Deathmatch

[ShadeJackrabbit]

I made a piece of fan art. Shade Jackrabbit - Deathmatch (http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/59645269/)
It's starring my character Shade Jackrabbit, participating in a death match (battle game) in Jazz 2, using a sniper which he somehow brought with him. He's on a diamondus battle level.

It was made in the gimp, and I don't have a stylus so it's really hard to make straight lines with a mouse. (The Gimp doesn't have a "line" tool.) Tell me what you think. While you're at it, check out my other stuff. (*HINT**HINT*)

[FreeFull]

If you want to make a straight line, make a dot with mouse where you want the line to start, press shift and press mouse where you want the line to end.

[Nonomu198]

Looks like MSpait to me.

This is a boring drawing... where are the enemys? The chat? Some shooting? Shades head? :/



Drawing snipers is easy. DONT ASK ME HOW IM NOT RADIUM (-)

[ShadeJackrabbit]

If you want to make a straight line, make a dot with mouse where you want the line to start, press shift and press mouse where you want the line to end.
Well don't I just feel silly.

Looks like MSpait to me.

This is a boring drawing... where are the enemys? The chat? Some shooting? Shades head? :/



Drawing snipers is easy. DONT ASK ME HOW IM NOT RADIUM (-)
If you can't give proof of your boasting, stop.

[MoonBlazE]

There are so many ways that could be better but I honestly think if critique and help was what you were looking for you'd have booked up a site on constructing basic art than posting that on both DA and here. :P

[FreeFull]

At least he now knows how to make straight lines (I read the documentation, you can be surprised what features can lurk in the programs). Here (http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/53553953/) is an example of my art that doesn't use straight lines. You can do loads of great things with the Gimp if you know how.

[Strato]

I have a problem with that though, because if he's using the straight line tool then it'll clash with the rest of the drawing. Just learn how to make things less wobbly.

[FreeFull]

There is no straight line tool. You can make straight lines with any tool. And he can just remove the wobbly lines and start again.

[Radium]

There is no straight line tool. You can make straight lines with any tool. And he can just remove the wobbly lines and start again. ... I think you're missing Herr Strato's point.

Anyway, I'll do a full critique thing later.

[Strato]

Sorry, there might be confusion there, if you're thinking of the "Straight line tool" as in the tool used in flash that makes you draw things that come out like rectangles or whatever. That's even worse though. But generally, don't mix the line tool with your pencil work. It'll look weird.

[ShadeJackrabbit]

I DON'T HAVE PENCIL WORK. Did nobody understand when I said I DON'T HAVE A TABLET. I had to draw it with the (-)ing mouse! Worse, it's a LASER mouse.

[Strato]

How about instead, you guys read what I say and actually get my point instead of picking 2 words from the sentence that really don't matter and yelling at me for their seeming inaccuracy? I'll clarify ONE last time on what the (-) I'm actually trying to say, so maybe you'll actually get some useful information about from it.

Don't use a god (-) line tool unless the entire drawing is done with line tools. Simple enough? Doesn't matter if there isn't any pencil work or whatever, it's too artificial to be mixed in with a piant tool, mouse work, or anything else. Was that really so hard?

Next time anybody offers you advice, I hope for your sake that you grow up and either ignore it, debate about it, or absorb it. But getting all (-)y about what a critic has to say is certainly not going to help you in any way but make yourself look foolish and (-) the critic off.

[MoonBlazE]

Heh.

How about stop taking this discussion serious because at some point you might realize Shade has spent less time drawing that picture than you guys have typing up those replies.

I shall repeat: Shade, if you are interested and serious about your art, there are countless of sites that can teach you how to draw. With this picture, it's easier to say what's right than what's wrong - you need instruction, not critism.

Nor do you need a tablet to start drawing better. I advice you to just get a scanner and do your arts the traditional way. You can then later get your hands on something simple like Adobe Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro for turning your art digital. I started out that way and used a laser mouse as well.

Art requires deducation and patience, good artists have been drawing for years. It's a long path but fun and pays surprisingly much off.

[Strato]

Thanks Moonblaze for bringing some sensibility here. The real issue with your art Shade is that mouse art is really just holding you back. Eventually, you'll have to shell out for a scanner or a tablet. I'd also agree with Moonblaze on the basis that you should start with just a number 2 pencil, paper, and a scanner. That'll help you get started at least. Programs are fun, tablets are convenient, but it'll just be easier this way.

I'd edit my post now that I'm more calm and collected, but at the same time, I think it's necessary that you see that you need to handle criticism a bit more maturely. However, I will apologize for the tone I used.

