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pichu4850 — OpenCanvas 1.1 Tutorial-BIG

Published: 2007-08-29 15:13:51 +0000 UTC; Views: 90088; Favourites: 1478; Downloads: 2420
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Description Sorry that is a HUUUGE file. You can download it, too.
If you are having any problems or have a question, tell me! I can try to help.

REMEMBER: This is NOT the only way to do things on opencanvas, it's merely the basics of what I do. THERE IS NO CORRECT WAY TO DO ANYTHING.

DO check out other tutorials people have made, they are seriously amazing and superior compared to the likes of this here tutorial. DO come up with your own techniques to make your art scream your name all over it. DO experiment with the tools.

Some Questionsfor your convenience and mine lol

Is Opencanvas 1.1 available for Apple computers/Mac?
Not that I know of, unfortunately. You can try the newer versions of OC, though.
Do I have to pay for Opencanvas 1.1? Is it a trial?
No; this version of opencanvas is completely free. No; you can download this program and have it forever on your computer unless you uninstall it.
How come everything is written in weird symbols?
It should appear as Japanese if you have the language pack installed on your computer or something. To switch to english, go to the top of the taskbar, go to the very last drop down list (H) and at the bottom it will say English (E).
How can I add a background without the colors getting all weird/dark?
I think I mentioned that somewhere here, maybe not. Since the layer is autoamtically set to multiply, you'll either have to put the background on a new layer and ERASE parts of the background where it OVERLAPS the coloring on your other layer, OR you can just do the background on the same layer as all your other coloring.
What is OCing/networking, and how do I do that?
Networking on Opencanvas 1.1 is a bit like paintchat, only it's private and can only have a maximum of 4 occupants. You draw on your own individual layers, but share the same canvas with others, so you can see everyone drawing. Found a tutorial on how to set that up here .
Can I use this tutorial for [insert program here] ?
You can, but obviously you might have to tweak a few things since programs are different, but I don't see why you can't copy a technique from opencanvas to use for photoshop or whatever, so try it.
How do I blend?
Assuming you are using a tablet, pretend it is like pencil and paper. The harder you press, the darker the pencil mark; the lighter you press, the lighter the pencil mark. Apply this to your tablet and mess around with it.

Check this youtube video that I made about how to blend/shade. Hopefully it will help: [link]

I'm still having problems with pressure sensitivity.
See that white box in the brushes window? Make sure that line is dragged more toward the bottom right corner.

Also, check out the brush settings- the minimum and general sizes. Examples here: [link]



Linkage

Old tutorial: [link]
Opencanvas 1.1 Download: [link]
Alternate sources found, but I don't know if they work or not: [link] [link] [link]
Other Opencanvas 1.1 tutorials and related things you should DEFINITELY check out:
[link] by *ArtistsHospital (More of a directory of several helpful links. )
[link] by ~Luthien-Rogue (Very informative and detailed as far as tools, shortcuts, the very basic basics of the program.)
[link] by =CentraDragon (this will teach you how to use the subtraction and addition layer modes.)
[link] by *meiken (this shows the artist's way of coloring.)
[link] by *vashs-angel (this shows you how to use the networking feature.)
[link] by ~pixieface (a two parter tutorial, second part is found within the tutorial's description. Also very detailed.)
Hair Tutorial: [link] by me c:
Youtube Blending/Shading Tutorial: [link] by me
also.
Youtube Screen Recording: [link] by me.
Another Youtube Screen Recording: [link] by me.


EDIT on March 5, 2008. I added a huge section at the front about the tools and settings and other bits for those people who really don't know anything about opencanvas 1.1. I also added a miniscule section with smudging.
EDIT on March 30, 2008. Edited some text/added some lips and eyes. Now with links to some other tutorials I find are pretty informative.
EDIT on June 26, 2008. Added link to my hair tutorial and stuff about OC Networking.
EDIT on July 14, 2008. Redid brush settings section and put it at the top and also added a section on how to apply a background.
EDIT on December 27, 2008. Revamped the brushes and whatnot section at the top. Added some links.
EDIT on April 1, 2009. I made a youtube video about blending and shading since I got so many questions about it. Click in the above links or here: [link]
EDIT on April 4, 2009. Added links to my youtube drawing recordings.
EDIT on October 11, 2009. Edited the basics information to make it a little more organized.



tutorial and Celsius (the character) (c)
Related content
Comments: 276

pichu4850 In reply to ??? [2011-12-30 02:30:21 +0000 UTC]

yep, everything drawn on here was made with opencanvas

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AnimeDaisuke531 [2011-10-28 15:42:03 +0000 UTC]

for the background, couldn't you just move the background layer to the back? and with solution 2, could you just make the background invisible before you start coloring and color in a separate layer? i don't have much experience with opencanvas, i guess i'm probably just spoiled to Photoshop Elements lol but this seems a lot easier.

