Digital art on a small budget, part 3 Hardware

The final part of how to create digital art on a small budget.

So now you know a little bit about software and operating systems. And maybe at this point you want to buy a used desktop or laptop with an outdated Windows to bring it back to life. In that case there are a few things that needs attention.

The most important thing is that if you want a CPU capable for an 64 bits OS , basically everything after 2010 should be okay. The reason for this is that 64 bit is better supported with drivers and has a wider choice of software. But if there is a Windows 32 bit version installed doesn't necessarily means that a 64 bit OS can't be installed. So how to test this ? Well the quickest way is to make an bootable dvd rom and usb stick, start your device of choice with this bootable medium and if there will be an message if it's not possible ( at this point there is no installation started ). In case you have a 32 bit system then it's still possible to install Linux and have a smooth running device, but this device better be ( almost ) free.

So for example you finally found a laptop for the right price then what should you test before purchase to avoid unnecessary costs ? Well I would recommend to let the laptop at least run for 15 minutes to check the battery and cooling fan conditions, in most cases problems will occur whitin this period. Check the mechanical parts, not because parts are expensive, but sometimes they're not available anymore and your laptop can't be fixed. Bad laptop batteries or fans can be replaced in most cases, prices can vary a lot depending on brand and or supplier ( in most cases there are cheap Chinese alternatives but remember that guarantees and expected lifetime is very different than when bought at your local supplier ).

Some other recommendations that I would like to give are to keep it well know brands like HP , Dell , etcetera when buying a used laptop and if possible an ex company laptop who are built for intensive use. And at some point you might want to upgrade RAM memory or change the harddrive, so make sure that is possible ( an RAM upgrade is a cheap way to improve performance and replacing and old harddrive for a solid state drive is another good option to consider ).

To end this blog just a couple of things. You may have noticed I don't mention prices or do any recommendations about minimum system requirements. It's simple prices change very fast and the best way is to compare prices with other used laptops. And the minimum requirements depends on how you use the laptop. In my case I do a bit of shirt design with Gimp and I use it for a couple of other light weight purposes, so I can use almost any outdated old laptop ( the free laptops that still have XP installed ) . But if you want to edit movies or also like gaming then you might want a young laptop with fast CPU and maybe a big screen.

Good luck if you decided to purchase a used laptop or give your own old laptop another chance. Personally I think it's always better to repurpose than to recycle.


Until next time,


Greetings Andres

Digital art on a small budget, part 2 Operating Systems

Let's talk about operating systems:

An operating system is just like the name says an piece of sofware that makes your computer, laptop or smartphone work. The great news is that you're not bounded to a operating system like Windows.

An alternative is to use an open source operating system like Linux to replace W7 or even older versions of Windows. And just like open source software the open source operating systems are free to use ( but feel free to contribute ).
Linux is an operating systems that comes in many different distros ( flavours ) but the basics stays a little bit the same. For example I use Linux Mint on a old laptop, a popular distro with a graphic user interface that looks a bit like Windows 7. But there is also Deepin a relativly new distro that looks more like a Mac OS ( but then without the expensive apps ). I've installed Deepin on my desktop a couple of days ago, it's worth mentioning because the graphic user interface ( GUI ) looks good but I'm not sure how this OS will evolve. For example the website Deepin.org is most of the time unreachable and that doesn't feel good 😶. I would suggest to search " Linux beginner " and there will be a nice overview of distros like: this one, another new open source OS is Chromnium which is a minimal Linux distro with only the Chrome browser. So really a lot to choose from and to much to write in this blog.

So to keep this post clear and readable I'll start with the pro en cons of Linux and after that a bit of Q and A.

Pros of Linux:

- It's free !! , still a contribution is appreciated.

- It is light weight and even supports the old hardware and gives this hardware great performance. For example The laptop I use, used to run on Windows XP and has a dual core 32 bit CPU and is over 10 years old ( ancient almost prehistoric in tech world ). but with Linux Mint it works great ( upgrading RAM is recommended ).

- Open source means that the source code is open , so many people can contribute to the project. Also the license agreement is far less complicated and not violating your privacy like many closed source OS ( operating systems ) do. For example you're not pushed to make an Apple or MS account to install the OS.

- It is stable. No kidding if NASA choose Linux for a space station over MS than it sure will be good enough for your home computer.

- Security, not only are there hardly any virusses written for Linux the structure is made that whenever you change or install software Linux ask your password.

- Adding software is easy just by using program management embedded is the OS ( just like Apple or Android ). And it's all free to use.

- For just about every windows software there is an Linux alternative.

- The GUI ( Graphic User Interface ) stays mostly the same on open source, so no need to search for functions after update.

