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Interesting online programs that can be very useful.

Part of the creative process is dealing with various

tools, and each of them can give different results,

many times being a nice surprise. That’s why I like try them, see what’s different, better or  worse on each one.

You can save the links to your browser favorites, so you can access them from anywhere. And being these programs free and online, just click on the link and test them… here the links:

1-https://stephaneginier.com/sculptgl/ (Kind of ZBrush/Sculptris but simpler).
2-http://dextro.org/default_g. html (Textures generator).
3-https://www.youidraw.com/apps/painter/ (Drawing).
4-https://bitbof.com/doodler/ (Display a photo with limited time).
5-http://webchemy.org/ (Draw interesting shapes, excellent).
6-https://www.escapemotions.com/experiments/flame/ (It’s a live demo, but functional, exports in .jpg)
7-http://www.pixelshapes.com/app/ (Upload an image and the pixel in different ways, then export it)
8-https://vectr.com/ (Vectorial Drawing)
9-http://weavesilk.com/ (Symmetrical and with light brushes).
10-https://sketch.io/sketchpad/ (Good for drawing, vector-based, exports in many formats).
11-https://color.adobe.com/create/color-wheel/ (To generate harmonized color palettes)

12-http://grid-paint.com/  (Drawing with rombos, squares, triangles and more.)

Some are very basic, but they could be useful to generate ideas for more elaborate projects. it’s worth taking away a couple of minutes to facebook and try something new, don’t you think?

 

Would you like to make the best illustration, logo, sculpture, animation? … me too.

If you’re going to do it on the computer (take advantage of that box), you’re going to need several toys, I mean ,programs. No problem, you have everything within reach of your clicks, without having to download pirates with viruses….
If you can acquire the payment programs, perfect (we should win enough to do it, or not?)… Otherwise, we have very good options:

Low-cost, single-payment programs and free programs (Open source) Look at this:

01-Painting, Coloring: FREE:  Krita   /  PAID: Paintstorm

02-To Design: FREE: Inkscape / Xara Designer  / PAID: Affinity Designer
03-For 2D Animation: FREE: PAP,  Krita   / PAID: Clip Studio Pro  /  Sketchbook, Moho
04-For 3D Animation: FREE: Blender , Daz Studio+Hexagon,  Wings 3D (Modelling)

05-Sculpture: FREE: Blender  /  PAID: 3D Coat / Zbrush R8
06-Edition: FREE: Fusion , Audio Editor: Audacity
07-Pixel Art: FREE: Graphics Gale    / PAID: Aseprite  /  ProMotion NG

08-Voxel Art: FREE: Magical Voxel

09-Comic: FREE: Jumpaint, AZ Drawing / PAID: Clip Studio Pro

Some programs that we all know are not in this list, because I don’t want to advertise them for free, and we know them all. (And don’t pay nothing without try it first).

The idea is to try these others, I know that some of them will help you.

CREATIVE TOOLS

Would you like to make the best illustration, logo, sculpture, animation? … me too.

If you’re going to do it on the computer (take advantage of that box), you’re going to need several toys, I mean ,programs. No problem, you have everything within reach of your clicks, without having to download pirates with viruses….
If you can acquire the payment programs, perfect (we should win enough to do it, or not?)… Otherwise, we have very good options:

Low-cost, single-payment programs and free programs (Open source) Look at this:

01-Painting, Coloring: FREE:  Krita   /  PAID: Paintstorm

02-To Design: FREE: Inkscape / Xara Designer  / PAID: Affinity Designer
03-For 2D Animation: FREE: PAP,  Krita   / PAID: Clip Studio Pro  /  Sketchbook, Moho
04-For 3D Animation: FREE: Blender , Daz Studio+Hexagon,  Wings 3D (Modelling)

05-Sculpture: FREE: Sculptris   /  PAID: 3D Coat / Zbrush R8
06-Edition: FREE: Fusion , Audio Editor: Audacity
07-Pixel Art: FREE: Graphics Gale    / PAID: Aseprite  /  ProMotion NG

08-Voxel Art: FREE: Magical Voxel

09-Comic: FREE: Jumpaint, AZ Drawing / PAID: Clip Studio Pro

Some programs that we all know are not in this list, because I don’t want to advertise them for free, and we know them all. (And don’t pay nothing without try it first).

