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Questions, Discussion, Tutorials

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Posts

  • MagicToasterMagicToaster JapanRegistered User regular
    Try Skyping Adobe. I've had better luck dealing with live people when making large purchases. I always ask if there are extra discounts, and usually there are.

  • Red_ArremerRed_Arremer Registered User regular
    Alright, I'll explore both those options. Thanks!

  • Care Free BombCare Free Bomb Registered User regular
    So I'm looking into getting a drawing tablet. Just so you know exactly where I'm coming from: I need it for making game assets, this is for personal projects not to get hired or do commissions but the idea is that it would be in something someone would buy. I used a tablet (a wacom bamboo of some size I don't remember) around five years ago and I took to it fairly quickly though I wasn't producing anything particularly good.

    I've been eyeing the medium size intuos pen & touch and I'm about ready to buy it but I feel like that's the sort of investment where I need the opinion of people with actual experience. Is this a good idea? Should I save $100 and go with the small or is that not big enough for work that would theoretically be professional? Is there some other tablet out there that would be better?

    And I guess going beyond that, I already know about Photoshop CS2 being free but is there any other software you would recommend for me? Of course, the free-er the better.

    8saxds2jkfoy.png
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    Twitter/Tumblr
  • tynictynic PICNIC BADASS Registered User, ClubPA regular
    In reverse order, tablet questions:

    - wacom still make the best tablets
    - tablet size doesn't necessarily correlate to professionalism. Generally, I would say go with what you can afford. I prefer a medium-sized intuos purely because it gives me more room to move my wrist, so I get a more natural drawing action out of it. But if the medium is budget breaking, you won't be losing a lot by buying the small one.
    - yes, the pen and touch is a good tablet, should serve you well.

    As for software, well you don't need to splurge on the most recent PS, but most decent programs cost at least a little bit. I know you're talking about game assets, but that covers a lot of scope; what precisely do you see yourself creating, art-wise? I ask because some software is primarily for natural looking inking, some is better at emulating traditional painting methods, some for vector art, etc ...

  • Care Free BombCare Free Bomb Registered User regular
    Thanks a lot! I think I'll get the medium because I do like to move around (my hand) when I draw.


    Hah, I figured I shouldn't go too deep into what I was doing to keep things short and then I was like "you know it can't hurt to ask about software too" and didn't really think about it. I guess I'm not looking for anything specialized or anything emulating real world tools right now, the stuff I'll be spending most of my time with will be character and creature art which, for me, tends to be mostly inspired by anime stuff in terms of linework and colouring. I'd be interested in trying out some painting like stuff for backgrounds to see if it works for me. Yeah, basically anything more advanced I would want to do would be experimenting rather than me looking for something in particular.

    8saxds2jkfoy.png
    3DS: 2019-9671-8106 NNID: RamblinMushroom
    Twitter/Tumblr
  • slappybagslappybag Local Badass Minnesota, USARegistered User regular
    somewhat off-topic but is there a good, free, music making program? I'm trying the 30 day trial of Ableton right now

  • SiegfriedSiegfried Registered User regular
    Is it outdated to put "www." in front of web addresses on business cards? Take into consideration it's a personal portfolio website.

    Portfolio // Twitter // Behance // Tumblr
    Kochikens wrote:
    My fav is when I can get my kiss on with other dudes.
  • MagicToasterMagicToaster JapanRegistered User regular
    I never put it. It looks cleaner, and easier to remember.

  • NakedZerglingNakedZergling A more apocalyptic post apocalypse Portland OregonRegistered User regular
    HELP!!!!!!!

    So i have googled this, and i have found lots of people with the same problem, but no actual solution.
    I have a PC, windows 7, and i just got a wacom cintiq 12wx. I followed all the instructions. When i start my computer up, the screen turns on and shows the windows loading screen. Then the screen on the cintiq says "No Sync" followed by "Go to Sleep" and goes to sleep mode. It will function as a tablet, i can use it to mous around the screen, but the actual cintiq screen is off.

    I have a monitor hooked up via dvi, and a tv hooked up via hdmi.
    I have an additional DVI port in the back, and i tried both. This happens with either slot, though theres no issues with the monitor on either slot.

