People have the impression that computer graphics is simpler than canvas art because you have all the necessary instruments and modules available online, but it is not as simple as you think. You need to have not just the right kind of skills but also a good idea about graphic details and colour combinations. You need to make the viewer the impression that what they see on the screen is smooth and easy. It needs to be effective as well as beautiful to the eye. In this article, we share with you some basic hacks that you need to know about computer graphics art that can improve your work to a tremendous extent:
- Harmony Of Colours
Whether it is canvas art or digital, an artist needs to have good idea about colours, which means a basic knowledge on which colours would look good together and which would not. If you know how to blend and play with colours well, only then will your digital art stand out. Themes and compositions will work only if there is a good harmony of colours in the art. Imagine if you also use fonts in the design, you would not want the background colour overshadow the colours of the font.
- Fonts
When you use fonts in a design work, you can use two contrasting fonts to give more effect to the work. However, in doing so you need to understand and have good knowledge on which two fonts will look together. In addition to that, the size of font is also important. There has to be a good balance and not allow the fonts to draw attention away from the main artwork.
- Make Use Of The White Space
It depends on you whether you want to make the artwork look simple or bold. Either ways, the use of white space is important but what will make your CG artwork stand out is how you use the white space. Sometimes you might end up using icons or fonts to make it look different, but you have to know how to balance it. The white space is your base and you have to know how to utilise it the right way or else your artwork could look extremely messy. And graphical artwork can look a lot messier than canvas artwork if not done the right way.
- Colour Issues
You are not to increase or decrease the saturation to such an extent that the colours start to look intensified. Of course, it would look bright, but the level of brightness needs to be under control. Edits can accentuate or destroy a good work of art. So having good enough knowledge on the same can help you in the long run when you practise CG artwork.
- Rendering
Whether you are doing a real time rendering or for photorealism, you need to be fluid with it. The motion has to be look as fluid as possible to add the right kind of texture to the environment. The resolution should not appear pixelated.
- Texture Mapping
If you wish to add pattern, roughness and detail to an object in your design, it is called texture mapping. Very often when you are doing this, the effect of the lights in it could make the object appear flat but that is normal to happen. Make sure to not make the objects look too edgy or else it could look like the objects are placed one above the other and not look aligned.
A good CG artist needs to understand design sensibilities and also know their technical limits. You have to connect to your viewers visually and they should not have the impression of the work being done by an amateur. Of course, it needs skill set and practise but over time with using the right kind of modules and knowing the right technique, your computer graphics skills will improve tremendously. It can be even better if you have programming skills like shader and character rigging.