Welcome to Gaia! ::

Post your tips and hints here for any part of the processes involved in graphic design and illustration, from getting inspiration, sketching ideas, using a scanner, using image editing programs, to the finished product, and anything else along the way.

Even if its something simple thats become second nature to you, post it here anyway, because it might take someone else ages to figure out on their own!

These hints will form an article in the first issue of the guild website, so make sure theres lots of them!

the smudge tool can be used to blend two images together with a sort of frayed dusty look. if the smudge too you have makes a pixelated mess, you can use the touch-up brush tool to smooth it out ^_^

using a very pixelated image? try using the smudge too or the touch-up tool (name and functions of these tools change with programs, beware!) to smooth it down to more unifor colors. this works great with cartoon images, or image with large solid parts.

- If you are using Photoshop to cg your art, never use the Dodge/Burn tools to create highlights or shadows, as this will result in those areas being really oversaturated, and the colours won't match up nicely.

- plan out what colours you are going to use, and try to but in all the base colours first, to see how they work together, as the way that a colour is perceived depends on the colours around it.

- although it always seems annoying and pointless to people who just start out drawing, try to use geometric shapes, and roughly sketch the entire figure before adding details. This will prevent the heartache of spending ages on a beautiful face, and realising that there isn't enough room on the page for legs!

- save often. Losing hours of work is PAINFUL.

- when colouring, always keep the light source in mind. Draw a little arrow on the side of the page if you forget easily.

- have the right equipment! Crappy paper or erasers can ruin a great piece of artwork.

- if you have trouble finding the right colours (I usually find skin tones a bit hard), grab a picture that seems to have the effect you want, and eyedrop the colours from there.

- most people have a lot of trouble with hands; I find its helpful to always keep in mind that fingers have joints and so aren't just straight sausages, and they are not all the same length. Study your own hands to gain confidence drawing them 3nodding

- highlights will reflect the colour of the light, and shadows will be the contrasting colour. For example, in yellow light, highlights will have a yellowy tinge, and shadows will have a blue/purple tinge. Shadows are not usually black, because pure white light doesn't occur often in real life.

-- In digital coloring, always try to keep seperate parts of different layers, for easier editing. You can always merge them later.

-- Try to keep file names and layer names sensible. Things get very messy when you have names that make no sense.

-- For traditional work, be careful to store your finished work carefully. You never know when you might want it again.

-- When choosing fonts for webpages/posters/etc., make sure they are readable. No one wants to squint for half an hour to figure out the meaning of one sentence.

-- Avoid sTicKy CaPs, "SHOUTING", and l33t as much as possible. These get on people's nerves easily.

-- For traditional artists and photographers: Don't forget to crop off excess areas! Much blank space takes attention away from your subject. This goes for digital artists too!

-- Don't forget to resize your pictures! Unless they are small to begin with, you should resize. Large images eat up bandwidth at alarming rates, load slowly, and are a general pain-in-the-butt for those who want to take just a quick look.

-- For those working with markers: Put extra sheets of scrap paper underneath your drawing! Otherwise, the ink can bleed through and ruin your table.

Keep a sketchbook with you when you can, so you can draw whenever inspiration strikes 3nodding Draw as much as possible, and sign and date everything, so you can see your progress.

Draw by looking at people, or photos if you're not fast enough. Try not to draw by looking at artwork of others, as that is their interpretation of reality, and you won't learn or develop essential skills by copying their way of doing it.

Listen to music, pose in front of a mirror, flick through a magazine, or look at other people's artwork if you're feeling uninspired or in an artist's block.

Arararaa I am so tired sad

More tips please! I'll be compiling these tips when I finish all the other stuff thats piled up...

Just to let you guys know that I'll be compiling these for the article over the next couple of days, so if you have a tip you'd like to share, get it in now!