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Juan's Art

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Juan1234 said:
Tip #1 is probably to use something besides Paint, right? :)
Click to expand...
Whilst MS Paint is rather limiting compared to Photoshop, a lot can be achieved by experimenting and developing your skills with the programme. There is a range of pen and brush tools which provide a variety of effects, but I assume you are obliged to work in a single layer, using the mouse as a stylus or brush?

The advantage over paper and wet paint is that you can 'go back' to make corrections. I used MS Paint for my early manips when I didn't have anything else. Once I obtained Photoshop, I did not use Paint any more. I believe @mp5stab has made extensive use of 'Krita' in her digital drawings and paintings, and this is available as a free download.


I think you have occasionally presented pencil drawings on the site in the past, and it is worth practicing with traditional media since the same skills can be applied to digital media. I really should do more pencil sketches myself, as @montycrusto is occasionally reminding me. :D

Your results to date are impressive, especially considering the limitations of the programme. Keep going, and keep making experiments. E.g. try working in monochrome to build confidence with using light and shade. If you enjoy the creative process, eventually the results will reflect this. :)
 
bobinder said:
Whilst MS Paint is rather limiting compared to Photoshop, a lot can be achieved by experimenting and developing your skills with the programme. There is a range of pen and brush tools which provide a variety of effects, but I assume you are obliged to work in a single layer, using the mouse as a stylus or brush?

The advantage over paper and wet paint is that you can 'go back' to make corrections. I used MS Paint for my early manips when I didn't have anything else. Once I obtained Photoshop, I did not use Paint any more. I believe @mp5stab has made extensive use of 'Krita' in her digital drawings and paintings, and this is available as a free download.


I think you have occasionally presented pencil drawings on the site in the past, and it is worth practicing with traditional media since the same skills can be applied to digital media. I really should do more pencil sketches myself, as @montycrusto is occasionally reminding me. :D

Your results to date are impressive, especially considering the limitations of the programme. Keep going, and keep making experiments. E.g. try working in monochrome to build confidence with using light and shade. If you enjoy the creative process, eventually the results will reflect this. :)
Click to expand...
Thanks so much for your comments, kind words, and advice!

To be honest, I use Paint because it comes with the computer and no one would think anything of it if they discovered I had it, whereas if I download other software, people would wonder why. :)

I actually haven't posted pencil sketches, because if I drew anything in RL, I would have to figure out how to hide or destroy it, and I don't want the hassle/risk. You may have gathered I'm paranoid. :) The images I upload here are immediately deleted off my computer once posted. (Don't crash, Server!!)

Back to Paint... One of my main complaints is the difficulty getting smooth lines and/or soft lines. The default seems to be jagged and hard. I use some of the other brushes (especially the oil brush) which can help with the smoothness, but it's still hard to get things to blend. For example, I'm fairly happy with my little study of breasts, but the changes in color are all very abrupt and hard, and I'm not sure how to blend them in more of a gradient.

Regarding enjoying the creative process, I really do! More than I ever imagined I would. My drawings may not compare to a lot of the other art here, but just for myself, it's really rewarding seeing that I can create things I never thought I could, and that I can learn and improve.
 
Juan1234 said:
o be honest, I use Paint because it comes with the computer and no one would think anything of it if they discovered I had it, whereas if I download other software, people would wonder why. :)
Click to expand...
To be honest, I use Paint too for my drawings, because of the same reason as you : it comes with the computer. I make my drawings first of all for my own fun, see how far I can get, and if the result pleases me (often after further processing with the editing tools of PowerPoint), I post it here.

I once followed a short Photoshop course, but for the moment I neither have time nor the patience to explore it, so it would be waste of money for me.
 
Juan1234 said:
The images I upload here are immediately deleted off my computer once posted. (Don't crash, Server!!)
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Get yourself a secure drive, such as Sandisk, and keep your files in a secure way.

The cruxforums server does have convictions for losing old images - it isn't a reliable way to keep your files.
 
Juan1234 said:
Back to Paint... One of my main complaints is the difficulty getting smooth lines and/or soft lines. The default seems to be jagged and hard. I use some of the other brushes (especially the oil brush) which can help with the smoothness, but it's still hard to get things to blend. For example, I'm fairly happy with my little study of breasts, but the changes in color are all very abrupt and hard, and I'm not sure how to blend them in more of a gradient.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your response, Juan. The arms and breasts of the figure in this example were digitally painted using the pencil tool in 'Paint'. The pencil allows you to build up the colour density gradually in two or three strokes, so it is very good for soft blending of colours. To get a gradient from light to dark, or a change of colour, apply a couple of overlapping strokes, then use the colour picker to select a slightly lighter or darker shade, and apply further strokes etc.

In my example, the titulus and bloodstains on the wood and the arms were also digitally painted, as were the highlights and details in the face and hands. 'Paint' is a useful programme for changing facial expressions by repainting the features. Admittedly, working this way is very time consuming.

bbrr9 Via Appia 12k.jpg​
 
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Juan1234 said:
Tip #1 is probably to use something besides Paint, right? :)
Click to expand...
bobinder said:
Whilst MS Paint is rather limiting compared to Photoshop, a lot can be achieved by experimenting and developing your skills with the programme. There is a range of pen and brush tools which provide a variety of effects, but I assume you are obliged to work in a single layer, using the mouse as a stylus or brush?
Click to expand...

I echo Bob's comment, when you know your tools well you can produce good things working within the limitations of any system. But I have to say the single biggest difference for me as a budding photo manipulator was to go from a tool which only worked on a single layer, to one which handled multiple layers. At once I had greater flexibility, more options, and fewer time consuming work arounds were required to get the results I wanted.

You don't have to spend money, Gimp is free and I'm pretty sure you can find old versions of Paint Shop Pro online for free too. Life is too short to work with tools which aren't up to realising your vision.
 
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