The idea is to try these others, I know that some of them will help you.

 

How to get published

I have always liked the art books where the art of a lot of different illustrators are shown.

Now that I’ve managed to get published in a pair of them -literally 2-.I have to to say feels fine and I’m going to tell you how I did it.

You don’t need to be the top-notch artist, just gonna take more work.

What I’ve done is not-to-stop creating, and I want to recommend you a couple of things:

  1. Don’t give up, even if one sees that the level of the artists are very high, you can do your things too.
  2. Be Original: Propose something with your own vision and style, something interesting at least.
  3. Work professionally: Reviews all technical aspects such as resolution and CMYK colors. Backup your files with layers, online or/and external disk. Respect deadlines, software to use, main topic, etc. (Read the Rules).
  4. Saves the entire creative process, with backups of files, photos, screenshots , rough sketches, drawings, references, etc. (It will be your back up in case you are asked to demonstrate that you are the creator of the art).
  5. Participate in contests where the prize is get published.* Warning: It’s never wise to recommend someone to make art for free, so you have to decide for yourself…I did it because I wanted to be in a couple of books, no more than those.
  6. Timeless Art : (Continuous, Eternal, perpetual). Try that your works are not temporary, nor moved by trends of the moment, even if the subject-theme,  are something trendy.
  7. Get fun, you will learn to work professionally with this type of works , but don’t forget to have a good time and make sure that it is shown in your art.

Links:  Trinquette ChallengeCharacter Design Challenge. I will put more later…

I encourage you to try to participate at least once, the mood in these contests are non-competitive, are cooperative.

9 – Now, I want to appear in the 2D Artist Magazine, but of course, charging, as it should. That’s my challenge…so, what’s yours?

PARAEDOLIA AND FRIENDS

 

Generate figuration from abstraction. (Find forms on the Clouds).

Basic shapes and forms: Circle, sphere, triangle, cone, square, cube, etc. must be the basis of our drawings. This is what we have always been taught, and it is perfect, in the end I will come back on this.
But you can – and should – take a deeper journey in generating harmonic or chaotic shapes, depending on what we need. After all, we’re supposed to be “Creative”.

Here are some tips I use to create shapes that will help you create props, characters and more:

1-When you are drawing, imagine that these lines are a path, but you don’t know it, so it moves where you don’t know.

2-While drawing, keep in mind collections of images: of things (objects, parts of objects, etc.), basic shapes: (Cube, Circle, etc.), Icons (letters, numbers, etc.), and Music: (For inspiration, Rhythms, Silences, Styles, etc.).

3. Imagine that you are from another culture, indeed, from another planet! Draw the shapes you got there.

4-On a paper, make lines that intersect, then search for shapes, which kind ? What you like: Look for animals , then look for faces, character silhouettes, objects, etc. You can turn the page upside down and keep looking, keep finding.

5-The technique of making silhouettes is great, because you have to imagine or find what is “inside”, filling it. You can start with small watercolour stains, for example, to leave them with light and dark areas.

6- Use Non-traditional media, maybe: using inks applied with cloth, grease applied to paper, coffee stains, clay finger paints, watercolor with alcohol, bitumen paints, cosmetic colors, etc.

7-Part of the “work system” is to make the drawings with a certain speed, but not running, it is not a matter of pressure; on the contrary, to take it almost as a Game. You can go slow too.

…There are many more to be said, but it will be in other posts.

Examples of shapes-silhouette challenge   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-MSICStXco

How many ways to generate shapes exist? Many, as many as there are points of view, because each person has ways to solve their designs, different techniques, influences, materials, etc., imagine all that combined…
These shapes are a starting point, a basis for something more elaborate, this can be considered as practices, studies, exercises.Once you have interesting shapes and you know what they will be useful for, you have to review proportions, structure, shadows, perspective, etc., the principles of a solid drawing.

One positive things about doing this is that you’re going to create a set of shapes- forms, etc, that you can review, reuse, at any time.

Which way do you think it’s best, which one is better for you?