How I Create Customizable Graphics
I am not a graphic designer by trade. My skills were learned mostly through experimentation, and Google searching A LOT of questions until I found the solution I had been looking for. I used to spend hours in paint shop when I was little, and if you did the same but have never moved on to a more professional platform, you will be surprised to see how many of the tricks you learned in that rudimentary program are still applicable. I use an image editor called Gimp, which is similar to Photoshop, except it is FREE. Seriously, look it up, read about it, and be prepared to fall in love. Since I am on the subject, I use a refurbished laptop running Ubuntu, a Linux based operating system, which is free and open source. Don't listen to the snobs who try and tell you real designers will only use a certain brand of computer, or that you can't teach yourself graphic design. Read on to see how I get professional results on a broke-girl budget.
The slideshow below will take you through the process I used to create a new True Lady image to complement my rude hand gestures.
Ta daaa! I love how this turned out. After the image has been "simplified" which is the term I use when I turn an illustration into what is essentially a black and white clip-art, all you need is the "spill bucket" tool to fill in each field with the color of your choice. There are also pattern fill options.
Another fun trick is to to take the "magic wand" tool and click on the tongue. Then I can fill it in with a gradient, or as the kids are calling it, ombre. You could do the same with the lips, or teeth. Any area with an outline.
I have also had a lot of fun manipulating some of my old illustrations. As you can see in the examples, these pictures were far more complex than the tongue or middle finger, and it took me hours to fill in every tiny speck, pixel by pixel. However, once the computer-coloring-book session was finished, there is the awesome feature called the "color picker" tool. All I have to do is click on the skin tone, and every pixel of that chosen color can be changed in an instant. Or the dress, leggings, hair, you get it.
If you don't have a lot of computer experience, this might seem pretty complicated, especially since this is more of an "overview" than an in depth tutorial. And I am not an expert either! It is incredibly gratifying to learn a new skill, and there is no reason to be intimidated. Gimp is open source, and the creators and users are all so generous with their knowledge. I didn't know which questions to ask until I started to play around, and all I needed to do was enter those questions into my search engine.
Lastly, since this is all for fun, I am going to show you how to manipulate an image you may find online--- you don't need to be an "artist" to make cool stuff.
Lastly, since this is all for fun, I am going to show you how to manipulate an image you may find online--- you don't need to be an "artist" to make cool stuff.
Don't be afraid to learn new skills on your own.
Update, written April 2016: I continue to learn and grow on my own, not only unlocking more of Gimp's potential but also by adding Inkscape skills to my repertoire. I try to save all of my old work, and occasionally I look through it. Every time it is with a wiser eye, noticing mistakes I made before, or remembering my labor intensive method when I now know more efficient short-cuts. There are some who would be self-conscious about keeping evidence of their ignorance around or to share what may be seen as misinformation. All I want is to show a regular person learning skills and growing as an artist. I am proud of my accomplishments and continue to strive for more, which means no embarrassment, only a smile.
Update, written April 2016: I continue to learn and grow on my own, not only unlocking more of Gimp's potential but also by adding Inkscape skills to my repertoire. I try to save all of my old work, and occasionally I look through it. Every time it is with a wiser eye, noticing mistakes I made before, or remembering my labor intensive method when I now know more efficient short-cuts. There are some who would be self-conscious about keeping evidence of their ignorance around or to share what may be seen as misinformation. All I want is to show a regular person learning skills and growing as an artist. I am proud of my accomplishments and continue to strive for more, which means no embarrassment, only a smile.