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R Allen Swezey

10 Years Ago

Do I Need/want All These Fancy Digital Tools?

Coming from a completely tactile world
Photography Prints
Serving me well for the last 35 of my 77 years.

Throughout these years, I dabbled in 2 dimensional art, particularly drawing with ink:
Sell Art Online

And the last few years, these silly "Feral Coots" drawings:
Art Prints

Learning basic Photoshop, I just used it to colorize those cartoons:
Art Prints


AND NOW,..As I get older, logistics with the face to face peddling of my sculptures becomes more and more difficult...and with the recent turmoil (Hurricane Sandy) I've been thrown into, I'm finding that I have to find other means of income.

SO HERE I AM, in this Cyber Universe, looking for a viable (sellable) formula.

I decided to create something "Pretty"...and 2 days ago, I started "Pixel Pointillism"..It's in it's early primitive stage"
Sell Art Online

I'm using basic Photoshop and my right forefinger on this touch pad to create that image..I found that I prefer this method over the mouse..There is more of a "Tactile" feel to me...And the confounding thing is that I'm Left-Handed!!

THIS MORNING I see a beautiful abstract digital image that apparently using a computer program creating repeated little "3D" spheres..

MY QUESTION IS....Does the actual "Hand-made" virtual spheres have any value??...Or should I get serious, and invest in any tools available to make "Creating" a bit easier????

BTW..Sorry for all the quotation marks.

And I know I'm logged out...and pray that I can copy and save this tome.

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Wendy J St Christopher

10 Years Ago

Off-topic -- @Dan.

"bamboozled" is one of my favorite words; I've always had a weird affection for it. Nice to see it pop up here! :-)

Back to topic . . .

 

Dan Turner

10 Years Ago

Roger,

First and foremost, have fun creating your art. You can use any of the tools any way you like. The undo button (Ctrl Z) is literally a click away.

As you explore and wonder if other programs might work better for you, nearly all of the major players offer 30-day free trials. Take advantage and put them through their paces; see if they fit. The best one(s) will allow you to accomplish tasks the way you want to work.

I personally think Corel's PAINTER belongs in your toolbox, but also look at PAINTER Lite.

Your extensive art background will help you immensely. You already know what you're trying to do; so you won't be bamboozled into accepting what the programs give you by default. Welcome to Digital.

Dan Turner
Dan Turner Fine Art
Dan Turner's Seven Keys to Selling Art Online
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Ricardo De Almeida

10 Years Ago

The "Pixel Pointillism" is great.
Nice 3D effect.

 

Wendy J St Christopher

10 Years Ago

It's all about want, Roger -- not need, as there is more than one way to accomplish most anything.

I've worked with computers, professionally, my entire adult life, and have gone from a climate-controlled, room-sized computers to tiny, hand-held devices.

I have a love/love relationship with my electronic and digital tools and have made an informed, deliberate choice to use them whenever, and in any way that works for me. I want to.

On the other hand, I've never had a cell phone. That's something I decided I could live without.

So, I guess it's all about want and personal choice.

The question of value is subjective. Did 'Pet Rocks' have any value? Yes, as long as the market for them was there.

If you're enjoying your digital pointillism, it's already valuable; if you can sell it, that's a different kind of value. Both can be gratifying.

How you get there is your choice. :-)

 

Roseann Caputo

10 Years Ago

I've found the best application for simulating traditional media is Corel Painter. They have special "paper" and layers for watercolors and pastels.

 

Bob Galka

10 Years Ago

@J L...
This is 100% photoshop from a photo. Using AHB (art history brush). No 3rd party plugins used. Looks like pastels to me anyway.

Art Prints
bob

 

J L Meadows

10 Years Ago

I've found that the real advantage of using digital tools is that they make it easier to make corrections. Say you've painted a watercolor, and an unfortunate drop of water hits the canvas in an area where it will be easily seen and not easily corrected. The painting is ruined, right? Well, maybe the original is, but a quick scan and some corrections using Photoshop will make the painting still valuable as a print. I've used Photoshop and Xara to freshen up and tweak my originals in pastel, acrylic and oil, not just to remove dust and flaws, but to improve upon them (after all, an artist's eye is never satisfied. There's an old saying - "A work of art is never finished. It is abandoned.") I had to teach myself Photoshop, and I'm still learning. I think digital tools do have limitations - it's very hard to do art in digital pastel, for instance - but they're a legitimate form of medium and not a "cheat", as some would have it.

 

Roseann Caputo

10 Years Ago

Only you can answer that. I've found them very useful to me.

 

This discussion is closed.