    When i right click the desktop and bring up the screen manager, it does detect the cintiq. Even says "wacom cintiq" but it won't let me change any options. ie "extend desktop" If i try to change any options it says "can not save changes"

    WHAT AM I MISSING?!?!?
    I really want to use this!!!!!!!!!

    Thank you.

  • Angel_of_BaconAngel_of_Bacon Moderator mod
    edited September 2013
    If you unplug the monitor or the TV, can you get the Cintiq screen to turn on? I know some video cards have issues with running 3 monitors at once, or running them with different outputs.

    Example, my work laptop will run the laptop monitor, another monitor on DVI, and a Cintiq on DVI no prob- but when I recently tried a Cintiq on DVI and a TV on VGA, I could only get 2 of the 3 monitors to work at the same time- had to close the laptop and use an external keyboard to get anything done. I got the same "can not save changes" message you're getting when I tried to get them all working at once.

    You may have to get a different/additional vid card, or just make do with only 2 of the 3 at any given time.

    Angel_of_Bacon on
  • NakedZerglingNakedZergling A more apocalyptic post apocalypse Portland OregonRegistered User regular
    UPDATE and FOLLOW UP!!

    So i updated the drivers to my graphics card, and finally got the thing working. I can only run the cintiq and the monitor, not the tv, but it's all good. What i am curious about now.....

    The cintiq is working, but when i draw on it, the color is WAAAY of from what it is on my pc monitor. The cintiq is darker, a bit desaturated. Any clue how to fix this?

  • LiiyaLiiya Registered User regular
    Hey all

    So I've started landscape architecture at uni and it involves a fair bit of sketching, does anyone have any tips for drawing perspective?

    I know its practice and I'll get better in time, but if anyone knows any great tutorials or something that'd be a massive help!

    Thanks

  • brokecrackerbrokecracker Registered User regular
    Hi @Liiya

    If you have a copy of CS5 or later of Adobe Illustrator, it has a built in Perspective Grid Tool that would be worth checking out. Good luck!

  • LiiyaLiiya Registered User regular
    Hiya

    I was thinking for more sketches by hand, but I'll take that down for when I use the digital side!

  • tynictynic PICNIC BADASS Registered User, ClubPA regular
    If you know the basics (setting up horizon line and vanishing points) then it's just a matter of being absolutely rigorous about adhering to those. But if you want help from the very beginning, there's a lot out there ... maybe somehting like this?

    http://perspective-book.com/drawing-painting/perspective-drawing-painting-tutorial.html

  • @Liiya: If you want a very thorough book on perspective just to make sure you're getting everything, Perspective For Artists by Rex Vicat Cole fits the bill- though I have to warn you that it being written in 1921, the text is a bit dense (the kind where you can read a page all the way through and then suddenly realize no information went into your brain), but the illustrations are pretty helpful. Not something you'll probably want to read cover to cover, but very handy if you find yourself with a perspective problem you can't figure out and could use a reference guide to look up how to draw, say, arches.

    As for hints, I can say that when making true compositions, you usually want to freehand sketch everything as close as you can manage, and then use formal perspective tools/techniques to improve and solidify your idea, rather than starting out with a bunch of horizon lines and vanishing points from the get-go. Otherwise you risk ending up with something that just looks like a perspective exercise rather than a real drawing.

    Also, if you find your vanishing points going off your page (they usually do), tape your drawing to a wall or floor with some drafting tape, and then use lines of drafting tape to mark out on the wall where your vanishing points lie, and draw a little pencil mark on the tape to get the precise location.

    Otherwise you'll be limited to drawing very small, or you'll need a very large desk on which to mark these things out.

    On the digital side, Carapace is very useful (and free).


    Also, since most of the art classes I was ever in got to "3 point perspective = 3 vanishing points!" and then dropped the matter entirely, here's a couple .gifs showing things beyond that, that come in handy. Stuff that you might be able to logic out from just knowing about vanishing points, but probably wouldn't occur to many people naturally (it certainly didn't to me, I was quite surprised when I found out there was a lot more to it.)

    persp_demo1.gif
    persp_demo2.gif
    persp_demo3.gif


    @NakedZergling: I'm pretty sure the Cintiq 12's just don't have all that great of a display, I've got the same issue on mine. I hear the new 13 is supposed to be better (haven't seen it myself, so I can't say for sure), and the 21's and 22's are definitely a lot better.
    Sorry to again be the bearer of bad news. :|

  • LiiyaLiiya Registered User regular
    @Tynic @Angel_of_Bacon

    Those are exactly what I was hoping for!

