How about setting up some kind of "users manual" for the applets. I realize a brief description of each tool appears when you hold the cursor over the tool, but not all of us grew up with these infernal machines. To some of us, a CD is still a bank product, and telephones still have wires attached and it would be helpful.. The descriptions that appear really don't go far to explain what the tool is actually for, ie: what effects you can achieve by using it, or how to use it effectively. I think the majority here learn these by trial and error (mostly error!) and having some kind of reference page to refer to that would illustrate how and why these various tools can be used to make better pictures would be a nice enhancement to the site. I think its a great, well designed, and user friendly site mostly, but adding this feature would signifigantly improve the understanding of the applets. Am I the only one who thinks this would be good?

i second that motion davinci...i don't know if that's possible, but it sure would be helpful :)

a strong and resounding YEEEEAAAAHHHHHH. there must be a way, it's nice when a friend can tell ya , do this this and this and this will happen, but what if that friend is going a way for a week? what if u r shy...what if u have no friends. anywya enuff ranting, i agree with the above...somewhere one can go to find out how to use a wand? thanks

Hey.... GOOD idea!!! This gets my vote! Im sure having a manual like that would improve alot of drawings including my own. Sometimes it gets frustrating trying to get a certain effect or look, and not knowing the right tools to use.

well, it should be mentioned that this has been planned for over a year, at least, now. It is a ton of work, and I have not got around to finishing up the docs system for this. method3 has actually finished some docs on the brushes system for lascaux, but yea, it all takes time. One of the drawbacks of free software is making no money.

I figured you were probably working on that already.. I know its a huge undertaking.. I think it will be worth all the work..the rest of the site is well programmed by comparison to some of the others I have seen..

I did write up something explaining all these brushes in Lascaux some time ago (ie last summer before 2draw v2 went up) but I don't remember what happened to it. I'm working on some other doc stuff this next week during my spring break, so maybe something will be posted soon. It'll be in the form of a tutorial, not a "on mouse over" description type thing though. Well... we'll see.

a manual would have been nice, took me forever to figure out layers (duh)..but after 40 drawings i think i have a good grasp of most of it. you dont draw enough davin! : P

that's what I tell my boss.. but he insists that I work when I am here... I wish I had more time to draw.. now its only primarily weekends.. and the one or two little ditties I can sneak in when he isnt around....

lol, davinci...tell him he needs to get his priorities in order! ;p well, thats awesome then marcello. this whole site is really cool; you do a great job with it!

That would be very helpful but alot of peoplewouldn't need It.

The ones that don't need it wouldn't be the aim of it, the ones that do are the ones that would be important in this instance.

I've personally asked about this before, and even offered to write up at least the basics for the applets that I know; though I may not produce the greatest artwork with them, I at least know what all the tools do, and I've got experience creating software documentation. There was a mention in some of the material I read when I first got here, about people submitting articles as well as drawings and comments, and I was interested in doing that from the first, when I saw that there were no docs in place for the applets. So, count me as a person with the time and tools and willingness to work on this project, as long as I get to keep the copyright to what I write (license being granted to this site, in perpetuity, to circulate the documentation as needed, of course). I'd love to see someone with more skill create some tutorials on advanced techniques, but I could at least get down something describing each of the basic tools, and what they do, and how to vary and/or combine their effects.

I hope they take you up on it AL..they do a good job..but they seem to be very busy too and I think the help would be appreciated...at least I hope your offer is considered.

How about some sort of probationary period where the new person is required to do a few drawings saved in a place where only moderators can see them and when the moderator feels that the noob is ready, those pics are deleted for the space they wasted learning how things work and then after that they can go out and play with the others? Of course this would need to be explained right up front in ten foot tall blinking font but hey...

I would try to help... If I actually knew HOW to use the applets O.o
But I think it would definately help a bunch of people. For example, I STILL have to idea what the wand does... ^^
However, that's probably because I only use Shi-painter...
*sigh*

Axil: I just re-read your post and figured out what you were talking about. ^^; The problem is, during some periods of time, 2Draw'll get more newbies than the mods can handle and then we end up with a big mess. And as 'Cello mention once or twice elsewhere, it's not the space that's the big issue, it's the whole cost of running the site in the first place. :)

axil: but you don't have to submit anything to try the tools! It says that in the rules (I think)... the number one rule, which is really the only rule.

