ANother 64 cutlass - Lateral-g Forums

SteveMcqueenRules · #1 03-27-2007, 07:12 PM

here is a better view of the 64 cutlass 3/4 view done the same as before traced a photo and scanned into corel photo paint then retraced and cleaned up. This one was way faster than the last getting alot more comfortable with the program. I plan on actually finishing this one.

city_ofthe_south · #2 04-05-2007, 08:00 AM

i'd go to work on the wheels/tires before getting too much further. you may not do this but i think the mistake is in thinking of the car as a box without considering the horizon or vanishing point or whatever you wanna call it. the rear wheels don't follow the same line as the front bumper. they often look awkward (i don't mean just YOUR wheels/tires but with many newer artists) and i think that might be the problem. pick a vanishing point in the far distance, draw a line to it from the outside of your tire and do the same for the front wheels and the front bumper. you should find that their angle is slightly different.
also, in your case, think about the front suspension and where it would place that front wheel. we know that the hub swings on a stationary pole basically(steering via ball joints attached to control arms), and it can travel up and down as a whole(springs and shocks). for drawing purposes you don't need any more information than that anyway and thinking of it that way might help with positioning. not that you didn't know this information already, just that even when i'm drawing i have to stop to consider, OK where does this wheel really go if i want it turned like this?

SteveMcqueenRules · #3 04-05-2007, 10:31 PM

yes your advice is good. I agree those wheels were more or less just quickly done. I will definitely use your ideas when I start getting positions finalized.

I have been just messing around with this trying to do the chrome and the glass and such. getting it realistic is pretty tedious and quite intimidating. i think certain aspects of this drawing are tough since the paint will be white.

got any quick tips for realism?

city_ofthe_south · #4 04-09-2007, 08:45 AM

eh, realism is never something i strive for. maybe i do some of the most realistic illustrator work using standard gradients ... maybe not. i don't think my "workflow" or whatever is geared for realism ... hardcore realism. I suppose it has to do with my timing in Illustrator but I'm reluctant to like 3D effects and gradient mesh in vector art ... which is where hyper realism comes from. Anyway, point is that I'm probably not a great source for advise in this area. What's more, as vector art has begun to provide MORE realism, I find myself moving away from it rather than toward it so ...... yeah. you've started with outlines which suggests to me that you like the "toon" effect a lot of vector artists are doing. That's already a step away from realism. Also, white is tough no matter what you do. solid source material will make your life much better .... it'll get reflections in the right places, making the car look more dimensional.

SteveMcqueenRules · #5 04-09-2007, 10:02 PM

You are right I don't want a photo realistic style too much work and not really what I am looking for. I just wanted more realism so my drawings don't end up looking like some cheesy clip art.
Your charger is what actually got me stoked to try drawing in Corel. I really like the style a lot. Realistic enough to accurately portray the car but has some style to it so it doesn't just look like a photo.
I have done some work to the cutlass and it is turning out pretty good I was actually surprised how nice it looks. I am definitely learning a lot by doing to chrome and the windows and headlights.
next up is finishing the wheels and then getting the shading on the body and getting the paint right.
Let me know if you notice anything that needs work. Exporting seems to have made it turn out weird. I have been using Corel Photo Paint for all the work but I also have Corel Draw. Which is best for this type stuff?
Thanks

city_ofthe_south · #6 04-10-2007, 09:07 AM

well, Illustrator and Corel Draw are vector programs. Paint and Photoshop are raster. They can both accomplish very similar looks, but they also each offer something that the other cannot do. When dealing with paint, and the problems you're having, you need to look into your resolution. It really needs to be pretty high like 300dpi, some would say higher (not online obviously but your original). I'm just guessing that might be the source of the appearance issues.

the short version if you don't want to read my rambles below ... i use Illustrator so of course I'm going to suggest you use Corel Draw.

Rather than suggesting one program or another, I would say, pick one and learn how to do the things you want to accomplish, then practice (did i just say that?). I personally think that your medium takes maximum dedication. I WANT to do other things, but I just don't have the time, especially in the past when I was developing my style and whatever. I think that is more important. I will say this, i would use draw for outlines and if you know paint better, use it to color. Vector applications will make your lines cleaner and just plain simpler to create. then use layers to fill in color behind your outline in paint. are you self taught? because honestly, some people will say, ah, computers are cheating and whatever else. The thing they don't know is that your digital tool box is MASSIVE. OK, if you're a painter you have brushes and some paint, substrate, a few other things. Pick any software, you've got like what, between 5 and 8 menus each with 10, 15 options - more palettes than screen space, each packed with tools. THEN, many of our digital tools do multiple things. Forget going into color, file types, resolution etc. Oh, and you're computer, high end mouse, tablet! My point is that there is a lot to know and it's hard to just jump in. I'm not saying you can't but plan to be let down at first because well, there is always more than one way to skin a cat.

SteveMcqueenRules · #7 04-10-2007, 10:53 AM

I was thinking that same thing. of drawing outlines in draw then doing the coloring and stuff in paint.
I am self taught so some stuff I probably don't know anything about. I probably should have learned some more of the basics before I jumped in stuff like masks and lenses. I sort of know masks but don't know what a lens is for. And all the options within the tools I don't have any clue what most of them do. I need to find a textbook on ebay. It has taken about 8 hours I would estimate to get this drawing this far but that is with learning by trial and error how to do beziers and drawing straight lines and stuff like that.
I don't even know how to adjust resolution! But I will learn. deviantart is a good help.
I always thought a tablet would make it way easier than with a mouse. its hard drawing with a mouse especially when I use a mouse with my right hand and draw with my left.
I do wonder though if a lot of these vector guys even know how to draw on paper. most probably do but there definitely is some judgment about computer aided art but to me its just another tool albeit a really big and sometimes confusing intimidating tool.
I will try out my outlines in draw and then do the paint in photo paint like you suggested. I don't plan on giving this up because the results are so good. Also I will definitely develop a style of my own but now I am just worried on trying get more efficient and skillful with the program.
Thank you for the help.