    Totally agree its best do things more freehand when I get a good grasp on things, for the moment my free hand is pretty shoddy, its been a while since I've been sketching often and buildings/perspective is new for me! The diagrams on the site and gifs are fantastic. Also, never thought of the vanishing point off the page thing.

    Thanks guys, this is perfect, really appreciate it! Maybe if my sketches/plans turn out okay I'll post them : D

  • @Liiya: When I say you should sketch out freehand first, I'm mostly talking about composition, not applying the perspective skills.

    The reason I bring it up it because it's incredibly easy to just dive right into the hardcore perspective parts, draw out a ton of vanishing points and guidelines and burn a lot of energy getting things "right" on a technical level, only to run out of space on the page for what you're trying to draw, or have the important parts be in the wrong place, or just end up with a bunch of boxes that don't really relate to anything.

    A great composition can forgive average perspective work a lot of the time, but phenomenal perspective work can't fix a flawed composition- so even if your initial sketch is totally rudimentary, having just enough of an indication that 'this building falls in this spot on the page and takes up with much space' before going forward will save a lot of heartache in the long run.

    Plus, it's easy to get bored doing these perspective things, so it's always nice to make sure you're starting off with an idea you're going to be excited enough about to carry you through doing it- lots of people plod through some dry, basic art school technical perspective exercises for a few weeks and then sort of half-ass any perspective work they do from then on, because they weren't being pushed to apply it to anything they might be excited about, to experience how perspective could make what they actually wanted to draw so much better, if they just put the effort in.


    Mostly I'm reminded about stressing this point because @DMAC has been teaching a perspective class recently, and his students not starting with thumbnails to avoid these sorts of mistakes -in spite of repeated warnings- has been driving him up the wall. :P

  • tynictynic PICNIC BADASS Registered User, ClubPA regular
    Liiya wrote: »
    @Tynic @Angel_of_Bacon

    Those are exactly what I was hoping for!

    Totally agree its best do things more freehand when I get a good grasp on things, for the moment my free hand is pretty shoddy, its been a while since I've been sketching often and buildings/perspective is new for me! The diagrams on the site and gifs are fantastic. Also, never thought of the vanishing point off the page thing.

    Thanks guys, this is perfect, really appreciate it! Maybe if my sketches/plans turn out okay I'll post them : D

    post 'em even if they don't! We can help :)

  • LiiyaLiiya Registered User regular
    Oh lordy, its complicated!!

    I get what you mean though about prioritising the composition over how perfectly in perspective it is... I think!!

    I'm bookmarking this all cause I think I'm gonna need it by the look of it!!

    I'm real glad I asked you guys, I always forget how much collective information you have between you!

    Maybe DMAC will teach me...

    Just kidding.

  • SpaceMooseSpaceMoose Registered User regular
    On the digital side, Carapace is very useful (and free).

    How useful is this tool in practice? From what I've seen it looks pretty cool but with no Windows machine I can't run it and it doesn't look like there is anything similar on the Mac. Is the Illustrator/PS perspective tool comparable?

  • IrukaIruka Registered User, Moderator mod
    Carapace is nice because, once you get past the terrible interface its perfectly set up for quick integration into a work flow. I always found the photoshop tools to be really clunky and finicky, Carapace is just "set those vanishing points and BAM, GRID" I have not used cs6, though, so maybe they have improved.

  • BucketmanBucketman Call me SkraggRegistered User regular
    I know tynic answered a bunch of tablet questions already on this very page, butI'm looking at getting one for my girlfriend for christmas, and I'm curious of the difference between the intuos pen, touch and pen, and manga

  • Duke 2.0Duke 2.0 Time Trash Cat Registered User regular
    This is probably outside the realm of strictly art, but I'm just miserable enough to get something done may as well try.

    I used to understand all the basic art concepts, but after years of not doodling I ran into a wall when I tried to doodle for fun again. Everything was terrible and instead of being fun it became an incredibly uncomfortable exercise. Every time I tried to shake off the rust I would hit this wall until I just decided that I cannot possibly create any of the things I want to make.

