Beta0

@Ego Eram Reputo Thank you. These two images were done a long time ago. I was very proud of them. So...I'm aware that there will be no mercy for them. 8] Note: Direct links. Also, I've been planning to do a remake of the second. But I want to hear your thoughts first.

@AndrewDavid You're welcome. Black and white shading is a good way to start. By enterprise, did you mean the ship from Star Trek?

@Pixey Thanks. Like I wrote, I had to read plenty.

I'm aware that someone still needs another critique. It's May 2nd, and I wish to post one or two of my previous works for this thread.

@Anybloodyid You're welcome.

@Red ochre Thanks. And you're welcome. @hippiechos Side profile? You mean my avatar? o.o I'm glad you like them. Thanks! @Seerose Thank you. And you're welcome.

Two sigs. Two step-by-steps. One idea process. All of them are in the first page. X]

'Poppy' is amazing. The colors are warm, and the arrangement of the stars and planet is interesting. Also, there's plenty of shine.

Yep! I can see it. X] I like the galaxy and the effect created with lights and shadows. And I love the grainy texture it has. I searched and seen a few spaceships. Yours has a shape that reminds me of a whale. In fiction, some alien spaceships can have shapes that looks less like a machine and more like a living being. Here's another example, but with a lean, futuristic design. When creating spaceships, people take something called artistic license. Maybe, you could play with that. As for the shading, make the upper part of the ship darker (almost black) because it's space. You can use the galaxy as your light source. The contrast of the light would depend on what finish would you like: glossy metal, matte metal or textured metal. Finally, you could add some small, dim lights coming from windows and/or 'flash-lights'. This might serve as an idea. I hope it helps.

@hippiechos You're welcome.

@AndrewDavid You're welcome. I see you're getting into space-related art. Your planet's outcome is amazing. The glow around it reminds of an aurora borealis. X] As for your starship...I can't see it. I even went to the host, and it doesn't show.

A tarantula... So creepy. Looking at it makes my skin itch. At least, I don't scream or become enraged. (Because there's another creepy-crawler that can succesfully do that.) o__o On the plus side, it looks really good. Tarantulas appear to be hairy, so you did a good job on that. Also, I like the wall. It looks like it has a few layers of paint.

I like how the animation is coming up. Simple, yet it's good.

D8 << Yes. I was left with my mouth open out of wonder. I fell in love with your artwork...specially the covers. I've seen many book covers and these... I'm not an expert about them, but they do have that feel of being of professional quality. So... *claps*

@Whirl Okay. You're welcome.

@Whirl While that feature might not be available, you can still use the one AndrewDavid wrote about (holding Ctrl and drag the selection to create a copy.) Also, there's Simon B's plugin: CustomBrushesMini (if what you wanted was brushes.) There's a tutorial about it, too.

@Woodsy You're welcome.

Those are some good wood textures. And they have that dry, dusty look I've seen in western movies. I like the outcome of the grass from both the inn and the train tracks. Finally, I love the shading. It adds more realism, along with the textures. You did well. The piece reminds me of 3D renders. :]

@AndrewDavid You're welcome. The video isn't mine, but it's a trick I've learned when I went on a tutorial/tips/tricks/speedpaints/how-to's binge. I still go on it. XD Yep. That's true. :] @Whirl You might be interested in this. (I wasn't sure if I had to mention it, but here I go.) I think, when you wrote the feature from MSPaint versions, you might have been referring to PDN being the same as MS Paint. The page for the software says it was originally intended to be a free replacement. I've read somewhere in this forum that these two programs are not the same (except the name), and that PDN was written from scratch.

@Whirl and @Ego Eram Reputo Is this the technique in question? (Video made by TECHPECK) @AndrewDavid I think that's the shortcut for merging down layers.

@357mag The only way to download a high quality image from the web is if the image was already uploaded in high quality for others to download it (whether is in the PNG or the high quality JPEG format.) It would be on sites like Wikimedia Commons and DeviantArt where images are uploaded as such. At least, that's what I know. Oh! And said quality depends if the person managed to take a good photo. It'll be difficult to sharpen a photo if it has some sort of blur caused by an unsteady hand.

Question: Are you going to print something? If so, then you might want to change the dpi (pixels per inch.) 96 dpi will give you a small print; 300 dpi, a bigger one with better resolution (if you're going to print the image.) Then, you change the image size if needed.

A good example would be helpful (a comparison, but with images.) Hmm... I wonder if it's because you're downloading photos in the JPEG format. It tends to lose compression and definition every time it's saved in that format. Or, it might be because the photo is huge. I've took photos with digital cameras. And, when I processed them, they were really big, and didn't look good zooming in at 100%. But they did look nice and sharp when I resized them. Sometimes, I ran a sharpening filter at a low setting. As for the shine, I searched for wood varnish. My hypothesis would be that it could be achieved with: A multiply layer: filled with black, the layer would be at low opacity to darken the picture (things that are damp or wet have a darker appearance), and; A screen layer: using a linear gradient (from white to black) for the shine, the layer would be at a low opacity as well, but not as low as the multiply layer. Optional: Running the frosted glass plugin on the screen layer (sometimes, photographs, even if they're glossy, have a texture.) I hope this helps.

@Ishi You're welcome. Well, at least, you started with something. :]

I have a few problems with grayscale painting. This might come in handy. :]