Questions, Discussion, and Tutorials

Angel_of_Bacon · November 2009

Use this thread for:

asking questions pertaining to the forum or art instead of making a new thread for them
discussing said questions or issues in the forum
posting links to useful tutorials you come across on the Internet
post tutorials that you made yourself

Mods, please add links, tutorials, and links to useful posts to this post whenever you see them.

Constructive Criticism by Blinky
http://forums.penny-arcade.com/showthread.php?t=875

Downloads

Tutorials

Angel_of_Bacon's Crits!
Format is:
OP
Subject
Crit

A Few Notes About Inking - Michael Cho
http://chodrawings.blogspot.com/2009/02/few-notes-about-inking.html

Watercolor Painting Guide
http://handprint.com/HP/WCL/water.html

Paul Duffield's How To Draw Beta
http://spoonbard.deviantart.com/art/How-To-Draw-v1-3-40590655

Quick Sketching
http://www.drawalot.com/smblog/2007/11/17/quick-sketch-the-fastest-way-to-learn-professional-drawing-techniques/

The Structure of Man: Video Tutorials on Anatomy by Riven Phoenix
http://the-structure-of-man.blogspot.com/

Over a Dozen links to Misc Reference Photos
http://forums.penny-arcade.com/showthread.php?t=5329

Basic Lighting/Texture/Form Tutorial and Reference Guide
http://www.itchstudios.com/psg/art_tut.htm

Team Special Olympics Tutorials
http://www.teamspecialolympics.com/tutorials.php

Portrait Artist Tutorials
http://www.portrait-artist.org/

Scanning Line Art
http://www.steeldolphin-forums.com/htmltuts/scanning_lineart.html

Speedpainting Tutorial by Angel_of_Bacon
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6167278083166388456

A Buttload of Drawing Tutorials
http://www.drawspace.com/

Walt Stanchfield Notes on Gesture Drawing for Animation
http://www.animationmeat.com/notes/waltstanchfield/waltstanchfield.html

Glen Vilppu Drawing Articles
1. Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
2. Gesture
3. Spherical Forms
4. The Box
5. Introducing Material and Proportion
6. Drawing Ellipses
7. From the General to the Specific
8. The Landmarks of Anatomy
9. Seeing Anatomical Masses
10. Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
11. Using Tone To Draw
12. Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
13. Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

Eatpoo.com Guide for Art NOOBS
http://forums.penny-arcade.com/showthread.php?t=876

References

Concept Artist Link Index
http://www.turtleart.net/artists.php

Wally Wood's 22 Panels That Always Work
http://joeljohnson.com/archives/2006/08/wally_woods_22.html

Colour Theory Guide
http://www.worqx.com/color/

Blambot Comic Fonts
http://www.blambot.com/

Microsoft Web Development
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-ca/beginner/bb308786.aspx

Pose Maniacs Drawing Tools
http://www.posemaniacs.com/blog/

Books

Essentials/Basics

The Natural Way to Draw by Kimon Nicolaides
Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards

Color

The Elements of Color by Johannes Itten
Painting With Light by John Alton
Color Theory by Jose Maria Parramon
Color Management: A copmrehensive Guide for Graphic Designersby John Drew and Sarah Meyer

Design

Design and Form: The Basic Course at the Bauhaus and Later, Revised Edition by Johannes Itten
The Non-Designer's Design Book by Robin Williams
The Non-Designer's Scan & Print Book by Sandee Cohen
The Non-Designer's Type Book by Robin Williams

Anatomy & Illustration

Dynamic Anatomy by Burne Hogarth
Dynamic Figure Drawing by Burne Hogarth
Dynamic Wrinkles and Drapery by Burne Hogarth
Drawing Dynamic Hands by Burne Hogarth
Dynamic Light and Shade by Burne Hogarth

Human Anatomy for Artists by Eliot Goldfinger
Anatomy For The Artist by Sarah Simblet
Artistic Anatomy by Richer & Hale
Bridgman's Complete Guide to Drawing From Life by George B. Bridgman
The Human Figure by John H. Vanderpoel

