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Basically I'm looking for a combination of good (preferably free, although I can always torrent them esp. since they are in the $100 - $1000 range many times anyway) programs to help with doing digital art based off hand-drawn material, mainly with a manga / anime style. Which programs are capable of reproducing / creating linearts most efficiently and cleanly? (I guess that would be in the line of vector art) Which tools are best for painting and shading? I'm sure there's quite a few artistic people out here that could be of assistance.
Right now I'm stuck with GIMP which I know isn't the best option, and this is the (probably crappy method) I have to use:
- Adjust contrast of scanned drawing to make lines stand out more.
- Use paths tool to trace around lines and fill in white areas with desired color, etc.
- Use dodge / burn, etc. to add highlights, shadows, w/e although it is far from perfect and I'd love to know how to achieve a much smoother effect. Another problem with this is if I want to go back and make more changes, I have to manually re-select that area and the results may not be pretty if the selection goes over a line or into an unmodified area. Basically I'd like to be able to make changes to a particular area without accidentally screwing up another part of the image.
- Use paths to make outlines, although the way I draw irl the lines can be undesirably thick.
- Add effects like metallic luster, etc. though this mainly involves the issues I outlined in the previous step. Is there a good website that outlines how to deal with doing different materials, including metal, skin, leather, w/e?
Looking at other digital artists (primarily on DA) it seems they use different programs interchangeably and I'd like to get into some good habits before I end up having to struggle to break bad ones. In the end I realize it's all down to patience and skill, but equipping oneself with good tools seems like a start and could make the road a bit less rough. Thanks in advance.
Right now I'm stuck with GIMP which I know isn't the best option, and this is the (probably crappy method) I have to use:
- Adjust contrast of scanned drawing to make lines stand out more.
- Use paths tool to trace around lines and fill in white areas with desired color, etc.
- Use dodge / burn, etc. to add highlights, shadows, w/e although it is far from perfect and I'd love to know how to achieve a much smoother effect. Another problem with this is if I want to go back and make more changes, I have to manually re-select that area and the results may not be pretty if the selection goes over a line or into an unmodified area. Basically I'd like to be able to make changes to a particular area without accidentally screwing up another part of the image.
- Use paths to make outlines, although the way I draw irl the lines can be undesirably thick.
- Add effects like metallic luster, etc. though this mainly involves the issues I outlined in the previous step. Is there a good website that outlines how to deal with doing different materials, including metal, skin, leather, w/e?
Looking at other digital artists (primarily on DA) it seems they use different programs interchangeably and I'd like to get into some good habits before I end up having to struggle to break bad ones. In the end I realize it's all down to patience and skill, but equipping oneself with good tools seems like a start and could make the road a bit less rough. Thanks in advance.
Edited by EmeraldTiger at 09:26 CDT, 22 March 2012 - 1688 Hits