[Radium]

you should start with just a number 2 pencil, paper, and a scanner.We call that HB in this subforum, Strat D=.
Personally, I find that beginning artists always press too hard with a pencil and it makes erasing harder later. For starting, I'd recommend a harder lead, like 6H. And you almost never need to sharpen hard pencils.

Anyway, Shade, don't shun off or defend against comments such as IconGuy's or Strato's - they are very important. Something to understand about visual art is that it is a field where what you see is <i>always</i> what you get; all books need to be judged by their covers. if IconGuy says it looks like it was drawn in MSPaint, then that means an actual person looked at your art and the first thing that came to their mind was the (false) impression that you used an outdated program. That's a bad thing, so you need to fix it, and while it feels bizarre it's also nice to thank people that inform you that you are doing something wrong.

Most important in visual art is - by definition - how it looks. Strato is right about the process and programs. If you don't have a tablet, it's best to start off by sketching your drawings on paper and scanning them. In art - no, scratch that, any field - you can't expect people to treat your product with sympathy if you used inferior equipment.
Use a pencil - maybe a 6H like I recommended above, though HB (aka #2) are fine if you're light with them. From there, either ink your drawings with a dark colored pen so you can easily color them digitally, or bring the sketch into your art software of choice and start coloring or inking it digitally right away. For software, I (of course) suggest Adobe Illustrator, though Photoshop can do the job as well. I've always found Linux-based art software a bit sub-par, though Inkscape (http://www.inkscape.org/) seemed quite nice for inking.

As for what Moonblaze says, I agree a bit less. Online tutorials are great, but there's always a few things they don't cover - you should be looking for criticism all the way through your learning process. As far as online tutorials, this is my suggested cirriculum:
Do all the free Mark Kistler tutorials (http://www.draw3d.com/schoolofimagination/). Even if you think you already know this stuff, just follow along through them; it's a perfect introduction to many concepts.
Read through this thing (http://elfwood.lysator.liu.se/farp/figure/williamlibodyconstruction.html) on body language and posing.
Do a few PolyKarbon (http://www.polykarbon.com/tutorials/index.htm) tutorials. DEFINITELY the character design one (http://www.polykarbon.com/tutorials/characters/chara1.htm), female (http://www.polykarbon.com/tutorials/body/stick.htm) and male (http://www.polykarbon.com/tutorials/body/male/stick.htm) body, and clothing (http://www.polykarbon.com/tutorials/clothes/clothes1.htm). Anything else you have trouble drawing, just run through the tutorial on it.
As far as dead-tree resources, one of the better books I've read is "Action! Cartooning" by Ben Caldwell. Most retail art books are all about "draw a circle.. then another circle inside that", but A!C has a greater focus on what different angles and shapes imply to the viewer.

Anyway, lastly I want to talk about what Strato has against straight lines. One of the most important things in a piece of art is unity - things don't necessarily have to look perfect, but they have to fit in with their surroundings. If your entire drawing is shaky, mouse-drawn lines, having perfectly straight lines in some places - especially on the same character - will only make it look worse. Would FreeFull's drawing of a tree (http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/53553953/) look right if he had drawn the trunk as a straight line? Probably not. As is, your background, character, text, and sky don' go together at all, really. Try to stick to one style - as strange as it sounds, the picture would probably look better if you had drawn the text and background with a mouse as well.

And, as a closing note, shading. Don't forget shading. And do try those tutorials I suggested.

EDIT: Oh, and Icon is right, Snipers are pretty easy to draw when you know how. It's just one of those things, like how unicorns are easier to draw than horses.

[Strato]

HB? You crazy European. This is 'merica, k?

[ShadeJackrabbit]

I actually never said I didn't understand Strato, and I'm glad for the advice, but it doesn't help to be unclear when making criticism. Remarks like "Looks like MSpait to me." would be more appreciated if you didn't follow up with things like: "Snipers are so easy! But don't ask me why or how, they just are."

Radium, I'm glad you're giving me criticism, and I'm glad for Strato's as well, but when comments like IconGuy's are made, exactly how am I supposed to use it as criticism? There's nothing to it! It's mainly a flame at my art. Not to mention he ends with what I can only assume is an insult.

Look, it's not that I'm upset I got criticism, (I learned you can draw lines in the Gimp and where to get some good tutorials, and good advice,) but when people are gonna flame or brag in someone's art topic they should have valid reason!

EDIT: Sorry MoonBlaze, I overlooked you for a few seconds there. Thanks for everything.

[Nonomu198]

We call that HB in this subforum, Strat D=.
Personally, I find that beginning artists always press too hard with a pencil and it makes erasing harder later. For starting, I'd recommend a harder lead, like 6H. And you almost never need to sharpen hard pencils.

