telophase | Art and Photoshop people out there...

...here's a wacky idea.

I've had it floating in my head for a couple of years that a good project for PandaBuddha (what I published Project Blue Rose under) is to produce a CD and a printed manual of completely copyright-free background images and clip art that are useful for manga and doujinshi. Both line art and the sort of tone-ized backgrounds that you see in Nana or very contrasty B&W images, but primarily line art, in a number of different sizes. The manual would have a printed inventory of the images, with thumbnails and filenames, and explanations and examples of how they could be used. If I could get some of the line arts in vector format as well, that would be muy excellente. I'm thinking of selection of interiors and exteriors of buildings, houses, schools, as well as some scenes of nature, and some images of trees and animals and cars and other everyday things to round it out.

ETA: People who can do (or are willing to learn) good vector images are highly encouraged to volunteer - because something like this, only with a subject other than a person, is PERFECT.

ETA2: I'm talking something similar to the lineart portions here and here. (Warning: huge files.) He's got a short pen tool tut here.

What I'm looking for, actually, is mostly tracings of photographs, or very well manipped tone-ized or contrasty* photos to keep them looking as nice as possible. And to keep this absolutely legal-hassle-free, it has to be photos that you have taken, or that someone you know has taken who is willing to sign a piece of paper saying they do not want any money for the use of their photos, because I am, after all, reselling them. :D

Remuneration for this? Er, not much. If anything. Contributor's copies, of course, and credits in the manual and on a file on the CD. I'd have to work out what the cost was for the CDs, CD cases, manuals, packaging, and posting before I could price them, and at that, I'm not really sure how much of a market there'd be for them. So I'd say right now: contributor's copies only, with the possibility of a bit of money, probably only enough to buy a hardback book, if that, later, if it takes off or goes into another printing. :D

So, anyone ~~stupid enough~~ willing to help me with a project that might end up involving a lot of work and not much recompense?

I'll start working on some example images to show you what I'm thinking of.

* They have to save well as a bitmapped image that contains only black and white pixels - absolutely no greyscale. I'm willing to teach you about that.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Um, it sounds interesting, but I'd have to see examples before I'd have any idea whether I can contribute or not!

But that is a fantastic idea.

Once I play with a few tutorials in Photoshop and Illustrator, I'll have a bettr idea of what I'm asking you to do. Right now, I'm working with a way to trace using the pen tool which doesn't really require much artistic ability or creativity, jsut the ability to zoom in and make bunches of pen tool dots around the major lines of an object and then to stroke the resulting path. Once I get this done - I picked a Maya building with a complex outline to practice with - I'll post it to show you. :) And there's a few other tutorials I found to try out.

(It's this one, BTW: http://www.melissaclifton.com/tutorial-comicbook.html)

* Mind you, this one (http://www.melissaclifton.com/tutorial-photolineart.html) requires even less tracing, and is good for objects, at least ones photographed that have nice, sharp edges. I'll try it, too.

Guns and weapons - that's another good category of objects. I have friends with sharp things and shooty things I could tap to let me photograph, I think... :)

Hmm. Yeah, unfortunately both of those tutorials consist of things that are technically doable in Paint Shop Pro, but on a much more time consuming basis than Photoshop. So I probably can't help. But, best of luck.

There are about a zillion different ways to do things. Can PSP do vectors?

Can you use it to trace a building made up of primarily straight lines? (i.e., using a line tool to carefully place straight lines everywhere needed)? Do you have enough hand control to zoom in close and trace?

If you made some realistic manga balloons [vector] you'd so rule.

Ooh - another good idea for it. XD

I would buy it...just for that alone.
Manga balloons are fast becomming my Vietnam. >_<

I'm in!

At least it will give me an excuse to take more pictures of the cherry tree by the library that always turns to sakura of DOOOOOM in the spring.

Sweet! I'm working on a high-contrast pic of a car now, as an example, andI'll do a lineart example next. Plus, there's the posterized effext of Nana's backgrounds, too....

I'd buy it.

I could use background stuff more than actual people; I have a book of "Manga Clip Art" but have hardly ever used it.

I've flipped trhough that, but wasn't really impressed with it - I can always draw my own people, what I need are all sorts of backgrounds! :D

Anything that'll help me with clothes, objects on people? I can draw nudes... and... well, that's it. My clothes tend to not look right.

:D What's helping me at the moment with clothes and folds is long, boring meetings. I start sketching the people sitting around the table, paying attention to the folds in their clothes.

I can help, though I can't garuntee high output. Send stuff my way and I'll work on it as I can.

Thanks! Every little bit helps.

oh, if you're looking for vector graphics of wildlife, try looking at ian symbol libraries, it's for illustrator. They offer free design work if you have something specific that fits in with what they do.

http://ian.umces.edu/symbols/

not sure of the usage rights since I use them for my classroom.

Okay...to randomly come back to this...

I talked to a friend of mine who I know is into digital photography and he has no problem with people using the material he's already posted (http://www.distorted-perceptions.com/coppermine) and he'd be willing to take shots specifically for the project as well. He was asking me this morning for a clearer idea of what you'd like images of because I really couldn't give him anything clearer than 'Uhh..stuff!'

So...any thoughts/requests?

Art and Photoshop people out there...

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject