someone can tell me how the beautiful lines drawn?

[salem1]

I have seen many topic here talk about the variable weight lines style animation in flash,many talent give their way:convert to shape and optimaze or draw with pressure brush or vectorlize the scaned bitmap,but the quality don't look so good and curve are complex.

I just studied the Gotham Girls from WB,I think most of you have seen this episode.The line art in this flash cartoon is very good,I import some swf and find these outlines are very smooth,beautiful,sharp and simple,infact these outline are not made of stroke but fill,but the curve on them are very simple,only a little point on the curve.

I don't think these beautiful outline was made in these common way I mentioned above.Because those way's result won't that beautiful,smooth and simple.If they traced these curves by hand?That will be a huge workload for a cartoon like that,you konw every outline has two curves for each side.I can't imagine...who can give me an answer.


Above is some thing I imported form Gotham Girls

[tab]

Here's a link for the Gotham Girls animations:
http://www2.warnerbros.com/web/gotha...riginals_item3

To me, it seems the drawings/animation were done by hand and then converted to vector.

I'd sure like to know how they "traced" it so cleanly and well!

[gbillustration]

It' probably done in the same way I do all my illustrations/animations on my website:

www.gbillustration.nl

I draw all my illustrations on paper. Scan it as 300 dpi black and white. I then use Corel OCR Trace (streamline is also OK i've heard)to convert my bitmap to vector and save it as an ai. No loss at all.

Then i import that in flash and color and animate it.

You can download some open sourrce files of animated cartoons in the testlab section of my site.
Kind regards,
Gerwin

[CNO]

Originally posted by gbillustration
It' probably done in the same way I do all my illustrations/animations on my website:

I think Gerwin is probably right. If you've ever seen the new Batman/Superman/Justice League animated series (or other Bruce Timm work), the inking style is very similar to this - thick bold outlines.

Programs like Streamline allow batch conversions to vector (not sure about Corel - gb can back me up on that one) - these images are probably scanned, converted, then colored in Flash.

The image also looks like it has gone through a fair bit of optimization (again, which works for this bold style), hence the limited number of points (but also some of the sharp creases and pinching that are a sign of heavy optimization in Flash).

[dainbramaged]

Geez, looks like tablet work to me. Draw, zoom, and clean your lines. And any way you do it is going to be a ton of work. That's the fun of it!!

[cembert]

looks like it is drawn with a pen, scanned in, traced with a tablet in PS. The file is imported into flash and conerted to bitmap, then optimized. They secret ingredient ......In Flash......modify_smooth....not too much.
Then again...it could be just a really good vector drawing...using custom brushes in illustrator.

[dainbramaged]

Originally posted by cembert
looks like it is drawn with a pen, scanned in, traced with a tablet in PS. The file is imported into flash and conerted to bitmap, then optimized. They secret ingredient ......In Flash......modify_smooth....not too much.
Then again...it could be just a really good vector drawing...using custom brushes in illustrator.

Hey, Cambert....why the extra steps of tracing in PS, then bitmap tracing in Flash? Not judging, just asking. Why wouldn't you just trace it in Flash? And am I the only person who draws directly into Flash without using paper or another app. first?

Again, I'm just asking. It's always nice to learn somebody else's approach.

Dain

[gbillustration]

Originally posted by cembert
looks like it is drawn with a pen, scanned in, traced with a tablet in PS. The file is imported into flash and conerted to bitmap, then optimized. They secret ingredient ......In Flash......modify_smooth....not too much.
Then again...it could be just a really good vector drawing...using custom brushes in illustrator.

hmmm... offcource i can be wrong but i don't think so. Personally I think the trace function in flash sucks... I never get my lineworks the way i want to. Trace from corel is much much better. And you can also smooth and reduce your anchorpoints.
Gerwin

[salem1]

Thank you Guys.I'll try your way and find out if I can get that good effect.

[megatoon]

No don't in my mind this is drawn with a tablet. Most likely right over an imported bitmap. Something similar to this method. Where Tod uses teh brush tool.
http://www.toddgallina.com/how/

You may also want to try an oval shaped brush. As opposed to the circle shape. That wat you can achieve the thick to thin lines.

Altho both Streamline and Corel Trace to a good job. I just don't this looks traced. But I could be wrong of corse.

BTW.. How's everthing going with you Dain?

[Naldoman]

Originally posted by dainbramaged
And am I the only person who draws directly into Flash without using paper or another app. first?
Dain

DB, I know where you're coming from. My scans are never especially clean (maybe they WOULD be if I stopped using scrap paper!). So I often need the extra step in PS to clean them up at least before importing to Flash. The trace in Flash does require some finesse, but it's OK---I just spend too much time fine tuning after the trace.

