FrozenDeath

Here's a screen grab of the picture I was working on last night at 200% zoom. This document is 11x17 @ 300dpi. I assume yours is more jagged?



Not sure what to tell you. What kind of tablet are you using?

Actually, most of the time I work at the same resolution. 300dpi and 8.5 x 11. The image I was working on last night was 11 x 17 @300dpi.

If you zoom in and things are grainy, that could just be a factor of the brushes you are using. Try this: zoom in and try to paint a clean line with an appropriately sized brush. If you can't then you have a problem. If you can, then it's actually more of an issue with your workflow.

For one thing, Photoshop seems to have problems calculating antialiasing values at certain magnifications. So look at the image at a certain zoom--say 33%. Does the image look off? If so, that means the program is having issues resolving the antialiasing--say don't work at that magnification.

I find that really hard edge brushes give me really jagged lines zoomed in. I shy away from the airbrush settings but I generally use a brush that has a fuzzy edge.

Also try that trick I showed you with having the second window to the image open at a different magnification. That way you can work zoomed in and avoid jaggedness while still seeing the big picture.

Despite having it on the night of the new update release, I still had a few people show up for my Livestream presentation last night. Thanks peeps!

If anyone is interested in checking out the ondemand recording--for most of it I'm discussing a Feral Kitty commission I'm working on. There's information on creating custom brushes in Photoshop, particularly things to help create textures like fur. There's more discussion of using masks and adjustment layers to make quick changes. And also some brief discussion of movement lines in the composition.

Well, It didn't click with me that the new update was being released today and that people are likely going to be playing it.

I'm still going to go ahead with my livestream, if no one shows I'll just record myself working. It'll go live in about an hour:
10:15 pm EST, www.livestream.com/bwbabble

Monkey Trick


They rode the elevator further underground. Marianne stood near a glowing control panel that hadn't been visible to Mogo the first time. She tapped her foot and stared at the doors impatiently.

"Stop looking at me like that."
"Like what?"
"Like I'm this little lost waif that somehow slipped through your fingers and didn't get saved. You always have that look about you."
"Well...."

She glared at him. "Why can you never get it? He didn't take my free will. This IS my free will. His view of the world is my view of the world. I joined with him to become greater, to become more."

Mogo lost himself for a moment snarling. "And look what it cost you!"
"It cost me death, it cost me part of my existence in this world while giving me new life in another. And with him I can chart a new course for my existence. I don't have to be part of that endless chain of life and death that you think is so important. So natural and right."

Mogo shrugged. "I can't help being who I am."

The elevator came to a halt. She smiled wanly and gestured. "Straight down the hall through the double doors. He's waiting for you."
"Thanks M." Mogo started out and as he passed, she caught the sleeve of his shirt and made him pause.
"Why don't you just go? Whatever it is you're here for...it's not..you."

Mogo smiled and slid away. "I'm sorry M. It's just something I have to do."

.....


He sat down at the near end of the table. The other side was obscured by a curtain of darkness. A wall of inky black that was so dense it seemed to have physical mass and presence. There was a couple moments of silence, then the Caretaker's hand emerged, laying down a blank domino on the table in front of void. Mogo was acquainted with that hand. He looked at all the spikes and amulets and mystic artifacts hammered into the burned inky flesh. The hand was human in shape. Beyond that it was a strange, mutilated un-living object. More blank dominoes appeared in front of him. Gradually Mogo could see more of the figure--the other hand, arms, part of the chest.

[Never expected to see you here]. The thoughts popped like bubbles in Mogo's head.
"That makes two of us."

The hands added another blank tile to the group and then paused. [What is it you want me to do for you?]

Mogo reached into his sleeve and pulled out the roll of vellum with Fibbs' markings on it. He tossed it down to the section of the table in front of his rival's collection of tiles.

"This. I don't know what it is. I want you to kill it. Destroy it. Whatever it takes to get rid of it and make sure it doesn't come back."

The Caretaker gestured and the roll unfurled and floated off the table, the mystic markings glowing as they stretched out in the air between them.