Drawing Lessons from the Great Masters by Robert Hale
Anatomy Lessons from the Great Masters by Robert Hale and Terrence Coyle

DC Comics Guide to Pencilling and Inking Comics

Learning Software

Photoshop CS2 Bible
Illustrator CS2 Bible

Comic Book Storytelling

Graphic Storytelling & Visual Narrative by Will Eisner
Comics & Sequential Art by Will Eisner
Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud
Perspective! For Comic Book Artists by David Chelsea

Animation

The Illusion of Life by Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas
The Animator's Survival Kit by Richard Williams

Tam · November 2009

It's new, yet familiar.

Loomdun · November 2009

I HAVE A QUESTION BUT I DONT KNOW THE ANSWER

Angel_of_Bacon · November 2009

Time for a new one of these.

Adding this because Tam wanted me to and I said, "naw dude I'll make it better and then put it up" and then I never did so here it is the original, non-more-sensical version:

Wank wrote: »

I'm aware that we have an art thread, but browsing it gives me the impression it is more for posting work and critiquing than very general questions, such as

How should i get into art? I was really into sketching when I was a bit younger, and people always told me I had a flair for it. What are good ways to both get back into the sketching groove, and extend myself to other mediums, such as painting or digital art?

(I'm not laboring under the delusion that I will be naturally amazing at art and immediately start churning out works of genius.)

Angel_of_Bacon wrote: »

Well, this is a pretty huge question, so I hope you'll forgive a pretty huge answer. Don't let my enthusiasm here scare you off.

First off, where are you looking to go with art? Comics? Animation? Concept Art? Illustration? Fine art painting? Modern gallery art? Are you looking to do art as a career or a hobby?

While the advice I'd end up giving would be similar for most of them, I don't want to turn you off by recommending anything that would be irrelevant to your interests. For sake of reference, the following advice is geared towards a sort of general comics/animation/concept goal, with an interest of doing them as a career. I'm listing things in a basic chronological order of how I'd go about it, so don't feel like 'AUGGHHH I'm not going to go out and do all this shit RIGHT NOW, I can't afford it/this is way overwhelming!'- this is advice that's meant to be spread out over months/years.

I'm going to be laying down a lot of books here, so brace yourself. Again, these are books that I've acquired over the course of like 10 years so don't freak out.

Anywho, first things first (going to be taking a lot of links from The AC's Questions/Tutorials Thread here):

Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards

This is probably where you want to start off. Its focus is at getting you to draw what is actually occurring, rather than what you think you see when you draw. That may be a rather vague statement to begin with, but trust me, it'll make sense after you read it. Though to be honest, while I do reccomend this book wholeheartedly, I'd check it out from a library instead of buying it if you can; it's a fast read, and you can probably get through the exercises in pretty quickly.

The Natural Way to Draw by Kimon Nicolaides

This one is going to take longer to get through, probably worth buying. Basically it's most first-year college/high-school level drawing classes condensed into a book. Even if you do take a class like that it's worth reading, as (I've found) this book generally offers a more insightful rationale and explanation of the exercises than I've gotten from most art teachers (not all, but most).

If you are looking for art classes, you are actually probably better off taking classes ala carte at a community college, local workshop, or (if you are close to one) an atelier, at least to begin with. I say this as someone who got a university art degree, and most of my time was wasted by classes that didn't teach traditional skills and/or didn't know how to. You're better off being able to pick the classes you need from whereever, rather than getting tied down to an expensive and possibly useless program. (Exceptions are to be had, of course. CalArts, Art Center College of Design, RISD, Ringling, and some others are known for having good programs, but they are also very very expensive).

Whenever you can, take life drawing classes. Drawing from the model successfully is the exercises that tests an artist's abilities the most, as it involves everything you know about drawing all at once. The more you learn from the figure, the more you'll be able to apply to everything else you draw, and the more you know about art in general, you'll be able to apply back into drawing the figure. Don't worry, drawing naked people isn't as awkward as you'd think.

