more fingers is better
Ugh. Today was quite the day. First i rolled out here to t3h factory as quick as i could this morning to finish off the comic. It didn’t come out too bad, i was able to get all the artwork done last night pretty handily, just needed to breeze up a natural conversation between two self deprecating individuals that would make at least one of them want to hide under the counter. I have lots of experience with that, so it sorta comes naturally.
I spent a good chunk of the day filling out paperwork for international orders. Y’know, a few international ordere here and there is no problem. Even a bunch is not a problem, Sarah and i can handle it. Opening things up after six months of pent up demand? Ya, that was dumb 
International orders area a LOT more work than in state orders, and so many at once… but i figure once we get past this everyone will be happy and folks outside the states can order at their leisure without giving us headaches.
I also took some time out today to play with Painter IX. Like i mentioned in a recent blog, i am considering getting not only a new tablet, but some software too. Years ago i used to use Painter (in fact, the Manami and Kurumi images i did were done in painter). While i have learned how to do lots of things in Photoshop, i do miss some of the natural media abilities Painter has. I really think i need to experiment with my coloring methods a bit. Lets be honest, the coloring techniques i use today are pretty flat and lifeless. Don’t say they aren’t — i don’t get a sense of life and texture from coloring my work the way i do sketching it. This is why i haven’t done much of it in recent years.
Last year i picked up Painter 8 to try working with that. Great program… sort of. The only problem was, even with my not-wimpy G4 tower, Painter 8 was slooooow. So slow, that you had to wait for the canvas to keep up with your strokes. Attempting to paint with it was so frustrating i ended up not using it. Supposedly, with Painter 9, not only have they vastly improved the interface, but the speed. All the reviews i’ve read talk about the fact that the program is now finally, at last, useful.
Is it? Oh yeah. After tweaking my tablet settings a bit to get the pressure sensitivity down right, i found i was actually doing some creative fiddling with it, and even (gasp) drawing in the program itself. I’m stubborn, i will probably never fully adopt drawing this way, but the fact that i can, and it works, is gratifying.
It’s not a cheap program, but i have to say im really impressed with the new version and seriously considering getting it again. Corel really stepped up and vastly improved the program, something they inherited (purchased) from Fractal Design and Meta Creations. Yes, i remember the days when i used to use CorelDraw for everything 
heck, i even remember when Painter came in a real paint can… Kudos to Corel.
The only thing wrong with Painter IX is the icon. That 9 fingered hand is just creepy.
- pirotunes: Mark Rushton - Swimming Under Stars -
January 25th, 2005 at 3:50 am
I’m currently learning how to use a Wacom tablet at work with Photoshop CS and it’s been hard. I’ve been surprised. I wasn’t expecting the brush to jump all over the screen and it was a bit weird. So I just sat there and wrote my name in katakana and left it at that. I hope it will get easier.
January 25th, 2005 at 7:48 am
I’m confused as to why you would believe that the colourings are ‘lifeless’.
They are very different to what I see around the net, all these perfect cg-ed things. They have no heart, no warmth to them. Those are what seem lifeless to me.
I love the technique that you use. I can’t help but feel that you are striving to achieve something, but you do not know what.
Despite all that it is clear that you have improved. Just don’t push yourself too hard.
January 25th, 2005 at 8:26 am
Your coloring isn’t “lifeless.” Sometimes, even when colorless, something can have more life than that of those that do have color. Example. My sketches that I do are way better than the colored things that I do with those sketches. Also, your coloring techniques are much better than many other comic artists, and if you look at the first comic on my comic, it’s waaaaay more “lifeless” if you look at it in that sense.
Finally watched the first episode of AIR. I hope they’re building up the story line later on.
January 25th, 2005 at 9:17 am
It’s really nice when a program you like finally performs the way you want. With all the new upgrades I’ve done with my studio, I finally feel like I can do things the way I want. I just hope that I perform just as well as rig is working
January 25th, 2005 at 12:23 pm
I know a long time ago I used to play with a program from fractal design. It wasn’t anything professional, but I really liked it. Dabbler was the name, if I recall correctly. It was just for messing around.
I also started watching Air today, along with kane, after your recommendation of it in your rant on the megatokyo site, I think everyone will be watching it. Its different from the kinds of anime I generally watch, but its refreshing and very well done.
Good luck with your international orders. It seems to me you get a whole lot of orders. Maybe you should consider getting someone to help out so its not just you two.
January 25th, 2005 at 2:53 pm
I’ve managed to see the first 3 eps of Air… I’m completely unfamiliar with the material its based on - so its been quite hypnotic - and turning in directions I was blindsided by…. its very good, though I’m still unsure of what its really about
— but given Fred’s predisposition to winged girls I’m sure its about to get really surreal.
Coloring… I think I know what Fred refers to… there’s a sort of spring off the page/screen coloring style — what Fred has done so far is excellent “comic coloring” but that “knock your socks off” color that some manga achieves is a high peak indeed. To be honest.. I don’t know if it would even fit Fred’s style… but we won’t know til we see it.
January 25th, 2005 at 4:16 pm
Painter IX r0xor5!!11 Just wanted to drop a line (like it’s hot) and just compliment you for having one of the best blogs this side of the looking glass. Congrads! ^^
January 25th, 2005 at 5:29 pm
‘what Fred has done so far is excellent “comic coloring” but that “knock your socks off” color that some manga achieves is a high peak indeed. To be honest.. I don’t know if it would even fit Fred’s style… but we won’t know til we see it.’
Yes, I must agree. I’ll attempt not talking about him in third person too much as I’ll sound like a right lemon but yeah
it’s a style that’s different and it has a lot of warmth and heart to it and I love that. I’d be sad if that ever went. =/
The fact is its imperfect but that’s why I love it so much. I think that, however corny it sounds, it’s the imperfections that make it perfect
January 25th, 2005 at 5:46 pm
augh… I take back my comment that I posted on your last rant… Tori no Uta is really starting to catch on to me… -_-
Right now my playlist only consists of Last Regrets, Flower, Tori no Uta, and Farewell Song.
I’m so pathetic…
January 25th, 2005 at 9:38 pm
Nine fingered hand, eh? Any relation to Frodo?