Topic: BalanceArt

Now that I'm finally on fast internet... :D  I'll be practicing PhotoShop now and then, and thought I'd post the finished ones in a thread...seeing as most of them have something to do with Star Wars anyway.  I might actually do a Mandalorian next...depends on how busy I am, but anyways, here's a very rough, small sketch of my character from the Stolen Bride RPG...



Feel free to comment, especially if you could offer some Photoshop tips...I draw way too fast, so I do most of the polishing up on the computer.

Very funky ;)

That looks cool :)

I dont know what reference you use to begin with so I have no advice to give you on that.... Just, with Photoshop if you want to improve, visit www.pixel2life.com I always have it open whenever I'm working on something.

Absolutely no reference at all. Kinda taught myself, which is obvious...I know jack-squat about layers and all that.   
Which is why tips would be great, but I'll definetely check out that link.  :)
...off to work on another piece....

All right...GAAAGH, I'm so lazy...it'd look a lot better if I went over it with a pen or something...grrr....
Here's a quickie Mandalorian.  Bleh.

nice, i like the style. :)

Thanks :)...If only I knew how to...
Daenna, I don't know if you'll read this, but I was wondering how you trace the sketches with pen...how you do it anyway, because the penciling looks horrible in PhotoShop.  :(

Aaand...I tried pen this time.

Sveet!  I finally did something that looks almost good!

I'm getting closer...anyway, some concept of Tussok from the Stolen Bride RPG.  Because I love concept art, that's why. 

You have a nice style of art. I like the grudgy style of the outlines of the pics. My favorite is the first of your RPG charecter.

TW

Prorgress on Tussok:

Looks kind of like a Tomy Hilgfligher shirt. :P


TW

Wow, you're improving by the hour! Very nice coloring there, Balance. Keep it up!

I like the style, nice job.

Thanks everyone.  :)  I'm also doing this partly to get a portfolio together for a scholarship next year...heehee, thanks Deanna, I think it is getting better...someday, I might even be better than you.  :P

nice job. but hasn't any one told your friend smokng is bad for him? lol j/p

Those are great. I am a pretty good artist (drawing, not painting), but only drawing characters. I cannot draw vehicles, or animals, etc. Anyways, those are awesome.

hey they have a How-to-draw starwars characters/ and maybe other stuff too/ book coming out soon, im going to pick that up so one day  i can draw!

Wow, great color balancesheet!! :D

TW

Thanks everyone. :) 
Next...either another Mandalorian, another Stolen Bride RPG character, or some random merc.  Don't know when I'll have time for it, though.

I like Tussok! He looks great.

You could, but then I'm tempted to say, with an Arnold Schwartzenegger voice: "YOU LACK DISCIPLINE" but yes, who knows with a lot of money you could take digi-art classes like normal people.... But I'm naturally strong in the photoshop-Force ;)

Yeah...I certianly hope I can get some good experience here in college, but...I don't know if that's going to happen.  :(
Anyways, here's something I slapped together for the Stolen Bride RPG. 

like the lizard art...bares a loose resembles to bossk. at anyrate, very nice.

Thanks...I've been improving, believe it or not, just haven't bothered to do any SW specific stuff for a while. 
Here's an incarnation of my RPG character.  ^_^  I'm working on a better one though...

improvement has been...staggering. im really impressed.
very cool rpg by the way.

you got skillz balance, keep it up.

who is that character balance sheet??

Dude, thats cool man. How long did it take to do it?

I don't know, quickie mandalorian is still my favorite =P. Nice job though, one question... why is his head on fire?

i think cos hes evil....

lol, I dunno.  It gave it better ambience, balanced the lighting out since he doesn't have a face.  :P
Go to the Grindhouse RPG and read my entry if you want to know what my character's like.  ^_^  He's loosely based off of Alucard from Hellsing and Canti from FLCL, and the best part is that he exists as multiple incarnations, so I can keep drawing him until I get something really awesome...working on the one for the RPG now, it's going to be good.  ;) 

Um....about an hour, methinks.  I don't remember exactly, but most of my pieces take about an hour to do, unless there's something wrong with the design and I need to go back to square one. 