Also, try to carry a small sketchbook on you at all times if you can, and use it to sketch people/things while sitting in restaurants or cafes, or while at a park or in a shop. If you can get in the habit of drawing the things you see, and get in the habit of making observations of "now how would I draw that? How would I draw this?" in your day to day life, you'll start building a memory and thought process that will help immensely when you sit down to draw "for real".

From there, more books:
If you are looking to do anything that's going to involve figure drawing (comics/anime/animation/concept art/figurative fine art/sketching people at a cafe), you're going to want to have a decent grasp on anatomy and construction (breaking down complex objects into simple shapes).

I'd recommend: How to Draw the Marvel Way Yeah it looks a little cheesy, but it does have a really good breakdown of construction and perspective.

Glen Vilppu's tutorials, they also go over basic construction. Essential stuff, examples given related mostly to from life sketching and animation drawing.
1. Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
2. Gesture
3. Spherical Forms
4. The Box
5. Introducing Material and Proportion
6. Drawing Ellipses
7. From the General to the Specific
8. The Landmarks of Anatomy
9. Seeing Anatomical Masses
10. Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
11. Using Tone To Draw
12. Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
13. Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

Andrew Loomis' Figure Drawing For All Its Worth.(pdf) Anatomy/construction from a traditional illustration perspective.

Bridgman and Hogarth are also good resources, but you have to be aware of the exaggerations they are applying to get their point across in their illustrations, and then figure out how that it going to apply to the actual figure.

Another animation/comics centric book is Force. The focus on this book is less anatomy knowledge, and more about creating dynamic posing and use of line. The illustrations are very animation focused, but the principles are applicable to any figurative art, and is worth looking at.

This Anthony Ryder book is geared towards strict long-pose realist figure drawing; honestly I found it sort of dull personally, but the measuring/blocking in principles given in it are totally solid and worth a look. Maybe look through it at the bookstore and see what it has to say, see if it looks like something you'd get some use out of.

As for getting into painting, well, 90% of painting problems are drawing problems first, so I wouldn't worry about rushing into it right away. Besides that it can be pretty expensive- digital or traditional- so if you're not sure if you're going to get your money's worth out of it, I'd hold off for the time being (though I am sort of a cheapskate, personally ).

What I would suggest is making sure you have a decent grasp on total drawing before getting into painting, since it will make picking up painting much easier in the long run. What I mean by tonal drawing is drawings that are fully-shaded, with a a full range of tone from deep black to middle greys to the white, where the form is determined primarily by those tones (see: Prud'hon) as opposed to drawings that are defined primarily by line (See: most comics/animation art). Being able to define forms in tone rather than line is essential in painting, where the linework is either covered up, or will be overwhelmed by the color and tone.

While you can achieve tonal drawing with pencil using a range of hardnesses, you might consider trying a medium that can provide darker shading and broader strokes more readily. The school I go to favors a specific charcoal pencil (Conte 1710B), sharpened to a long point so you can get broad strokes with the side, and sharp lines with the tip. I'll be honest in that it's sort of a pain in the ass to sharpen these things and it's really hard to get used to working with them, but the idea of using them as a way to get acclimated to drawing in a painterly way is a solid one.

When you do decide you're ready for painting, I would ease into it slowly- start off with just doing greyscale paintings, then incorporate other colors one at a time into your work, getting a feel for their behavior and the properties of the paint and how they mix, rather than throwing a lot of colors down at once, which can end up just overwhelming you. Also, Alla Prima is an excellent book on the subject. The focus is one one=sitting, from-life painting which may or may not be what you're into, but it's full of useful information nonetheless.

If you go the digital painting route, you'll need a Wacom tablet of some kind and a program such as Photoshop, GIMP, Painter, or OpenCanvas to use it with. Be warned that these programs may have a lot of tricks and flashy shit you can do with them, and a lot of people get trapped by them and start relying on gimmicks; don't make that mistake. The better digital painters can do their job just fine with just simple brushes, since the quality of their art depends on their drawing and traditional painting knowledge.

