So what do you guys use to angle your tablet (if you do, of course)? I tried making something with some scrap wood and screws (and an underpowered drill), with less than satisfactory results.
I literally took a large chunk of packing foam, sliced one side to an angle with a box cutter (so it would sit flat on the desk), and stuck it to the top-backside of the tablet with double sided tape. Seems strong enough, and it's really lightweight. If you want to stop it sliding around the table, I'd just double-side-tape the bottom as well (I have a wooden desk and have never had a slide-y problem).
I only have a medium Intuos, but i see no reason it wouldn't work for a large.
I think that's just a general rule for copy centers worldwide.
I had to get stuff printed at Staples and the guy I was speaking to didn't know what letter-size paper was.
"You know, 8.5 x 11 paper? Standard?"
"Uh... I don't think we carry anything that size here."
I used to be a project manager at FedEx Office when it was still FedEx Kinko's; my second shift crew used to show new people that Chapelle Pop Copy sketch as a "training video" but still wow. That is ... wow.
huh. most of my kinko's experience has been pretty positive, or at least not negative. Maybe they get enough business from design students at 4am that they know to put knowledgeable people on staff then.
I may be venturing into the maelstrom that is Chungmuro, the printing district in Seoul, before I leave. the place is full of one-stop-everything shops that have crammed 20 PCs, five plotters, a dozen inkjets, and a business-card press into spaces the size of my studio apartment.
Steam: Cilantr0
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amateurhourOne day I'll be professionalhourThe woods somewhere in TennesseeRegistered Userregular
See I'm in the exact opposite boat with printing. I've had amazing luck with Fed-Ex and horrible luck with Staples/Copy/Office/Max/Depot
I went to staples to see if they had 11x17 gloss to print a comic and they did, but their printing costs were ridiculous, so I just wanted to buy the paper alone. They told me they were not authorized to sell me more than 30 sheets as per Xerox rules... seriously...
I went to Fex-Ex and they printed a black and white 16 page (4 double sided 11x17 pages) book for me for under $2 a piece that I sold for $5 (I just bought a ream of their paper which was 500 sheets for under $30 and they were more than happy to sell it to me. The quality was great, the only down side was that their black and white setup didn't print full 11x17 so I had to scale down my images to fit to page. (they can do it as well, but it was like an extra .10 a book or something along those lines, just the usual nickel and dime routine)
So here's a possibly easy question to answer...or exactly the opposite.
I cannot seem to draw right now. Well, for a couple months.
To possibly help things, I graduated from a college art program back in '09, so I've got the technical training and such. But since then, working with my wife on art, she's started doing more heavy lifting while I've taken over writing for comics and such. I still do page layouts and basic thumbnails, but for some reason I just cannot get further. Every line that goes down I just hate, and it's been a constant struggle for a while. I get the feeling most of this is a mental struggle, but I just cannot figure out how to get past it.
I keep thinking of just trying to relearn everything and start from scratch, but I don't even know how I'd do that anymore. Some things are too ingrained. Any ideas or suggestions?
Well if you are pouring all your work into one comic, you are probably burned out. Not doing the heavy lifting may actually exacerbate the effect, because you are doing alot of work and then not getting the little boost at the end when you yourself finish it off.
The solution to not drawing is pretty much start drawing, theres no way around that. Maybe you need a trip to the art store, or a museum, or a library to thumb through the artbooks, or a marker to play with. Challenge yourself with a new subject matter, or a new medium. Make a gift for someone, flip through old sketchbooks, whatever it takes.
Museums are my favorite for a hard reset. I dont have to draw, I just have to look. Try to take in new art every day, in general. I use Tumblr and DA for that, but also CGHUB and sometimes CA.org
Iruka gives good advice. I recently went through a similar period with my own work. Looking at new work (that is, looking at art I'd not seen before) was a good mental kickstart, and then it took a week or two of doodling to start feeling it again.
Thankfully, we're working on a few things so I'm not getting burnt out. Hell, I'm full of too many ideas. But you're definitely right in that not doing at least some of the heavy lifting has made it harder. Easier to slack off and work on other parts stronger.
I tend to surround myself with art everyday, and I love finding new stuff. It's a big reason why I've lurked here so long. There are so many great artists that blow me away. Love seeing it all.
