Hi all !

I am new in here and I like to submit my first attempt at an almost complete set of paper minis... this is a plain goblin army...

You can see a preview below...

Technics...

- Hand drawn models
- Sketches with hb black pencil
- Final drawning with 0.3 black marker
- Scanned at 600 dpi
- Colored with Paint Shop Pro 11
- Resized and saved with PSP in bmp format...

Here it is...any comment, positive critisism, advice welcome !!!

Regards

Gatchaman

Firstly welcome with your first post!

Then...Wow! Are you sure this is your first turn? Your artwork is quite skilled indeed...

I would like to underline some issues that are here commonly applied but you can consider only from taste point of view and not a "negative criticism".

1) have you considered a plain backside?
2) the base?
3) we usually outline the figures with a black thick line so that it is easier to cut out the figure (or are the figures to be put inside a rectangular?).
4) how many figures are you going to draw?
5) have you already thought to the counterparts, the enemies?
6) I would personally include in your technics a step with Inkscape before Pain Shop Pro, so to vectorize the scanned figures: you would so have a smoother line. This process requires only few time but it gives a quite more professional looking.
7) The bmp format is definitely not my preferred one. It is better a jpg with low compression or a png (try both a see the results compared to the size of the file). In bmp the file is at least 10 times greater and sharing 80M of file is not a so good way.
8) is this a free or commercial set?

A lot of things to discuss about.....sorry

Claudio

Wow I am amazed to have an answer so quickly

First of all, thank you very much for your feedback !

I will try to have it one by one:

1)I don't know if I'll draw a backside...since all the figures are hand drawn it would be a lot of work to entirely draw the backside... perhaps I should think about a black one (uh...how do I do that ?)

2)the preview doesn't include the base...as you can see, I thought about adding a "prebase" on some figures (the latest ones). Any way I will add a folding base on each figure. I still have some clipping plastic bases from an old Blood Bowl game. My primary idea was to use the figures in a skirmish wargame (1 figure = 1 man) with a 1x1 inch for human size infantry, a 1x2 inches for cavalry and the like and perhaps a 2x2 inches for large monsters.

3)I don't like thick black line very much, I'd rather last a few mm in white around the figure when I cut around it.

4) I don't know exactly how many figure I will draw... In my mind it was something like 2 basic infantry (spears & swords), an elite/special infantry, a missile/throwing weapon infantry, a leader/hero, a monster/very special unit, a wizard/shaman/sorcerer and one or two cavaly units (light/heavy or melee/missile) for each army...

5)For the enemies, I am working on some high elfs...some are almost done (see below)...then I will see.

6)I will try inskscape...I don't know the program (is it free/shareware/commercial?) easy to use ? If I can I'll give it a try ! thanks !

7)I also prefer to work with jpg...I used bmp to have the clearest possible final result but actually I don't know if it is the case ! I will see

8)It is free...it's a hobby, and a pleasure... but if I ever think my work is good enough to pretend having some money for it, it would be on a donation base...

As you said, a lot of discussion to have here ! I am glad to be part of it !

Thanks again

ok, so:

1) for the backside, simple ask to Paint Shop Pro to duplicate the figure, then mirror it up side down, then fill in black the whole. Simply, isn't it?

2) ok, I use the rounded plastic base and a specific paper support that I created for my commercial sets.

3) ok, maybe you can add a very very thin black line 2mm off of the figure so that the white cut line is clearer.

4) good.

5) more good!

6) Inkscape is free, not so user-friendly but you can learn just this fine feature...

7) up to you..

8) up up to you..

Last ... do you have a Story?

Well no story yet, but something like generic fantasy skirmishes based on scenarii objectives first...

I have some questions about format and resizing...

In fact I want to keep maximum details on 30mm figures without having too large files...what is the best way to do that ?

In these last months our figures are 300dpi. So, prepare an image of 8" x 11" in 300dpi (2400x3300 pixels) and work always there. This sheet size is common for Letter and A4 format.

Work and save ONLY in original Paint Shop Pro format. When finished you can save in shared format like jpg with low compression or png (png gives better results and lower size, but check with jpg results because sometimes the final size in png is bigger than in jpg !).

You can also try to convert directly in pdf format (which includes a jpg conversion in it) after the right tuning set. Check the compression set of the software! Pdfs are the best format for sharing with every system and are very userfriend.

I still have to practice the format conversion...
Another question...(tell me if it's getting boring )... I tried to use inkscape and vectorize the image...the feature is very interesting but how do I save it to continue working on it in PSP (or do I have to colorize it in Inkscape?)

Anyway... another preview...reworked elven warrior and the elven leader/hero...

ooops here is the leader...

oooops ooooops oooops technical problem...very sorry :/

What does it happen with these multiple posts?

I like a lot your style! I like also how you avoid to give details that wouldn't be displayed after printing.

From my point of view I would add a little bit of deepness with shadow technics. PSP has surely a filter for that.

About Inkscape, after obtaining the vectorized draw you can save it as jpg or bmp format as separate file. For a better resolution you can increase the size of the draw in Inkscape or act on the setting of the conversion.

Very nice designs!

Your off to a very good start. Doing backsides takes a lot of practice, so your far better off until you feel more confident. For bases you could easily use some of mine for these since they have foot tabs.

Some things that I think would make them batter would be...

flatten the feet. design them like miniatures that have to stand on a flat surface, this way when you base them they don't look like they are stepping on the tippy toes.

Try more dramatic textures for the filled areas, especially the chain mail, if you do some searches for chain mail you will find some nice textures. if not I'd be happy to create some easy to use chain textures I created for my own figure designs.

Add a thick outline in black to make cutting out the figure easier, this will also frame the figure and make it pop out from the background, and separate them from each other when you rank them up together.

Make alternate poses of the same weapons. At least three shoudl give you some varity so you don't end up with cookie cutter armies.

Keep up the good work.
JIM
onemonk.com

Thanks for your advice Onemonk !

Ok here is a first trial at a complet figure...

So...no black outline yet
no backside yet...
Anyway I wanted to try...

Impressed, really!

I can see those hordes filling the war fields....

1) why the green base is littler than the figure outline? User can cut it in a second time if needed.

2) A double front face confuses the gamer because you don't know if the figure is going forward or backword... Anyway the user can fill it in black in a second time.

Great!

Hi it's me again... I completed a first set...(yes, I know, they are all the same:) )

But I am not very happy with the print quality...is there a way to improve that ?

I use an (old) HP psc 2100 all-in-one...

Well, the set is completed now!

About the quality, your file has few pixels in it: 500x800px is not enough when printed.

As I suggested, pump the file up to 2400x3300px, so that you can print them at 300dpi. You will see the difference!