Questions from a newcomer

[Borg]

Um, I've been surfing the forum ALOT for about 6 months and finally got my account activated today.

Anyways, I just have a few questions, generally about art tips and overall stuff.

#1. Why do people sketch with blue pencils? Is it easier to erase? And are they any kind of blue pencils?

#2. What does making THICK lines do? does it make the thick-lined 'thing' stick out more? And if so, If I had a bunch of characters on 1 page completely filling it up, would the main character who is in the middle need thick lines around him right?

#3. When I fix my scanner, what should I be scanning at? What DPI and size?

#4. could have sworn i had 4 or 5 questions to ask...

[Phil Clark]

Answers to your questions.

#1. The blue pencil is called Non-photo or non-repro blue. Using the blue pencil allows an artist to ink the art and not have to erase the pencils, since the blue art can easily be removed when scanned into the computer.

#2. Thick and thin lines not only enhance the illusion of dept in a drawing, but also enchance the solid feel of a character. Study just about any comic and you will see how line weight variation helps things look more real.

#3 How you should scan your art depends on how you intend to use it. If you are scanning for print, you should scan at somewhere between 300 and 600 DPI at the printed size. If you are scanning for web use, 72 DPI (or sometimes 96 DPI) is sufficient resolution, and size depends on the size of the monitor you want to be able to view the image without having to scroll. A good rule of thumb is keep web images less than 500 pixels wide. Height is less critical.

Does that answer your questions?

[Borg]

yes it does, and Thanks Phil! Hmm, I can tell I am going to enjoy my time here!