Programs For Artists and Game Creators

Hai! I was thinking that maybe the programs I use and would reccomend to others for making games and graphics might be helpful for others who are aspiring artists and game creators. - Mind you, these are just the ones I have mentioned there are countless programs one can use these are just my select few.

I hope this is helpful to somebody!

Graphics:

GIMP

I do pretty much all my graphics in GIMP, some of them are edited in the program I used for game creation but not overly often. GIMP is an opened-source photo editor and graphic program. This of is as a free photoshop. Granted photoshop might be aimed more towards painting but GIMP is just as good for making game graphics and it's free no strings attached.

MyPaint

As stated GIMP is my main source for graphics, but if I ever make a more advanced game or have a more painted style in mind I will for sure collab MyPaint and GIMP together for better coloring quality. MyPaint is another Opened-Sourced art program, this is more like a free ArtRage, the boldness isn't as sharp as ArtRage but it's still a wonderful program. If you want a more painted look I'd recommend MyPaint for sure; however there is another program called Krita, I can't seem to understand it personally...But I only use a mouse and that's probably why. Can't hurt for you to try.

 

Inkscape

 

I don't personally use Inkscape for the simple reason I don't understand Vectoring. When trying to make a vector I get so lost I'm on another planet. That aside, for those who would be more apt to use a vectoring program Inkscape is like a free Adobe Illustrator, it is as well opened source and is powerful enough to make sleek graphics that are vectors instead of normal images that use pixels.

Sounds:

Sony Acid (Free Version)

 

I use Sony Acid's synth pad to create my sounds (like picking up points, impact noises, power-ups...etc). I don't have the full version so exporting to .wav is an extra feature you can only get if you buy it so I have to use another program to convert to .wav...For what I need it for it's useful. You could maybe use Fruity Loops as well, there's free version if you have no money. Or another alternative is Linux Music Making Studio, it's a lot like Fruity Loops only you don't have to pay for it. (And it works in Windows too)

GoldWave ( Free version)

 

I use GoldWave to export my sounds in to .wav (that's the format I have to use in my game creation program) and I also edit the sounds in goldwave, like the volume and some effects to the sounds. You can buy GoldWave if you want too, I honestly don't know what you get if you buy it , I've been using the free version for stuff since I'm 10 or 11 years old so...yep. If you want a similar program that's fully free you can get Audacity, it's a free program for editiing music and stuff like that it would 

 probably be just as useful.

Game Creation

GameMaker 8.0

 

This is a program you'd have to buy for full functionality (unless you learn to code out of the gate). It's a very good program for noobs like me who don't know what they're doing. There's a drag and drop option and a coding option, if you code you have to use it's own coding language. Any previous coding knowlage would probably help you understand the codes in GML (Game Maker Language) however, its it's own lauguage and you'd have to learn it.
GameMaker is currently on the 8.1 version, and if you pay the most money (which is ungodly exspensive) you can make games on nearly every platform there is; however, though, if you are just starting out you don't want to spend all that money if you don't even know if you like the program. I'd mess with the free version first. GameMaker is a primarily 2D based program, there is some 3D ability but not a whole lot.

 If you're more in to 3D you can use J Monkey which uses Java Script as the code but you'd have to also lean how to use Blender which is a legally free opened source 3D animation and modeling program (Think if it as a free Maya).

I wrote review about GameMaker, it's rather old and I have learned a whole lot more about it since then but it might give you an idea. LINK

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Program Links:

Audacity

GoldWave

Sony Acid

Linux Music Making Studio

GIMP

MyPaint

Blender

Krita

JMonkey

GameMaker

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May God Bless You, Your Family, Friend; Along With The Health Of Yourself, Family, Friends, And All Who Know You. ~ Amen

~ Firefly

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Digital VS Traditional - Is one "better"?

Digital VS Traditional - Is one "better"?

I've heard there is a semi silent war between digital art vs traditional art, if this is the case I'd like to play diplomat and set at ease those who don't know which is “better”.

Basics:

Let me just say out of the gate, art is art, everything takes learning unless you're a super brain with no need for practice you just look at a painting or digital drawing and can duplicate it (which there are some gifted people like that.) there is no “right type” of media, although in this day and age if you want a job in art design for lets say for example Disney they expect you to be able to do digital or at least have a little bit of knowledge in that area, whether you are good at traditional or not.

 

I'd like to tell what the difference is for those who are just starting or aren't quiet sure what the real difference is between “Traditional” and “Digital”:

The difference is pretty simple; digital is drawn or rendered on the computer in a program, while traditional is done purely with media that's not digital like, paints, paper, art boards pencils and the like, each is different and within the 2 dimensions there could even be sub wars on “which media is best?" within their own rights, paint and markers can fight, and 3D Blender vs 2D Synfig can duke it out;  Just keep this in mind : Art is art.

My view on Digital VS Traditional:

One of my Images Drawn in MyPaint and GIMP

Digital art in my opinion, even in all it's glorious beauty will never be able to fully duplicate the exact charm that traditional art has, I'm not saying it can't duplicate traditional art, programs like MyPaint and ArtRage go out of their way to duplicate and they do pretty well, but there is something about getting paint on your hands, marker ink on your fingers an feeling the texture of the paper that has a close feel to it, and a warmth that can't be duplicated by the “fake” paints, markers and pencils the computer generates. - Again I don't say it's not beautiful, or it's bad, I love to draw with MyPaint and GIMP but it's just not the same.

Traditional Drawing From Me

Some people might think when it comes to things like paint and pencils“that's old stuff” but without old we wouldn't have the new. Without the first artist, whoever that might have been, we would never have the newest internet sensations of artists, without Disney we wouldn't have Anime, Pixar, Dreamworks, or any other animation, without Papyrus scrolls we wouldn't have modern paper, the list goes on with this but I believe the point is made, for something to be new, you have to have something old.

