0

My girlfriend is a very keen drawer, and would like to somehow transfer her ideas from paper onto the computer - she's drawn many different versions which she wanted to scan in, but I figured it'd be better for her to use Photoshop and a tablet so it's in a format that's easier to work with rather than a flat image/scan

The problem is, everything she's trying isn't working. I'm not a computer novice by any means, but even the simplest things seem incredibly complex - it took me ages to figure out how to get a simple black brush (seemingly changing the colour to black didn't work, it looked muddy and washed out) but the effect is really terrible.

So in a roundabout way, I guess my main question is what brush is good for a fancy text logo? If I can at least pick a good brush for her to play around with it'd be a massive step in the right direction. Thank you :)

(she's getting quite frustrated with the tablet/photoshop as I type this "Ahhhhh, I don't even want a logo now, this is ridiculous!" etc etc, sorry again for being somewhat vague, just really want to help point her in the right direction!)

Improve this question
2
  • 1
    Re. "she's getting quite frustrated with the tablet/photoshop" - Photoshop is frustrating for the first 1-3 months, it's designed to be powerful for pros which means it's often painful for beginners. Don't learn photoshop and tablet drawing at the same time, that's double frustration. There are more user-friendly programs to get started with computer drawing here. Re "changing the colour to black didn't work, it looked muddy and washed out" - sounds like pen pressure is linked to opacity.
    – user56reinstatemonica8
    Jul 17, 2012 at 11:47
  • Thank you so much :) Some good programs there, I'll check them out. I think you're right about the ink too - she's having so much more joy using Illustrator!
    – Nick
    Jul 17, 2012 at 18:59

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
3

what brush is good for a fancy text logo?

That's somewhat of a contradictory question. Text is text, you shouldn't need a brush.

In reality, although a tablet can be exceptionally useful, it's often not a replacement for good, old fashioned, pen and paper. Many professionals still practice and advocate drawing on paper and scanning. If for nothing else, the initial design phase.

The freedom and familiarity that pen and paper give is very difficult to replicated digitally unless you are using something like a Wacom Cintqu, where you draw directly on the screen. Often the hand-eye coordination it takes to draw on a tablet sitting flat on a desk while looking at a screen in front of you can throw off the best artists.

For a logo, I'd really suggest using Adobe Illustrator rather than Photoshop. The best workflow I've found is to draw, by hand, on paper, scan, and then use the scan as a template to recreate artwork within Illustrator.

As for a "best brush"... there's really no such thing. Every person is different and every style is different. What works for some may be entirely wrong for others.

Improve this answer
5
  • Thank you thank you! She just came in, breathed a big sigh of relief and said she much prefers Illustrator to Photoshop, and that tracing a scan of what she's already done on paper was incredibly easy! One very quick question though, the 'brush', 'stroke' etc options at the top of the page don't have anything populated - is that normal when you're drawing with a tablet? Thanks again
    – Nick
    Jul 16, 2012 at 21:07
  • 1
    Top of what page where? Within Illustrator? You have to select a brush, or draw a path, to have stroke and brush options.
    – Scott
    Jul 16, 2012 at 21:11
  • Ah, thank you - I'm quite certain it is a path (when you select it, it selects only the text, with certain points highlighted) but it doesn't let her change anything but the colour and stroke size - will look into it, either way you've put her totally on the right track, thank you so much :)
    – Nick
    Jul 16, 2012 at 21:12
  • 1
    GLad I could help. I don't fully envision what you (and she) are seeing so I really can't guess as to why she can't change anything but color and size.
    – Scott
    Jul 16, 2012 at 21:13
  • Think it was a stupid oversight on my behalf, I didn't realise at first the brushes were only populated by the most recently used brushes (ie at the start it's empty!) - sorted now with plenty to choose from. Thanks again :)
    – Nick
    Jul 17, 2012 at 18:59

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.