Where to start?

[CRIPES_A_MIGHTY]

Hi ALL,
I'd love to be able to create the kind of profiles I see here, they are pretty
awesome. Soooo..I'd like to give it ago. But where do I start.?
Having never tried this kind of thing, and with limited skil, I'm hoping some of you could point me in the right direction as to how to get things going.
I should ask if there are any tutorials available here?..Beginners Guide like.
If not, any help as to where to start would be much appreciated.
I will be using PaintShop Pro 7. Plus I do have a Photoshop, but again, its an old version 4. Are these to old to use?
Anyway..any help with this would be great!
Cheers!
Koczar

[GiantFlyingRobots]

Check out the site navigation bar, for tutorials you should find all you need right there.
When you do get started, feel free to post your work (whatever standard) and ask questions when you get stuck. You will find lots of knowledgeable and helpful people here.
Now get to it.

Oh yeah, As I can't tell you a single thing about PSP7, I can tell you to buy, beg, borrow or um... steal a later copy of Photoshop. It will make your future addiction to making aviation themed profiles a hell of a lot easier.

[CRIPES_A_MIGHTY]

Cheers GiantFlyingRobots....
I have had a look around and looked at some of the tutorials, but still..well .
I have little skill as regards graphics programs. I have dabbled.
(see my website Major. George Earl Preddy Jr,352FG. & 1st/Lt. William Rhodes Preddy,339FG. )
But something in simple terms would be nice, not to technical.
I have over time collected plenty of line art, 3D view pictures..sort of.
Mainly P-51's...I know..very unoriginal..but ..I like P-51's.
There are so many colour scheme's, graphics, nose art etc.
I am..as the name suggests..I BIG 352nd FG fan. So my aim is to maybe create some Blue Nosed 51's for my site and personnal pleasure.
PLUS!..I like flight simulators. So also to create skins for the aircraft in the game.( alah..JESTER-INK)..
Not sure the program I got ,PaintShopPro 7 is good enough. Can't aford the newer stuff... Most of the tutorials here use PhotoShop..so sometimes things don't translate to well. Anyone here use PaintShop to create profiles who could give a few tips.?

Anyway, thanks for replies.
Koczar

[Jesters-Ink]

Welcome to the world of total addiction.

[AGNT_Matt]

Amen to that Father Jester! welcome to the world of addiction, where sleep is non-compulsory, its an option

[wh1skea]

I hope you have more project ideas than just the P-51. It'll help if and when you hit any roadblocks once you get started. Right now, I have a P-51D, F-14A and F-4E in the works...all still very much WIPs. As for getting started, there is a tutorial that can show you one of the many ways to do profile art on Ubi's IL-2 forum, in the Paint Scheme section. It was posted by Goodwood_Alpha.

[GrubbyFingers]

Hi Cripes,
Welcome aboard! My suggestion would be to start with something really simple, even a ballpoint pen, rather than a whole aircraft profile. The principals are all the same and you are not going to get caught up on accuracy while you are learning the basics. Or you could take one small part of the plane and attack it in isolation, same deal.
And please post, no matter how bad you think your work is, there are dozens of pairs of guiding hands here and we are all learning!
Grubby.

[AGNT_Matt]

yer i jumped straight in the deep end with a Typhoon to start! i'd agree with grubs here, start simple e.g. a pen or a speaker or something. just to get a taste of what you can do.

[Jesters-Ink]

Ah a pen . . . . . . ., nah, get stuck in there Cripes.
Get yourself a good outline first, check it against as many pictures as you can then get to work with laying down the key points, like all the shapes that have their own lighting.
Wing, elevator, cockpit . . . . radiators stuff like that.

[CRIPES_A_MIGHTY]

Cheers! Guys..thanks for the support and tips.
I know the P-51 has been done to death..but there are so many that have not been created.Lesser know pilots and units etc.
As for modern stuff..jets..etc..F-4 is my favourite jet of alltime.
I'd have to say I'm the kind of person who like's things to be as accurate as possible." If it's worth doing, it's worth doing well".
I hate having that niggle that something is not quite right. The problem is,
I'm also rather impatient,...I want it NOW!....LOL!..well maybe not that bad..
Ok, I'll give it ago...The thing with PC's is you can't just grab it and screw it up when you get angry..LOL!..or maybe you can..hehehe!
Well, I'll try..don't laugh.