Quick Tutorial: Make a picture the easy way
This is just a quick tutorial on how to make a picture for a game, or whatever. I was trying to teach it to my Webelos, but my computer was slow. So, get ready for something that will easily blow your minds… so long as you are somewhere around ten years old.
Most people think that you need to know what things look like, and slowly draw them to exacting detail. Great artists can do this, but those of us with lesser skill have learned some quick work arounds. What you need is stock photos. Look through places like Deviantart for free use stock. There are a lot of websites that have stock photos, but they usually charge money.
Deviantart has rules by the photo takers. The photos I chose out asked that I leave a link to their work from my art spot. I will do that, and also send them a link to this tutorial.
The boys asked that I make a skull with batwings on it. I am sure that everyone here is in absolute shock that someone such as a Webelos would even think of that.
I will be using this nice little skull.
And this bat.
Also, I will be using Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. You can use Gimp, and any other vector program you want. I used vectors because I can adjust things until they fit the image of what I want, and then can resize them easily.
Ok, lets open up Illustrator, and do some tracing. First we need a new document. I sized it 1000x1000. So long as it is big, it should be enough.
Then we need to copy the image from the link, and paste it into illustrator.
You can keep the stock images on one layer. Just make sure to lock them, and make two more layers for tracing purposes. Also, name the two new layers after what you are tracing.
This just makes it easier to figure out what is what.
Now trace the skull. Trace each major part on its own. This should make it look better.
Adjust the lines using the white pointy arrow thingy. Double click on a point -those little boxes-, and you should be able to move it independently of the rest.
There are some cool things with Illustrator that will make the tracing look cooler. I don’t know if your vector program will have it.
Now you need to make the skull invisible on both the skull layer, and the stock image layer. Then lock the two layers.
This helps you make sure lines are only on the batwings layer. Select it, and begin to trace the batwings.
I will show you the tool I used to make things look cooler.
Once again, it may or may not be on your vector program. It doesn’t really matter in the long run, but the effect is really cool.
You have probably noticed that things are slammed together a bit. This is ok since we are copying and pasting each thing on its own into photoshop. You are now ready to color. Open photoshop, and make a new file. In illustrator, select one of the layers, unlock it, and then copy the object.
I copied the skull completely, but each wing was a different copy paste. This makes a layer for each part in photoshop. If you look, the image is still crammed together. You need to make the canvas bigger.
I ended up making the width 20. But you get the idea. Move each object layer into place so the completed image looks great. Now select the three images, and press the right button on the mouse, tell photoshop to make the three tracings into one object layer. Tada, you have your picture, and its time to color.
Create a few layers below the skull, and color in however you want. I chose a top layer with solid colors, and then more subtle colors beneath. Just enjoy the process, and try to make it look cool.
This image is great, but way too big. If you placed it in your game, it would make things slow down slightly. With enough things this big, everything slows down and the game is sluggish. Luckily there is a way to resize the image.
There we go, a perfectly sized and ready image of a skull with batwings. Place it in your game, and go nuts.
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