Romeo
05-23-2009, 01:53 PM
Hi, my name is Ro, on behalf of Noc and the other artists here who produce their own work, and this thread is for those who would like to set up shop in the Graphics forum (but obviously haven't yet), and for those who would like to get into graphics/making sigs in general, too.
First things first...
Software
If you've been doing this a while now, you can skip this part and move on to the next section, but for those who have yet to get their foot in the door, this may be of importance.
Traditionally, almost all of the graphics you see on LOP are made on Adobe Photoshop (the version doesn't really seem to matter from Photoshop 6 or 7 onwards). However, Photoshop is a little hard to come by if you don't have it already installed on your PC or something (when I first started, it just so happened to be on the second-hand PC I just got) and you either have to pay a fortune to get a legitimate copy or be a little vigilant in finding a good, working, virus-free torrent. And even when you do get it, if you're a beginner, it could be overwhelming.
For beginners who don't want to spend or scour torrent sites, there's always GIMP. It's completely free to download; however, it doesn't boast the same power as Photoshop because it's a little dumbed-down. It works, it's decent, it's lightweight, it's free and completely legit, but you're not going to get the same features as those in Photoshop.
And then there's also MS Paint. Some guys have whipped up passable stuff in Paint. (However, if you have Windows 7, the built-in Paint is way more bitchin' than the previous versions.)
So now that you have a program to work with...
Starting out
Go crazy. Experiment on many different things; brushes, filters, layers, textures, shapes... we can safely say that experimentation breeds creativity, because you can only know what works and what doesn't if you experiment. If you need a subject matter, go with your interests or something. Once you've gotten the hang of the program you have, you could maybe head to the general request thread and tackle a sig request somebody has put out (if there is any. Good luck, lol).
Every piece of work, regardless of whether it turns out bad or good, is a stepping stone and a lesson to you, the sigmaker, so keep working at it. Practice makes perfect. I've been playing with Photoshop on and off for four years or so, before fully committing to doing graphics two or three years ago, and it's only recently that I can really say that I've gotten into a groove. So be patient, because it's going to take a while. Just keep at it.
Asking for help/Mentoring
It's also perfectly all right to ask for help when you'd like to know how to do this or that or want to achieve this or that certain effect. We all could use a hand sometimes. Either just ask a fellow maker for tips and tricks or look up some Photoshop tutorials on the internet. (Or ask fellow makers for Photoshop tutorials on the internet.)
If you really need some guidance or want to improve, you can ask a fellow sigmaker to mentor you in some form. By this we mean that he/she becomes a somewhat personal consultant and advisor, in that you show him what you're making and have him criticize it, or asking him/her for ideas and whatnot, etc. A sort of personal student-relationship goes a long way in helping improve skills.
Resources
For sigmaking, normally you want custom brushes, custom textures, different fonts, and renders (important for requests). What you're given in your graphics software tends to get old quickly, so you want to keep adding new stuff to ensure your works do get to evolve. Plus, most if not all requests involve the depiction of a character, so you want pre-cut renders to easily integrate character pictures into your works.
Here are a few links to help you out:
PSD Renders
www.psdprotocol.com
www.psd-dreams.net/home.php
www.suitepsds.com
Fonts
www.dafont.com
Those are just a few right now, but those who have more to add are encouraged to do so.
Taking criticism
Improvement also occurs by way of being criticized, especially when you have a mentor. Don't worry, there is a difference between proper criticism and downright flaming. A flamer would just call your work "teh suxxors", but a proper critic would point out specific things that need work and tips to help improve and fix your errors. Sometimes, critics could get downright harsh, but that is really all right as long as they make valid points. Nothing lights a fire under your ass than the truth, trust us.
Constructive criticism is also a must in addition to the typical positive feedback, because you can't grow without being aware of what needs to be worked on.
Now that you've been doing quite a bit of work, you may want to...
Start your own thread
Normally it is only advisable to create your own graphics thread when you have quite a few works that are suitable enough to showcase. If you're just a beginner, this process may take a while, but it'll happen, don't you worry. You want to do this because you want to show people what you're capable of doing, and eventually you're going to impress enough people to start the requests pouring in.
As you get better, you get more popular and you get more requests, so there will be a lot for you to practice on and improve with. So keep it up, champ, you're going to be the best one day.
Most of all, have fun! Take pride and joy at the fact that you're making something pretty to show off to the world.
Anyway, that pretty much covers it for the primer on the Graphics forum. If by this you have become determined to join our little world, kudos sir or ma'am and good luck to you. In this place, there's really no way to go but up, and we're always glad to have more people join our ranks, because competition breeds quality.
