Beginners Artists - new to art, need some advice? Step right in!

Photoshop has many shortcuts which to work quick and effectively need to be utilised. You can map Wacom tablet express keys to any function aswell as view or create your own by going to Edit>Keyboard Shortcuts menu (or by pressing ALT+SHIFT+CTRL+K)

I'll list some important ones below which I use regularly.

Photoshop Keyboard Shortcuts:

b = brush tool
e = eraser tool
i or ALT = colour picking tool
o = dodge/burn tool
p = pen tool
g = gradient/bucket tool
v = move tool
c = cropping tool
t = text tool
l = lasso tool
m = marquee tool
d = reset foreground/background colours
x = cycle foreground/background colours
f = expert mode 1(press again for expert mode 2 and once more to return to normal)
z = zoom tool
Space(Hold) = Pan image(only when zoomed or in expert mode)
CTRL+n = new document
CTRL+SHIFT+n = new layer
[ = reduce brush size
] = increase brush size
1-0 = change opacity
SHIFT+1-0 = change flow
CTRL+ALT+Z = Undo
CTRL+z = Undo/Redo 1
CTRL+0 = Zoom Extent
CTRL+j = duplicate layer
CTRL+l = level adjustment
CTRL+a = select all
CTRL+t = transform selection
CTRL+s = SAVE FFS!
SHIFT+CTRL+U = desaturate image

Other useful actions whilst working are the 'flip horizontal' and 'flip canvas horizontal' commands which I personally bind. By flipping the image you can easier determine potential perspective errors, this is something I try my best too do frequently.
 
LanceCrossfire said:
A very neat website is www.ctrlpaint.com it has some great small videos aswell as written tutorials on how to do stuff. They're simple and not to tiring in length.
Click to expand...

It's a good website for little hints and tips but it goes into relatively complex and unnecessary Photoshop settings. Right now it's all about learning to draw, these things should be ignored for the most part. a lot of the things discussed on his tutorials are practically irrelevant when it comes to drawing, most of which I'd personally never use.

Just my 2p.
 
shifty_uk said:
It's a good website for little hints and tips but it goes into relatively complex and unnecessary Photoshop settings. Right now it's all about learning to draw, these things should be ignored for the most part. a lot of the things discussed on his tutorials are practically irrelevant when it comes to drawing, most of which I'd personally never use.

Just my 2p.
Click to expand...

Ye each to their own.
I've never thought drawing/painting to be a linear science that works for everyone, we all react differently and respond to different things. CTRLPaints digital 101 tutorials are neat in a sense they get you into the software you're using, then if you want the more advanced stuff you dig into the archive.

For me I'd personally want to know about the tools I'm using and then how to implement them(the learn to draw part). Adversely someone could absolutely prefer the opposite.
 
Nice idea OP.

How about the idea of group projects.

Everyone gets a week to produce a work on a diffrent theme, then each participant gets a vote to for a winner. The winner then gets the honour of having there work in a prominent place and perhaps they might like to write a small set of notes regarding how they achieved what they did which could be published alongside there work.

Would mean that the better artists in each catogery (landscape,potrait, nature) would be teaching the others there techniques and raising the standard overall. Would also be a bit of fun and motivation, nothing like a bit of friendly competion.

Just a suggestion, take it how you will.

Overall though 'I approve of this product and or service' as they say :D
 
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Wow, I've been busy this afternoon, come back and we've had lots of replies, this looks like people are interested, I'll get my OPs updated as soon as I can!

Alphane, I do like your idea but in the context of the OCUK GD forum we could be a bit limited. What I don't want to do is spam the forum with more than one thread.

I know the photography forum has a photo competition thread but with this thread, with every post following the other I think it could get rather difficult to fit everything in and if the thread gets busy with conversation some topics could get lost.

The other option regarding something like a weekly competition would be to link to an outside source where we can go in more depth into certain topics and we could post competition entries and vote for them ourselves without having to ask a mod to setup a vote every week and post the winners back in this thread when they've been decided.

