2007
I had to take a few minutes for myself to doodle in Painter. Here are the results: a brand-new hat, complete with a rose made of ribbon.
The brush I used is another unusual one, just like the Tubsim brush used in the Pink Calla Lilies Painting, except this one has an unusual shape and is very “oily” in feel and in appearance. Overall, I’m very happy with this quick doodle!
So, who ordered this new hat?
I just wrapped up the next Q&A (Art Class) section for Issue 11 of Corel Painter Official Magazine by Imagine Publishing, Ltd. Again, I don’t want to give out all of the questions, but here is the completed image for one of the questions. Be on the lookout for the issue to premier at the Painter Magazine website!
Can you guess what the question was?
When looking at the stats for the blog, one key phrase seems to appear more than any other for search terms: “artist studio layout” or some other close variation. I did a quick search and found I’m in the Top 10 for that key phrase in Yahoo! So welcome to my studio Yahoo! Search users.
This is an older picture of the main section of my studio, but I still have the same basic layout. My setup includes a spacious, organized (sometimes) desk and comfy leather chair, Alienware Area-51 PC with all the trimmings, 24″ Widescreen and 19″ Standard LCD Displays, 6×8 Wacom Intuos 2 Pen Tablet, Canon i9900 printer, 5.1 Surround Sound Speakers for good painting music, and my trusty, worn keyboard (see the white spots). On the more boring front, I also have storage for hanging files and paperwork, pens, pencils and other office materials. I also have a lot of my own art on the walls including some unfinished canvases in acrylic; maybe I should photograph them and finish them digitally? This space accommodates everything I need to create my art and also surrounds me with some of the things I love which aids in the creative process. Above all, it is “ME” and suits my needs.
Being a predominantly digital artist, my main setup may be a bit different from a traditional artist. Since I draw and paint using my PC, I don’t keep my paints, brushes, pencils at my main desk. These supplies are at the other side of the studio on another desk. The traditional painting desk has canvas storage space, shelving for paint tubes and bottles, various brushes, and all my other supplies. Since this side is less used, it is more compact. Luckily, if I need more space, I can just move some materials to another part of the studio and really spread out.
What do you have in your studio or what have you gathered together for your studio?
Issue 10 of the Official Corel Painter Magazine is up for sale on their website today! Grab yours before they’re gone. For those of you who may have missed the sneak peek for this Issue’s “Art Class (Q&A)” section, go check it out!
I’ll also have a sneak peek for Issue 11 posted very soon. Keep your eyes on this space!
Coming in early 2008, Digital Art Academy promises to be “The Next Generation in Digital Art Training.” Through a forum-based online classroom, you’ll be able to learn all things digital art related from some very well-known digital artists and designers. I won’t give out too much information on who to expect as instructors, but you will see ME there!
I will be making my formal teaching debut when the Academy opens with a 4-week introductory course for Adobe® Illustrator® CS3 and possibly three more levels of Illustrator for those of you who may have experience with the software. The enrollment fee for the first level will be a steal at around $35 for the entire 4-week program (enrollment info to come later).
These classes are going to be packed full of great information and fun lessons! By the end of the course, students will be able to move into vector creation and editing and bring a whole new dimension to their work.
Illustrator is a very versatile program suited to all sorts of digital art and design. For instance, all of my web design and commercial art projects start in Illustrator. I’ve mixed it with Photoshop and Painter and I’ve even created traditional paintings in acrylic that start life on Illustrator’s Artboard! Being such a versatile and powerful application, I believe everyone involved in digital art should have some experience with it. It opens so many opportunities.
Of course, my Illustrator classes only touch the tip of the iceberg with everything planned. The opening of Digital Art Academy is going to be an exciting event! Don’t miss the grand opening; save those gifted holiday dollars to invest in your art education with all of us at Digital Art Academy — are you going to be there?
Happy Halloween
Issue 9 of the Official Corel Painter Magazine is listed as “on sale” at the Painter Magazine site. I ordered mine; have you ordered yours?
As part of my recent trip to the Smoky Mountain Learning Center in Whittier, NC, JR vanLienden (one of the owners of the school) took us out for a couple of photo shoots at a few of the area waterfalls. Coincidentally, JR leads photography outings and workshops as part of the school’s offerings. Check out their website for more information and to book your workshop with JR.
The first of the shoots was at sunset on Monday evening. Despite losing light quickly, the setting was perfect for some great photos! With a few tips from JR, here are some of my better shots from that evening:
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The next shoot was in the early morning on Wednesday. Leaving at 6AM, we were on location and hiking down the side of a mountain by 8AM, cameras and equipment in tow, with perfectly overcast skies. Here are some of my favorites from that outing:
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Unfortunately, with the strange weather patterns this year, the leaves had only just started changing colors, so we missed the dazzling show of oranges, reds and yellows this time, but there’s always next year!