I really like the idea of a new medium. Just working in pen or a marker may help me stop second guessing myself. Can't argue with a line like that once it's down. In the end, I know the honest truth is I've just got to stop fighting myself at every turn and draw, but damn it's never been this hard before.
Really, really appreciate the advice. If anything, it's just nice to know other people run into similar things every so often.
So I designed a leave behind item that's sort of a small sampling of my portfolio and includes a punch-out fake mustache/business card. I was told to get a tracing wheel to perforate it so people can just punch it out but that failed. Either the tool wasn't up to par for the job or the paper was too heavy.
Does anyone have any better ideas on perforating paper?
I have that wheel and it's useless for anything other than a straight line. I'd cut it out with an X-acto, except for key areas that will hold it in place. That way, it's easy to snap off, it's not as fancy as perforation, but that's the only fool-proof work around I can think of.
I was talking to one of the printmaking professors at my school and we came up with an idea to make a die with a block of wood and putting nails through it around a die of the shape I need, then basically using it as a stamp on the page with the end of the nails sticking through the block. Which will hopefully work for this specific case since I plan on making a decent number of them. I'll still look around to find that rotary blade though for other general perforation needs.
NakedZerglingA more apocalyptic post apocalypse Portland OregonRegistered Userregular
QUESTION
I have recently hooked up a second monitor to my computer. I have it hooked up so it acts like 1 big monitor.
My wacom tablet is set up so the surface of the wacom is the same as the monitor. If i'm working on something in photoshop, on only 1 monitor (the right) and have the internet open with a pic or something on the other monitor (to the left) them the bottom right of the wacom is the bottom right of the right monitor, and the wacom top left is the left monitor top left. So if i'm only painting on one screen, is basically cuts the surface area of my wacom in half vertically.
has anyone else run into this proble? what did you do to solve it? is there a way to set it to only pick up the right monitor?
You should have a program called "Wacom Tablet Properties" that got installed when you installed the tablet drivers. Run that, look at the "Tool:" row, and click the "Functions" icon. Under the ExpressKeys tab, change one of the buttons to whatever it's set to, to "Display Toggle". Now, pressing that button will switch from using both screens as one monitor, to limiting the tablet to the one monitor you're on. Or if you prefer, you can go to the "Display Toggle" tab and make it always be limited to one monitor, and hitting the button will just switch you from monitor to monitor.
So, at the moment i'm in a strange rut that I'm hoping anyone one of you could have some insight into.
Over the last several years I've become quite proficient in Adobe Illustrator and really f***ing love the formatting and precision that it provides. However, prior to working with illustrator, i was not a good physical artist at all. I can perfectly express ideas using digital tools, but when it comes to hand drawn designs I shudder to look back through the sketchbooks I keep. I feel like a singer who can't perform without auto-tune.
However, my frustration is not just because I can't meet my own standards when it comes to drawing. It's the fact that I've made a strong effort to improve with almost no visible change. I definitely know from experience that practice makes perfect, it's proved itself time and time again with other skills I pick up. Yet drawing is the only thing It doesn't seem to affect. I make myself keep sketchbooks, I practice as much as I can on a daily basis, and i've tried all sorts of exercises and guides. I feel like i'm close, but i'm still missing that aha moment where everything clicks. It happened in coding, math, music, and illustrator, and I know it can happen with drawing.
Tl;DR:
What piece of advice or revelation made drawing really click with you?
Well, what do you want to do with your drawings? Do you want to become an illustrator, or just sketch so as to get a concept across to other people? It helps to have a goal to measure your progress with. Tell us what you wish to achieve.
There is no magical "aha" moment in art. It's just slow progress towards an objective.
There is no magical "aha" moment in art. It's just slow progress towards an objective.
Good point, i do understand it isn't an on/off thing. Yet i've people talk about small revelations that help them out.
At the moment i'd really like to grow in the aspect of drawing from the mind. I've heard it's a difficult task, but I suppose it does stem from wanting to get ideas and visual concepts out of my head and on to paper. (Characters, objects etc.) I'd like to grow as an illustrator.
The problems I encounter seem more rooted in basic fundamentals. For example, everything I draw seems to come out lopsided, and generally just looks flat. Whether it be realistic or cartooning.
