How did you get started in computer graphics?

[mightyfun]

I was just wondering how others got there start in computer graphics?

What was your first job? How did you get it?

Did you go to art school? Or are you self taught?

Just curious..


Jen

[The Alien]

I don't have a job in graphics, it's just my hobby

I first started with vector graphics when I found that I loathed seeing those pixels when printing stuff out.
Then I found out about cliparts in Wordpad and MS Word (the version that came before 97): you could unlimitedly scale them and they'd stay perfect.
I noticed that this effect was also visible with the drawing tools in MS Word, so I used those to do most of my drawing for school projects etc. That started when I was in the second class of high school.
I became better and better at this. By the time I was in my last year, I had drawn a vector drawing for a major school project that looked pretty awesome compared to what you can normally draw with MS Word (i.e. it still wasn't special compared to what Xara and others could do). Got some positive comments about that drawing.
By that time, I bumped into MS Word drawing tool's shortcomings which limited me at what I could draw.
Around the same time, I had come across Xara X and had tried it out shortly. Found it too simplistic (the things I could draw were very basic), so I didn't bother with it for some time.
Until I got to do some more projects at University, for which I found Xara very useful.
I could use its tools much more effectively, probably cause I had lots of time to reflect on my methods. So I decided to buy X1.
I started practicing my techniques to draw some objects that are common in my area of work. Got better and better at it.
Now I'm here and drawing stuff for a hobby or when it's required for work (basic stuff) or a project

[Soquili]

Computer graphics is a hobby for me.

I always sketched things as a young boy and still do occasionally. In late 2000 I was looking for a graphics program for some reason that I have forgotten now. I found Xara3D3 trial on Two Cows site. It was so intuitive to use that after a few minutes using it I decided to buy.

On the Xara site I found information about Xara X and the public beta available for download. Again I was amazed by the intuitive interface, speed, and toolset. After what appeared to be a few minutes, but was in reality a couple of hours, I decided to purchase Xara X. It wasn't available at that time, but when it was I had my credit card ready

I've been hooked on Xara programs ever since.

I have purchased other programs but Xara X, X¹, Xtreme, and Xtreme Pro have been my primary graphics tools for years now.

I learned everything I know about computer graphics from Gary Priester's XaraXone tutorials, web xealots, workbooks, guest tutorials, and the wonderful members of these forums here at Talkgraphics.

[sallybode]

I've been doing graphics since high school and was trained as a technical illustrator in college, from there I went to work as an illustrator, later for Lockheed. Took time out to raise my kids.

In the meanwhile, everything went to computers so I taught myself how to use all the programs except AutoCAD which I studied at ITT Tech.

But although I studied tech art so that I could work as an artist I also have fine arts training. Nothing fully replaces knowing how to sketch by hand. If you are going to use a graphics tablet and draw, knowing how to draw what you see is important. And when drawing from a scanned image from a photograph, working also from the photograph to see what you can't see in the scanned image also improves one's output.

No matter, it is a skill you only stay good at if you continue to practice. Always something new to learn and become more proficient at.

[mightyfun]

I agree with you Sally that knowing how to draw is a very important skill. I've only been using a drawing tablet since Christmas. I find it very "slippery" to use. I totally admire Bob Hahn when I watch his tutorials. He looks so in control of the pen. I assume this comes with practice, I hope.

I love that so many people do this as a hobby. I'd like to think that I could get good enough some day to maybe do some freelance work in my spare time. I am still raising a little toddler, so I have a lot of time to practice before I can devote a lot of time to clients.

I am a self taught artist for the most part. I took part of a class at the Art Students League in New York when I lived there. I have been so transient that it's been hard to settle down and take "real classes". Now that my family and I have settled, I'm afraid that big city classes are far, far away. I now live in the country with cows and giant Wal-Marts. Xara is my new art class, along with the Talkgraphics group. I have to say it's been a fun class so far, and I'm excited about future tutorials to play with.

Love to hear more stories from others as to how graphic design came into their lives.


Jen

[ankhor]

School was boring, so you have a pen, and marginal space at he sides where
you write down the "important" stuff, and they were always full with doodles.

Then I got a computer, a C=64 and you can do basic stuff. later an amiga
2000 and soon after that a 1200. you get DPIII (deluxepaint 3) later IV and V.
You doodle a bit with that, besides playing with octamed for music.

Then you get a PC and finally you find a program (xara X1) that gives
you about the seem feel and even better, then DPIII, IV and V did.
So worthwhile using (yes, I also have the PC version of octamed)
I actually discovered XARA products when I saw xara3D and I needed
a good 3D program to make easy spinning text banners for the website.
(Luckily I did, for the other programs were just as good and better)

And now I am here, and still doodling along and having heaps of
fun with it. Maybe one day I redo my amiga stuff with it too, if I find
the courage to pump the graphics from my old miggy to my PC with
a nullmodem serialcable.(a whopping 1GB scsi harddisk was on it and in those
days that was huge, now we laugh about that, even flashcards are bigger )

[-=Drifter=-]

Off topic here but I need to ask this: nullmodem serialcable...is that what I would need to get some of my C=64 drawings into my PC?

[Soquili]

Bob a nullmodem serial cable with the addition of a DB9 to C64 edge connector. Also a terminal emulation program on each machine that supports either X-modem or Y-modem file transfer protocol.

It's been 20 years since I made a cable to transfer files from C64 to a PC. I don't recall which of the C64 flats are which RS-232 signal.

[ankhor]

Off topic here but I need to ask this: nullmodem serialcable...is that what I would need to get some of my C=64 drawings into my PC?

Well soquili knows a lot as I look at his reply, but me? I have no idea,
I know it is possible, even better connections, but then you get into the field
of hardware guys who do this stuff, and on teh net you could find how they do it.
My amiga came with a serial connector so that was easy, although
very veeeeeery slow, and there are ways to do it faster through paralel
connectors, but all to techy for me.

[posterart]

Started with computers in '93 at a lakeside cabin in the Rocky Mtns. Bad electric power, mice and an old outhouse at zero temps! I had a tiny 486 Epson notebook with Illustrator 4, loaded from a pile of floppys, using computers ever since. A full-time artist from way back to 1960 or so, giving away my age. And always learning, can't stop my brain and sketching hand. One thing about computers, they can never replace my sketchpad, pencil and chaulk. Computers are just too clumsy to carry into the mtns, my pad and chaulk fit in the jacket pocket fine! Oh, the cabin's modern now!