Be Back Soon

I have been away from this and art in general for quite a while, due to a crazy schedule and my computer's ongoing issues. I have finished the calendar! It will be up soon, and close friends and family will get a free copy. I am glad I've completed it, and in good timing. For now, I commit to a sketch a day, and haven't done much of anything bigger than that.

Finishing Touches on 2010 Calendar!

I am super excited to say that I am almost done creating the 2010 calendar I mentioned a few months ago. It is a fractal calendar, featuring 12 of my own fractal creations, all themed and colored for the month they correspond with. My final touches and frames are being added, and I expect it to be available for purchase by mid September. I will definitely update when it is ready!

Artist spotlight is Finally Up!

It took me a bit longer than I had originally thought, but I finally settled on an artist for the month of August 2009. This is the first artist spotlight, so I am sure it is a bit rusty. But I will be updating it with new pictures, prints and info over the rest of August to keep it fresh so check back. Then be sure to check back again in September for the new artist of the month!

I have accepted two profiles sent to me so far for artist of the month, and for this moment I've taken my email address down because I don't wish to receive any more "applications" just yet. I will be putting it back up shortly.

Twofer!

I added a new tutorial to both the written and video tutorial sections. One for Photoshop and the other for Corel painter X. Check 'em out.

Will your picture send the right message?

I had a conversation the other day with a complete stranger. An 80-something year old woman. The two of us rambled on about knitting (a hobby I recently picked up) and art, and she said something that's had me thinking for days. "When you are doing anything, you must have a vision. You must have a plan for the finished product or you will end up lost in the process."

This is something I have heard over and over, and I am sure you have, too. But how many of us follow it? If you have been studying art for any amount of time I'm sure you understand that the plan you had and the finished product are most often different. Sometimes because you changed your mind, or what you wanted just didn't look right when implemented. However, there are a few "golden rules" you need to decide on before you begin your painting (or whatever your chosen media is). One of the most important things to decide is lighting. Lighting set the mood for your painting and without it, your art may not convey much of a message.

The same piece with lighting from above would look very different when lighted from below or behind. Two source of light can create great effects. Think logically about lighting before you begin your art, and you will be much happier with your results.

Of course I wont leave you high and dry, here is a link to a lighting tutorial to get those creative juices flowing. Click here.

Introductions

For as long as I can remember, I've been a fan of art in all its forms. I had prints and posters hanging in my walls of pieces I liked even when I was six. But it wasn't until I was 14 that I began to take interest in learning how to draw or paint, and it wasn't until I was 17 I began to really understand why I loved the freedom art gave me to express anything I wanted. Shortly afterward, I discovered digital art and graphic design, and quickly decided that was the career for me. I began working with Photoshop, learning everything I could from the internet, books, and others while still continuing in traditional media. After many bumps and falls in my life, I finally got a copy of CS3 and a tablet and am completely obsessive. I have also recently discovered Corel Painter X and have been learning the ropes of the program. Being able to use both in harmony to create a final piece really makes my life easier! When I am feeling a monster case of artist's block, I like to take a break from all my normal forms of art and play with Apophysis to get the juices flowing again. Currently I use Beta Verison 2.08 and the 3D hack.

For those of you who have no clue what my last two sentences meant, Apopyhsis is a program that is used to create fractal images such as this and this. There is also a good explanation of what fractals are, as well as pages of gallery imageshere. Finally, Apohysis(Apo, for short) is a free program and if you'd like to play around with it, you can get it here.

I'll be posting pictures I've done, tutorials and tips, links to useful sites, and hopefully I'll be helping others along the way.

My ultimate goal in creating this blog is to share what I've learned and learn more. I have many, many things I'd like to cover, and ever more I'd like to explore and I'd love to share it all as I go along.