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Post by The Herald on May 31, 2007 22:51:50 GMT
I remember my art teacher from high school teaching me some basic tricks to drawing a natural looking face. These tips have helped me on many occasions, and I hope they do the same for you. Step One:First, lightly draw an oval shape, like an upside down egg. Section it with slightly curved horizontal reference lines, also lightly drawn. You will need to erase these reference lines later, so make them as faint as you can. The first line should be where the centers of both eyes will be, at the approximated halfway point between the top and bottom of the oval. The line below that should be representative of the tip of the nose. Use your own judgment to place the third line, which is to be the line separating the top lip from the bottom. These are mere reference points and do not need to be perfect. Step One Step Two:Now it is time to add in some specific features. I prefer to start with the eyes. Start basic with an outline and make sure both eyes match. The irises are generally not completely visible. They are semi-circles, the top obscured by the eyelid, unless you want to make the eyes wide with surprise. The best way to see an example of certain expressions is to look in the mirror and make faces. It sounds like lunacy, but it is very practical when drawing character’s facial expressions. I try to begin with light pencil strokes, gradually shading in the darker lines, periodically stepping back from the sketch to see if it appears to be symmetrical. A good tip to remember for the eyes is that they are approximately one eye width apart. Imagine three eyes touching corner to corner, and then erase the center eye. It is better, however, to only imagine the center eye, because that would be too much erasing and would probably leave a smudge. The bridge of the nose is shading only. It is best not to draw a definitive line because you are trying to make it look three dimensional, not cartoonish. Even the faint lines in the picture of Step Two seem too obvious to me. The mouth is very tricky. The line separating the lips is the only definitive line that should be drawn. The rest is all shading. The top lip is generally a shade darker than the lower. Soft, subtle shading is the best way to show the curve of the lips. Another tip: The corners of the mouth are almost directly below the center of each eye. It varies slightly person to person, but it is a good rule to follow when drawing fictional characters. Again, use your own face as reference for smiles, frowns, etc. Step Two Step Three:Details! This is where you shape the jaw, and then erase the extraneous lines you drew for general reference. Decide on a hairstyle. Add glasses or a pierced eyebrow. Create whatever look floats your boat. Step Three Starting light and gradually shading in details is always a good idea when drawing facial features. Use your finger to smudge in some of the shading. Also, practice. It takes time to get used to working with any medium, and faces are especially tricky to make convincing. I hope some of my tips help.
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Post by The Herald on May 31, 2007 22:52:35 GMT
Name? Aaron Montgomery Lurie Age? 17 Hobbies? Sketching, designing, shatting, listening to music Gallery/website? babykeii.deviantart.comI've decided to interview someone outside of SSD. Tell us, Aaron, how did you get into designing, and why?I was actually exposed to designing and arts at a young age. At 6, I started scribbling and sketching comic strips. From 7 to 12, I enjoyed doing Arts in school, and constantly topped the class. It was then that I really found my passion in drawing and designing. From then onwards, I continued doing what I love, and here I am. Seems like you have quite a long history with designing and drawing. I suppose you would consider yourself as a traditional artist, rather than a digital artist, then?Actually, I enjoy doing it both ways. But I'm definitely better with the pen (or pencil) than with the mouse. I would consider myself more of a traditional artist, though, since most of my works are drawn or painted. Ah. I see your works are mainly inspired by mangas and animes. What do you think you've learned from reading the mangas?Well, perspective and human anatomy, I guess. Looking at the mangas and how they draw body shapes, poses, positions, stances etc., it really taught me quite a bit. And, of course, drawing cute figures helps me get the girls. Haha, so that's how you get the girls! I should do that sometime. So, other than mangas, where do you draw inspiration from?Many places: Works of past artists like Leonardo Da Vinci and Salvador Dali, various artists on deviantART, from my surroundings, and spur-of-the-moment inspirations. I could just draw a piece of chest armour, and, after a while, end up with a fully-armed robot instead. Ah, I see. Since you've mentioned deviantART, are there any particular artists you look up to on deviantART?Two, actually. Kriswilson, the fabulous maker of the "Cyanide and Happiness" comic strip series, and Orioto, for his amazing ability to come up with people with such realism, and yet feels surrealistic. How about real life artists?Tetsuya Nomura, the illustrator for Final Fantasy! Final Fantasy is a fantastic game. So, is designing a hobby? Are you planning to develop it into something more?I would definitely be developing it into my profession. In fact, I'm already on the path of doing so, seeing how I'm already working in the graphics/advertising line. But even then, I still enjoy designing and arts as my hobby. Random sketches, paintings, just for the fun of it! -laughs- Alright, any words of wisdom for new inspiring designers and artists?Be yourself, and let yourself go. Pen/sketch it out. You'll never know what to expect. Ignore what people may think, just do it. And before we end the interview... any last words?I'm still very much an amateur, and still have lots of things more to learn. Do comment on my pieces, and give me some advices, if you have them! Ah, always humble, always humble. So here's Aaron, folks. I must say, most of his best works aren't published in his deviantART account, which is a pity, I feel. I've seen some of them, and they're marvelous. You can quote me on that.