There is no magical "aha" moment in art. It's just slow progress towards an objective.
Good point, i do understand it isn't an on/off thing. Yet i've people talk about small revelations that help them out.
At the moment i'd really like to grow in the aspect of drawing from the mind. I've heard it's a difficult task, but I suppose it does stem from wanting to get ideas and visual concepts out of my head and on to paper. (Characters, objects etc.) I'd like to grow as an illustrator.
The problems I encounter seem more rooted in basic fundamentals. For example, everything I draw seems to come out lopsided, and generally just looks flat. Whether it be realistic or cartooning.
Are there any drawing classes offered at local colleges you could take? They're usually pretty cheap and can help you overcome some of the beginning hurdles.
As far as drawing from imagination, I'd suggest this book:
Drawing from the mind is sort of a misleading way of thinking about it. A lot of people think they have a clear idea in their heads and need to learn 'drawing from the mind' or something similar in order to express it. The truth is that drawing is about training your eye...not your hand. So if you are having trouble drawing something in your head...chances are what is in your head is not as clear as you think it is. I think a lot of digital artists struggle with this transition because digital tools allow for a lot more 'finding the image' as you work. Your idea takes shape as you work rather than being fully expressed right from the get go.
It is possible to work this way traditionally as well, but you have to have a sort of confidence in bringing an image around that you don't really get without just doing a lot of drawing.
Drawing from life and studying anatomy and that sort of thing are extremely important, especially if you plan to draw from your head. Anatomy knowledge and life drawing experience give you something to sink your teeth into almost through muscle memory while trying to find your image traditionally.
I personally get around this problem mostly by starting my illustrations digitally and then later moving to traditional mediums. As I become more and more abstract in my compositions and thinking about art in general...I find that my experience in life drawing and painting is becoming even more valuable, not less.
Thank you very much, there's some very insightful stuff in your replies.
When either of you draw just real life models (living or inanimate) what are some things you do to help ensure proportion and balance in features. For example, if I try to draw a mug, i'm often frustrated that after a long sitting the final result is fundamentally different in size or width.
When you are drawing from life you have to execute a kind of checklist constantly. If you are drawing from the model, each time you look up you want to do some kind of comparison. "How does the size of that leg compare to the size of that arm?" Look down at your drawing...check...fix it if something is wrong. Now when you look up you ask, "how does the size of that arm compare to the size of that head?" Look down at your drawing...check...fix it if something is wrong. This is something you repeat over and over and over again. Comparing anything and everything against everything else. Eventually it becomes second nature and you just do it without thinking constantly. You develop a sense for what 'feels' right or wrong and start drawing through intuition. The same thing applies to a mug even though it is a much simpler shape. In some ways this will make it more difficult. But if you pick a point anywhere on that mug, and then another point somewhere else....you now have a distance you can measure. And I don't mean breaking out the ruler...I just mean in your head, make a judgment call.
As you get better you start throwing a lot more questions to ask yourself into the mix, but spatial relationships will probably take you awhile so try to just worry about that if you can.
So, I've been drawing for years (and following the AC for advice/inspiration for a long while now, though I've never had a scanner to post any of my stuff) and this christmas I got a tablet, to start working digitally. I was wondering if anyone had any advice for how to get the hang of working with a tablet. It's the first time I've ever had to disconnect what I was drawing from where I was drawing it, so naturally my stuff is very ropey starting off. Aside from practice, practice, practice (which I'm actually looking forward to) is there any excercise or tip people can offer to help get the hang of co-ordinating with it?
So, I've been drawing for years (and following the AC for advice/inspiration for a long while now, though I've never had a scanner to post any of my stuff) and this christmas I got a tablet, to start working digitally. I was wondering if anyone had any advice for how to get the hang of working with a tablet. It's the first time I've ever had to disconnect what I was drawing from where I was drawing it, so naturally my stuff is very ropey starting off. Aside from practice, practice, practice (which I'm actually looking forward to) is there any excercise or tip people can offer to help get the hang of co-ordinating with it?
I get much smoother lines when drawing close-up. I usually scan in work at 600 dpi, and zoom in to 100% in Photoshop while "inking". Sometimes I'll zoom in to 200% or more. It's much easier for me to get smooth lines when I can get my whole arm into the motion instead of just small movements with my wrist.
