Pixie
07-05-2006, 05:42 PM
Hi there. I thought I might add some notes on Open Canvas here in a mini-tutorial, since I notice lots of people are using it, and it's my favourite drawing program at the moment. :)
I'm using Open Canvas 1.1 b72 (though b68 will work just as well, though it may cause you problems when networking if you're not both using the same version.)
This is going to start out with some real basics, for those who've never used Open Canvas before, or who don't have a full grasp of how it works or what it does. Then we'll get on to some more specifics about painting. And if people like this or find it useful, I'll add to it as we go along. This is by no means comprehensive! This is simply what I've learned and the features I use. ;)
So, let's begin! :D
http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/1402/step15sp.jpg
Here we are in open canvas. First, I'd like to make a few notes on the various tools available, for those who've never used it before, and on the making of a set of brushes. My canvas here is 2000 by 3500, which is pretty damn big - but I usually work this size (or slightly larger). Be careful about making your canvases TOO big, as Open Canvas will have problems saving these as anything but a .wpb (it's default save file, which retains the layers). You will not be able to save as a .jpg or a .bmp with REALLY big files in OC, making it hard to export from OC without a lot of fiddling about with screenshots! ;)
There are four types of drawing tool in 1.1, and they're all visible on your tool panel - which is that square box over there on the right, above the colour pallette. To select a type of tool, grab one of the tabs on the left. To select one of the tools in this set, grab a tab on the top. You can make sets of tools for every occasion, which is helpful for painting and inking.
The first (topmost) tool is the ink pen. Beneath this, you have the watercolour brush, the eraser, and the smudge tool. Each can be adjusted in a number of ways. See the little save icon? I've marked it "save" in my crummy handwriting. This will save any settings you change, and ONLY if you click it, so you can mess around with your tools as much as you like and not fear losing the presets unless you click "save". Underneath this icon, there are three little oblong-shaped icons. The first one (on the left) looks like a grey dot with a black dot in. This will toggle pressure-sensitivity/size on and off. This is only helpful if you have a tablet: ie, if you press harder, you'll get a bigger line. Next to this there's another icon that looks like three dots in a row. This one toggles opacity on and off (how opaque, or conversely see-through, your tool is). You'll notice I have my watercolour brush on - and these have opacity on as default. Ink pens do not. Next to the opacity toggle, there's another button that looks like a little gradient in a box. This toggle edge-smooth - how soft the edges of your brushes are. You cannot turn this on with ink pens. I have mine turned off for watercolour brushes, but you can turn it on if you want to make your brushes softer.
At the bottom there, there are also two sliders - I've scribbled next to them, max/min size. This is for your first toggle - the pressure/size toggle. Your max. size and min. size depend on how hard you press, so if you have a mouse, it makes no difference. You can adjust these as much as you like, as well as the other settings, to make yourself a brush set. Once you have a set of brushes you like (and have saved them) you can draw pretty much anything.
On the canvas, I've drawn a line with each of my ink pen and watercolour brush sets, to show you the basic sizes I use. These pretty much cover every eventuality for me. Note that the bigger a watercolour brush gets, the more it spreads colour, but the softer colour it uses. It will spread colour further (by dragging it across) but the colour it produces is weaker. Very small watercolour brushes will make fairly hard-edges lines, like a slightly softer ink pen.
I'm not going to mention the eraser or smudge tools at all, because I never ever use them. To erase, I'll simply select white, and use an ink pen to erase. More on the use of white in OC later. To smudge, I'll grab an appropriate colour, and use a watercolour brush to smudge. To me, both eraser and smudge are redundant.
Now, away from the brush box, and on to the tool set. Next to the brush box window there's a grey box of tools, some of which I've labelled with numbers. These are the ones I use, so the ones I'll talk about briefly.
1 - draw. Select this to draw with whatever brush you have selected. (obvious)
2 - move. This will actually move your image around on the canvas. Bear in mind, OC will "forget" anything that moves off the side of the canvas, unlike photoshop (for example). So be careful when moving.
3 - move 2. This moves your canvas around on the screen - which is different! This can be handy, trust me. ;)
4 - rotate. This rotates your canvas, making certain lines easier to draw, just as you'd rotate your paper on your lap when making a conventional drawing. Hit alt to have it square back again after rotating.
5 & 6 - zoom in a out. Self explanatory. (ps, because my canvas is so huge, I'm actually at maximum zoom-out at the moment, and when I open a canvas this large I have to zoom out completely to see it all. However, a large canvas is helpful for little detailing later on.)
Right! Got all that? Asleep yet? XD Moving on...
http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/7918/step24fm.jpg
Layer types. :) There are three types of layer in Open Canvas, and how they work deserves a small mention.
