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Any Illustrators? Post some artwork.

radiantm3

radiantm3

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Oct 16, 2005
1,022
0
San Jose, CA
I don't draw nearly as I used to (which is a shame), but once in awhile I try to keep the pencil sharp. Here's my latest drawing:

http://image.7motion.com/drawing_progress.jpg

It's about 80% complete. I'm horrible with a tablet. They are very sensitive and my hand shakes when it doesn't have the same friction as pencil/pen on paper. Also, my palm doesn't glide across the plastic like it does on paper. Any remedy tips for that would be appreciated. :)

Anyways, I've been enjoying selling stuff on ebay and I'm creating a "thank you" card for my buyers. Right now I'm using this: http://image.7motion.com/thankyounote.jpg

Any other Illustrators want to post some work? And maybe give some tips for working with a tablet? I could easily make everything look perfect using the pen tool, but it just seems like cheating. And the drawings don't seem very natural.


Update: Here is the final artwork. :)
thankyou_card.jpg
 
radiantm3 said:
It's about 80% complete. I'm horrible with a tablet. They are very sensitive and my hand shakes when it doesn't have the same friction as pencil/pen on paper. Also, my palm doesn't glide across the plastic like it does on paper. Any remedy tips for that would be appreciated. :)
Click to expand...
Try taping a sheet of paper atop the tablet. Wacom had adding that kind of friction in mind, that's why the nibs are replaceable.
 
Oooh.. that's nice. You could try putting a sheet of paper over the tablet, I'm not sure if the tablet detects the men movements through it. (You beat me to it!)
craneox6.jpg

Done with a 0.5mm mechanical pencil on a sheet of notebook paper. Won me 3rd place in the Calgary Stampede Western Showcase for my agegroup and class.
 
Thanks for the tips. Putting paper over the tablet seems to work pretty good. I'll have to use that the next time. :D
 
One bit I forgot to mention: I kind of like to see a little bit of wobble in the lines! The human touch is missing from too much electronic art.
 
iMeowbot said:
One bit I forgot to mention: I kind of like to see a little bit of wobble in the lines! The human touch is missing from too much electronic art.
Click to expand...

I agree as I'm a fine art student and I have a 9x12 tablet. I know others that will use the mouse for very "crisp" line work but I love to see things that are as if it was done all with the pen tool and not the mouse. Call me old school, but both have their place in digital artwork or for print ;)
 
radiantm3 said:
I could easily make everything look perfect using the pen tool, but it just seems like cheating.
Click to expand...
There is no such thing as cheating. Its all just "technique". Just remember, its not how you get to the finished product but that you get there and you and your client are happy with the results.

I dont work with a tablet so I have no insight on that matter:eek:
 
I never really thought the Wacom lent itself to Illustrator very well. Most of the tools really require more linear movement. Photoshop, on the other hand, was made for it...

at any rate, for something like the artwork posted above, I personally would've scanned a drawing, taken it into PS, and converted paths to outlines for work in Illustrator...no way would I have bothered to trace all of that stuff

that's just me, though...
 
Check out my site theres a few on there that I have done in Freehand (without Autotrace :rolleyes: ).

I pick out every highlight, lowlight, colour etc and layer them all up and change the colours to my liking. Infact the cars that you will see, I am able to change the colour of the cars just by dropping a new colour into the pallette as they are mainly made up of tints of one colour. :cool:

Can take days to do an illustration but the end results are great. I have loads more but they are not all on my site. Click past the logos and you will see the illustrations.

http://www.stuartluff.co.uk
 
I paint alot. yes its an auction, but it has all my photos in it.




What tablets are people using on here, Id like to get one but dont need nothing super duper fancy, but nothing crappy either. What kind of price range should I be looking for....9x12 is large enough, maybe a size down...
 
Sdashiki said:
I paint alot. yes its an auction, but it has all my photos in it.




What tablets are people using on here, Id like to get one but dont need nothing super duper fancy, but nothing crappy either. What kind of price range should I be looking for....9x12 is large enough, maybe a size down...
Click to expand...

http://www.wacom.com/index2.cfm

this should answer all your questions...
 
Sdashiki said:
ah but, i dont want MSRP, i want real world prices of what I should be looking for.

graphire 6x8


but do I really need the mouse?
Click to expand...

http://www.macmall.com/macmall/sear...1.y=16&CurDSN=simple&calledfrom=1&incimage=on

http://www.cdw.com/shop/search/results.aspx?key=wacom&sr=1&platform=all&x=39&y=9

these should give you an idea of what you're going to have to spend. I believe most of these come with a mouse whether you want it or not.

A bit of advice:
don't use the Wacom exclusively as your input device. My personal experience is that they run reasonably well inside the applications, but in the Finder they can be a bit strange. Use the mouse when you can, and use the Wacom when you really need to.
 
So i cant have the tablet and my normal Logitech optical mouse?

Id be using the tablet when I wanted but the mouse still 90% of my daily tasks, since I dont illustrate all day.
 
Sdashiki said:
So i cant have the tablet and my normal Logitech optical mouse?

Id be using the tablet when I wanted but the mouse still 90% of my daily tasks, since I dont illustrate all day.
Click to expand...

no, you can use both provided you have enough ports. Just don't rely on the Wacom for Finder-level operations like file-searching, etc., and (I'm sure this goes without saying) don't use it for MSOffice or anything like that.

Note, I am not saying you can't use it for things other than drawing/painting apps, I'm just saying that in my personal experience the Wacom doesn't play as well with things other than drawing/painting applications...it tends to get a little "freezy" and will occasionally dump preferences. For that reason I have used them sparingly at work, and I don't have one at all at home.
 
Which is the Mouse...or Tablet?

here are a few pieces I have done, which were done with a Tablet, and which with a Mouse??? And what programs...PhotoShop or Illustrator...maybe Painter?
R
 

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freeny said:
There is no such thing as cheating. Its all just "technique". Just remember, its not how you get to the finished product but that you get there and you and your client are happy with the results.

I dont work with a tablet so I have no insight on that matter:eek:
Click to expand...
Cheating in the sense that using a computer to correct mistakes from the lack of natural talent. I started drawing long before I ever used a computer and a lot of the magic is lost when you use a computer to generate artwork.
 
beatsme said:
I never really thought the Wacom lent itself to Illustrator very well. Most of the tools really require more linear movement. Photoshop, on the other hand, was made for it...

at any rate, for something like the artwork posted above, I personally would've scanned a drawing, taken it into PS, and converted paths to outlines for work in Illustrator...no way would I have bothered to trace all of that stuff

that's just me, though...
Click to expand...
When I said Illustrator, I meant it in the traditional sense, not the application.
 
Nice stuff guys. It's good to see painting is still around. I'm trying to find time the re-learn the artform, nothing to show yet.

I been looking at the work of Dylan Cole for a while, I have gone his lectures and have his DVDs. He is AMAZING, he start as a painter and moved on to Photoshop. He paints while he lectures and makes it look sooo easy. He was the senior matte painter on Return of the King and many other films. He brings a magic into Photoshop that's hard to believe. His DVDs are excellent too.

His website

http://www.dylancolestudio.com/

Enjoy



 
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