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amateurhourOne day I'll be professionalhourThe woods somewhere in TennesseeRegistered Userregular
First off, make sure you have the latest drivers, etc and if it's a wacom go into your settings and make one of the pen buttons "undo" in photoshop or whatever you're drawing in. You'll thank me for that later, as I thanked whoever taught me.
Second, work BIG. The way I found that works for me is to zoom in at about the size you'd normally draw at (usually around 25% - 50% and do some rough outlines, then open a new layer and zoom in at 100 or 200 percent for your inks.
Also I think it was either Nib or Squid that taught me to zoom out pretty often so you don't get tunnel vision and it gives you a chance to stop and look at your art as a complete piece to see what's missing. If you watch the Mike videos when he draws PA he does this a lot.
are YOU on the beer list?
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MustangArbiter of Unpopular OpinionsRegistered Userregular
Also flip your canvas regularly. Your eye tends to make whatever your drawing look awesome if you've been staring at it long enough. Flipping the canvas let's you view it from fresh eyes and will immediately point out any glaring errors that you were previously unable to see. Doing it regularly will keep you from doing too much work on a flawed structural base.
Thanks for the advice, guys. I'll do my best to put it into practise. I already feel like I'm getting closer to being able to draw with the tablet as well as I could on paper (which was never exactly amazingly well, but it's something). I hadn't thought to work close up, so I'll have to try it. I also need to finally get myself out of my old bad habit of doing scratchy built-up lines and finally learn to do smooth, strong lines. I'll be sure to post some doodles when I feel like they're less terrible.
I've been having big issues with making confident, sweeping lines. I've been looking over my drawings and its kind of a problem I've had going back as far as I can see. Instead of drawing in large, sweeping strokes, I pretty much always build larger lines out of a lot of tiny lines overlapping. It's not as obvious when I'm drawing on a sketchpad with a pencil, but it's really jarring when I'm trying to draw in photoshop. Honestly, in the past I've taken to inking in Flash where it automatically smooths your lines. When I try to make large strokes I have poor control over the shape and my hand tends to jitter a lot.
(1) It's something of a crutch, but does anyone know how I could manipulate the settings in photoshop to allow Flash-esque smoothing for my brush strokes? (I know it's different since Flash is vector art)
(2) Does anyone know any good exercises for building more confident large strokes, or good ways to go about breaking the habit of making lots of tiny lines?
I've been having big issues with making confident, sweeping lines. I've been looking over my drawings and its kind of a problem I've had going back as far as I can see. Instead of drawing in large, sweeping strokes, I pretty much always build larger lines out of a lot of tiny lines overlapping. It's not as obvious when I'm drawing on a sketchpad with a pencil, but it's really jarring when I'm trying to draw in photoshop. Honestly, in the past I've taken to inking in Flash where it automatically smooths your lines. When I try to make large strokes I have poor control over the shape and my hand tends to jitter a lot.
(1) It's something of a crutch, but does anyone know how I could manipulate the settings in photoshop to allow Flash-esque smoothing for my brush strokes? (I know it's different since Flash is vector art)
(2) Does anyone know any good exercises for building more confident large strokes, or good ways to go about breaking the habit of making lots of tiny lines?
Step away from photoshop entirely, that's just going to continue being a crutch no matter how much you try to alter things.
Pick up a cheap, "easy-writing" pen at Staples or Office Max. These things are made to practically be effortless when putting ink to paper, and there's next to no friction at all when the pen tip touches the pad. A 4-pack will cost you $3? $5 dollars? Find any old sketchpad and start making a ton of mistakes. Stop caring what things look like and start focusing on streamlining your work with a "one-stop-shot" line approach. I stress using a pen because the moment you go over the same line again, it'll flat out kill the line.
Start drawing basic shapes using your whole arm. I'm not telling you to completely use just your whole arm from now on, i'm just saying it'll definitely help you get the rhythm and flow of a gesture. You can alternate between using your wrist and your full arm whenever you feel like.
