Digital Character Design and Painting (Graphics Series) (Paperback)

by Don Seegmiller (Author) "For as long as people have been telling stories (and, eventually, writing books), they have verbally and with the written word created different characters to..." (more)
Key Phrases: resize your brush, digital airbrush, furry character, Don's Marker, Square Chalk, Variable Chalk (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Digital Character Design and Painting is really two books in one: it teaches the fundamentals of character design, and the skills, tools, and techniques needed to master digital painting. Character design is all about ideas and how to put those ideas together to create a look and feel for a character. It’s about creating a character that elicits a specific emotion from viewers—fear, joy, anger, sadness, etc. Character design does not have a standard creation process, but there are basic principles that can be followed. Digital Character Design and Painting explores these principles and teaches conventional artists how to enhance their skills to bridge the gap between traditional and digital art. All of the fundamentals of character design, from artistic design issues and character development to physical details of the character are explored.

Unlike character design, digital painting is not so much about ideas as it is about the combination of method, technique, and artistic theory. It is about making something that will be viewed in two dimensions imitate three dimensions. Using a variety of practical Painter 7 tutorials, artists learn how to apply traditional painting techniques with digital tools. Details on sketching, color theory, lighting, and texturing are also covered, along with specific techniques for painting trees and foliage, eyes, faces, hair, clothing, and fur.

Using these practical techniques and procedures, artists can learn how to create and beautifully illustrate their own life-like or fantasy characters for games, movies, or other commercial productions.

On the CD!

* Sketches, paper textures, brushes, and texture files to use with the tutorials presented in the book and to customize for your own projects

* QuickTime movies illustrating some of the painting techniques and other clips that support general painting ideas

* Shareware versions of programs available from Mediachance Software and Ransen Software

* Demo version of Painter 7 from Procreate (All of the material in the book Painter 8 compatible.)

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:

Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows NT 4.0, Windows ME, or Windows XP. IBM Compatible PC, Pentium 200 or higher, 64 MB RAM, 24-bit 800 x 600 Display, 2X CD-ROM Drive, Mouse or Tablet. Mac OS 8.6 or higher, Power Macintosh ® G3 or higher, 64MB RAM, 128MB RAM for Mac OS X, 24-bit (800 x 600) color display (1024 x 768 for Mac OS X), Mouse or tablet. Users also need QuickTime 6 to view the movie clips included, and Painter 7 or equivalent program to perform the steps in the tutorials.

About the Author
Don Seegmiller (Orem, UT) has a BFA in Graphic Design with a specialization in illustration. He teaches a variety of drawing, illustration, and digital painting courses, is a regular speaker at the Game Developer Conference, and most recently worked as the art director Saffire Corp., a major video game developer. In addition, he writes for popular magazines, and contributed to a number of successful books, including Step-by-Step Electronic Design and The Painter 6 Wow book.

Product Details

• Paperback: 354 pages
• Publisher: Delmar Thomson Learning (January 23, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1584502320
• ISBN-13: 978-1584502326
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #328,138 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Art Appreciation for Wannabe Professionals, August 3, 2003

By	Natraj Jayaraman (India) - See all my reviews

This one reads like a crash course in digital character painting as interpreted by a fine artist of obvious expertise. It uses Corel Painter 7 as the base tool and is aimed at intermediate users (says so on the back). The best things about this book are (a) an effective balance between fantasy and reality, image- and tutorial-wise, (b) all-color (four-color) pages, so you know 'exactly' what color you're supposed to pick and what shade you're required to get, and (c) QuickTime movies on the accompanying CD that show the author deftly turn a b&w sketch into a finished piece. (Neat). This book is more about ideas than trickery, techniques rather than formulae - so don't expect too much hand-holding or quick fix tips. It lays a good foundation early on and builds upon it - though I'd recommend being comfortable at least with some basic sketching as most tutorials begin with a pre-made pencil drawing and proceed thenceforth into painting. In the end, this book stands head-and-shoulders above the rest primarily due to its inspiration and reusability value for artists (both digital and fine). It's natural to feel a little overawed by the author's seemingly effortless mastery of the subject, but if you're in the market for a solid, articulate tome with real-world skills and advice, trust this one to deliver (and deliver quite well), for it does just that.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars FOR DIGITAL AND STUDIO ARTISTS BOTH, June 24, 2003

By	Suzanna Lasker (Jefferson, ME United States) - See all my reviews

Once I bought Don Seegmiller's book, DIGITAL CHARACTER DESIGN AND PAINTING I've spent hours, no, days, with pencil and computer delving into this book. And my education has increased considerably. I've read many how-to art books and few have left any visible mark on both my studio and computer creations. Don's
book is like a ... of art - everything is there. First, the beginning section is priceless in creating a character. Don's suggestions and questions give details to my amorphous mind-picture. A writer could learn from this section as well.

And then there is the section on basic art principles which is simply, yet expansively, written. Now I understand that mystery called value. Throughout this book also is the challenge to respect your art and creativity.

Now comes the tutorials using Corel's Painter. I've had Painter
for years and loved it - but it was a secretive and distant lover. The tutorials demonstrate so many possibilities and, if anyone calls themselves an artist, they must make art, - the making with these tutorials are fun.

Don's art is wonderful - a rare combination of beauty and humor. His art is topnotch!

Buy the book and work it thoroughly, it'll be well worth the time and mental energy!!!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BUY THIS BOOK - No Regrets!, April 2, 2003

By	Sharvonique "www.sharvonique.com" (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews

I am very picky and highly selective when it comes to purchasing books, and this book surpasses all of my expectations. Not only does Digital Character Design and Painting offer step-by-step examples on how to digitaly paint characters, create textures, and paint trees, but it also provides a thorough insight on how to develop your own character designs. Seegmiller has written an excellent book that is useful to every artist - from beginning to advance. You will not regret buying this book!