I'm a programmer who wants to make a game for the android market. The problem is, I can't draw even if my life depended on it.
I can only use free resources such as gimp. The aim is to be able to draw humans, buildings, weapons and textures but I don't know
where to start. I can't judge the usefulness of the tutorials I find on the internet because I don't even know what I need to know. Also, most of the tutorials I've found are about manga... And it's just... not appropriate. Is there a tutorial somewhere that teaches how to use gimp and draw the things I mentioned above?
Thanks!

You might want to try Inkscape. Vector graphics is pretty friendly to people who don't have much drawing experience. You can do stuff like automatically make rectangles, stars, and spirals, and you can draw a line, clone a mirror-image to make the other half of a symmetrical object, and then tweaking the curvature of the first like will automatically change the other one to match. Other than that, you could and maybe should buy a pack of pre-made sprites.

First step to drawing on computer is to get a Wacom tablet. The tablet will also come with much better software to draw with than Gimp. Gimp is great for image manipulation, but isn't there yet when it comes to drawing from scratch.

Then use any drawing resources you can find. If you want to draw characters, Christopher Hart has a range of inexpensive books that cover the basics.

I personally would never use gimp for my artwork.

Here's some resources for learning art.

http://dev.drawspace.com/
http://www.ctrlpaint.com/
http://www.youtube.c...ser/markcrilley
http://vilppuacademy.com/home/

Gimp is great for image manipulation, but isn't there yet when it comes to drawing from scratch.

Gimp has been improved a lot, with version 2.8 (single window mode, improved brush engine), it is really good at painting and image manipulation, and you will have to do a lot with image manipulation when creating a game.

I can't draw even if my life depended on it.

Everyone can draw, you just need to practice a lot. Writing is kind of drawing too. Though I would rethink your art goal.

draw humans, buildings, weapons and textures

Because this could be really hard. Best to select a setting which is easier, like robots instead of humans, sci-fi buildings and weapons etc.

I would suggest putting pencil to paper even if you aren't confident with you're skills, find basic drawing guides like

help.

This way you can structure even the most basic elements of the game's visuals. Concept art is one of the best ways to define the look of a game, no matter who creates it, it helps to lead others in the direction of the vision of the designer. Concepts should be loose and gestures of what you hope to see. Stick to clear silhouettes and obvious shapes. Even collages of reference can help build a visual bible for you or other artists to use as a guide. Remember there is always inspiration for every concept, original ideas come from art imitating meaningful facets of culture and nature. If you're protective of your ideas, a hardcopy is easier to keep safe. If that sort of thing matters to you. Happy designing!

[quote name='Daaark' timestamp='1343512277' post='4964110']
Gimp is great for image manipulation, but isn't there yet when it comes to drawing from scratch.

Gimp has been improved a lot, with version 2.8 (single window mode, improved brush engine), it is really good at painting and image manipulation, and you will have to do a lot with image manipulation when creating a game.[/quote]I'm familiar with 2.8. I have it installed, and I use it regularly. Yes, it has improved a bit. But only when compared with itself. It's not enough just to have options like pencil, brush, etc... but they have to actually work correctly. They still don't.

There is a free program called MyPaint that works fairly well. http://mypaint.intilinux.com/

Thanks everybody for the tips! I found ctrpaint to be the best thing ever. It's a really good quality website and very enjoyable!