How do you do your graphics?

PyTM30 on 2010/08/18 15:52

There are some really nice graphics in some of these games and I just wonder if you've used someone else's? are they hand drawn and scanned? drawn with a mouse? or do you all have graphics tablets?

(log in to comment)

Comments

ArmchairArmada on 2010/08/18 16:04:

I'm sure everyone has their own method of creating graphics, and all the methods you listed would work.  This PyWeek I plan on using my newly purchased Wacom tablet to make the graphics in my game.  Most likely they would be drawn in the Gimp.  In the past I've used Blender to make 3D graphics.

Akake on 2010/08/18 16:09:

I'm going to use Blender to make models and Inkscape to make the textures.

But, as ArmchairArmada said, all of the methods you listed would work.

Oh, and I personally do not own a graphics tablet. (Kind of want one, but not bad enough to save up for it)

Cosmologicon on 2010/08/18 16:16:

I know my graphics are not "really nice" but I wanted to add that there's also the possibility of using a vector graphics program like Inkscape. I used that for Pyweek 9. I use a Wacom tablet and Gimp for non-vector stuff in Pyweek 8 and 9.

The game that had my favorite graphics, Robot Toast, looks like it used a combination of hand-drawn (possibly a tablet), Photoshop effects, and pixel art. So there's no best tool, it's all about the look you want.

mmkay on 2010/08/18 17:04:

I have a tablet (cheapest Pentagram one), but I haven't used it for any graphics, to be honest. Most of my graphics were pure GIMP + mouse. I think of drawing some graphics by hand and scanning it, but it depends on the theme and my ideas.

adrwen on 2010/08/18 20:45:

I like to think of my graphics as... a bit modernistic. Modernistic graphics can be produced using gimp patterns and brushes. They all look pretty much alike in the end, but at least they are better than what you get from pygame.draw (most of the time).

scav on 2010/08/18 21:56:

I can barely do sprite art on a good day.  If we're doing 3D again this time, Threads will be doing models in Blender.

Tee on 2010/08/19 03:25:

My graphics are more like "programmer art", but I'm sure those who have good graphics have them because of practice and experience. That's what really counts, not what you use to draw them.

Anyway, I either use Inkscape (for vector art) or Graphics Gale (for pixel art; Windows only unfortunately but it probably works on Wine). While I do have a tablet, it doesn't make that much of a difference for me since I can't draw on paper anyway. But it is sometimes easier to use a tablet than a mouse.

Be very careful with graphics in Pyweek (if you don't have an artist). They tend to suck up your time. Detailed pixel art takes particularly long; learned this the hard way in Pyweek #8 (I was happy with my pixel art until I realized I had almost no time left).

richard on 2010/08/19 04:26:

I can knock stuff up in Inkscape pretty quickly these days. In the past I've also used Wings3d for 3D modelling. Both are really easy to use, easy to pick up and easy to tweak things to make up for my lack of innate drawing ability :-)

ikanreed on 2010/08/19 20:06:

Spears Dracona does the pixel art for our team, almost exclusively.  She uses graphics gale.   I tried to prod her into answering this topic, but I guess she didn't feel like it.  My only recommendation is not to use the gimp.  It's a little crummy.

Spears Dracona on 2010/08/19 22:02:

It's not that I didn't feel like it, it's just that all 3 times I went to respond, I didn't have more than a sentence to say, and it didn't really feel like I'd be adding enough to justify clicking the save button.  But yeah, like ikanreed said, I use Graphics Gale, and I use my mouse.  I don't have a tablet, but that's okay, I doubt it would be too useful.

tartley on 2010/08/20 18:13:

At work we once estimated that drawing icons for our application scored the lowest of any activity in terms of 'bytes produced per hour spent'. (we're all programmers though, doubtless someone experienced could churn them out somewhat quicker)

gizmo_thunder on 2010/08/20 18:42:

I used to do the graphics using mouse. Gimp and Blender is what i've always been using. :D. I think i used AC3D for once of the pyweeks... i bought a wacom tablet very recently hopefully that will improve my art :D