Art Tutorials

ktep

I thought it would be appropriate to start a new thread for this. I really just wanted to post my own video tutorial I did for basic drawing in flash. After thinking about it, it might be even better if people can also post links to other art tutorials here too. It might become a helpful resource for people who want to start creating artworks.

Anyways here is my video tutorial on drawing in flash: tutorial link.

Forgive the audio, I need to get a better mic. If anyone has questions or comments definitely hit me up. I'll like to keep improving my tutorials as I make more.

Funfetus

That's an awesome idea. I might do some of that myself.

What screen-recording program do you recommend?

Andrew

Question from a non-artist. Do you do your drawing with a regular mouse or do you use a tablet with a pen or something? I don't think I would have the motor skills to use a mouse to draw like that...

kiwi_bird

I used a wacom intuos tablet for the tutorial and Adobe Flash CS3.

Funfetus

Question from a non-artist. Do you do your drawing with a regular mouse or do you use a tablet with a pen or something? I don't think I would have the motor skills to use a mouse to draw like that...

You absolutely cannot expect to do any real drawing (meaning making lines that follow the movement of your tool) with a mouse. If you're doing vector stuff, where you're poking and pulling bezier handles and whatnot, a mouse is fine. But you really do need a tablet to draw on a computer. Not necessarily an expensive one, but you need a tablet.

kiwi_bird

I can't even really draw with a tablet. I usually do my sketches on paper and then scan them. I only use my Computer for coloring and editing.

Funfetus

It does take practice. I've been doing it for like 10 years, so it's second-nature to me, and when I'm doing comics I draw everything, from thumbnails on, with the tablet. But when I started, it definitely took a week or two to get comfortable.

If you have/get the Intuos 3, it really helps to switch to the felt tip nib. It creates more drag, and gives you more control.

ktep

@funfetus: The program I use is Camtasia Studio 2.0. It's old, but I think it is one of the best I've ever used.

For me, my tablet has completely replaced my mouse. I use my tablet to not just draw and color, but also to navigate. The only time I use my mouse anymore is to play games. Also I noticed that my tablet is much better for my wrists versus a conventional mouse.

kiwi_bird

I guess the main problem is not being able to afford a very big tablet. ^^

Funfetus

You don't need a big one. Really, the 4x5 Intuos is fine. I upgraded to a 6x8, but only because I wanted the buttons on the right side (I'm left-handed, and the 4x5 only has buttons on the left side). Turns out I don't really use the buttons anyway.

If you use a widescreen monitor, though, you probably want to get a widescreen tablet.

kiwi_bird

Hm, well I got the Graphire4 (if that makes any sense).

Funfetus

Hm -- that's probably all you really need, for now. Just start practicing!

HMTKSteve

You don't need a big one. Really, the 4x5 Intuos is fine. I upgraded to a 6x8, but only because I wanted the buttons on the right side (I'm left-handed, and the 4x5 only has buttons on the left side). Turns out I don't really use the buttons anyway.

You can't flip it around and set an option to use it left-handed?

Funfetus

You can't flip it around and set an option to use it left-handed?

You know, I never tried. It might be possible. Turning the tablet upside-down would make it pretty unwieldy and uncomfortable to use, though.

HMTKSteve

Is it built so that the top is higher than the bottom? do you have a side-view pic of the thing?

Funfetus

I'm not sure how you mean. This is what it looks like. I just tried it, and you can indeed flip it, so you could use it upside down. It's a little awkward for me, because I hold it in my lap, and flipping it makes the active area and the buttons uncomfortably close to my body. (Uncomfortable because of the wrist angle.) Does work, though.

HMTKSteve

OK, so you can flip it but it would not be ergonomically comfortable to use it that way.

Mankoon

DeviantArt can be a good place for tutorials.
Here are some collections of tutorials on DeviantArt:
http://sonteen12.deviantart.com/favourites/?2258260#Great-Tutorials
http://violet-popcicle.deviantart.com/favourites/?2915103#Tutorials

Funfetus

DeviantArt can be a good place for tutorials.
Here are some collections of tutorials on DeviantArt:

Hmmm...nothing's showing up on those links for me. The pages are there, but no tutorials. Is DevArt just broken right now or what? Is it just me?

By the way -- to anyone who's interested in tutorials, what kind of tutorials would you be interested in? Foundational drawing tutorials? Software tutorials? Eh?

kiwi_bird

I'd be interested in certain techniques of drawing, i.e. expressions on faces.

La Petit Mort

A general drawing tutorial is always good, posing is also a subject in drawing barely talked about.

Funfetus

The thing about that is that "general drawing" is such a huge topic that you need a hell of a lot more than a tutorial. I think tutorials are good for very specific things, especially how to do things in software, and for very specific drawing problems, like a particular piece of anatomy, or proportion, or a type of perspective.

For the best drawing instruction you can get outside of art school (and maybe better than most art schools, too) grab these books by Andrew Loomis. They've been out of print for decades, but the PDFs are pure gold.

