I've been trying to learn Photoshop lately. To be precise, since yesterday. It was a really, really challenging task, to say the least, especially considering that I'm the kind of guy who's never used anything outside of Word and MSPaint. The reason why I'm trying to learn Photoshop is because I want to make a few projects and make myself slightly more employable since everyone's asking for 'advanced computer skills' nowadays. Okay, scratch the last part. I just feel like making some cool stuff, you know? And things turned out okay, I suppose.
Back when I was in high school, I applied for both what I'm doing now, and Architecture school. Needless to say I spent a lot of time on drawing and designing and all that stuff. I'd work when I get back from school at 3.30pm and keep working till 1 in the morning, watch a few episodes of Toradora then go to bed. That was how devoted I was. Then for some reason, I decided to go with what I'm doing now instead. From organizing space to organizing people, it seems. Anyway, toying with Photoshop felt very nostalgic. The exhausting feeling I'm getting now reminds me of my high school days, when I'd just draw houses and floor plans nonstop. It's a good feeling.
So yea, as you can see, that's one of the first things I ever did in Photoshop. I couldn't even figure out the layers out, let alone knowing how to put down colours and all that jazz. Why can't it just be like MSPaint, you know? So it was kind of an achievement (as silly it was) to have made my first reaction image. Wow, I am so cool. Please respond.
For Christmas this year, I wanted to make a friend of mine something special. I promised him to send him a Christmas card. As you can see, it's almost the 24th of December here in New Zealand, and I haven't sent out anything. I'm so incredibly lazy, it's hopeless. But I decided I was going to make him something a bit more special, without paying a cent of postage. I made him an artbook.
Well of course, I won't show you the whole thing. It's not Christmas yet, you know (or, uh, Kurisu-masu, if you catch my drift?! Ha!). But yea, that's what I did for the past two days or so. The fanbook is a total of 18 pages. Unfortunately I absolutely suck drawing anything anime related, so I didn't draw any of the pictures. It's kind of hard to do it on Kurisu. My friend really likes Kurisu and probably knows her really well. I think my unfamiliarity with her character probably has something to do with the fact that I haven't actually read or watched Steins; Gate. So I had to rely on a lot of second-hand information. Sorry!
Making this project was a pretty confusing process. Imagine a guy walking into a workshop. He doesn't know how to use any of the tools, he doesn't know what he's making, and he's not really that smart. And he has two days to make something. That's me using Photoshop in a nutshell. I had make up designs on the spot then Google the technique of making it happen. Then I would get distracted by a picture of Ruka for 5 minutes before going back to work. Then I would accidentally delete something and then Ctrl-save then have to make everything again. All of this, while listening to K-pop at full-volume for several hours straight. Tracking down the artist names to give them credit took a lot of time and patience. It was very tedious and reminded me of putting citations on my research papers.
Making this project was a pretty confusing process. Imagine a guy walking into a workshop. He doesn't know how to use any of the tools, he doesn't know what he's making, and he's not really that smart. And he has two days to make something. That's me using Photoshop in a nutshell. I had make up designs on the spot then Google the technique of making it happen. Then I would get distracted by a picture of Ruka for 5 minutes before going back to work. Then I would accidentally delete something and then Ctrl-save then have to make everything again. All of this, while listening to K-pop at full-volume for several hours straight. Tracking down the artist names to give them credit took a lot of time and patience. It was very tedious and reminded me of putting citations on my research papers.
I actually seriously considered printing it out in hardcover just for myself. Then I realized that it's just 18 pages and it wouldn't make a very good coffee table book, which I guess is the sort of aesthetic I'm aiming for. Honestly, after flipping through the finished product, I'm not very satisfied at all. Here I see a lettering that should've been corrected. There I see that the spacing is too big or I applied a bit too much Gaussian filter. I have a few artbooks at home and when I compare them with what I've done, I think there's still so much room for improvement. It's like a huge mountain in front of you to see the work of pros and to compare it with your own. It makes for good motivation, you know! Photoshop is really amazing. There's only one thing limiting you, and that's your idea. And the thing about this sort of creative design is that most people don't have good ideas.
Well, that's about all the things I've been doing recently. I guess I'll put the imgur album link to the full version of the book when it's Christmas Day. I think looks okay, but yea. If only I could draw. If I'm doing another fanbook for my next project, it's probably going to be really cutesy. I want to experiment with a really elaborate, over-the-top style (this one is pretty simple in terms of design). So expect a lot of cute girls and flowers and candies the next time I post something Photoshop related.
Also, this song is amazing.
Also, this song is amazing.
