What part of my brain...

[howabouttheiris]

... am I missing to have 0 artistic talent?

After reviewing a few 100 images in this thread, I am disgusted.

I have tried 10 attempts at a label (actually a tap handle image to slide in a clear plastic hockey card holder), but cannot get anything that looks better than one of the smilies. <--- damn, he is a good sketch artist.

Besides talent, practice, and a steady hand, is there any tricks that folks use? I cannot even get an oval on the screen that is not a chunky ascii looking thing.

Anyone recommend a book for the basics?

 

[MeatyPortion]

What software are you using?

 

[pepperford]

Steal from everywhere. If you truly have no talent, look at 'art brut', folk art, punk poster art, etc. It's grungie, no thought, in your face. If you almost have talent, look at 'fine art' and steal the composition. Artist have been doing that for centuries. If you are using a computer, do multiple versions. Save and do an additional version that is even more complicated. Just when you think that version has turned to s#&$, save it and continue with another version. I usually have 4-5 versions going a once. See my stuff @ flickr, look up "pepperford". If you want to borrow something, I will mail it to you.

 

[howabouttheiris]

I have Photoshop CS2...... but my drawings still look MSPaint-esque.

I don't suspect folks can fix me, but looking for any tips and tricks.

ie:

When you draw, what is the resolution that you use? Do you typically have a 1M, 10M, 100M file for a beer label size drawing?

Do you free hand most of your detail? Or do you borrow items and cut n' paste?

My images look to sharp and rigid. Do you draw the edge detail into objects, use a blur/fade, or is most of the smoothness an element of .jpg reduction after the fact?

 

[uwjester]

The internet has tons of free photoshop and gimp tutorials. Google is your friend for finding them. Look through a few with an eye towards converting the concept discussed into a label. Once you do a bunch this way, you tend to get a feel for how the software works and you can start to improvise on your own. At least that is what I have done.

 

[coy]

You could make it REALLY easy on your self and hire BrewBrand Creative to do it for you. if that's not an option I'd google Photoshop tutorials+specifically what your wanting to do. If it's just that you want to learn it from the basic's google learning photoshop.

 

[IrregularPulse]

Photo manuipulation with "borrowed" images from the internet and GIMP is how I do mine. I can't draw with a PC to save my life.

 

[Nova5]

I use jacked images from the net as well.I have a common base that i change the colors to suit the image used as the central point, then drop some fancy text on it that looks right for the season.