Don't know if anyones interested but I have a method (mine) for making a pencil sketch that is real, or as real as you can get in digital.
Just put a layer above your pic. Turn down transparency to 50% on pic. Get out your Graphire, set your pencil up.
I use 2 pixels, PSP has a pencil setting but I change it. This can be done with sketching or painting in any proggy with layers, i.e. Painter, PS, PSP, DeepPaint and more.

see example

Both of them look great. But since I don't have a tablet, I'll try Lisa's technique. Thanks to both of you for posting the techniques.

Ed

What can i say ? its the weekend little on the horizon, so found this thread and thought i would give fugitive's idea a go, knowing full well what the outcome would be ! ! absolutely nothing any where near as good as his, and i tried both the mouse and pentool,
but i don't mind if you laugh or scoff just go on have a go posted original picture to go with it or are you just scared your's wont be as good as mine ?

Palms

I know get out more ! ! ! ! :rolleyes:

What can i say ? its the weekend little on the horizon, so found this thread and thought i would give fugitive's idea a go, knowing full well what the outcome would be ! ! absolutely nothing any where near as good as his, and i tried both the mouse and pentool,
but i don't mind if you laugh or scoff just go on have a go posted original picture to go with it or are you just scared your's wont be as good as mine ?

Palms
I admire your courage and sense of adventure, so much that I created a new thread for this technique.

There's no way I could do better than you with a drawing of this nature.

My hat's off to you. :hat: :bow:

~Danny~

Thank you Danny :grin:

I hope more people will have a go, (including yourself) if for no other reason than the fun of it, and i would like to bet there are some people out there who could give a very good rendition, and some not so, it is the taking part that counts. and personaly I will stick to computerised methods ( i think) my drawing skills haven't improved since infant school but i just thought i would check it out :lol:

Palms

i might try it but i didnt understand the instructions. what is 'Graphire'? and what does he mean by 'set your pencil up'?

Craig

i might try it but i didnt understand the instructions. what is 'Graphire'? and what does he mean by 'set your pencil up'?

CraigGraphire = a brand/line of tablets, like Wacom. My take on 'set your pencil up' would be to get one's graphic pen/tablet settings working as desired.

But it can be done with a ordinary mouse, just use short strokes

Palms

OK... My mouse sketch. :(

Great Danny :bigthmb:
glad to see some one having a go, and hopefully you done it with a smile on your face.
and why frown ? Its a lot better than mine and what's more i like it :bow:
when i done mine i erased part of the right cats mouth because i thought it looked to much like a smile, seeing yours had a smile, looked at the photo and yes the cat is smiling :lol:

Palms

Thank you for your kind words.hopefully you did it with a smile on your face.I'll be honest. I started with an open mind, but the result once again confirmed a lifelong realization that if I really want to learn to draw well freehand, it's going to take considerably more time/energy and dedication than I'm willing to invest.

and why frown ?See above. :)

Discovering I could use plugins, filters and methods like Painter's cloning function to manipulate images and sometimes achieve decent results gives me hope, thus my addiction to this hobby.

re: Smiling kitties
My cats are always smiling. Why? Because "They own me!" :)

graphire=tablet. ok. now the setup reference makes sense. thanks :)

danny, i'm the same way: but the result once again confirmed a lifelong realization that if I really want to learn to draw well freehand, it's going to take considerably more time/energy and dedication than I'm willing to invest. golf is the same thing. you watch a tiger woods hit a 300 yard tee shot straight down a fairway and go, 'well sure, i could do that', and then go try... after breaking 16 fairway woods against trees, you decide that maybe knitting would be more to your liking ;)

My cats are always smiling. Why? Because "They own me!" been there, done that, have the scars to prove it!

Craig