Advice for newbie

[Soundtrack]

Hello all,

I've perused these threads and I have to compliment many of you on your webcomics (I especially have enjoyed the artists of Anti-Heroes and Natual One)! :)

I was wondering if anybody could point me in the direction where I might get some advice on digital artwork?

I'm familiar with Photoshop, but know that Illustrator is a whole different breed of animal! I'm wondering how hard it is to learn it?

Also, with regards to drawing tablets (ie. Wacom, etc.) do any of you have advice? Or do you simply use your mouse?

Do people ever actually draw on paper, and then SCAN it into the computer?

I do apologize if these are dumb questions...and appreciate any forgiveness you're able to administer. :)

(I'll also take any other advice, URLs to tutorials, etc. which you're generous to give).

Thanks so very much
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[Sensate]

I'm by no means a pro at this, but I can tell you it isn't really rocket science. You can draw all the OotS-style comics in programs like the Illustrator or Inkscape, so I don't think there should be any need for scanning things you would draw on a paper.

I wholeheartedly recommend Inkscape - it's much more intuitive and faster than the Illustrator and it's free. Read this great tutorial for more info on how it's done. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=66294)

[BisectedBrioche]

I draw vector art using my mouse without any problems, if you already have experience with more traditional forms of drawing then you might prefer a graphics tablet though.

[Soundtrack]

Thanks so much, Sensate and Bisected, for answering! :)

I did see some threads about Inkscape and I may very well go with that (seeing as it's free!)...but I read somewhere on these forums that it's prone to crashes? Did I read wrong?

I've been looking around and saw Corel Draw...which seems a BIT more user-friendly.

As I said, maybe I should try Inkscape...since it's free...and I can see if this is a hobby that I may want to pursue. :)

[Szilard]

Some people have computers that are slow, or they open up too many inkscape files at the same time, so inkscape freezes, and a warning pops up saying what you didn't save will be lost, that's about it. Only happened to me like three times and I've had it for almost half a year now.

[TheCountAlucard]

Do people ever actually draw on paper, and then SCAN it into the computer?

I do that! :smallbiggrin:

[Sensate]

I've been looking around and saw Corel Draw...which seems a BIT more user-friendly.
Eh, just download Inkscape and try it. Trust me, it doesn't get more user-friendly than that.

[Dallas-Dakota]

I recommend trying out Inkscape, its as simple as it can get while producing nice art. The crashing, it has only happend to me once in my whole experience of inkscape.
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Download inkscape from here. (http://www.inkscape.org/)

Figure out how to make OOTS avatars in Trazoi's guide. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=66294)

Fee free to ask any qeustions there, or PM me if you have any, I'd be only happy to answer:smallsmile:

[Bayar]

If I cant find reference pictures in the Giant's comic or in other source, I tend to handdraw it, scan it, and trace it in Inkscape.

[Soundtrack]

You're all so very kind! Thanks very much! :)

I think I'll download Inkscape and start out with some challenges... like "Draw a circle and fill it with a color." LOL! :)

Greatly appreciate your input, everybody!

[Dallas-Dakota]

It always pleases me tol help a new artist:smallsmile:


No, not in the way you think, you dirty pervert!

[Brickwall]

Do people ever actually draw on paper, and then SCAN it into the computer?

*cough*

Yes, a lot of people do. A lot of the best webcomics are actually done with plain old ink. This includes gems like PvP. Traditional is still alive because it still works.

[Soundtrack]

*cough*

Yes, a lot of people do. A lot of the best webcomics are actually done with plain old ink. This includes gems like PvP. Traditional is still alive because it still works.

That's interesting to know!

They must do an excellent job of coloring, because it's difficult to see the strokes of the marker, etc.

(Yes, I'm sounding more and more like a newbie.) :smallyuk:

[Brickwall]

That's interesting to know!

They must do an excellent job of coloring, because it's difficult to see the strokes of the marker, etc.

(Yes, I'm sounding more and more like a newbie.) :smallyuk:

Scott Kurz actually doesn't even color. When he does, he uses really high-quality stuff that doesn't show strokes. I think he may also use brushes. Can't remember off the side of my head.

But I personally feel the pain of pen strokes showing. Haaaaate. :smallfurious:

[Soundtrack]

Another quick question...and perhaps Rich covered this in a FAQ...

When you (the artist) creates your characters...do you save them somehow so that you don't have to redraw them each time you do a strip? Perhaps just change their facial expressions?

Does Inkscape allow a person to simply save PARTS of a drawing (element, if you will) and then move him/her/it into scenery, etc?

Or does the artist redraw each time (something I doubt)?

Thanks!

[Brickwall]

Ooh, a fun one.

If you're going to do OotS style specifically, templates are the way to go. Rich doesn't draw the same circles over and over and over. He has files, with components that can easily be transposed and modified. However, due to the many backgrounds and positions he does, as well as new costumes, he still has plenty on his plate art-wise.

Some artists will do a lot of copy-pasting. Greg Dean, creator of Real Life Comics, does this a lot (he's hung the lampshade on this a few times), though he has a good deal of artistic skill, and renders some very nice backgrounds. It simply saves him time.

Most artists, though, never reuse a single drawing. They're just really consistent.

As for what Inkscape does, first know that you can't use it to modify scanned images. It's solely a vector program. Second, it does allow you to use layers, which means you can take something (say, a character), and move it amongst other things (say, different backgrounds) without difficulty (as much as is possible with such programs, anyway).

[Sneak]

(Yes, I'm sounding more and more like a newbie.) :smallyuk:

There's nothing wrong with being a newbie.

For your original question...I personally use Illustrator, and haven't touched Inkscape. I understand you've decided to use Inkscape for now, and I certainly wouldn't recommend shelling out a huge wad of good cash for some software that you may never end up using (AI)...

