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DragonsPixels β Dragon'sPixels Tutorial II
Published: 2013-08-13 19:42:24 +0000 UTC; Views: 1668; Favourites: 40; Downloads: 7
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Description
This is a much needed update of my original icon tutorial. It's much more in depth and has screenshots of the stuff that not everyone might understand or know what it is etc.I know there's alot of text but I know this will help so many people, especially the ones who ask about my work and what I use, how I do this and how I do that. Hopefully this has everything you guys need now.
Anyway, I hope this is helpful and if you have any questions then feel free to Note me or leave a comment here. The icon used for the tutorial is a FREE icon and can be found in my Free To Use folder in my gallery.
Animation tutorial: dragonspixels.deviantart.com/aβ¦
If you use this tutorial then send me a link of your work! Be sure to credit me/ the tutorial too
Tutorial is Β© to *DragonsPixels /*DansuDragon
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Comments: 29
nice i just have one question
almost everywhere else it says that if you use a smudge tool its technically not pixelart anymore? so now im confused...
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I only use the smudge tool for my plushie icons because it gives the smooth look of a teddy. Everything else I do is pure pixel art though.
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No problem!
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Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh,now I got what you meant by those layers!
Thanks for this thing Dragon!
And well,sometimes I do a sketch and then draw the real lines,then delete the skecth layer. But I don't color or add effects in other layers...
Please,mind telling me why you had to lock the layer to do the shading yet? And as this is 50x50,how much was the zoom you were using?
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Lol makes sense now the pictures are there to explain it too, right?
Yeah I don't always do a sketch but I thought for the tutorial it's best to show EVERYTHING I possibly could.
Well I lock the colour layer so that when I'm shading I don't need to be careful. It's just to avoid any messy shading really, not something that needs to be done but it makes life a little easier lol.
The zoom I had a 700% for the tutorial but if you're doing detailed fur or markings then it's better to zoom into about 1200% - it'll completely fill the screen top to bottom so you'll have a very close view of what you're doing.
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Yes,it does!
Ah ok. Never understood why people lock layers,since it's just you don't click the layer that you don't do anything wrong lol.
By the way,I started a new icon to try out using different layers,and yeah,helps a bit! Do you want to see it?Β
Um,ok,thanks! Well,I usually use 800% as isn't possible to d o700% yet. But I have a problem with bigger zooms than 800%: It zooms and you can see everything but,the pencil tool,even in 1,00 size (the smaller possible) get away too big. I would like it were possible to do less than 1,00 size lol.
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Yeah, it's like a security thing really. Just lets you be a little less precise with the tool cause you know it won't go anywhere it shouldn't.
Of couse I do!! Show meeeee!!
You know you can just type in what zoom you want? You could have like 701 if you wanted. Just type it in and hit the enter button and it'll adjust.
I know what you mean with that, it's more a case of letting your eyes adjust to the pixels appearing bigger, they're still taking up the same amoubt of space though. Besides, you only need to zoom in that much for little tiny details like adding claws or something.
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Now I done it:Β sta.sh/02dkauxiomji or sta.sh/02dkauxiomji
And the icon:Β sta.sh/01dqaijakxt0 orΒ sta.sh/01dqaijakxt0 (Lol I don't know... The icon was better with zoom... xD)
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Well the animation is really nice and smooth, you''ve done a wicked job with it, the only thing I'd say is the colours, they're very light and as an icon is small anyway it's hard to see details.
you need to be less 'careful' with the colours you pick, it's okay to go to a much darker shade than the last one cause you're gonna zoom it out. Most people forget that they're zoomed in to draw and colour they end up forgetting that all their hard work is gonna disappear a bit once they go back to the regular size. Try using harsher colour tones to really maek it stand out.
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Aww,I thought it a bit too.
So oh noes! What could I do for fix it?! Hm,you mean making the base or feather details darker?!Β
ANd yes... My hard work... It's so noticeable... Gosh,I ever knew that this kind of art or my program dislikes me lol...
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Yep that's exactly it! Because you're gonna zoom out later you're able to use darker colours than what you would on a larger piece. Obviously if you use too dark a colour on a large piece then people will clearly notice that the colour doesn't match up but on small little icons you can push that boundary more.
Lol it doesn't dislike you at all, you're doing a pretty amazing job for your first few pixel icons!
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Yes,I know it now. Funny plus frustrating at the same time! Works I don't put much effort you see verythin,those that I try my best can't see details lol!
Next time I'll make icons even bigger... They will fulfill the whole 50x50px!!!
Haha,I'm not angry,just kidding a bit.
And aw,it's a luckly great compliment to hear so. Thank you!
For the help too!
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Lol you could do! People do the headshot icons that are 150x150px. You know the ones that are digital painted instead of pixels?
You're more than welcome!
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Lol,I know! I already tried sometime in the short past,but when you resize they get a big blur!
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Yeah, it only blurs badly if you make it go from small to big but the other way round doesn't look as bad.
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Lol ahhh,interesting so...
Nah,but I don't know more what I want for my (digital art) life lol...
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Lol, you'll figure something out. Maybe it can just be a 'every now and then' thing?
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Hm? What you mean yet?
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Meaning you do digital art every now and then like I do on my main account rather than trying to do it all the time
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Hm,maybe.
I don't do it all the time,but just sometimes.
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And P.S.: you can't see the preview on the image,but the brown feathers on the brown base body and the darker details on the white feathers are in the "Camada 1" on 6 and 7. So I did those in a different layer than the base layer,as you said.
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Ok,it's here:Β sta.sh/021js8jwaj3p or sta.sh/021js8jwaj3p
I did yesterday night and took some prints in case you could be interested. Right now I'm working on that too,and taking more prints for register.
In the 1,the purple lines are basic sketch and brown lines are definitive lineart. On 2 I do outline,on 3 color with base colors,and so on. Now I did some light effects and trying to blend some colors,maybe show you later.
Lol really? I'm trying to find where now...
Yes,but even for little details,the pencil on 1,00 gets very bigger in more than 800% zoom! It's covers the pixels under it with the tool and if d oa single click it colors a big area. Maybe that's why the zoom also zooms the tools lol.
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Ummm, in Photoshop it's at the bottom of the border of the programme on the left hand side. There's a little box that has ***% for whatever amount you're currently zoomed in at. You can change it to anything you want.
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Yay,found it. Thanks!
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No problem 
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