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I like the new one. The higher contrast, and the implied motion make it a bit better in my mind. And I actually like the design better than just the kind of grid on the old one. I am not sure I like the text quite that small...but that would be the only gripe. Good job both of ya.

This is a doodle of a mammoth I did while in a meeting--something huge! No reference obviously. I hope to do a mammoth work in a bit on a grander scale :)

New topic: dragons. Why not? they are fun.

the mic might stand out less if you made it more greyish. Of course that could also hurt your depth, as lighter colors tend to come forward. And would add another value, which would not really be good. So the alternative....probably just what you did is fine :) the only other thing I would say is you could possibly add a bit more blue to the shadows...I didn't notice my attention drawn to it in the first place. It just didn't seem as detailed. In general your foremost images have the most detail, so kind of made me wonder. Now...back to the top..this needs more views.

Well it can certainly be used to make pixels. Just be sure to pick the small one pixel pencil like tool, rather than the big fuzzy brushes. It has layers so you can do pixels a bit easier. If you don't understand the layer concept type "photoshop layers" into google. It will explain how it works. As was mentioned Gimp is much like a cheap man's photoshop. It can do a wide variety of art. The main factor is what brushes you use.

I think at this point we are willing to take that risk... In any case, here is some information on programs. In general the most flexible are the photoshop type programs. You might try Gimp which is free. these are the kind of programs people use for most things..though some use 3d for abstracts. Programs: A. Photoshop: This is the industry leader, and with good reason. It has the best layer support in the industry, and special effect filters or add in programs for just about any need. It has many ways to select items, and supports all of your major file types. It is not for beginners though ,and has few hand-holding wizards. Plan on reading a lot of tutorials if you are new this type of a program. Luckily there are a lot of tutorials out there for it, probably more than any of the other such programs in this article. Like the other products in the pro segment of the market Photoshop is now incorporating web tools, vector drawing capabilities, art tools, and a whole host of other features. If you can get this program it is worth it, but the price is the limiting factor, with the program costing from $500-$600, or about $300 with your student discount. Even older versions retain their value to an amazing degree. Another option that gives you many of the features but less cost is Photoshop elements 2.0. This gives you most of the main stream tools, more wizards and strips out the power user stuff. It sells for $70-$100 dollars. B. Corel Photopaint; This is perhaps the only program that has even close to the sheer number of features of Photoshop, which it matches fairly evenly. It does not have near the number of users. It has a lot of power, and a fairly good interface. Like Photoshop it has layer support (called objects in this program), supports all major file types, has a whole bunch of filters and effects and can use the vast majority of Photoshop filters, though not always with as much control as with Adobe. It includes all usual ways of selecting things. It's layer support is not as great as photoshop, you cannot lock or nest into layers, but most likely you will never use all of its features either. This program also has a steep learning curve, but has fewer tutorials on line, etc. The cost varies. It can be bought on its own or more commonly as a package with Corel Draw (A vector image editor, see below). It is not cheap either way, the full Corel Draw package sells for around $300. Corel has just now come out with a program, Coreldraw essentials, which is there version of photoshop elements. It is probably a poor deal as it is based on the previous version of Corel technology and you can still pick up earlier versions of Corel Draw for fairly cheap. I got version 9, the whole package for $50. If you want power but less price, and less help, this is a good option. C. Jasc Paint Shop Pro: This very popular program is technically in a class just below Photoshop and Corel Photopaint, but in reality many find that it does just about all that is needed, and at a very reasonable price. You can also find a good number of tutorials online to make learning this program easier. the new version does have a fair number of interface changes though, so some of the older tutorials might be confusing. It has long been a shareware program which means you can try it out before buying. It too supports your standard file types, selection tools, layers, special effect filters (it supports most photoshop plug-ins) etc. It retails at about $99 and you can at times find it a bit cheaper. A tremendous value. It was just recently bought out by Corel. Who knows where they will go with it. F. You can get many consumer level programs that will edit photos...but they are generally not worth it. However, there some free options out there that might perform ably enough. 1. The GIMP is an open-source port from Linux. It is fairly stable, has a fair array of features. Photoshop it is not. But it is probably the best free option out there. http://gimp-win.sourceforge.net/stable.html You will need to download two files. First you need the Gtk environment. This is a file that enables the other to run. Then you need the Gimp itself. 2.Satori Photo xl is a rather helpful freeware program that allows for layers, a fair array of selection tools, Photoshop Plug-in support, and some of your most popular file formats, with the glaring exception of GIF's. This may have to do with some licensing issues. You can download it at http://www.tucows.com in shareware version. Then you get the cd key on the satori site to convert it to freeware. I am not sure why they bother with this cumbersome process (probably to sign you up on their email list). 3. Gifworks.com is a web app (you work within the web page) that allows basic editing and optimization of .gif images...pretty cool. 4. MSPaint....comes free on windows...While it is limited in nearly every way this program is still a mainstay because it is on every system. It does support jpeg and gif but strangely you have to OPEN one of those types of files before it will offer the option of saving images in these formats in certain versions....strange. Its biggest flaw is lack of layer support or filters. However, it is a great program for pixel work etc. which need no filters, transparency, etc. If you are into Pixel work you might also try out Graphicsgale. Other programs or resources that aid sig production 1. Other drawing tools. There are several other types of drawing tools besides paint programs. A. Artistic Media Tools. These programs try to mimic traditional art media (oil paints, water colors, etc.) The most well known of these is Painter, originally by fractal, metacreations, now Corel. It is a great program for creative work. You can simulate water paints, oils, air brushing, whatever you need. If you want to incorporate original art into your sigs, this program is great, but again expensive. .It also uses Photoshop filters, etc. It retails around $300-$400. If you want a much cheaper version, Ebay often caries Painter classic, built on version 5, for about ten bucks or so. However, the classic version does