Braving the depths.....

[Supah]

Ok! About grouping:



When looking at the layers window button number one creates a group, button number two creates a Layer. You can drag layers into groups kind of like how you drag files into a directory in explorer. You can name layers and groups by right clicking and selection Group or Layer Properties

[Otterkins2]

I'd be glad to do a T-33 for you Supah since I have a lot of time on my hands. This is quite a pretty bird as is the Saber. Jester, transfer of said file is Strengzen Verboten! On strict orders of the Reichsf?her and pain of death such documents are not to be transmitied!

Actually the truth of the matter is that it's an .ai file and not a .psd file. I have no idea how to convert it either. If you can read it you are more than welcome to it. Otherwise you are stuck with either a .bmp or a high rez .jpg. Given the enormity of the help you have given me, it's a very tiny price to pay.

[Supah]

Excuse any typos in this post as i am typing it on my mobile, i replied before but apparantly that post didn't get through. Otterkins: i would love to do a T-33 as a lot of my instructors cut their teeth on it as jet pilots. I am in a workgroup to make our flying clubs bar look cooler and less like a dentists waiting room ;-)

[SunDog]

That's a very nice drawing Otterkins, a smart choice. This early 109e gives you a large selection of profiles to choose from. Spoilt for choice really, looking forward to see which you pick first

[Otterkins2]

Supah, if you show me what you have I may be able to help. I am a highly trained professional graphic designer, and though I know some HTML my biggest shortfall is being so green to both photoshop and illustrator. Use examples from various sites as your guide. The one for Simmers is a very good example.

Sundog, for the most part there isn't a lot of choices for colour schemes on the E-1. I did it partially as a springboard to the E-4 and the E-7 My initial intent was to do Heinz B?r's first aircraft. However, since I can't seem to grasp how to use either photoshop or illustrator to colour these, it's more likely that I'll continue on with the series in this format progressing through to the K variant. At least that way all of us will have an accurate profile to work with for all variants.

[Otterkins2]

Wish I had this picture 3 weeks ago before I started my profile. I altered the photo to flight angle and then positioned it under my .ai illustration. How many things are wrong here....where do I start?

To begin with, the nose is too short by about 6 scale inches. Jester was right, the spinner IS slightly angled, and to boot it's too small. Being too short, everything forward of the cockpit is out of whack. The chin scoop is too deep and has far too sharp an angle of attack and needs to be sloped up towards the front as well as getting repositioned further forward. The upper cowl needs to be moved up and has a bit of curvature to it, so that means the MG troughs have to be adjusted as well. The forward air intakes also leave a noticeable step in the upper cowl line. The supercharger intake is far too fat at the rear and the entire exhaust stack array is too short (by the same 6").

The canopy is also short by a few inches, and the radio mast is both too tall and too far forward. That's because the rear glazing needs to slope downwards towards the back rather than being flat like it is. The hand hold and foot rest are both too far forward and too small. The fuselage is not bad, but still needs adjustment and all the panel lines are in the wrong position. Most need to be moved back a few inches. The rudder is essentially correct in outline, but the radio mast attachment point is too high on the rudder and the hinge line is completely wrong. The positioning of the hinges are wrong, and so is the position of the rudder control cable. The tail wheel opening is too long, and the tentative position I had for the wheel is too long unless they compress under weight while in a ground situation.

The line of the belly isn't too bad, but still needs a bit of adjustment. The wings are pretty much useless except for the radiator scoops which are pretty much spot on. They are too narrow at the root and REALLY narrow at the tip unless that is camera distortion. The upper line of the wing root fillet is correct, but far too low. All in all, a less than stellar result from my second serious attempt, and I'm not really sure about how I go in and fix things up....especially the wings. How the hell did I get things so badly wrong? I've also included the adjusted drawing as it is so far (still in progress) so that you can compare to the original and see for yourself.

[Zamex]

I know that feeling and I feel with you. I did s Fw 190 based on some other drawings, detailed it, riveted, put screws... and then I found Bentley's superb drawings. When put under mine, everything was wrong. Reworking is usually more work demanding than doing it again from scratch so I started again. But it is also very demotivating and it will take a long time to come back to it and finish it.
That 190 was my second drawing I did... 109 was the first one, you even dont want to see it

[Supah]

I hope you are aware of the distortion caused by short focal lenght lenses Otterkins before you make any major changes that may be down to this. Only images taken at long focal lengths show little to no perspective distortion. Shorter focal length lenses cause a form of distortion that make the front and rear part of objects appear larger then they are in real life.

BTW I didnt quite get your last post about the T-33, what examples from various sites?

[Jesters-Ink]

Already sent mail, saying exactly that^ Supah, this photograph is next to useless for making profiles from.
Otters original drawing is not as far out as he thinks.

[gamary]

Not only are Supah and Jesters 100% right, but I'd also add that a good-looking profile isn't necessarily 100% realistic. If you look at that photo (which I think is fantastic), you'll notice that the 109 really has a very sleek look to it. A perfectly accurate line drawing will NOT render that so well IMHO and give the Emil a blunt look, which it doesn't deserve.

Another classic example is the P-51D. Some profile artist (can't remember who) created profiles based on the engineering blueprints and most people think his drawings are wrong and don't look like the real mccoy, when he's the only one doing it (technically) right.

If your intention is to make a perfectly accurate drawing, shapes- and colour-wise, chances are you'll fail. If you're trying to make an artistic representation (which does NOT exclude some precision and accuracy), you'll end up with something nice IMO.