Stuck in the Cartoon World

[Gustav]

Help! I'm stuck in just one cartoony style now, when Im playing around in Xara. Yes I like doing it, but Im looking at these people who makes these awsome cars and bikes and soundsystems and what not, with awe. I want to do that too! =) But where du I start? Could someone give me a tip? A .xar file with something nice in that I could reverse-engineer would be really nice.

http://www.publicera.nu/amimono/gfx/ensamstuga.gif

My latest picture. Took about 30-40 minutes. Maybe I want the pictures to be finished to quickly? BAh, I dont know.

Regards,
Gustav

ps. looking at the picture now, I realise I could work on it a lot more, but I get tired of them quickly =)

[Gustav]

Help! I'm stuck in just one cartoony style now, when Im playing around in Xara. Yes I like doing it, but Im looking at these people who makes these awsome cars and bikes and soundsystems and what not, with awe. I want to do that too! =) But where du I start? Could someone give me a tip? A .xar file with something nice in that I could reverse-engineer would be really nice.

http://www.publicera.nu/amimono/gfx/ensamstuga.gif

My latest picture. Took about 30-40 minutes. Maybe I want the pictures to be finished to quickly? BAh, I dont know.

Regards,
Gustav

ps. looking at the picture now, I realise I could work on it a lot more, but I get tired of them quickly =)

[amoore]

Tiring quickly may certainly be part of it. Look at the time Balazs said it took him to do the McLaren.

As for branching out, have you done Gary's tutorials? They'll open up a lot of different directions for you. And there are plenty of procedures laid out by Xarans here in the forum. Experiment with those.

OTOH, I like your cartoon. :-)

Allison

[dk_art]

I like it ... there's nothing wrong about doing a simple unrealistic image. Also having a different style gives something new for everyone to see. In fact I'd say go with this style even more and make some really surreal scenes :-)

David King
www.dkingdesign.com

[Gustav]

Thanks =) Its not that I dont like doing cartoony stuff, I like it a lot, but I want to try something else and move on. I'll start doing some of garys tuts (Somehow I cant see that tutorial page at home, only here at work=( )

I think Im too impulsive when Im drawing. I usually dont have a clear goal when I launch Xara, I just start to draw and see where I end up. Often the blank page is filled with unfinnished sketches at the end of the drawing session, then I pick someone out and add simple color and shades. I feel that I have to produce one image every day to put on my homepage, I dont know why =) And then I want to move on, create something new. I've been using xara 3-4 hours every day for a week now, so maybe I'll calm down soon [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] Anyways, heres a kiddie I did yesterday, inspired by some pic in a cartoon-book:

http://www.publicera.nu/amimono/gfx/baby.gif

I could work a lot more on it, shades and stuff I know, but I didn't really like it =)

Regards,
Gustav

BTW, my hand hurts. Do you guys and girls have any suggestion too keep it in shape?

...Maybe I can sue Xara for making an addictive program that causes hand-pain Muahahah [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img]

[gwpriester]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> BTW, my hand hurts. Do you guys and girls have any suggestion too keep it in shape? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

This is no joke, Gustav.

Make sure your and and arm are supported while you are working. Many people have their mouse pad on the edge of their desk which creates stress in your arm and hand if they are not properly supported. Also, if you work for long periods of time without taking a break (I am a fine one to talk) :-) your muscles can cramp.

My doctor recommended rolling a pair of socks into a ball and gently squeezing the balled socks with your mouse hand. Do this frequently as you work.

Gary

Gary Priester

Moderator Person

Be It Every So Humble...

[Bob C.]

Gustav:

I have a “shock absorber� pad at the end of a regular mouse pad to rest my wrist. It helps
me a great deal. This is a commercial product I finally found years after making and using
my own version from foam I strapped to my wrist.

Using a tablet and "pen" helps a great deal as well.

Bob C.

[amoore]

Without proper support, you can get pain in your finger, hand, wrist, elbow, shoulder, neck and/or back.

To minimize hand/arm troubles, I have a foam extension on the back of my mouse, and I fully support my arm from elbow to wrist (currently with a collection of boxes and padding) for mousing. When pain in my elbow or shoulder flares up from too much mousing around, I switch to a Logitech Marble Trackman so I can direct the mouse without moving my arm.

For typing, I have substantial wrist wrests and arm support.

You can't afford to mess around. I know several people who have become disabled thanks to repetitive stress injuries. One organization for whom I did some freelance work a couple of years ago has now lost their entire DTP department to carpal tunnel syndrome.

This is no joke.

Allison

[dk_art]

Nice kid! :-D ... Sounds like you're having fun drawing with XaraX. Keep up the good work.

As for wrist problems , might I suggest a graphics tablet (I have the Wacom Graphire 4"x5" and find that drawing area big enough). It keeps the wrist moving and not so rigid as a mouse does sometimes. And drawing is more natural.

Also , as people stated, supporting the elbow and whole forearm is (in my opinion) much needed for a proper computer desk. I look at computer desks being sold in places and I think most are very bad. Most have this shelf with the mouse and keyboard ojn it that slides out from under the desktop. There is no supposrt of the arm. and they are too low. A computer desk needs a side part to the desktop so the whole desktop is an L shape (or backwards for lefties ... a "Le" shape if you like). I have a long wood board which is on my desktop with my computer tower on the desktop end. The other end projects out past the desk front and gives me a large support area for my entire forearm (elbow included). I'd greatly suggest something like this.

David K
www.dkingdesign.com

[Klaus Nordby]

Yes, CTS is a great danger. Many years ago, in the early 90s when I began working on Macs (gasp - yes, I have a dirty passt!), I started noticing hand pains. I therefore taught myself to become ambixtrous, so I could avoid using the same hand all the time. It was very awkward for a week, thereafter it's no problem mousing with your secondary arm. Try it!


K