[COM] Summer School Q&A feat. notMiceElf – Part 3

Another week and another Q+A session!  All right all right all right.  We’re assuming that since you’re reading this now your eyes didn’t spontaneously start bleeding, or have since healed nicely, from the last Q+A which means our legal team can relax a bit (phew).  Remember you can submit your own questions for the summer Q+A sessions with notMiceElf through the articles that appear on the site so get those questions ready!

What programs would you recommend for beginners, and why? (Question posted by Hanna.Yeap)
Thanks for the question Hanna.Yeap. I’ve heard the “what program?!” question a lot over the years and in that time I’ve developed the most succinct and all-encompassing-mostly-perfect answer that you’ll ever hear. Ready? Ok, here goes; It doesn’t really matter.  You can probably imagine the types of responses I get from giving that answer so before the “he doesn’t care” train rolls in let me explain my reasoning.  Oh, and then I’ll give you a list of programs that are pretty decent as starting points for anyone that wants to explore them (see, I do care).

The most important point to remember when making any kind of art (traditional drawing/painting, digital painting, vector, 3D, typography, you name it) is that the tools you’re using to make it are just that; Tools.  A lot of the time beginners think that choosing a really “good” program will make them better faster.  Which, is kind of cute in a naive sort of way.  It’s a bit like thinking that an HB pencil will make you better at drawing versus using a 2B pencil or charcoal.  Tools don’t magically grant you skills or simplify the process all that much.  Ultimately all a tool does is serve you, the artist, and compliment your skills and your knowledge.  If you’re just starting out you won’t have the skills or knowledge to gain any real benefit from a specific program.  So. It really doesn’t matter where you start or which program you start with.  And, just to be clear, the “goodness”  of a program is a relative concept anyway.  It’s kind of sad when someone says a program is “bad” simply because they can’t use it beyond its immediate and obvious limitations… or that it so readily shows them their own limitations.  Lots of beautiful work is created on “bad” programs.  Something to keep in mind.

Ok ok, sheesh.  If someone is truly interested in learning pixel art, or digital art in general, here’s what I’d suggest.

Oh, by the way, If you’re only looking to edit existing Habbo graphics (commonly labeled as “alt-ing”) and not really aiming to progress past that then you can probably stop reading and pick any program that edits pixels (go ahead, I won’t be offended, there’s a small list below). That’s not intended to come off as, “omg, notMiceElf hates alt-erzz!1″.  There are a lot of good alt-ers (you probably even know a few) but if you’re really interested in learning you’ll want to make your own creations and not limit yourself to editing the work of others.  So, where to begin?

Picking a program:  A lot of the graphics type programs have the same features and look pretty similar, for the most part.  You can pick any one of them and more-than-likely you’ll get accustomed to using it. Truly. You will. Humans are great that way (yeah, I’m laughing at you kitty.  What yah gonna do?).  But, you could also take a look at how a program’s laid out and pick the one that makes the most sense to you.  If you find that a programs layout makes no sense, pick another.  Also check that it works with your computer… because… that’s kind of important.  Forget about all the stuff that a program can do and focus on its basic toolset.  A program like Photoshop, while really nice, has more than any beginner will ever need for a while.

General free programs:
Gimp – sort of like a free photoshop. sort of . Can do animation, Also good for photos and painting.
Microsoft Paint – On every Windows PC already so you know it works. People complain about this one, but, it was my first program… and lots of awesome pixel art is still made using it. Very simple interface.
Paint.net – a better MSPaint or so I’ve heard.  Simple interface.
Pixel art only free programs:
Aseprite – more for sprites, has animation
GrafX2 – supposed to look really retro… so might be confusing
Graphics Gale – has animation
ProMotion – has animation
Free Trial (and then not free at all):
Photoshop –  good for lots of things: animation, video, painting, photography, and the list goes on for about 4 pages.

Starting out:  I know you’re interested in Habbo but put that aside for a moment.  Yes, I just said to forget Habbo (blasphemy)!  Take some time to learn the basics and you’ll thank yourself later.  Fundamental concepts (like: volume, color, proportion, perspective) inform everything you’ll ever make or want to make so understanding how and why they work will only benefit your growth.  These concepts aren’t program or style specific either which is nice.  The rules that define a sphere or cube are the same no matter how that object was made, even if it was on paper.  After you’ve spent some time learning fundamentals you can use them for any kind of art you’re interested in too so that’s a nice little bonus.  Find some tutorials on the magical learning device known as youtube and follow along.  Not to pull out the classic “back in my day” spiel but you’re all really lucky to have such an immediate resource at your disposal so take advantage of it.  Back in my day I had to learn by talking to rocks. Which, let me tell you. Is a pretty one way conversation.


Eventually you’ll get to stuff like grass and foliage which is more of a rendering style/texture applied to a core volume.  Again, you’re stepping up the complexity by adding in a new skill.  You’ll have to think about not only the volume of the whole (a big sphere) but also individual parts (single leaves).  Move the light source around and see how that changes the way you render an object in.  Change the light color.

Advanced:  Pull it all together. Build objects with lots of different parts and textures.  Build scenes that use multiple objects instead of single objects.
It might be time consuming and seem like a whole lot of work but if you’re serious about wanting to learn it you’ll have a lot of fun doing it.  I hope you find that this sets you on the right path!  Hmm.  I don’t think I’ve rambled enough (Actually the following addition directly relates to the question above so I thought I’d answer it too :p)… B-B-B-B-B-BONUS QUESTION!


Are you partial to pixel art, or do you have other artistic interests as well? (Question posted by Wizhared)
Thanks Wizhared!  I’m going to refocus the question off of me and direct it more at our entire team… if you don’t mind.  You’ll find that every single (no joke) production artist we have creates other art on the side.  Pixel art is great, and I’m sure all of our artists would agree with me (right everyone… e_e), but it’s just a small sliver of the art sphere.  For a creative person it’s pretty natural to use different types of art to express oneself.  We have artists that spend their time animating or doing character design, some are traditional painters, and others draw comics. Heck we even have a few musicians!   Point is we look for artists that are well versed in a lot of different areas.  Why?  Well, all those types of art and styles give the artist a wide range of skills to rely on and confidence.  It means they can go from being a fast concept artist to an exceptional animator in the blink of an eye.  We’re a pretty fast paced team so confidence and a strong skill set is key.  Before I ride off in to the sunset I’ll show you some of the teams sketches for the wild west campaign.  I think it’s a pretty good example how the teams foundational knowledge from their other artistic ventures feeds back into their Habbo work (you can also see how, in the sketching phase, individual style is really apparent!).

Bene

Interessante!

Bene!

wow

Mha, non so se mi impegnerò a fare ste robe

Interessante!   

Nico-Idv ha scritto:

Interessante!

EllyStar24 ha scritto:

Bene

wow che belli i disegni fatti a mano

Andrea. ha scritto:

Questa immagine spacca! Chi sa disegnare così bene

io sono capace