Above all, don't stress out when you're doing this at all, and I put a strong emphasis on that. The goal here is to loosen up your rigid approach to drawing, and to slowly build confidence and speed when quick sketching. Don't be afraid to be messy; my sketchbook as pages and pages of nothing but crappy circles, box forms, shitty sketches, etc. I just turn and burn, and I never plan to show them to anyone.
Make sure to have fun while doing this too! Remember that line quality control is a silly game with serious rules. If you try to make things look pretty, you're only holding yourself back.
I work in a restaurant, and the manager likes my artwork a lot.
1. He has asked me about painting on the wall near the restrooms, just a simple sign along the lines of M and W with some arrows. It will be a very small task, but I will be designing it and painting it so it shouldn't be free. What should I charge?
2. The whole management has asked me about replacing the paintings on the walls. This is a much bigger project- at least 4 paintings, larger than I normally work, and I would need to go and take reference photos in a couple of locations. I am very excited about this opportunity as it would be a big commission for a business, but I have no idea how to price that kind of work.
I'm 35ish, married, kid, etc...but in high school I really enjoyed oil painting and was told I was getting fairly good. I went to college and never touched a paintbrush again. I had been saying for years I'd like to paint again, partially inspired by LewiePsMum as I'd love some video game art work for my game room and figured it might be fun to make them myself.
My wife was kind enough to pick up a kind of starter kit for me for Christmas for acrylics with a desktop easel, some canvases & canvas boards, basic colors/paints/etc. I started something, and I think I like it (my son says he does, but he's 7) but I've hit a few questions at this point...
* On acrylics - my starter kit came with a few sketch pencils, but apparently acrylics are too thin to cover the pencil lines? Do I need to be lighter with the pencil, heavier with the paint, or buy charcoal like I used to use with oils?
* In general, are there any other things I should know about acrylic vs oil other than acrylics are water based and seem a bit easier to work with?
* On creativity - I've always done landscapes/realistic paintings and have watched others jealously that can just paint the same landscape with more stylized approaches or less focus on realism and be happy. Any recommended reading that might help me learn to approach painting less like a photocopier?
* Finally - on the desktop easel. I find sitting at the table trying to use it to be somewhat uncomfortable and have ended up painting like you would draw - just flat on the table. I'm wondering if it's the height of my table/chair/etc - any tips on workspace setup?
Who knows - maybe eventually I'll feel comfortable sharing what I do outside of my basement gameroom...
I work in a restaurant, and the manager likes my artwork a lot.
1. He has asked me about painting on the wall near the restrooms, just a simple sign along the lines of M and W with some arrows. It will be a very small task, but I will be designing it and painting it so it shouldn't be free. What should I charge?
2. The whole management has asked me about replacing the paintings on the walls. This is a much bigger project- at least 4 paintings, larger than I normally work, and I would need to go and take reference photos in a couple of locations. I am very excited about this opportunity as it would be a big commission for a business, but I have no idea how to price that kind of work.
Any advice/basic ideas for numbers on these?
Obviously I don't have any advice on how much you should charge, but that sounds awesome! You should tell me when you're finished so I can come by and see them at the restaurant some time.
I work in a restaurant, and the manager likes my artwork a lot.
1. He has asked me about painting on the wall near the restrooms, just a simple sign along the lines of M and W with some arrows. It will be a very small task, but I will be designing it and painting it so it shouldn't be free. What should I charge?
2. The whole management has asked me about replacing the paintings on the walls. This is a much bigger project- at least 4 paintings, larger than I normally work, and I would need to go and take reference photos in a couple of locations. I am very excited about this opportunity as it would be a big commission for a business, but I have no idea how to price that kind of work.
Any advice/basic ideas for numbers on these?
First and foremost, work out the costs of your materials and make sure that is covered. Then work out an hourly rate you deem fair and log your time. Add the two together at the end of it and hand over the bill with everything (materials and time) documented.
It's hard to argue with a documented bill, rather than just saying "Give me $300 and we'll call it square" and they're all "What the fuck, you're charging me for doing something you like doing anyway?"
Depends on what you're gonna do. If you're working on Illustrations in a software like Photoshop, it's great. If you're gonna push vectors around in something like Illustrator or InDesign, work on Dreamweaver or something that doesn't require pressure sensitivity, you won't see any performance difference between a $300 Intuous and a $70 Bamboo.
