Digital Diversions

I have been trying to keep up with technology by doing digital art. That is, I have been painting on a computer using a pen tool on a tablet or drawing directly on a tablet computer. Above is a painting I did in a computer program called "Painter Elements". It is a painting I did from a memory of walking from the Eiffel Tower to the Arch of Triumph in Paris. I used the smearing acrylic paint brush tool. One thing I like about digital art is I don't have to set up all my paints before I begin. And as long as the computer works I don't run out of paint. The cool thing also is that once I make the painting I can quickly come up with different versions or approaches to the subject. The key to making a good digital painting is knowing how to make a good painting using traditional mediums like watercolor, oil or acrylic. Actually the key to making a good digital piece is understanding the the principles of what makes a good painting. The computer is just a medium. So don't throw away your pencil. Click on image to see a larger version.

Below is another treatment of the same painting. On the menu in the paint program was an option that said "wood cut". I clicked on that option and the filter digitally created the linoleum cut print. Kind of cool. Either of these two Paris images are for sale for $20 US dollars plus $4 shipping. They measure 10" x 12.5". Contact me at ken@kenharris.com.

This "pen and Ink" Drawing I did with My Wacom tablet in Painter Essentials. It is a copy of an etching by Albrecht Dürer. It was a good study.

Also below is a sample of a "profile study" I did from the Artist magazine. An artist gave a demonstration of how to paint a portrait that was back lit. I drew this directly onto the screen of my Motion Computing tablet PC with a computer pen. At the bottom is another "tablet" drawing I did in a waiting room of my health care provider. I finished it up in photshop later. I have learned a lot by copying these exercises in art books or of the old masters. Mary Cassat thought it was invaluable to go to a museum set up your easel and copy the work of the old masters. I recently went to a small Picasso exhibit in LA. Even though I am not a fan of Picasso, I noted and learned something from how he did his brush work.