Anyway, Shade, don't shun off or defend against comments such as IconGuy's or Strato's - they are very important. Something to understand about visual art is that it is a field where what you see is <i>always</i> what you get; all books need to be judged by their covers. if IconGuy says it looks like it was drawn in MSPaint, then that means an actual person looked at your art and the first thing that came to their mind was the (false) impression that you used an outdated program. That's a bad thing, so you need to fix it, and while it feels bizarre it's also nice to thank people that inform you that you are doing something wrong.

Most important in visual art is - by definition - how it looks. Strato is right about the process and programs. If you don't have a tablet, it's best to start off by sketching your drawings on paper and scanning them. In art - no, scratch that, any field - you can't expect people to treat your product with sympathy if you used inferior equipment.
Use a pencil - maybe a 6H like I recommended above, though HB (aka #2) are fine if you're light with them. From there, either ink your drawings with a dark colored pen so you can easily color them digitally, or bring the sketch into your art software of choice and start coloring or inking it digitally right away. For software, I (of course) suggest Adobe Illustrator, though Photoshop can do the job as well. I've always found Linux-based art software a bit sub-par, though Inkscape (http://www.inkscape.org/) seemed quite nice for inking.

As for what Moonblaze says, I agree a bit less. Online tutorials are great, but there's always a few things they don't cover - you should be looking for criticism all the way through your learning process. As far as online tutorials, this is my suggested cirriculum:
Do all the free Mark Kistler tutorials (http://www.draw3d.com/schoolofimagination/). Even if you think you already know this stuff, just follow along through them; it's a perfect introduction to many concepts.
Read through this thing (http://elfwood.lysator.liu.se/farp/figure/williamlibodyconstruction.html) on body language and posing.
Do a few PolyKarbon (http://www.polykarbon.com/tutorials/index.htm) tutorials. DEFINITELY the character design one (http://www.polykarbon.com/tutorials/characters/chara1.htm), female (http://www.polykarbon.com/tutorials/body/stick.htm) and male (http://www.polykarbon.com/tutorials/body/male/stick.htm) body, and clothing (http://www.polykarbon.com/tutorials/clothes/clothes1.htm). Anything else you have trouble drawing, just run through the tutorial on it.
As far as dead-tree resources, one of the better books I've read is "Action! Cartooning" by Ben Caldwell. Most retail art books are all about "draw a circle.. then another circle inside that", but A!C has a greater focus on what different angles and shapes imply to the viewer.

Anyway, lastly I want to talk about what Strato has against straight lines. One of the most important things in a piece of art is unity - things don't necessarily have to look perfect, but they have to fit in with their surroundings. If your entire drawing is shaky, mouse-drawn lines, having perfectly straight lines in some places - especially on the same character - will only make it look worse. Would FreeFull's drawing of a tree (http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/53553953/) look right if he had drawn the trunk as a straight line? Probably not. As is, your background, character, text, and sky don' go together at all, really. Try to stick to one style - as strange as it sounds, the picture would probably look better if you had drawn the text and background with a mouse as well.

And, as a closing note, shading. Don't forget shading. And do try those tutorials I suggested.

EDIT: Oh, and Icon is right, Snipers are pretty easy to draw when you know how. It's just one of those things, like how unicorns are easier to draw than horses.
Dont you dare to say somthing bad about MSpaint O:
It rox. No Adobe and other stuff beats it. I mean it.

I actually never said I didn't understand Strato, and I'm glad for the advice, but it doesn't help to be unclear when making criticism. Remarks like "Looks like MSpait to me." would be more appreciated if you didn't follow up with things like: "Snipers are so easy! But don't ask me why or how, they just are."

Radium, I'm glad you're giving me criticism, and I'm glad for Strato's as well, but when comments like IconGuy's are made, exactly how am I supposed to use it as criticism? There's nothing to it! It's mainly a flame at my art. Not to mention he ends with what I can only assume is an insult.

Look, it's not that I'm upset I got criticism, (I learned you can draw lines in the Gimp and where to get some good tutorials, and good advice,) but when people are gonna flame or brag in someone's art topic they should have valid reason!

EDIT: Sorry MoonBlaze, I overlooked you for a few seconds there. Thanks for everything.

Hi, I als sayd "This is a boring drawing... where are the enemys? The chat? Some shooting? Shades head? :/". I was kinda serious, and these are real things you should work on. The last part was out of boredom, and I never wanted to insult you >O.


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ThunderPX, Im no troll. Im a guy ppl take way too seriously :lori:

[FreeFull]

Iconguy, try to rotate a picture by 30° in paint.

[ShadeJackrabbit]

This thread can be closed/deleted now.