OR....how bout some moons? Cher likes moons! lol I drew these in Photoshop with the airbrush tool...they're outta my imagination, not "real".. Too much fun!
[ January 13, 2003, 01:28 PM: Message edited by: Steve Shortreed ]
DrCAS Custom Lettering and Design Saint Cloud, Minnesota
"Things work out best for the people who make the best of the way things work out." - Art Linkletter Posts: 6454 | From: Saint Cloud, Minnesota | Registered: Jun 1999
| IP: Logged |
posted
Bob, the waterfall got nixxed on chat last night. That doesn't mean it won't reappear in the next few days.. The design was in danger of gettin too busy. Another idea that got thrown at me last night in chat was a floating pirate ship circling the floating island. I woulda loved to have drawn that, too.
The island and castle were drawn entirely onscreen using my wacom tablet and the freehand pencil tool from Adobe Illustrator. It was the first time I'd done this kinda of sketch directly on the computer...even the thumbnails were drawn digitally! Now that I've figured out how to set up the tablet, I think the way I work will be changing drastically this years.
I still have the original digital sketches from beginning to end and will try to set up a progression of images here, probably sometime today, along with explanations of how the tablet was set up.
Although the design is my original, I should give credit to my inspiration, Roger Dean (the British airbrush artist who is most famous for the Yes and Uriah Heep album covers of the 70s), who often paints floating land masses and ice formations in his compositions. It was a blast to design my own floating island.
posted
Here's that step by step progression I promised. Pretty much self explanatory.....
First rough thumbnail. This is when I realized how cool drawing with the tablet was gonna be.I used the pencil tool in Adobe Illustrator, making sure to go to the pencil options palette and unchecking "keep selected". Otherwise, you can't sketch and keep your lines as you draw them....this is what I'd done wrong when I'd tried this in the past. If the keep selected box is checked, when you draw a line, it alters the shape of the line you did previously. I built up the sketch in layers, each one being a darker value of the same hue....to hold down printing costs. The last step was to import the sketch into Photoshop to add airbrush. If you have a tablet and can draw, try this out....if you don't have a tablet and can draw, get a tablet. It's way fun!!! All that sketching and I didn't have a single eraser crumb on my desk when I was done!
posted
Nice work,Don! It will make unique looking t-shirt! Looking forward to your Dixie Letterhead Reunion. Judy
-------------------- Judy Pate Signs By Judy Albany, Georgia USA 229-435-6824
Live simply...Love generously...Care deeply...Speak kindly...Leave the rest to God. Posts: 2621 | From: Albany,GA,USA | Registered: Nov 1998
| IP: Logged |
posted
Really great work Don, and thanks for sharing the steps with us.
I have wanted a tablet for quite awhile now but the dollars just arn't there at this time.
One question how hard is it to get a pen and power supply for a tablet??? I could have got a used surplus tablet on ebay last year for $30.00 but it didn't have a power cord or pen.
-------------------- Troy "Metalleg" Haas 626 Kingswood Dr Evansville,In 47715 Posts: 1100 | From: Evansville,Indiana, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
| IP: Logged |
posted
Troy, I bought my wacom artz II from ebay for $60 used in like new condition. The pens are around $80....so, not worth it if the pen isn't included.
Judy.....we're lookin forward to seein you and Roger again...and I'm lookin forward to eating your project panel (inside joke)!
posted
Well, I'm really hesitant to write this post, but it just seems so odd to me that you started out with wanting moonlight, or a "real" Florida theme, and you somehow end up with sand castles. This is not meant to detract from all the good effort going in to having this meet to begin with, but how did you end up where you're at?
To me the design and name conjure up images of Disney world and make believe stuff. I,m having a hard time with it, but who am I to criticize, with no critique being asked for. I've been looking for posts about the name or whatever, but I am not on chat, so I guess I'm out of the loop in that regard. I guess you could say I'm just watching the whole thing happen with great interest.Sandcastles huh; hmmmmmm
-------------------- Jeff Ogden 8727 NE 68 Terr. Gainesville FL, 32609 Posts: 2138 | From: 8827 NE 68 Terr Gainesville Fl 32609 | Registered: Aug 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
Jeff, there's alot of sandblasting planned for the meet, so it was decided to do something that had the word sand in it....and sandcastles to me has alot to do with Florida. Bein a transplanted midwesterner, I've enjoyed many days on the beaches of St.Pete and along the coast making sand sculptures. As far as the image, to me it conjures up alot more of the feel of the hobbit and "inner earth" than Disney.
Bottom line, the design and t shirt are not anywhere near important as what actually goes on at the meet...but it had to be done. Most suppliers won't sign up for doorprizes and materials without a meet flyer, so we had to get something out there. Cher and I had a tentative name...'shootin the moon', but when the day was done, we both hated it. Weeks were going by without a name before I came up with Sandcastle. The meet is the end of April and I don't know about your calendar, but our calendar doesn't show a lot of weeks to waste.
Jeff, what was your suggestion for a meet name when we were pleading, begging for help a few weeks ago? (just kiddin)
Startin to think ya just can't please people on this board anymore. Anybody else feelin that way? I try my damnest to be a positive addition to Letterville, but somehow....
I'll keep tryin.
[ January 12, 2003, 01:38 PM: Message edited by: Don Coplen ]
Actually I was following the posts pretty closely around December 2 when everyone was sending in suggestions...my favorites were coral jam and painted moon. And I believe Mike Lavalee(sp) had some good ones. Since the ones I was thinking of were already posted, I stayed out of it at the time, but I did offer to help in any way I could.
I know its upsetting some folks to hear anything that's a contrary opinion, but I guess it's the nature of a democracy that everyone is not always going to agree on everything. Please don't take it as a negative jab or something....I like what you are doing in letterville, and I think you have a lot of talent. I am sure there are alot of people including myself who appreciate the time and effort you are putting into this meet.You answered my question in your last post, and I can see where the logic is coming from now, so that's good.I hope one can have an opinion slightly different from the majority and still be able to express it around here.
I hope to get down there in April and will still help in anyway I can given my humble resources. This will be my first meet, and am looking forward to meeting you and the others.
-------------------- Jeff Ogden 8727 NE 68 Terr. Gainesville FL, 32609 Posts: 2138 | From: 8827 NE 68 Terr Gainesville Fl 32609 | Registered: Aug 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
Thanks Jeff...and of course everybody's got a right to an opinion. Don't forget, this is my first time hosting (co-hosting) a meet and so, it's the first time in over 15 years of going to meets that I've had any input into naming a meet or coming up with a t shirt design. I really wanted to do something special, and ya caught me a bit by surprise.
As far as the meet name and tshirt design, no democracy there...Cheryl and I are dictators.One of the few perks of hosting one of these things. hahahaha(My favorite perk will be goin to a meet without havin to sleep in a hotel room!)
[ January 13, 2003, 12:06 AM: Message edited by: Don Coplen ]
I must get a modern tablet too, I have a Gerber GDS 2 which is connected to the PC but origianlly came with a Apple 2 computer (which I still have) It fine for digitising but I don't have a pen for it, and I believe the wacom pen technology is way ahead of the older wire fed pens.
Bob, Will a modern Intuos tablet not work in Omega? I thought Dave Draper was using something like that?
![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
The design was in danger of gettin too busy. Another idea that got thrown at me last night in chat was a floating pirate ship circling the floating island. I woulda loved to have drawn that, too.
![[Frown]](frown.gif)
Oh Wait!....sand smaltz! Thats the ticket! ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
![[Cool]](cool.gif)
Printer-friendly view of this topic