Hiki's artsies (or something like that)

[Hiki]

Omg! HAHAHAHA! That's awesome! xD


Also, the times I've pressed ctrl+z on the keyboard while drawing on paper at my desk are impossible to count...

[Sakura]

I bought a pen for my iPad so I can write on the surface. The tip of the pen is very large and the iPad is unresponsible - not very good for drawing I can imagine.

What tools do you use and where can you get them? Is ther any freeware you can use for coloring? It might be good information for any aspiring artists visiting here. (Those among the billions and trillions of visitors we have here every day who are just too lazy to post... ... ... OKAY it's a dozen or two. )

[Hiki]

Yeah, it takes some getting used to and when I draw on the iPad I wear fingerless gloves because else my hand draws as much as the pen.. But I found that drawing on the iPad takes a lot of time and I simple drawing could easily take ten to twelve hours.

Maybe it's a (good) idea to make a topic where people can ask questions? (If they stop being lazy, that is ;) )

[Sakura]

If they stop being lazy, that is ;) )

Ouchie

[Hiki]

The truth hurts ;)

As for your questions (I had no time to answer them yesterday..):

What tools do you use and where can you get them?
Traditional:
- Faber Castell mechanical pencils (0.3 mm, 0.5 mm, and 0.7 mm)
- .Too (black) copic multiliners (0.03 mm, 0.1 mm, 0.25 mm, and 0.7 mm - but those really tiny ones don't work that well, so I wouldn't bother buying them)*
- Faber Castell (sanguine) artist pens (S, F, M, and B)*
- .Too copic markers
- Caran D'Ache water-soluble colour pencils
- White gel pen

You can find these tools in any art-supply store, except the white gel pen, which can probably be found anywhere they sell writing utensils. I am pretty sure you can find copic markers online as well, but I think it is best to go to a store so you can try them out and really see what colour they are since it tends to differ from the name (I happen to have a yellow one which is in fact orange).

Digital:
- Bamboo Touch & Fun pentablet
- PaintTool SAI
- Photoshop Elements 8 (to add text)

A tablet is really a thing of taste and how much you're willing to spend on it. You can buy them online - most, if not all, producers of tablets have sites where you can - or go to a store where they sell electronic devices and you will most likely find some sort of selection there. (I cannot be sure about this, though, because it's pretty darn hard to find tablets here and it'll probaly be the same in some other countries as well.)
The programmes are available online and both have trial versions you can use for 30 days (if I'm not mistaken) so you can try which programme fits you best, but I would try Photoshop CS5 (or 6, or whichever is the latest) rather than a PS Elements version. I just happen to have the Elements one because it came with something - I think my tablet. Which brings me to the next question.

Is there any freeware you can use for coloring?
Short answer, yes.
Long answer, you have Paint - but I think we can all agree that it really isn't the greatest programme to use in order to get a professional look - but there is also Gimp. I don't know the specifics of Gimp, because I have never used it, but I know some artists use it and are very pleased with the programme. I think it pretty much works like Photoshop and it's always worth giving it a go since it's free anyway.
Then there are the programmes you can get through buying certain other things. As I said before, I got Photoshop Elements 8 because I bought something else, but I also have Art Rage and another programme for free. I don't use them, for I haven't tried them yet, but you might end up getting a programme you like to use.


* I think any fineliner is just fine for drawing as long as you make sure it doesn't bleed or anything. However, if you want to use the fineliners to colour with anything other than pencil you should make sure they are water and copic proof (it often says so on the pen itself, and otherwise you should ask the personnel in the store).

[Hiki]

A thing I made while we were playing Assassin's Creed III a week or so ago. And - since people keep commenting about this - she's supposed to look like she's falling.

[Sakura]

Woah you can do THIS while playing ACIII?

[Hiki]

It took me three days to do xD Because at some points I had to pay attention and at other points I had to tell my brother where he should go. (I'm like his GPS when he plays games because mini-maps are generally not his strongest point xD) I always watch my brother play (except for the parts where I run/walk with the character) because I suck at ACIII (amongst other games) and wouldn't be able to finish the game myself xD Not to mention ACIII is a crappy game, so I wouldn't want to play it myself :P

[oldwrench]

It's nice, Hiki, but I think she should have a more surprised expression, and her arms should be out to her sides like she's trying to stop her fall.

[Hiki]

I should have formulated it differently: She's supposed to look like that.
She's not surprised nor trying to stop herself from falling because she intends to do so. She's waving at the people (aka guards) who can't perform the leap of faith (trick) she's about to do.