[Hmmmmmm. As usual, you fail to see the depth of the issue.] He gestured again, rotating his hands. The writing stretched and lengthened in space, twisting as it it were being turned on a lathe. As the Caretaker moved his hands, the marks assumed different shapes and configurations, shifting from a tangle of random marks to a coil of symbols, almost like mystical dna.

"Do you know what it is?"
[Maybe. It's not from this space-time continuum.]
"Will you be able to destroy it ?"
[Yes.]
"It's powers of manipulation and control are..potent. Will you be able to handle it without..."
[Ha ha ha ha. Your concern is touching. But don't assume that I have your weakness. I am beyond you and I am beyond this entity.]
"Alright then. Just wanted to make sure."

The Caretake gestured and the markings where sucking into his hand, throwing off a burst of light before flowing into the palm out of sight. Mogo shifted slightly in his seat.

"Well I guess we're done..."
[Wait. Why aren't you having your associates handle this. You can't manage it--why are you calling in this favor? There are specialists in your circle that can handle it.]
"I want to make sure it's done. Done thoroughly."
[You are protecting someone.]
"Yes. something like that."

The Caretaker scooped up a handful of tiles and extended his closed fist in the direction of Mogo.

[Do you know the monkey trick?"]
"Err..which?"
[When you are trying to capture a monkey in the wild. There's a technique. You dig a hole in a rock face. Just big enough for a monkey's hand. Then you put candy in there. When the monkey takes the candy..suddenly their hand is too big to slide back out of the opening. They could let go of the candy and just slide back out. But they don't. Their desire for the candy traps them.]

The caretaker opened his hand and let the dominos clatter to the tabletop. [You taking possession of this situation is the same. To me its just the way of the natural world. To people that buy into your morality...it's a good metaphor for corruption. And you know the consequences for corruption.]

"Yes. I'll lose my powers once I stray from the path. I'll stop being Mogo. You know that. Are you...trying to talk me out of it?"

[Mmmm. It benefits me to have you out of the game, certainly. But I value a certain...shape to workings of our destinies. You were significant to me at one time. You saved my life when I was foolish, even as you opposed me after I found the true way. My path to greatness. It seems a pity to see you fade into nothingness over such a small thing. Still...I will honor my debt and this thing will be done tonight.]

"Thank you. I hope it offers no difficulty. I don't expect that we will meet again."

[I would think not. Maybe there is more to this than meets the eye. Maybe I am being played. But I will destroy your enemy and clear the area. And then someday maybe the underlying pattern will be clear.]

Mogo smiled and got up to leave. "Very good then. For once I'm looking forward to seeing the results of your handiwork."

Happy Bday!

It was last Friday Kheldarn, thanks

Thanks Kat and..um..Sue.

Livestream tonight at 10:15 pm EST
www.livestream.com/bwbabble

You know the only thing I really hope that people take away from this thread is that there is a difference between using reference and copying. Honestly I see it a lot where people don't actually realize that they're lifting from someone else. They think what they're doing falls under the use of reference.

Lol sorry Suichi, last week was my birthday so I had too many things on my agenda.

I'm going to be doing a Livestream tomorrow (Wednesday) night at 10:15 EST. I'm working on several things so I'll maybe talk about a couple of them.

Someone was kind enough to pass me the link to this article. A legal expert talking about plagiarism in comics:

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?p...ticle&id=25053

Snowlily--

I draw a distinction between representation and actual production. If I design a car, or a dress, or a specialized power tool--I generally have legal protection from somebody else taking my design, branding, etc. for use in production . Representing those things in art does not equate to stealing because I am creating something new--my representation of the thing.

We are talking about two different categories of creation. Actual design work to create something. And artistic work to represent something. There are certain legal limitations to representing things---but for the most part, I'm free to create the things I have perceived in my life, in exactly the same way I'm free to observe them in the first place.

The issue comes from copying, lifting things of the same category. If I design a car and take it out for a ride, I can't complain if someone draws a picture of it. I can seek recourse if they steal my engineering and design elements to create their own car (this is a simplified example).