Another thing that's worth mentioning is absorbing knowledge from art you admire. Most people start off copying art that they like, and that's great, but a lot of the time they don't really benefit from it all that much in their own work. The reason being (similar to what ND said), that it's easy to copy and sort of shut your brain off; copy this line, copy that line, shade in here, etc. If you want to get the most out of it, you have to force yourself to engage and question what you are seeing, what the artist's choices were: ie: "Why is this line here? I don't understand what this form indicates, I need to go look it up in an anatomy book to figure out if that's a stylistic conceit or an accurate description." The idea of copying from another artist needs to come from trying to reverse engineer their thought process, to figure out what they were thinking when they made the decisions that led to the final result, not simply mindlessly copying what that result was. This goes for directly copying pieces as well as incorporating aspects of their art into your own work.

Also: Don't buy books by Christopher Hart or any other similar books of "How to Draw Manga/Superheros/etc." There might be some useful information in them somewhere, but generally they boil down to over eneralizations and a bag of tricks, and are slapped together with little thought and poor illustrations. If you want to draw those subjects, you're better off with a solid foundational drawing skill and using that knowledge to study from the best artists in those fields.

And above all: You know, have fun! This may look like I've just dumped a bunch of tedious shit on you, but I've found that the more you know, the more satisfying drawing becomes, rather than the opposite.

God this is a huge fucking post, holy crap. Sorry for the wall of text, I just like to be overly thorough!

Tam · November 2009

Oh I remember that.

redfield85 · November 2009

I didn't want to make a new thread about this, but here it goes.

You know perler beads? These things:

Say I made a few Mario ones. Can I sell them or is there some sort of copyright infringement going on? Also, even if I don't sell them I still want to make them. Can anyone suggest a good template editor (if there is one)?

rts · November 2009

You can sell them as long as you aren't planning on opening up a factory that will be cranking them out.

Delzhand · November 2009

redfield85 wrote: »

I didn't want to make a new thread about this, but here it goes.

You know perler beads? These things:

Say I made a few Mario ones. Can I sell them or is there some sort of copyright infringement going on? Also, even if I don't sell them I still want to make them. Can anyone suggest a good template editor (if there is one)?

How big are those? If you made a Megaman or a Kuribo's Shoe, you might have a customer. Looks like Birdo has a pretty good idea what I'd do for a Super Metroid Samus one.

redfield85 · November 2009

Delzhand wrote: »

redfield85 wrote: »

I didn't want to make a new thread about this, but here it goes.

You know perler beads? These things:

Say I made a few Mario ones. Can I sell them or is there some sort of copyright infringement going on? Also, even if I don't sell them I still want to make them. Can anyone suggest a good template editor (if there is one)?

How big are those? If you made a Megaman or a Kuribo's Shoe, you might have a customer. Looks like Birdo has a pretty good idea what I'd do for a Super Metroid Samus one.

I didn't make those. I still have to go out and purchase the beads and seperate all the friggin colors. I probably could get buckets of the right colors online, but I think they are more expensive since they are presorted or something.

I want to eventually quit this job and get working on an art-ish career or something. I basically want a different form of making money than working front desk here at a hotel. I figure I could start with these things and do simple paintings as well and sell them online. I dunno. I want to not be stuck here wondering what I could've done with my talents.

Crowleston · November 2009

I don't want to discourage but I feel like those bead things have 1. Already been done according the the photo you provided, and 2. Something anyone can do. As far as a template, those are pixelated characters already, so isn't that already a template? Or are you looking for some type of program that uses pixels?

redfield85 · November 2009

Looking for a program. Would make things easier to have a layout than just having a sprite on screen.

mensch-o-matic · November 2009

*tutorial*

i never thought of doing texture like this before!

Leggraphics · November 2009

does anybody know of any good tutorials for painting water, rough sea water preferred. Im having trouble ??

MagicToaster · November 2009

Does anyone know why when I print 100 % Cyan as a vector graphic it looks totally different from when I print 100% Cyan as a bitmap graphic?

DeeLock · November 2009

Leggraphics wrote: »

does anybody know of any good tutorials for painting water, rough sea water preferred. Im having trouble ??

