General Discussion: How do you work? - Now with added Challenge!

[Feron]

Just thought it would be cool to start a discussion on the conditions in which everybody works.

Myself, i like to be full of sugar quite hyper, with loud music.  That makes my creative juices flow more.  normally up beat fast punk-rock and alternative.

However if im up against a deadline with a fixed object to create i find the Lord of the Rings soundtrack makes good music.
I can never work when i'm hungry or cold.
Darkness is also another condition in which lots of my work takes place.

[Takai Soyokaze]

Sitting down, in a chair, I find it much easier to concentrate then sprawled out on my bed or couch. Music, it depends on what the piece is but I listen to something similar to how I want it to turn out. Diet Pepsi is required, or I can't concentrate. Pie also helps a lot. I open up all my good references too.

[Lawrence]

I like to listen to a podcast or some music (lovely bleak electronic stuff), and I prefer to be alone so that I can concentrate. 25 cups of tea later and I'm done.

[Helm]

I am powered by Heavy Metal. If ptoing is around I bug him with constand updates of the piece I'm working on and take advantage of his compulsion to critique me. I work 2-3 hours on a piece at a time, though I sadly don't pick it up the very next day always as would be best. I'm mostly fast until I reach the point where I usually say to Ptoing 'and now the real work starts' which really means the color blocking is done, the composition is stable, I know what I need to do, and that is multiple passes of detail and aaaing. That's the most time-consuming part of making pixel art, for me, but also the one I enjoy the most.

[pixelblink]

I am in my mode with some Diet Coke (sorry Takai, but Pepsi products suck) and some good music, preferably some breakbeats. I am a chronic smoker when I'm in the mode and (even though I'm not allowed), I tend to smoke in front of my computer... it helps me focus.
Umm... smoking is bad for you kids.
Like Feron, I prefer a darkly lit room. Not complete darkness, but only with my lamp on in the background. It helps me foucs on the screen and see all the colours for what they really are. Light tends to distract from it.

[Evil-Ville]

Slightly dark room and chiptunes for music, I love chiptunes.

[goat]

Sometimes I listen to my mp3s, sometimes to to my spc collection (Mario Paint music is awesome to pixel to).  I hook up my wireless headphones because I work in spurts; I'll grind out two hours, then get up and walk around for a minute or two, so that I can refocus my eyes and come back with a fresh look at the piece in front of me.  If I have multiple projects sometimes I'll just switch between them, but usually I walk around, mess with my dog, come back, check the forum/channel, IM people, etc before I get back to work.  Helps it stay fun if I remove some of the pressure.  Once in while I'll take a break to emulate or netplay on an emulator with a buddy.  Most of the drawings I squirt out are done within 2-3 hours, so if I work uninterrupted longer than that I start to burn out.

I have a big CRT monitor, an LCD tablet (screen calibrated to the contrast of your typical mobile phone), and a TV, and I have magnified previews on the two I'm not currently pixeling on so I can preview for whichever platform the art's targeted for.

I usually either drink Cherry Coke or whole milk (<3), and when I get hungry I typically eat meals while I work too.  I don't smoke cigs anymore, but I am known to roll a blunt during long work days (don't do drugs, kids).  Sour Apple is best.

I also find it impossible to work when I'm hungry, and trips to the store are not an uncommon precursor to a work session.

I don't have a preference for light or dark when I work but if the lights are off when I start they're going to be off until I get up and walk by a light again, so I find myself working in the dark a lot.  I don't really bug other artists with progress shots often because as you may be able to tell by the frequency with which I post art I don't care about other people's opinions as much as I should when it comes to my own art :p  Clients and supervisors are a different story however; I can't stand revisions, paid or not, so I spam them with milestone shots every chance I get.

[Frychiko]

No conditions, just as is.. which is usually a computer desk full of junk (cups, phone, mp3 player, notebook, measuring cup, tablet, camera, passport, kids books, eye drops, NDS flash kit, softbank modem manual, singaporean dragon trinket,  among others) and TV on and bright room.
Most of the time, I work with no sound, no music and no tv (not planned). To break the monotony, I take lots of breaks and browse the internets.
Big fat wacom tablet conquers the table. If I'm working (on an hourly basis) I'll have notepad open to record starting and ending times.

[Feron]

Sometimes i'll look out of my windows for ages, but other than that i dont really have many breaks away from the mac.

