Done: Prop tropical mini island [workshop over]

[Daenerys]

In a week I'll have two weeks off. So I have some time on my hands. Not a lot, but some.

What I'll be teaching
Making a prop to suit an existing or planned doll: a small mini tropical island, including some sort of palm tree, surrounded by water. As simple or detailed as you like.

How many trainee spots available
There is room for 4 trainees, sign up closes on the 24th of June.

Apply?
First 4 to sign up. Sign up by replying in this thread. Toolers or pixelers or muttshaders, all welcome.

1. ChapperIce
2. Tuxedo Kitten
3. xCassx
4. CrazyLola

If you have your heart set on joining in and 4 have signed up, pm me, we'll see what we can do.

(Standby trainee: Raven Hollow )

Prerequisites or: what you need
- a finished doll to put on the island
- a planned doll (at least the base size) to add to the island later on.

I will not mentor the doll itself. This really is just about making a prop to suit your doll. I am not awesome doller or artist, but I am a patient teacher.

I will expect people to be active This is a time limited workshop, so I can't afford to let trainees lag behind.

How long?
I'll be available for two weeks! So this workshop will last until 8th of July, with another week for rounding off. So I will end this completely on the 15th of July.

Interested?

edit: oops. june, july... Shows I need that vacation badly (thanks for pointing it out!) Correct dates edited!

Extra info

To illustrate what I want to teach, here is the little doll that needs a little island to stand on, while waving at handsome fishermen passing by.



Base, it's qVicky if you're interested.

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Five and Dae :: PixiStar Base Search
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[ChapperIce]

You posted this today but it ended two days ago? I'm interested if this is still going to happen lol

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[Raven-Hollow]

I think she means July.

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Avatar: AmyNatasha / Base: Hollay

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[Daenerys]

*slaps self* This just shows how much i am in need of a break! I edited the dates. Thanks ChapperIce.

You're signing up, then?

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Five and Dae :: PixiStar Base Search
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[ChapperIce]

yes I am C: I've never done a background before and seeing as how it's summertime, seems like the perfect opportunity to try it!

and no problem C:

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[Daenerys]

Okay! I just figured I should make a list of who signed up so far. I promise to be a lot better organised in a week

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Five and Dae :: PixiStar Base Search
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[Tuxedo-Kitten]

I'll join in!

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[Raven-Hollow]

I'm tempted to join... since I've never done a bg, but I'm already in several classes and I don't want to take up a spot that someone else could have.... I can learn by watching.

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Avatar: AmyNatasha / Base: Hollay

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[Daenerys]

Yay, Tuxedo Kitten! You're on the list.

Raven, I'll just put you on the stand by list. Feel free to ask questions once we start. No pressure then for you to keep up with stuff, but you can still get something out of it, I am sure.

In fact, I am sure I'll learn something along the way as well

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Five and Dae :: PixiStar Base Search
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[Raven-Hollow]

That's nice of you. Thanks, Daenerys.

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Avatar: AmyNatasha / Base: Hollay

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[xCassx]

I would love to join! If you'll have me, of course

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[Daenerys]

Yay! Wonderful! Cass added.

Didn't expect such a quick filling of spaces....

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Five and Dae :: PixiStar Base Search
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[Raven-Hollow]

Classes here get filled quickly. I think everyone has a yearning to learn more about pixels, be it tool or not.

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Avatar: AmyNatasha / Base: Hollay

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[xCassx]

Thank you for adding me! I'm excited to learn~

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Recluse|Penguin Whisperer|Time Warpist|Kittens

[Daenerys]

I made a little doll that I am going to use to build a little island around. It's up to you guys on what you put on the island of course. But if you need something to do until the 24th, thinking of who lives on your island is a good idea...

Here is my little doll that needs a little island to stand on, while waving at handsome fishermen passing by.



Base, it's qVicky if you're interested. And as you can see, it is not very big. But even if you choose a large portrait base, I think we can still make a little island work for it.

