More Manga Clip Art

Just last month, a new Manga Clip Art book was released entitled Manga Females Clip Art. As the second installment to this series of books, this set has improved quite admirably. Most notably, the artwork within is much more cohesive and easier on the eyes overall; not because all the characters are of the fairer sex (though that may be a reason for some of you ;D ); but because as a collection, it has risen above the first Manga Clip Art in terms of drawing style.

Before I go into why I believe this, let me get down to what the book is comprised of. First off, it is in the same format as the original – hardcover, a circular cut-out within the center of the book where the CD containing all the artwork is held, and it contains 128 color pages of tutorials and artwork. It is also available at the same low price of $20 USD.

Gradeschoolers done right.

Though only one artist is involved in this volume, Yishan Li has taken the pains to do a nice mix of manga drawing styles which will sate those of you who prefer to have a variety to work on. Aside from the differing styles Li presents, overall, the quality of her drawings are kept at a high bar so you will not find any gradeschooler-like drawn characters  much to my relief.

Painting the natural way.

The first third of the book instructs readers on the what’s, how’s, and where’s of digital coloring from the materials needed to actual tutorials on coloring in cel shading, airbrushing, and painting (or natural media as they call it) style. What I really like about this first half of the book is how they walk you through into how to create the characters by adjusting, rotating, resizing, and adding layers. How to work with the materials within the book is key and much more important than learning how to color it, however nicely that part of the book is presented, and I must say that it was done in an easy-to-understand manner.

Finishing touches.

In regards to the artwork, they are divided into two sets; characters and everything else (i.e. backgrounds and accessories). The female characters within this book were set in the following fashion styles: contemporary, sci-fi, traditional Asian, traditional European, warrior, child, and kawaii (aka chibi’s). Each “fashion style” features four pages of sample characters that may be made in three drawing styles done by Li. These samples feature a nifty box that shows you exactly which parts were used to make the characters and beside each character is a list of the specific part used. A rather nifty addition for those who want to ape a particular look.

Furries… or monsters?

For such a gender specific book, I think it would have been nice if older women were also available. All the characters within the book can be seen as, at most,  middle-aged and younger but where are the grandmothers? I understand the book is marketed towards the younger generation who are more interested in their own age group or younger but I find it disappointing that the older generation are not represented in some way. If you’re artistically inclined, though,  this wouldn’t be a problem but artistically-challenged individuals will have to make do without the golden girls.

It’s all in the details!

Moving on to backgrounds and accessories, I have one thing to say: bea-u-tiful! I can’t stress that enough! The backgrounds are absolutely gorgeous! The amount of details and the composition of the backgrounds are downright fantastic. I almost feel like they were taken from photos – they’re that good. With such great backgrounds, I feel sort of put out that there isn’t more though eight is a lot more than what was present in the first Manga Clip Art book. The accessories are just as detailed and I will say that you will  find nothing to criticize (except maybe that the game console Li drew is a PSP when everyone knows that the DS is so much better! ; D ).

Tell that isn’t beautifully done.

There is one downside to what I just said and that is with all the details found in the backgrounds, there are bound to be some things that get missed. Case in point, one particular background had lines that should have been cleaned out. Being an artist myself, things like that bother me as I consider such errors as sloppiness. For those of you who don’t want to fix them or can’t seem to find them, this is not really a problem as the average person who looks at drawings don’t usually look at the details and won’t see these mistakes.

Some of the few “mistakes” I saw.

Last but not least, this book also allows buyers to use the artwork for commercial purposes. For full details on what you can and cannot do with  the assets, check out the license agreement here. All artwork are is PSD format with layers intact and ready for you to manipulate. With that said, with PSD files only available in the CD, that requires you to have a software that can handle it. Though Photoshop would be the best software to use, there are free alternatives like GIMP out there for you, making the art assets open to everyone to use easily.

How to use the book.

For the curious, here is the table of contents and some additional images from the book:
Table of Contents
Introduction
On the Disc

-Digital Manga-
Introduction to Digital Art
Photoshop and Photoshop Elements
Photoshop Tools
Photoshop Brushes
Creating Characters
Choosing Colors
Blocking in Base Colors
Cel Shading
Airbrush Technique
Natural Media

-Characters-
Contemporary [preview]
Sci-fi
Traditional Asian [preview]
Warrior [preview]
Child
Kawaii [preview 1], [preview 2]

-Backgrounds and Accessories-
In the City
Harbor
City Gardens
European Street Scene
Traditional Japanese Garden
Traditional Japanese Building
Traditional European Town
City Shopping District
Accessories
Putting it All Together
License Agreement

Book Review Fixes and So On

I found the images for the Manga Clip Art book review! With that done, I will soon be posting up a review for the recently released follow-up book called Manga Females Clip Art (as seen below). Stay tuned!

Book Review Images Back Up… Partly

I’ve brought back the images for the 500 Manga Characters book review post. The unfortunate news is that I can’t seem to find the images for my review on Manga Clip Art. I’ll look again… I probably have it saved up in one of my DVD backups or external hard drive. In the meantime, I should be posting up my review on Manga Females Clip Art soon so stay tuned! : )

I’m Back!

