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Xaklor's Art Pile
Xaklor
#184
Test hi pt. 2
like I said I would, here’s exactly the same image done using my normal path-based approach. fortunately I did manage to figure out how to transplant my workflow experience from gimp into photoshop: apparently the “convert point” tool functions mostly how I’m used to path editing previously, which I would absolutely not have guessed from the name.
I’ll probably stick with paths for lineart, doing it the way I did last time sacrifices post-drawing malleability so once the line is drawn you can’t easily change it. I’d imagine the way to bypass this is to do 2 sketch layers, one loose and messy like my current sketch layer and one super refined sketch that’s more or less exactly where the lineart would go. the malleability would come from fussing with that refined sketch layer than the lineart layer. but tbh paths just seem better suited to someone like me who can be extremely fussy about getting things looking just right because there’s fewer steps to undo to get back into line changes, and that other option sounds like a lot of unnecessary work now that I figured out how to make photoshop paths behave the way I’m used to.
if you’re interested in a direct comparison and/or have anything to say about the differences though, here’s your side-by-side just in case:
left: “traditional” lineart
right: paths
Xaklor
#187
I’m actually quite pissed about not being able to draw and I’m gonna briefly rant about it. I used to not have any idea of what I’d like to draw back when I had more time but now I have like 5 things on my mental backlog that I want to draw and don’t have the mental energy to make any of them. preserving my sanity during this final stretch of this godawful semester is more and more becoming a full-time job to the point where I feel like it’s not actually an exaggeration when I say I spent all my “free time” playing FTL today because otherwise I’d probably break down completely. so I literally cannot afford to spend the mental resources to perform such a lengthy process that doesn’t feel rewarding until 70% of the way in because that kind of mental push needs to be reserved for work or I won’t get things done. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
this is not me trying to make excuses for not uploading, hell I let one of these threads die once. I don’t care. these are things I want to make but can’t afford to which is a very hard thing for a naturally creative person to hear. I’m just very very frustrated.
Nameness
#188
As someone who has thought up a thousand things I’d love to draw that would look so great, but is cursed with a hand that can’t even so much as draw a straight line unless I use a ruler and even then it takes like 20 tries, I can understand that, I have that frustration always
XBookwyrmX
#189
That’s me with my music lately, whether actually playing or composing. I tried fighting my feeble efforts by posting some of my attempts on the forums to hopefully motivate me, but then, y’know, family issues and all that on top of weird life started…
I must ask. I don’t know if any of you artists have a similar issue, but does your own creations start to wear on you after tackling them long enough? I seem to have to kill my own joy to offer it to others. That also puts a damper on things.
(You play FTL, Xak? c: )
GammaGamer
#190
I often find myself forcing a blank mind at night because I’ll otherwise think up a ton of ideas that I’ll never have enough time to do, whether it’s drawing-related or something else entirely. So not the exact same thing as the problem you’re dealing with, but I get where you’re coming from.
Yeah, it’s usually the largest factor that pushes me to quit. I don’t have the discipline to grind out the drawing hours when I don’t feel like it, unlike a certain forumer that I’ve spoken to quite a bit. Whatever I’m working on has to be very engaging for me to chip away at it for a long time.
Xaklor
#191
for the first 70% of the way I am perpetually disheartened and have to constantly remind myself that I am capable of art because for that first major chunk of work it just doesn’t look very good which summons the twin demons of imposter syndrome and low self-esteem. after I get through that point it starts looking reasonable and it finally comes together really well in maybe the last 10%, I have to wait that long in order to feel good about myself. that kind of tradeoff is not viable under these circumstances
I got it… 3 days ago? I legitimately bought it for research purposes, probably the first of many I will acquire along the path of professional game design. I’ve learned everything I needed to know about it, now I’m just playing for enjoyment’s sake. the neatly compartmentalized format of challenges in the game is especially helpful for maintaining interest/sanity since you get the victory feels more frequently, even if they’re in smaller doses.
PhantomMod
#194
Well first of all, congrats on making it this far in your semester, you’re at least on your final stretch before you finally get a well-deserved break (I hope)!
Honestly, drawing takes a lot of time. Like, sometimes when I return back from work, I don’t feel like drawing cuz I know it takes hours and hours of my time, but I want to destress from a hectic long day by just gaming and hanging out with my guildies, and then when it’s time to sleep I’m like “Augh I really wanted to draw that thing :<”
But at the end of the day, whatever you did after work, know that you did it as a way of coping with the stress. Drawing in itself isn’t necessarily stressful, but it requires a lot of time, so just know that by playing nothing but FTL or other games, don’t ever see that as a waste of time or a “Man, I could have drawn instead” moment, cuz trust me, when you’re stressed out, you tend not to draw as well as you normally could when not under pressure or burden.
As a good friend once told me, success in creating a piece isn’t defined by how many likes your work gets, but rather whether you love your own creation, and whether you’ve made at least one other person smile. We’re prone to comparing our works with others, resulting in self-doubt and the dreaded impostor syndrome clouding over us, but everyone starts somewhere, has their own pace, etc. In the end as an art community, we aren’t competitive (unless you participate in those art competitions DECA hosts heh), each of us is simply crafting our own art journey and story, and what matters most is whether you enjoy and love doing what you make, cuz if you don’t, there’d be no reason to push on amirite? I know, easier said than done, but it’s a good mindset to adopt when you want to maintain your drive for the long run! :>
You’ll sail through the storm, I know it, and when you finally do, we’re all waiting here in open arms as what you guys have done for me during my darkest moments. Best of luck!
Xaklor
#195
I suppose I at least have this thing I can show off
see, another reason why I haven’t been letting myself do art things is because one of my final projects was an art thing, so if I tried drawing for myself I’d be constantly feeling like “why aren’t I doing this for class? it’s the same thing”. the project was to 3D model a weapon of choice using Maya, and then create a UV map and texture the model. the instructor didn’t care whether the weapon was from some existing game or was an original, so I did the sword from my Chaos Knight drawing here on the thread. I had to update it to make the weapon a bit more complex though, but I think the newer version looks nicer. so I’ve got two things here: the first is the base drawing that I used as a reference, and the second is a rendered image using Arnold after looking up a brief tutorial on how to make non-shitty renders. the instructor originally wanted us to put the model into Unreal Engine, but apparently that takes up like 35GB of space which I don’t have and it’s not worth it just to grab a single screenshot.
Updated Chaos Blade
reference drawing, both for 3D modeling and for future Chaos Knight drawings
Arnold render with some basic settings and a few material tweaks to my existing texture map
XBookwyrmX
#198
Yeah. I was just reading the last of all the threads I’m tracking when I saw this pop up. 