not support layers...almost enough to kill it right there. I bought version 7 for 30 bucks on ebay though. Well worth the money! Another program of this type is Deep Paint by Right Hemisphere ($249), which is superior in one sense, in that it allows 3d effects by adding a bump or texture and shine or luminance to every stroke. This creates depth. Deep paint is actually designed to augment painter type programs, but does stand-alone work as well. There are some other free programs of this sort. Open Canvas is free in the first version of the program. Simply do a web search. A program called "project dog waffle" (I kid you not) also does recreation of traditional media, but does not support layers. B. Vector Drawing tools (Illustration Tools). Vector files are much more scalable, and not made up of pixels (as are RASERIZED images.) Vector graphics are used for illustration. They have perhaps less detail, but are smoother, scalable, clean looking. They are especially good for layout, print media, etc. A common vector format is wmf.....Windows Metafile. The most used is probably .EPS. Cartoonists etc. might use vector tools. Adobe Illustrator is probably the king here for some time, though Corel Draw was first to market perhaps and has a big following as well. Macromedia makes Freehand, another vector package. I find vector packages great for doing the actual layout of the sig because everything can be moved, text laid out perfectly, anything is scalable...it is just easier. Finished products can be converted back to raster images. A big application lately for vector work is FLASH intros etc. Flash is also by macromedia. 2. 3d programs. Quite a few sig makers use 3d modeling programs to enhance their sigs. You create models, then place textures on the models, rotate them to the desired angel and take still shots of them. This has two advantages over traditional 2d media. First it uses a good deal of transparency effects that produce some of the best images. Secondly it allows for much greater perspective. Some make backgrounds in 3d programs, then ported to another program for finishing. Few do models of actual items, as it is very time consuming, but those that do produce great results, and we are starting to see more around here! Most just do transparent blobs or streaks etc...but hey it is a cool effect nonetheless. As for the software, 3dstudio max by Discreet, Maya, Lightwave, Cinema 4d, Z brush, etc. are players here. Also try gmax, a free game module creator that does much of what people use 3ds max for, at least for sigs. One note though, there is no way to export still images, so you have to get creative here and port it to another program for that or just do a screen capture and crop. To say that these programs are expensive is an understatement. Plan to pay THOUSANDS of dollars for the big boys. (With a student discount Lightwave almost gets affordable...a relative term meaning somewhere around $300), Bryce, Poser, etc. Blender, anim8or and openfx are all free 3dstudios. They each have their pros and cons. Blender is a very capable program, with a fairly clunky interface, (though openfx is worse), but no undo! I can't stand not having an undo....but it is capable of professional results. Openfx was developed as a commercial program and has better support for 3ds models. Anim8tor is just fun, and maybe a bit easier. Do a web search to find their sites. For painting 3d textures, Painter 3d is good, but out of print. Check ebay. Maxon's Body Paint or Deep Paint with Texture Weapons will also do the trick. Remember, again expensive, but you knew that didn't you? 3. Animation tools: Most of your paint programs will have some animation tools. Still there are programs that you can buy especially for this. One free tool that you might consider is by Jans freeware and is called Movies 12. http://www.jansfreeware.com/jfgraphics.htm This program allows you to make animations from jpegs, gifs or avi movies. It also adds some special transitions. 4. Web tools: If you want to optimize your web images, Photoshop and others have some tools, but perhaps the best in this area is Macromedia Dreamweaver Suite. It is expensive, so don't get it just for sigs, but if you do a lot of web creation is worth it...course then you would probably already know about it 5. Fonts.There are tons of fonts out there, just type free fonts into your web browser...but be warned most sites make you wade through tons of ads to look at the actual fonts. For the really brave you can find obscure programs that allow you to make your own true type fonts, or you can use Corel Draw, and perhaps other vector tools to make them too. I found the process for making true type fonts a bit cumbersome in Corel Draw, but it is possible. General Considerations: The primary tool for any sig maker is your "paint" program. This is a program for creating or editing images in two dimensional space (think, not 3d). Other programs can add creative elements to your work, but your paint program makes it all come together. The following is a list of suggested requirements for a solid paint package: 1. Layer Support: You are simply cheating yourself if your program does not support layers. The concept works like this: when you are working on your image, you can start a new layer that goes on top of, or below, your current work which adds to it, but does not change the original layer. In other words, if you don't like what you do in the new layer, just delete it and your original work is still there. Not only that but you can add different kinds of layers...ones that only change the color, or only darken, or ones that dissolve. You can also adjust the TRANSPARENCY of the layers, allowing you to see through objects, to the degree that you set the level of transparency. Layers are a must and set apart the really good programs. 2. File Format support: There are different "types" of images that you can display on the scape board. JPEG, GIF, PNG (see above). Not all paint programs support all formats. (Need I say it, MSPAINT doesn't). You really want a program that supports JPEG and GIF at the least. 3. Advanced selection and masking tools: Selection tools allow you to work on just one part of your image at once. Most packages allow you to select using common shapes....circles, ellipses, rectangles, etc. They also provide for selecting by a color. The better ones also allow you to select through a variety of other means such as drawing an outline (lasso tool), painting on a mask, etc. This becomes important when you want to make one portion of your drawing larger or change the color, or erase a particular section without altering the whole image. 4. Special Effect Filters: Another area where better programs stand out is the area of special effects. These are pre-made effects that you can apply to your images, backgrounds, etc. In general, overuse of these makes a WORSE IMAGE. But judicious use of them can make quick work of some othewise tedious tasks. Keep in mind that those who use these programs often will recognize the more common filters, and will not be impressed by putting say 3 lens flares in your design....so use these sparingly. There are numerous paint type programs on the market. Here is a listing of some of the features of some of the players. Note: as you look at the programs above you will recognize that they are costly. This does not give you the right to use pirated copies. If you cannot afford the more expensive programs, then go for a cheaper one or try a free one. Using pirated copies is illegal and unethical. Do not post information that could be used to obtain illegal copies.

