The secrets on how to make artwork of the Sam/Jack ship family thread

[Solo]

Jasmina did a great tut, Jumble, on how to use the gradient tool to blend things - it's here.

[jasminaGo]

I don't know how to use the gradient to blend it, can you explain that a bit more fully please? Also, I've never really understood how to use the clone tool, so a step by step for that would really help

Solo already linked to the gradient tut. If something isn't clear there ask away.


For the clone tool.

1. Select the tool and the size of the brush
2. Hold "Alt" and click on the place that you wanna clone from.
3. Release "Alt" and then click on the place you wanna clone on.

I can do a more detailed tut with pics if you want, but it'll probably have to wait till tomorrow.

[madaline_7]

I don't know how to use the gradient to blend it, can you explain that a bit more fully please? Also, I've never really understood how to use the clone tool, so a step by step for that would really help

I can tell you how to do it in Gimp.

Click on the clone tool (it looks like a stamp in the toolbox). Go to your art, hold down the ctrl key and click the left mouse button for your starting point. Where this brush goes, you will copy it.

Then go to what you want to cover up. Paint or click away.

The only thing I will say as caution is that if you brush, your source (the place that you are "cloning" from) will move too. Found that out the hard way a couple of times.

Does that make sence?

EDIT: What Jas said.

[Oma-1]

For Gimp, if you're really desperate to want to cut out around someone really neatly, the only option is Intelligent Scissors (that I've found anyway) or Paths Tool. But it's not easy and takes practice to get it right. The key to it is zooming in on the image to at least 400%, and setting the feather to around 3-7 depending on the background.

I've done it on a couple of sigs/wps that worked well, like the Sound of Music ones, but that took a few attempts to get it right.

I learned it off a vid at youtube, I'll see if I can find the link.

[Oma-1]

I found this nifty page with five different techniques for getting rid of backgrounds - personally, I like the quick masks idea. And using the grey/not 100% opaque brush to get some more detail without the edges on fine things like hair sounds like a good idea, to me. We shall see... *off to experiment*

Or there's this one for images with a bit more contrast between the object and the background.

Quick masks...excellent! I've no idea how those work Gonna have a squiz at that one

[madaline_7]

For Gimp, if you're really desperate to want to cut out around someone really neatly, the only option is Intelligent Scissors (that I've found anyway). But it's not easy and takes practice to get it right. The key to it is zooming in on the image to at least 400%, and setting the feather to around 3-7 depending on the background.

I've done it on a couple of sigs/wps that worked well, like the Sound of Music ones, but that took a few attempts to get it right.

I learned it off a vid at youtube, I'll see if I can find the link.

I have been playing with the clone tool. That is a really nice way to do it... if I can just remember to click the right layer.

I NEVER would have thought of that.

{{{HUGGLES ART THREAD}}}

[TrueRomantic]

Oma, could you do a tut for the scissors? I always try to use them, but I can't get them to cut the right thing. They cut out the whole picture usually.

[Sarai]

Yay, thanks Jas and Solo. Will try out that tut for cloning. Surely there should be an easier way to get really clean lines. Oh well *sigh*, it'll be fun learning!

[Oma-1]

Here's a tut using Path Tool.


This one uses intelligent scissors.


The intelligent scissors is easier because it uses less steps, so that tends to be the one I use. I know there are times when the path tool is better, but I'm still figuring out how to use that properly with other things. Like I'm sure you can use the path tool to select a shape or line, then use the text tool to put your text along it so you can get it to follow a wavy line or shape. I just haven't figured out how yet

[Sarai]

My first stab at SeNedra's style...

Spoiler:

Original:



Attempt:



Song Lyric is from True Companion by Marc Cohn. One of the greatest songs ever, and my favourite for S/J.

[SeNedra]

Sarai, that is like mine... er... better Cannot gree you for that. This challenge is so cool!

I am just stopping by with my attemp for leiasky style

original:

mine:

[LiliJ]

Oh we're allowed to post them! I thought it was supersekrit... Well, here are my attempts at Luvnjack's style - less colourful than the originals on Oma's suggestion (and having looked at LJ's sigs, less colourful is more like her).

Spoiler:

sig with less colour.jpg
(Text from "With or Without You" by U2.)

u sig less colour.jpg
(Text from "Under Pressure" by David Bowie.)

EDIT: Oh, and I didn't base mine on the original Oma sent me, so that's why there's no "original" with it. I just wanted to see if I could do her style freely... Not sure whether I achieved it or not...!

EDIT2: Is it too cheeky to ask Sarai for another tut for her SeNedra imitation sig...?

[Oma-1]

SeNedra, Sarai, those are great

I'm still getting side-tracked with Gimp tuts on You Tube I found one for making the text follow your wavy line Here it is, and it's sooooo simple!

[Rachel-Kree]

I was making a sig to a friend of mine, but i hated it ... i was trying but my style seems not to fix in it ....

[Sarai]

Oh we're allowed to post them! I thought it was supersekrit... Well, here are my attempts at Luvnjack's style - less colourful than the originals on Oma's suggestion (and having looked at LJ's sigs, less colourful is more like her).

Great sigs Lili!!

And yeah we're posting them but some of us are choosing to post them in spoilers so the people whose style we are making can see them only if they want to!