Flash is Crap Sometimes

[Brycearoni]

So I'm working in Flash trying to draw a freakin simple guitar and it takes me like 20 min and looks like crap. I get a pen and take out a sticky note draw a excellent guitar in like 2 seconds. Is it this way for everyone? 'Cause I can draw so much better in real life than in Flash. And also for me I can do an animation with sticky notes in like 8 minutes, takes takes freakin' 12 hours in Flash, I mean it sounds to me like I should be a classical animation artist with good ol' pen and paper. 'Cause what I've heard is that it is the other way around for most people.

[Deadclever23]

http://wacom.com/

[Brycearoni]

At 3/24/09 06:11 PM, Deadclever23 wrote: http://wacom.com/

Wacom sucks too, I can't draw for shit with one

[Syncope]

What most animators do to go off the post raiser stater before me is that they get what's known as a tablet, which is used to bring that paper and pen feel to drawing on the computer (either that or use the line tool often). The most popular tablet company is Wacom, but feel free to search around. As you get into the more expensive range, you get larger avaliable screens, more buttons to program on the tablet, higher quality overall, etc. If you have any more questions, feel free to post.

[SenorLlama]

At 3/24/09 06:09 PM, Brycearoni wrote: Is it this way for everyone? 'Cause I can draw so much better in real life than in Flash.

Absolutely. Switching media is always a huge obstacle for artists, no matter if it's from pencil to paint, traditional to digital, or even raster to vector. You can't expect to be a master the moment you decide to move to flash. The only way to really overcome it is to have patience and practice. I know it's trite but it's true.

As was mentioned before, a tablet does help. It's definitely an awkward piece of equipment at first, especially considering you can't angle it to the side like you can a piece of paper, and the proportions are all screwy. Something that helped me make the transition was I laid a sheet of printing paper on top of the tablet to simulate the feel of pencil on paper a little better. I took it off once I started getting the hang of things.

If you're looking for a way to practice. I started scanning in my old pencil drawings and importing them to flash. Then, on a new layer, I started drawing over them using the brush tool (I prefer fill over stroke). This way, I learn how to control my tablet better while preserving the original concept. My advice during this, group things often (Ctrl + G). That way you don't end up overlapping things you didn't want to, and if you feel comfortable with what you got break it back apart (Ctrl + B).

[Judzfell]

find a picture on google of a guitar you want, then use that as a trace, or even photoshop a picture of a guitar, filter it with photocopy black and white, and there you go. i use to use that trick.

[micky315]

gawd i have the same problem, i love drawing in real life but suck ass with a tablet

[wasb]

At 3/24/09 06:12 PM, Brycearoni wrote:

At 3/24/09 06:11 PM, Deadclever23 wrote: http://wacom.com/

Wacom sucks too, I can't draw for shit with one

Blasphemy! Wacoms are one of the best thing that's happened to a digital artist! You just need practice.

[Archon68]

At 3/24/09 06:09 PM, Brycearoni wrote: So I'm working in Flash trying to draw a freakin simple guitar and it takes me like 20 min and looks like crap. I get a pen and take out a sticky note draw a excellent guitar in like 2 seconds. Is it this way for everyone?

Yeah, that's how life works.