Profile painting tools.

[AGNT_Matt]

i use a Wacom Graphire 4 tablet (at least i think thats what it is), for outlining i use a good old mouse but for dodging and burning to give shape i use the graphire, best buy for My pc i think except for PSPx Anyway.

[anadc4]

Aircraft spotters, older ones, who have scanned and uploaded their old pictures at places such as Airliners.net. Then there are two sites that scan old airline timetables. Great place to get clear images of the sort of winged logos that are found on the 1940s and 1950s airliners that are my speciality. Less useful are the two sites specialising in old airline logos - way too small to be of use.

Also very useful are people who kindly provide me with digital material from their private collections, such as El Al historian Marvin Goldman, Ansett historian Fred Niven and the Northwest Airlines Heritage Center.

So after a digital art/photo program such as Photoshop, the next most important thing is research.

David

[Serval]

i use a Wacom Graphire 4 tablet (at least i think thats what it is), for outlining i use a good old mouse but for dodging and burning to give shape i use the graphire, best buy for My pc i think except for PSPx Anyway.

The Graphire is no longer being produced. the Bamboo is it's unofficial replacement. The Bamboo should be good enough, though Wacom says the Bamboo Fun is best for graphics. But my feeling is that there is little to no difference between them apart from the design and the fact that Bamboo Fun comes with some software like Photoshop Elements 5

[Serval]

David,

Could you point us to the sites you mention?

[jrcjr65]

I find the most trouble with using a mouse to get the right amount of dodge and burn control. The most success I have had is using a path to stroke for highlights and shadows around the wing curves. I do a little photo restoration so a tablet I think might be handy. Thanks for the feedback.

John

P.S Off topic. I think the work of the artist on this site is amazing. I can only strive to be nearly as good.

[anadc4]

Good sites for airline profiles:

www.timetableimages.com
AirTimes - A Source for Airline History (this guy sometimes often scans in old airline logos. When you find the airline you are interested in, see if there is a link to a gallery. Sometimes he will divide the timetables into decades and have the logo appropriate to that decade)
AIRLINERS.NET - Airplanes, Pictures, News, Articles, More (for photos)
best brands of the world - vector logotypes, brand, logo, logotype, logos (this has quite a few airline logo files in eps format and they are free!! However they are also largely contemporary)
Aerosite - Home (logos)
www.airlinelogos.net/ (logos)

[Serval]

Thanks!

[ratfugel]

The quick answer to the tablet thing is this. If the tablet had been invented first, the mouse would never have been invented. I always use a Graphire, mice are for cats. The trick with tablet pens is to use a soft pressure setting. I know some people use large tablets, say A4 size. I have one, but it's too big, wears my hand out. Instead I use a small one only 6" x 4". This lets me keep my hand steady and I can get a full sweep of the whole screen without moving.A mouse makes me think I'm drawing with a pen in a clenched fist and having no pressure settings it either clicks or it doesn't. End. So now it just lies at the back of the computer gathering dust. By the way, you think you have feline problems? I have two of these and a Siamese. Look where the Burmese is sitting.

[Otterkins2]

I have a Wacom drawing tablet that has been gathering dust for the last 5 years or so. Co-ordinating your hand with what's going on on the screen is next to impossible for me, so after several frustrating months I gave up on it. I could see it being very useful if you could actually see the image you were working on right on the tablet face itself, much like using a pencil to make a mark on a piece of paper. To boot, I have NEVER found a single tutorial on its use (or usefulness) anywhere on line. Like basic Illustrator tutorials, these are desperately needed!

[ratfugel]

There is a thing called a backlit tablet, which is like drawing straight on to the screen. Thus you can draw looking down instead of performing like a surgeon doing keyhole jobs. Getting clever with a normal Wacom tablet obviously takes time and co-ordination of hand and eye. (Surely this is what is called 'artistry'?) If you look on Google there are several makers of these backlits and I know they also sell used ones. I think it also matters how much room you have alongside or in front of your computer. My computer area is a bit cramped so I have to make do with a 6" x 4" Graphire tablet. I've got an A4 Tevion but nowhere to put it, so it's become redundant. Pity.

rat.