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[Araph]

Preemptively saying that I may not actually be able to do an update today. I made the mistake of looking at Elves of Amanereli again, and now I'm stuck throwing a bunch of time away trying to figure out how to make stuff look better. Unfortunately, making stuff look better is not a strength of mine. Sorry about the retroactive false advertising.

Spoiler: Venting (click to show/hide)

I can't do anything requiring perspective. I suck at shading. None of my ideas for this update are doable because they require both of those; I don't even know how people are supposed to shade in Illustrator. Gradient either look weird or are impossible to use, and I doubt you're supposed to draw every single shadow as a seperate item. It looks like their should be a way of darkening and lightening some areas of whatever you drew, but I can't tell how Darkerdark does that in EoA. I also can't tell how I'm supposed to draw everything. EoA looks great, but I don't know if I should be drawing stuff freehand in Photoshop or if I should be using the pen tool in Illustrator. Maybe I would use the pencil in Photoshop and they shade it after sketching it, but then again it might be better to just use Illustrator and shade everything in with concentric rounded shapes. I'm sorry it's taking longer than it should to get stuff post-able, but please bear with me.

[Lillipad]

http://www.istockphoto.com/article_view.php?ID=363&esource=reflinkcon&lcrefid=826594&lc_rm=Link&lcbanid=328
http://www.1stwebdesigner.com/tutorials/32-handy-gradient-tutorials-using-photoshop-and-illustratorpart-4/

The Google Overlords have spoken. And it was good.

[Phantom of The Library]

Okay, first off, do not compare yourself to Darkerdark, I don't know how he does it, but his artwork has a mesmerizing quality that seems to come naturally and few can match even with practice, which I am guessing he has a lot of.

Second, one strategy I've learned, (from watching Robocorn draw) is to sketch everything out in red beforehand on a separate layer from everything else, then draw over that and delete it when you're done with it.

Third, the lasso tool is your best friend when it comes to shading, draw around the parts that you want to shade and then use the gradient tool inside of it, if you don't want solid color or you only want a light shadow then set the opacity to some percent other than 100.

Fourth, if you haven't already experiment with the tools a little bit, and don't worry too much about the art quality, the more you draw the better you'll get, it doesn't matter if your initial drawing are of low quality, you'll get better.

Oh yeah, use the pen.  Mouse is good for pixel art, and post drawing editing, but not much else unless you train yourself heavily in its use.

[The Fool]

@Phantom: 1.There are better ways to do shading than to use the lasso tool, but if you're using a gradient then it would make sense to.

2.If you want to make a light shadow you can also just draw directly on the shadowed area. Gradients and opacity can only take you so far before you start obscuring details. Object textures, dynamic lighting and sometimes shapes can be hidden or changed by a solid color and opacity. You'd basically have to cut out sections where the light hits shadowed objects, which might be a real pain.

Spoiler: Venting (click to show/hide)

I can't do anything requiring perspective. I suck at shading. None of my ideas for this update are doable because they require both of those; I don't even know how people are supposed to shade in Illustrator. Gradient either look weird or are impossible to use, and I doubt you're supposed to draw every single shadow as a seperate item. It looks like their should be a way of darkening and lightening some areas of whatever you drew, but I can't tell how Darkerdark does that in EoA. I also can't tell how I'm supposed to draw everything. EoA looks great, but I don't know if I should be drawing stuff freehand in Photoshop or if I should be using the pen tool in Illustrator. Maybe I would use the pencil in Photoshop and they shade it after sketching it, but then again it might be better to just use Illustrator and shade everything in with concentric rounded shapes. I'm sorry it's taking longer than it should to get stuff post-able, but please bear with me.

What I do in Photoshop is pick a brush that has lots of dots/shapes, and then turn on scattering and transform. The edges look rougher, so it's easier to visualize the image than if it had crisp lines, and it should also be pressure sensitive now. Once the brush is set I start with an outline of what I want on a new layer. Shade in greyscale on top of it, or on a new layer if you're worried about your outline. Merge layers if you're happy with what you see rather than have a huge number of layers. Once you're happy with your final greyscale image, switch out of greyscale color mode (it's automatic, so you'll have to undo it), and color over top with a multiply layer.

If any of this didn't make sense or if you need help, I'd be happy to help.

[Tiruin]

My tip:

Do not compare your art with others and afterwards envy them for theirs may be better.

Everyone started as a dabbling artist, DF pun not intended, and even so they did not give up in their art.

We (or I?) like art as it is. Don't worry about how bad it is, if I could use the word, but you will improve. Believe you me.
_{Also, this forum is filled with helpful strangers. Very helpful ones!}

[The Fool]

My tip:
Do not compare your art with others and afterwards envy them for theirs may be better.

Very true.

Don't over detail your art. Keep it as is. This isn't an art project, and you probably haven't been using a tablet for anywhere near as long as some of the people your thinking of. I over detailed my illustrated forum game, and then it collapsed due to crippling amounts of detail. Keep the art simple, and then add more when you feel that you can add something.

Robocorn started simpler than yours is now. You're doing fine.

[Araph]

Act II: The Dragon Flight
Scene I



You soar off northward, crossing forests and rivers as you glide towards the mountains. As you fly you ponder on the existence of koalas.

It isn't long before you see an anomaly in the unbroken greenery. A large clearing, smoke, wooden structures, and... oh.

Spoiler: What is it?!? (click to show/hide)

The shade turns and sees your flight. It extends a dark limb and a chain of runes flash across it's palm. As they fade, so does everything else. Your vision recedes into black as it continues to wreck havoc on the village.

Things to Decide:
What do you think koalas look like?
How do you react to the interruption in your flight?
What do you do about the shadow's return?

--------------------------------------

Thanks for the advice, everyone; I really appreciate the support. I guess I was getting into turd-polishing mode instead of just drawing at the level I can and trusting that I'll get better over time.

Oh, and the shadow is back, as you can probably tell.

[kaian-a-coel]

yay! great update!
accidentally, now:
RUNE TIME!

runes: dagaz - ansuz - raido - kaunan - naudiz - ehwaz - sowilo.

meaning: day - god - travel - domestic fire - need - horse - sun
nothing there...

pronunciation: DARKNESS
...
... ...
well, rather straight-forward.

fuck it:
            

as you can guess, it's LIGHT. wreck the shit outta this shadow.

[Lillipad]

Koalas: Look like small, gray fanboys of bears with ludicrous ear and several ludicrous noses.
React: Immelman Turn to glory.
What to do about shadow's return: Name him Shadow the Hedgehog, then spit lightning out of your throat like a tool.

[kaian-a-coel]

reaction: runes above.
Shadow: light beam in the face. Name him Aseshaw.

[freeformschooler]

Your art quality is already a hundred times better than when I started. So don't worry too much about it.

I go with the other peoples' suggestions for this one.

[Phantom of The Library]

Listen to the other people giving art tips, not me they're much more experienced.
And it looks pretty darn good to me so far.

As for Tal'dir: Let's try a light beam.

If not then DO A BARREL ROLL!
or an Immelman.

[quip]

Koalas are evil personified with great teeth for devouring the souls of naughty dragonlings and storm cloud grey fur for hiding in the clouds waiting to pounce. They exist only to kill and it is a legendary feat to actually survive defeating one.

[Tidal]

Koalas are evil personified with great teeth for devouring the souls of naughty dragonlings and storm cloud grey fur for hiding in the clouds waiting to pounce. They exist only to kill and it is a legendary feat to actually survive defeating glimpsing one.

Fix'd.

[Tiruin]

Lets Wake up/Regain Consciousness before anything.