MyPaint 1.1 for Windows

Just want to let you know that I am still alive and well.  I have been working on other projects and haven't made time to post anything ...only responding to questions on YouTube.

I have been meaning to post a video on how to use MyPaint 1.1 on Windows, but in that time people have been creating builds that will do the same, with less steps.

"Alien Buggy" - The Making Of

This is an overview of my workflow of a design sketch that I did recently.  I cover the design stages and the pitfalls of not having a sold composition planned out at the beginning.

-Steve

LINK: https://youtu.be/17Ah5XWPAlw

Alien Buggy

"Alien Buggy"

Alien Buggy was started as a design sketch, then later I added an environment.  I used mostly graphite pencils, sticks with blenders, Verithin for sharp edges.  Then I cropped and added the border in Photoshop.  I truly enjoy doing fantasy designs with unusal characters.

Fantasy Crow

"Fantasy Crow"

This sketch was done in graphite with the dark tones add with Prismacolor Verithin and Premier pencils on a 60lb smooth sketch pad.

Free Painter's Wheel for Photoshop

This is just what the titles says ...a free painter's wheel.  It was created by Len White and can be found a www.lenwhite.com and how to install it.

Character Design - "Creature"

For lack of a better name I refer to this character as "Creature".  This was done in pencil and finished off in Painter and Photoshop.  The tutorial merely covers the basic process used in character design and is aimed less at "digital" and more towards "art".  This is far from being a finished product but the design phase is a vital set in any composition.

-Steve

LINK: https://youtu.be/n_m_OTByZCA

How to Create Custom Tool Presets in Photoshop

Tool Presets in Photoshop is a very powerful feature that is also very easy to use.  It enables you to save a brush and it's attributes with or without color.  This speeds up painting tasks when using your favorite "go-to" brushes and tools ...it isn't just for brushes.

-Steve

LINK: https://youtu.be/FElyx5K6W3Y

Puzzled Alien

"Puzzled Alien"

This is a graphite sketch on Bristol I did the other night. This is primarily done for design , though I did add the head tilt to add some personality to the little alien ...at least that is what I think he is.

Creature Design from Noise

This is a sketch I did the other night. It started out just as a contour line drawing of the head only, which I molded with values.  The idea came from "Noise" ...what I saw in an abstract object.

How To Use KGamut

KGamut is a very small but useful tool that enables one to view the color gamut of an image.  It is great for analysis and creating color choices for to use in your own projects.

How To Extract Image Sequence From A Movie

 

Have you ever wanted to capture or extract multiple images from a movie you took? In this tutorial I take a MOV file, convert it to AVI with Pazera and then save the AVI as an image sequence with Virtual Dub Mod. 

How To Paint In Symmetry

There are very few programs that will allow one to paint or draw in Symmetry, which is very usefully to designers and concept artists. This is not a "How-To" in drawing symmetrically but an overview of four programs that have a symmetry tool.  I added a video walk through of the applications HERE.

Create Color Palettes in PS CS5

Here is a video that I posted to YouTube last year but never included on my blog. Keeping in the theme of "Color", I demonstrate how to create and edit color palettes from an image automatically and manually in Photoshop CS5.  The manual method is also compatible with GIMP and CS6.

-Steve

LINK: https://youtu.be/0LMsDNM0MoM

Adding Custom Brushs to Photoshop

This is an easy and fast way to add brushes to Photoshop without having to restart Photoshop.  For years I have navigated my way through layers of folders to add or delete brush sets in Photoshop, then restart it so the new brushes were available.  But by chance I stumbled on to a very simple way to accomplish it. Weather we are doing work on our laptops, desktops or  other computers, It is very helpful to keeping various installations of Photoshop the same.

-Steve

LINK: https://youtu.be/YejwZrsuIsU

Blender 2.65a Released

Well evidently I have been busy enough to miss a few things.  In this case I missed the release of Blender 2.65 and just noticed the 2.65a release. One of the changes has been the addition of "Anisotropic Shader" allowing for the brushed metal look.

Here is the LINK to download Blender.

-Steve

Hurricane Sandy

The weather has no concern for artist's schedules. Seriously we are thankful that we made it through yet another storm.  Though we did have power from our new generator, we did not have phone or Internet access so we were a bit isolated from the world.  Considering the devastation in other states, we fared quite well.  Our prayers go out to those who have lost their homes and loved ones.

Remove Linux from Windows Dual-Boot

This is not my usual post but for those who want to work in the digital world, you must know how to repair your computer ...and there are so many things that can go wrong.

I know I am not alone in setting up a dual-boot system with Windows and Linux who have later decided to remove the Linux partition, then being faced with a corrupted Master Boot Record (MBR).  I can tell this by all of the posts requesting help and the wide range of ways to fix the now "bricked" PC.

Blender 2.6.4 Released

Blender 2.6.4 has been released and can be downloaded HERE.  List of changes and features can be found HERE.

Thank you Blender Foundation!

Transform Tool Short Cuts in PS CS6

Another quick tutorial demonstrating the short cuts for the Transform tools in Photoshop CS6.  Learn how to quickly duplicate a selection, merge and transform it.

Steve

Adjusting Photoshop Brush Size

Just a simple tip to speed up productivity. Unlike the traditional way of changing the brush size in Photoshop with the bracket keys, I pass on a shortcut that I learned years back using the "ALT+Right Mouse Click+Dragging" method.  It allows to change the size quickly without reaching over the keyboard (if you are right handed) and adjust the size in faster increments.

Steve