I'll give some thought to what kind of tutorial I can contribute.

Funfetus

I was always a little disappointed that this topic didn't really go anywhere. There's a tutorial I've been thinking about putting together for a while, but it's going to have to wait until I have more free time.

Anyway, I found an amazing anatomy study tool last night, and I didn't want to make a whole new topic for it. It's called Visible Body, and it's a web app with a 3D model of the human body where you can see every level of human anatomy. That's probably great for medical students, but as artists, all we need are the skeletal system and the muscular system, and you can choose to show only those. Then you can show or hide specific parts, so you can study only the bones or muscles you need, or see how they're attached to other parts, without a bunch of stuff getting in the way. For instance, last night I spent some time studying the attachment points of the muscles around the hips. I turned on the skeleton, then only the hip and butt muscle groups. I've been meaning to get a replica skeleton to study for a long time, but it'll be a while before I can afford it, and with the ability to study the muscles and the muscular-skeletal interplay with this tool, I may not bother.

If you want to draw people, kids, anatomy is the most important thing. And skeletal anatomy is more important than you probably think.

Here's a screenshot to get you excited! (Really, maybe no one else will be that into this, but it's a revelation for me.)

GreatTeacherMacRoss

I'm actually trying to find some good online tutorials for digital painting with a tablet. Anyone know of any good ones?

Funfetus

I'm actually trying to find some good online tutorials for digital painting with a tablet. Anyone know of any good ones?

All of conceptart.org.

But if you want something more specific -- what particular aspects of digital painting?

GreatTeacherMacRoss

I'm actually trying to find some good online tutorials for digital painting with a tablet. Anyone know of any good ones?

All of conceptart.org.

But if you want something more specific -- what particular aspects of digital painting?

I've been to ConceptArt.org a long time ago. It's very, very intimidating, particularly because most of the artists there are ten years my junior and have a thousand times the skill.

I just got a new bluetooth tablet, and I'm looking to essentially make stuff of the quality they have over at ConceptArt. My problem is I have no idea where to start. I have Painter and thought it would be easy to teach myself since I already know a bunch of Photoshop, but that was a huge miscalculation.

I guess you could say I want to start at the beginning.

gomidog

I've been to ConceptArt.org a long time ago. It's very, very intimidating, particularly because most of the artists there are ten years my junior and have a thousand times the skill.

You keep saying this and saying this all the time about ConceptArt.org! Didn't art school teach you not to beat yourself up like that? I mean, dude, I have a picture of my friend holding Pixar's WALL.E. oscar. I've learned to see other people's skill as good, not something to be jealous over. (Well, maybe a little, but a small bit of competitiveness is a motivator. You just seem to get bummed.) You have a job in art. I know I will never be the best. I just want to be "good at art and getting better."

I just got a new bluetooth tablet, and I'm looking to essentially make stuff of the quality they have over at ConceptArt. My problem is I have no idea where to start. I have Painter and thought it would be easy to teach myself since I already know a bunch of Photoshop, but that was a huge miscalculation.

Just apply the techniques of light and shadow that you know from real media. Digital or otherwise, These speed painters just have a lot of practice PAINTING. At it's base level, it's all about having a grasp of color technique, not about using Photoshop. Just practice the base techniques, the rest will follow.

Funfetus

I've been to ConceptArt.org a long time ago. It's very, very intimidating, particularly because most of the artists there are ten years my junior and have a thousand times the skill.

That is true -- I found CA.org pretty intimidating at first, too. I've found that the people there are mostly very welcoming and eager to help, as long as you're eager to learn. If you just want your ass patted, though, they can smell it, and will not treat you kindly. But seriously -- as far as I can tell, CA.org is hands-down the best place online to learn art techniques, digital or otherwise. There are so many insanely talented people there who are eager to share their knowledge. I suspect you could get an art-school quality education for free entirely from CA if you're willing to dig a little, and put in the effort.

Anyway -- it's not like you even have to post. Just read the forums, particularly Fine Arts, Studies, and Discovery, and Tutorials, Tips & Tricks, and you'll find enough material to keep you busy for a long time.

Just apply the techniques of light and shadow that you know from real media. Digital or otherwise, These speed painters just have a lot of practice PAINTING. At it's base level, it's all about having a grasp of color technique, not about using Photoshop. Just practice the base techniques, the rest will follow.

This is pretty much what I was going to say. There are little digital tricks you can pull, but at its core, it's just painting.

MrRoboto

If your library has them (because buying them is really expensive), try the GNOMON workshops

gomidog

You can also rent the Gnomon DVDs at SmartFlix. It's expensive at 9 bucks a DVD, but they mail it to you like netflix. Just rent and rip.

Funfetus

You can also rent the Gnomon DVDs atSmartFlix. It's expensive at 9 bucks a DVD, but they mail it to you like netflix. Just rent and rip.

That's still a lot less expensive than buying them. But hell, if you're willing to rent-and-rip, may as well torrent. Anyway, I've used Smartflix a few times, and I can vouch for them.