Art Tips For Programmers?

An anonymous reader writes "Recently I've found myself in a bit of a bind with artwork. My programming contracts have been rather small, barely enough to pay myself let alone an artist. The art needs aren't intensive, mostly icons or sprites depending on the project. Despite owning a few key apps (Photoshop, LightWave, Maya) my art production output is rather poor. Are there any other developers who have learned to be self-sufficient? Are there any resources available to educate me on the finer points of making graphics that look professional?" One resource for the less-artistic among us is the collection of free SVG clip art at freedesktop.org, though it won't give advice for creating new art. What are some others?

Comments

ignorance anyone?

[5cameron]

Its all I can do to stop from flaming at the sight of this post. I see design as a very democratic medium, but looking for shortcuts to something that is extremely complex and people have been devoting their entire lives to for hundreds of years seems a tad presumptuous. Call me elitist, but I am not eager to share my knowledge for someone who sees what I do as unnecessary and unprofessional. Lie in it. I did say I was democratic right? So look at /., does it look "professional"? Stop trying to look professional because you aren't a professional. If you are truly devoted to the craft then get off of slashdot and into a classroom, or to a library. Graphic design isn't something you can fake, sorry. You need either talent or experience... a pirated version of Photoshop means bupkus.

Re:Leave it to the artists?

[Kiryat Malachi]

There's technique and there's art.

You can teach technique, allowing someone to draw a passable Neo (for example). You can't teach art; nothing will ever teach someone to be able to create original work on the level of the Sistine Chapel, Adam's photos, or some of The Designer's Republic's better works. Rules are technique - knowing how and when to break the rules is part of where the art comes in.