NDA Art Critique Message Boards

Hello again I;ve been stumbling though Photoshop elements and it is getting tireing, and im amazed by the pieces that come out of CS4, but good news is i can buy it for 359 at the store on campus or 100 from somebody, so high chance in getting one. Anyway to the point at hand,

Been watching tutorials on youtube and what not, and im just a little confused on the beginning, do most people who work with CS4 within this media, dragons..monsters...ect start from a blank canvas on CS4 or is it scan into the program via well a scanner, cause all my works on paper b/w not colored for the purpose of working with them in elements, that's a laugh.

So how do you come about starting drawing?

Well, as with most artsy things, there's no, "right" way to do it.

I personally like to start from a blank canvas in photoshop, because I like its tools and features (like transform, liquify, and doesn't-leave-marks-behind-eraser). To me, I enjoy the extra control more than I enjoy the feel of pencil.

But for many people that's not the case; they prefer to do all their sketches and stuff in pencil, maybe ink in pen, or maybe scan into photoshop to ink and color.

It's just a personal preference. Gotta find what works best for you. :3

Andan is right.

I like to draw my stuff out on paper and scan it into my computer. I usualy ink my stuff in photoshop as well unless I want my line-art to look a certain way, then I'll ink it with pens.

I tried drawing stuff in Photoshop, but I have a very small tablet and it doesn't really turn out. (I need to practice some more to fix that issue though. ^^;)

Just try different things. 8D

Either way works. It's all up to the artist.

If your $100 photoshop falls through, I do have a cheap photoshop tip for you: Go to ebay and do a search for one version below the current one (at this point in time that's CS3). There are tons of unopened, legitimate copies of this "outdated" software for sale. I recently picked up CS3 for PC (I only had mac version) for a mere $150. This was CS3 Extended, which originally retailed for $999, so I felt like I got the deal of the day!

Do be careful with ebay though. While most of the copies you see on there are legitimate, read the item text carefully to make sure you're receiving an original, unopened copy from a seller with a good feedback rating within the US or Canada. HK software is usually bootleg.

Ok...not sure if this would be the correct spot, but I do have some input for the Photoshop CS4. I am traditionally/classically (i.e. = NO CLUE about computers!) trained, so working with computers is very new. Photoshop can seem very daunting - my advice whether you start drawing with a cyber tablet, mouse or color in a scan is to first learn about layers, layers, layers. If you have some work, scan it in and try coloring on the computer. Just remember to save the pic twice under two names (even if it is 'picture' and 'picturebackup') if you're a fellow Photoshop novice.

To practice coloring, bring up the piece you scan in as your background layer. You can always hit Ctrl A to select the entire frame and then make a duplicate. In CS4, it makes a new layer on top of what ever layer you are presently in at the moment. From there, create another layer for base colors and move on from that point. I would suggest each time you add a color, add a layer (ohh, and from experience, right click on the little layer in the right hand column, select 'layer properties' and NAME the layer, lol - my first few tries were layer 1, layer2, layer 3, etc to layer20...try remembering which one was which is an extreme pain without some sort of name - especially if you have really fine details that don't show up on the itty bitty side screen window previews).

What this does in the layers is that you can paint one layer and erase it to another color (or to the lines in the line art) without disturbing the background or other layers. The things I've posted through the body parts thread are done using layers painted in PHotoshop CS4 over hand drawn line art.

For book help, I would suggest: ISBN 978-0-470-44254-8: Top 100 Simplified Tips & Tricks - Adobe Photoshop CS4 by Lynette Kent, Wiley Publishing, 2009.

Neon - also, if it is ok to mention (dunno if this is against terms - if so, moderators please let me know and I will edit this) - Students may be eligible for discounts on software through Academic Superstore (although I do not know the level of high school one or prior to be eligible - worth a look anyway.) The discounts are rather large and make it affordable.

Oh yeah, one little tidbit to add to my last post:

When working in the layers, coloring or whatnot, look at the filters within the layers window. It is a drop down window that is defaulted to 'normal'. If you are painting over line art, go to that drop down menu and click on 'multiply' or 'overlay' (if you are just coloring base color) - and further on for shadows (mulitply), and highlights I suggest 'lighten', or 'screen'. The multiply feature, when you are doing a base color will allow you to color around the area - which you can then take an eraser in the same layer and erase to your lines.

The most important part is playing around. Play around with the features and you will see some definite results!

Cheers and good luck to you!

Well, a lot of that is just personal preference though. Lots of photoshop artists would shoot you with a bazooka if you tell people to use multiply and screen to shade; and other artists (like Neon) use it pretty much all the time.

Overall, I'd say experiment with Photoshop's features to find a method you like, but don't overuse its features as shortcuts as it will greatly reduce the quality of your work. For instance, I've seen artists who do amazing work with the dodge and burn tool; but so many artists right off the bat jump in and try and use them instead of properly learning to paint in Photoshop, and it ends up looking amateurish.

I agree with you Andantonius, and ..really? bazooka? lol...like I said.I'm a novice and like you said, it's all a personal preference - and it is all playing around with the features.

Dodge and burn tool eh? Hmmmm...gonna have to try those. lol, well maybe after I learn a bit more.

Ok, being the true geek that I am, I HAD to go look up Dodge and Burn tool and see what the heck they are..ha ha ha. Pretty cool, but I can see what you mean by over use of them really quickly. Haven't tried them, but they look like they would be good for restoration work on old photographs. Anyone use them in that fashion on here?

My first week was the dreaded Liquify and Blur/Smear Tool week - EVERYTHANG got smeared, blurred and liquified - and then...it was time to quit those buttons, cold turkey...whew [wipes beads of sweat]. It is amazing how fast you can get drawn into a tool or two, just in finding them - and how it can be a pain to NOT use them. lol

Yeah, I would suggest learning to paint with the brush tool first, and then later on experimenting with dodge and burn. The way I see it, people just starting off with photoshop should treat it traditionally. Use a brush tool, the eraser, and only a few layers. Then once you've learned to use it, you can start experimenting with the shortcuts and they won't make your work lower quality.