I like to freeform sketch in Flash---saves all that scan/import/trace/retouch time, but even when using a pad, my work just isn't as good as on paper. I can dash out a figure in 10 secs on paper that would take me 5 minutes to get right using a tablet. It depends on what kind of 'toon I want to do. When I want speed, I'm on the tablet.

[argonauta]

i used to trace in PS, but then i realize flash is cooler, cause you trace it as vectors, so you can trace a drawing and then resize it and all without using resolution. I don't know if there are other programs where u can trace stuff and export it as vectors.....maybe illustrator or freehand?


I've never tried scanning my images and convert them to vector directly, but i know you can get it done with nice results if you do it right, and it starts in the scanning proccess, the paper and pens you use, the contrast setting in photoshop.....everyone has a different technique i guess, and all of them work.....what i do realize is that re-draw your drawings after you scan them (like in a program like flash) you do require more patience and time, to have a nice end product.

[wedge]

I have seen many ways to do this, but I will list my favorite.
I draw my characters on paper first. I scan the drawing and import the image into flash. I place the drawing on it's own layer and lock that layer. I add a new layer above it and trace the inside line. When finished, I lock that layer and start a new layer. Then on the 3rd and topmost layer I trace the outside of the penciled line. I unlock them, paste them onto the same layer. This leaves you with a line on both the outside and inside of the pencil marks. You can see the pencil line sandwiched between the two lines done in flash when done. I may need to push and pull the lines to achieve the look and thickness variations I want. I then choose a different color than the lines and fill the space inbetween the two lines I traced. Once all of the gaps are filled, I delete the lines and I am left with the fill section. You can reshape the fill with the arrow tool to get it just right. This gives you the varied line weights.

I have also seen people trace directly over the pencil lines and then copy and paste it onto a new layers and then push and pull the lines to match the method I mentioned above. This method may be a little quicker than the earlier one. I have just gotten used to doing it this way.

Hope this helps

[xup878]

Originally posted by Naldoman
I like to freeform sketch in Flash---saves all that scan/import/trace/retouch time, but even when using a pad, my work just isn't as good as on paper. I can dash out a figure in 10 secs on paper that would take me 5 minutes to get right using a tablet. It depends on what kind of 'toon I want to do. When I want speed, I'm on the tablet.

same here, pictures on paper can be done quick... i know i use the undo tool alot when i draw with my tablet, which is all the digital work i can do due to no scanner... i dont mind though

neways back to the topic... i dont see y that art couldnt have just been drawn straight in... using illustrator or the brush tool with pressur sensitivity turned on in flash....

[argonauta]

Originally posted by xup878
neways back to the topic... i dont see y that art couldnt have just been drawn straight in... using illustrator or the brush tool with pressur sensitivity turned on in flash....

the hard part of drawing using a tablet is that your eyes don't watch your hands. It's kinda difficult to draw without seeing where the "pencil is". Yep, you can draw using a pressure pen, but still you have no reference points when drawing.....i think that's why people still prefer to draw first on paper, then scan and trace.

[gbillustration]

Originally posted by argonauta
the hard part of drawing using a tablet is that your eyes don't watch your hands. It's kinda difficult to draw without seeing where the "pencil is". Yep, you can draw using a pressure pen, but still you have no reference points when drawing.....i think that's why people still prefer to draw first on paper, then scan and trace.

I completely agree whith you on this one...

[toony]

The only way i've been able to get this effect and this was on a illustration not animation, I started of drawing with the line/pen tool and then increased the stroke to about a 4 or 5, convert stroke to fill and then just pull 'n' push to expand certain areas. Could optimize after that and then colour in.

When it comes to animating I suppose that way could be a lenghy process, but like DB mentioned a tablet could do that effect.


Toony
Finally made it to 1000...time for a coffee

[argonauta]

Originally posted by toony

Finally made it to 1000...time for a coffee

congratulations!

[CNO]

Originally posted by gbillustration
I completely agree whith you on this one...

Hopefully this is where tablet PC makers will get smart and realize there is a market for drawing on a screen (though I think the biggest innovation would be if they could make it actually feel like drawing on paper).

Right now all of these apps seem targeted at writing notes, which to me is counter-productive - the true advantage to using a computer for notes is that they are usually neater than handwriting.

BTW - bookmark this thread. There's a ton of great tips about different ways to ink in Flash.

[gbillustration]

Competely off-topic:
CNO, can you tell me ('cause you're a moderator, you should know anything ) why flashkit rejected the open source movies of animated cartoons i tried to upload?? (you can view them in the testlab section of my website. Beach Girl and Disco Girl)

They approved this one 2 years ago:
http://www.flashkit.com/movies/Anima...4414/index.php

..and it has been downloaded almost 9000 times. But they always rejected other ones. I get so many mails each week with questions about this kinda animations, so I think people can learn a few things of it..

Thanks,
Gerwin