...BUT...

...if you can get a copy of AI from a friend or somewhere else (not that I'm endorsing anything illegal *shifty eyes* :P), I would definitely consider trying it out. It's not very intuitive at first (it's more like making a collage than drawing), but once you get used to it it's extremely easy, and there are lots of tools that can be really useful. That, and I've never gotten Inkscape to work for me. I think X11 doesn't work right on Intel Macs, or Macs with Leopard or something. I used to have GIMP on my compy, but since I upgraded I can't get that to work either.

Really, I would recommend at least trying the 30-day free trial of Illustrator anyway. It should get you fairly comfortable with it (I was able to get pretty good in that 30 day time, and I liked Illustrator enough to enlist my brother's help in finding a full copy of it).

As for your latest question...yes. Generally, for OOTS style comics, people don't redraw things over and over again. I don't know exactly how it works in Inkscape, but it should be fairly similar to Illustrator: just select the part you want to save and copy and paste it into another document or blank space below your drawing, and then you can copy and paste it again whenever you want to put it in again. For things like facial expressions, arms and legs, however (simple things), you shouldn't have to make a template (or at least I never did). You can just either redraw or edit the existing parts (the path of the line in Illustrator).

[Soundtrack]

Brickwall and Sneak:

I can't thank you enough for your taking the time to respond. I greatly appreciate your kindness! :)

I am fairly familiar with Photoshop so I have some knowledge of layers...so what Brickwall was describing makes sense to me. (A good thing!)

And Sneak... the interesting thing about AI is that, being a teacher, in California, there's a store nearby that would sell me the full version for $195. I'm guessing that's a fairly good deal.

Again, my only concern would be buying it and then realizing "Yikes...WAY over my head!"

However, one nice thing about AI is the amount of resources out there (I'm very much a "learn by book" person...so Borders is always a place I visit after purchasing an unfamiliar software) including a community college course, I'm reckoning.

And I very much like your advice on trying the 30 day trial. Nothing to lose there.

Thanks much!

[Dr. Bath]

Well, to (partially) undermine Brickwall for a second, most webcomic artists/digital artists go down the route of sketching (and often inking) on paper and then scanning in the image. After that, if they have already inked it, they use the layers in photoshop so that you get your lovely clean lines on top and completely even colours underneath. Alternatively they will use photoshop to ink a sketch, since a) you get way clean lines and b) the whole thing is completely editable (a godsend after the third time you've mucked up a drawing by accidentally doing a line in the background wrong/spilling tea on it etc.) and then go on to add colours underneath those top lines.

Then there are those who do everything on computer. They'll first do a sketch, either with a proper pencil tool or a slightly transparent paintbrush, then add layers of different colour, shading, effects, backgrounds etc. Usually a hell of a lot of work.

In terms of tablets... Wacom is most often good, and pretty cheap, but if you can afford it get a touch screen type thing. I don't know all that much about them (despite them being totally awesome) since they are so out of my price range it gets stupid.

Even at $195 I wouldn't say that Illustrator was worth it. It is better than Inkscape. Just not $200 better. But the thirty day trial seems like a good idea.

I hope that at least made some sense and even helped a little bit.

[Brickwall]

Well, to (partially) undermine Brickwall for a second, most webcomic artists/digital artists go down the route of sketching (and often inking) on paper and then scanning in the image.

Actually, MOST webcomic creators do bad sprite manipulations. But we don't talk about them.

But, yes, I am totally aware of artists who sketch digitally. The guy who draws Least I Could Do and Looking For Group (yeah, he draws two comics, putting out 8 strips, about 48 'panels' total, a week...he's a superman) has a video of him sketching digitally. I know lots of artists do it, and I've done it too. I just don't these days because I have no tablet. :smallfrown:

[Lyinginbedmon]

I'm just quite happy with InkScape.

Occasionally I'll export something from Ink to modify it slightly in Photoshop, like the sepia tone for photographs in my comics, but usually it's entirely InkScape. If nothing else exists, I think page 48 of Remember (http://www.remembercomic.co.uk/C48.html) is a good show of the kind of things you can do with InkScape.

[Soundtrack]

Well, to (partially) undermine Brickwall for a second, most webcomic artists/digital artists go down the route of sketching (and often inking) on paper and then scanning in the image. After that, if they have already inked it, they use the layers in photoshop so that you get your lovely clean lines on top and completely even colours underneath. Alternatively they will use photoshop to ink a sketch, since a) you get way clean lines and b) the whole thing is completely editable (a godsend after the third time you've mucked up a drawing by accidentally doing a line in the background wrong/spilling tea on it etc.) and then go on to add colours underneath those top lines.

Total. Greek. To. Me. Hehehe :)

Okay, not total Greek. But now you have me wondering if I should try drawing on paper FIRST and then scanning? Or just diving into Inkscape.

I probably should just stop worrying and dive in...get my feet wet, so to speak. Not like I'm doing this professionally. :)

Appreciate the advice, Dr. Bath.

As well as your contributions, Brickwall and Lyingbedmon! :) Much thanks!

[Dallas-Dakota]

About hand sketching/drawing : But some of us don't have scanners.(And no, we don't have copyshops here.

[Dr. Bath]

Well, sketching on paper can help, but scanning it in won't do all that much good. Just jump in a fiddle about with how you make the figures, but knowing previously how they will look in a media you already understand and can use properly will help.

@Brickwall. I sketch digitally because I'm too lazy to hook up a scanner. :smallbiggrin:

[Dallas-Dakota]

And did I add that I'm horrible at hand drawing unless I do it ent-style? :smallfrown: