At last, a class created for Mac-based designers ready to learn Adobe Illustrator. We’ll plunge you into Adobe Illustrator’s features and capabilities and get you up and running quickly.

In this class, you will learn how to:

• Draw images using the pen tool
• Use color creation, using swatches and gradients
• Use special effects and filters
• Make masks and compound paths
• Properly use the type tool

The class will be held in Midtown West, New York on 28-29 June from 10am - 4pm. Visit the site to learn more.

West Coast Green 2008, the nation’s largest conference and expo on innovation, green building, business and design will take place this September in San Jose, California. This year’s event will host 200 visionary speakers, 380 exhibits, advanced interactive educational tracks, dynamic networking opportunities, and a complete green show house made of shipping containers that will be placed right on the show house floor.

Whether you’re a homeowner, facility manager, developer, realtor, or design/build professional, West Coast Green is an unprecedented opportunity for you to advance your personal and professional goals while having the time of your life. Think Woodstock without the music, inside, and with a lot more business cards. So mark your calendars for 25-27 September, visit the site and read the blog for more information.

Enter the $13,000 Speak New Words music video contest, and you can win one of six cash prizes, including a Grand Prize of $5,000! Enter the Speak New Words Contest and get a piece of the $13K. Before you run to grab your camcorder, you need to know that the videos entered in this contest must specifically include 13 character traits that you believe bring about true change in our country. And by the way, all videos in the Speak New Words contest must not contain any of those controversial words we’ve all been hearing about in the media or any violent words and images (Yeah, you know the ones).

Entry Deadline: 7 September 2008. Visit the site to learn more.

In this live Webcast, world-renowned photographer Rick Sammon will share his top digital photography tips, including his “10 Key Ingredients for Cookin’ Digital Photographs.” He’ll also discuss his favorite photo philosophies, including: “The Camera Looks Both Ways; In Picturing the Subject We Are Also Picturing a Part of Ourselves.” You’ll get to see Rick’s favorite people, landscape and wildlife images from around the world. Some Photoshop talk, too…

Attendance for the Webcase is limited, so register now. They’ll send you a reminder before the Webcast, which is scheduled for Thursday, 26 June at 1:00 PDT (17:00 GMT). Cost is free, and the duration will be 45 minutes.

Spark is the exciting new competition created to promote great design and designers. They invite everyone to participate - designers, art directors, architects, design firms, manufacturers, institutions, ad agencies, students and novices may enter and enjoy the Spark Design Awards.

Graphics, product, transportation and architecture are just a few of the many design categories accepted. If you or your company create great designs, don’t miss the opportunity to compete in this important event.

To accommodate the greatest possible range of designs and designers, and to lower the initial cost of entry, the SparkAwards are now configured as a “two-phase” competition, just like a sports playoff series. In Phase I, the entrant will upload an image of their work and short description to the Spark website. The Phase I fee is US$125.

The first phase (virtual jury) final deadline is August 1. An international jury will carefully review the entries in early August. Phase I entrants chosen by the Jury will then have the option to participate in Phase II, as a Spark “Challenger “candidate, with payment of a second fee of $250. Phase II deadline is September 1, 2008. Jurists will judge the actual, physical works of design, so you’ll need to ship your design to the Jury site by September 5. Visit the site to learn more.

VSA arts is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1974 by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith to create a society where all people with disabilities learn through, participate in and enjoy the arts. VSA arts showcases the accomplishments of artists with disabilities and promotes increased access to the arts for people with disabilities. Each year millions of people participate in VSA arts programs through a nationwide network of affiliates and in more than 60 countries around the world. VSA arts is an affiliate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

This call for entries is open to young artists ages 16-25 living in the United States who have a physical, cognitive, or mental disability. They are interested in both representational and abstract work, based upon the theme, “Green Light.”

There is no entry fee and prizes are substantial. Art work must be original and created within the past three years. VSA arts and Volkswagen of America, Inc. (co-sponsor) reserve the right to purchase the artwork of the fifteen selected finalists at the artist’s specified price. Deadline is Friday, 11 July 2008, midnight (MST). Visit the site to learn more.