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I had to get stuff printed at Staples and the guy I was speaking to didn't know what letter-size paper was.
"You know, 8.5 x 11 paper? Standard?"
"Uh... I don't think we carry anything that size here."
I literally took a large chunk of packing foam, sliced one side to an angle with a box cutter (so it would sit flat on the desk), and stuck it to the top-backside of the tablet with double sided tape. Seems strong enough, and it's really lightweight. If you want to stop it sliding around the table, I'd just double-side-tape the bottom as well (I have a wooden desk and have never had a slide-y problem).
I only have a medium Intuos, but i see no reason it wouldn't work for a large.
I used to be a project manager at FedEx Office when it was still FedEx Kinko's; my second shift crew used to show new people that Chapelle Pop Copy sketch as a "training video" but still wow. That is ... wow.
I may be venturing into the maelstrom that is Chungmuro, the printing district in Seoul, before I leave. the place is full of one-stop-everything shops that have crammed 20 PCs, five plotters, a dozen inkjets, and a business-card press into spaces the size of my studio apartment.
3DS: 0447-9966-6178
I went to staples to see if they had 11x17 gloss to print a comic and they did, but their printing costs were ridiculous, so I just wanted to buy the paper alone. They told me they were not authorized to sell me more than 30 sheets as per Xerox rules... seriously...
I went to Fex-Ex and they printed a black and white 16 page (4 double sided 11x17 pages) book for me for under $2 a piece that I sold for $5 (I just bought a ream of their paper which was 500 sheets for under $30 and they were more than happy to sell it to me. The quality was great, the only down side was that their black and white setup didn't print full 11x17 so I had to scale down my images to fit to page. (they can do it as well, but it was like an extra .10 a book or something along those lines, just the usual nickel and dime routine)
I cannot seem to draw right now. Well, for a couple months.
To possibly help things, I graduated from a college art program back in '09, so I've got the technical training and such. But since then, working with my wife on art, she's started doing more heavy lifting while I've taken over writing for comics and such. I still do page layouts and basic thumbnails, but for some reason I just cannot get further. Every line that goes down I just hate, and it's been a constant struggle for a while. I get the feeling most of this is a mental struggle, but I just cannot figure out how to get past it.
I keep thinking of just trying to relearn everything and start from scratch, but I don't even know how I'd do that anymore. Some things are too ingrained. Any ideas or suggestions?
XBL: JyrenB ; Steam: Jyren ; Twitter
The solution to not drawing is pretty much start drawing, theres no way around that. Maybe you need a trip to the art store, or a museum, or a library to thumb through the artbooks, or a marker to play with. Challenge yourself with a new subject matter, or a new medium. Make a gift for someone, flip through old sketchbooks, whatever it takes.
Museums are my favorite for a hard reset. I dont have to draw, I just have to look. Try to take in new art every day, in general. I use Tumblr and DA for that, but also CGHUB and sometimes CA.org
I tend to surround myself with art everyday, and I love finding new stuff. It's a big reason why I've lurked here so long. There are so many great artists that blow me away. Love seeing it all.
I really like the idea of a new medium. Just working in pen or a marker may help me stop second guessing myself. Can't argue with a line like that once it's down. In the end, I know the honest truth is I've just got to stop fighting myself at every turn and draw, but damn it's never been this hard before.
Really, really appreciate the advice. If anything, it's just nice to know other people run into similar things every so often.
XBL: JyrenB ; Steam: Jyren ; Twitter
Does anyone have any better ideas on perforating paper?
http://www2.fiskars.com/Products/Crafting/Craft-Paper-Trimmers/Paper-Trimmer-Blades-and-Accessories/Rotary-Perforating-Blade-28mm-Style-F
It seems more heavy duty than the tool I got, but I've never seen these before so I don't know how effective they are.
I have recently hooked up a second monitor to my computer. I have it hooked up so it acts like 1 big monitor.