That way, those that have a passing interest in the thread could see the results of the competition and those who want to go more in depth can see the stages of how things are going from an external site.

The weekly competition topic would be announced on this forum and we could see how it progresses from there.

I have a random domain name that I could host a blog on if we think it's a good idea...?

I'm very aware that I don't want to overstep any boundaries of the forum here so I'm all ears to comments and suggestions...what do others think?
 
I was thinking along the lines of 1 thread per week with a closing date.

Then for 3 days after entries close the thread becomes the voting thread, doesn't have to be a 'poll' thread, anyone who enters can just revisit the thread and post a name.

Post 'winner' here, possibly thumbnailed, with brief description of techniques if willing and linkage to the relevant competition thread.

Or hosting it off forum is another possibiltity
 
personally, I would be tempted to stray away from actual comps and replace them with weekly subjects where each week you could tackle a different aspect of drawing and see each persons take on it :D

Also, I'll be taking part. I used to be more of a technical drawer (a3 paper, ruler, pencils and lots of straight lines), however not done anything in years and really want to start making the most of big monitors, photoshop and my little basic wacom bamboo touch.
 
Righty, I can only approach this from a digital perspective because well.. That's my speciality, it's a clean, mess free and highly efficient method of working. I definitely believe the masters of yesteryear(Da Vinci, Singer Sargent...) would be utilising these methods to their advantage and be producing glorious pieces of work!

Prior to saying anything further, I'd like to reiterate the fact that I have zero art training, I never took art at school nor have I ever attended an art class so these views are just tried and tested methods of my own, please feel free to disagree with some or all of what I am saying! If you never make mistakes you wont ever learn.

Regardless of what the art school snobs say, creativity should be explored in its entirety. Everyone can draw what they see.. A face for example and yes, the rendering might a highly legible visual copy of said face but try replicating the process over and over. It takes time and effort to get every line, silhouette and shadow perfect BUT what if you understood the construction of the face? How the eyes are in the dead centre of every head? How the basic triangle between the eyes and mouth are entirely different on every individual giving complete genetic originality in every person? Whether it's a tractor, a body or a spaceship you're drawing, the overall construction is just as important as getting it life like.

Now, I shall talk about my own process which I only use because I've got it mapped out and streamlined, it works for me but everyone is different.

Prepping your canvas:

I've said it before but very rarely in life are things 100% white. A car that's had 100% white paint applied during the manufacturing process.. Once left the factory, it'll rarely be all over white again, it's an illusion, you're eyes just know it's white. Look past the cars base colour, what do you see? Bounce light, reflections, artificial lighting, natural lighting, all of these things affect the colour.

So, in short get rid of the white. You can do this using brush strokes or even having a solid colour of your background. What I like to do is the following:
Use an old painting of mine which is heavy in texture, value and brushstrokes. You can use anything, do not infringe other artists copyright, however! Use your old photos for example, it doesn't matter because in the end whatever you end up should not look like the starting image, it's simply a base to fill the canvas.

See here:
canvasprep1.jpg


A quote to remember: Painting is 95% drawing. Forget drawing being strictly lines, forget it now because drawing in the broadest term employs everything! I use paint without lines, mostly.

Some reference tutorials which relate greatly to my thought processes and methods:

'Value' explained using lighting the human head as an example: http://www.anticz.com/drawing1.htm


I have to dash off right now but I'll certainly add to this and edit the post when I get home around 9ish.
 
The best beginner drawing book imo is Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards.

You cant draw because you cant see things properly, this book shows you how to look at things properly.
 
well I am hoping that doing photography professionally for 2 years now that the uptake should be quite easy for me. I can now see colours of light and colours in the sky instead of just seeing blue etc :p
 
Shifty, I have to say I've seen a fair amount of the work you've posted here and I love a lot of it, particularly your subject choices it's quite close to my interests too.

Unfortunately I accidently threw out my 'portfolio' in a crazed clean out a few years ago [:(], I did pick up some canvas the other day so I'll post something eventually.. nothing quite as experienced as yourself mind..

