What is wrong with my artwork? take a look plz!

gib284gib284 Member Posts: 29
edited November -1 in Working with GS (Mac)
Hey everyone I am having a really hard time creating artwork I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong all my artwork doesn't look good it looks really pixely! I'm using Gimp maybe that has something to do with it what do you guys use? Ok for an actor that is going to be say 50x50 in game salad what size would you create your artwork in gimp? I've been making mine about 260x260 is this still not big enough should I go 512x512?? I really dont know take a look at this monster I drew and let me know what you think is wrong thanks! =) http://i401.photobucket.com/albums/pp100/jarenwatkins/Monster1.png

Comments

  • JPickardJPickard Member Posts: 477
    it might have to do with DPI (dots per inch). It should be 72 dpi. Not familiar with gimp so don't know how you check that out, or fix it. Good Luck. (and cool monster, btw).
  • tenrdrmertenrdrmer Member, Sous Chef, Senior Sous-Chef Posts: 9,934
    Your art work needs to be 72 DPI and double the dimension of the actor you are putting it in.

    So your art needs to be 100x100 and 72 DPI when you set the image size in gimp you also have a choice for DPI
    Warning There was an error rendering this rich post.
  • gib284gib284 Member Posts: 29
    I have pixels/in is that what your talking about? Also just to clear things up what size in your graphics program would you create something that will be 100x100 in gamesalad??
  • JohnPapiomitisJohnPapiomitis Member Posts: 6,256
    IF resolution independce is checked then 200x200. Then images need to be double, and a even number when divided by 4 or they will be blurry

    if its not checked, then the graphics should be the same size you want them. So 100x100 image in gimp will be 100x100 in gamesalad
  • old_kipperold_kipper Member Posts: 1,420
    From the look of it you appear to be drawing with a brush or pen the is not antialiased or in a bitmap mode. Make sure if you can find the setting that you are drawing in 24bit rgb mode and find a setting or brush that has antialiased edges

    Hope that helps

    Kipper
  • gib284gib284 Member Posts: 29
    @JohnPapiomitis what is resolution independence?

    @old_kipper ok thanks allot I'm pretty sure I drew that with a pencil and not a brush I tried the two and the brush looks much better!

    another quick question what size brush should I use like just 1 pixel or more?? thanks allot everyone for your help also what graphic programs do you use??
  • JohnPapiomitisJohnPapiomitis Member Posts: 6,256
    i use illustrator then import to photoshop if needed

    Resoution Indepence is high resolution graphics for iphone4. But if your not using it the image should be the same size in gimp that you want it to be in gamesalad. So if you want a 100x100 image you would make a 100x100 image in gimp
  • gib284gib284 Member Posts: 29
    ok thanks for explaining that
  • StuartYStuartY Member Posts: 134
    I use gimp, it works fine with GS. All you need to remember is:

    72dpi (dots per inch, pixels/inch. same thing)
    Width and Height should be divisible by 2 (e.g. 200x64 is okay, 199x65 won't scale nicely)
    If you are making graphics for Retina display (iPhone 4) they are 4x as large as normal files, so double the width and height. If my actor is meant to be 32x32, I will need a 64X64 image for maximum detail.

    Looking at your art, though, it would seem old_kipper is right. Even high-res images look too sharp if there is no anti-aliasing. To improve that monster, you might want to look into using an edge-smoothing filter. There are lots of effects and plug-ins available for gimp.
  • gib284gib284 Member Posts: 29
    @StuartY hey thanks allot yea I understand the anti aliasing now. So what do you use for your work just the paintbrush? Also do you find that in gimp on the mac you have to click on a window before you can use that window like when your drawing then you want to select eh paintbucket you have to click on the pallet window before you can select the paintbucket?
  • gib284gib284 Member Posts: 29
    bump
  • diamond000diamond000 Member Posts: 32
    looking at your monster you have alot of 1 pixel wide art, that never scales well. allway try to make lines 2 pixel wide or more for scaling.
    the other way around that is to draw your art the actual size it needs
    to be.

    here i went ahead and redid it with 2 pixel width.

