Throwback Thursday: Grandia Review

By Silent J

  In the late 90’s I was lucky enough to play Grandia, developed by Game Arts for the Sega Saturn. It was known as the Final Fantasy killer. It didn’t quite live up to that name, but it was a refreshing take on something old in a desert riddled with the same dark RPG’s. To me, Grandia is the best RPG ever made (yes, even better than FF7).

  When other RPG’s were about complicated themes like the meaning of life or does god exist, Grandia kept it simple: a story about a kid going on an adventure. At first glance, it doesn’t look like much, but it’s so well written that you will be surprised at how something so simple turns out to be grandiose.

 Grandia’s graphics aren’t impressive: 2D sprites in a 3D environment. But after a while you realize that the style is what makes Grandia feel big and epic.

 Out of every RPG I’ve ever played, Grandia has the best battle system. First, there’s no such thing as random battles: you see every enemy on the map. It is up to you if you want to fight them or flee. But if you choose to run and they catch you, they will have the element of surprise on their side. While in the middle of a battle, you’ll see a bar that not only indicates each character’s turn, but also that of your enemy. This helps you decide the best strategy.

 Grandia’s magic system is one of my favorite things in the game. Throughout the game you’ll acquire mana eggs (source of magic) based on the four elements: fire, water, earth and wind. The more you use them, the stronger said spells become and they’ll be cast faster; also, the more you level up your magic, the more techniques you’ll obtain. Leveling up basic magic elements will combine them and make new elemental magic (for example water + wind = blizzard, wind + fire = thunder, water + earth = forest, etc.).

 There’s still one aspect I haven’t covered: the special attacks. Every character uses more than one type of weapon, for instance Justin uses swords, axes and mazes. Just like magic, the more you use one specific type of weapon the stronger it gets. Leveling up different weapons will give you new special attacks that combine with your magic.

 On another more artistic note, Grandia’s soundtrack is beautiful. One of the best I have ever heard in a video game. Do yourself a favor and search for it. You won’t be disappointed.

 If this throwback has enticed you enough to buy Grandia, you can get hardcopies on Ebay from $20 - $50; or you can buy it through the PlayStation store for around $10. If you have the time and money, I suggest you go buy it already! I assure you, you won’t regret it.

Yiynova MSP19U Review

By Silent J   

I asked a fellow artist friend if he knew of an alternative to a Cintiq tablet, so he sent me an Amazon link of Yiynova MSP19U. Even though it’s way cheaper than a Cintiq, I wasn't sure if I should risk buying it for the price. I was bestowed, later on that same day with a sign by fate, my tax rebate check came in. So I had to choose: spend my new fortune on ridiculous amounts of junk food or get this monitor. The idea of clogging my arteries was tempting, but I decided to buy the MSP19U. 

The Yiynova MSP19U 19” LCD tablet monitor has a resolution of 1440” x 900”, while in the back a stand allows for either complete verticality or nearly horizontal viewing angles, but rotation is not possible. It’s easy to operate and the installation is easy, just insert the CD and follow the instructions (it’s recommended to install the software before connecting the monitor). Plugging the monitor was easy too, technically you just need a USB and VGA port. In my case I have a MacBook and they don't have VGA ports. So if you have a Mac or a laptop without a port, then you should get a VGA adapter, which may cost you around $36.

The pen is an energy saving stylus that requires AAA batteries (included). It turns off automatically when not in use and activates automatically when you tap the screen. It also has a blue light battery indicator.

How’s it working out? I used it on Photoshop CS5 and it worked perfectly. The pen is pressure sensitive, so every stroke you make will feel like you’re drawing with a real brush or pen. If it doesn't feel right you can always go to the tablet settings to customize the pen’s pressure. It lags slightly between your pen strokes and the monitor, but that’s something even Cintiq tablets have. 

My master piece so far

The best part of this hardware is the price. A Cintiq 22” HD costs $1,999, the Yiynova MSP19U is only $612. With the Yiynova MSP19U you get performance as good as a Cintiq at a 72% less price. I’ve been playing around with its features for a week now and I don’t regret my decision. If you interested in buying a tablet monitor, but your budget is too slim to purchase a Cintiq I highly recommend getting a Yiynova MSP19U. 

  

Seriously though, this is what I really did

                                                     

Captain America: The Winter Soldier review

 

By: Silent Jay

  I'll start by saying that there should be a special place in hell for people who talk during movies. Is it too much to ask of people to keep their mouths shut until the end of the movie?

  With that out of the way, let’s talk about the movie. This will be a spoiler free review of the regular version of the movie, since I don't believe in 3D unless it’s also in I-MAX.

