Curse

Tzu · Jun 11, 2009, 09:31 PM // 21:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by Araiia of the Songs

looks pretty nice. I noticed on your fullbody example that you don't use line width variation. Do you draw by hand/scan-in, by mouse or with a tablet/pen pressure disabled?

I'm not yet used to digital drawing, I feel like I can barely do colouring, so I draw by hand. I used to colour and shade by hand as well, but I'd like to be fairly efficient in both traditional and digital illustration so at the moment I'm working on the digital side. I'm still very much an amateur, but I hope to grow with time. Commissions are a great help. As for line width variation, it's been a long time since I used to do that. I find it difficult to do with your standard black ink pen, maybe when I've got the funds to buy some decent equipment I will. Depends whether I can do it digitally before I have the money or not

Verene · Jun 11, 2009, 09:41 PM // 21:41

Have you tried digitally inking your artwork in Photoshop with the pen tool?

(assuming you're using Photoshop, of course)

I've a tutorial I wrote on that, since I usually scan drawings and ink and color them in PS - it's located here.

Tzu · Jun 11, 2009, 09:54 PM // 21:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by Verene

Have you tried digitally inking your artwork in Photoshop with the pen tool?

(assuming you're using Photoshop, of course)

I've a tutorial I wrote on that, since I usually scan drawings and ink and color them in PS - it's located here.

Never even heard about doing that XD I feel like such a noob.
That tutorial is very useful though, I shall be giving it a try!

BlueXIV · Jun 11, 2009, 10:31 PM // 22:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tzu

I'm not yet used to digital drawing, I feel like I can barely do colouring, so I draw by hand. I used to colour and shade by hand as well, but I'd like to be fairly efficient in both traditional and digital illustration so at the moment I'm working on the digital side. I'm still very much an amateur, but I hope to grow with time. Commissions are a great help. As for line width variation, it's been a long time since I used to do that. I find it difficult to do with your standard black ink pen, maybe when I've got the funds to buy some decent equipment I will. Depends whether I can do it digitally before I have the money or not

Line variation is overrated! you should try having no lines :P

Anyways, you can do line variation with anything if you work big enough... I've done it with a sharpie before XD

I kinda hate the pen tool. It's great to get reeaaalllly precise things done, but I find it slows down my workflow drastically. And considering how slow I work... :<

ANYHOO, I think you should attempt to use some more hard edges in coloring. I think it really makes an image pop if you learn how to manipulate edges to create a 3d effect (I am assuming you have a tablet btw).

This is a great little blurb on edge and it's effect on a drawn object.
http://www.gregpro.com/forums/Concep...aintover01.jpg
And this as well:
http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/20...and-edges.html

Even if you are just beginning, keeping these things in the back of your mind can make a world of difference.
ALSO, I'm not sure if you are, but if you are using the dodge and burn tool, you should try going without them once or twice. Dodge and burn can make images look really shiny, but it also ruins the illusion of distance in a painting. You can do pretty much anything without using the dodge and burn, and it'll probably look better as well :P
PM me or IM me on MSN if you need any help with digital stuff. I get that digital can be slightly different when you just start out, but it really becomes a favored medium, because it's SO easy and SO CHEAP

(I apologize in advance if I sound too presumptuous :\)

Duranin · Jun 11, 2009, 10:35 PM // 22:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tzu

Never even heard about doing that XD I feel like such a noob.
That tutorial is very useful though, I shall be giving it a try!

I tried using the pen tool/vectoring in the past, but I ended up giving up before my image was anywhere near complete.. I'm that impatient. x33

Even if you don't have a tablet, you can make some pretty good lineart on the computer drawing by mouse, you just need to have your hand married to the CTRL+Z buttons. =w=

As to colouring, there are tons of tutorials (most of which I find useless) but you probably already know that. xD your current style looks pretty nice, I might suggest experimenting with crisp edges in some places though for contrast, like how some shadows aren't always soft and blurry.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlueXIV

Line variation is overrated! you should try having no lines :P

Anyways, you can do line variation with anything if you work big enough... I've done it with a sharpie before XD

I kinda hate the pen tool. It's great to get reeaaalllly precise things done, but I find it slows down my workflow drastically. And considering how slow I work... :<

ANYHOO, I think you should attempt to use some more hard edges in coloring. I think it really makes an image pop if you learn how to manipulate edges to create a 3d effect (I am assuming you have a tablet btw).