    Are there any resources for plowing through this? Articles on why these blocks occur? Evidence that I'm not a failure next to that 15 year old who is churning out complex works almost weekly?

    VRXwDW7.png
  • BegforrainBegforrain Registered User regular
    I've run into the same problem before with my work and what I've found is that the less studies I do, the more uninformed I am about the imaginative work that I'm doing. No matter how agonizing they may seem, I would recommend going back and doing still lives, figure drawing, and environmental work all from life if possible. Every time I go back to these fundamental exercises I'm surprised at how much I learn and how well it translates over to the stuff I'd rather be drawing. It also helps to go back and look at the artists you really admire and analyze the techniques they've used to achieve what they have. I find tutorial videos they've made to be incredibly helpful in this regard.

    I'm sure they've been listed before but Pose Maniacs and ctrlpaint.com are two resources I find myself coming back to time and again.

    Also, this is really difficult especially if you're first starting out, but you gotta stop comparing yourself to whiz kid 15 year olds. Everyone's guilty of it at some point, but really you should be focusing on the improvements you see yourself making, and turn the envy for their work into inspiration. Hope this helps!


  • Duke 2.0Duke 2.0 Time Trash Cat Registered User regular
    I'm not exactly starting out, this is something I really enjoyed doing back in middle school. I was even good enough to get into a different highschool for an art program. Which is probably hurting me with the pride that's providing. Gotta get over myself.

    I know there are resource lists available all over this forum, but I want to know about exercises that focus on training the sense of scale. I noticed one thing that really degraded was drawing shapes and lines in proper scales at proper distances from eachother. Focus on still lives, or is there any tedious training technique for calibrating that?

    VRXwDW7.png
  • F87F87 So Say We All Registered User regular
    Guys, how do I make a vector in photoshop? That's totally a thing, right?

  • MolotovCockatooMolotovCockatoo Registered User regular
    edited October 2013
    F87 wrote: »
    Guys, how do I make a vector in photoshop? That's totally a thing, right?

    The Pen tool (shortcut: p). You can also copy and paste vectors straight into photoshop from illustrator as smart objects which should preserve their capacity to be resized at will.

    MolotovCockatoo on
    Killjoy wrote: »
    No jeez Orik why do you assume the worst about people?

    Because he moderates an internet forum

    http://lexiconmegatherium.tumblr.com/
  • F87F87 So Say We All Registered User regular
    So, as long as it's a path, it's a vector and will re-size well?

  • McDMcD Registered User regular
    Yup, the pen tool should do the job, I think. Especially if you're just looking to re-size it.

    I would like to ask you guys for some advice as well... At the Thought Bubble convention, Marvel and Vertigo are holding portfolio reviews, but they want them sent digitally by the 11th so that they can look over them to give us the once over before getting a time on the weekend. Now, granted, my work may not be in their wheel-house at all, but my main goal is just to meet them and get some feedback, so what would you say I should put in my folio, that isn't in my work currently, to give me a better shot at it ? There are a couple of other publishers who'll be looking at stuff during the con, but those are the main worries since they want the work submitted ahead of time. A month isn't long, considering I'm working full-time and I'm trying to keep up with the webcomic, so I was just looking for help on what I should focus on?

  • gavindelgavindel The reason all your software is brokenRegistered User regular
    I'm looking to learn color theory. I want to spend less than $200 on materials. I don't have access to digital programs or a tablet. Would I be better served with Prismacolor colored pencils or paint brushes and acrylics? Or perhaps something else? Either way, are there any recommendations on the best paper for it?

    Book - Royal road - Free! Seraphim === TTRPG - Wuxia - Free! Seln Alora
  • gavindel wrote: »
    I'm looking to learn color theory. I want to spend less than $200 on materials. I don't have access to digital programs or a tablet. Would I be better served with Prismacolor colored pencils or paint brushes and acrylics? Or perhaps something else? Either way, are there any recommendations on the best paper for it?

    I would recommend paint over colored pencils, because working on blending and color subtleties will be a faster, more direct experience.
    Best paper, it depends. If you're doing something you want to keep around, like a legit straight up painting or a handy ref like a color chart, I'd get a masonite board (you can make these yourself by getting a board at Home Depot/Lowe's and gessoing over them- which is fairly cheap, or buy them pre-made from an art store), or a cardboard-backed canvas, like a Fredrix board.

