[hdri]

I discovered ArtRage thanks to the sijun forum, and I'm just doodling to get acquainted with it. I propose you to share here your artrage images, so we can find out how powerful this tool can be, and, btw , promote this excelent freeware software...
Here is my first pic (3/4 hour, ArtRage)

[AndyT]

Artrage can probaby be used to paint good pictures but I'd recommend Gimp (http://www.gimp.org) or OpenCanvas ( search google for OC11B71.EXE ).
If you want to make one long brushstroke in Artrage you are out of luck.
You have to click like crazy.
When you want to paint a sky for example.

The brush will always pick up the color that already is on the paper. No button like "dry paint".
Making gradients is a pain in the ass. You can't pick colors. Horrible.
So you always have to click twice per brushstroke. Once on the glass and once to start the stroke.
You can't play with opacity. No layer support ...

The palette knife doesn't have that glass so you can't clean it if the whole canvas is covered with paint already.
There is no decent way to blend paint. I don't think it is worthy of promotion.
But I haven't tried how good the other tools are. I almost only used the oils.

Professionals have better tools.
I can't think of any advanced non-professional artists who can plan the picture well enough so that they don't need those features.
Maybe it might be interesting for people who usually use the gimp and want a sloppy base that they can work on.
Maybe that gives an interesting texture ...

My images don't really tell much. My no-ref-stuff sucks no matter what software I use.
But I did this today. As always with a mouse. Took maybe 30 minutes:


Then I worked on it some more in Gimp. I did many things that I wanted to do in Artrage.
I just couldn't figure out how to do it.
I wanted to make the sky darker. Because the lit side of the tree and the sky have values that are too close.
Not an easy fix in Artrage.
I wanted to blend things better. And I wanted the clouds to push the tree more in the foreground.
I didn't find a way to do those things.

Not that it looks better. But painting just feels better when you have more control:
Gimped version
_________________
http://www.conceptworld.org

[hdri]

Hey, AndyT:
Thanks for the feedback.
I have to say: I don't think there's one single software to work with, when you are in production. My personal experience is that you always use many, and they are complementary tools. For example, there've been shots where I've worked in, that used Photoshop for matte and texture painting; 3dMax for 3D; Brazil for rendering, Illusion for particles, and Shake for the final comp and color correction. All this in one single shot. And this is the usual way to work, as far as I know.
In this workflow, any software may be interesting for some reason. Just use the tools you need. Obviously, ArtRage lacks many many features that almost any painting software has. On the other hand, it has some good stuff. Just enjoy what you want of it, and use other tools for the rest...
This is my humble oppinion.
Again, thanx for taking your time.

[weaselball2]

I've tried to use both the gimp and artrage for drawing. Things done in the gimp tend to look very un-painting-like becuase it doesn't have very advanced brush support. Also, the fact that the gimp is made of a billion different windows can get very annoying. Artrage paintings always look sorta blurry cuz the brush only gets so small. I also agree with all of those negative comments, except that you can turn on autoclean for the brushes to make glass go away.

[AndyT]

Autoclean!? Good to know. Guess I'll look at ArtRage again.
I also want to check out the crayons/pastel thingies again.

If you think the brushes in the Gimp are not good enough then maybe you want to cover up a lack of knowledge with fancy effects.

Good decisions, getting the proportions right, choosing the right values, colors, kinds of edges ...
things like that should make a painting painterly.

Simple round brushes and playing with opacity and hardness is good enough.
Look at Kincept's thread for example:
Sargent Copy

A problem I had was that there are no really soft default brushes.
Just make a new one and set hardness to 0.
I also tend to choose colors that are not saturated enough.
For some reason Painter Classic seems to make sure I pick very saturated colors all the time.

That approach works in Gimp too:
Roberto Campus - Painting a digital portrait Tutorial

hdri: Yeah there are a lot of things that ArtRage can be used for.
But there are beginners who look for "their" paint program.
So I think it is worth mentioning why ArtRage isn't the best allround tool for beginners.
_________________
http://www.conceptworld.org

[Radiance]

hi AndyT,
the problems you are pointing out in artrage are pretty much intended, i think. what you describe as shortcomings of the brushes are behaviours of real brushes and real paint on canvas. that was the whole purpose of that program: a realistic paint/brush simulator.
unfortunately, in software you can't specify how much paint you pick up with the brush. therefore you can't easily make long strokes.
if you ask, what's the use, well... artrage is for the afficionados, i guess
plenty of other software that eliminate all the bad things of traditional painting.

