I decided to color out my concept of Spike today, to how I see him in my mind. All images in the form of links to reduce loading strain.
I will start from my first pic of him, the concept.http://dl.dropbox.com/u/434053/PLatformed/09-15-2010/Demoris1_premarkup.pngMy first step is to mask out the areas on which I will color. I do this with the brush tool in GIMP, with an opacity of 90. I shift move my cursor, as my hand is terribly unsteady, to a point where it looks smooth.http://dl.dropbox.com/u/434053/PLatformed/09-15-2010/Demoris1_Color1.pngI then create a shadow mask. This allows me to stick with one color per major area and in the sketch allows me to accent areas that should get shadows. It is hastily done.http://dl.dropbox.com/u/434053/PLatformed/09-15-2010/Demoris1_Color2.pngThen I actually get to the part where I color. I use many, many different layers, each on a multiply setting, to keep the color and still retain the sketch underneath. This gives it a bit of a sketchy look, with more detail than when I have it simply with color. I keep the outlines through this stage, and perhaps through all of them. This is a light coloring step, and I even mess with the shadow mask some. This step took me 40 minutes.http://dl.dropbox.com/u/434053/PLatformed/09-15-2010/Demoris1_Color3.pngAfter times of shading and whatnot, I have created a more.. uh… well, I like it, version of the concept.http://dl.dropbox.com/u/434053/PLatformed/09-15-2010/Demoris1_Color4.pngI'll update as I go on with more.
See, I've been looking into something like this recently. Take a sketch, scan it, then proceed to edit it in [insert image editor software here].
It's the editing and coloring that scares me. Not to say I'm the best there is at sketching, but I'm not too sure what the process is, what tools to use, or even what program will suffice. I'm too cheap to get Photoshop (and too lazy to find a torrent, how big is the program anyway?), and GIMP is a bit complicated for image editing software.And don't suggest GM's built-in image editor.The problem is, if I did things like shading, I'd be using pixel art tactics, like the airbrush. With a huge as hell drawing. And God knows I suck at pixel art to start with.Enlighten me.Oh, and I'd like to thank you for giving me a thorough beating in TF2 the other day. Absolutely awesome. I was being courteous and not fighting you and all of a sudden, "KILLED BY TMP." So I got revenge. Sort of.If you find GIMP complicated for image editing software, I would say don't even bother touching photoshop. Editing and coloring shouldn't scare you. Just wing it, if it doesn't turn out well, try it again. Do what suits you. I heavily use lines because my hand isn't steady. To keep a steady hand and a steady shape, I have to create multiple sketch lines on a drawing.
Concept art for a ball should never be this in depth.
Coolio.
Also, I used gimp for large images, ms paint or gm image editor for small images, and this for animation.The only reason I say GIMP is complicated is because most of its features are buried or hidden behind some encrypted menu.
…Yes, that is sarcasm.I use GIMP to do more advanced things, but it complicates the more simple things. And the reason I say editing and coloring are scary is the idea of royally screwing up (even though I back up like a bitch), because I'm no artist, and drawing something I think is good takes a lot of time. I don't usually care to do it again.And if you're sketching without a tablet, I'll tell you that everyone I know uses multiple sketch lines. Unless you're a sketching god, it's really one of the best ways for precision. And if that's not what you were talking about, clear things up.No, I'm not a newbie at GIMP or image editing. But what I was asking was the process, not how to sketch. For example, good ways to ink your drawing, what you should split into layers, how to add shading (you're one of the only people I've seen who shades before he colors), etc.OH ok, hold up. MY process when I do it is to pretty much make everything a layer. When I ink out the concept art initially, I start with the border, which I just go over with a 90% or 100% opacity pen, making small connecting lines. Sometimes I'll use paths, depending on what I want. This outline is its own layer. Then I go on and add another layer so I can get a feel for how shading will look. I exclusively airbrush black onto this, and do it in a form so I can get some shadows. Then I use a layer per each main area (The spikes, the spike guards, the helm, thebody, the mask, the mask borders, the feet, etc. and then I add in 4 layers per each for hard and soft lighting for lights and shadows per area.
@Ferret: I've asked this several times to different people, but how exactly does GraphicsGale help with animations? Does it have anything to with separating body parts into layers and moving them? Is it just the fact that it shows the frames? Or is there some awesome super-complicated bit of technology that I'm not aware of?
@Kenon: Thanks. One of the things I was wondering was how many layers you want to make. I just scanned an image and still have to do the inking process, but knowing to split everything into layers is helpful.Nice tutorial. I was wondering how to use GIMP/Photoshop to draw/color sketches. I have been so used to Vector art that I never learned to to this.
Thanks.Vector art is some really interesting stuff.
It is nice, lets you make a drawing of any size.