I can't draw jack. Not even a little bit, and while I cannot tell you it doesn't matter, because it does, just not as much as you think. There are literally thousands of places on the web to acquire open licence vector art and photos. There are even obscure sources like public domain advertising and such to add originality. Probably millions of fonts also. At their core designs break down to these two components in most cases. It all just digital manipulation of one or both. Actually the ability to effectively use programs like photoshop and illustrator has proven to be a greater advantage in most cases. I would love to be able to draw but i can't so I just work with what I have. You can also. Take some figure and drawing classes at your local community college. Study color theory and all that. It will help you a lot, but don't let a lack of drawing ability stop you.
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Thanks for the advice! It's nice to know someone else out there can't draw
I'd be very interested in seeing some of the designs you've done using the methods you described.
Drawing is just one way of producing imagery, IMO color and design is a more useful skill set for screen printing. I have acquired a fairly decent library on visual composition covering everything from history to direct response marketing. One theme that is constant from the impressionists to Madison Avenue is the study of other peoples work. I have probably a dozen compilation books of T shirt designs, Print magazine and other collections and they are good place to get a feel for the aesthetics of T's. Try searching T shirt design books at Amazon.com. The only thing worse in business than reinventing the wheel, is reinventing a square wheel.
Taking college courses is great because there are other people going though the same process as you that you can discuss the strength and weakness's of various approaches with. When I was in school there were pretty much all age groups represented from retirement age to kids just out of high school.
You've already made a start in composition, and you've admitted to yourself that you want to grow. Those are the very hardest things to do. There is no end to how far you can go from there, literally no ceiling on what you can learn. So understand that it is a journey you can take for the rest of your life if you so choose. How cool is that, a purpose that will remain a challenge as long as you choose to pursue it.
People die of retirement, I am really thankful to have a vocation that will always remain a fresh challenge.
Taking college courses is great because there are other people going though the same process as you that you can discuss the strength and weakness's of various approaches with. When I was in school there were pretty much all age groups represented from retirement age to kids just out of high school.
You've already made a start in composition, and you've admitted to yourself that you want to grow. Those are the very hardest things to do. There is no end to how far you can go from there, literally no ceiling on what you can learn. So understand that it is a journey you can take for the rest of your life if you so choose. How cool is that, a purpose that will remain a challenge as long as you choose to pursue it.
People die of retirement, I am really thankful to have a vocation that will always remain a fresh challenge.
"I feel that a great drawing is the best foundation for a great shirt. The shirts I like best and purchase are the one's with great art on them."
It is probably just a matter of semantics but wouldn't it be equally true in your opinion that great painting, or photography or graphic design is the foundation? I know it's a fine distinction but color and design transcends media still providing imagery to render in screen print. Drawing (draftsmanship) is just one stylistic approach.
It is probably just a matter of semantics but wouldn't it be equally true in your opinion that great painting, or photography or graphic design is the foundation? I know it's a fine distinction but color and design transcends media still providing imagery to render in screen print. Drawing (draftsmanship) is just one stylistic approach.
I have posted a couple of digitally modified photographs to further illustrate my point. The girl is a photo rendered into a faux drawing, I could explain to the original poster a five or six step Photoshop technique on how to achieve this "drawing" in about a half minute. The other graphic took a bit of time but it is a 6 color "painting" of a pulling unit I worked on years back. I've got a Che graphic comprised of a photo of an ape and the famous graphic of Che combied, (Viva La Evelotuion) I would post but I wouldn't open that can of worms for an original Warhol.lol
The point is draftsmanship is not required to do a drawing, but design technique, if not knowledge is very helpful if you want to design.
The point is draftsmanship is not required to do a drawing, but design technique, if not knowledge is very helpful if you want to design.
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For my part personally, this is not an offensive type issue, this is an exchange clarifying separate aspects of the creative process. It is my position that you can do anything digitally that you can do with traditional skills and materials (with the exception of pigment purity and brilliance).
Just take a look at the portfolios of work in Painter X. However regardless of media, the rules of visual composition and management of contrast remain consistent.
Just take a look at the portfolios of work in Painter X. However regardless of media, the rules of visual composition and management of contrast remain consistent.
