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What
pixelpainting is all about .... and how it got it's life !
MY
ADVICE: Now print this page - get a cuppa coffee - and read it
well
- far away from your computer - so your mind can grasp all the information
I'm
giving you in here ;o) ! After you've finished reading it ....
follow the links added
at
the end of this information posting - so you'll be able to see what
I'm referring
to
in this text. Pixelpainting is all about pixels: one single dot &
lots of em together
creating
an image. So "pushing pixels" is a common used phrase amongst
pixelpainting
artists on the internet.
HISTORY
Not
so long ago computers where invented, but they had one disadvantadge:
they
had a low memory capacity and a fairly small Hard Disk. To make good
use
of the small workspace available a bright mind came up with the creation
of
icons: cause a small picture can replace so many words! Icons are the
first
smallest examples of pixelpainting art and are made (for as far
known to
me)
from an image size: 24 x 24 pixels and where initially used in those
first
computers in combination with software.
I
personally believe that the Japanese / Korean caught on to this way of
creating
pixelpainted images that - once computers got a higher capacity / HD -
they
started creating larger images that still had a small size kb wise.
They
created gifs and moving gifs which are now commonly used on websites
or
as (moving) sigtags inserted in e-mails. And we sure all LOVE cartoons
and
comics don't we ? So it became a way to create our own mini cartoons.
BASICS
So
pixelpainting is creating an image with single coloured dots and that's
WHY
we use a linedrawing from ONE pixel only! The original pixelpainters are
making
images free hand from coloured one pixel line drawings and then
filling
them up with one pixel dot colours. I've found an easier way to create
those
kind of images from resized black and
white existing images and the
truth
be told: that was easy! Resizing ANY of
your b & w images the
RIGHT
way is essential to MY fast and easy way of pixelpainting ;o) !!!!
So
one way of creating your basic image is from an existing B & W image,
but
you can also draw your own images - OR draw over coloured images
like
photographs etc. This can be done by mouse or with the help
of
a digital drawing tablet .... so in case you're looking for a basic image
for
your pixelpainting creations: you've got loads of possibilities.
To
clean up your basic image you will need to download the Remove
White
Filter for your Paint Shop Pro - which can be found here:
MARK'S
STUFF
.PAL
FILES
Pixelpaintings
generally are used and saved as a .gif file - with a limited
amount
of colours. The colours used are supposed to be WEB safe: that
means
that by the use of these colours the image should be clear and safe
to
use on a website. There are several ways to getting or finding these
colours:
for one ALL of you PSP users have a websafe .pal file in your
PSP
palette file! Open up a .gif file you have and then go to the
top
menue: Colours - load palette .
That's
where you will find your .pal files to colour with. You can also CREATE
your
own .pal files for PSP. Open up another .gif file now and go to the
top
menue: Colours & save palette ! That's the way to save the
colours used
in
a .gif file for colouring :O)
!!! So if you find a .gif image with your favourite
colours
- save them under a special name: like a breeze of bleu or so *
grins *.
You
can create your own pixelpainting .pal files for future use!
Another
way is to make a grid of squares saved as a .psp file - which you can
fill
up with your shades for future use. The advantadge of that: the
colours
are pure and exact for your .psp file but have a huge DISadvantadge:
when
saving your image as a .gif file your PSP will Decrease the amount of
colours
used to a minimum for a .gif file. So you have a chance of ending up
with
a totally different coloured image with spots of odd colours in it.
SOZAI
I've
found my favorite pixelpainting artist in Japan - who makes
absolutely
fabulous things !! In Japan - for as far as I could figure out
their
language - pixelpainted images are known under the name "sozai".
This
website in Japan (from my favorite PP artist) has a tutorial on colours
used
for pixelpaintings - but darned: I just can't read Japanese
:O((( !!!
What
I CAN see is that he has a file with LOTS of colours he uses on
the
last page of his tutorial. I've tried to save the image: but it only saves
the
numbers - not the colourgrid .... * sniff * BUT you atleast CAN
download
the # numbers too and create your own .psp colourgrid with
it
for future use though !!! This is what you do: go to your paintcan
and
open up a palettecolour on the right side menue and type in the # nr
and
you'll get the colour that matches the number! Fill a small square of
your
grid with that colour and put the colournumber on top of it, or
alongside
of it. Fill the entire grid that way and SAVE as a .psp file.
Now
when you have finished your future drawings: you can open up your
.psp
colour grid and pick up the colour with your dropper for colouring :OD !
FINISHING
OFF
I've
found loads LOTS of links concerning original pixelpainting tuts
for
the advanced pixelpainters AND: lots of "sozai" website
links in
Japan
/ Korea (and still hunting em down) which I've posted in my
cross
stitch patterns newsgroup. There are sooo many of em that I
just
can't put em all in here ! You will find them posted on a regular
base
in our pixel.painting newsgroup though, where I've got lots of
space
for em ;o)
MY
ADVICE
Start
out your pixelpainting by NOW downloading and reading my
pixelpainting
tutorial - PDF file - PART 1 - very well - start learning how
to
resize your initial b & w image for your first pixelpainting -
MY way!
Pick
any large simple B & W line-image with thick lines and give it
a
try ???? This and many other tutorials can be found and downloaded
at
our pixel.painting newsgroup at the Annexcafe network server
(link
-> GO BACK to my Arts & Crafts page)
Working
order: resize - change to 2 colours and back to the maximum
amount
of colours again- use Remove White filter - erase double lines and
corners
- close the necessary compartment(s) with black pixels & add details
of
your own. Work with the opened up original unresized image along side
your
own psp file in the same (split) screen so you can keep an eye on
the
original features when correcting.
AND
remember the important tools we have: the
SAVE, ZOOM & UNDO
buttons
are your biggest friends in PSP * LOL *. Don't ever
forget
rule 1 though: always work with your
anti alias OFF creating
a
ONE pixel outline only ! Have fun
creating - learning and browsing !!
And
in case you have a question on something in here that doesn't make sense
to
yah: just hollor :O)))) !!!
MY
PERSONAL FAVORITE &
SOZAI
ARTIST ON THE WWW:
"THE
SWEET ROOM "
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