Hard Light Productions Forums

Off-Topic Discussion => Arts & Talents => Topic started by: Fineus on March 16, 2004, 11:49:09 am

Title: Wacom Art... help / advice / opinions / etc. Needed! (Attempt 2)
Post by: Fineus on March 16, 2004, 11:49:09 am
Hey all, I got my pad today, and of course I'm diving in the deep end with using it, but the quickest way to get things right - other than practice - is posting up a product and seeing what can be improved (and indeed how) since I'm not used to working with a graphics tablet and this is my first image with it (once the basics were down).

So, opinions. The entire thing was done by me - in particular I'd like to know how to sort out the jagged/fat outlines... I'm thinking increasing the resolution while drawing them will help a lot - but all opinions and aid are welcome. Thanks!

Edit: Ok, second attempt at this thread (copied from the original). Constructive posts only please :rolleyes:
Title: Wacom Art... help / advice / opinions / etc. Needed!
Post by: Nico on March 16, 2004, 01:23:51 pm
Well, you don't draw the outlines with the wacom :p
Title: Wacom Art... help / advice / opinions / etc. Needed!
Post by: Jiggyhound on March 16, 2004, 01:36:03 pm
hehe :P

go here:

www.GFXartist.com

One of the biggest digital art communities, has a great tutroial section with pieces written by a number of pros. Plus some pretty stonking artwork :P
Title: Wacom Art... help / advice / opinions / etc. Needed!
Post by: Fineus on March 16, 2004, 03:56:22 pm
Nico: Duely noted... but I'm not sure what the best way to get line art into Photoshop is (and indeed make it decent)...

Jiggyhound: Thanks man, nice tutorials!
Title: Wacom Art... help / advice / opinions / etc. Needed!
Post by: J3Vr6 on March 16, 2004, 04:04:21 pm
FISHY!!!
Title: Wacom Art... help / advice / opinions / etc. Needed!
Post by: Carl on March 16, 2004, 04:40:14 pm
Quote
Originally posted by Kalfireth
I'm not sure what the best way to get line art into Photoshop is


pen tool.
Title: Wacom Art... help / advice / opinions / etc. Needed!
Post by: Nico on March 16, 2004, 05:23:11 pm
hand made, then scanned, touched up, etc.
That's the only real way, I'm afraid, to do.
Of course you can use splines, pen tools etc, but yeah, you don't build a house with a fork, right?
Title: Wacom Art... help / advice / opinions / etc. Needed!
Post by: Corsair on March 16, 2004, 05:26:11 pm
Vasudans wuv fishes.

What is it that you're using to draw with, Kal?
Title: Wacom Art... help / advice / opinions / etc. Needed!
Post by: Fineus on March 16, 2004, 05:39:55 pm
Cheers for the feedback guys, I'm currently playing with Carls pen suggestion (which is turning out very well) on an old drawing I already had scanned in. Expect complete coloring with the tablet.

Corsair the entire image above was created using Adobe Photoshop and a Wacom Graphire 3. That's it (it was done in freehand by the way, hence the jagged lines. Carls pen suggestion has entirely removed this).
Title: Wacom Art... help / advice / opinions / etc. Needed!
Post by: Fineus on March 16, 2004, 05:56:05 pm
And here's the results of my pen tool work... not sure how I'm going to apply it to more detailed objects. We'll see.
Title: Wacom Art... help / advice / opinions / etc. Needed!
Post by: Flipside on March 16, 2004, 06:42:38 pm
Actually, that, to me, looks like that could open like a Chrysalis, with rows of ships inside. Sort of like a Shivan 'Carrier' ;)
Title: Wacom Art... help / advice / opinions / etc. Needed!
Post by: Turnsky on March 16, 2004, 07:31:09 pm
ookay, now that i've finally seen this, great stuff getting a wacom, :yes:

but the real trick is getting it to look 3-d without the lines..

like so..
(http://us.vclart.net/vcl/Artists/Turnsky/Furs/reidmk2.jpg)

but it can be used to get decent looking cartoony style stuff as well..