- Updates are all done in a central place, so no more different pop ups after starting your device.

- With programs like Wine it's possible to run a lot of Windows software, or you could use a virtual machine.


Cons of Linux:

- Because Windows is used by a lot of people not all your programs will be available for Linux, and some alternatives might work different or not as good.

- Shouldn't be a problem but if you forget your password you have a problem , no " send me a mail " because Linux doesn't have your e-mail or password stored on their computers.

- The GUI isn't as flashy as other OS. Personally I don't think it's a bad thing, in my opinion I prefer a software that can do everything I want with a old looking GUI than a software that restricts me with a modern and sleek GUI ( yep I'm talking about Apple ).

- Because it's new you have to get used to it.


Note is that Linux comes in many different distros ( just like Samsung uses a different shell for their Android ) so the GUI differs between distros.


Some Q and A:


Q: Is it hard to use ?

A: No, just like every OS it might take some time to get used to, but some programs have a steaper learning curve ( like GIMP ).


Q: how about using Windows software on Linux ?

A: in many case you can use Windows software with Wine or an Virtual Machine.


Q: What software is available for artists ?

A: There is GIMP for image manipulation, Inkscape for vectordrawings and Krita is aimed on digital drawing.



Q: What other software ?

A: Just like any other computer there is office , video , audio and much more software.


Q: free software means crappy software ?

A: NO, many free and open source alternative perform better than the commercial competitors.


Q: Do I have to use the command line often ?

A: No, I use Linux for more than a year and didn't need to use it.


Q: If it's so great why haven't I heard from Linux before ?

A: there is no marketing that have to sell a product, license or subscription.


Q: if you still have a question ?

A: post it in the comment section and I'll see how I can help.

That's all for now. I hope I've inspired you to at least give Linux a chance.

Thanks for reading and untill next time.

Next time: Hardware

Greetings Andres

Digital art on a small budget, part 1 software

If you're following a couple of artist on social media you probably noticed there are a lot of artists who use iPads in combination with procreate or Adobe Photoshop when they work with Windows. And if you're an professional artist that's a good choice. But in case you're not a professional (yet ) or don't want to spend a fortune on software and or hardware then it's good to know that there are alternatives.

Somewhere around 2005 I was wondering if I could add some colours to some old comics I've made. Because I didn't want to spend a lot of money on a software license I searched for alternatives. And after some while I found Inkscape a free open source vector graphic software. And for the purpose this was a great piece of software. There's an easy to adjust option to fill an area with a colour bucket which I used the most to add colour to a scanned drawing. Back then I didn't use the computer very much and I also hardly made any drawings until around 2016 when I slowly picked up drawing again. At that time I wanted a little bit more functions and found Gimp to do this. And at this moment I still work with those two programs to create art.

So now you probably want to know a bit more about those programs, and I also want to tell about another program Krita. Starting with that all these programs are open source and free to use. What means anyone can contribute to the program and their creators find it more important to empower people / artist with good software rather than to make money ( but feel free to donate to any open source project ). Another benefit is that the programs can be used on multiple operating systems so if you use Windows, Mac Os or Linux you can use it.

So in short what are the differences ?

Inkscape: this program is aimed at vector graphics, so if you're designing logos use a lot of basic shapes make flow charts that sort of stuff this would be the best choice. But it also can do a lot of editing on drawings. At the moment I use Inkscape to trace a scanned drawing so the resolution can be increased ( from png to svg and back to an png ). The controls / user interface are easy to control and after a while you can do most things with it.

Gimp: is a great piece of software that probably has the most possibilities. At least almost everything I wanted to do can be done with Gimp. It's aimed on image manipulation , Gimp is short for GNU Image Manipulation Program. The program has a bit of steap learning curve but once you master this program you'll love it.

Krita: this is a relatively new software and build for digital painting. It has a lot of different brushes and a intuitive interface. Although I never really give it a good test because I was already familiar with Gimp, if I had to choose a program to start with it would be this.

I could go very deep into details about all 3 programs but I think it's best if you just give it a try. For all these programs there are manuals, tutorials on YouTube, different Forums, Facebook groups and so on. So in case when you're stuck support is nearby.

And remember, it's just like art: an expensive brush doesn't make you a better artist or necessarily makes a better painting. So it's the same thing with commercial software doesn't make better art, nor does it means that free software is badly built or hard to use.

That's all for now. Thanks for reading, next time I want to explain a bit about operating systems and how to save money on that.

Until next time


Greetings Andres

Cute Hulhu

The Call of Cute Hulhu. Cthulhu as Cute Baby ( Cute Hulhu ) picked up the phone to say Hello.