This is a great little blurb on edge and it's effect on a drawn object.
http://www.gregpro.com/forums/Concep...aintover01.jpg
And this as well:
http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/20...and-edges.html

Even if you are just beginning, keeping these things in the back of your mind can make a world of difference.
ALSO, I'm not sure if you are, but if you are using the dodge and burn tool, you should try going without them once or twice. Dodge and burn can make images look really shiny, but it also ruins the illusion of distance in a painting. You can do pretty much anything without using the dodge and burn, and it'll probably look better as well :P
PM me or IM me on MSN if you need any help with digital stuff. I get that digital can be slightly different when you just start out, but it really becomes a favored medium, because it's SO easy and SO CHEAP

(I apologize in advance if I sound too presumptuous :\)

Arrgh! You win. /cuts
All my attempts at lineless art have ended in epic failure. (And I still can't figure out what brush settings to use for painting/lineless on Photoshop.)

Verene · Jun 11, 2009, 10:50 PM // 22:50

See, I prefer the pen tool for doing lineart, as even with a tablet I cannot draw a straight, smooth line to save my life - and forget about attempting it with a mouse. Before I discovered the pen tool I tried doing it just with the brush tool, and it took about six hours to ink one drawing to look halfway-decent. I can do it perfectly in 20 minutes with the pen tool.

Tzu · Jun 11, 2009, 10:54 PM // 22:54

very very useful, thanks Blue!

*Will be bugging you on msn from now on* >:3

I hope to make some improvements in my next commission, trying out some new things! Of course, nothing too radical, don't want to give a customer something he/she didn't expect ^.^'
Gah, wish I wasn't swamped in costume-work atm, then I would've been sitting down for a few days, just tinkering with PS and trying out new stuff!

Verene · Jun 11, 2009, 10:56 PM // 22:56

...costume work!

You are making me wish I had more time to work on cosplay these days :P

Tinkering with PS and trying out new things is always the best way to learn new techniques you like; also keep in mind that pretty much anything that can be done in PS, there's a dozen different ways to do it

Duranin · Jun 11, 2009, 11:44 PM // 23:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by Verene

...costume work!

You are making me wish I had more time to work on cosplay these days :P

Tinkering with PS and trying out new things is always the best way to learn new techniques you like; also keep in mind that pretty much anything that can be done in PS, there's a dozen different ways to do it

O: Tzu, now I'm curious about your costumes! Rawr.

I'm a failure at any type of needlework, or indeed, any non-digital art outside of pencil sketches. >.>

Widowmaker · Jun 12, 2009, 12:07 AM // 00:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlueXIV

Line variation is overrated! you should try having no lines :P

For some reason, until quite recently, line art has always proved to be far more popular for fan art both by those seeking to get a commission done and competition judges.

Certainly that has been the case on these forums at least.

Tzu · Jun 12, 2009, 12:17 AM // 00:17

Verene: I saw your sailor cos! It was very well made, I would love to see more from you! :3

Araiia: haha, thanks! I've got to finish 6 costumes before october, at the least! Needless to say, I'm not doing much else atm... Q.Q

Widowmaker: you're right. no idea why, I prefer realistic style when it comes to illustration, though I'm crap at it myself. XD

sarra june · Jun 12, 2009, 12:18 AM // 00:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by Verene

Have you tried digitally inking your artwork in Photoshop with the pen tool?

(assuming you're using Photoshop, of course)

I've a tutorial I wrote on that, since I usually scan drawings and ink and color them in PS - it's located here.

Nice tutorial! ^_^

BlueXIV · Jun 12, 2009, 05:17 AM // 05:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by Widowmaker

For some reason, until quite recently, line art has always proved to be far more popular for fan art both by those seeking to get a commission done and competition judges.

Certainly that has been the case on these forums at least.

TBH, I think doing line art and coloring them is a bit easier. It takes out some of the problems during the sketching phase where you don't know where to go, and makes the coloring phase go by a bit faster, because you can just select and insert color. There's no real problem with line art; it makes drawings look cleaner, with being stylized being the trade-off.

I don't use line art for two reasons:
1. Line art makes adding a background kind of hard, because it's really hard to blend characters into the BG and make them not look like paper cutouts. People have done it pretty well, but I don't really like the effect
2. I am too lazy to meticulously draw out lineart, scan it in, and painstakingly ink it :P. I like to do a sketch on my tablet in photoshop, and color it in NOW. Thus my "line art" is just a scratch sketch. If I just color that, it would look horrible.

