I have an ide. This is on of the first times I have ever been here and I am from the UK. A friend recommended this site to me becuase I said I fancied having a go at graphic art. The problem is that I have no idea where to start. What software do I need.... How much will this software cost me..... Where can I get this software from etc. How about a link which shows you all this. Can anyone help me? I have no idea where to start!! Sleepless_siren

What are you interested in? The are galleries for photography, 2D (Paint Shop Pro, Photoshop, etc), figures and scenes (Poser 4 and 5), 3D modeling, landscapes (Vue, Bryce, etc.) I'd say, tour the galleries and figure out what you are most interested in doing. Visit the associated forums and read what is posted there. And then decide how much money you are prepared to spend (some hobbies are pretty expensive). You can go the range here...it's up to you to decide where you want to start and what you want to do (and you can always change your mind...I started with Paint Shop Pro and went to Poser and now I am starting to get a little bit interested in modeling). The software ranges from free to more than $1,000. The real investment is the time you are willing to take to learn the software and figure out what your goals are. Welcome and feel free to browse.

heck, click any of the links on the site and you'll find stuff to lok at. Most of it is unbelievably expensive though. One of the best ideas would be to put a pencil to paper. Its hella cheap, and extremely satisfying after much practice. you wont be able to pick up anything fast and be good at it, but being a good sketcher/drawer will go a long way into aiding other future endeavours.

Thank you all for your hints. I really appreciate them and I am nowhere near having any idea what to do but that is my indecisivness. Any more ideas on how I can start creating some impressive (yeah right!!) imagery, let me know. Thanks again!! Sleepless_siren

Well, if you truly don't know where to start, I might begin with photography, because learning about light and composition is an important part of what people do in their graphics. Take a class or borrow some books from the library. Look at some books on art too. Then I would take my photographs into a 2D program and learn how to play with textures and create special effects in the photographs. Learn about filters and plugins and color balance. Learn about shadows and how to introduce light effects. You can do alot in 2D. And that would give you a good base for the 3D graphics. Of course that's not what I did because I like to back into everything, but I can see the value of working from a solid base of experience and moving forward. But you have to have a sense of what it is you would like to create. Science fiction? Fantasy? Real life? Cartoons? There must be something that draws your attention. If you don't know where you're going, you don't need a ticket to ride. Just a few wandering thoughts. I hope you find your way. Oh, most important. Don't let the naysayers get to you. You need to do this for yourself. That's the only way it means anything.

Start with the free stuff. Terragen.

If you're really at a complete loss as to what to start with, you could browse the Galleries, note what software was used to make images you fancy, then visit the individual forums for those softwares. Get a feel how easy or hard some of them are.