Then we have the people who don't like anything new, now granted there are some new things where it's just a bad idea, no arguing it, it's bad! But what about things like Anime? There are art teachers that will practically forbid their students to draw it because “it isn't art” it's just that “new” stuff that kids watch these days...Whether you like Anime or not (I'm in the middle on this), you cannot argue that it's not a talent to be able to draw and story tell like the Japanese do; And it's not even new, it's just newer to the western world, if you told a Japanese person that Anime is new they'd “roflol” at you in total belittling humor. 

Digital gives the image of perfection, Traditional can give that perfection image but also a “down to earth” feel.

Brief Digital View:

Some people see digital art or computer 3D rendering as cheating, “you just have a program do it for you”; Believe me, although even I feel to a point there is a bit of “cheating” involved, I know that it takes a lot of work to make a 3D or even a 2 drawn movie or drawing using computers.

Look at this Screen Shot of the Default user interface of Blender a free 3D rendering program.

Bigger Version Here.

This is just a free program! Imagine what the high class programs Pixar or Dreamworks uses, it's ridicules! There is no way a person can say that 3D rendering is simple or literal cheating is going on and fully believe it, you can feel it but doesn't mean it's true! ( I apply this to myself as well.)

Here's also another Screen Shot, this is of my setup in GIMP 2.8.

Bigger Version Here.

It's got a lot of features, if I was to go in to all the filters, brushes and things within GIMP I'd be doing a GIMP overview and for now that isn't my purpose; With that said, it's taken me years to learn GIMP and I'm still learning.

Traditional View

Okay, I'll be honest and you've probably felt the vibe throughout this, I love traditional art, I find it the life’s blood of all drawing, animation, and visual art in general, I just love it. So am I a bit biased? Eh, maybe, but I'll be honest!

Traditional art has so many realms it's not even funny, we have pencils, we have markers, we have pens, we have paints then we go down in to types of the formerly mentioned: Oil paints, watercolor paints, washable markers, permanent markers, fine art markers, lists galore everywhere!!

If a person can master one of these mediums it could be a life's mission, and the same counts for any other media whether it be 3D rendering or digital painting.

Traditional is for me, more impressive, for others maybe not so much but for me, if you can draw something that you wanna touch with colored pencils or markers, I'm just passing out with my mouth wide opened “WOW!”. Traditional can tend to not be “perfect” which reminds us a human made the picture.

Traditional might cost more money in the long run, but if you enjoy doing it it's totally worth it!

Combining the two:

Screen Shot From The "Be Our Guest" Scene

Okay, most of you probably saw Disney's “Beauty and the Beast”, it's one of their classic hand drawn princess movies, but what you might not know is that for the “Be Our Guest” song scene there was computer generation added to it; The part with the chandelier was CG generated, but it all looked like their lovely hand-drawn animation, it had harmony and beauty, and it probably made it much easier for the animators. 

 

Another Screen Shot From The "Be Our Guest" Scene

Screen Shot of "Doctor Doppler"in Treasure planet

Another Disney treasure, “Treasure Planet” had hand-drawn and digital combined and it was wonderful! Some people weren't fond of the style but I think they did a good job personally. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. But my point is, that in the world out there where the pros are, they combine the two and it comes out great. One isn't necessary better than the other, they're different but still the same.

Screen Shot of James Hawkins looking upon a CG Generated Space Whale.

 Note: All Rights Reserved to Disney on the Artwork expressed in these images.

Just a thought: If you can't draw anything on paper what makes you think a computer is gonna help you? Sure there are tools that could make it simpler but you still have to learn to draw, whether on paper or on the computer you have to learn.

These 2 medium compliment each-other: Drawing on paper helps drawing digitally, and drawing or rendering digitally helps you to see how three-dimensional objects work in a new light and make things that you can't make on paper or canvas. There are things that can't be done with one medium that the other can do: Blender can't paint on a canvas with oil paints and a marker can't make a 3D Rendered image of Woody Pride (Toy Story) or Vanellope Von Schweetz (Wreck it Ralph) but we can learn from both, and make them be in harmony so why don't we just have fun?

Maybe you want to draw a picture but you find it hard to sketch on the computer, sketch on paper! Maybe you find inking hard with pens, scan (if you have a scanner) a sketch use tools on the computer and print it out, if you don't have a scanner use a camera if you have one!..Or maybe you can't color too well on paper, use a program to color your drawings you've inked or sketched, there are tools available to you! And to those who think they can't because they don't have a tablet, trust me on this, you don't need one, yes it's good if you have one but you don't need it, I know of artists including myself that use a mouse and things come out just fine!

In conclusion:

Just as many people make beautiful things with colored pencils, markers, and paints as people who make paintings in Photoshop, Paint tool Sai, MyPaint or other programs, there's a harmony.

I do both, I do more “realistic” stuff with the computer and do more cartoonish on paper, I have my own balance, I don't say one is necessarily better than the other because I love both. Even the professionals use both, there isn't one all powerful art medium!

And also don't forget, style is key, if you are aiming for a certain style you need to use certain tools, if you wanna recreate Shrek you need to use a 3D rendering program, if you wanna recreate the Monalisa you need paint (unless you wanna recreate digitally which is an option), all in all, find yourself, find what you love, nothing is “the thing” you need, you need what you love to use an are most comfortable with.

So with all this I say, make up and hug it's all supposed to be fun, so have fun!

May God Bless You, Your Family, Friend; Along With The Health Of Yourself, Family, Friends, And All Who Know You. ~ Amen

~ Firefly

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