Ready at the Trigger
24/August/2009
Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.
Albert Einstein
Ready at the Trigger- Acrylic on gessoed hardboard
Ready at the Trigger, is the latest in a continuing series of figurative, personal paintings I’ve been working on in between illustration projects. It was painted with acrylics on a 36”x20” piece of hardboard that I had prepped with three coats of toned gesso.
On viewing this painting, and other recent personal works, I was asked if I find it confusing to move back and forth from digital to traditional media. My answer is no, not at all. In fact, I it very easy moving from what is now commonly referred to as traditional media, to the electronic side of things. In many ways the traditional experience serves to reinforce the digital one. Maybe this is due to the fact that I learned how to sling paint before pixels. Of course the foundations of good painting are the same no matter what media is used; solid drawing, composition, design, value, color. These elements will all make or break a piece of art no matter what materials are used to create it.
We all know the obvious differences, like no “Undo” command when working with traditional media. This means you have to think a little more, do a bit more planning. No easily created layers of experimentation, no “Copy” or “Paste” options either. For the most part what you see is what you get. Lay down the stroke with a loaded brush and you either live with the result, (or wipe it off quickly, wet rag- hurry!), or work much harder to make any needed correction to your misguided attempts later on. Traditional painting therefore raises the stakes considerably. Hey, that’s one of the main reasons to work digitally as an illustrator since we are constantly subject to, “the whims of change.”
One difference that I rarely hear mentioned though, is the knowledge required when working traditionally, to mix various hues, in order to achieve a desired new color. I’m not talking about color theory. Color theory itself is media independent, and not what I refer to. What I’m talking about is the selecting and blending of paint on the pallet. Knowing which combination of hues mixed together, (or overlaid to some extent), will create a desired new shade. Most digital artists seem to select their colors “pre-mixed” from either an unlimited range via a color wheel, or from within a color set. Painter (and there may be other programs as well), has tried to fill the gap, by including the ability to color blend with its “Mixer” feature. It’s a good attempt at replicating the real world experience of mixing your own color, but still can’t compare with the idiosyncrasies of physical media.
Overall, however, digital painting for me is very similar to the real thing. My approach is much the same in terms of the steps involved and even the way I apply color. You can compare the creation of a digital work with a traditionally painted one, by viewing the demo movie below and the demo of this digitally painted piece, Nativity.
Ready at the Trigger- detail.
Albert Einstein
Ready at the Trigger- Acrylic on gessoed hardboard
Ready at the Trigger, is the latest in a continuing series of figurative, personal paintings I’ve been working on in between illustration projects. It was painted with acrylics on a 36”x20” piece of hardboard that I had prepped with three coats of toned gesso.
On viewing this painting, and other recent personal works, I was asked if I find it confusing to move back and forth from digital to traditional media. My answer is no, not at all. In fact, I it very easy moving from what is now commonly referred to as traditional media, to the electronic side of things. In many ways the traditional experience serves to reinforce the digital one. Maybe this is due to the fact that I learned how to sling paint before pixels. Of course the foundations of good painting are the same no matter what media is used; solid drawing, composition, design, value, color. These elements will all make or break a piece of art no matter what materials are used to create it.
We all know the obvious differences, like no “Undo” command when working with traditional media. This means you have to think a little more, do a bit more planning. No easily created layers of experimentation, no “Copy” or “Paste” options either. For the most part what you see is what you get. Lay down the stroke with a loaded brush and you either live with the result, (or wipe it off quickly, wet rag- hurry!), or work much harder to make any needed correction to your misguided attempts later on. Traditional painting therefore raises the stakes considerably. Hey, that’s one of the main reasons to work digitally as an illustrator since we are constantly subject to, “the whims of change.”
One difference that I rarely hear mentioned though, is the knowledge required when working traditionally, to mix various hues, in order to achieve a desired new color. I’m not talking about color theory. Color theory itself is media independent, and not what I refer to. What I’m talking about is the selecting and blending of paint on the pallet. Knowing which combination of hues mixed together, (or overlaid to some extent), will create a desired new shade. Most digital artists seem to select their colors “pre-mixed” from either an unlimited range via a color wheel, or from within a color set. Painter (and there may be other programs as well), has tried to fill the gap, by including the ability to color blend with its “Mixer” feature. It’s a good attempt at replicating the real world experience of mixing your own color, but still can’t compare with the idiosyncrasies of physical media.
Overall, however, digital painting for me is very similar to the real thing. My approach is much the same in terms of the steps involved and even the way I apply color. You can compare the creation of a digital work with a traditionally painted one, by viewing the demo movie below and the demo of this digitally painted piece, Nativity.
Ready at the Trigger- detail.