(http://nodewar.penguinbomb.com/aotd/Turnsky/warprofiteering.jpg)
th' real trick is getting the lines to look smooth.  a wacom's great for that...

the more you practice with it, the better at it you'll get

pressure sensitivity rocks..

oh, nico, i need to pick your brains about making air/spacecraft in photoshop..;)

EDIT: this was done with a tablet, BTW http://www.deviantart.com/view/5047759/ (not mine, but immensely cool)
Title: Wacom Art... help / advice / opinions / etc. Needed!
Post by: Nico on March 17, 2004, 01:58:05 am
Quote
Originally posted by Turnsky
oh, nico, i need to pick your brains about making air/spacecraft in photoshop..;)


I can't :p
I make them in 3D, and just touch 'em up in PS.
Title: Wacom Art... help / advice / opinions / etc. Needed!
Post by: Fineus on March 17, 2004, 03:56:42 am
Turnsky, dude! How do you get your line art into Photoshop.. so far the prefered method seems to be:

1. Sketch.
2. Scan.
3. Ink using pen tool in Photoshop/Illustrator.
4. Color using Photoshop.

Obviously thats the condensed method but you get the idea. Is that on the money?
Title: Wacom Art... help / advice / opinions / etc. Needed!
Post by: Turnsky on March 17, 2004, 04:08:28 am
mine's a tad more long-winded;)

lessee..
i use a technique simular to this one: (albiet with a few minor differences of my own.. not exactly efficient, but it works..

http://www.machall.com/indexcontent.php?doshow=info_art

altho, you can scan direct, and work away at it like so..
(http://nodewar.penguinbomb.com/aotd/Turnsky/alphawip.jpg)
Title: Wacom Art... help / advice / opinions / etc. Needed!
Post by: Fineus on March 17, 2004, 04:23:13 am
Nice mate, thanks - time for me to go sketch something :nod:
Title: Wacom Art... help / advice / opinions / etc. Needed!
Post by: Nico on March 17, 2004, 04:23:22 am
Quote
Originally posted by Kalfireth
Turnsky, dude! How do you get your line art into Photoshop.. so far the prefered method seems to be:

1. Sketch.
2. Scan.
3. Ink using pen tool in Photoshop/Illustrator.
4. Color using Photoshop.

Obviously thats the condensed method but you get the idea. Is that on the money?

My exact method:
1. Sketch
2. I stick a transparent sheet ( tracing paper ) over the sketch
3. I redraw with ink following the sketch ( Rotring or Pilot pen, depending on if I'm brave enough to recharge the Rotring or not ).
4. Scan
5. Inking adjustement ( with level, contrast, etc ). Because of step 3., this becomes much easier
5. Colouring. in PS

Edit: on a side note, that Alpha Shade comics on your link is cool, Turnsky
"adds to favourites"
Title: Wacom Art... help / advice / opinions / etc. Needed!
Post by: Turnsky on March 18, 2004, 06:08:15 am
that works too..
Title: Wacom Art... help / advice / opinions / etc. Needed!
Post by: Setekh on March 19, 2004, 07:35:59 am
Great start on the fish and the station, Kal. :) I'm totally ignorant about tablets, so I encourage you to go with what has led me through every other thing I've had to learn from scratch - experiment experiment experiment. :nod:

:yes: :yes: @ the winged fox, Turnsky...
Title: Wacom Art... help / advice / opinions / etc. Needed!
Post by: mikhael on March 19, 2004, 10:11:17 am
Man, Steak, if you EVER draw stuff by hand, you owe it to yourself to give a tablet a try. Heck, if you ever have to touch up a photo or render, you have to try a tablet. The fine grained control you get with it is vastly superior to a mouse in every way.
Title: Wacom Art... help / advice / opinions / etc. Needed!
Post by: Setekh on March 20, 2004, 02:32:54 am
It's on my to-do list - seriously. :) I've known of the advantages of a tablet for a long time, but so far I've been choosing my purchases to give me more time away from a computer screen. I'll never be away from the screen if I get a tablet and get back into rendering - and that's really not appropriate for me right now, for plenty of reasons. ;)
Title: Wacom Art... help / advice / opinions / etc. Needed!
Post by: Fineus on March 20, 2004, 04:04:24 am
But... but the Array.... ;)

Seriously man - I know what you mean, but recently I've been going out a bit to much - my theory being that if I get myself something neat for the computer (the Wacom) then I'll not go out every night drinking with my mates - thus it saves me money in the long run! It works in a fuzzy kinda way. At any rate I'm now trying to get the hang of line art so I have something decent to color... but here's something I'm more or less done with:
Title: Wacom Art... help / advice / opinions / etc. Needed!
Post by: mikhael on March 20, 2004, 10:15:04 am
Quote
Originally posted by Setekh
It's on my to-do list - seriously. :) I've known of the advantages of a tablet for a long time, but so far I've been choosing my purchases to give me more time away from a computer screen. I'll never be away from the screen if I get a tablet and get back into rendering - and that's really not appropriate for me right now, for plenty of reasons. ;)


Funny, I'm looking for a way to stay away from the screen and I can't find one. :blah:
Title: Wacom Art... help / advice / opinions / etc. Needed!
Post by: Flipside on March 20, 2004, 10:21:11 am
I'm getting a good reason Mik, Physiotherapy on my back :( Though I blame my workplace and boxes full of paper on shelves over 6 ft high, and no stepladder, for that.