The first type of layer (default) is the multiply layer (X). On this layer, black is opaque (ie, you can't see through it) and white is transparent (ie, it's invisible). This means, with two multiply layers, if you draw a white and black image on one, and then colour on the other, the colour will show through the white bits but not the black bits. All the colours in between are semi-transparent, so will affect other colours on other layers. It doesn't matter what order the layers are in! So, think of the colours in OC as working like pieces of stained glass, letting light through. On my canvas here, I've drawn a big blob of a darkish red colour on my multiply layer, with a large watercolour brush.
The add layer (+) kinda works in reverse, in that white is opaque and black is transparent. However it also ADDS light, much like the dodge/burn tools would in photoshop. So this is useful for intense highlights, such as sunshine or shiny metal. I've drawn in the same red colour as before on the add layer. Where the two reds cross over, I add red light. Where the red crosses over the white, you can't see it at all - since you can't add red light to pure white light (if that makes sense?)
The subtract layer (-) removes light, kinda. It actually removes pigment. You can see on my canvas I've drawn some of the SAME red colour as before. Where it crosses the red on the multiply layer, I've removed red light and I get black. Where I draw over the white, I remove all the red pigment (the red light) and get a green colour. To be honest, I don't use the subtract layer much, though it is handy for taking all of the red pigment out of that purple hair you've just spend ages carefully shading, in order to make it cooler, and things like that. Use sparingly, though. ;) Less is definitely more with the subtract and add layers.
Your default layer will always be multiply, but you can change the layer type by clicking it's symbol on the left there. Bear in mind, the default layer colour for the multiply layer is white (since white is transparent), whereas on the subtract and add layers, the default colour is black (since black is transparent). So you'll get some odd effects if you just change the layer type.
Other buttons on the layers: the visibility slider does exactly what it says on the tin. In photoshop, you'd select "blend options" and then rack down the opacity some. The visibility slider does the same. Bear in mind, when you've taken the visibility of a layer down, selecting colours that are on the canvas with your forward click (on a tablet pen) will select what you can SEE and not what is actually there. Therefore, you'd select a lighter colour, because the visibility of that layer is down. If you just want to make a whole layer lighter, take the visibility down, make a new multiply layer with nothing on, and then make all the other layers invisible (with the eye icon on the far left of the layers). Then say layer>combine (visible layer). It will combine them at full visibility, and you'll keep your faded colours. Then you can easily continue working on it.
So, that's about it for layers. I'm gonna post this, and then start work on post two in this thread, which will be about actual PAINTING in Open Canvas. ;) Hurrah!
I'm using Open Canvas 1.1 b72 (though b68 will work just as well, though it may cause you problems when networking if you're not both using the same version.)
This is going to start out with some real basics, for those who've never used Open Canvas before, or who don't have a full grasp of how it works or what it does. Then we'll get on to some more specifics about painting. And if people like this or find it useful, I'll add to it as we go along. This is by no means comprehensive! This is simply what I've learned and the features I use. ;)
So, let's begin! :D
http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/1402/step15sp.jpg
Here we are in open canvas. First, I'd like to make a few notes on the various tools available, for those who've never used it before, and on the making of a set of brushes. My canvas here is 2000 by 3500, which is pretty damn big - but I usually work this size (or slightly larger). Be careful about making your canvases TOO big, as Open Canvas will have problems saving these as anything but a .wpb (it's default save file, which retains the layers). You will not be able to save as a .jpg or a .bmp with REALLY big files in OC, making it hard to export from OC without a lot of fiddling about with screenshots! ;)
There are four types of drawing tool in 1.1, and they're all visible on your tool panel - which is that square box over there on the right, above the colour pallette. To select a type of tool, grab one of the tabs on the left. To select one of the tools in this set, grab a tab on the top. You can make sets of tools for every occasion, which is helpful for painting and inking.
The first (topmost) tool is the ink pen. Beneath this, you have the watercolour brush, the eraser, and the smudge tool. Each can be adjusted in a number of ways. See the little save icon? I've marked it "save" in my crummy handwriting. This will save any settings you change, and ONLY if you click it, so you can mess around with your tools as much as you like and not fear losing the presets unless you click "save". Underneath this icon, there are three little oblong-shaped icons. The first one (on the left) looks like a grey dot with a black dot in. This will toggle pressure-sensitivity/size on and off. This is only helpful if you have a tablet: ie, if you press harder, you'll get a bigger line. Next to this there's another icon that looks like three dots in a row. This one toggles opacity on and off (how opaque, or conversely see-through, your tool is). You'll notice I have my watercolour brush on - and these have opacity on as default. Ink pens do not. Next to the opacity toggle, there's another button that looks like a little gradient in a box. This toggle edge-smooth - how soft the edges of your brushes are. You cannot turn this on with ink pens. I have mine turned off for watercolour brushes, but you can turn it on if you want to make your brushes softer.
