The Artists Café! - You can do anything you want and it's always going to look good

And this proves my point. I spend a lot of time on my pieces, yet they clearly don't look as neat as Tonch's fast picture right there. And I've been doing my art the way I have for a long time.

That is a problem for me, imo, which means I need a better method.

Originally Posted by SuperDecimal

And it was gorgeous.
What exactly are vectors/vector programs?
I hear about SVPs a lot, but never actually understand what they are! ^_^;;

I once tried inkscape, and that boasted vectors I think..

In a nutshell, Photoshop and programs like that are raster programs-- they just "draw" the pixels where you put them.

However, vector programs calculate the lines and shapes using math, meaning they are infinitely scalable (SVG = "scalable vector graphic"). In Flash, I could take that image I made and triple its size and it would still look the same.
If you did that in a raster program it would become pixelated.

Vector art is usually more suited to simpler/stylized/cartoony drawing, since it is used for hard shading. You can't really get much of a soft coloring effect like in Photoshop.

However I have made only lineart in Flash and then took that into Photoshop, because it's the easiest way for me personally to get smooth lines.

/downloading inkscape for a deeper test.

I have some Flash experience. I learned it in web design class back in high school. I remember making some pretty cool animations with it too, cause well, that's what it's for, basically. xP

Originally Posted by Tonch

Vector art is usually more suited to simpler/stylized/cartoony drawing, since it is used for hard shading. You can't really get much of a soft coloring effect like in Photoshop.

However I have made only lineart in Flash and then took that into Photoshop, because it's the easiest way for me personally to get smooth lines.

On arty processes, I generally just just generally practice on a separate scan, and then translate things i like to add across to the original drawing, and use that.

I think as sleek and chic as things like digital inking or marking with pens is, there's a personality and charm about the raw pencil lines I really like. I then just scan it into gimp and colour.
God bless it's open-source heart, it's not let me down so far.

Originally Posted by Jehanne

In CS2, if your tool is currently pen tool, you can get rid of all the paths by clicking escape.

Originally Posted by deimos-remus

Or with the pen tool selected, press delete or backspace depending on what OS you're using.

Thanks. That was so simple yet I didn't even see the delete path option before.



I really don't think it matters what you use. Gold makes great art with only a mouse and ms paint. One of my favourite drawings I've done looks better than most of my tablet drawings, and I used a laptop trackpad.

I don't use vector programs much, but i do have my uses for them. I only use Adobe Illustrator when It comes to that though.

The Pen tool (Same tool used in illustrator and other vector programs) in Photoshop can be really clean as well, especially if you use the ' simulate pressure' option.

Here's something I did recently that was all digital.

Originally Posted by Melpomene

I really don't think it matters what you use. Gold makes great art with only a mouse and ms paint. One of my favourite drawings I've done looks better than most of my tablet drawings, and I used a laptop trackpad.

And they are delightful, the both of you. <3

Gold's style is completely different from mine though. If I wanted to go cartoony and pixel art and stuff, sure, I'd use MS Paint, but not for the pieces I have in mind. xP

Originally Posted by SuperDecimal

I think as sleek and chic as things like digital inking or marking with pens is, there's a personality and charm about the raw pencil lines I really like.

I like adding inks from time to time, but I couldn't agree with you more. Pencils really show the true skill of an artist's raw drawing talent.

Like Marko Djurdjevic, I absolutely love his pencil drawings. They're loose, but have a lot of form and gesture to them.


Same goes for Frank Frazetta, my favorite artist ever. His pencil drawings were nothing short of amazing.

Originally Posted by Stormy

Gold's style is completely different from mine though. If I wanted to go cartoony and pixel art and stuff, sure, I'd use MS Paint, but not for the pieces I have in mind. xP

I think of different programs the way I think of different paints: They're good for different things, but you can usually get your point across in any of them if you know how to use it properly.

I can definitely understand if you don't want to use MS Paint, it has it's own set of challenges vs. GIMP or PS or Flash or Illustrator or WHATEVER, but don't count it out just because it's paint. You can create really cool images, effects, and such in Paint with a bit of practice, I think it's a great tool for training your eye. Takes away all the crutches that PS and more advanced programs like that give you and makes you think more about what you're doing.

Originally Posted by deimos-remus

Like Marko Djurdjevic, I absolutely love his pencil drawings. They're loose, but have a lot of form and gesture to them.

Oh, I really love that one -- it's beautiful.

Originally Posted by Stormy

Gold's style is completely different from mine though. If I wanted to go cartoony and pixel art and stuff, sure, I'd use MS Paint, but not for the pieces I have in mind. xP

Oi, I think you're missing the point.

Style has nothing to do with that. I can draw cartoony I can do that on any program, and I used to. The point she was trying to make is that people can draw on paint, and can draw good pictures. Same with trackpads. You can do any style, and go into any kinds of detail with any program, with any type of tool and make a good/decent/great picture. It just takes practice. :3


I use both paint and trackpads to draw and I think my pictures are decent at least.

Also:



Is not pixel art.



This is more pixel art than anything, and that picture is an attempt to try to draw in pixel art. :3

Moebius' work also astounds me, Probably in my top 5 favorite artists ever.

Is that ink and watercolor?

Originally Posted by Vynrah

I can definitely understand if you don't want to use MS Paint, it has it's own set of challenges vs. GIMP or PS or Flash or Illustrator or WHATEVER, but don't count it out just because it's paint. You can create really cool images, effects, and such in Paint with a bit of practice, I think it's a great tool for training your eye. Takes away all the crutches that PS and more advanced programs like that give you and makes you think more about what you're doing.

I'm aware of this. xP

I've created pics with Paint many times before. Why do you think I'm doing my MAT series, or heck, SPRITING?

I'm saying I prefer to do different pieces different ways.

Gold: I...don't really see a difference.

Originally Posted by Stormy

Gold: I...don't really see a difference.

To be honest, Holly, neither do I, because pixel art usually has to do with resolution (or attempts to "fake" a low resolution), and both of those drawings are the same size.

But either way the point is the same; it's more how you use a program than what it can do.

Originally Posted by Jehanne

Is that ink and watercolor?

I do know that it is indeed all traditional, but not sure what he used to color them.

These are good pixel arts.

-Moebius' stuff is so great. DAT CROSSHATCHING

-And daaaang, that's some good pixel art.

I think it's important to remember that using a computer for artistic purpose is simply another tool. Just like a hammer or a chisel. It can only get you so far; the rest is up to the hands of the artist themselves

(translation: I never criticize the methods other people use to create their digital art, unless it has to murder puppies to be made, or renders the image impossible to print if needed. the digital medium is just too damn vast and expansive to be glued to one technique)