I definitley think working in the dark is better, theres so many colors floating around my room i think it blocks judgement.

[Ai]

* Silence if possible, game music remixes if I must block out particularly loud sounds.
* Sitting in lotus position.. it's the most comfortable. Desktop is a few inches above my legs (and the monitor about 10" above that.)
* Water (or more commonly, nothing) to drink. Helps me think more clearly.
* Darkness or light doesn't matter too much.. neatness of my environs is more important.
* Pan my eyes around the room and focus on some random thing to ensure my gaze doesn't get too fixed, occasionally.
* Keyboard, wacom, and mouse lined up left to right.
* Left forefinger hovering near F12 (Save)..  I save whenever I see the * showing the file has changes to be saved, which amounts to every 5th change on average.
* maybe i'll think of something else later. I just wrote a program that automatically monitors a file, checking every 5 minutes for changes since last history-step and copying to a 'HISTORY' directory with a serial number if changes were found. I don't know if that qualifies as workflow/work environs, but I expect to rely on it quite a bit (the ability to retrieve previous revisions of the image, and have them automatically grabbed as I work.)

[.TakaM]

I usually have the tv on mute on some random channel or one of the gamecube game intros, talib kweli playing on the computer
I suppose I do most work at night though

[Ryumaru]

-rock music
- on my bed, or in my art room with sketches ive done for the certain project sprawled out
-usually lights on
- depending on the project, i might show lots of progress to people or keep it hidden.

[robotriot]

I absolutely need to listen to music, I can't do art without that ^^ I also prefer when it's dark, with only my desk lamp on.

Heh, wouldn't it be nice if everyone captured their screen for a whole piece to see how their workflow is? Maybe have a special topic for the picture to see how everyone approaches it differently ^^

[Feron]

Or post it here. 

It would give people an insight on how you work on a project.  I just thought whilst many pixels are shared on this forum it would be cool to share methods/conditions.

Edit:  Being the topic starter i think i should start it (unless a mod feels it should have its own thread in the activities section)

Topic :  64x64 sprite in fighting pose - i dont think this is too strenuous.  Don't get too caught up in making it perfect, its more about the way you work and not about the end product.

you must show at least 5 stages, pictures of your surroundings/desktop/applications would be a bonus!

[Larwick]

  Man, i'd love to sit with my legs crossed, but my chair is just far too small and uncomfortable (also completely wrong type of chair/place). Currently i lay my legs above my printer, and it's incredibly uncomfortable - my chair is rather cheap and tacky aswel.
  I usually work best later in the day. But mostly when i have a seriously awesome idea and am inspired. I'm geared up when i've been chatting with my pixel buddies, and looking around pixelation and PJ (as long as i'm not caught up with moderative proceedings). A cup of tea is a must. If i have a warm cup of tea on my desk readied for my hands, i can pixel to my hearts content. I'll probably also have a random mug of water around, and loads of random empty cups and mugs littered around. Lots of litter - i think it actually helps my creative juices flow. If everything is clinically clean i think my inspiration gets frozen up.
  I'm diabetic, so if i haven't done my injection on time i get all uncomfortable and sweaty, needing the loo alot, which really doesn't help when i wanna pixel. Of course, it doesn't happen too often though.
  I think i'll generally lock myself in the dining room (yeah, that's where the comp is) and try and get some peace and quiet (from my family and the outside world). Music-wise, i'll either listen to nothing or the bands i like - alternative rock music. Really depends what mood i'm in though, or what i'm pixelling. When animating, i think i begin to skip the slow songs and listen to more upbeat or energetic styles. Gets the adrenaline flowing. Lol. Listening to podcasts sounds nice though, i might try that oneday.
  My screen is filled with MSN chats, my media player, AOL, MSPaint and Animationshop3, most of the time. When on the IRC i do get quite flustered because i have to keep checking back to get the infos - and so it gets in the way of my pixelling. Although it does have many upsides, such as the great CnC etc..

And i can never pixel anywhere but my own computer. 

Man, i wrote alot more than i meant to. 

[Godslayer]

You're lucky to have pixel friends Larwick, I work much better with people to talk to- but no one uses YIM. Nothing else works.

I work to my most jamming tunes, tablet and graphicsgale on hand.

[Willows]

Music is optional, for me.