  By now, everyone should know the Marvel Studios formula: movies of the individual heroes that are fillers until the next Avengers movie, alongside an obligatory Stan Lee cameo and a secret scene after the credits. But you know what? The formula still works. As long as I stay entertained, Marvel can keep using that recipe. Captain America 2 is no exception to the rule. It’s still a filler for Avengers: Age of Ultron, but you’ll enjoy every minute of it, assuming you didn't see any or all of the trailers (which do spoil a lot of the action). The movie is subtitled The Winter Soldier, yet to my surprise, he's not the main plot of the movie. Once I noticed this, I started thinking that the studio just forced the character into the movie, but the Winter Soldier does have a legit reason for him to be there. I might not have gotten to see as much of the character as I was expecting, but it was still cool that he was there. Something that kind of bothered me is that they weren't too subtle about the clues Winter Soldier’s identity. I’m nit picking a little since I already knew his identity, because the comics, but I felt that it killed the surprise. I actually can't talk about the main plot, because it really goes in to spoiler territory. The only thing I can say is that I wasn't expecting it, and because of that, I really enjoyed the movie’s story. The ending will leave you with questions over how this movie will affect the next Avengers movie, as well as the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. TV series. I guess that's part of the formula to force people to watch the upcoming movies. But it worked out wonderfully, so I personally don’t mind.

 If you liked the first Captain America, then The Winter Soldier will be right up your alley. I highly recommend seeing it as soon as possible. Plus, there are two extra scenes after the credits, showing that Marvel can spice up that formula every now and then, so try staying until the end. Score: 8/10.

Digital Coloring Part 2

By: Silent J

Greetings grasshoppers, the journey continues. Hopefully you’ve read the first part and have your line art separated from the background. If you don't know what I’m talking about, scroll back to the first part. Now, let’s get to work.

Step four: Making flats

  Below the line art layer, make a new layer and call it "flats". In this layer you will select areas of your art and fill it with a solid color. For me the best way to select the areas is using the polygonal lasso tool. I like using medium-dark colors when filling up areas I like. If done right, your work should look something like this. Don't fill the background on this layer; keep it in another layer below

Step five: Tones

   Duplicate the flats and line art layers. Merge down the line art copy layer to the flats copy layer and name it "tones" (right click or control + click on top of the layer to use merge down option). The reason we're merging these two layers is because we're going to blend everything in this layer. Make sure to turn invisible the original line art layer.

   Now, we’re going to work on the light tones, but for that we first need to establish where the light is going to come from. In my case I decide to make it come from the top right .

 Click on the flats layer and using the magic wand tool select the area you want. I chose the face. Go back to the tones layer and select a light tone of the flat color of the area you chose. Select the brush tool and choose the type of stroke you want. I suggest the airbrush soft.

After that there's an option that says opacity, click it and take it down to 20%. Now the brush strokes that you do on the art won't be solid colors. The more you use the brush in the same area the more color you will put. If you don't understand that last part, just make a new file and go crazy experimenting with the brush and lowering the opacity. You will get it then.

 You're ready. Now, you have to brush the areas where the light reflects. If you put too much light, select the original flat color and use the brush until you’re satisfied with the result. At this point you can also use the blur tool to blend all the tones better.

   

 It’s important– like I said before– the line art blends with the color, so make sure to paint darker over important line details like eyebrows and eyelashes.

 After the light tones, we’ll begin with the shadows. Select a darker flat tone, but not too black. Just like light tones do the same with the shadows. This time you’ll work on the opposite side and don't forget to use the blur tool.

Just rinse and repeat in all the other areas.

Step Six: Final details

 Almost done! The white areas of the eyes and teeth don't look good if you leave them flat. Give them some shadow using the light tone of the skin. You can make a light reflection effect on the eye by raising the opacity to 100% and by clicking on the pupil with white. 

 Instead of leaving the hair looking like a weird, solid wig we can make the illusion of strands of hairs by using the brush in a smaller size. Make strokes with different hair tones and have some of those come out of the hair root area.

 To make it look a little more interesting use a secondary light source. Where the secondary light comes from is up to you, but to keep it simple make it opposite of the primary light, in my case the bottom left. In the shadow areas use any light color that you want to make the secondary light effect.

  It’s not necessary, but for the heck of it I gave the entire figure an outer glow effect. If you want to do that select all the flats areas and on a new layer fill them whith any color. Go to fx > outer glow and on the window choose the color, the size, and spread you want of the glow. Make sure to keep this layer below the tones layer. 

   We are done! I know it was a long one, but I hope you got some knowledge out of it. Any questions or suggestions you can email me at geekwhale@gmail.com. Until next time! Even if you can't feel your hands don’t stop, keep drawing!

Pin-up Tutorial: Pencil Line Art

By Silent Jay

Greetings little grasshoppers. When I'm not working in the 10th circle of hell, (yes, there is a 10th circle, Dante missed that one), I like to spend my time drawing. Hopefully I'll be able to share some of my knowledge today. Like it says on the title, only pencil line art, we will work on shadows and colors another time.