Yours,
Ro & Noc
First things first...
Software
If you've been doing this a while now, you can skip this part and move on to the next section, but for those who have yet to get their foot in the door, this may be of importance.
Traditionally, almost all of the graphics you see on LOP are made on Adobe Photoshop (the version doesn't really seem to matter from Photoshop 6 or 7 onwards). However, Photoshop is a little hard to come by if you don't have it already installed on your PC or something (when I first started, it just so happened to be on the second-hand PC I just got) and you either have to pay a fortune to get a legitimate copy or be a little vigilant in finding a good, working, virus-free torrent. And even when you do get it, if you're a beginner, it could be overwhelming.
For beginners who don't want to spend or scour torrent sites, there's always GIMP. It's completely free to download; however, it doesn't boast the same power as Photoshop because it's a little dumbed-down. It works, it's decent, it's lightweight, it's free and completely legit, but you're not going to get the same features as those in Photoshop.
And then there's also MS Paint. Some guys have whipped up passable stuff in Paint. (However, if you have Windows 7, the built-in Paint is way more bitchin' than the previous versions.)
So now that you have a program to work with...
Starting out
Go crazy. Experiment on many different things; brushes, filters, layers, textures, shapes... we can safely say that experimentation breeds creativity, because you can only know what works and what doesn't if you experiment. If you need a subject matter, go with your interests or something. Once you've gotten the hang of the program you have, you could maybe head to the general request thread and tackle a sig request somebody has put out (if there is any. Good luck, lol).
Every piece of work, regardless of whether it turns out bad or good, is a stepping stone and a lesson to you, the sigmaker, so keep working at it. Practice makes perfect. I've been playing with Photoshop on and off for four years or so, before fully committing to doing graphics two or three years ago, and it's only recently that I can really say that I've gotten into a groove. So be patient, because it's going to take a while. Just keep at it.
Asking for help/Mentoring
It's also perfectly all right to ask for help when you'd like to know how to do this or that or want to achieve this or that certain effect. We all could use a hand sometimes. Either just ask a fellow maker for tips and tricks or look up some Photoshop tutorials on the internet. (Or ask fellow makers for Photoshop tutorials on the internet.)
If you really need some guidance or want to improve, you can ask a fellow sigmaker to mentor you in some form. By this we mean that he/she becomes a somewhat personal consultant and advisor, in that you show him what you're making and have him criticize it, or asking him/her for ideas and whatnot, etc. A sort of personal student-relationship goes a long way in helping improve skills.
Resources
For sigmaking, normally you want custom brushes, custom textures, different fonts, and renders (important for requests). What you're given in your graphics software tends to get old quickly, so you want to keep adding new stuff to ensure your works do get to evolve. Plus, most if not all requests involve the depiction of a character, so you want pre-cut renders to easily integrate character pictures into your works.
Here are a few links to help you out:
PSD Renders
www.psdprotocol.com
www.psd-dreams.net/home.php
www.suitepsds.com
Fonts
www.dafont.com
Those are just a few right now, but those who have more to add are encouraged to do so.
Taking criticism
Improvement also occurs by way of being criticized, especially when you have a mentor. Don't worry, there is a difference between proper criticism and downright flaming. A flamer would just call your work "teh suxxors", but a proper critic would point out specific things that need work and tips to help improve and fix your errors. Sometimes, critics could get downright harsh, but that is really all right as long as they make valid points. Nothing lights a fire under your ass than the truth, trust us.
Constructive criticism is also a must in addition to the typical positive feedback, because you can't grow without being aware of what needs to be worked on.
Now that you've been doing quite a bit of work, you may want to...
Start your own thread
Normally it is only advisable to create your own graphics thread when you have quite a few works that are suitable enough to showcase. If you're just a beginner, this process may take a while, but it'll happen, don't you worry. You want to do this because you want to show people what you're capable of doing, and eventually you're going to impress enough people to start the requests pouring in.
As you get better, you get more popular and you get more requests, so there will be a lot for you to practice on and improve with. So keep it up, champ, you're going to be the best one day.
Most of all, have fun! Take pride and joy at the fact that you're making something pretty to show off to the world.
Anyway, that pretty much covers it for the primer on the Graphics forum. If by this you have become determined to join our little world, kudos sir or ma'am and good luck to you. In this place, there's really no way to go but up, and we're always glad to have more people join our ranks, because competition breeds quality.
Yours,
Ro & Noc