I believe myself to have signed up for a private NaNoRenO...

[Glasskitten]

In my Media Study class, we had to propose a webpage-based project that would count for our final grade and display creative examples of the things we were supposed to have learned throughout the semester. The only thing I could think of was a visual novel, so...that is what I suggested. I have yet to receive formal approval for this, but I cannot think of any good reason it might be rejected.

Now I need to learn to write, draw, color, compose, and program for the web (Flash? Javascript?) by December 7th.



I think the general story will be, in the manner of GO! Magical Boy, a lighthearted magical-heroes type of thing...possibly one that attempts to make a coherent storyline out of a mishmash of anime cliches. The plot I have in my head so far involves a normal (real-world) schoolgirl mysteriously teleporting to an alternate (anime) dimension where she finds that she apparently attends a private high school for magically transforming heroes/heroines (since, you know, there are so darn many magical girls out there, along with their magical sidekicks and guardians, and they might as well be trained systematically). On the other side of town is a private high school for villains, and the two schools arrange conflicts as a form of testing...that might be pretty funny and give me a chance to employ and explain some of the weirder common anime plots, or else it will draw out the creation process so long that I have nothing to turn in on the due date. (And I hope the animeness keeps the story from reminding anyone of Harry Potter.)

I hope my how-to-draw books arrive in the mail soon...
And I hope I remember the tropes that were funny in the first place rather than my mind going blank and producing a straight-out serious drama...

If this project ends up not happening after all, I guess I will have to crawl back here and make a public apology.

[Andy]

Sounds nice... good luck.

[Glasskitten]

I know that it is important to work independently on a final project, but can some bored person please direct me to The Most Useful instructions for somebody with Photoshop, Flash, and a lower-end tablet (all thanks to a student discounts store! http://www.academicsuperstore.com) but little experience using them to make her photographs and inadequately-inked illustrations into clean, colorfully shaded lineart? I will probably get the hang of digital inking sooner or later, but knowing the best tools/settings/programs/whatnot would be a great benefit. Thank you...

[EwanG]

Actually, I could have sworn I saw a nice tutorial on this somewhere on this very forum - but darned if I could find it now.

The short version is that you want to scan your image in, then open the image with your software (I personally use Gimp 2.2). The image will be imported as a single layer image. You now want to put a new layer on top of it (usually Layers - Create, and then use the up and down arrows on the Layers dialog to make sure your new layer is at the top). Making sure both layers are "on" (have the little eye symbol to the left of them), then select your new layer. You can then trace your scanned image with a pen of whatever thickness and color you want. When you think you're done, click on the eye symbol to the left of your original image's layer, and you'll see what just the new layer looks like. You can then add a layer to apply your coloring to, and you're done.

The long version... well, if you need that you will need to find a good online tutorial. However you can always check out:
http://pennyarcadeart.blogspot.com/

Where Gabe from Penny Arcade shows how he does some of his work.

Hope this helps,
Ewan

[DaFool]

Um, by definition lineart is uncolored...its the [usually black] outlines of your drawings before they are colored.

That aside, I don't usually look for any tutorials, but I do know the following from experience and looking over peoples' shoulders. Make sure you master the following:

- shape select tool (polygon select, magic wand, etc)
- burn / dodge tool (or if you're getting good, the ability to pick a related color for shading)
- smudge tool

Using gradients and light sources will get you a long way, but nothing beats gentle application of the brush. And make sure to start a new layer for everything, you'll never know when you need to go back.

[Jake]

Um, by definition lineart is uncolored...its the [usually black] outlines of your drawings before they are colored.

Some people also use the term to distinguish between art which has lines denoting edges (e.g. pretty much all comic art ever) and art which doesn't (e.g. the Mona Lisa). It's not uncommon to hear people talking about 'coloured and shaded lineart'.

- burn / dodge tool (or if you're getting good, the ability to pick a related color for shading)

I'd personally suggest not using burn and [particularly] dodge for shading and highlights unless you really know what you're doing with them - they tend to produce 'obviously CGed' results...
For cel-shading, an easy option that usually looks pretty good is to duplicate the layer with the colour on, set it to a blend mode of 'multiply', desaturate it by 50% or so and then cut out/erase the bits you don't want shaded.
For more gradiated/smooth shading, use the magic-wand selection tool to select the painted area on the colour layer, then on a new layer set to multiply - keeping the same selection area - use the airbrush to paint the shading in with the same colour. Again, desaturate to taste once you're done airbrushing.

And make sure to start a new layer for everything, you'll never know when you need to go back.

This is the most important advice ever.