Hi,
Found a fairly informative post for the less inclined artists among us.
-dev
Kenny’s (who also wrote the article linked above) Assets are also a great start for all kinds of prototypes.
Less inclined? How about plain terrible. That’s me!
If you guys are looking for a new hobby, try working through some of the exercises in “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain” by Betty Edwards. While some of the “brain science” part of the book rests on questionable ground (at least the early editions), if you approach art with the techniques she describes, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the results.
Just like programming, art is essentially problem solving (plus expression) and you have to slowly build up your toolkit to tackle increasingly challenging goals. The reason there aren’t more artists and more programmers is because it requires putting your but in a chair and really dedicating yourself to solving those problems and feeling pretty stupid at times which is something people tend to avoid. As you know from your long hours of coding, sweat is an underrated currency.
As programmers, I know you all have the attention span and fortitude to work hard and survive direct assaults on your self-esteem ;) You might feel intimidated by capital “A” Art but remember, artistic skill can be broken down into a couple dozen subcomponent skills. If someone is a “natural artist” it is probably because they have mastered some of these supporting skills prior to engaging in art. Some of the skills don’t even require picking up a pencil or brush like observation, imagination and good old fashioned cause and effect predictions. You all already have work ethic, dedication and resilience so you are ahead of the game!
The roadmap for artistic development and the underlying philosophy in “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain” are both enjoyable which is good as the more you enjoy art, the more time you’ll put into it and the better you will get. Have a fun adventure if you choose this path and feel free to ask me for advice in how to approach particular art challenge or choosing the right program to use for a particular project.
That was a core textbook in the course I took at our local community college for game art. It was a course mostly focused on drawing while learning game focused concepts. It’s a great book.
Rob
Kenny’s (who also wrote the article linked above) Assets are also a great start for all kinds of prototypes.
Less inclined? How about plain terrible. That’s me!
If you guys are looking for a new hobby, try working through some of the exercises in “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain” by Betty Edwards. While some of the “brain science” part of the book rests on questionable ground (at least the early editions), if you approach art with the techniques she describes, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the results.
Just like programming, art is essentially problem solving (plus expression) and you have to slowly build up your toolkit to tackle increasingly challenging goals. The reason there aren’t more artists and more programmers is because it requires putting your but in a chair and really dedicating yourself to solving those problems and feeling pretty stupid at times which is something people tend to avoid. As you know from your long hours of coding, sweat is an underrated currency.
As programmers, I know you all have the attention span and fortitude to work hard and survive direct assaults on your self-esteem ;) You might feel intimidated by capital “A” Art but remember, artistic skill can be broken down into a couple dozen subcomponent skills. If someone is a “natural artist” it is probably because they have mastered some of these supporting skills prior to engaging in art. Some of the skills don’t even require picking up a pencil or brush like observation, imagination and good old fashioned cause and effect predictions. You all already have work ethic, dedication and resilience so you are ahead of the game!
The roadmap for artistic development and the underlying philosophy in “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain” are both enjoyable which is good as the more you enjoy art, the more time you’ll put into it and the better you will get. Have a fun adventure if you choose this path and feel free to ask me for advice in how to approach particular art challenge or choosing the right program to use for a particular project.
That was a core textbook in the course I took at our local community college for game art. It was a course mostly focused on drawing while learning game focused concepts. It’s a great book.
Rob