Digital art

Something that's been coming up a lot in conversation lately is Digital art. I'm a varied artist(as most of you have figured out) and I have quite a bit of experience with digital art work. I've done professional Logos, vector graphics, and illustrations in various ways. My digital illustrations were published in a book, and my logos are in use by lawyers and hot dog stands.

There are a couple things I've learned over the years in regards to digital art.

1: People separate it too much from traditional art: it still has tools, and it still depends on HOW you use something not WHAT you use. I've seen people using artists quality paint, create crap, and people using student quality, create works of art that rivals the great masters. This goes for programs, and for tablets too. A better tablet won't make you a better artists, and most of the top of the line artists programs can do the same thing. I've used painter and Photoshop (up to cs3) and I will tell you, there is NOTHING in painter you cant do with photoshop, and vice versa. The difference: how the tools are laid out, and what work is done for you. The problem with programs is, it makes the tools for you. I say if you can paint with no undo button, and just one brush - you're a skilled artist, if you can paint something using every filter, brush, and setting in the program, you're an accomplished nerd.

2: Most people are going to hate me for this generalization, but I remind you that this is my blog. Most of the "painter" type art work out there looks the same. the same half assed unrefined BG's with over painted characters, women mostly, with shiny high points and extreme hot and cold lighting. Its like they've all learned from the same place, and never moved on. OH my biggest pet peeve is the lifeless wispy hair. Gimme a break. I'm sick of regurgitated floaty hair, more than I'm sick of 3d Animated films that would have been better in 2d.

3: Most people think that you can do things digitally that you cant do traditionally - that's only because you haven't figured out how to do it traditionally.

I'm not against digital art. It does have its place, that's for sure. some people don't have as much of a tactile connection to traditional art, and some people just are to addicted to not making mistakes, and some people just prefer it. I know there is a world of people out there, each one with their own reasons, but there is something I would like people to always remember

• You can only learn by making mistakes - Undo Less, try to fix the problem as you would traditionally
• Mistakes in art are sometimes "happy mistakes" Don't get hung up on perfection, no one has ever reached that level in the history of DNA.
• Learn from others, but bring your own elements into your work - fuck wispy hair dammit!
• Use the tools for your expression, don't express the tools - filters are rarely good things, textures are awesome.
• Check out tutorials on the tools that the programs have, and experiment without looking at tutorials others have made on their techniques, at least right off. once you get a grip on the programs a bit, that's a good time to start checking our other tutorials, because then you take those techniques and incorporate into yours, and you aren't just following someone else's work.

Not too ranty I hope :p

Another day, another blog <3