I hope you all don’t mind that I plucked your name off the thread for some buying advice.
I would like to get my 13 year old stepson, who is an excellent freehand pencil artist, involved in some way in computer graphics. I’m a patent attorney and have pretty good experience with Visio, but I don’t think that really is what he should start with.
He has no experience with any graphics program, but currently draws Manga style art.
I bought today a Wacom $125 tablet and was prepared to sign up for the Adobe Creative Cloud based on a conversation I had with an art supply clerk today, who said that we would do well with Photoshop and Illustrator.
I have no experience with Photoshop or Illustrator FWIW; I tried working with Gimp a little but it never took. I plan on getting a Lynda.com account and learning along with him, whatever we do.
What do you all suggest? Would a stylus and the CS2 suite work for starters? This has to be Windoze based. Or is even CS2 too big of a first bite and we should start with something simpler? I would grade he and I as mid-to-high in technical capabilities.
Cost is not a huge factor as I am willing to spring for Creative Cloud if need be.
thanks
Freedomlover
Sorry I can't help...my knowledge of computers could easily fit into a thimble.With *plenty* of room to spare.
Think I’d explore free alternatives before shelling out any money, ESPECIALLY for some damn paid cloud service that charges a monthly fee.
Here’s a google search I did:
freeware freehand drawing programs
even though adobe photoshop CS2 is actually legally available for free download, don’t think it would be a good art program. Mainly for photo manipulation with some crude drawing tools thrown in I think.
Look at what people say about the software that gets turned up in the suggested google search to educate yourself. You’ll have to do a similar search with respect to drawing hardware and it would interact with software.
Other than that, can’t help you out much more because I know next to nothing about freehand drawing software and hardware.
You might look into Manga Studio. They have been around for a few years. I have never used it, but it does seem popular.
I’d go with CS2 or the Creative Cloud.
the one downside of the creative cloud...system is that there arent any free downloads to try the applications before buying them....at this point.
Ive been using Illustrator and Photoshop since 1993 and still find Im learning new techniques.
I never looked at the manuals when I began...
That thirteen year old will likely pick this stuff up like a pro..growing up in an era when tech everything is so ubiquitous.
The tablet by the way is really a necessity for art. I spent the first couple of weeks without one...and cant describe the frustration of drawing with a mouse.
I am not as familiar with using Photoshop for graphics only. My main application is for photo touchup and enhancement. I have made some really cool art starting with a photo as the basis. It wouldn’t be much different to start with a blank screen and create your own artwork with the pentool as shown in this youtube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoeI5QQ7_no. I have used the pentool quite a lot to enhance various photos. There is also some good stuff using the brush tool as shown here http://www.sitepoint.com/graphics-photoshop-brushes/ that can be used in website design.
Unfortunately, I have no hardware recommendations for your application. I have a 27” non-touch monitor and a workstation. My drawing and text writing experience has been with the clumsy coordination of a trackball mouse. I, too, will need a stylus and touchscreen if I do graphics in any quantity.
I have no experience with Creative Cloud. I use the stand alone CS2 that I purchased about 5 years ago.
It sounds like you and your stepson are both tech savvy, so you will not have any problem with CS2 once you reach cruising altitude. It does have a learning curve, but I doubt that you’ll find it frustrating because it is intuitive. You’ll master the easier parts quickly and build on them.
Photoshop is an industry standard and you will never outgrow it. If you branch into photography, also, the possibilities for enhancing and modifying photos are nearly endless. It could be another art avenue for your stepson to explore. The results are so professional that it will amaze you. All the forums I have been on, people use Photoshop and speak in terms of it.
If you decide to do digital photowork, I would recommend getting Scott Kelby’s book on CS2. His writing style is entertainingly witty and easy to understand and he covers a lot of professional techniques. I am sure that there are similar books pertaining to graphic art, but I have not searched for them.