JMW Turner

Brolo · November 2009

Can anyone link me to a good flash tutorial website for absolute beginners?

DeeLock · November 2009

Rolo wrote: »

Can anyone link me to a good flash tutorial website for absolute beginners?

http://www.tutvid.com/

mattharvest · November 2009

MagicToaster wrote: »

Does anyone know why when I print 100 % Cyan as a vector graphic it looks totally different from when I print 100% Cyan as a bitmap graphic?

Can you be more specific? What printer (and print process) are you using?

If I had to guess, it's probably tied to whatever image format you're using incorrectly shifting from CMYK color space to RGB, resulting in a different print color.

MagicToaster · November 2009

mattharvest wrote: »

MagicToaster wrote: »

Does anyone know why when I print 100 % Cyan as a vector graphic it looks totally different from when I print 100% Cyan as a bitmap graphic?

Can you be more specific? What printer (and print process) are you using?

If I had to guess, it's probably tied to whatever image format you're using incorrectly shifting from CMYK color space to RGB, resulting in a different print color.

I'm working in InDesign generating a 100% cyan vector graphic. I create the same 100% cyan graphic for a photomontage in Photoshop and import the PSD to InDesign. I'm using a toner based printer on 60lb cover stock. I don't think it's a format issue seeing as both formats handle CMYK, and there is no conversion from RGB to CMYK at any point in the process.

On paper, the PSD cyan looks dull and washed when compared to the vibrant vector cyan.

Hotlead Junkie · November 2009

Hey, long time no post.

I'm ready to start looking into a career in graphic design after years of doing random college and uni courses. I did a 2 year course in mechanical engineering in college which I barley passed, then did a course in Graphic Design at another college for 2 years which I got fairly high grades in, then tried a games design course at a local university. 2 years in I just got completley sick of studying and decided to take a break and start working. Been doing random things/jobs in the last 2 years and am currentley in a 45 hour a week, soul draining telemarketing job.

Long story short, can anyone give me advice or a guide on how to construct an appealing graphic design portfolio that I can show potential employers? I do a lot of drawing in my free time, I have experience in Photoshop, Illustrator, Maya, Opencanvas, gimp and a lot of other random graphics programs. I did a lot of traditional photography (eg, not digicam) and photomanipulation in college about 5 years ago too (and some traditional painting but I wasn't very good at that).

I'll probably include some work from college and uni into a portfolio, but I'm more interested in constructing a brand new range of work to show to an employer. I have a few ideas of where to start/what to start but would like to hear from you guys and gals what I should probably think of producing and including to show what skills I have. I don't really have any specific idea where I want to work, but working in photoshop/illustrator creating flyers, banners, buisness cards, etc, that kind of thing is where I think my best skills lie.

In my free time I draw and illustrate cutsey toony things so I'll probably bring that kind of thing into what I make for my portfolio too.

I'm at work now so I can't really show anything, but I'd appreciate any advice on how I could build a portfolio to specifically show off my skills and what programs I can use, thanks.

NibCrom · November 2009

Hotlead Junkie wrote: »

Hey, long time no post.

I'm ready to start looking into a career in graphic design after years of doing random college and uni courses. I did a 2 year course in mechanical engineering in college which I barley passed, then did a course in Graphic Design at another college for 2 years which I got fairly high grades in, then tried a games design course at a local university. 2 years in I just got completley sick of studying and decided to take a break and start working. Been doing random things/jobs in the last 2 years and am currentley in a 45 hour a week, soul draining telemarketing job.

Long story short, can anyone give me advice or a guide on how to construct an appealing graphic design portfolio that I can show potential employers? I do a lot of drawing in my free time, I have experience in Photoshop, Illustrator, Maya, Opencanvas, gimp and a lot of other random graphics programs. I did a lot of traditional photography (eg, not digicam) and photomanipulation in college about 5 years ago too (and some traditional painting but I wasn't very good at that).