First thing, materials, need the right tools for the job:

Materials 

   1. Bristol Paper = It comes in smooth and vellum. l recommend smooth,  it is better, especially if you want to ink your work later. Vellum tends to get dirty real easy. Use any size you want, If you're a beginner I recommend 11''x14''. For this I'll be using 9''x12'', because I’m broke and can't afford bigger size right now :(.

   2. HB Lead Pencils = you can use regular or mechanical pencils, I like to use both, regular for guide lines and mechanical to finish the job. HB lead to me is the best type of lead, not too soft and not to hard, right in the middle. 

   3. Plastic Eraser = your choice but I recommend non latex plastic erasers.If your not careful, erasers with latex can actually make your work dirty.

  4. References = To make this clear, as long as you're not ligth-boxing the pic, NO, THIS IS NOT CHEATING! Even professional artists need to use references from time to time. You may know how the human figure looks like or the form of any object, but having a reference makes the difference between amateur and high quality work. 

If you have a friend that is willing to model for you and any camera, use them. Capture your model doing different poses and in different angles until you find something that you like or get tired. 


If you don't have access to a model and/or camera or you're too lazy to do it, you can always google pictures of models or use magazines. To avoid legal problems for using a random picture of the internet, I asked the very beautiful and talented Loki for her help and she agreed to let me use her pic for this tutorial. 

Additionally, it is always good to have an anatomy book or pictures of muscles of the human body.



If your still awake after all that, now we'll start drawing. 

Step One: Guide Lines

Nothing complicated here, just a couple of lines to guide you. Using the pencil, real gently, do the first line using the shape of the models spinal column. This may be hard to see cause of the angle and the pose, but you can still imagine how the bended spine looks from that angle. 

Then do a circle for the head. After that a line below the head, around the clavicle area. 

A couple of lines for the arms and legs with small circles to indicate where the joints are (shoulders, elbows, knees etc.). After that some curved lines around the guide lines, start giving some shape of the body. 

At this moment it doesn't matter if it looks right or not, is just a guide. Go as crazy as you want, just remember to use the pencil gently because you're going to erase this lines at the end.

Step Two: Shaping this mess of lines

Most of the artists that I know, start giving shape to the body by starting with the torso. That’s because the torso is the part that actually "controls" the movement of the body. How you draw the torso can be the difference between drawing a body in action or just drawing something that looks like a stiff doll. 

But in my case I start with the head, cause I’m a rebel and I don't follow the rules, and because the head is the part that is closest to the foreground. 

After shaping the head, I realized that the head is out of proportion with the rest of the body. It’s a good thing that I did those guide lines gently so I can fix it.

Still using my reference picture I keep giving form to the body. You can see now that the drawing is starting to look more like a female body and less like the mess of lines that I had before. 

At this point I’m getting close to how I want the final product to come out  so I start pressing the pencil a little harder and erase some of the guide lines.

Step Three: Details - I’ll do what I want

Details, it is up to you how much you want to use, it all depends how you want your drawing to look.

In my case, I use a couple of short lines in the arms to show a little muscle, I want to keep the body type close to the original picture. But If I wanted it to look like a body builder, I would have to make those short lines longer and emphasize the muscle. 

If you're not sure how to draw the shape of a muscle or how many muscles are in that part of the body? Thats why you should have a anatomy book. You don't have to draw every single muscle or bone in the body, but, in my opinion, it is good to indicate a couple of them, which ones are up to you. 

   I see that the gluteus maximus (that would be the muscles in your butt) is on the right side of the figure, so to give some balance to the drawing, I decide to step away from the reference and have the hair blowing in the wind on the left side. Like I said before, the picture is just a reference, you don't have to do a photocopy if you don't want to. You can draw it however you want. So whatever, I’ll do what I want!

Step Four: Finish it

This is the part when you press hard on your pencil to trace the final lines. I prefer to use the mechanical pencil to finish the drawing. I also make some little details like eye lashes, a couple of line on the knees and the sternocleidomastoid (the muscles on the neck).

   Erase any dirt and guide lines left and you're done. If it didn't come out like you wanted it, don't worry, the key word is practice. Practice everyday and with time you will see that you will get better. And if you one day you achieve the level of skill you wanted, it doesn’t matter you will keep drawing.

   Hope I taught you something today or at least not bored you to death. Any questions or opinions you can email me at geekwhale@gmail.com. I want to give special thanks to the model Loki, photographer Wilfredo Miranda and Cyanide Nation agency for their help in this project. Please go to the links below and give some support to these talented people. Until next time, even if your hand is bleeding DONT STOP, KEEP DRAWING!

https://www.facebook.com/OfficialLokiKypo

https://www.facebook.com/lokiradicalbeautyservice

https://www.facebook.com/WMirandaPhotography

           https://www.facebook.com/cyanidenationhq?hc_location=stream