Arte e Tutorial

A collection of artworks and tutorial that I found surfing the net. *DEVIANTART* *PIXIV* *TUMBLR*

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PixZels by @pixel_Salvaje

PixZel: A 3d Pixelart program for Top-Down and isometric solutions. #NotAi

Amazing tool for Pixel Art!!

[holyelfgirl]

Visual Novel background asset creation

In this post, I want to share my experience creating the backgrounds for the visual novel "Nobody Closed the Sarcophagi."​​  You can play it for free here: https://dontsaycat.itch.io/nobody-closed-the-sarcophagi

This was my first visual novel, so I made several noob mistakes.​​

​Initial mistake: composition!For the crypt, I initially imagined a composition that placed the focal point —the coffins—at the bottom of the background. I hadn't taken into account that in visual novels, the bottom is often hidden by the text box gui, so the focal point must be placed at the top of the composition.​ Keep the gui on a layer, to check that composition will work in the most part of the game.

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Here the text box cover my focal point, meanwhile the top doesn’t contain any interesting element

At this point I started over again, also because the project leader wanted sarcophagi in the crypt and not wooden coffins.​​

​​3D Block out​To better explore different compositions and viewpoints and to have a good perspective and shadow guide, I created a 3D block out, modeling simple geometric shapes with Blender.​​

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Paintover

​In the next step I took different screenshots from blender, and opened them in photoshop to paint over them, adding lights, lineart, shadows, marble textures, tiny details.  ​​

Refine ​In the end I fixed some perspective, using Lazy Nezumi plugin in Photoshop. Then I adjusted values, adding lights on the room surface and on focal point. I also added a noise filter layer in overlay mode to have another texture and making the image less polish and “digital”.​

Checking background values for readability and mood

During every step I keep the navigator open in photoshop, to have a small thumbnail of the image where I can always check the readability of the image through values. Another useful tool to check is the values diagram (shortcut CTRL + L). It shows the distribution of tones in the image. As you can see, the diagram is concentrated in the left area, that means the image has more dark tones than midtones or light tones. It makes sense for a mysterious mood, but don't let your hand slip away. You can fix the balance of the values sliding the arrows in the bottom.

The version with closed sarcophagi is related to a happy ending, so I added more light on this version to convey a more relaxed mood. 

Checking background interaction with gui and characters

The background values must work in the image alone. But they also need to work when the background interacts with other elements such as gui and characters. The current composition works with gui much better than the first one with coffins. Characters must stand out, and interact with the background in a balanced way through values and colors. A useful trick is to check the image without saturation, in black and white, to spot immediately if some element is not readable at first sight. 

Export format to optimize loading We developed the visual novel in Renpy and people could play the game in the browser. At first I exported every background in png format. But to keep size small and speed up in-game loading, all images have been exported again in webp format.  

Re-use of assets and layer organization We had only one month to finish the game and I needed to maximize every asset I drew, so we decided to use this background for the game menu, story moments, flashbacks, ect. I need different elements (such as the lids) on separate layers to create little variation starting from the same image (sarcophagi opened, closed, ect.).​

For the flashback I create a new layer filled with yellow/brown in color mode

I re-use assets for the ballroom background too. I draw a single scene in big size, and I already know that some area will be hidden by people at the party. The hidden part, zoomed, become a new background.

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https://www.artstation.com/artwork/xJ8YYR https://www.artstation.com/artwork/Gab2OB https://www.artstation.com/artwork/NGwbPD https://www.artstation.com/artwork/klEKxK https://www.artstation.com/artwork/8welOw

[retronator]

It’s been almost 2 years since Savior completed its Kickstarter campaign, and oh boy was this blog in need of an update of awesome GIFs and environments from my most anticipated parkour/fighting game.

What’s extra interesting about their backer updates is that you get to see a lot of locations in their concept art phases (drawn by Robert Borth), which is not something we often see for pixel art games, especially concept illustrations with such clean execution.

It’s even more amazing when you get to see these turned into gorgeous, animated pixels by Weston Tracy and the team.

We also got a decent look into Savior’s features and story back in March during the Future Games Spring Showcase:

If you want to follow the development of Starsoft’s debut title, hop over to their website for social media links.

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One of the best video tutorial ever. So full of content. Every important topic about illustration is covered in just 48 minutes!

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Gear tutorial in photoshop

[willow-s-linda]

[willow-s-linda]

Oh look, I found a weird looking mouse

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Designing Lighting and Composition by Sam Nielson

Let's watch another excerpt of our IAMAG Master Classes Video Library, this time with Sam Nielson and his talk about Designing Lighting and Composition,

[stepbysteps]

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[artmagine]

Top 12 alternatives to Photoshop for digital painters and illustrators

Hello there!

Yes, we haven’t done this in a while… but our inbox and chat are swamped with questions on the subject, so this article was very much needed.

it’s a simple list of art apps, but we know you love those :D

Enough with the intro, here it is, a list of twelve art apps you may want to check out.

