greater need for compelling, sharable visuals. There are significant business opportunities for brands that project a distinct voice with unique creative approaches. Ira Belsky, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Artlist explains, “Today, a brand’s vision, and the business strategy that it influences, all need to be conveyed to consumers through a single voice that spans diverse forms of media, and remains authentic, no matter what.”
There are so many changes happening before our eyes that it’s more important than ever for brands to be clear on who they are and the essence of what they want to convey about themselves.
Itzik Elbaz, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Artlist, says, “2024 is set to be a truly unique year. The technological advances we’ve seen in 2023 have triggered an entirely new generation of enthusiastic creators exploring new directions. Technical expertise is no longer a barrier to entry. Creativity can be unleashed by anyone from anywhere. It’s going to be a wild ride of a year.”
Download the Artlist Trend Report 2024: https://artlist.io/blog/trend-report
About Artlist
Artlist is a leading creative technology company offering content creators and brands powerful editing tools and over 1.3M professional digital assets under a global license that covers every project worldwide. In its mission to empower creators worldwide to create without limits, Artlist consists of 3 products: Artlist, the all-in-one platform for video creators, including high-quality and curated royalty-free music, SFX, footage, templates, plugins, and more; MotionArray, the ultimate vertical marketplace for creators including video templates, presets, music, SFX, stock footage, graphics for design, motion graphics and stock photos; and FXhome, a cutting-edge video, VFX and image editing software.
Artlist works with a growing team of contributors across the globe, updating its catalogs daily with fresh content while preserving a consistently high level of quality across its media and platforms.
Since it was founded in 2016, Artlist has revolutionized the creative industry by offering subscription-based products under a comprehensive and simple license and is fast becoming the ultimate, complete solution for content creators. Recognized as a top startup by LinkedIn and WIRED, Artlist has over 20 million customers, from individual content creators to major corporations such as Google, Apple, Nike, Coca-Cola, Ikea, Netflix, Dior, Mercedes, and many more.
Source: Artlist
art, culture and humanities
Think Diffusion Revolutionizes AI Art With Comprehensive Stable Diffusion Platforms
HOUSTON (Newswire.com) – Think Diffusion, a leader in AI art technology, is proud to offer a comprehensive suite of Stable Diffusion interfaces for professionals, all in private and dedicated managed workspaces in the cloud. Among these, Automatic1111 (Auto1111) stands out as the most popular and powerful UI in the Stable Diffusion ecosystem. It harnesses SD’s full capabilities, integrating thousands of extensions, models, LoRAs, and Textual Inversions from open source sites like Civitai and HuggingFace.


We provide a premium and dedicated cloud experience for the world’s most powerful AI image tools in the world.
Auto1111, complemented by ComfyUI, Kohya, and Fooocus, forms a full suite of interfaces catering to all skill levels and goals. These interfaces provide multiple ways to tap into Stable Diffusion’s bleeding-edge capabilities for creating stunning AI imagery and animations.
A Suite of Interfaces for Every Creator
- Automatic1111: The go-to interface for professionals. It offers a vast plugin ecosystem with preinstalled extensions like ADetailer, ReActor faceswap, ControlNet, and many more. Users can create videos using tools like AnimateDiff, Deforum and Wav2Lip Studio.
- ComfyUI: This interface features a flowchart/node-based system, ideal for designing complex workflows. It’s optimized for flexibility and repeatable creative processes.
- Kohya: Perfect for model creators, Kohya allows quick training and fine-tuning of models and LoRAs. It’s specialized in creating style-specific enhancements and embeddings.
- Fooocus: Simplifying art generation, Fooocus lets users prompt and generate art in seconds, ideal for those seeking an easy-to-use, less technical interface.
Introducing TD-XL: A New Standard in AI Art Models
Think Diffusion introduces TD-XL, a new AI art model emphasizing realism and performance. Trained for over 750 hours with meticulous hand-captioning, TD-XL surpasses other models in detail and quality. It’s designed for ease of use, requiring no additional refinements, and is available in the Safetensors format for safety.
Advanced Features and Accessibility
Think Diffusion offers the best cloud experience for Stable Diffusion:
- Simplifies the creative process with no need for expensive hardware or complex installations.
- Run powerful workflows with one-click model uploads and the freedom to install any extensions.
- Offers up to 200GB of personal storage in a private workspace.
- Get a dedicated GPU for every browser window, and run multiple tasks without interruptions.
Think Diffusion’s platform empowers users to run multiple machines simultaneously, each with a unique UI. From model training to experimenting with new workflows, everything is possible even from your phone. The platform is preloaded with popular extensions and models, providing unparalleled flexibility and creativity.
About Think Diffusion
Think Diffusion sets a new standard in AI art creation, providing creative professionals with unparalleled tools and capabilities. Our advanced platform offers an array of features that give users a significant competitive edge in the digital art space. Our commitment to democratizing high-end AI art tools ensures that our users are always at the forefront of innovation.
For more information, visit http://thinkdiffusion.ai
Source: Think Diffusion Inc.
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