I'll probably include some work from college and uni into a portfolio, but I'm more interested in constructing a brand new range of work to show to an employer. I have a few ideas of where to start/what to start but would like to hear from you guys and gals what I should probably think of producing and including to show what skills I have. I don't really have any specific idea where I want to work, but working in photoshop/illustrator creating flyers, banners, buisness cards, etc, that kind of thing is where I think my best skills lie.

In my free time I draw and illustrate cutsey toony things so I'll probably bring that kind of thing into what I make for my portfolio too.

I'm at work now so I can't really show anything, but I'd appreciate any advice on how I could build a portfolio to specifically show off my skills and what programs I can use, thanks.

The most important thing for getting a graphic design job is networking. Tell people you know you're looking for a graphic design job. Find people in the business. Work for free if you have to. My last two jobs I was the only person interviewed for the position and I got the job. Why? Because I was extremely qualified or had an awesome portfolio? Nope, because I was recommended for the job by someone they knew. The most important thing is to get your foot in the door.

Of course, it doesn't hurt to have a great portfolio. I wouldn't bother with the cutsey toony things. Most employers are not going to need that. Get your strongest 8 - 10 pieces (perhaps less) and put them together in a professional binder. Make sure they are relevant to the job you are applying for. If it's an advertising agency, your portfolio should be filled with professional looking ads. Finished pieces only! Some little Photochop is not going to impress an employer. It needs to be a finished piece with purpose.

Also, if you're doing design work, you'll want to know InDesign. Illustrator is for vector illustration. InDesign is for putting together documents.

Good luck!

NibCrom · November 2009

MagicToaster wrote: »

mattharvest wrote: »

MagicToaster wrote: »

Does anyone know why when I print 100 % Cyan as a vector graphic it looks totally different from when I print 100% Cyan as a bitmap graphic?

Can you be more specific? What printer (and print process) are you using?

If I had to guess, it's probably tied to whatever image format you're using incorrectly shifting from CMYK color space to RGB, resulting in a different print color.

I'm working in InDesign generating a 100% cyan vector graphic. I create the same 100% cyan graphic for a photomontage in Photoshop and import the PSD to InDesign. I'm using a toner based printer on 60lb cover stock. I don't think it's a format issue seeing as both formats handle CMYK, and there is no conversion from RGB to CMYK at any point in the process.

On paper, the PSD cyan looks dull and washed when compared to the vibrant vector cyan.

Are you printing directly from InDesign? Or are you printing from a PDF?

MagicToaster · November 2009

NibCrom wrote: »

MagicToaster wrote: »

mattharvest wrote: »

MagicToaster wrote: »

Does anyone know why when I print 100 % Cyan as a vector graphic it looks totally different from when I print 100% Cyan as a bitmap graphic?

Can you be more specific? What printer (and print process) are you using?

If I had to guess, it's probably tied to whatever image format you're using incorrectly shifting from CMYK color space to RGB, resulting in a different print color.

I'm working in InDesign generating a 100% cyan vector graphic. I create the same 100% cyan graphic for a photomontage in Photoshop and import the PSD to InDesign. I'm using a toner based printer on 60lb cover stock. I don't think it's a format issue seeing as both formats handle CMYK, and there is no conversion from RGB to CMYK at any point in the process.

On paper, the PSD cyan looks dull and washed when compared to the vibrant vector cyan.

Are you printing directly from InDesign? Or are you printing from a PDF?

A PDF, it's a book so my printer asks me to bring it in as printer's spreads as a PDF.

NibCrom · November 2009

MagicToaster wrote: »

NibCrom wrote: »

MagicToaster wrote: »

mattharvest wrote: »

MagicToaster wrote: »

Does anyone know why when I print 100 % Cyan as a vector graphic it looks totally different from when I print 100% Cyan as a bitmap graphic?

Can you be more specific? What printer (and print process) are you using?

If I had to guess, it's probably tied to whatever image format you're using incorrectly shifting from CMYK color space to RGB, resulting in a different print color.

I'm working in InDesign generating a 100% cyan vector graphic. I create the same 100% cyan graphic for a photomontage in Photoshop and import the PSD to InDesign. I'm using a toner based printer on 60lb cover stock. I don't think it's a format issue seeing as both formats handle CMYK, and there is no conversion from RGB to CMYK at any point in the process.