Starting to detail the hair. Just added the one with the right side partly done. This hair thing takes forever.

The last bg really works well, and makes big difference to the piece. I like the overall work. I don't know if you intentionally left the shading off of the mic for the most part..I would almost firm that up a bit more, but perhaps you don't want to distract from the rest of the work. This contest has been a plus if this is the work you will be turning out :)

great x man!

best way to find out is to post your stuff there. EDIT: ....actually...only post your stuff if you feel you have a REASONABLE chance at being one of the top 7 artists on this board. Thought I should clarify that. I don't want everyone posting their stuff. Incidentally, we might move the deadline back.

Ah sorry, as it turns out the link I posted is in fact limited to registered members. Use the one at the top... or just click here...same link http://s9.invisionfree.com/Runescape_Ar ... hp?act=idx Oh and, Hi piggy:) good to see ya around here

testing?

nice sketch there :) I tried something but it was....pretty lame. Hope to see yours soon ice.

No problem, we all have our off days. Sorry to single you out by name.

Please guys, don't be so harsh. Recently I was talking over what art boards are friendly/helpful, with Keiphus and Firefreak. We were looking for communities to judge our upcoming competition. We all had impressions of ones that were friendly, and ones that were ...um...less so. These impressions are not even always true, but they do make a difference when people decide wether to stay or not, or whether to check us out in the first place. When new artists are continually embarrassed, beat down, etc. it makes us look bad. I am not saying that these particular sigs are fantastic. But there has to be a better way to say that and still encourage him. Lately this board has been unduly harsh. In fact, one of the same ones who used to criticize witty, Keiphus, etc. for being jerks is now being a jerk himself. Obviously nad I mean you. Yes witty might have accidentally motivated you. But it was an accident. He would have just as soon seen you run from the boards never to return. It is not a good method to emulate. No one on these boards is good enough to put the kind of things I see on here all the time. And if they were good enough, they would have only gotten there by hard work, and would realize that this is the same thing that these new people need. There is no reason to beat on these people. It makes you look pathetic, and them feel worthless. How does that help anybody? Now I am not promoting blowing past glaring errors. But I am promoting telling them errors in a way that makes them want to grow. And try throwing in some strengths too. As to the actual artwork, the best thing I see about it is that you have some understanding of lights and darks. The backgrounds show areas of contrast well. The pictures themselves are decently cut out and worked in to the images. I would say take that brushing and start working on more advanced portrayals. If you do wish to use pictures in your sigs, it is best to avoid using artwork from established artists, as it is ALWAYS copyrighted by its very nature. On these boards we try to respect other artists, and so it is requested that you do not use other people work. If you do wish to use pictures to obtain a look you are not capable of otherwise, consider using stock images. Here is a very nice free stock site. Note that individual pictures may still require compliance to various procedures for use: http://www.sxc.hu/ Good luck on your work, and I hope you do indeed stay around.