Looking forward to this (and my break from work... )

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Five and Dae :: PixiStar Base Search
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[CrazyLola]

Is there still a spot open? If so i'd like it! If not thats ok i like to lurk in lessons as well

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Just a silly, llama loving kid at heart Doller :]
Av base: http://www.stvgr.net/dhf/
Visit my doll site!
.:Lola's Dolls:.

[Daenerys]

You're signed up, Lola!!

So the 4th spot is filled, Raven is a standby trainee who lurks and asks questions and if there are one or two more who would like to lurk with the option of questions, just pm me

Thursday the 24th I'll post the first installment.

Until then, feel free to pick out a doll you made or make a doll to work with. We will focus on making a large-ish prop: namely a tropical mini island. Your doll can kinda stand on it.

See you in a week! (Or ask questions if you like.)

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Five and Dae :: PixiStar Base Search
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[Daenerys]

Part 1

A few things before we start.
- I'd like to know if you pixel, tool or mutt shade. And what program you're using (Paint, photoshop, gimp), so that I have an idea what you can and cannot do, or can do differently. So please include that in your response post.

- I'll be posting an 'assignment' and then wait one day before posting a new one. You'd have time to post your response and I'll be able to answer before we go on to the next step. Seems fair, right?

- If at all possible, please let me know if you're going to be absent for more than 5 days, so I won't worry.

- Please feel free to support each other (and me!), and cc when you have something relevant to say about someone else's work. I am not above criticism myself, so just be open and civil.

Okay!

First, make a worksheet. Make it big enough for the doll and the finished island, and room for some scribbling. If you are using Paint this is crucial: make sure you have enough room. We'll be building the tree and the island in parts. So if you don't use layers, you need room.

My worksheet looks like this. I am using a tooling program, with layers, but I like to have some space to doodle.



And here you can see what we'll be doing first. Sketch a tree and island around your doll (a copy of the doll, if you're using paint!) Now you know how big you want things to be.

Then we break it down in parts: the leaves, the tree trunk, the sand, and a bit of the sea. Let's start with the leaves. Because I did...

Now would be a good time to look at some pictures of tropical trees and palm trees. Look at the shape of the leaves.

The first leaves I made were pretty cartoony and rounded/full. They would do, if they fit your style of dolling. But they did not seem quite right to me.

So I experimented with how palm leaves look: like ribbons from a branch. That's how I drew the other ones. I like them. I will work with them. You can choose what you'd be more comfortable with.

Note: I am pixeling. If you're tooling, you could experiment with the first shape, mxing it in with the ribbony look of the second try.

Assignment
Create the sketch of your island (with or without doll). Then create 3-4 palm tree leaves, at different angles. Please post it, and please include if you pixel, tool, mutt shade and what program you use.

Hope this works out for you guys? Questions?

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Five and Dae :: PixiStar Base Search
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[Tuxedo-Kitten]

Style: Pixel
Program: Microsoft Picture It! Premium 10 (like an advanced MSPaint) and GIMP

Doll for island: I made him especially for this workshop...



BASE (Heavily Edited)

Assignment: Complete with sketch and leaves.



Notes: I'm sorry my island is soooooo large. The smaller I tried to make it, the more it lost its effect. And I like #1 for the leaves.

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[CrazyLola]

Style: Mutt shading
Program: Paint shop pro (tooling program)
Assignment:
Notes: The leaves aren't 100% done. I like the shapes but i need to play with the colors then shade. I just wanted to get feedback before I put the time in to finish them

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Just a silly, llama loving kid at heart Doller :]
Av base: http://www.stvgr.net/dhf/
Visit my doll site!
.:Lola's Dolls:.

[xCassx]

Style; Pixel
Program; Mostly MSPaint, but I do have GIMP and PSE.
Doll/Assignment;

Sorry for the long, blank, white space! (and the board-stretching! ohgawd D: )

Notes; Palm tree leaves are difficult
&I think I like the bottom one best. The middle one, I was kind of playing around with AA'ing and such. I AA too much. (Hello, my name is xCassx and I haven't AA'd in... 10 minutes. *fail*)

Edit; Oops, base! Sorry!