:)
 
OK I've updated the OP's with the relevant information already posted, I'll add Shiftys post to the OP when he's had time to finish it.

I'm still pondering the best ways of showing challenges etc., I'll keep having a think! Work is very hectic at the moment but I'm hoping to have a quiet February so I'd really like to devote some time to drawing and keeping this thread alive.

I've a load of how to draw books sat on the shelf along with bookazines (all virtually unlooked at...it seemed like a good idea at the time :rolleyes:)so I'll have to write about a few of those!

Hop everyone is liking the thread so far.
 
Im no great artist but I'll post some of my findings

http://www.cedarseed.com/

posted as links as theyre too huge for a forum, to name a few...

human anotomy
http://www.cedarseed.com/fire/humantut.jpg

hands
http://www.cedarseed.com/fire/handstut.html

human aging
http://www.cedarseed.com/fire/agingtut.html



Just purchased some of these blending stumps for drawing. they lighten up and blend area's you require, come in really handy. Also can get tortillions which I believe are different?

Royal & Langnickel Blending Stumps, Pack of 3
2192K7QSh6L._SL500_SL160_.jpg


Quote from wetcanvas.com

The difference is a blending stump is often too bulky to blend very fine detailed areas where a tortillion with its pointy tip can get in there and make a difference.

The stumps are great for larger areas and blend very smoothly, You can clean them using a piece of sandpaper.
Click to expand...

Also read baby q-tips are good too as theyre soft and scratch proof ends.

170332-EZtorts.jpg



Although it sounds like all rubbers are the same, I purchased a Koh-I-Noor kneedable eraser for 99p that works well as you can flat out the end to create a point to add real fine highlights into your work, and it removes the graphite as though it was never there. They look really dirty after ver little time but I'm told they are meant to as they are just holding all the graphite, and it doesnt deter it from doing its job.

41XJC1dO2EL.jpg



Also for anyone starting out I cant vouch enough for these pencils. I've read many reviews on them and can say they hold a sharp tip and from my inexperienced eye, i feel they shade quite well.
Cheap enough and you get a few of the same in the more popular pencils

Derwent Graphic Pencils 24 SET
51aGkNgON5L.jpg



Going with what I've seen as derwent being a decent, cheap enough brand, I decided to opt for their sketch book which has considerably thick pages (can hold water well I've read, yet have not tried) and is nice to draw on.

Derwent A4 Hard Back Sketch Book 110gsm, 86 sheets
71YCfDugJFL._AA1105_.jpg






For practicing, not sure if your allowed to do this with copyright but I've scrolled deviantart for samples of peoples finished work, and wip... printing both out and copying the shades to help me understand and learn how to shade more fluently. an example would be this one of altair from assassins creed. hopefully im going to attempt the same drawing myself doing all the line work once i sum up how to shade 10% as good as this artist.

Finished
Assassin__s_Creed___Altair_by_D17rulez.jpg


W.I.P
Assassin__s_Creed_WIP_1_by_D17rulez.jpg


You cant really see but the wip shows the lines she has used to base the drawing on. Also she provides videos, in realtime of her shading which is a big help.



http://d17rulez.deviantart.com/gallery/#/d1bavn2

and her page which shows some amazing artwork, and how shes created them.

http://d17rulez.deviantart.com/

also to add her ezio, check out the detailing!


Ezio___Work_in_Progress_by_D17rulez.jpg
 
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My Wacom Cintiq 24HD review

Wacom Cintiq 24HD Review

Introduction
Back in September 2011 Wacom unveiled the Cintiq 24HD which was to be the flagship tablet for the company and to run alongside the 12wx and 21ux. 4 years have passed since the release of the previous top dog, the Wacom Cintiq 21ux, so how have Wacom invested their time into this new unit?... Read the rest here http://lancecwilkinson.wordpress.com/reviews/wacom-cintiq-24hd-review/
 
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