well this section says Techniques - Questions - Discussion so I guess I'll post this here ^^

Well, I saw some of your collored drawing and I was really amazed >.<, and yeah, seems like practice makes perfect...

But are there any hints about if I want to collor my art w/ photoshop, Ive looked trough the coloring line art tut for a couple of times but I cant work w/ the Grediant Tool, or I need to learn how to work w/ it, but IMO its really hard, I saw guys coloring weeks w/ some single brush, skipping from collor to collor, and that is what I trie but it doesnt come out _THAT_ good as the wasp tut ^^. So are there any hints about, how to use the eyedrop tool correctly for the best performance, are you all using a pallet, or are there still among here working w/ a mouse ? And about how long did it take you to learn the magic of colloring in degital. If a pallet helps that much, I might consoder buying one, but i have no idea which one, I saw things which are worth 2000 bucks and the cheap once without flat screen for 60-100 bucks. If you could help me out, plz do.

-Malice

Just hang on ......I am sure some of our members will give some feedback to your question.....

I don't normally do this my self, but I can help some anyway.

Here is one tutorial i've come across: http://www.sofos.com/adi/tutorial.htm

And yeah, I use a tablet, makes a huge difference once you get used to it. (Takes a couple of days). I have the Wacom Graphire 3 XL A5 tablet. Highly recomended. You work much faster and more presice.

Hope that helped a bit.

So a tablet is "highly" recommanded I guess, any decent price for a table ?

I moved the thread in here, you had it in the Photography Questions section rather than the art/design questions section.

Buying a tablet doesn't make you any better, it just makes things easier, though some people use a mouse still.

Lets put in terms for comparison. A good tablet like the Wacom Intuos will have 1024 levels of pressure with its pen along with tilt and bearing sensitivity. A mouse has 1 level of pressure. Coloring comics or inked line art with a mouse is fairly easy especially if you use the gradient tool alot...as there really isnt much call fro pressure sensitivity.

However Digital Painting like the Wasp piece is much easier with a tablet. For the eyedropper tool i usually have my hand above the alt key (Photoshop) or ctrl key (Painter 6) when I am using the brush....those keys are used to sample colors with the eyedropper while the brush is activated...very handy - saves you always having to go to the tools palette or reselect the brush with another keystroke.

Yes practice makes better....many people get their tablets and immediately expect to be painting away like Craig Mullins but it takes alot of time and practice.

I hope this helps.

Yeah, this helps alot, I've been thinking about buying a tablet but I don't know the "normal" price for a good tablet. Then you say you can use a mouse easely w/ the mouse, but I can't get the whole Gradient tool coloring thing, I've read the tut, about 16 times now (no not fooling) but I still can't get the hang of it.

Then w/ the tablet you guys use (I expexct) the eyedropper tool, lighten up the color a but (if you want to go from dark -> light) and then color over the dark, then eyedrop again, selecting a lighter color etc... but I get these enormous changes in color, like to much diference in light and dark, any hints on that ? Or am I plainly doing it wrong ?

Value may arguably be the single most important thing in painting.

It sounds like thats what you are having trouble with - value differences, and let me tell you honestly that it takes time and practice to develop an eye for it.

The tendancy is usually to pick colors to close in value and then the artwork looks very dull and flat - not enough value contrast. It sounds like you are doing the opposite, but in many ways can be as troublesome, but in some is beter than going under.

Tonal and value relationships in painting are hard to discuss with out seeing some work..perhaps you could post something so I could look at it to give a better assesment.

Well, I don't have art here. I'm working on one, but the sketch needs to be finished first and I'm taking my time on this one ^^ then i'll start the coloring part and let you see what things I do wrong/right ^^

*EDIT*

BTW, what utilities do you guys use, I heard about Painter but I've never tried it, and I know Paintshop pro which IMO isnt good, then you got Photoshop which is IMO thebest, are there more "better" programs ?

How do you guys do those inkting man ?? Its driving me mad I tellyall, MAD ^^ wel actually....

Do you guys use a simple small brush, some inkwrighters or any other things, because your inked version looks so smooth, and I get it rippled and all as an end result, If you guys could help me w/ this one, I ow you ^^

BTW, what utilities do you guys use, I heard about Painter but I've never tried it, and I know Paintshop pro which IMO isnt good, then you got Photoshop which is IMO thebest, are there more "better" programs ?


I use both Photoshop and Painter...photoshop is the best phot and image editing tool in existance. I enjoy using painter for more easily achieved natural media effects.

Do you guys use a simple small brush, some inkwrighters or any other things, because your inked version looks so smooth, and I get it rippled and all as an end result, If you guys could help me w/ this one, I ow you ^^

I know some people use Illustrator to ink, photoshop and even painter...the techniques are varied. EraserX has tut on his site, and I believe M3th http://www.methart.com/tutorials/digi-ink.html does too.

Erasers site has been down for a while now so we will have to wait till its back up.

I hope this helps.

hell yeah thnx man ^^

ive got a tablet, but its just gathering dust, i find it incredibly awkward to use, and am happier just using a mouse.

I'm left handed but have been using a mouse with my right hand for years... so actually i use the tablet with my left and the mouse with my right... it works really well :)

Ok, so IF I'm gonan buy a tablet, I heard the wacom products are good, especially the Intuos 2, but is there any site for information about tablets, like what are these therms lik "Tilt level" or "presure level" what are they good for, do they have any effect on the drawing ? Maybe some ranking site for the best (and CHEAPEST) tablet there is ?