don't get me wrong, I actually like the long line, it does tie it together. I just wondered where you got the idea. Also, yeah, some think they were warm blooded and purple, so draw em how ya like em! Having said that, after your house one I would like to see you buckle down and FORCE yourself to be a slave to a reference pic, just for the learning experience. In fact, since you clearly have talent I would tell you to go join a life drawing class...except your parents would want to kill me cause most of those ...though not all....have nude folks in em (I think you could find ones that don't though, would be well worth it).

I always got the idea that she was latina anyway. But either way I was just trying to draw what I saw.

I can't believe no one mentioned the turtle! it ties together the whole thing...well maybe not. Yah, they are right ,the cartoon guy kills it.

Not sure that it is grainy...almost washed out or something. The colors don't pop anymore. The first one actually would not be that bad on the nebulas if you were to blend the colors in. You have them quite distinct from each other, but in nebulas you usually see colors flowing into another...er...like we would know...all of us are going 10 percent off of the occassional national geographic pictures, and 90 percent off of star trek. Anyway, glad you are doing more than just pixels! Don't be a slave to the shop!

the problem is the pose of the guy on the left. You don't hit a guy for 99 while staring a different direction and barely moving your hand. the figures look alright, but the pose is not believable for the action implied. Keep working at it!

I guess it will improve but that ugly green ...fungus? that appears in all of these just ruins it for me. I never got a chance to comment on the hell one, but I rather liked it. But this one...I just don't see a lot of potential for it. No matter how much you tweak the textures etc, it will look basic. Now try to prove me wrong!

the legs look just a bit skinny for the rest of the piece. Otherwise not too bad. I like the dynamism of the pose.

I like the shading as usual. Given that we only have the skeletal remains of these creatures I think some freedom artistically is fine. I wonder a bit about that kind of long strip that goes all along the body. Looks nice and clean and gives a sleek look, but what is it?

No problem...just consider it an opportunity for introspection--a look into your soul. Its reality therapy, at no cost to you. In any case, the duration of a painting is not necessarily an indication of quality. Many art sites host speed paint threads and they do some fantastic stuff. I have seen whole battle scenes with a terrific tank, etc. done in 10 mins. Keiphus did this painting in a few minutes as well: Now of course, these paintings where not terrific. But hey, everyone starts somewhere.

Listen to me my son. Ignore these folks for a few minutes and examine your artistic future. You have many options a. give up b. get mad and give up c. get mad, give up and go postal on the flamers d. persevere and go into some mediocre art form such as filters or abstracts e. do the right thing and go to my drawing lessons: (not that I am biased) http://forum.tip.it/viewtopic.php?t=185 ... ht=drawing As for free programs, try the following: The GIMP is an open-source port from Linux. It is fairly stable, has a fair array of features. Photoshop it is not. But it is probably the best free option out there. http://gimp-win.sourceforge.net/stable.html You will need to download two files. First you need the Gtk environment. This is a file that enables the other to run. Then you need the Gimp itself. Or, this free program that emulates traditional art mediums: It is called "project dog waffle"...and no I am not joking. http://www.squirreldome.com/cyberop.htm Another popular one is called open canvas. Version one is free. http://www.hamiltondraws.com/?link=44 And just for kicks, try my tutorial...don't be intimidated, it doesn't have to look perfect: http://forum.tip.it/viewtopic.php?t=201522 Good luck! If you put in the effort you will become good. I have seen it again and again. ah and I just saw the other question. Yes, a lot of people draw on paper then scan and modify it or color it. Here is a nice tutorial for working with your line art on the computer. He also has 2 computer coloring ones: http://www.bakaneko.com/howto/ (sometimes his server is slow...just keep trying) Here are some other fantastic general tutorials on a variety of subjects: http://www.gfxartist.com/features/tutorials