what next

[Xeela_Moopuppy]

thank you SOOOO much for your patience with me. I have another week to pull this off so i think i have time. my mouse is back on crack so my dad is going to re install my mouse software again while im out tomorrow and when i get back I will try all of these tips.
again you are amazing and thank you sooo much for your help this means so much for me.

[Crow Haven]

Let me know what answers you need, I'm happy to be of any help!!! [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]
---As the Crow Flies!---
Maya

[gwpriester]

What are we going to do with you? :-)

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> Well, I'm not Vladimyr... but may I make a suggestion?????? His way isn't the only way...in spite of what Gary says. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

My comment about Vladimyr is simply he has years of practice and skill as a painter and an artist. Just doing his tutorial, or your excellent mini-tutorial is not going to make up for years of honing one's skill by taking drawing and painting classes and by learning the basics. His use of color is exquisite. His colors are rich and saturated and work to make his images rich and life like. This is not something you can know from just doing a tutorial.

You (Maya) have very good drawing skills and you are learning to translate these skills into Xara with excellent facility. But how long have you been drawing and doing art? Could you draw like you do now when you were Nicole's age? I sure could not. I still cannot draw very well and I'm three times Nicole's age.

Gary

Gary Priester

Moderator Person

<a href="http://www.gwpriester.com">
www.gwpriester.com </a>


XaraXone

[Gaussian]

It's great how you help people Maya!

[Crow Haven]

Yes, Gary---I was just 17 yrs old when I painted the tiger painting in the attachment here---it is 24X36 inches...see for yourself, a young person can paint and create amazing pieces. It also won first place awards and a people's choice award...just think...I was a teenager, and no one ever told me not to expect to achieve results. I also was able to teach others to paint who had never tried it and thought they couldn't...

Please don't just go on about someone else's abilities and giving a person the idea that if you yourself don't feel you can do it that they ought to not expect to either. It's not helpful. It doesn't take years and years either...

Also, why should everyone feel that if their artwork doesn't look just like another's that somehow it's just not going to be good enough---who said everyone's portrait work, or any other images have to be like anothers????

Don't place your ideas of your limitations on another---please! I painted well as a teen--even without formal training. Vladimyr is good too, but we are not talking Rembrandt here....it's not impossible to do a portrait now for Nicole, and her experience with it will encourage her to improve more as she works with it more. Give her a chance!!! Just answer her questions instead of going on in hero worship about another. [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif[/img]

I will help her as best I can...she will learn---the real object gained.

---As The Crow Flies!---
Maya

[Crow Haven]

Well, I try!!!
---As The Crow Flies!---
Maya

[Ross Macintosh]

That's beautiful!

Don't be too hard on Gary - You know he's only trying to help. It can be discouraging approaching a project that is too difficult. While some do conquest over such discouragement, most retreat in disappointment. Sure we all need to aim high and push ourselves but sometimes learning is well served by taking small steps that progress our skills. I think that is what Gary is trying to say - not hero worship or a belittling of anyone elses abilities.

Nicole, a portrait is an ambitious project. I wish you success. I hope if you find yourself discouraged that rather than give up on Xara you'll give a less ambitious project a go. Gary's tutorials in the XaraXone.com website are excellent at providing detailed explanations of all steps in reproducing the tutorial image. Do a few of them and you'll have a good grounding in most of Xara's tools.

Regards, Ross

<a href=http://www.designstop.com/>DesignStop.Com</a>

[Xeela_Moopuppy]

i appreciate all of your replies
gary i respect your words very much, and your advice means a lot to me.
I know your purpose was not to bring me down, yet to warn me that I may be pushing myself to hard. I have been drawing very regularly sinse i was very little, and have had a lot of practice with it. My grandmother is a professional artist, and my intrest has grown because of her. I am very into the art programs at my school, and take two art classes during the day. I know that this is very ambitious of me, but I need to give it a try. I appreciate all of your advice, and maya thank you for doing this walktrhough, i am working through it as I speak.

[Gaussian]

There is nothing wrong with it if somebody shows others how he created some good art. Sometimes I would like to know too how Vladimyr created his stuff, even knowing that I will probably never come nowhere close. Maybe you think that the person who asks these questions just ignores the facts that it takes a lot of practice and talent to create this beautiful art, but many times it’s just a general interest for his/her talent to explore some of the mystery surrounding him.
Many people like flying and are interested in what it takes to fly a plane, but should we ignore their interest if we know that they can't even manage to get a kite up in the air?

[dalel]

&nbsp
I have also found that doing portraits is very challenging, though I think I do pretty well with portraits, on canvas.

What is most frustrating about learning a new tool such as Xara X, is the feeling of starting over at the beginning, as a complete greenhorn rookie. (sorry to be so redundant) [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

I know what pains I took to develop my skills with brushes and paints, and it seems like a long road ahead to be able to translate that level of skill into skill using Xara.

At this point in my Xara training, when I try to do the simplest action with Xara, an action that is soooooooooo simple using brushes and paint, I have to try to figure out the vector way to get the result. That can be frustrating, take a considerable amount of time to get a very simple result, and make me wonder is there are easier ways to do what I am trying to do. Aaaauuuugh!

I know that I will get better and faster with time, but starting over as a rookie can be quite disheartening, especially when translating a relatively SIMPLE image from paint to vector.

We all learn at a different pace. I wish I had Maya's capacity to learn quickly, and the time to spend using Xara. I don't have the time to practice "artistic" images, as I use Xara primarily to design web sites. And when I do submit an image to this forum, it is usually done very quickly, as I could not spend the time to give it my best effort. [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_frown.gif[/img]

I have received the tutorial discs, but am discouraged that I haven't had the time to study any of the tutorials.

I did manage to study the entire Online Manual when I was not so busy, and I practiced everything I learned from it, so I know the basics of how to use the program. That is the first step I'd recommend for any new person using Xara, so that they are not constantly trying to find answers in Help. When you are familiar with the tools and functions of the program, you can concentrate on figuring out how to create the images with the tools at hand.

I have been wanting to start a simple portrait in Xara, but I am daunted by the (apparent) enormity of the task, and the amount of time I'd have to invest, knowing my present skill level with Xara X.

Those who have posted their portraits for the forum lately, are an inspiration, and their posting make me want to do my own.

Keep those portraits coming! [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

Dale

Why, I’m afraid I can’t explain myself, sir, because I’m not myself, you know...
- Lewis Carroll