My wacom tablet is set up so the surface of the wacom is the same as the monitor. If i'm working on something in photoshop, on only 1 monitor (the right) and have the internet open with a pic or something on the other monitor (to the left) them the bottom right of the wacom is the bottom right of the right monitor, and the wacom top left is the left monitor top left. So if i'm only painting on one screen, is basically cuts the surface area of my wacom in half vertically.
has anyone else run into this proble? what did you do to solve it? is there a way to set it to only pick up the right monitor?
thanks guys
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Over the last several years I've become quite proficient in Adobe Illustrator and really f***ing love the formatting and precision that it provides. However, prior to working with illustrator, i was not a good physical artist at all. I can perfectly express ideas using digital tools, but when it comes to hand drawn designs I shudder to look back through the sketchbooks I keep. I feel like a singer who can't perform without auto-tune.
However, my frustration is not just because I can't meet my own standards when it comes to drawing. It's the fact that I've made a strong effort to improve with almost no visible change. I definitely know from experience that practice makes perfect, it's proved itself time and time again with other skills I pick up. Yet drawing is the only thing It doesn't seem to affect. I make myself keep sketchbooks, I practice as much as I can on a daily basis, and i've tried all sorts of exercises and guides. I feel like i'm close, but i'm still missing that aha moment where everything clicks. It happened in coding, math, music, and illustrator, and I know it can happen with drawing.
Tl;DR:
What piece of advice or revelation made drawing really click with you?
There is no magical "aha" moment in art. It's just slow progress towards an objective.
Good point, i do understand it isn't an on/off thing. Yet i've people talk about small revelations that help them out.
At the moment i'd really like to grow in the aspect of drawing from the mind. I've heard it's a difficult task, but I suppose it does stem from wanting to get ideas and visual concepts out of my head and on to paper. (Characters, objects etc.) I'd like to grow as an illustrator.
The problems I encounter seem more rooted in basic fundamentals. For example, everything I draw seems to come out lopsided, and generally just looks flat. Whether it be realistic or cartooning.
Are there any drawing classes offered at local colleges you could take? They're usually pretty cheap and can help you overcome some of the beginning hurdles.
As far as drawing from imagination, I'd suggest this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Figure-Drawing-Invention-Michael-Hampton/dp/0615272819
It's all about drawing the figure using geometric shapes. Very useful for when you don't have reference handy.
Also, draw from life and draw, draw, draw! It can take years or decades to become a decent artist and even longer to be successful at it.
It is possible to work this way traditionally as well, but you have to have a sort of confidence in bringing an image around that you don't really get without just doing a lot of drawing.
Drawing from life and studying anatomy and that sort of thing are extremely important, especially if you plan to draw from your head. Anatomy knowledge and life drawing experience give you something to sink your teeth into almost through muscle memory while trying to find your image traditionally.
I personally get around this problem mostly by starting my illustrations digitally and then later moving to traditional mediums. As I become more and more abstract in my compositions and thinking about art in general...I find that my experience in life drawing and painting is becoming even more valuable, not less.
When either of you draw just real life models (living or inanimate) what are some things you do to help ensure proportion and balance in features. For example, if I try to draw a mug, i'm often frustrated that after a long sitting the final result is fundamentally different in size or width.
As you get better you start throwing a lot more questions to ask yourself into the mix, but spatial relationships will probably take you awhile so try to just worry about that if you can.
So, I've been drawing for years (and following the AC for advice/inspiration for a long while now, though I've never had a scanner to post any of my stuff) and this christmas I got a tablet, to start working digitally. I was wondering if anyone had any advice for how to get the hang of working with a tablet. It's the first time I've ever had to disconnect what I was drawing from where I was drawing it, so naturally my stuff is very ropey starting off. Aside from practice, practice, practice (which I'm actually looking forward to) is there any excercise or tip people can offer to help get the hang of co-ordinating with it?
I get much smoother lines when drawing close-up. I usually scan in work at 600 dpi, and zoom in to 100% in Photoshop while "inking". Sometimes I'll zoom in to 200% or more. It's much easier for me to get smooth lines when I can get my whole arm into the motion instead of just small movements with my wrist.
Second, work BIG. The way I found that works for me is to zoom in at about the size you'd normally draw at (usually around 25% - 50% and do some rough outlines, then open a new layer and zoom in at 100 or 200 percent for your inks.
Also I think it was either Nib or Squid that taught me to zoom out pretty often so you don't get tunnel vision and it gives you a chance to stop and look at your art as a complete piece to see what's missing. If you watch the Mike videos when he draws PA he does this a lot.