    If you just need something cheap + plentiful to start with so you can clock some hours without going broke, you can use painting papers, but for the most part you should think of these as more disposable options- they are generally not considered archival and will have a tendency to warp with the paint (be sure to tape down the edges securely to a backing surface (desk or drawing board) with artist tape while working to prevent the worst of the warping.
    You can also try out surfaces like chipboard (which is kinda like a nicer version of cardboard) or illustration board (similar, but nice enough to do more a bit more finished work on), which are a bit sturdier.

    I'd suggest going to your local art store and figure out what fits in your budget and your needs at the moment. If you're just starting out, it's going to be much more important for you to do a lot of painting than to do it on a nice surface (guess what, everyone's first paintings suck- no need to break the bank doing them on a surface designed to last into eternity). Maybe get one of the nicer surfaces to work with just to dabble on, so you know what you're missing (and what you're not) working on the cheaper stuff- because if you stick with it, someday you'll be capable of making stuff worth hanging on to, and you don't want to find you've painted a masterpiece on something that'll fall apart in 2 years; so it's a good idea to keep in mind that at some point you're likely going to want to make that transition, and be aware of what that transition means.

  • NakedZerglingNakedZergling A more apocalyptic post apocalypse Portland OregonRegistered User regular
    I just got manga studio ex4. I opened it an just stared. I have NO CLUE lol. Where do I begin? Anyone know what settings I want for good crisp line work? And does it have a traditional comic book template in it?

  • KallistiKallisti Registered User regular
    F87 wrote: »
    So, as long as it's a path, it's a vector and will re-size well?

    The path will resize well, but it'll be converted to bitmap if it's just a path that's being rasterized, start out with a shape under the pen tool and it'll stay as a vector. You'll know because in the layers it'll say shape.

  • rtsrts Registered User regular
    Hello everyone! I just bought a Surface Pro and I was wondering if anyone had experience using one for art, and how they would recommend using it based on their experience? I have been trying to find a penabled pen with two buttons in the US but unable to so far. Any other suggestions on how to set it up?

    skype: rtschutter
  • Gunther HermannGunther Hermann Registered User regular
    Hi artists, this is more of a 'is it possible' question, than a how to get better type of question. I'm 28 and trying to get back into art, and while I'd love to get to a professional level, my age is making me doubt that idea completely. I can't find info on anyone who started with some or no experience at all in art, who then went on to become something like an industry standard concept artist. Is it ludicrous of me to want to achieve that. Or does anyone think that after a certain age learning to improve artistically to such a high level isn't realistic?

  • NakedZerglingNakedZergling A more apocalyptic post apocalypse Portland OregonRegistered User regular
    Whats ludicrous is that you think it's not possible. There are TONS of examples of people taking up arts (acting, painting, drawing, music etc) way later in life than 28. Its all about how bad you want it. Sure theres people who pick things up easier and are "naturals", but it's really about practice, dedication, and discipline. Will you be a concept artist by 30? who knows. Maybe! Depends on your natural skill level and your work ethic. Theres some threads on conceptart.org (ill look for them when im home) of totall noobs and their journy. One guy goes from ZERO art experience to a virtual master in like 3 years. And you can see his progress in his thread. I believe its called "journey of a complete noob" or something.
    Just do it man!!
    Hi artists, this is more of a 'is it possible' question, than a how to get better type of question. I'm 28 and trying to get back into art, and while I'd love to get to a professional level, my age is making me doubt that idea completely. I can't find info on anyone who started with some or no experience at all in art, who then went on to become something like an industry standard concept artist. Is it ludicrous of me to want to achieve that. Or does anyone think that after a certain age learning to improve artistically to such a high level isn't realistic?

  • sampangolinsampangolin Registered User regular
    Hi Gunther, I'm 28 too! And also just got back into drawing.

    Van Gogh was 29 when he started painting :)

    Those threads would be really cool to see NZ

  • Gunther HermannGunther Hermann Registered User regular
    Here it is. http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=870, I'll remove this link if its forbidden.

    At the moment I'm struggling to get motivated. My main worry is doing this for years and not improving.

  • NakedZerglingNakedZergling A more apocalyptic post apocalypse Portland OregonRegistered User regular
    YES gunther...thats the EXACT one i had in mind.

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