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[Daenerys]

Prepare for word wall

Tuxedo-Kitten:
I love the little doll I also love your detailed sketch for your island. Nice touch, that plane.

Your leaves look great. I'll be recommending to copy and flip the leaves, to create a full tree. So you can use all three of them. If the tree has to support the plane, you could probably also make two mirrored trees, if one is not big enough. I think you made a great mix of both the solid and ribbony leaves btw. I love how that came out.

I think making one more leaf a little like the number 1 but just bigger, maybe pointing the other way, would be enough to make a nice tree.

Lola:
Good reference picture Nice doll, btw, love the hair. Good size for the island too. The leaves are nice, they do need a darker colour, of course. But the general shape is fine. They do look a little like feathers. Especially the one that is upright. Because we'll be layering the leaves on top of each other I think you can still use all of them. Just move them around a bit until they look like proper leaves.

If you look at the top leaf in the tree, as an example of your upright leaf, there is something of a feather about that too. The difference is that the leave is a lot heavier and has a different balance. You can almost feel where the leaf bends to gravity. The leaves on the right side are more straight up: they are being pulled straight up but the rest of the leaf falling to the left. So take a few leave ribbons away on that side. Don;t be afraid of open places in the leaf. On the left side the ribbon leaves are squashed together more, they overlap and are close to the stem of the leaf. Does that help?

Cass:
Oww I love the contrast of the grey bikini with the tropical theme. I like all your leaves, btw, but yes, the bottom one is really nice. You also made a very good mix of both leave types. It feels very tropical. You don't have to do it right now, but once the tree is put together, thinking about some extra highlights in places where the sun would hit it, would make them shiny and cool. Maybe.

And may I say it is great to see all the sketches and stuff? Working on the same idea and still coming up with original stuff is awesome

Does anyone have anything to share about the others? Does anyone need more feedback?

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Five and Dae :: PixiStar Base Search
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[Tuxedo-Kitten]

I think they all look good so far and I can't wait to see how everyone's develops and comes out in the end.

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[Daenerys]

Part 2

Don't worry, Chapperice can catch up. I am taking small steps.

So after you've made about 3-4 good leaves, let's pixel the tree trunk. I had this image in mind of a leaning or bending tree, so I got to work with my path tool. In Paint you can work with the lovely curve tool if you like the same effect. Mess with it until you get a tree trunk shape you like.

Normally the trunk will be thickest at the bottom, but not a lot wider. A palm tree trunk is usually build up of layers. To show this I made the trunk into sections. You could have a more smooth trunk if you like, but try to get across that it is organic and wooden.



Assignment
1. Rather obvious: make a tree trunk

2. Also, combine your leaves into the top of the tree. Copy and paste the ones you use, and flip them, or make the darker or lighter. Layer them on top of each other to create the leaves.

Tip: keep all the bits of the tree (the separate leaves, the trunk) separate from each other. If you ever need to re-use some of the bits for other backgrounds or props, it helps to get started. So save everything separately! (In paint I used separate 'building block' sheets. I kept all the clean and finished bits on one image, for easy re-usage.)

Remember: this is your tree, there is no wrong or right. It does not have to look realistic! It does need to look genuine and it needs to suit your doll or your idea.

(My tree is not going to grace the pages of a plant book about tropical trees )

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Five and Dae :: PixiStar Base Search
To hear with eyes belongs to love's fine wit :: Avbase

[CrazyLola]

I tried to de-feather my leaves and it made it worse XD lol Ah well, I think they look better shaded and put together than alone! I have a bunch of colors for the tree trunk because I can't decide @_@

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Just a silly, llama loving kid at heart Doller :]
Av base: http://www.stvgr.net/dhf/
Visit my doll site!
.:Lola's Dolls:.