(1) It's something of a crutch, but does anyone know how I could manipulate the settings in photoshop to allow Flash-esque smoothing for my brush strokes? (I know it's different since Flash is vector art)
(2) Does anyone know any good exercises for building more confident large strokes, or good ways to go about breaking the habit of making lots of tiny lines?
Step away from photoshop entirely, that's just going to continue being a crutch no matter how much you try to alter things.
Pick up a cheap, "easy-writing" pen at Staples or Office Max. These things are made to practically be effortless when putting ink to paper, and there's next to no friction at all when the pen tip touches the pad. A 4-pack will cost you $3? $5 dollars? Find any old sketchpad and start making a ton of mistakes. Stop caring what things look like and start focusing on streamlining your work with a "one-stop-shot" line approach. I stress using a pen because the moment you go over the same line again, it'll flat out kill the line.
Start drawing basic shapes using your whole arm. I'm not telling you to completely use just your whole arm from now on, i'm just saying it'll definitely help you get the rhythm and flow of a gesture. You can alternate between using your wrist and your full arm whenever you feel like.
Above all, don't stress out when you're doing this at all, and I put a strong emphasis on that. The goal here is to loosen up your rigid approach to drawing, and to slowly build confidence and speed when quick sketching. Don't be afraid to be messy; my sketchbook as pages and pages of nothing but crappy circles, box forms, shitty sketches, etc. I just turn and burn, and I never plan to show them to anyone.
Make sure to have fun while doing this too! Remember that line quality control is a silly game with serious rules. If you try to make things look pretty, you're only holding yourself back.
I work in a restaurant, and the manager likes my artwork a lot.
1. He has asked me about painting on the wall near the restrooms, just a simple sign along the lines of M and W with some arrows. It will be a very small task, but I will be designing it and painting it so it shouldn't be free. What should I charge?
2. The whole management has asked me about replacing the paintings on the walls. This is a much bigger project- at least 4 paintings, larger than I normally work, and I would need to go and take reference photos in a couple of locations. I am very excited about this opportunity as it would be a big commission for a business, but I have no idea how to price that kind of work.
Any advice/basic ideas for numbers on these?
facebook.com/LauraCatherwoodArt
I'm 35ish, married, kid, etc...but in high school I really enjoyed oil painting and was told I was getting fairly good. I went to college and never touched a paintbrush again. I had been saying for years I'd like to paint again, partially inspired by LewiePsMum as I'd love some video game art work for my game room and figured it might be fun to make them myself.
My wife was kind enough to pick up a kind of starter kit for me for Christmas for acrylics with a desktop easel, some canvases & canvas boards, basic colors/paints/etc. I started something, and I think I like it (my son says he does, but he's 7) but I've hit a few questions at this point...
* On acrylics - my starter kit came with a few sketch pencils, but apparently acrylics are too thin to cover the pencil lines? Do I need to be lighter with the pencil, heavier with the paint, or buy charcoal like I used to use with oils?
* In general, are there any other things I should know about acrylic vs oil other than acrylics are water based and seem a bit easier to work with?
* On creativity - I've always done landscapes/realistic paintings and have watched others jealously that can just paint the same landscape with more stylized approaches or less focus on realism and be happy. Any recommended reading that might help me learn to approach painting less like a photocopier?
* Finally - on the desktop easel. I find sitting at the table trying to use it to be somewhat uncomfortable and have ended up painting like you would draw - just flat on the table. I'm wondering if it's the height of my table/chair/etc - any tips on workspace setup?
Who knows - maybe eventually I'll feel comfortable sharing what I do outside of my basement gameroom...
Obviously I don't have any advice on how much you should charge, but that sounds awesome! You should tell me when you're finished so I can come by and see them at the restaurant some time.
Also, thanks for the advice, Godfather.
First and foremost, work out the costs of your materials and make sure that is covered. Then work out an hourly rate you deem fair and log your time. Add the two together at the end of it and hand over the bill with everything (materials and time) documented.
It's hard to argue with a documented bill, rather than just saying "Give me $300 and we'll call it square" and they're all "What the fuck, you're charging me for doing something you like doing anyway?"