So I just end up doing things like this: drawing a sketch in photoshop, adding a normal layer under it, color with a BRUSH, then erasing the stuff outside the lines, selecting the stuff left, and shading with a BRUSH. After I am done, I just color right over the lines with another color, depending on where the lines are. So in the end, I do use "line art", but I just color over it in the finished piece.
If you don't want to bother with that, you can always select (control click) your line art, and use a huge fuzzy brush to add some value to the lines. It helps a lot I think :P

Anyways, I should really stop spamming your thread... How about we make a new thread for "art discovery?" Mmm I like that. Going to make now

Smilin' Assassin · Jun 15, 2009, 11:56 AM // 11:56

hallo, this thread is kinda quiet for someone of your talents .. anyways, I have something with you specifically in mind ~

* * * * * *
Alacrity isn't a normal assassin, and often wishes that she were a Mesmer, or sometimes a Ranger ..

so I'd love a portrait of her in Cross-Profession clothing~! (cross-gender if you like too~!)

option 1: mesmer poseur

dress her in your choice of Mesmer Attire ~ imo Elite Elegant (either gender) is the quintessential costume for that prof, but any of them will be fine, Ala has to make to with what she er, finds ..

play with colours as you like; Ala's faves are blue-purples, browns, black, greys, soft pink, appx in that order

she's pirouetting as she squeals with delight, or give her one of the poncy mesmer emotes, or casting a spell, as you please ~

items unnecessary, tho some Mesmer paraphernalia Ala has customised include the Willcrusher and a Celestial Staff

option 2: wannabe ranger

as above, but this time Ranger gear again either gender ~ I don't know as much about Ranger costumes as you do, pick something simple tho .. obsidian does not suit her persona

Alacrity can be firing a bow with glee (her collection would be the envy of many a Ranger, ya I know, wasted customising em for a Sin ..), cammed up in ambush, talking or cuddling with Caspar her pet white tiger (extra cost I know), or even riding him (ya I read too much ElfQuest~!)

option 3: messing with heroes

this time Alacrity is dressed in clothes exclusive to a Hero, I'm thinking either Jin (Elite Sunspear) Gwen (Deldrimor gown) or of course Anton (Brotherhood)

she can be partially dressed, as if she's pilfered them and trying them on whilst their owner isn't looking (tho .. they'd be at least four sizes too big for little Ala~!)

if you want to include the unfortunate hero somewhere in the pic, partially nekky and pondering what Ala's tunic is doing in their stash, well, I'll pay, it'll be worth it:}
* * * * * *

you'll probably only need refs for Ala's face for now .. she's a lot scrawnier than a mesmer or ranger (but you knew that)
You may need other refs, depending on what option if any you choose, just let me know

am in no hurry, and I realise that this is a bit offbeat and am in no way offended should you decline ~ I do have lots of other concepts that will come out well in your style (tho of course they are likely to be just as way out~@!)

~> hm best not to PM me on Guru, I don't log in here that often .. I'm ingame everyday but at opposite timezone to you .. there's no hurry so just updating this thread oughta be fine.
I'll let you figure out your fee ~ I can pay in advance and tip after if you like too ~

Tzu · Jun 15, 2009, 12:25 PM // 12:25

Just finished Krazy Kat's request. As You might be able to tell, I'm changing my style a little. Taking in some CC and trying to work my way toward more realistic and thorough pieces. I won't change the prices, though I will spend a *lot* more time on these types (>.<'), but tips are very welcome. I will still try to manage 1 commission a week or so, still.

Oh, and Kat, I've got a "just Alexa" version too, without the flame and snow, if you want to use that for something.

Yay, an Alacrity commission! \^.^/
Sounds terribly exciting, I'm looking forward to it!

Krazy Kat · Jun 15, 2009, 01:47 PM // 13:47

That drawing looks absolutely wonderful Tzu. EXCELLENT WORK.

I'll have to meet you in-game to pay for it. And sure, I'll take the "just Alexa" version also =).

Tzu · Jun 15, 2009, 02:20 PM // 14:20

I'm so glad you liked it! ^.^
Very prompt payment, too! XD
Even if you had to put up with stalkers, haha :3

Here's the "just alexa" version. http://fc02.deviantart.com/fs44/f/20..._Adamoluna.jpg for editing purposes or whatever, if you want to play around with it, want to crop pieces without the lighting.. I dunno, I thought it's useful to have anyways.

sarra june · Jun 15, 2009, 08:41 PM // 20:41

Hey Tzu!

I'd love a drawing of my mes (I'd go with the Torso: 30k). I was thinking a picture of her blowing a kiss to the camera! Here's some pictures:

Before you get started though, I wanted to ask can you include my kuunavang minipet floating in the background? And also if I asked you to do full body, how much would it cost/would you even be willing to doa picture of my mes or monk doing the /fame emote, of the tiger? This is a ref:

video: fame emote - tiger

Thankies ^^

ajc2123 · Jun 15, 2009, 09:18 PM // 21:18

Oh my lord! That last commission was AMAZING O_o *Jumps up and down* IM NEXT IM NEXT ^_^ can't waaaaaaiiiiit.......but I'm not rushing you...just letting you know how awesome your doing.

Chicken of the Seas · Jun 16, 2009, 12:53 AM // 00:53

I'm guessing you were experiencing with line art-less drawings? (or at least using colored lines) I think it looks great, your older pictures are awesome too but I definitely see an improvement =D