Art theft on Aliexpress

#warning #beaware I've found one of mine designs on @aliexpress. I didn't give permission to sell this to the shop. Contacted the shop , he would delete it. But it's still for sale. Almost impossible to contact Ali. So this is a bad quality product made from a low resolution screen shot. And this is not the only design stolen. So if you want quality then visit @teepublic , @redbubble , @neatoshop or @spreadshirt to buy from the original artist. It isn't that big difference in price, if something went wrong those pod sites have a customer service that doesn't let you down. Probably this design isn't going to be removed like a lot of other art from fellow artists, and a lot of customers get scammed by those shops on AliExpress / Alibaba. It's a sad thing. -


Feel free to share to spread awareness.


-


#artist #arttheft #shirtdesigns #shirt #aliexpressshopping #aliexpress #aliexpressfashion #sharingiscaring #scam #stolenart #stolenartwork #andres7b9

Sunny summer design

Ever experienced a brain freeze while eating ice cream ? Well this ice cream is having the opposite experience. This ice cream is having a Brain Melt after biting in a very hot pepper 😄.
With this design I'm trying a different approach. First thing it's a more simple and easier to recognise design. A smarter use of colours and the use of multiple outlines makes it a simple but detailed design.

In this close up you can see the main line art is a dark blue with a thin lighter blue outline. The same is done with the drawing itself, first a light blue and then another line of pink.

And for those who doesn't like the text, there also is one without text that looks great on for example a dress:

On Redbubble: Link to shop

My shops: Neatoshop
                 Teepublic
                 Redbubble
or             Spreadshirt
 

How it's made

It all starts with a sheet of paper. I just like to draw on paper it feels better when you have to think first about the amount of space you have, when there is less room for errors and the lines you make aren't corrected to a perfect smooth line. I know with the right equipment a full digital drawing can be an amazing piece of art but very often it becomes an anonymous art where you can't recognize the style of the artist. So my steps are:

Step 1: This is the brainstorm and sketch step, usually I make a couple of quick sketches trying ideas and compositions to see what works best. Very important step, if the quick sketch doesn’t look good you’ll probably end up with something that could be much better.

Step 2: From a couple of sketches I pick the best looking and start to draw the design with pencil and paper. This one is from "Endless Chase"

Step 3: When the drawing is finished it’s time to trace the design. I used to do this on the original but recently I purchased an A4 lightbox to trace the drawing with fineliners. A good idea if you have a drawing with a lot of details. Also saves a lot of time erasing the pencil lines.

Step 4: At this point the design is digitized. It gets scanned and cleaned up. I use GIMP to remove dust pixels and little slips of the pen. Only thing at this point the design has a low resolution. ( Sorry no images but I'll post a tutorial in the future about this topic )

Step 5: The resolution must be higher, and if you’re a traditional artist you might recognize this. The solution is to trace the drawing with Inkscape. This way converts the drawing to a vector graphic ( be careful with smoothing lines ). And with this vector graphic you can scale up to any resolution you like. Save everything with a transparent background and we are ready for the next step.

Step 6: Time to add colors. Back to GIMP selecting areas with the magic wand and fill those with color and finish those areas with maybe a brush to add shades , textures etc. Best practice is to save multiple steps in this process. In case you want to change a thing you don’t have to redo everything.

Step 7: After the design is fully colored there is an opportunity to add text , outlines or maybe something else to make it complete.

Step 8: I think it is a good idea to wait a day or maybe longer before I upload the design. Very often I discovered little things like forgot to add my signature. And if everything is still good than I upload my work. At the same time I make a promotional image for social media channels. My advice don’t upload the same high resolution file to any social media, someone else can take your work with no problem.

Step 9: Is promoting my design on different social media. And thinking about the next one. My favorite is Instagram because that’s aimed on images. But maybe you prefer a different channel.

Until next time, have a great day.

Greetings Andres

Welcome

Short introduction: my name is Andres and in my spare time I make shirt designs. I live in the South of Netherlands together with my lovely wife and daughter.
I always loved to draw and a couple of years ago in 2017 I started drawing again after a long period of drawing almost nothing.My first T-shirt design I've published online was a Scooby Doo fanart "Mystery inc meddling since 1969" . And now a couple of years later I'm starting with my first blog. At the moment I'm still exploring how everything works, so maybe a slow start. 

In the future I'll be blogging about work in progress, tips and tricks maybe a tutorial or even some art related stuff for example how to modify a laptop for art on a small budget and of course there will be promotional blogs if there is a new design. 

So let's end this first short post with a image of my first design 

Have a great day, Greetings Andres