On paper, the PSD cyan looks dull and washed when compared to the vibrant vector cyan.

Are you printing directly from InDesign? Or are you printing from a PDF?

A PDF, it's a book so my printer asks me to bring it in as printer's spreads as a PDF.

What setting are you using? High quality print leaves color unchanged, but Press Quality changes the colors to CMYK. It shouldn't matter since your source files are CMYK, but that could have something to do with it.

MagicToaster · November 2009

NibCrom wrote: »

What setting are you using? High quality print leaves color unchanged, but Press Quality changes the colors to CMYK. It shouldn't matter since your source files are CMYK, but that could have something to do with it.

Yeah, I always use Press Quality in my presets. Could this be it?

NibCrom · November 2009

I would think Press Quality would be okay, actually. It's the preset I use the most. Could it be the printer? I've had at least one occasion where completely black vector art would print out at weird brown, and on the particular occasion, it was the printer or the RIP I believe. But I guess you could try High Quality print, see if that works. The raster image is a PSD... so that should be okay. Hmmm...

DeeLock · November 2009

Hotlead Junkie wrote: »

Hey, long time no post.

I'm ready to start looking into a career in graphic design after years of doing random college and uni courses. I did a 2 year course in mechanical engineering in college which I barley passed, then did a course in Graphic Design at another college for 2 years which I got fairly high grades in, then tried a games design course at a local university. 2 years in I just got completley sick of studying and decided to take a break and start working. Been doing random things/jobs in the last 2 years and am currentley in a 45 hour a week, soul draining telemarketing job.

Long story short, can anyone give me advice or a guide on how to construct an appealing graphic design portfolio that I can show potential employers? I do a lot of drawing in my free time, I have experience in Photoshop, Illustrator, Maya, Opencanvas, gimp and a lot of other random graphics programs. I did a lot of traditional photography (eg, not digicam) and photomanipulation in college about 5 years ago too (and some traditional painting but I wasn't very good at that).

I'll probably include some work from college and uni into a portfolio, but I'm more interested in constructing a brand new range of work to show to an employer. I have a few ideas of where to start/what to start but would like to hear from you guys and gals what I should probably think of producing and including to show what skills I have. I don't really have any specific idea where I want to work, but working in photoshop/illustrator creating flyers, banners, buisness cards, etc, that kind of thing is where I think my best skills lie.

In my free time I draw and illustrate cutsey toony things so I'll probably bring that kind of thing into what I make for my portfolio too.

I'm at work now so I can't really show anything, but I'd appreciate any advice on how I could build a portfolio to specifically show off my skills and what programs I can use, thanks.

It would be helpful if you posted some of your work so we can judge what you need to do to obtain a job.

It is probably going to be a case of "practice more" but that all depends on the quality of your work. It seems like you've taken a bit of time off from doing art and you want to go in with all guns blazing when looking for work. If you really think that your work is ready then you can start looking for jobs.

It's tough to get into the art field, freelancing is probably where you will find the most work, but good luck trying to make a living making flyers and banners. You'll probably want to get some practice with dreamweaver and learn how to make websites, or at least be able to update them for clients. For a portfolio, make what people are going to be asking you for. Logos, business cards, websites and covers.

Baghdaddy · November 2009

Hey guys. I'm looking at getting my girlfriend's little brother a book or two to help him get into drawing. He wants to be a tattoo artist and I want to encourage him as it's the only thing he's actually thought about doing with his life other than screwing it up lol.

Just wondered if you guys had any suggestions on what to get him?

Hotlead Junkie · November 2009

Thanks a lot for the tips, guys, I'll definatley look into those programs you mentioned and try my hand at website design too. I do want to focus on things like leaflets, flyers, banners, logos, etc but I want to show off what else I can do too.

I'm planning to do a variety of logos this weekend and if I get them all done I'll post them up for you guys to judge. Hopefully I'll be able to get a thread going with a new page for my portfolio done each weekend. I'm just looking at this whole thing as I've had a variety of random graphic design experience and want to really focus myself and re-learn all the things that employers want from me.

