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A Map of the World of Quu
Qingu
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
First submission and first time using a tablet and Photoshop to draw something!
Larger size:
And a rough sketch of the whole world:
It's a world map for a fantasy story I'm writing. Still in progress, obviously. I'm not at all happy with the way the water looks and the mountains can definitely use some work. I'd appreciate any Photoshop tips as I'm pretty new to it.
Larger size:
And a rough sketch of the whole world:
It's a world map for a fantasy story I'm writing. Still in progress, obviously. I'm not at all happy with the way the water looks and the mountains can definitely use some work. I'd appreciate any Photoshop tips as I'm pretty new to it.
Qingu on
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When I came back to it I first started experimenting with photos just so I can what all the tools are for and how I can properly use them to benefit my future drawings. Afterwords, I took some old sketches and I practiced outlining then, first freehand using the pad, then when I discovered the magnetic lasso tool I started to use that. I never had much luck with using the bucket for mass coloring, so I just used a large brush tool. I spent about two weeks on my first artpiece, but half that time was experiment to see what works and what doesn't. Because I was still sorta intimidated and fearful of screwing up, my end result had about 20 layers and a whole bunch pretty effects that ended up screwing me over than making me a more proficient artist. However, I got back into once more, and started to be more agressive: limiting myself to only a few layers, and now I only use about two maximum (figures and background). Now, due to my limited access with a scanner, I hope to just sketch with the pad. It's very awkward at first but now I find it a hell of easier than pencil sketch because you constanstly go back via your history table and rework certian aspects of work or try a different approach entirely.
Anyways, that's my history with it, and now here's some advice (assuming you'll be doing more than drawing maps.:
1. stay away from smudge; blur; sharpen
I got sucked into these heavily, and I tell you, I thought i was being effiecent by blending in the contrastic scribbles, but all I was doing with blanketing my lack of skill and lazyness (and it was an ugly blanket). I stopped using these entirely now, and i'm currently redoing an old piece I posted in my last thread using just the brush and just alter the opacity; size; color and now it looks a million times better.
2. Don't fret if it becomes tedious when coloring, or your effect looks too blocky and cartoony, Just keep chugging and don't allow yourself to be suckered into filters or burn tools.
You'll finish piece will come out better than you think (though not necessarily good), but don't be shy about manually changing colors. It seems tedious at first but eventually it will become second nature. As you keep practicing you'll start to develop your tricks and shortcuts to quickly alternate brush size, softness and opacities and whatnot. Just remember that as far as making a quality piece goes, it requires time and effort.
3. magnetic lasso tool is great for isolating pieces of your art and editing them without effecting anything else. I will say, that it may seem useful to scale or warp the piece (like making your legs more proportionally longer) but just remember it is not by any means a magicall solution
4. Challenge yourself; have the discipline to finish
Seriously, that right there will gain you the largest degree of progress. Just set your mind on a piece, and don't stop until you have on your pallete exactly what you envisioned in your mind. It took me two weeks to finish my first, but after that experience I was opened up to a whole new world.
5. Ask for advice and critiques from the people on this thread, but don't limit yourself to their...'our' advice alone. Remember, that even though you will be bashed ( I was torn to shreds) if you are satisfied with your work then that is all that matters. (even my last piece, as terrible as it was got a few favorites off deviantart.
6. and finally, ask someone other than myself for specific technical advice, cuz i'm still learning too...!
"I was born; six gun in my hand; behind the gun; I make my final stand"~Bad Company
I have to admit I did resort to using the blend tool once or twice. I am having trouble managing my paint brush opacity. I've set it so that it responds to the pressure on my tablet. But whenever I try to paint something this way it ends up looking like a bunch of distint circles with different shades of darkness, rather than a continuous flowing line.
Remember to change the hardness of your brush as well as the opacity.
You probably have your brush hardness on 100 percent or something and that's why shit isn't blending together.
lol I had around 26 on my first piece.
sounds like you have your flow settings off. Try setting your flow to 100% (pen scribbling button) and make sure you have ur pressure setting on flow turned off in the brush menu
"I was born; six gun in my hand; behind the gun; I make my final stand"~Bad Company