Thanks for the comments everyone, much appreciated.  :)  Thanks cujo...glad I could impress you, hope I can keep it up.  ;)

yeah, that picture was cooool!

Pretty rushed...I don't have much time to sit down for hours on end to make everything perfect.  Not the one I was planning to do, but oh well.

That is great! The bit of blurrines makes it rather eerie.

What do you draw with Balance, my sister is trying to get that look in her artwork.

I use a drawing tablet (pretty cheap one, the good ones are expensive but a $60 one works fine for me)  and Photoshop. 
The trick is to do a lot of layering, and knowing your way around the visual effects.  This particullar one used the lighting effects tool heavily, some dust+scratches distortion, diffuse glow, and some other stuff I don't remember. 
What you do with the drawing tablet, is sketch out the different areas (foreground, midground, background, etc)  in different layers. Once you've got the sketch worked out, select the area you want for a certian color with the lasso (magnetic usually) tool, create a new layer, and pour that color into the selection.  Then I use lots of the burn/dodge tools to darken and lighten different parts of the area...
it's a bit complicated, but another important thing is something I only learned very recently, to make sure the outline of your figure/environment reflects the lighting properly.  While that isn't quite the case with this one, you can see the light reflecting off of Hun's shoulder and head...just use the paintbrush tool and lower the opacity to match the intensity.  O_o 

lol, if she doesn't have a drawpad, she might want to consider getting one....I can't imagine working without it now, it should help her dramatically.  ;)

My latest for the Grindhouse.

Sweet drawings BalanceSheet. :cool:

Very cool, I lack the patience (and knowledge) to draw things on the computer.  We had to use photoshop as part of a project for school.  Frustrated the heck out of me.  All the layers confused me.

Heh, it's not that difficult when you get the hang of it...I only started using layers about a year ago, and I can't imagine doing anything complex without them anymore.  Try a simplified version like Photoshop Elements if you're a beginner, it's a bit more user friendly.  ^_^

And my latest and greatest....don't ask.  :P 

AWSOME work BalanceSheet..... i saw a really great computer art piece some where and i wanted to start some computer star wars art does any body know a website that shows me what to do?

Well, if you're starting without much knowledge, I'd suggest you get a copy of Photoshop somehow (Photoshop Elements is relatively cheap and easy to use), and start messing around with it. 
http://www.pixel2life.com/
I've been recommended this site quite a bit, never used it though, but there's some good tips and pointers there.
But as for a tutorial, can't say I know any good ones....I've been messing around with Photoshop for a few years now, just start practicing until you get some of the base techniques down.

Nice pic, not sure what it is though :/ .........Still good! :D

All of us sitting at the card table from Grindhouse RP would be a good one.

I'll give it a try today.  If I have time.

Sorry It's gone now

Well, I'm supposed to mention a description of my character from Grindhouse. Can't wait to see another. I enjoyed the last one you did for me. Thank you very Much Balancesheet.

Hmm, let me think...Kin Fauller...
Standard Imperial Uniform including the hat if you don't mind, pick a color I don't care which. Tanned jacket going down to the knee with four pockets on the inside and a blaster loop. I don't care if you go to the effort of actually drawing them. And two on the outside. dark hair, grey eyes. Of course the heavy repeater. Place the Imperial symbol in as many places as you want, just everywhere if possible.

I know the description's kind of weak but I hadn't really thought of the character too much. If it turns out looking terrible I don't mind if you tweak it a little.

K, I'm on it.  ^_^  It's no problem for me. I'm aspiring to be a concept artist, which entitles drawing what people tell me to, so if you ever want anything rendered, just let me know and if I have time I'll get on it for you.

And for you, Maltese.