At the bottom there, there are also two sliders - I've scribbled next to them, max/min size. This is for your first toggle - the pressure/size toggle. Your max. size and min. size depend on how hard you press, so if you have a mouse, it makes no difference. You can adjust these as much as you like, as well as the other settings, to make yourself a brush set. Once you have a set of brushes you like (and have saved them) you can draw pretty much anything.
On the canvas, I've drawn a line with each of my ink pen and watercolour brush sets, to show you the basic sizes I use. These pretty much cover every eventuality for me. Note that the bigger a watercolour brush gets, the more it spreads colour, but the softer colour it uses. It will spread colour further (by dragging it across) but the colour it produces is weaker. Very small watercolour brushes will make fairly hard-edges lines, like a slightly softer ink pen.
I'm not going to mention the eraser or smudge tools at all, because I never ever use them. To erase, I'll simply select white, and use an ink pen to erase. More on the use of white in OC later. To smudge, I'll grab an appropriate colour, and use a watercolour brush to smudge. To me, both eraser and smudge are redundant.
Now, away from the brush box, and on to the tool set. Next to the brush box window there's a grey box of tools, some of which I've labelled with numbers. These are the ones I use, so the ones I'll talk about briefly.
1 - draw. Select this to draw with whatever brush you have selected. (obvious)
2 - move. This will actually move your image around on the canvas. Bear in mind, OC will "forget" anything that moves off the side of the canvas, unlike photoshop (for example). So be careful when moving.
3 - move 2. This moves your canvas around on the screen - which is different! This can be handy, trust me. ;)
4 - rotate. This rotates your canvas, making certain lines easier to draw, just as you'd rotate your paper on your lap when making a conventional drawing. Hit alt to have it square back again after rotating.
5 & 6 - zoom in a out. Self explanatory. (ps, because my canvas is so huge, I'm actually at maximum zoom-out at the moment, and when I open a canvas this large I have to zoom out completely to see it all. However, a large canvas is helpful for little detailing later on.)
Right! Got all that? Asleep yet? XD Moving on...
http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/7918/step24fm.jpg
Layer types. :) There are three types of layer in Open Canvas, and how they work deserves a small mention.
The first type of layer (default) is the multiply layer (X). On this layer, black is opaque (ie, you can't see through it) and white is transparent (ie, it's invisible). This means, with two multiply layers, if you draw a white and black image on one, and then colour on the other, the colour will show through the white bits but not the black bits. All the colours in between are semi-transparent, so will affect other colours on other layers. It doesn't matter what order the layers are in! So, think of the colours in OC as working like pieces of stained glass, letting light through. On my canvas here, I've drawn a big blob of a darkish red colour on my multiply layer, with a large watercolour brush.
The add layer (+) kinda works in reverse, in that white is opaque and black is transparent. However it also ADDS light, much like the dodge/burn tools would in photoshop. So this is useful for intense highlights, such as sunshine or shiny metal. I've drawn in the same red colour as before on the add layer. Where the two reds cross over, I add red light. Where the red crosses over the white, you can't see it at all - since you can't add red light to pure white light (if that makes sense?)
The subtract layer (-) removes light, kinda. It actually removes pigment. You can see on my canvas I've drawn some of the SAME red colour as before. Where it crosses the red on the multiply layer, I've removed red light and I get black. Where I draw over the white, I remove all the red pigment (the red light) and get a green colour. To be honest, I don't use the subtract layer much, though it is handy for taking all of the red pigment out of that purple hair you've just spend ages carefully shading, in order to make it cooler, and things like that. Use sparingly, though. ;) Less is definitely more with the subtract and add layers.
Your default layer will always be multiply, but you can change the layer type by clicking it's symbol on the left there. Bear in mind, the default layer colour for the multiply layer is white (since white is transparent), whereas on the subtract and add layers, the default colour is black (since black is transparent). So you'll get some odd effects if you just change the layer type.
Other buttons on the layers: the visibility slider does exactly what it says on the tin. In photoshop, you'd select "blend options" and then rack down the opacity some. The visibility slider does the same. Bear in mind, when you've taken the visibility of a layer down, selecting colours that are on the canvas with your forward click (on a tablet pen) will select what you can SEE and not what is actually there. Therefore, you'd select a lighter colour, because the visibility of that layer is down. If you just want to make a whole layer lighter, take the visibility down, make a new multiply layer with nothing on, and then make all the other layers invisible (with the eye icon on the far left of the layers). Then say layer>combine (visible layer). It will combine them at full visibility, and you'll keep your faded colours. Then you can easily continue working on it.
So, that's about it for layers. I'm gonna post this, and then start work on post two in this thread, which will be about actual PAINTING in Open Canvas. ;) Hurrah!