Arts
by Turbo of Mirage UK


ART HINTS AND TIPS BY TURBO OF MIRAGE U.K


HERE I HAVE PUT DOWN A FEW HINTS AND TIPS TO HELP ANYONE INTERESTED IN ART THESE ARE SOME OF THE PROCEDURES I DO TO ENSURE A GOOD ART PIECE. WHILST I CAN GIVE YOU TIPS ON TECHNIQUE I COULD NEVER MAKE AN ARTIST OUT OF YOU! YOU VE EITHER GOT IT OR YOU HAVENT! THERE IS A LOT MORE I COULD WRITE ABOUT BUT HERE IS SOME BASICS-: THE COMPUTER AS A ART MEDIUM HAS SOME SHORT COMINGS.

1) LIMITED COLOURS
2) HARD CREATING GOOD COLOUR FLOW
3) HARD CREATING VERY SMALL DETAILS
4) STEP EFFECTS ON LINES AT ANGLES
5) SCREEN SIZE

THE 2 BIGGEST PITFALLS WHEN CHOOSING A OBJECT TO DRAW THE NEED FOR TOO MANY COLOURS AND SMALL DETAIL.START WITH A OBJECT OF TWO BASIC COLOURS SAY A FLOWER? GREEN STEM RED PETALS USE THE REMAINING COLOURS ON THE DARK AND LIGHT SHADING. STARTING TO DRAW...... I USUALLY START WITH CHOOSING THE RESOLUTION TO DRAW IN,WE HAVE A COICE OF MANY ON -PAINT.

LOW-RES: GIVES YOU 32 COLOURS AND DOES NOT REQUIRE A LOT OF MEMORY

MED-RES: 16 COLOURS AVAILABLE,SOME INTERFERENCE,TAKES SLIGHT MORE MEMORY THAN LO-RES,BUT PRODUCES FINER PIXEL WORK

INTERLACE: 32 COLOURS AVAILABLE,SIMULAR TO MED-RES EXCEPT PRONOUNCED SCREEN FLIKERING ON SHARP CONTRASTING COLOURES,USES 30 TO 60K PER PIC

HI-RES: 16 COLOURS AVAILABLE,REQUIRES 1 MEG OF MEMORY,FLICKERS BAD ALSO

I RECCOMEND FIRST TIME USERS TO USE LOW RES UNTILL YOU LEARN SHADE AND HIGHLIGHT TECHNIQUES AND ECONOMIC USE OF COLOURS,THE USE OF ADJACENT COLOURS SAY RED NEXT TO WHITE GIVES AN ALLUSION OF A PINK SHADE INBETWEEN

SELECTING A PALLETTE: WE NEED TO TAKE OUR TIME HERE AND CHOOSE THE IDEAL COLOUR PALLETTE FOR OUR OBJECT. CHOSE OUR BASIC COLOURS THEN CHOOSE THE DARKEST SHADE NEEDED FOR EACH COLOUR AS YOU WILL REQUIRED THE LIGHTER SHADES FOR THE MAIN BASIC
COLOUR. ON D-PAINT THE COMPUTER HAS A FEATURE CALLED RANGE, SPECIFY THE DARK COLOUR AND THE LIGHTEST FIVE COLOURS AWAY, THE COMPUTER WILL SELECT THE 5 SHADES IN BETWEEN THESE TWO COLOURS. DRAWING ETC. AT THIS POINT WE HAVE SELECTED THE BASIC COLORS,THE OBJECT,THE RESOLUTION NOW WE DRAW THE OBJECTS OUTLINE ENSURING OUTER LINES ARE JOINED UP O.K WE CAN KNOW SPRAY IN BACKROUND COLOURS ETC MAKING SURE THE FAN OF THE SPRAY IS NOT TO LARGE,MOST TIMES ITS BEST TO SPRAY ANY DARK COLOURS ON THE BOTTOM AND LIGHTER AT THE TOP EXCEPT ON SKY SCENERYS DO THE REVERSE. NOW START TO FILL IN THE OBJECT ,FIRSTLY USING FILL COMMAND ENSURING ALL LINES ARE CONNECTED,IF YOU MAKE ANY MISTAKES FIRST DONT PANIC! PRESS THE U KEY FOR ERASING THE MISTAKE ON LINES AT ANGLES YOU MAY GET JAGGED EDGES TO SMOOTH THIS OUT PLACE A PIXEL IN THE LITTLE POCKETS ON LINE OF A SLIGHT SHADE LIGHTER DEPENDING THE BACKROUND. TO CREATE EXTRA NEW SHADES, CLICK ON MAGNIFY USE THE BASIC COLOUR AND ADD SHADES IN A CHEQUERED FASHION GETTING LIGHTER AS YOU GO FINALLY !! I RECOMMEND YOU MAKE BACKUPS OF YOUR PRESENT PRODUCTION EVERY HOUR AT LEAST ,RUNNING OUT OF MEM OR A SUDDEN SYSTEM CRASH AFTER 3 HOURS HARD WORK CAN MAKE YOU PRETTY SICK!!LOOSING ART WORKS NO JOKE! BACK IT UP!

THERE IS MORE I COULD TWADDLE ON ABOUT BUT THIS IS A BASIC GUIDE TO ART TECHNIQUES AS WRITTEN BY

This article originally appeared in the Amiga diskmagazine "Zine #4" by Brainstorm 1990.

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Addresses and other contact information were only valid when this magazine was originally published, in april of 1990.