Another brushes app piece

Okay folks...let's face it...I'm not quite up to speed on all the blog stuff yet. The layout of this blog sucks and I can't get it right. You'd think a programmer type like me would be able to quickly analyze and find solutions to my questions...not yet. I'm working on it and I promise at some point this blog will be better looking and easier to read.

In the meantime, my forays into making art in the digital realm have continued. I downloaded the 30 day trial of Corel Painter X. Up until this point I've been making digital art on my iPhone with the brushes app (which rocks for a tiny iPhone app). I've even heard that there is an update coming out for the brushes app that adds even more functionality...I'm waiting impatiently.

I'm just taking my first steps with the Painter X software. While using the Painter software I'm using my Wacom graphics tablet with a pen stylus (versus my finger on the iPhone screen) and obviously I have a MUCH larger screen space. Additionally I have access to hundreds of virtual art implements generically called brushes within Painter. These range from oil painting brushes, acrylic painting brushes, pens, pencils, felt tip pens, watercolor brushes, and on an on.

Since there is so much functionality in this software, I decided I needed to find a book that would lay out all the fundamentals for me. I headed out today to our local bookstores to see if I could find a book on Corel Painter. Much to my dismay, the folks ordering the books for the Paducah bookstores apparently aren't that interested in digital art and not a single one could be had. Later I'll be surfing on over to amazon.com to see what they have on their bookshelves.

I only have one new piece that I've been able to complete. This one was done on the iPhone with the brushes app. It's of another neighborhood friend's dog whose name is Francie:

Welcome to art in the digital realm

I moved to Paducah Kentucky from California three years ago, primarily to slow the pace of my life and to capture time to pursue making art. But, as is the case sometimes, life has different plans.

I have a semi full time job that came with me from California, which thankfully, I love. I work as a data conversion programmer in the health care industry. Semi full time means I'm a contract programmer and I get work when there is overflow that the full time employees can't handle. Last year it was touch and go with extra idle time. This year it's been 45+ hours a week just trying to keep up. So, having said that, I don't have the slower pace which allows me studio time for traditional painting pursuits.

I've been thinking about how I can find bits and pieces of time to make art. What could I do in those moments between work tasks, aside from sketching in a journal? I want to feel the creative juice that flows when making art.

I recently acquired two things...an iPhone and a graphics tablet. I've just discovered that there are many programs for the iPhone that allow you to create miniature pieces of art. Tiny little applications that are very much like Photoshop or Painter where one can paint virtually through a computer interface. The graphics tablet works in the same fashion but on a much larger scale using a pen with the tablet on the computer versus a fingertip on the iPhone.

There are an amazing amount of people making art on their iPhones...and really great art in my opinion. There are also phenomenal pieces to be found that are a result of a graphics tablet in a capable person's hands.

My goal for this blog is singular, to capture my moments of creativity (whether they be good or bad) and talk about the process of making art in the digital realm.

After a week of finding moments here and there between work tasks, I've managed to compile a small amount of pieces.

iPhone brushes app: first piece

iPhone brushes app: trying to figure out the tools

iPhone brushes app: one of my girls

iPhone brushes app: another girl

So my next question was...can I really produce something in my traditional painting style using a digital interface with either a graphics tablet or my fingertip on a tiny iPhone screen? I decided to go as small as I possibly could, using the iPhone brushes app (of course the app can enlarge your image to 400 percent for easier painting). I was determined to spend time on creating a dog portrait in the style I was accustomed to. The answer to the question was...yes I can. Following is my take on one of my dearest friend's beautiful whippets, Lindy Loo:

iPhone brushes app: Lindy Loo