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Post by The Herald on May 31, 2007 22:53:51 GMT
lars-rasmussen.deviantart.com/Lars Rasmussen, born in Denmark, has the most wonderful talent for showing detail, yet if you look really closely at his paintings, the brush strokes are large and the details seem to blend into the rest of the image. Obviously interested in both fantasy and science-fiction artworks, Lars has done very few actual illustrations. His job in the advertising industry needing him to focus more on layouts. However, the illustrations he has done are simply superb and I can't wait to see more! matthewallsopp.comUK-based Matthew Allsopp is very skilled with Painter. His amazing landscapes of futuristic locations are a sight to be seen. He works on concept art for games and films, so it isn't surprising that he is so talented at landscapes. He also works on vehicle concepts too, if you look closely you can see ships floating in the scenes. larkin2.deviantart.com/Finnian is an English-based artist who is skilled in concept art. Still a young artist, he has been designing since he was 10, becoming interested in concept art in 2005. Since that time he tries to do art every day "to improve [his] skills and develop [his] own style." www.tariqart.net/Working with Photoshop and Painter, this English artist has over 10 years experience in development of games, TV, music video, and film production. Tariq's work is amazingly vivid, with an immense amount of colour in each piece. He has done concept art/paintings for many famous games and TV shows: Farscape (sci-fi TV show), Metroid (game) and Fallout (game), to name a few. www.jasonchanart.com/Jason Chan has such a wonderful imagination. Every image of his is assembled and painted so beautifully. Another fan of vivid colours, every image he creates does not fail to impress.
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Post by The Herald on May 31, 2007 22:55:33 GMT
There are several aspects to getting the proportions and composition in a photograph right. These are merely guidelines to getting your composition right, and should not be followed as per se, although following them generally means you will rarely go wrong with your composition. I tend to break these rules every now and then; sometimes the results are good, but sometimes they're disastrous, in the fullest sense of the word. One of the most commonly used guidelines is the Rule of Thirds. The rule states that an image can be divided into nine equal parts by two equally-spaced horizontal lines and two equally-spaced vertical lines, with the four intersection points being used to align features in the photograph. It is said that this would create more tension, energy and interest in the photo, rather than when the main feature is put in the center (Wikipedia homepage, 2007). Personally, I rarely use this, as I do not photograph landscapes very often. However, on the occasions I have, I liked the results. As compared to the main feature being placed right at the center, it does seem to be more attractive. Another guideline is called the Golden Sections. This is a rule I often use unknowingly. It is a geocentric formula by the Greeks, and is considered one of the major guidelines for painters or artists. It is also considered an important guideline for photographers. This guideline is said to produce a "harmonious" composition. To achieve the golden sections, first draw a line from the top left corner to the bottom left corner. Then, draw a line from the top right until it intersects the first line. The image is now divided into three sections. The biggest section is, usually, where the main focus on the photo is, while the smaller ones are the background. The last guideline I am going to introduce is the Golden Spiral. The golden spiral is a technique which leads the eye to the center of the composition. It could be a line or several subjects. This "something" could just be there without leading the eyes, but it would make its job. This style of composition will invite the viewer's gaze into the picture along the line of the spiral, creating a more symmetrical visual flow, and an overall compelling viewing experience (ACD Systems homepage, 2007). Note that the golden sections and the golden spiral are usually used together. They are both usually used in landscape photography where lines are long and dramatic. However, when used appropriately, it can also help in portrait photography for creating intensity. As I conclude this article, I wish to again stress that these are mere guidelines. Experiment with each of them. Use them, but do not be bound by them. Your aesthetic sense is more important!
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Post by The Herald on May 31, 2007 22:58:40 GMT
In this issue's Linux Corner, I will be talking about my experience with dual-booting Ubuntu and Vista, as well as something about the system BIOS by Phoenix Technologies. First of all: I will not be held responsible if anything happens to your machine as a direct or indirect result of this article. What you choose to do is entirely at your own discretion. Here are two marvelous links for dual booting: How to dual boot Ubuntu with Vista (Vista installed first)How to dual boot Vista with Ubuntu (Ubuntu installed first)I downloaded Ubuntu in ISO format, burned it to a CD, and braced myself as I attempted to turn over to the open source community completely. I booted my computer with the Ubuntu LiveCD, and was greeted with a nice looking screen asking me if I wanted to boot from the LiveCD. I selected yes, getting into Ubuntu's desktop. My first impression was "I like the interface." The interface was clean and simple. It wasn't anything very fancy, but I liked it. I decided to look around the applications. Mozilla Firefox was already installed, as well as GAIM and GIMP. I was really loving Ubuntu. It was fast, too. It felt very light and compact- complete opposites of the bloated Vista. I then clicked on "Install", and after following the instructions, sat back on my chair and relaxed as the installer did what it was supposed to do. After awhile, it finished, and I excitedly restarted my computer. That was when my nightmare started. It turned out GRUB has an error (error 15, to be exact). I booted into the LiveCD, and Googled for an answer. I found lots of people with the same problems, but none of the solutions posted helped. It continued on for three days before I finally gave in, ending up with the Vista installation disc in my DVD drive again. Don't get me wrong, though. I loved Ubuntu & Linux in general: The interface was really clean, the taskbars were customizable, the way you could get the program you wanted using aptget, how the OS felt very light and compact. However, Ubuntu's boot loader, GRUB, refuses to work for me. In the end, I returned to the Dark Empire. Let my story be a warning to those who wish to try: Be prepared to spend some time making Ubuntu work. On a side note, I also want to mention the system BIOS manufactured by Phoenix Technologies. Because of an agreement with Microsoft ( article link), Phoenix Technologies are manufacturing system BIOS that are only compatible with Vista. Note that this does not affect all BIOS manufactured by Phoenix Technologies, but it does affect a number of Toshiba laptops, which are installed with BIOS stated above. So, people, if you wish to use dual-booting, make sure you check your system BIOS.
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