I understand your point. If you are talented enough, yes, I can see how you could create much of your requests. For me, I get a lot of requests for imaginative things, like a cartoon water fairy surfing, or a hammerhead biker shark (actual requests). I think you might have trouble creating a great piece for these, without a drawing skillset. I guess it really just comes down to the type of requests you are getting on a daily basis.For my part personally, this is not an offensive type issue, this is an exchange clarifying separate aspects of the creative process. It is my position that you can do anything digitally that you can do with traditional skills and materials (with the exception of pigment purity and brilliance).
Just take a look at the portfolios of work in Painter X. However regardless of media, the rules of visual composition and management of contrast remain consistent.
"For me, I get a lot of requests for imaginative things, like a cartoon water fairy surfing, or a hammerhead biker shark (actual requests). I think you might have trouble creating a great piece for these, without a drawing skillset."
If you mean cartooning, although I can't cartoon myself ( and I really wish I could) I can well imagine you would have to draw. Although I've seen a number of cartoons rendered with a stylus and a tablet. (see YouTube). But we've gone far off on a tangent. If I actually did get a request for a cartoon water nymph on a surf board I couldn't create a great piece regardless of the tools. I can and do draw freehand though (although for me it is not cost effective, the money in a print run is in running prints).
If you mean cartooning, although I can't cartoon myself ( and I really wish I could) I can well imagine you would have to draw. Although I've seen a number of cartoons rendered with a stylus and a tablet. (see YouTube). But we've gone far off on a tangent. If I actually did get a request for a cartoon water nymph on a surf board I couldn't create a great piece regardless of the tools. I can and do draw freehand though (although for me it is not cost effective, the money in a print run is in running prints).
hello glenn. i would suggest you take a look at the numerous tutorials you can find online for pretty much any graphics program you use. you can find tuts for almost any effect such as "photo to pencil sketch" or "vintage photo effect" plus many other designs that you can make from scratch on your graphics software. the tuts are also a great way to get yourself more familiar with all the goodies on your software that you would probably otherwise never use..or know were even there. just google "photoshop tutorial" (or whatever software you prefer) and you will find a ton of sites to look through.
i just did it myself today because a client wanted a shirt printed with an airbrush effect on the photo. i found a great tut on it and showed her the results..she loved it and im starting on the shirts today)
good luck.
i just did it myself today because a client wanted a shirt printed with an airbrush effect on the photo. i found a great tut on it and showed her the results..she loved it and im starting on the shirts today
) good luck.
If you've got half a minute I'd love to hear how you did that in Photoshop!I have posted a couple of digitally modified photographs to further illustrate my point. The girl is a photo rendered into a faux drawing, I could explain to the original poster a five or six step Photoshop technique on how to achieve this "drawing" in about a half minute. The other graphic took a bit of time but it is a 6 color "painting" of a pulling unit I worked on years back. I've got a Che graphic comprised of a photo of an ape and the famous graphic of Che combied, (Viva La Evelotuion) I would post but I wouldn't open that can of worms for an original Warhol.lol
The point is draftsmanship is not required to do a drawing, but design technique, if not knowledge is very helpful if you want to design.
Cool, it's an old trick,but that doesn't make any less an effective tool.
1) crop your image to the desired composition and de saturate, or convert to gray scale.
2) In your Layers window right click on the background layer and duplicate it.
3) Invert the duplicate either by Image\Adjust\invert
or by pressing Control and I at the same time
4)Right click on the inverted layer and select blending options, pull down and select Color dodge
5)The image should go completely or almost completely white.
6) Go to Filters\blur\Gaussian Blur and select and play with the slider till you get the best result for your application.
Afterwords adjust contrast and add lines for a pencil line type look.
1) crop your image to the desired composition and de saturate, or convert to gray scale.
2) In your Layers window right click on the background layer and duplicate it.
3) Invert the duplicate either by Image\Adjust\invert
or by pressing Control and I at the same time
4)Right click on the inverted layer and select blending options, pull down and select Color dodge
5)The image should go completely or almost completely white.
6) Go to Filters\blur\Gaussian Blur and select and play with the slider till you get the best result for your application.
Afterwords adjust contrast and add lines for a pencil line type look.
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