Digital Character Design and Painting-The Photoshop CS Edition

Don Seegmiller

Limited Warranty and Disclaimer of Liability

The CD-ROM that accompanies this book may be used on a single PC only. The license does not permit the use on a network (of any kind). You further agree that this license grants permission to use the products contained herein, but does not give you right of ownership to any of the content or product contained on this CD-ROM. Use of third-party software contained on this CD-ROM is limited to and subject to licensing terms for the respective products.

Charles River Media, Inc. ('CRM') and/or anyone who has been involved in the writing, creation, or production of the accompanying code ('The software'), or the third-party products contained on this CD-ROM, cannot and do not warrant the performance or results that may be obtained by using the software. The author and publisher have used their best efforts to ensure the accuracy and functionality of the textual material and programs contained herein; We, however, make no warranty of this kind, express or implied , regarding the performance of these programs. The software is sold 'as is' without warranty (except for defective materials used in manufacturing the disC or due to faulty workmanship); the sole remedy in the event of a defect is expressly limited to replacement of the disc, and only at the discretion of CRM.

The author, the publisher, developers of third-party software, and anyone involved in the production and manufacturing of this work shall not be liable for damages of any kind arising out of the use of (or the inability to use) the programs, source code, or textual material contained in this publication. This includes, but is not limited to, loss of revenue or profit, or other incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use of the product.

The sole remedy in the event of a claim of any kind is expressly limited to replacement of the book and/or CD-ROM, and only at the discretion of CRM.

The use of 'implied warranty' and certain 'exclusions' vary from state to state, and may not apply to the purchaser of this product.

Digital Character Design and Painting:
The Photoshop ‚ CS Edition

Charles River Media, Inc.
Hingham, Massachusetts

Copyright 2004 by CHARLES RIVER MEDIA, INC.
All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced in any way, stored in a retrieval system of any type, or transmitted by any means or media, electronic or mechanical, including, but not limited to, photocopy, recording, or scanning, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

Publisher: Jenifer Niles
Cover Design: The Printed Image
Cover Images: Don Seegmiller

CHARLES RIVER MEDIA, INC.
10 Downer Avenue
Hingham, Massachusetts 02043
781-740-0400
781-740-8816 (FAX)

info @charlesriver.com
www.charlesriver.com

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

Don Seegmiller. Digital Character Design and Painting: The Photoshop CS Edition.

ISBN: 1-58450-340-8

All brand names and product names mentioned in this book are trademarks or service marks of their respective companies. Any omission or misuse (of any kind) of service marks or trademarks should not be regarded as intent to infringe on the property of others. The publisher recognizes and respects all marks used by companies, manufacturers, and developers as a means to distinguish their products.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Seegmiller, Don.
‚   ‚  Digital character design and painting : the Photoshop CS edition / Don Seegmiller.-
Photoshop CS ed., 1st ed.
‚   ‚   ‚   ‚  p. ‚  cm.
‚   ‚  ISBN 1-58450-340-8 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Computer graphics. ‚   ‚  2. Adobe Photoshop. ‚   ‚  I. Title.
‚   ‚  T385.S366 2004
‚   ‚  776--dc22

Printed in the United States of America
04 ‚  7 ‚  6 ‚  5 ‚  4 ‚  3 ‚  2 ‚  First Edition

CHARLES RIVER MEDIA titles are available for site license or bulk purchase by institutions, user groups, corporations, etc. For additional information, please contact the Special Sales Department at 781-740-0400.

Requests for replacement of a defective CD-ROM must be accompanied by the original disc, your mailing address, telephone number, date of purchase, and purchase price. Please state the nature of the problem, and send the information to CHARLES RIVER MEDIA, INC., 10 Downer Avenue, Hingham, Massachusetts 02043. CRM's sole obligation to the purchaser is to replace the disc, based on defective materials or faulty workmanship, but not on the operation or functionality of the product.

This book is dedicated to my family; in particular, my children who have always helped keep my vision clear and my perspective correct.

About the Author

Don Seegmiller has been an artist as long as he can remember. Some of his earliest memories are of getting into trouble in school because he was drawing pictures in the margins on the math pages instead of doing the addition and subtraction.

In 1973, he was accepted into the Art Department at Brigham Young University on a talent scholarship. As with most artists , academics were of secondary importance to the drawn image, yet in the spring of 1979 he did graduate with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Graphic Design, with a specialization in Illustration. He was promptly employed by one of the departments at the school as a graphic designer/illustrator. While employed at Brigham Young University, he decided that commercial deadlines were not what he wanted to be dealing with, so he became a fine artist. He began to paint egg tempera paintings in the evenings, and after trying various subject matter decided that his heart and talent were most at home with the human figure. In the fall of 1980, with three paintings under his arm, he traveled to Santa Fe, New Mexico, seeking representation in one of the many art galleries in town. His work has been shown in Wadle Galleries of Santa Fe since 1981. He has painted more than 500 oil paintings of the figure and is represented in public and private collections worldwide.

In the spring of 1995, two opportunities that could not be ignored presented themselves . He was asked to teach figure drawing at Brigham Young University for both the Fine Art Department and the Graphics Department. Since that time, the departments have merged and he continues to teach senior-level illustration, traditional head painting, figure drawing, and digital painting for the Department of Visual Design. He also joined the staff of Saffire Corporation, where he was the art director for six years . Saffire is a small developer of video games for publishers such as Nintendo, Electronic Arts, Titus, and Mindscape.

He is a regular speaker at the Game Developers Conference. In the spring of 2002, 2003, and 2004 he did full-day tutorials on character design and digital painting and creativity.

He was the keynote speaker at the American Association of Medical Illustrators convention in New Orleans in the summer of 2003. He has taught workshops at individual game developers around the country. He also has taught at the University of California, Irvine extension, and the Ringling School of Art in Sarasota, Florida.

He traveled for a while demonstrating Metacreations Painter 6 at the major trade shows. His work is featured in the The Painter 6 Wow! Book, The Painter 7 Wow! Book, Electronic Step by Step Design, Spectrum 7, and Spectrum 8.

He has written software reviews for the Web site www.critical-depth.com and for Design Graphics magazine.

He continues to pursue his traditional fine art, digital art, character design, and teaching passions .