    image

    see the difference you have 128x128 and 64x64
    hope this helps
  • gib284gib284 Member Posts: 29
    Wow diamond000!!! thats amazing how did you do that?? so that makes that much of a difference wow thanks a heap what program did you use and how long did it take you to do that?
  • diamond000diamond000 Member Posts: 32
    i use flash and photoshop for all my artwork. i first traced your monster in flash to give it a 2 pixel outline and good curves. saved it out as a jpeg then opened up photoshop just to put them all on one screen, and saved them out as png. it took me around 20 minutes to outline.

    just save the picture above and change it how you like.

    glad to help
  • gib284gib284 Member Posts: 29
    Thats sweet! I noticed you took the cracks out of the horns I tried to put them back in now 2 pixels wide and walla fuzzy again I swear I am cursed I cannot make anything that looks half decent on the computer arggg lol so how do you get the curves so nice they look smooth where as my artwork is so chunky/blocky =( How did you learn to do art did you take any courses or use any tutorials if so which? I am trying really hard to make some decent art and I am failing I just made a cloud and it looks like a I dunno not a cloud =P its the same issue the curves/edges look so chunky =( take a look
    http://i401.photobucket.com/albums/pp100/jarenwatkins/clouds.png
  • JohnPapiomitisJohnPapiomitis Member Posts: 6,256
    you dont use a brush, and actuall draw it like that. you use the pen tool. Im pretty sure its used similar in gimp but in photoshop and all that you make a anchorppooint click to make a second one and hold and drag the mouse to make a perfect curve
  • rlehmrlehm Member Posts: 320
    http://www.funnycartoonpictures.net/postcard.img235.htm
  • gib284gib284 Member Posts: 29
    http://www.how-to-draw-cartoons-online.com/image-files/how-to-draw-a-monster.gif
  • OlsenOlsen Member Posts: 30
    JohnPapiomitis said:
    IF resolution independce is checked then 200x200. Then images need to be double, and a even number when divided by 4 or they will be blurry

    Whaaat?? do they need to be even when divided by 4? I though it was when devided by 2 :S

    Are you 100% sure about this?
  • LumpAppsLumpApps Member Posts: 2,881
    Yes! Devided by 4 needs to be even.
    I use this trick to get as close to whatever size I drew (I use pen paper and scanner most of the times)
    Say your image is 133x253px
    Divided by 4: 33.25x63.25px not good!
    So I jump to the next round number:
    34x64px
    This x4 = 136x256px
    So your canvas should be 136x256px
    Keep in mind that an image always takes up the memory of the following:
    4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256px etc
    This means in this case that 135px takes the same memory as 256px
    So instead of 136x256px this image takes the memory of 256x256px!

    Hope my Dunglish is clear enough ;)

    Olsen are you a real wizard?

    Lump Apps and My Assets

  • OlsenOlsen Member Posts: 30
    LudwigHeijden said:
    Yes! Devided by 4 needs to be even.
    I use this trick to get as close to whatever size I drew (I use pen paper and scanner most of the times)
    Say your image is 133x253px
    Divided by 4: 33.25x63.25px not good!
    So I jump to the next round number:
    34x64px
    This x4 = 136x256px
    So your canvas should be 136x256px
    Keep in mind that an image always takes up the memory of the following:
    4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256px etc
    This means in this case that 135px takes the same memory as 256px
    So instead of 136x256px this image takes the memory of 256x256px!

    Hope my Dunglish is clear enough ;)

    Olsen are you a real wizard?

    Damn..
    Almost every image in the project that I'm working on has an uneven number then, I always thought the technique was to divide by 2 :/
    Oh well.. I guess I have to go and fix this problem now.

    And unfortunately I am no real wizard, a real wizard would have known this technique from the start :(

    Thanks Ludwig, for explaining that out!
  • diamond000diamond000 Member Posts: 32
    yea they are right, the brush tool doesn't work well. i use the square tool for all my art in flash sometimes the line tool that's how i get the curves to look good. here are some clouds and sun i did in another post that anyone can use.

    image

    yea they look like rain clouds, just change the color
  • JohnPapiomitisJohnPapiomitis Member Posts: 6,256
    Olsen said:
    Whaaat?? do they need to be even when divided by 4? I though it was when devided by 2 :S

    Are you 100% sure about this?

    Yes im 100 percent sure. The divisble by 2 rule is for when your NOT using resolution independce.

    With R.I. it should be even with divided by 4
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