welcome to camp telophase

Another one, similar to the car in my last post. I promise to try to get around to actual lineart examples in the next day or two. :D

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...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.