A lot of visitors here are artists. Yet, often times, we talk about technical stuff like sales, debugging, and other such boring things. So, it just occurred to me to ask a question that all the artists here would know something about, and show their expertise and knowledge in this area. We are always answering questions from artists (or not, but let's pretend that's the case for the sake of my follow-up question), so why not switch tables and ask the artists some questions. Here is such a question: What would you suggest a developer who already has a sense of art and design, do to become good at whatever the tools of the trade are for artists of game-art? This is not a question about fine art, but about digital art, creating user interfaces, creating space ships, 3D models, etc. What books do you recommend? This is like ask slashdot but without the messy slashdot people.
Practice! That depends largely on the program in question. Is there something in particular you're curious about? Otherwise: practice, practice, practice! EDIT: LOL! Didn't see your "practice..." post!
Okay, SoniCron replied. This means that we have the final answer and we now need to find an admin to lock this thread.
These ebooks will help you make better 2D art and illustration. They're books converted to ebooks since the original book are out of print for some decades now. Yes, they're not computer-related (in fact there weren't computers in existance when these books were written), but if you manage to get everything from the first book, you'll have a very good start for making good art. Making art in computer is not much different than making art in paper. Believe me, these books are a treasure
For myself, it's a combination of practice, experimentation, and just plain getting your hands dirty working with the tools you have, on a project of some kind.
Practice, practice, practice, unprovoked attacks on Daniel Kinney and more practice works for me. And keeping your eyes open and your wits about you. Looking at paintings and illustrations are a good source of inspiration for game art. Looking at console games are a good source of inspiration for GUIs. Practicing your drawing skills will also improve your observational skills. And a lot of what makes game art good is having a good eye for colour. Pick interesting colours, and make sure they harmonise nicely. Don't use too many colours. Also, look at what you've made until you hate it. Then fix the bit you hate. Looking it in the mirror is a good way to show up flaws. I also have this weird habit of looking at things with my head sideways. People laugh, but I find it helps give a fresh perspective. Actually, I'm not entirely sure why I do it; I just can't help doing it when I'm looking deeply at something. I'd probably look at it upside-down too, if I could manage it. But apart from that - it really is a matter of practice, practice, practice, unprovoked attacks on Daniel Kinney and more practice. You're 25% of the way there already!
well, first of all, thanks for that awesome link for the books! its awesome! i never thought i could find something like that on internet! (without breaking some laws i mean.) Ok, im a graphic design student, and from what i have learned, art and graphic design are 2 different tihngs, so, having that in mind i would recommend to study a little about design, tools dont matter, only the end result. Here are some really good links to learn from: http://web.media.mit.edu/~lieber/Lieberary/Graphic-Design/Expert-Design/Expert-Design.html http://www.metatoggle.com/design_crs/contents.html I recommend them to everyone!!! Good Luck!
Thanks, everybody! Yes! This is exactly the kind of thing I was looking for. I knew there was a lot of knowledge among the users here other than deciding on whether or not to write your own mmorpg or interesting tricks using arrays and pointers. We all know about sites like GameDev.net, but asking the artists here gives us a new perspective about what is available on the internet. Anthony: I will put your advice to use. It has certainly worked for you! I love your work.
Here's an excellent pixel art tutorial. http://tsugumo.swoo.net/tutorial/ I'm a coder mostly too. However over the past year I've been trying to do a lot more arty stuff. I'm still hopeless compared to most artists though. Lots of practice with your tools. If you never use them how are you supposed to get better? Reading and doing tutorials now and then. Talking with good designers and artists about art, and design. I draw for 30 minutes almost every night. Over one year that is a big stack of drawings.
I'm looking for a photoshop tutorial that shows how to make comic style image from a real photo, i.e. what filters should be applied, what colors reduced etc. I don't want to draw a comic but transform a real photography into some kind of art form. Any ideas? And regarding pixel art: if you like isometric pixel art, here's another nice link: http://www.pixelfreak.com/
Improving --------- A lot of people say "practise makes perfect" but in reality practise only improves what you have. To get good, you need to learn techniques. It's like programming, if you want to learn figure drawing, no practise in the world will teach you the tricks for proportion and so forth. Therefore, for every type of art like figure drawing, cel, architectural drawings, vehicle concepts, and so on, there's always techniques that once mastered, will take your practise beyond. Most people I speak to hit a ceiling on their drawing, they feel no matter how much they practise, they're just not getting any better. The solution to this is to learn a new technique that will raise the ceiling for more practise. Simple, but really overlooked as art isn't widely considered technical (when it is). Game Art --------- With game art, you want to look at graphics that do the correct job. The biggest mistake programmer-artists make is that they don't pay attention to anything. If it looks pretty, it goes in. Thats not as effective as deciding on a low mantinence style. If your skills aren't as good, you will want to keep as far away from bitmap graphics as possible and hone your 3D modelling skills. The results can then be rendered to bitmaps for optimal results. Why is this good? well you can tweak and re-render with absolutely no effort, whereas with bitmap art, you need to get it right and be really good at what you do. If your game really needs fine pixel work then you need to design the exact requirements right down to the last pixel. It helps a great deal to work twice your target resolution and scale down when you're done. Finally, never use the style filters in photoshop. Refs ---- Books: How to Draw the Marvel way coffee table books on figures and inspiring things Figure drawing books perspective drawing Websites www.fineart.sk www.deviantart.com www.artbyfeng.com http://www.thegnomonworkshop.com/ (tutorial dvds) google...
I've been drawing since I was a kid but I never quite reached the level of "real" artists. Then, one day, I realized that "real" artists actually look at photos and examples of whatever it is they are supposed to draw and then copy that. Duh. I always assumed these people were so talented they could draw whatever they wanted to draw with their eyes closed. Anyway, I always recommend "The Non-Designers Design Book" by Robin Williams (not the actor) for the basics.
Let Me Help You Out @Omega and ERoberts: Click on my nickname. (That would be, "soniCron.") A menu unfolds. Click "View Public Profile" At the bottom of the "View Profile: soniCron" box, there are two links: "Add soniCron to Your Buddy List" and "Add soniCron to Your Ignore List" Click the "Add soniCron to Your Ignore List" link. A confirmation message appears with the words, "Add soniCron to your Ignore List". Click the "Submit" button. This should make you very satisfied. It will appear as though I've ceased to exist on these boards. It will also make other visitors satisfied, keeping the board clean of pointless and unprovoked attacks upon those of whom you don't participate in conversation anyway. Personal and unprovoked attacks are what the "Private Messaging" feature is for. If you're unfamiliar to its use, here is a list of easy to use steps: Click on my nickname. (That would be, "soniCron.") A menu unfolds. Click "Send a private message to soniCron" A message entry form appears. In the "Title" box, enter your desired subject title. In the main body box, enter your desired message. To preview the message you have composed, click "Preview Message" Upon reviewing the message you have composed, you may then send the message with the "Send Message" button. See how easy it was to avoid pointless and outright insults that pollute this board? Be aware, however, that if you "Ignore soniCron" prior to sending your "Private Message," you will not be able to receive a response. If you need any additional help, you can feel free to read the forums' Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) with can be accessed via the "FAQ" link above or contact (through private message or email) one of the board administrators. I hope this helps you to further enjoy your computing experience!
So Sorry! Oh no... *sigh* [shakes head] I'm so sorry. I was thinking it was more serious than that. In that case, Omega, ERobers, please accept my appologies! And about posting in every thread: I only post when I've got an opinion on something. I've just got a hell of a lot of opinions! Again, my sincerest appologies, guys. Hope all is well! (sparkyboy, you can mark this as a time I came running back with my tail between my legs!) EDIT: And I was about to leave with a Cas-like exodus...