Modern day tiles resource pack question (Lunarea's pack)

[AkiraOkihu]

**First of all, this seemed like the appropriate section to post this question to. If it is not, I am sorry for that.

Hello! I have a little question for you (especially Lunarea, since it's her pack): I am looking to buy this resource pack for my game, which is set in modern times. Now, the question is, if I buy this pack, am I allowed to modify it's contents (ie the tiles) by editing them and using them as references for a commercial game? I mean recoloring, creating longer cars or different beds starting from the same layout, etc. The reason I am asking this is because I am the only spriter for my game, and I can't quite afford hiring a spriter. The only problem is that I am not so good at art, so it would be the best if I had some reference material. It would save me a lot of time from creating all new tilesets, that's why I am asking. Thanks a lot! (I will of course give credits to Lunarea and Enterbrain for the sprites).

 

[Lunarea]

Yes, edits are most welcome. I only ask that you keep them private and not share them with others.

 

[AkiraOkihu]

Thanks a lot! You just saved me a lot of time! Also, if I might ask, where did you learn to sprite? And btw. somebody mentioned that you are doing some tutorials on spriting, but I couldn't find them. If you could provide a link, it would be most appreciated.

 

[Lunarea]

I'm self-taught. I started with just edits, and then moved onto creating original work. All in all, it just took practice, practice, practice.

Here's a link to the tutorials: Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3. It's still incomplete, but it should give you some basic details. I will (hopefully) get around finishing it sometime soon.

 

[AkiraOkihu]

Thanks a lot! Hopefully I will be able to learn how to sprite, even though I am bad at art. I work with GIMP and Pyxel Edit. I find the hardest so far to be character sprites. Any advice on those? As I am using VX Ace and I want to create XP sized characters.that are in modern day, so it's hard to find references or editing other characters, because I can't find this type of character in modern times.

 

[Lunarea]

One piece of advice I can give is to take an existing sprite and try to remake it on a different template. Like a VX sprite on an XP template or vice versa. It gives you an idea of how pixels relate to each other and what you need to pay attention to. Sometimes you'll want to skip a detail on a tiny sprite, and other times you'll want to add more texture. I found it to be a pretty good exercise.

 

[GrandmaDeb]

I'm self-taught.

I can't decide if this is encouraging or terrifying!


Love your stuff, my dear.

 

[Lunarea]

Thank you, GrandmaDeb.

I would hope it's encouraging to know that you don't need special training, or special tools to get into the art aspect of RM. For the longest time, I used a mouse only - and still do sometimes - when creating things. The only things you absolutely need is an art program (GIMP is free, and Photoshop is now switched to a service that is as low as 10$/month) and good ol' practice.

 

[AkiraOkihu]

Talking about drawing tablets (not that I am looking to get one now, but in the future), I read some articles relating to screen size and the size of the tablet. In that article, it was recommended for me to get a Wacom Intuos Pro Medium Tablet (which would be about ~300$). Now, my question is, for amateur stuff like creating my own tilesets/sprites and some drawing here and there, would this one fit? It is half the price of the Pro counterpart. So, for amateur stuff, sprite creating / drawing / etc. would it be good? Or what would you recommend me? My screen size is 1920*1080. I am not planning to go into the professional field of graphic designing and drawing, just for me. Mostly I would get it for drawing art for my games (such as character faces and whatnot) and for sprite making, but also drawing different images. Thanks!

EDIT: I feel like I should mention that I am left handed. Does that change anything?

 

[Andar]

no, being left or right handed should not change anything - unless it's a special pen with a grip optimized for handling instead or a regular neutral pen.


As for which tabled to use - it's the same as with cars, you can purchase a Ferrari or a Trabant, they will both transport you to your destination - the Ferrari will go there faster of course but that's what you pay for ;-)


The main price difference from tablets is about the size of the tablet - smaller ones are a lot cheaper than larger ones.


As a professional artist creating large pictures, you'll need a large tablet.


If you want to create only small pictures, then a cheaper and smaller one might be sufficient - but you should check that it is large enough for you to draw on, the smallest ones can't be used for efficient drawing.


I suggest looking for a shop where you can test the different sizes for yourself, otherwise you might end up wasting money one way or another when you buy the wrong size.

 

[Archeia]

Intuos Pro is GREAT. I use it :3

And yeah it can be swapped between left or right handed. I recommend Medium. It's the perfect size for me. Large is...too large lol

 

[whitesphere]

Would it work better to draw on an Android Tablet (or iPad or the likes), so you can see what you're doing, directly under your pen?  Or is that a bad idea because "real" tablets are pressure sensitive, and I don't think any Android Tablets are?

When I dabbled with drawing on a graphics tablet, I found it difficult because I couldn't see the results under the pen.

 

[Lunarea]

I have a Bamboo Fun - which is the cheapest Wacom tablet you can get, and it works fine for what I use. Eventually, I'll upgrade to something bigger/better, but you can get great work with the simplest of tablets - or, as I mentioned, with just a mouse and a steady hand.

-

I've yet to find an Android app that actually allows for the precise kind of drawing you need for resources. If you want to see what you're doing under the pen, look into Cintiq series from Wacom. It's a tablet with display.

But, really, it's not hard to get used to looking at a screen and drawing on a tablet. If you can look at what you're typing on a screen rather than staring at the keyboard, you'll get the hang of using the tablet without looking at it. It will probably take a week or so, but then it will feel completely natural.