ArtRage is an art program for beginners and professionals. With its minimal interface, it’s easy to keep the essential tools at hand without stealing space from the canvas. Panels can be moved around and tools can be customised. We all know how important it is for digital artists to be able to modify brushes!

Pros: easy to use; friendly interface; essential tools from professional apps available; available for iOS, Android, Windows and Mac

Cons: it may get sluggish with big files and when using big brushes, but performances also depend on the running machine; limited selection of editing tools if compared to Photoshop - ArtRage is more of a painting program rather than an editing one.

Paid

ArtRage Lite is a different version at a cheaper price, mostly for beginners, but also for professionals if they need the essential.

Now free, Sketchbook is the famous app created by Autodesk for various platforms.

Pros: clean, friendly interface; easy to use; professional features

Cons: lack of official tutorials; doesn’t offer as many tools as other apps (it’s down to the essential); paid subscription in Adobe style for multiple licenses

Free and paid

Black Ink is a powerful little program few actually know, but there’s a reason: this isn’t your classing drawing app. What’s cool about it is the vast selection of special brushes, completely non-realistic, and definitely able to boost your creativity.

Pros: vast selection of customisable brushes; excellent performance

Cons: not very easy to use; non-intuitive interface

Paid

This is probably the most complete software for painting, drawing and animation. It was originally known as Manga Studio, but with its updates and addition of features, it became Clip Studio Paint. 

This doesn’t say much about the quality of the features themselves considering the affordable price (if you haven’t used the app yet, that is), but among graphic apps, this one is the top seller.

Pros: professional features for illustrators; layout tools for comic/manga artists; 3D reference models; customisable tools; various sales with special prices

Cons: the interface may not appear intuitive at first; the program may lag (again, performance also depends on the running machine)

Paid

GIMP is the famous open source image editor originally created for GNU/Linux and available for OS X and Windows. 

Best known as Photoshop’s main competition, this is a manipulation program for both beginners and professionals who love design.

It offers many professional features, making the program a powerful tool.

Pros: professional editing tools; supports different formats; supported by different platforms; active community

Cons: in spite of the simple design, many options are hidden and it takes time to discover all the features; slow startup

Free

Krita is an open source painting app created by artists for artists.

Pros: easy to use; intuitive interface; great brush workflow; brush stabilizer; customisable brushes; general good performance; very enthusiastic, although small, community

Cons: it may be slow or even crash depending on the running computer and the app’s version; very few editing tools compared to Photoshop

Free

MediBang Paint is a free and light app for drawing and painting, perfect for manga and comic creation.

Pros: vast selection of brushes; cloud sharing; friendly, minimal interface (non-desktop app); also available for iPad, iPhone and Android

Cons: requires an account to use all features; non-intuitive interface (desktop version)

Free

Mischief is a sketching app with essential tools, useful for brainstorming and ideation.

Pros: infinite drawing canvas; friendly interface; easy to use; cheap pro version

Cons: few updates; offers only the essential (but that’s the point); no editing/adjustment tools

Free and paid

Corel’s jewel, Painter is the most famous software that offers digital tools able to give a traditional feel to brushes and canvas.

Pros: different selection of media; many professional features; PS-friendly

Cons: certain brushes may work slow; not easy to use at first; the software may crash (this is the most common report); pricey

Paid

Paintstorm Studio is a professional software for digital painting. It’s focused on the use of brushes and blending, which makes the software a little gem in the digital painting field.

Pros: good brush workflow; brush stabilizer; “close gap” feature; customisable interface and tools; professional features; affordable price

Cons: non-intuitive interface (desktop version)

Paid

Procreate is the powerful drawing app for iOS. 

With the very sensitive Apple Pencil, Procreate is so easy to use that many artists chose the iPad over the most famous graphic tablets.

Pros: friendly interface; makes it easy to organise files; excellent brush workflow; customisable brushes; video recording; affordable price

Cons: hidden features; only available for iPad

Paid

SAI is a simple app for artists who want to focus on painting and drawing. 

It’s well known for its good pressure support and its essential tools for manga artists, but SAI can be used by any kind of artist who wants to paint.

Pros: easy to use; friendly interface; light software; customisable brushes; tons of (non-official) tutorials

Cons: limited selection of tools, even basic ones; limited canvas sizes and uses; it might crash from intensive work, especially with big canvases and brushes; supports only RGB colour mode; lack of support

Paid

We hope you’ll find this list useful. 

If you think there are other apps that should have made this list, don’t hesitate to let us know!

Thank you and peace out,

G&M

Buy us a coffee ❤

Other articles:

10 inspiring and helpful YouTube channels for digital artists

6 inspiring Art Podcasts for digital artists

7 amazing Photoshop extensions and tools for digital artists

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