Anyone miss me? …On second thought, don’t answer that! >_<

That past month or so, I have been working on something else which I am finishing up. For those curious about what exactly it is, it has to do with my other site called Ren’ai Games. The latest post there will tell you what I’ve been doing. Well, with that project winding down, I’m here to pick up the pieces on RFGA once more and I must say, I’m pretty revved up on moving RFGA forward again.

Let’s see, what exactly will I be doing next month…?

First off, I will be doing a review of a new book release called Manga Females Clip Art, which is a follow up to a  previously reviewed book; Manga Clip Art. So far, it is in the same format as the prior book though the artists are different and in my opinion, much better in quality overall than in Manga Clip Art. Speaking of Manga Clip Art, I have to go back and re-link the images in the reviews I did. I’ll inform you guys when those are back up.

Second, I will be redoing the overall design of RFGA. Right now I have a free template I’m using which, though nice, I would prefer making a custom look and feel to the site.

Lastly, I will be continuing my efforts on Alys.

There are some other things but I’ll keep mum on them until I’m 100% positive I’ll go ahead with the ideas. Well, it’s good to be back and I’ll see you all soon.

Carpal Tunnel

No, I don’t have it but lately my right arm has been feeling a bit stiff at times after doing some work for RFGA. So, in an effort to prevent it from becoming a full blown problem, I got myself a nice brace. It’s nice and soft, has memory foam, extends from the hand and past the wrist, it’s under $20, and the color is much better than the stark black or bright blue that’s out there in the market. I just got it recently so I’m not as used to working with it on just yet but it shouldn’t be a problem I think.

So, anyone else have carpal tunnel or are seeing signs of it?

Still Tickin’

Hi everyone! I haven’t made that many posts for the past week or so and I’m posting now just to let you know I’m still here and no, I haven’t forgotten about RFGA.

If you’ve been to the site, it’s under some site management. In more detail, I’m getting one of the features in the site fixed. Don’t know how long it’ll take but for now, orders are not going to go through.

I’ll talk about what I’ve been up to later this week or next week. Later! : )

What’s My Next Move?

For those wondering what I’m up to next in regards to Royalty Free Game Art, here’s what I am currently working on or will be working on:

1. In-house affiliate system
2. Alys Avatar Hair tweaking
3. Alys Avatar nose, mouth, and ears
4. More image samples for current Alys Avatar items

I haven’t forgotten about the affiliate system. I am currently working on this one alongside doing number 3 on the list. It’s rather complicated so I’m going to take my time setting this up. I’ve basically decided on the affiliation terms which I’ll post later this week for you guys to take a look at. Later!

Timing Result

If you read my post last week, I tried a different timing tactic by doubling my usual expected finish time to complete something and the result was…. I missed by a day. >_< D’oh!

Well, at least it’s a day and not several days. I guess I’ll get better at this in time. No pun intended.

Hair Adjustments

Since I made adjustments to the head, I will be going back to the current hair’s available and making some adjustments to them as well. The right side’s are slightly off right now and they need evening out a bit. If you happen to purchase any hair from the Alys Avatar set, you will be sent a new link to download the upgraded hair once it is completed and available.

Aside from that, the All Color pack was originally packed with each 16 colors their own individual PNG file. That’s rather inconvenient so I will be repacking all the colors into one PSD file for better use.

After I’m done with all this I will be moving on to getting some face features up. Stay tuned!

Happy New Years!

I can’t believe it’s already 2009! Can you? O_O

2008, I find was a very interesting year. I finally opened a stock art site for indie gamers which is something I’ve wanted to do but never took the first step to accomplish. I think the turning point for me was these several factors (in no particular order):

1) someone else was making a stock art site and my competitive streak got fired up
2) I was sick of seeing others get things done while I sat watching from the sidelines
3) my birthday – I tend to assess what I have done and what I want to do and I didn’t like what I “saw” or at least I wasn’t satisfied with things as it was
4) I really believe in the viability of a stock art site and I want to prove that it can work with diligence and persistence because frankly, I was very disappointed that the others who tried this type of service gave up

On that note, I’ll be continuing to build Royalty Free Stock Art in 2009! For one thing, I hope to complete the base set for Alys early this year along with setting up a in-house affiliate system for those who are interested in selling their work alongside mine. Beyond that, I haven’t made any more concrete plans except for one thing: Royalty Free Game Art will still be operational one year from now.

There’s always a stigma attached to businesses following others who have failed. I don’t know about you but when I see someone do something, fail, and someone else tries the same thing with the same result, the third person who steps up to the plate will bear the other two’s legacy. Confidence and expectations on that third person will be low which can be good and bad. Good that they underestimate you which you can work to your advantage but bad in that if they think you won’t be around for the long haul, they might not support you. :\

Well, there’s nothing to do but keep at it, do your best and turn the tables around. n_n

So, what about you? What are your plans for 2009?