What I really need is severe social trauma, so I can use art as an outlet, OR a reason to pixel other than simple "practice"

I sit on my hard, wooden chair in what I'd assume would be a "normal" position, with my tablet in my lap, and just go.

...I really should pixel more. TO THE PALETTE CHALLENGE!

Oh yeah. Music is anythin from John Legend to Weezer to Rammstein, with bits and pieces of even randomer things in-between.

[Skull]

Perferably, no music, television is fine, but aslong as I'm not watching and a mug of coffee never hurt anyone. 
I can't stand even watching television in the dark, so I like a well lit area.. and sometimes I rest my legs on my computer box, but otherwise i sit normally..

Big Office Chair. Yeah...

[Dogmeat]

I usually stare at the monitor with my jaw open for several hours totally oblivious to anything around me, including danger. I will most likely listen to music, a movie and have my trusty glass vase with opening in base at my side. Food is a must, stretching is a must.

[Akira]

music, msn open, paint open all the time so i can scribble something if i need to. firefox open too. maybe irc. when i work its just continuing from a scribble normally. sometimes i'll move from paint to something better if i like where a piece is going.

[Peppermint Pig]

Work at a nice big desk. I have recessed ceiling lights with a dimmer, and work from a basement office/entertainment room, so it's quite easy to set the right mood and be free from distraction. My chair isn't anything special: back-rest squeaks a bit, no armrests (who needs them??), and just enough of a cushion. It's not totally falling apart just yet, so it does its job.

I work from a dual 450 G4 with two 19 inch CRT's and a high refresh rate (prevents eye strain to an extent). I do nearly all of my pixel work in Photoshop 3.0.5. I built up some proficiency with mouse-based drawing, so I rarely use a tablet for pixel related work.

I'm not so much a slave to substances as other artists here appear to be.

I can roll right out of bed and work, and I'm not too fickle about the environment. I prefer to pen out a score of art at a time over a couple of hours, but it really depends on the first ten or twenty minutes: work can be daunting at first. If I'm not cursing myself for doing a poor piece, I'm spending several hours pouring over details, double checking as well as admiring. I spend about as much time pixeling as I do just looking at things. If I have a really good day of pixel work, this can translate into a chain of good days that keep me up late at night (or into the light of day...).

Of course, I do have a few preferred pixel aids to keep me at the terminal longer, such as snacks: a glass of water or juice (apple cider, cran grape, orange juice), or some sliced fruit (peaches, pears, or pineapple). Salsa and chips or hot chocolate are also useful if I need to boost my attention and comfort.

I like having some music. If I pixel in silence too long, my mind can get restless even while pixeling. I listen to any music (metal, electronic, rock, post-punk/new-wave etc), but I often resort to classical or dream-pop. Too much audio pizazz can diminish my pixel-time in the long run, so it's always better to side with low-tempo works. Guess it really depends on the subject matter.

What I really need is severe social trauma

Heh... I prefer the calm and cool logic of an emotionally quiet mind. Trauma and familial distractions can really take me out of the zone, but I've grown to subconsciously block most of that out. Still, people breathing down my neck all the time can be a bother.

[The B.O.B.]

   When I pixel, I definitely need some music in the background. I guess I'm more-so a music Nazi; as in I won't listen to anything other than Heavy Metal(Dismember, Kataklysm, At the Gates, Devildriver, a lil bit of Metalcore, Callenish Circle, etc., and ya gotta have some Iron Maiden in your diet kids!!)..
   The atmosphere has to be dark for me to continue pixeling( which I noticed is apparently very normal among fellow pixelers). I also tend to agree that the darker the atmosphere is, the more focused my eyes become with the piece. I also tend to always zoom out and in every 3-5 min. to try and spot anything that looks odd from afar. I even go so far as to stand about 15-18 feet away from the cpu to see if the distance adds any type of flare to the piece that can't see up close.
  As for food, I always need a cup of water near me when I pixel, to take a sip out of every now and then. I ussually have some type of chips to munch on when my cravings begin. Other than that, though I enjoy some fruits moreso than chocolate, mainly bananas and carrots( No, I'm not a vegetarian...)
   I hardly ever watch t.v., so I'm not in the know, and never really have it on unless I'm tired or feeling the need to take a break from the computer...otherwise, I'm a hardcore pixel dork all the way...