Lesson One: Introduction to Graphic Arts
Here are some questions you should ask yourself:
1. What are “graphic arts“?
2. Why should I care?
3. How do I begin?
4. What software should I use?
The purpose of this lesson is to introduce you to graphic
arts and help you to understand the need for graphic arts
skills.
1. What are Graphic Art’s?
The most common meaning of the phrase “graphic arts“ refers to art produced on a computer. However; photos, animation, cartoons, computer games, adds, magazines and nearly any are produced by man can be included as graphic arts. Artists throughout history
have used everything from dirt to technology to express themselves. In
modern times, (which will someday be “ancient times“), we
refer to our primitive computer art as graphic arts. In this kind of
art, you can be a great artist and apply your artistic skills, or you
can be totally incompetent at other arts and still produce great
graphic works of art. Either way, geniuses and morons alike
can be great graphic artists!
2. Why should I care?
If you want to
create games, cartoons, web pages, advertisements, work on magazines or printed media, do photography the
modern way, be involved in movie making, or find a job in any of these
areas; then graphic arts is for you.
Graphic arts can
include anything from learning great and valuable artistic concepts,
such as those taught by Leonardo DeVinci, to making simple cartoons
like the It
and Oop cartoon on our download page. You
will need to understand and develop graphic art skills if you are
interested in making games, comics, cartoons, art, or if you want an
IT related job in business or marketing.
3. How do I begin?
Just as any kind
of artist, you need to master certain tools and techniques. In very
ancient times the artist’s tools may have been a bone or stone
to carve interesting drawings on a cave wall; or a wooden club to
reshape someone’s head.
Just as these
great unknown artists mastered the tools of their trade, you also must
master your tools and techniques. Just as some artists master tools
such as the pencil, pen, or brush; you must master the use of computer
programs designed to work with graphics.
To be really
great at graphic arts, it would be best to have an understanding of
general artistic techniques and skills like perspective, shading, and
lighting. It would also help to understand basic concepts of
photography and video; but most of all; to master computer software
related to the kind of graphic arts that you want to produce. Future
lessons will dive deeply into these topics.
Having skill at graphic arts is just one of the skills you will need
to create great games, cartoons, comics, or get a job in a related
field. Otherwise, you have to use the same public domain assets a
million other people are using or pay a graphic artist to help you.
4. What software should I use?
The answer to
this question depends upon your goals, wallet, and level of
commitment. If you are just starting, freeware is always a good choice if it
does what you need it to do. One of the best programs I have found for
general purpose graphic arts is called “Gimp.” Gimp is not very simple to use if
you are not familiar with graphics software, but it can be a very
powerful free tool to get the job done. You can get it here: Gimp home.
A vast ocean of graphics software exists. Before you can decide which software to choose, you must get specific about what you want to learn or do first. If you are talking about getting a job and making money as a graphics artist, you should look at the most common software in that industry.
We will talk about some of these in detail in future articles. For now, we will just list some of the most commonly required software for getting a job in the graphic arts field:
Photoshop (useful for nearly every kind of graphic arts)
Illustrator (useful for vector graphics manipulation and design)
Flash (useful for moving graphics, primarily for the web)
In Design (layout design for magazines, newspapers, adds, etc.)
Dreamweaver (web design)
You are generally expected to have some experience in HTML if you are involved with web site graphics. Although Dreamweaver, PHP, CSS, and Java are often required for some jobs, html is still the most commonly used worldwide.
Personally, I discovered a problem when developing sites to be viewed internationally. Sites that do not stick to primarily HTML can look like they got hit by a tornado. Some countries are using old computers, old browsers, and old technology that reaps havoc on other code. However, you can skip all this code stuff if you are only going to focus on the "art" part of being a graphic artist. This can limit your usefulness for some jobs but not all graphics jobs require web design skills.
We will briefly mention other software and their purpose in this lesson, but we will discuss their benefits and limitations in future articles. If you are going into the 3D world, you will need to consider 3D Max, (used heavily for 3D games), Blender, (free 3D software for animated movies and games), Maya (used heavily in the movie and cartoon industry), or Lightwave, (also used heavily in movies and film).
For creating 2D cartoons like Tom and Jerry or Pinky and the Brain, there are a number of 2D software solutions. If you want to create some cartoons for the web or your friends, you could consider Anime Studio. Anime Studio Pro is easy way to create cartoons in formats for the web or avi videos. However, if you are thinking of using software that is used for film and movie production you need to consider Toon Boom's Animation Pro or higher end software. The desired output formats of the software must be considered before you spend any money.
Other software to consider learning is 3D and 2D logo design software. Many graphic artists are asked to create logos. Although still and even animated logos can be created in most general purpose graphics programs, there are a number of programs that specialize in the creation and animation of logos. Some programs to consider would be Aurora 3D, AAA Logo Maker for Business, or Avaquest My Logo Maker Pro depending upon your requirements.
If you are really ambitious and want to make some money, you should consider the CAD world of graphics design or drafting for engineers. The most popular in this category seem to be AutoCAD and Solidworks. Catia is a higher end CAD program but is not commonly used for small to medium sized companies. Yes, I know, this is all a bit overwhelming. Think about it, set your goals, divide and conquer! Choose the area of graphic arts that interests you most and begin with the appropriate software. I will be adding articles and lessons to this website as I have time. Check back often and have fun!
For now, I have listed some free graphic art tutorial links for your convenience. Of course, one of the industry standards is Adobe graphic arts software. You can access some of their free resources and lessons at Adobe Design tutorials.A great free resource for graphic arts tutorials that includes nearly all the most important graphic arts software is Designer Today. Free Corel Tutorials are also available. These free graphics tutorials and resources should be enough to get you started. Even if you don't have the software you can at least take a look and introduce yourself to them before you buy anything.
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