Computers and Drawings

[kozik]

I tried to post this over at the comment board for Scrojo's bad assed poster,but it got mangled.

Hey Art Chantry-altho i know you are computer-phobic I will try to explain how it works when it comes to drawing with a computer-

You basically can't. Even with a fancy drawing tablet. It's impossible. Lord knows I've tried.

When we start babbling bout this remember-if you see a drawing, it IS a drawing. We just use the computers to gussy it up and so forth.

In the old days, someone like Craig would ink something using a brush. I agree this is a lost art. I have tried to to it for years,but lack the skill.

so what i do is ink it with a rapidograph and
'fake in' the line weight variance. I suspect many of us do this.

Then I want to clean up the drawing and put it 'into' a design. This is where the computer comes in. it's basically used as a super xerox machine/stat camera.

only it's a LOT easier and faster.

so...when you scan something into the computer
you have to do it in a 'pixel' based format. Basically your a taking a 'tonal' photo of the image, and what you see is actually made up of millions of little dots in different shades of color. But-you don't want that...you want the image to print as a clean hard-edged 'line'.

Therefore, the image, must be 'converted' into what is called a 'vector' based OBJECT.

this is done by a variety of methods, which ones are the subject of all the 'tech talk'

a vector object basically means it has become something that can be stretched, re-seized infinitely and you will not lose any of the detail or 'crispness' you make your image ANY size and it will retain it's value.

This is fucking MAGICAL when it comes to laying stuff out.

now, the mathematical formula used is based on
'bezier' curves. They are based on the 'spiral ratio' found in nature...like a nautilus shell and add a super-nice 'sweet' look to the line work. Just like the brush used to do.


you should really come here and fuck around on my computers Art...you might have fun.

[scrojo]

once again....i agree w/ kozik. i have tried and will continue trying to master 'the brush'...but.... there are huge problems when it comes to converting 'original' art to electronic imagery. the weapon of choice i've picked is 'illustrator'. this has great advantages to sending and/or saving files but the 'conversion' can be brutal. this is why i've found new ways of 'inking' my art directly in illustrator. i still have my 'dog-eared' sketch pad to get the meat of a design but after i scan it....

[MaximumFluoride]

I can draw with my computer tablet just fine. I have to do it all day long working on video game graphics. It takes years of practice.

I prefer to do stuff by hand. I have been trying to go back to using a brush for inking my work. I find it only really works well when I'm doing cartoon based characters. The real detailed intense stuff I still do with a pen. I generaly convert my scanned ink drawings and vectorise them in Adobe Streamline. It's simply amazing how good a job it does. You just need the patiience to learn the settings. Jermaine posted his settings a while back and I wish he would again here for our benefit. Whatever he does it works really well.

I wish I knew all of Mr Chantrys old school tricks but, I don't. I'm a computer geek and sadly a bit of a Luddite at the same time. I hate my stupid computer but I make my living with it.

[El Negro Magnifico!]

This is what I was hoping to see, intelligent conversation on the use of computers in art. As to what scrojo was alluding to in the poster comments, I've been amazed time and time again by what he comes up with at Shane Gline's Drawing Board. Shane, when he gets the chance(he's a busy dude)posts photo reference(usually stars from a bygone era)and artists from all over the world take a shot at re-interpreting it. Scrojo tens to come up with the shit that makes everyone go "Damn!"(Including me, and I have yet to post anything) And he doesn't have a big head...he shares his knowledge. If I get a chance to post his Illustrator tutorial, I will.

I forgot to mention that a lot of these "Drawing Class" creations end up as fuckin' dope posters!

[artboy]

Damn man...all this time I thunk 'puters was only fer porn and chattin'. Goes ta show, you ain't never to old to get learnin'.
Just joking guys and girls, I used to think that my computer was the devil, now I know it is...I guess if it's the devil, I'm goin' straight to hell.
On a serious note, I pretty much suck at drawing with a computer ( a million jokes could go here, I'll bite my lip ) so I draw everything with pens,,,Double ended Sharpies are straight from Heaven,,, and just scan them in and colorize them.

[mike king]

i think mr. kozik’s description of the computer as a super xerox machine is dead on. i started out drawing, then moved on to xerox machines, many years ago before they had machines that would enlarge, just a little bird chipping away at a stone tablet. the computer seemed to be a natural extention of the copy machine, a more efficiant way of combining drawing, photos, type or whatever. i do find i spend alot of time trying to make stuff i’ve done on computer to look more like a xerox machine.

[El Negro Magnifico!]

http://pub54.ezboard.com/bcartoonand...nparadise66133 ...is the place ta be! All mediums are represented there.
http://www.shaneglines.com

[RichieGoodtimes]

Here's my pretty standard procedure for getting B&W artwork from paper into Illustrator.
I'll usually work so that I can get the biggest scan possible on my cheapo 8.5 x 11 Umax. Scan the line art at 300dpi in bitmap, not greyscale. Scanning at 600 or higher might seem better, but it isn't. Streamline will start to pick up the edges more and increase points in the artwork.
Bring it into Streamline. Here's my usual settings, but these aren't always what I use...sometimes I gotta fuck with them, usually up on the noise suppression, but never down, cause you get too many extra points on the lines.
Here they are:
Method: Outline
Noise Suppression: 24
Tolerance:1 (tight)
Lines:5 (curved)
Now I can't remember which menu it's under in 4.0, but I'll clean up or reduce points once or twice after I've converted the artwork.
Save and open in Illustrator.

[art chantry]

xxoo

[JGex]

All the images used here are hand drawn and then scanned into the comp for finessing, colorizing & separating. Sure, both Jeff & myself are pretty proficient with an Xacto & ruby/amberlith, but the computer is far more time efficient and sometimes THAT is ultimately a deciding factor in what tool is used.

Computers don't draw or design... they are only as skilled as the person operating it and, like someone said, can produce the same effects as the old school way of doing things if you know how to manipulate them well.

I doubt very seriously if anyone over 30 who uses a computer heavily now in their design work, hasn't used every other tool at some point in their career to create.