Technical art questions and discussions

[Oliwerko]

Hey there, it's ok to post here anytime.

I guess there are no tutorials that go "step-by-step", 'cause it's always based on your own skill and patience. There will be always these steps you can't understand. Everyone knows that the only "true" way to improve is to accept the boring hours of unsuccessfull practicing and hordes of scraped attempts, but try to avoid that by any means, everyone does that.

I've already explained my approach: choose a program (go for something free in your case, it does not have to be as comlicated as PS or such. Go for GraphicsGale or ArtGem, they are simple yet powerful.) and get a hang of it. There isn't much to explain on the program tools.

At least for me, the only way to practice and improve after having selected a proper program was practice. Practice, practice, practice. Do you know any "step-by-step" guides to basketball? I do not. You just have to try and practice, and you will improve. Things are not B/W though. There are tons of tuts that can help you, but only to some extent. It always comes to the practice part, which is difficult in the beginning, but will eventually become entertaining.

Read a bit, the tutorials that are here in Critics Lounge.
I have learned a lot on Eric's (MrColossal) tutorials. They are the most step-by-step I could imagine. Totally recommended. Take a look on the others as well.
When you've read enough, just put your favourite CD in your player, fire up your favourite graphics program and start practicing. There's no way around.

If there is, let me know. 

All of the best luck to you.

[abstauber]

Okay, I admit, I really like tools   But this one is actually quite useful with working on perspective. At least it helped me speed things up.

Anyone else using this fine tool?



(btw. it's a vertical scrolling background with 3-point at the bottom and 1 point on the upper side.)

[Layabout]

That tool looks mighty fine.

Don't friggin tease me with something that looks so friggin awesome and not link me to further information on said tool!!!

Tell me more!

//edit

Ok, so I found it a minute later.

http://www.iconico.com/protractor/

I wish I had sweet sweet money to splash out on a mighty fine tool like this.

[abstauber]

Oh, sorry about the link. But yes, that tool is incredibly expensive. There's still a trial, but I don't know, how feature limited it is...

Too bad, I'm just a php/javascript guy, so I can't recode that tool for free. Though it can't really be that hard to write such an application...

[InCreator]

Oh, sorry about the link. But yes, that tool is incredibly expensive. There's still a trial, but I don't know, how feature limited it is...

Too bad, I'm just a php/javascript guy, so I can't recode that tool for free. Though it can't really be that hard to write such an application...

This tool is clearly overpriced. You can make your own protractor using something vector-based, thus accurate, such as Illustrator or CAD software or... hell, even drawing angled lines in PS and keeping it as template on separate layer.

Such template might not have all the features, but does the thing, I think.

Actually, it gave me an idea. I'm using ArtiosCAD for my work, how would it benefit in making a room outlines, and then exporting vectors to Photoshop?

[abstauber]

This tool is clearly overpriced. You can make your own protractor using something vector-based, thus accurate, such as Illustrator or CAD software or... hell, even drawing angled lines in PS and keeping it as template on separate layer.

Sure, but it's so much faster with the protractor

Actually, it gave me an idea. I'm using ArtiosCAD for my work, how would it benefit in making a room outlines, and then exporting vectors to Photoshop?

You mean, like creating a wireframe room in your CAD proggie and then exporting it to PS?
For people knowing how to use CAD programs, it might work. But those stuff you've posted earlier already looks very nice so I don't really see the need.

Also:
Maybe recoding that app for free is a call for the Scottish Super Hero

[cat]

Wow, this looks useful. And I don't think, that it is really THAT expensive (at least if you compare it with the price of photoshop  :)

[CommonGround]

Im trying to upgrade and make more backgrounds for my game, i was wandering if anyone could lead me towards something nice. Paint doesnt seem to give great backgrounds.

[Domino]

Hello CommonGround, check this link below.

http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?topic=32234.0

Happy Drawing. 

[Layabout]

Hey commonground, you should try the Gimp, a free alternative to photoshop. I hear Paint.net is good as well, but I've never tried it.

And remember, even though MSPain is clumsy and a rather useless bitmap editor (although some people can make good art in MSPain, look at spooks by Ivy, all art, bg's and animations were done in MSPain), you need to have some inkling of artistic talent, or at least a cheat for making decent looking scenes, like Crowshaw used in Trilby's notes.

And if you need help, ask for it. Post your wip's in this forum and let the crew give you pointers and suggestions. The tutorial thread in this forum has some great.. uh... tutorials.

Happy Backgrounding.

[auriond]

Here's a freeware screen protractor. Not sure if it will measure up (pun intended) to the commercial protractor program though:

http://www.markus-bader.de/MB-Ruler/

[abstauber]

Hey, awsome find. I think the basic version would do it in the most situations.

And that guy sells the pro version for only 199 $ ... coding protactors is a money-spinner

[abstauber]

Another art related thing...

how do you conveniently texture big structures like a cobblestone road. I think there was a tutorial around, but I can't find it anymore.

Oh and yes, pixel art hints are preffered

[Ghost]

A simple method in P'shop is to create a brush with a jagged, zick-zack look. A few lines and dots, nothing too complicated. Then you mask your road area and fill it with one solid base colour- and then you dot the area with the brush, using two or three variants of the base colour, and setting the transparency to something between 60 and 90%. The result is nice and random and works well for cobbles, trodden earth and suchlike. If you stick to a sharp pen tool, it *can* be called pixel art 

[abstauber]

Cool, thanks a lot! As of today I've only used custom patterns and filled them - lets see, how this brush thing works

As for the tutorial, I was looking for. It was something cobble stone related with seamless tiles. I think the author was filling the road in front of the scumm bar with it, but I'm not sure.

[abstauber]

Nevermind, I've found it here:
http://kafkaskoffee.com/tutorials/gradients2.shtml

Thanks anyway and also thanks for that Screenshot, Ghost.

[IndieBoy]

I wish Ghost just goes ahead and post his BG tutorial.

[abstauber]

If you work with layers and lock your transparent pixels before shading, it's not too hard.
His rim light is pretty neat though

[lostbuthappy]

Hi guys,

I'd like to know how you apply textures to a surface that is not parallel to the "camera", like the walls to the left and to the right of a simple room for instance (see mockup). I'm using the gimp and found a neat little feature that actually allows you to squeeze a texture to fit in any three- or four-sided polygon (used on the left wall in the picture). The problem with this appraoch is that the result is quite blurry - for no apparent reason. Beside that it does not help with more complex surfaces like pillars or bent, comic-like architecture.

So how do you do it? Is there a little specialized tool that helps with this?
Thanks in advance!

[Ghost]

So how do you do it? Is there a little specialized tool that helps with this?

Depending on how complex your texture is, you're often better off when you do it by hand. There are some simple tricks, though- the one where you do the "perspective skewer" (as described by you) is one of them.

For pillars you can, piece by piece, move a strip of the texture up/down. If the strip is two pixels wide, you move it one pixel up. That way you can get a roughly okay-looking box, or even a smooth pillar (where you go up until you have half the pillar, and after that move down).

Frikkin technical explanation, but I think it's not too hard.