[hdri]

nice feedback in the forum.
Yes, you're allright. Artrage is not an allround tool, spetially for beginners.
I'm not sure it is a software for aficionados!
But I know there is a big lack in Photoshop, becouse there is not a tool that paints and smudges at the same time. Colour never blends reallisticaly on your canvas.

[Diruo]

Very nice hdri. I think I'll try doing some still life paintings.

I'm no 2d artist and all I've got to work with is my mouse but I thought I'd give artrage a shot. So here's my first 2d painting.. ever.

I can't seem to pick the right colors and get the right hue and "temperature" of the painting, if you know what I mean. Does anyone know of any good colorpicker tutorials? I think I've seen some around.

[Diruo]

Made another one. Hey! Painting is fun! ^_^

Keep them coming people!

Hdri, Can you rename the thread "Artrage Thread" or something so they know they can contribute. =)

[Aranor]

I tried ArtRage too. Here's my first two pictures painted with it... These are about 20-30 min speed paintings






Okay... now that I've tested it, what do I think about ArtRage:

It has some really nifty tools and brushes. You can get very painterly effects with it.
No color picker, this is a plain disaster! . This alone makes me abandon ArtRage and go back to Photoshop......

Another major fault is that the max picture size is locked at 1024x768... But this is nothing as bad as the missing color picker.

[hdri]

Diruo, let me say I don't believe this is the first time you paint! If it is true, you should consider developing your skill, until you become a great artist.
Yes, it sucks no color picker. On the other hand, it makes you learn to see the color you look at. (In essence, this is the way you paint on real life...)
Let's see if people post more jobs.
Thanks for the sugession on the title. You can see I've changed.

[Diruo]

I'll take that as a compliment, hdri. I was quite happy with them myself. I usually do things in 3d and I havn't really drawn anything before. Not even scetches. I tried it because I found Artrage easier to use with a mouse than PS.

And I've been lurking here for years, just admiring the scenery, so maybe my brain has registered something =)

[buzzz3d]

The new version of Artrage is out with colourpicker.
http://www.ambientdesign.com/artragedown.html

[Matthew]

buzzz3d, many thanks there. I saw you added the adress in the speedy too, thanks again.

This 1.1 version is better but I still get confused with it, it used to hang-up for me in that 1.0 version but now it works. Color picker, would have been better with a short-cut I believe.

Mega-man or someting to go along with the post.


later

[hdri]

I'd like to share a pic that my 5 YO nephew did yesterday in Artrage.

[R.A.F.]

My 1st one with Artrage.

I�m agreeing with AndyT about the professional use of Artrage. You could found better stuff out there... but you know: I don't care!
Is just a lot of fun.

I use to do my personal stuff with Painter and the work-kind-of-boring-desing with Photoshop. And I reckon this one is even more �tactile� than Painter... is just like been a children and play with colours.
Personally I find the limits of this software refreshing.

Now I post my pseudo-self portrail (I�m uglier)




_________________
In case of supreme necessity use your mind.
Rafael Barraso.

[AndyT]

Hehe ... as I thought.
People who know what they are doing can get impressive images out of the program
But yeah I guess the first post already proved that.

I agree R.A.F. ... with the color picker and autoclean it is actually at least fun.
Had to look in the manual how to use the color picker though.

Behold teh Storyt3lling again:

[ambient-whisper]

[hdri]

I think that colour picker was really neccesary. The nice part is that Ambient Design is listening and they've implemented it on v 1.1 (I swear I have nothing to be with them!) Many, many features are desirable, but that would make Artrage a sort of Painter, and I don't think this is the goal al all. As someone told, the lack of features is the good and bad side of this software. At least, I think we should recognize that the brush behaviour is more realistic than in other softwares (I know Photoshop, Painter and Gimp) I post a pic, just doodling on version 1.1

[Collings]

one of mine - 15 minutes

[Matthew]

ambient-whisper, ah yea buzzz3d told me earlier, thanks there.

haha yea it is pretty funny once the color picker works
more fool around stuff:



keep up gringos

[Matthew]

I can see that this program can be pretty effective now once I have been experiment a bit more with it, that pencil is pretty good too.
Maybe a couple of more hundred tries and maybe then I can make one good picture.

Let's see some more guys.


keep up

[Simoom]

hdri, tell your nephew that his is one of my favorites in this thread

[seth1]

Nice work guys... Really like the update of art rage it's very help full...


Tools: Art rage and mouse time about 30 or 40 minutes... Just doddling i tryed doing a human but dident really work out...