Photo-Source or Handrawn?

Hi I have a question for all the clothing creators out there, do most of you photo source or do you hand draw clothing?

Do a lot of people use textures and what websites do you get them from and what are the favourite photo sourcing sites?

I'm just starting too create my own clothing so I was curious what is the most popular, me personally I use a bit of both hand drawing and photo sourcing.

Thank you all for taking the time too answer this.

I sort of use both but mostly hand drawn. It's just more fun to take a look at it when it's all done and know it's 100% mine. I don't have a particular site for getting textures off the internet, I mostly find the photos by accident anyway. I have used a few of my personal pictures too.

Most of what I do is hand-painted. Although sometimes I do take photographs, and use them as starting points.

Quick public service announcement, since we're on the subject. If you do photosource, don't just pull any old image off the Web. Please respect copyright. Make sure you have permission to use an image before you actually use it. There's of course never anything wrong with using other people's photos for inspiration, but don't use the images themselves, either in whole or in part, unless you have written permission to do so.

Me too. Drawing is the creative part. Using a photo for much more than a starting point takes all the fun out of it. Besides, if I draw a texture, I know it's mine.

Now, if I'm designing a dress or whatever, I always make my own design and usually my own drawn fabric texture. Every once in a while, though, I get inspired to buy a great fabric texture that someone else has created. When I do, I buy from a place like TRU, where I'm confident that I'm not violating a copyright.

ok thank you, i don't just pull any old image of the web as you put it and i don't use places like Deviantart etc. The only places at the moment that i have taken images from and made them into a outfit is a couple of places i was told were ok too use, though they don't have much of a selection.

That is why i'm trying too find other websites i can use, i've found that alot of websites that have textures are not usable too create clothing with.

I mostly make clothes for myself, but mine is a combination of both. I draw the the basic texture, the cut of the clothing, the clothing folds, etc. If I photosource, its for a detail usually - like in my lace up boots with grommets, I tried forever to make a grommet correctly, and finally just went and took a photo of one and used that. I also photosource lace, because I love lace, and am notoriously bad at drawing it, even when I'm on my tablet. I call that "photosourcing," but it's not really how most SLers relate to it (ie, pulling an image off the web). Also, I'm a member of a couple pay-for stock photo services, where I get harder to draw textures, like distressed leather or some such ^^ Makes it easy, clears your conscience.

Well, I'm probably a rare example, but...

Actually, I'm first sewing my historical garments in RL, then photograph them and then I use those photos to texture my SL clothing.
This doesn't only make sure that I have *really* good photos - just the way I need them! - of the clothing items, but also that I know how the clothing "behaves" in RL, so that I can imitate that "behavior" in SL.

Yes, I know; it's not everybody's "thing" to sew a dress for up to six months just to be able to texture for SL, but still - I think it's the most realistic way of texturing to go

Well, so long as it's all handsewn

As long as it concerns at least the *visible* seams - yes
BTW, *love* the coach I bought from you - I use it to scare the hell out of certain citizens of not-to-be-named historical sims when I almost run them over at high speed

I do both. I photosource some details but mostly hand draw everything else. I've scanned zippers, bows, fabrics, etc. I also use freebie photoshop brushes to make bows. I honestly don't feel the need to create every last detail from scratch. Let's face it, RL designers use pieces that others make all the time. If I were making a dress with some fancy lace & sequin trim, I'd buy the trim. I wouldn't try to recreate it piece-by-piece.

I used to photosource a lot but I have found that it takes longer to create the clothing that way. I will however use image "resources" - like seams, button holes, wrinkles etc...

I do not photosource at all now - wrinkles, I have them mastered. Silk, satin, glitter and sequins - totally beat. Even leather is NO Prob. Now the only thing that limits me is my own darn laziness... And the grid going down every other day (whaaaaa)

I do use textures that I create and patterns that make now too - no more of other peoples stuff (I was totally bored of it anyway). Let me know if you need links to tutorials and resources...

You just gotta remember - it just takes time and practice.

I am like you Sioxie, I use some things of photo's too. But it takes so much time. I use a lot of brushes too. There are so many of that out there. Even for free. It takes a long time to find the right ones but when you have them in your photoShop they are easy to use anyway........

Have Fun,
*AE*

I wonder if you could help, you know some of the clothes you see with exact photo images i.e with the beading or shiny effect or just all the creasing that looks like a replica of the rl thing. Would anyone know how to actually do this? For example denims etc, do you need a particular size of photo and how do you get it to fit the pattern.

You're my new hero for the day.

Considering that I posted this almost eleven months ago... it's more like the hero of a year ago, right?



Well actually you won't get a 'fitting' photo. You'll have to adjust what you photographed to the template. That means warping, shifting, cutting, reassembling the photo until it fits.
Another possibility is this:
- print the template out in life size
- lay the clothing over it so that it exactly fits
- photograph that.
That's the only way how to have the *least* warping, shifting, cutting, reassembling to do. But of course it's somewhat strange, and useless too, since the template stretches in certain areas when wrapped around the actual avatar mesh.

The only solutions to avoid said stretching is either having a LOT of experience when shifting / warping on the 2D template, or to use a complicated, expensive software (like DeepPaint3D with Texture Weapons - which, unfortunately, is no more available for buying but WHEN it was - about 10 years ago - it did cost about US-$ 2,500, and it's STILL in my opinion the BEST software to do photorealistic 3D texturing (yes, I work with it; been working with it for about ten years...)) to *projection paint* the photos of the clothing onto the avatar object.
In this case the software will take care of shifting / warping etc. - but as I said, it sounds much simpler than it actually is since the software is NOT simple to operate.

thanks so much for taking the time to answer..your right it all does sound a bit complicated, i just saw so many designers using the photo technique for the cloths i thougt it would be much simpler

back to the drawing board

ty

Oh no, "hero of the day" can even be awarded posthumously.

I use Adobe Illustrator to work everything up in vector form: it's the best sister Photoshop could ever have. The sometimes cold look of Illustrator graphics can be modified to very realistic effect once they have been copied/imported to Photoshop - and the vector paths are invaluable for editing of course.

I use a photo source as a reference, but I hand draw everything. I use Illustrator and Photoshop for the bulk of my work and get some realistic results. I think that the only thing I may photo source would be something like a pair of jeans. I have not yet been able to make a good looking pair of jeans by hand drawing. I prefer creating my projects by hand drawing and not using photos. My Tablet gives me much more control over the fine details, I just wish I could afford a new tablet that is formatted for my wide screen monitor.

My philosophy has always been that those who can = hand drawn, those who can't = photo source. Not to say that one is better than the other, since there is merit in both, but I tend to appreciate and respect the hand drawn stuff a little more (if it's well done), because photo sourcing starts to look the all same to me after a while.

It all really boils down to technique and how well one can pull off the effect they're trying to achieve. So, find out what you're good at and run with that.