Likewise the issue in art theft stems, not from representing real world creative works of other people, but from incorporating the representations of other people in your art. Maybe Adam Hughes uses a model as reference for a picture of Wonder Woman. I'm free to use the same model as reference for my picture of Wonder Woman. I'm not free to use Adam's drawing as a basis for mine. And by basis I mean taking his specific artistic solutions to rendering that woman--the placement of his lines, shading, etc. in order to represent her.

I'm not saying to not use Adam Hughes or any other artist as inspiration in your art. The question is: are you cannabilizing them?

Photomanipulation and 3d are usually flavored by the perception that the artist is using things that he or she did not create. There has been a lot of contoversy in digital circles over the years on this account, because digital art has always fought the stigma that "the computer does the art." I think there is much wider acceptance of this sort of thing now--within the general guideline of proper citation is followed and permission has been given for the use of stock/assets. It's similar to writing where the author quotes other works.

Juggy--

Pyro asked me a straightforward question and I gave a straightforward answer. You should try it some time.

Your values are too complex to state here in regard to this issue? You can't be summarized in the way that most major 20th century thinkers can? You, unlike professional artists and educators, can't boil down your thoughts to a simple take on this issue?

If you don't want to define yourself, you leave it to others to form a view based on your various statements. The view I get is that you base your behavior on 1. What you can get away with. 2. What suits your needs at any given time. I don't see anything complicated about it. The only reason I'm even asking about your values is that you call into question the authority of things like copyright law.

Zekiran's post was off the rails but refreshing in it's honesty. She believes that all professional artists swipe from each other as a matter of course--and they are all ok with it. She's ok with it. And someone like me shouldn't be pushing my morality around here. I don't agree with that, but at least its clear where she stands. I'd love to hear more opposing viewpoints. Or people who agree. Or people who just don't relate to it at all. But political correctness isn't a viewpoint.

By the way, don't you ever get tired of cherry picking and twisting words around?

I never said my opinion is the only valid one on the block. But by refusing to share your opinion, you prevent it from being judged at all.

I'm not asking you about your deepest religious revelations. I'm asking you if you value creativity. If you share the same concept of originality. Very simple questions. You could even respond yes or no to them. All this drama is about you refusing to be pinned down. You want to be free to criticize but not give any insight into you own values. You're just here to argue and discredit. You really think it's not obvious?

Almost no one has commented on my values. That's fine. No one has to. The only reason I'm pressing you about it is because you're rejecting them without giving any reason why other than a tired academic argument that everyone is different and we should respect them all being different and not talk about our values. This when you won't even say that your values are different than the ones I listed. For all I know, you could believe exactly the same thing as I wrote but you won't admit it--just because.

I didn't ask you for evidence that not everyone judges theft/swiping/copying the same way. I asked you for a concrete example where it was unclear whether something was theft or not. Your whole stance is about greyness...let's see something grey.

LOL wow.
If the cops don't come after you, you ain't doin nothin wrong. That's priceless. Also, the cops are well versed in copyright issues right?

Bindweed--

Yeah I don't know the specific legality of a publisher reusing artwork. I'm just throwing it out there as a consideration. I personally don't buy this view certain people are forwarding that lifting is endemic to the industry. But since I'm not part of that industry I don't have anything to confirm or refute it, other than people's opinions. I'm not that interested to go digging any further.

Something occured to me in the course of this discussion. People keep bringing up the comic industry as an example of copying being prevalent or even "no big deal." Well let's say, just for the sake of argument, that it does go on all the time. Let's say that the editors at Marvel want the product produced quickly and are encouraging artists to copy things in order to turn the work out at a fast pace (I still have no reason to believe this is the case).

Marvel owns the artwork. The presumably own the artwork for every magazine they've published. In that case, they are within their rights to rip themselves off all day long despite how crappy and uncreative that is. There would only be a stink if the copying was of some other company's material and they made an issue of it.

I have the right to cannibalize all the work I've ever done if I want. It's mine. It has no bearing on whether it's right or wrong to lift things. Likewise, comic companies are free to steal from themselves. That doesn't lend weight to the idea that it's okie dokie to lift from other people.