Grenn · November 2009

My advice re. a design portfolio is to convey your understanding of potential real-world briefs and requirements. Graphic design is about creative problem solving, not just about making things look aesthetically pleasing.

E.g. "Client needed a professional looking logo" is underwhelming and says nothing.

Actually, it does say something -- it says that you failed to engage properly with the client and establish why they needed to redesign their logo and what they want their branding to actually achieve.

Being a designer is all about asking these sorts of questions. Showing that you have an understanding of this side of things will give you a huge advantage over other fresh design graduates.

Hotlead Junkie · November 2009

Grenn wrote: »

My advice re. a design portfolio is to convey your understanding of potential real-world briefs and requirements. Graphic design is about creative problem solving, not just about making things look aesthetically pleasing.

E.g. "Client needed a professional looking logo" is underwhelming and says nothing.

Actually, it does say something -- it says that you failed to engage properly with the client and establish why they needed to redesign their logo and what they want their branding to actually achieve.

Being a designer is all about asking these sorts of questions. Showing that you have an understanding of this side of things will give you a huge advantage over other fresh design graduates.

Makes a lot of sense

Don't suppose you ever saw that episode of Top Gear where Clarkson wanted to make a car with an english cottage interior. Wooden chair, wood burning stove, slag tiles, etc, and he hired that snooty french designer to... design it for him? She just ingored everything he said and just watned to do her own thing. Clarkson just ended up doing his own thing and it turned out awesome.... and a little deadly.

Not sure why I brought that up, she just seems like a really bad graphic designer. Sure she was a good artist/illustrator but completley ignored her client's wishes and ended up getting fired for it.

Grenn · November 2009

I never saw that one but it does illustrate the point nicely.

Hotlead Junkie · November 2009

I decided to make a thread in H/A http://forums.penny-arcade.com/showthread.php?t=105864

If anyone feels like giving any more advice I'd appreciate it if it was given there, thanks

MagicToaster · November 2009

I got something for you, HJ. But, I'm gonna need some time to set up examples and stuff.

NibCrom · November 2009

MagicToaster wrote: »

I got something for you, HJ. But, I'm gonna need some time to set up examples and stuff.

Did you figure out your print issue?

MagicToaster · November 2009

No, I was printing my portfolio to Japan. I was in such a hurry to get it there before the holiday rush that I had to send it off with the mismatched cyan. I'll make some experiments ussing diferent presets and let you know which one works.

NibCrom · November 2009

MagicToaster wrote: »

No, I was printing my portfolio to Japan. I was in such a hurry to get it there before the holiday rush that I had to send it off with the mismatched cyan. I'll make some experiments ussing diferent presets and let you know which one works.

Cool! Thanks!

deadlydorito · November 2009

so i read cakes wall o text coz you know, its cake and usually its something educational.

" The reason being (similar to what ND said), that it's easy to copy and sort of shut your brain off; copy this line, copy that line, shade in here, etc."

So that applies to copying other peoples art and such, but what if im copying is a picture of something?

jpeg · November 2009

Generally, if all you're doing is copying the picture without really understanding what you're copying, then yes, it applies to pictures too. Internalizing the structure of something by drawing from reference requires more higher thinking than just copying it outright, you need to analyze why it looks like what you see.

Pillowmint · November 2009

Sorry to spam up the place, but I've been searching everywhere for a book that will help me produce digital art in this style http://www.pennyarcademerch.com/pau09cts200.html

The closest thing seems to be this bad boy (http://www.amazon.com/Fantasy-Workshop-Mastering-Painting-Techniques/dp/1843404729) but as you can see that's not that close at all.

If anyone could help me out here it'd be very much appreciated. Thanks

The Specialist · November 2009

I'm not really sure what the poster above me did to incure the infraction so hopefully this doesn't break any rules. The link to the tutorial for scanning line-art in the OP is broken. Would someone be willing to point me in the right direction? I'd gladly take a PM if more links are verboten here. Any help is most definitely appreciated.

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