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pichu4850 In reply to AnimeDaisuke531 [2011-10-29 18:52:49 +0000 UTC]

I tried to be as clear as I could on the tutorial, but it was hard to describe. This version of Opencanvas (1.1) has the default layer mode on multiply, meaning that any colors on any layer, no matter what order, will show up on top of each other and just look dark. (like mixing a bunch of paint together to form one dark color). My solutions were to either draw the background on the same layer as the main color layer, or draw the background on a separate layer and just erase where the areas overlap.

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CasFlores In reply to ??? [2011-10-22 14:31:03 +0000 UTC]

can you give us the EXACT adjustments for the brushes you use?

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pichu4850 In reply to CasFlores [2011-10-23 02:38:55 +0000 UTC]

Hi. Glad you're interested in the super specifics xD Unfortunately I don't have/use opencanvas anymore because I have a mac now :S So I don't remember the precise sizes I used for everything.

My old hair tutorial here ( [link] ) has the main brush sizes written on the side, if that helps.

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Anniehhhh In reply to ??? [2011-07-15 13:45:49 +0000 UTC]

Oh, and i dont know if you know anything about this, but I have OC 5 and i can only do the trial because it asks for a serial key, otherwise, which i don't have and don't know how to get. Any idea what to do? Should I just download 1.1, is it primitive?

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pichu4850 In reply to Anniehhhh [2011-07-15 16:14:36 +0000 UTC]

I'm not too knowledgeable about it- you could physically order OC 5 and pay for it to have the program completely, but you could try just using OC 1.1 which is free. Seeing as it's a relatively old/early program it -might- not work on your computer. It's very simple but I love it and I encourage you to try it out, as with any drawing program

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Anniehhhh [2011-07-15 13:43:48 +0000 UTC]

Im guessing coloring on OC won't turn out well without a tablet? I dont have one, but Im actually pretty okay at drawing with a mouse. But the coloring looks like i did it on MS paint : [

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pichu4850 In reply to Anniehhhh [2011-07-15 16:18:31 +0000 UTC]

Whatever works best for you, do it. I used mouse for outlining and coloring on opencanvas for a very long time and I thought it worked out for me. I guess if you really want to get it blendy and smooth (and not like on Paint hehe) you will have to focus hard on finding the right brush settings and how to maneuver the mouse to your advantage. (although it worked, it was very hard and getting a tablet was a very good decision )

You could invest in a simple tablet? I bought mine a few years ago for about 80 dollars but I think some even go for as low as 50.

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Aura-Moon In reply to ??? [2011-06-25 18:11:16 +0000 UTC]

I always love OC for just doing sketches and quick things, especially if you gotta show a friend a character design on the fly, that and the blending is very natural, given how old this version is.
Fantastic tutorial, really useful with the different settings and layer options.

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pichu4850 In reply to Aura-Moon [2011-08-16 19:18:15 +0000 UTC]

Ahh yes I agree. unfortunately I can't figure out how to get the same effect on photoshop, the brush settings are just so different, and I wish I could use this old version of OC everyday! (unfortunately I've got a mac now so I can't )

thank you so much and I'm glad you found it useful!

(sorry btw for such a late reply haha!)

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minnymoon1360 In reply to ??? [2011-03-26 17:01:48 +0000 UTC]

how do i get the color on the page, like if i wanted to color a manga page or somthing?

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pichu4850 In reply to minnymoon1360 [2011-03-28 00:20:56 +0000 UTC]

Hmm well if you already have the manga page outlined in black/white/greys, you can open the image on opencanvas, make a new layer, and color on the new layer you just created since opencanvas layers are automatically set to multiply. (which allows the color to show up on multiple layers.)

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iiArizona In reply to ??? [2011-02-26 05:38:16 +0000 UTC]

:<

I got openCanvas but, does it only work with a tablet?

/frustration

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pichu4850 In reply to iiArizona [2011-02-26 23:49:21 +0000 UTC]

nope, it should work with mouse too. I used to use mouse actually :u

👍: 0 ⏩: 2

LovinChocolateshweet In reply to pichu4850 [2011-06-11 21:05:06 +0000 UTC]

My tablet works with open cancavas O_o

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pichu4850 In reply to LovinChocolateshweet [2011-06-11 21:51:05 +0000 UTC]

xD Er, good. It is supposed to work with opencanvas.

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LovinChocolateshweet In reply to pichu4850 [2011-06-12 12:23:06 +0000 UTC]

Oh I thought you meant it doesn't work with open canvas ^^'

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pichu4850 In reply to LovinChocolateshweet [2011-06-12 20:22:21 +0000 UTC]

oh, no no, tablets DO work with opencanvas. That's what I used in this entire tutorial

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LovinChocolateshweet In reply to pichu4850 [2011-06-14 16:57:43 +0000 UTC]

Oh okay haha get it now what you where saying all along

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iiArizona In reply to pichu4850 [2011-02-26 23:57:51 +0000 UTC]


Oh good. But mouse sucks.

orz

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pichu4850 In reply to iiArizona [2011-03-05 07:50:37 +0000 UTC]

yeah xD that's why I was so glad to get a tablet
I have a lot of respect, though, for people who still mouse around... it takes a lot of patience, I'd say. @_@

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8-bit-Heartbeat [2011-02-25 00:52:58 +0000 UTC]

Awesome tutorial. This was just the ticket to get me going on OpenCanvas.

