I am the new moderator of the 2d graphics forum … and I know the 2d area is sorely lacking activity. I would like to suggest we start some mini-challenges to the community that depends heavily on 2d software or traditional art creation. Either drawing, photography or a combination. 3d programs CAN be used since that is the core of the site … but if we can emphasis techniques such as heavy post-work … or filters, framing, toon-work, emulating traditional artistic styles even design such as creating a portfolio, brochure of the user's work … these kinds of challenges could breathe some life back into the 2d arena. What do you all think?

I think blending the different techniques and software can challenge us as artists and we can share our new discoveries and gain new creative inspirations.

The gallery needs a traditional media/arts and crafts category like it used to have. I sometimes post traditional media drawings and sculptures to my gallery and I find that I have to put things in "mixed media". Photoshop work and traditional 2d works are covered by 2d but sculpture has no place really... (most recent gallery post).

Great idea Eldritch! I do miss being able to post crafts I do. I'm at an event at my son's DoJo today with my crafts & makeup later this morning. Since we're all sharing, here's some things I've done. The first three are quilts & the last one is a Geisha made completely out of fabric & yarn.

Fantastic!!! We have changed the 2d Graphics forum name to include traditional art forms. This is a start. We are getting there.

Cool! I always wanted to see a more active discussion of postworking renders. There are thousands of different techniques and tips. And even something as simple as loading a render into GImp or Photoshop and adjusting the contrast/levels or curves will improve many renders dramatically. :)

Alas, much of my postworking relies on a series of PS plugins. Everything they do can be accomplished by playing around with layer styles, channel mixing, color selection, and curves adjustment and so on -- which is what I used to do. But it's so much faster to use a plugin, and most probably wouldn't care to experiment for 20 hours on a single image, creating 100 different adjustment layers to test various effects.

Anyway, I will share this: The Photoshop mixer brush (right click brush icon, and it's the last in the dropdown list). With a 0% load (and the clean brush after load option on) and sample all layers checked, you can transfer samples from an underlying layer to a new one. When combined with different brush shapes and different levels of "wetness", this basically lets you "paint" over your render on a transparent layer, and automatically samples the colors from the render below. You can get all sorts of painterly effects this way, and the result does not look like a tacky computer generated painting filter because the brush strokes are created by a human -- you.

You can also use this technique with low levels of wetness and a simple round brush to fix small errors or to smooth out artifacts in skin tone, etc. And because you're painting on a separate layer, you can adjust the opacity to your needs or erase errant strokes without messing up your render. :)

Not claiming this as great art -- LOL -- but it's an example of the sort of stuff you can play with. Just a quick, um, impressionistic experiment with a bunch of new brushes. Definitely needs A LOT more attention paid to brush strokes.... but cheaper, less messy, and less smelly than traditional media, in any case. Though, I miss the pungent scent of linseed oil, my hubby cannot stand it.

Combine with FilterForge filters -- I paint over the filtered render. This is more the sort of stuff I like to do: Gun wielding zombie superhero (WIP)...

Another tip for any kind of postwork: Export from Poser as an HDR file. You get a 32 bit image, which has a LOT more data to play with in a graphics program. Or for photographs, set camera to save photos to a raw format, rather than JPG. (Depending on your camera, you can get ~16 bit raw files, rather than 8 bits, which lets you adjust a much wider range of exposures and color.)

If you're getting color banding with brushes and gradients when working with an 8 bit image, just changing it to 16 bit and working in a 16 bit color space will eliminate most of those issues. You won't be adding any data to the original image, but your brushwork and gradients will have access to a much wider range of color. Do as much post work as you can in a 16 bit environment rather than limiting yourself to a mere 8 bits of data.

These are great! Thank you ... lets get some more.

I like this. Sometimes if you want to really postwork something you need a completely different category than 3D or photography. A few years ago I was really interested in photoshop painting when Jason had his tutorials in the MP. I should try again. :)

Please do post these beautiful works of art in the forum below:

https://www.renderosity.com/mod/forumpro/?forum_id=12358

Thank you!!!