Photoshop Art ??

[Blazing Tudra']

Hey all I have a question relating to photoshop. I just recently installed photoshop onto my computer and I was fooling around with it trying to ink in one of my drawings and I just have a couple of questions and I was hoping some one could help me out?
I fooled around with the lasso and magic wand tools but the finished product looked really pixelated and i was woundering how I can make it look smoother like the great work the people on these boards do...
Is there another techniques or aproaches i can take such as mabey using a different tool like the pencle or pen to trace over my scaned drawing?
Basically I just want to know how i can make smooth looking proffesional lines... I bought a book on it but it doesnt really tell me how to do this very well.
I s there any good books out there i can look into?

Well thank you for your time.

The version I have is photoshop CS2

[Poison]

If you use the lasso, make sure Anti-Aliasing is checked (that's a little option at the top when the tool is selected). That should give you smoother lines.

[Overbite]

Are you inking in a new layer or directly over your drawing? Make sure it's a new layer.

You can Cut your drawing then paste in a new layer. In the layer option multiply it then turn down the opacity to were it's lighter. Then using the lasso ink in the layer underneath it.

Savvy?

[Heather]

I think the key is what i asked you about Veik, the pixelation thing.

Set your canvas to 2000 pxl or greater. Working with a larger canvas will make your pixels smaller and thus smoother lines. I had the exact same problem.

You know some day the greats are going to put thier heads together and spill all thier secrets... unless thier scared of course.

[Solos]

http://www.farlowstudios.com/inks.html

[Heather]

Wow! thanks Solos!

[Lawmaker]

Are you inking in a new layer or directly over your drawing? Make sure it's a new layer.

You can Cut your drawing then paste in a new layer. In the layer option multiply it then turn down the opacity to were it's lighter. Then using the lasso ink in the layer underneath it.

Savvy?


Yes, use layers. lots and lots of layers. Most of my pictures have at least 2 ink layers and an ink detail layer... Don't even ask about the sketch layers and color layers :chuckle:

I may be overdoing it, but I like to have an obscene number of layers to prevent goofups, and allow me to re-ink areas without having to erase entire sections (use visibility toggles and add a new layer to try inking again)...

When I am satisfied i flatten my inks into a single layer, but while working... definetly piles of layers. :)

Oh and I usually start all-digital pictures with at least a 2000x2000 pixel canvas size, and expand the canvas as needed. For scanned pencils I work in 300 to 400 dpi (sometimes 600 dpi depending on how much work i want to do... :p

[The Icy One]

Just two ink layers? I must really be over doing it.. cause I only have a head done and have like six for one of the drawinings I'm doing.. >>

[Lawmaker]

Just two ink layers? I must really be over doing it.. cause I only have a head done and have like six for one of the drawinings I'm doing.. >>

"at least" :chuckle:

[Blazing Tudra']

awsome thanks for all your advise guys

[Blazing Tudra']

Hey another question…
This is in regard to the web site link solos posted above
The technique used in the site calls for the pen tool and placeing anchor points down on your drawing eventually creating a cuircut that you can fill in… That is all fine except when I attempted to do this it automaticall created a new layer called a fill layer? While I was in this layer I could not fill in the path I made… I also could not use other paint tools such as the magic wand and lasso… when I attempted it said can not perform action because this is a fill layer? It also said that on my original layer as well, but when I deleted the layers made with the pen tool it allowed me to use the lasso etc… again... What am I doin wrong can any one please advise me?

Thank you all again...

[Megumiko]

Yes, use layers. lots and lots of layers. Most of my pictures have at least 2 ink layers and an ink detail layer... Don't even ask about the sketch layers and color layers :chuckle:

I may be overdoing it, but I like to have an obscene number of layers to prevent goofups, and allow me to re-ink areas without having to erase entire sections (use visibility toggles and add a new layer to try inking again)...




Layers are an artist's best friend.

Though I like to optimize my layers by putting many things that aren't touching on one layer.

Joe, I rarely ever use the lasso tool, I use the polygonal lasso tool a lot. It's a lot more precise, though it can be annoying when it decides to finish your lasso for you and you have to start all over again.

Alos, make sure you do not accidently lock your layer. If it is locked, you can't add to it.

[Blazing Tudra']

when i make a new layer what kind of layer do i make ? just go to layer new layer? or background layer? or duplicate layer?

[Megumiko]

when i make a new layer what kind of layer do i make ? just go to layer new layer? or background layer? or duplicate layer?

Does the layer need to go above another layer? Does it need to go below?

I tend to do this: layer the layers in order of what's closest to the viewer.

For example, I had an image of a girl in armor with a sword, cloak, tartan sash. One arm was raised as if pulling back the cloak. The layers were like this from top to bottom:


Raised arm bracer/cloak brooch
Raised arm sleeve/hand
Cloak hood/
Hair/tartan sash
Face/Armor
Sword/lowered arm bracer
lowered sleeve/neck
background icewall close
background icewall far
sky

There were a lot more levels. I no longer have the working file, just the merged one. (Remember kids to back up your files so that harddrive failure doesn't ruin all of YOUR hard work.)

One of the benifit of levels is that were things over lap, you don't have to worry about messing up the edges on an upper layer when painting on a lower layer. This works very well for creating things like shadows under things. The cloak was above the hair so I could shadow the hair with out messing up the clean edge of the cloak.

Just rmember to pay attention to what layer you are on. I have painting over stuff I didn't want to paint over.

Usually, Joe, the background layer is locked naturally. But that doesn't stop you from putting another layer over it. Though, it seems you can flood fill the locked layer you just can't move it. (You can move layers around by left clicking and dragging them up or down the list.) I think I may have said you can't paint onto the background layer. Sorry for the confusion.

Duplicating layers is nice if you want to try something out on a layer but don't want to get rid of something you've already done. Simply duplicate the layer you want to work on, paint/manipulate the copy and if you don't like what you did, you still have the original layer unchanged. Beats making multiple copies of the same file.

Also, you can set layers to "multiply" which means they become somewhat transparent to the layers below them. They are set at "normal" as default, which means they will block layers below them.

Also, be sure to play around with the Layer Style menu in the drop down menu at the top of Photoshop. You can do neat stuff with lettering, shadows, lighting and the like.

Anyway, hope that helps. And good luck!

[Blazing Tudra']

thanks alot megumiko that helps alot

[Megumiko]

I recall the day I found layers and smacked myself in the forehead.... a lot.

[Blazing Tudra']

hey Viek when you ink in do you use the Bezier pen tool alot?