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pichu4850 In reply to 8-bit-Heartbeat [2011-02-26 04:00:20 +0000 UTC]

sweet

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Rioluchu In reply to ??? [2011-01-25 17:37:29 +0000 UTC]

just what i needed

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DefectiveZombie In reply to ??? [2010-10-19 12:21:24 +0000 UTC]

Thanks, i'm sort of forced to use oC 1.1 so it's really helpful

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JurassicPark190 [2010-07-25 23:57:33 +0000 UTC]

Oh my God, I love you. <3 This tutorial is incredibly helpful, and your art is wonderful. Instant fav

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pichu4850 In reply to JurassicPark190 [2010-07-26 05:08:02 +0000 UTC]

i'm glad you think so! thank you very much :3

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blackrainclouds [2010-07-18 06:12:00 +0000 UTC]

Thanks sososososo much!! I srsly couldn't figure out backgrounds w/out erasing. This helped a ton. Thanks!

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beebop97 In reply to ??? [2010-06-05 02:24:03 +0000 UTC]

Thank you very much! I have 4.5 and i hadnt used it in a while and forgot how to do the lineart! (DOH!!!) Haha thank you! You've been a big help for me

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pichu4850 In reply to beebop97 [2010-06-05 05:05:02 +0000 UTC]

i'm very glad have fun!

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beebop97 In reply to pichu4850 [2010-06-05 16:50:04 +0000 UTC]

Thanks!

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blobbycheese In reply to ??? [2010-06-04 15:51:11 +0000 UTC]

Thankyou
I have 4.5 but I found it really complicated!
So then I read your tutorial and 1.1 sounded a lot better.
I just downloaded it and its so much more simple etc.

Really helpful tutorial!

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

pichu4850 In reply to blobbycheese [2010-06-04 22:40:06 +0000 UTC]

haha i love the more advanced programs just because of how many options they make available to you and all teh effects you can have... but with simple programs everything is easy to find and straight forward.

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blobbycheese In reply to pichu4850 [2010-06-05 07:49:53 +0000 UTC]

Yep
Couldn't have said it better myself.

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chipuchip [2010-04-26 18:06:48 +0000 UTC]

THIS IS WHUT I NEEDED :3

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Akki-Darkness [2010-04-21 05:43:30 +0000 UTC]

Need. D:
-praises you-

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Dusk90 [2010-04-21 03:18:23 +0000 UTC]

How can you copy and paste stuff?

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

pichu4850 In reply to Dusk90 [2010-04-21 20:34:52 +0000 UTC]

just ctrl+c and ctrl+v. I warn you though, on this version of open canvas, if you paste an image onto a layer smaller than the canvas size, it will delete whatever is on that layer and put your image there in place of it so be careful. Also you can only copy a whole image, not a selection.

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brown-voodoo In reply to ??? [2010-03-09 05:52:26 +0000 UTC]

I love this tutorial! I'm a OC user and i finally understood all of one's tutorial! Thanks for that

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pichu4850 In reply to brown-voodoo [2010-03-10 20:19:38 +0000 UTC]

I'm glad, and no problem :3

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nikitareid In reply to ??? [2010-02-18 09:17:46 +0000 UTC]

Is there a way to blend with a touchpad? XD -doesnt have tablet- but this tutorial helped alot

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pichu4850 In reply to nikitareid [2010-02-18 15:51:32 +0000 UTC]

Umm, probably, I would except some people found some way or another lol... I've never used touchpad on laptops though so I wouldn't really know.

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ComaTherapy [2010-02-08 19:24:19 +0000 UTC]

I'm afraid I will have trouble with the line art since I don't have a tablet or anything. Or is this just irrational d:

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pichu4850 In reply to ComaTherapy [2010-02-08 20:37:44 +0000 UTC]

xD you can create lineart with mouse, too. I used mouse for all my digital drawings for like 2 years before I got a tablet. it's just a little more work.

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ComaTherapy In reply to pichu4850 [2010-02-09 08:33:10 +0000 UTC]

ahh I see thank you!

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SwimProductionsArt [2010-02-01 22:33:39 +0000 UTC]

i just need to figure out how to use it i got openCanvas 4.03 Plus for free

(my sis's friend gave me a free copy since she's a professional)

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pichu4850 In reply to SwimProductionsArt [2010-02-02 00:05:21 +0000 UTC]

(: sweet! have fun with it.

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Blazeykinz-or-ShinyJ In reply to ??? [2010-01-17 01:40:00 +0000 UTC]

Great tutorial! Definitely going to help!

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sir-grimmington [2010-01-08 07:25:03 +0000 UTC]

AHHHH
Just got this program today and this helped a ton. Thanks a bunch for posting this.
Loverly picture by the way. c: I think I'll check out the rest of your gallery.

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