I know, but this way they have no choice but to get familiar before they even have the choice of submitting or not. Something like "Ok, you you've drawn to at least the minimum standard so your password works now...submit away." Ya know, like that.

Put DBA at the door with her .44 and a full quiver of broadheads..."shade..or you die"
""

omg, hahaha. thats great. i like that idea davinci..you up for it dba?

I could actually use this idea. I still don't have any idea how to use the Mask/Remask tools.

ok, guess i could really use it more than i thought...i have no idea what the mask/remask tools are...LOL

Masks are pretty useless if you've got layers imo, they're basically a different way of selecting what you draw on.

Speaking of masks in Lascaux sketch, you set the color of the mask by right clicking on the mask button/area thing, and then left clicking on the mask area to activate it/deactivate it/reverse it. Once you have Mask Normal with white for example, you won't be able to draw on any white pixels. Mask Reverse only alows you to draw on white pixels.

In any case, you'll probably only use something like this in very few and far between cases, like if you wanted to replace one color with another or something like that. Experiment with just doing stuff with different colors and I'm sure you'll figure out how it works.

Masks in the other applets probably work in a similar way.

OooOO. thanks! yea, i've gotten into the habit of using layers to excess. but thats still a cool thing to know how to do for those rare times. you rock method3, thanks :)

Yea..they do.. I never could figure why you might mask instead of layer.. but you explained one reason..exchanging colors.. thanks

even for exchanging colors it only works in a very limited case.

Yeah, unless there's a tolerance setting, when working in watercolour-ish type colouring, it would be abou tas effective as the fill tool.

If that's the case (tolerance setting) you might want to mess with the magic wand selection thingy. Is there one in Lascaux? I can't remember, but I never try to use it anyway, there's really no reason if you just keep your layers straight. That's why unlimited layers is so useful, frees up what you can do alot.

lascaux has magic wand, but it will not necessarily help for changing colors. The only real way to do that is a color-based selection, but then you are really getting into image/photo manipulation, not drawing.

i cannot figure that stupid wand out for the life of me...it baffles me.

There's a sort of users manual for oekaki bbs and paint bbs on my other site.. it might be useful for some of you.. and you mods may be able to use some of it for here when you get to doing instructions.. there are links on the top of the page Oekaki Manual and Paint Manual.. take a look http:/www.wesketch.org/oekakibbs/index.php

Ideally someone will whip up something awesome tutorial-wise for the applets and drawing in general... in the far far distant future that constantly eludes us.

that would rock...hope we can lasso it soon ;p

I learned at least one thing just by reading this. It would have helped me alot, but yeah, I doodled around with the tools alot without submitting anything. That other idea sounds like alot of unnecessary work for the moderators I think. Maybe routing the site where to sign in it keeps repeating the rule page a dozen times before they actually get in to draw. (for some of the idiots that find their way in here). I'm pretty much self-taught at everything I ever learned to do, so I didn't mind messing with it, but there are still some things I don't know about that might be helpful. Just a basic list of the tools with their functions and how to utilize them would save most people alot of frustration. Wouldn't have to be anything in great depth to help.

I got an idea...maybe we should have a smudging tool..not like blurring.but smudging. Like you smudge lead from a pencil or accidently smudge ink. It would help me alot and it would help with the expirementing Newcomers.

There's always the blend checkbox right next to the AA checkbox.

OOH..I hate that thing >.< i use a different one than that...and the blending tool isnt one of my friends...

there is an actually smudger in the oekakibbs applet.. but you can do better with the blend brush and opacity settings.. that smudger is kind of a cheat tool...

the blend tool is one of my very best friends...but lately opacity and i have been getting along quite nicely...i don wish that pressure sensitivity would come over, but it shuns me...