Posts tagged tips

tSo, with Christmas around the corner, I’d like to spread word about this magnificent device here called the Motion Computing LE1700. What is it, exactly? Well, it’s a computer, obviously, but what makes it unique is its screen works just like a Wacom. Yup, this thing is its very own Cintiq, only it’s a computer itself — so no hassling around with hooking it up to another computer.

How good is it?

Put shortly; GOOD. very impressive for how old this thing is. It was originally released in 2007 running Win XP, but can be upgraded to Win 7 like mine. It runs beautifully considering its age, and it does well with Photoshop, SAI and especially Sketchbook Pro. I’ve been using this thing for nearly a year and it has yet to let me down.

That said, lets take a look at the specs (or you can go here to fill yourself in, but I’ll go ahead and point out the things an artist would want to know).

Yes, the stylus has pressure sensitivity — 256 points to be exact. That’s a little below the standard Wacom, but it’s hard to see the difference in my opinion. Currently, my LE1700 boasts a 30GB HDD and 2GB of RAM, though it can be upgraded to greater heights. The screen resolution is pretty damn spiffy, too (1400x1050). You can also find them with a special “View Anywhere” screen, though that jacks the price up pretty high. It depends on where you get this baby and who refurbished it. I got mine from a refurbishing company called U.S. Micro on Ebay for around $459.99. They seem pretty legit.

The downside to these pieces of hardware is their shitty battery lives. You’ll at most get an hour if you’re lucky. It sort of defeats the purpose of it being portable, but you can attach a battery extension. It also gets very hot, but with how cold it is now, it works well as a lap-heater.

Keep in mind that these are discontinued, so you’ll most likely have to settle for a used one, but don’t let that deter you. These things are a gift from God to artists everywhere. They are your personal, compact, intuitive and beautiful computerized sketchbooks, and you’ll always want to keep drawing with them.

Check out the crap I’ve made with it here if you wish, or go write this baby down on your Christmas wishlist. Good luck, and keep striving!

(Oh, and I might as well add; if you want to know something about this, just ask me a question. I know a shitton about this thing.)

amazinglyartisticadvice:

that if you don’t have fixative on hand, hair spray works.

(via art-and-sterf)

simonist:

via Vilppu store

The Basic Procedure
You should do each drawing using the same series of steps until it becomes second nature to you, like how driving a car becomes almost automatic. Start the drawing with simple lines that take in the total action of the figure, without worrying about the shape. A simple sequence of steps is indicated in the following examples. Remember, there are no rules, just tools!

Step One
Start with   a simple oval for the head, imagining a central axis so that the oval clearly represents the tilt and lean of your subject. Use a simple “dot” on the top to indicate when the head is tilting toward you, and possibly an ellipse for the eyes to help show more clearly the action of the head.

Step Two
Draw a line from the head, representing the neck. This line is not necessarily any actual contour or line that you see on the model but a general feeling of the attitude of the model. Continue this line, representing the neck, pulling from the head, into the upper body down to the hips. You should be more concerned with the how the lines show the action of the model, rather than any actual line that you see on the model. Look at the examples on this page to see the variety of ways that this can be accomplished. These are not the traditional stick figures that you see in many basic books on drawing. They are lines that show the flow of the movement and relationship of the parts in a simple way.

Step Three
Continue in the same way, drawing the legs. Notice that all of the lines do not have to be connected. Remember, there are no rules, just tools. It is important to remember the simple fact that what the viewer sees is the lines you put down on the paper. The lines have to convey the sense of action in your subject by themselves. To give a sense of movement and continuity, you must draw each line in such a way as to have one line lead you into the next.

Step Four
Now, add the arms and hands in the same manner that we drew the legs. Again, they do not necessarily have to be attached but must indicate the movement and general placement.

In practice, these steps should take you a maximum of 30 seconds with 10 to 15 seconds being the average.

You should practice these simple steps as often as you can. In a regular day class I will have the students doing this lesson for six hours.

Continue this simple first step in feeling the form, then go a step further and start pushing outward with your lines. “Feel” how forms contract and stretch, pinch and expand. Look at the sample drawings.

The hardest part of this lesson is to overcome the desire to copy the model. Remember, we never copy the model but analyze it.

By Glenn Vilppu

arttoolsandtips:

All you really need is a pencil and paper to create. In short this means that buying a 1000$ graphics tablet will not suddenly improve how you draw anatomy.

Also before buying certain materials always research them, such as markers and if you need specific paper for them.

(Source: )

silveray:

Oh!! This is just what I needed.

Also, When did I unfollow Silveray?? I feel like I have commited a crime.

(via )

foervraengd:

PROTIP: In order to keep up with time between breaks, play a soundtrack or song or music that you know is EXACTLY 1 or 2 hours. Once the music has ended, you can take your break. I find this method much more effective than having to look at the clock.

And the break can be about 15-20 minutes, during the break you can procrastinate, eat something like lunch, and stretch :3

(Please like and reblog this. It’s important to take breaks when drawing for a long time.)