CRIMSON DAGGERS FAQ

[Dan Warren]

CRIMSON FAQ!

1) What brushes are you guys using? where can i get them?
wed like to stress that custom brushes are irrelevant to your artistic outcome. they wont make you paint like anyone else, and should only be used to accent solid fundamental knowledge and skill. that being said, we use a variety from time to time, and they can be found below!

2) What resolution do you work at?
unless the client specifies it is to be otherwise, standard resolution for images to print is 300dpi. canvas size varies project to project, though larger sizes minimize more effectively (less artifacting and pixelation of details).

3) What tablet do you use? Why? Should I get a Cintiq?
a wacom intros 4 tablet. intros 3 model tablets are also good, but the 4's have an edge with customization and pressure sensitivity. other tablets get the job done, but underperform the intuos models in most ways. Cintiq model tablets are good for drawing and can be an excellent model for the segue from traditional to digital. A newer model Cintiq is recommended, as they have a vastly superior range of colors, sensitivity, and light.

4) Is digital better than traditional? Is it the other way around? What medium should I use?

For illustration jobs in a variety of fields, your medium is never specified and no set method is required. for art directors, a skilled oil painter is in as much demand as a photoshop master. if the image is well constructed and executed, they don't care what medium it is in. for CONCEPT ART jobs, many companies require a background in digital painting via photoshop with a tablet. this is one of the only industries that demands which medium you use.

5) what music are you listening to on your streams? where can i get it?
streaming as much as we do, we go through a lot of music. its unrealistic to be able to locate and identify a song every time someone asks (and we get that question a lot), so were gonna provide a list of artists we enjoy and listen to frequently below. good luck in your search. if you cant find what you're looking for, were sorry. please don't ask us.

DANIEL'S DANGER ROOM PLAYLIST!
M83
DJ shadow
Cut Chemist
Deadmau5
Justice
the Black keys
daft punk
judas priest
dio
adult swim mixes
WASP
kid koala
wu tang clan
dr dre
flying lotus
skrillex
aesop rock
vomitron

DAVE RAPOZA'S STREAM PLAYLIST!

vomitron
danger
WASP
judas priest
exciter
iron angel
justice
little dragon
black cobra
ladytron
iamamiwhoami
fever ray
powerglove
nero
wolf
eric b & rakim
wu-tang clan
(I'll add more as people ask me when im listenin)


6) Where do I get those things you're studying?
we use a variety of anatomy models, busts, and references on the study streams. if you're looking to get one, we highly recommend it, and will provide a list of ones we recommend below!
ANATOMY TOOLS MALE FULL FIGURES
ANATOMY TOOLS FEMALE FULL FIGURE
MALE BUSTS, SET OF 3

7) What anatomy artists do you recommend? who's good to study from?
Like anything, different people will respond to each anatomy artist's approach uniquely. Who you'll end up using and liking is personal to each of you, but the most commonly studied are listed below. some have books available for download online, others do not. good luck!

Andrew Loomis
Burne Hogarth
George Bridgman
michael hampton
Vilppu

8) How do you guys feel about tracing? is it a legitimate way to get work done as an illustrator?
we've fielded this question a lot on the daggers streams, and have summed it up in a post on Dan's blog you can find here.
Our thoughts on Tracing

9) How do I become a Crimson Dagger?
the group is free to join, for anyone wishing to better themselves through hard work and personal goals. there are no fees or requirements to join, other than hard work and being a part of the general online community. participating in group study habits, streams, and contests can help keep you motivated and focused on where you are and where you're trying to go!

[dwalkerart]

Thanks for posting this Dan, Hopefully it puts this stuff to rest.

[paulashin]

Thank you very much Dan
I might copy and paste this a lot during streams now ;)

[finndahl]

Hi! First i want to say that I like your stuff guys! And second i just wonder where i can find theese brush you mention in "1. wed like to stress that custom brushes are irrelevant to your artistic outcome. they wont make you paint like anyone else, and should only be used to accent solid fundamental knowledge and skill. that being said, we use a variety from time to time, and they can be found below!" I wanna try daves brushes out so where can i find them?

Have a great day guys!

[dwalkerart]

Snip

They are in the resources section of the forums.

[finndahl]

Snip

They are in the resources section of the forums.

Hi dwalkerart!
I have checked threw the single thread under the resource section called "Useful resources", but i cant find the brush set dave rapoza uses. The only brushes i find there are "Dav luisi" and jamie jones". Can you please guide me where i find them? Thanks for helping me man!

[DaveK]

There's more brushes than that there. I know because I posted the Danny Luvisi brushes and in that same post I also posted Reid Southen's brushes.

*******Just to make this a sort of universal declaration so this doesn't get asked again 10-billion more times: The brushes Dave uses are in the link with Bumski and Jamie Jones' brushes. That's actually a link which will allow you to download brushes from loads of different artists. Download 'em all and you'll get what you seek.*******

The links are either direct ZIP, RAR or ABR file downloads or will take you to the websites of the artists where you can download the brushes. I think only one of the links may be broken at this time but all the others should work just fine.

[Conny Nordlund]

Thanks for posting this Dan, Hopefully it puts this stuff to rest.

It probably won't.
At least people will link others to this when they ask.

[Dave Rapoza]

My Spotify Playlist -

http://open.spotify.com/user/127886209/p...woB1xSb2wg

[paulashin]

spotify is not available on my country T_T

[felipemalini]

Hello guys!
I would like to know how things work here in the forum, how to use it to my advantage, many artists I spoke very well of this forum, I am newbie to interact in this type of network, as you use the forum to study?
I just look the forum and get lost with so much content that I see, I heard that here have study groups, challenges, and that staff learn a lot here, wanted to know how? Can anyone guide me about it?

[DK]

Most of the traffic is in the sketchbooks area, the rest is kind of side content and activities to participate in. The best thing to start with is making a sketchbook and contributing with comments in other peoples sketchbooks every once in a while.

If you'd like to join a group make a comment in there and start contributing with relevant studies.

[felipemalini]

Most of the traffic is in the sketchbooks area, the rest is kind of side content and activities to participate in. The best thing to start with is making a sketchbook and contributing with comments in other peoples sketchbooks every once in a while.

If you'd like to join a group make a comment in there and start contributing with relevant studies.

thanks for the answer!
While the "sketchbook" I already have one, but it happens that I am a little lost and I end up leaving to practice, which groups are these?
I wanted to make more relevant studies, as it depends on me I'm just looking at the white screen.

I looked at the topic of challenges but do not understand how it works, whether they are daily challenges or how ...

[DK]

Theres a ton of groups in http://crimsondaggers.com/forum/forum-30.html just try to find an active one by post, and read the first post of the thread to see what it's all about.

The Crimson Crucible challenges are done every month, you can find the current running challenge on their blog here https://crimsoncrucible.wordpress.com

[Artloader]

@Felipemalini: Another thing you could do is decide which area of your art you want to improve the most and set yourself a Deathline Goal like others have done. That should help you focus your energies. You can check out other people's Deathline Goals here:

http://crimsondaggers.com/forum/forum-6.html

And also check out Amit's S.M.A.R.T. art goals video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7wJoRo5MdE

Hope that helps too dude - keep pushing on though - this community is full of people on unique artistic journeys and it has a great vibe to help you keep on pushing.