Sunday, March 30, 2014

Digital Drawing Day - Green and Growing

A busy week of travel for both June and me, but what do you know, we both managed to complete our weekly homework. Here is June's very charming interpretation of a New Yorker cover. 

June



This one was fun, mostly because someone else did the hard work.

I unabashedly stole the basic image from the New Yorker cover, "Window Box", by Juliet Borda, Sept 7, 1998.

The original is, of course, much better, but this was fun.

Galaxy Note 10.1 with Pen; PhotoShop 6.0 with Wacom stylus and tablet.
.....................................................

Terry


A lot of experimentation going on here to get to my idea of the kind of painting I would like to paint if I was using real paint. I drew the foreground branches and leaves from observation of a plant at my house. It was a pretty straightforward digital drawing done on several layers that I eventually merged. Then a background. This was actually the fun part. I took a photo in my yard of a kind of generic foliage background and put it on a layer behind the drawing. Then, using the filters in Sketch Club, I blurred it (the photo) and smooshed  it and adjusted the color, then layered some texture over it with several of the custom brushes.  Then I saved the whole thing and opened it in the Glaze app and tried out the paint stroke textures until I found the one I liked.  

iPad, Sketch Club and Glaze apps, New Trent Arcadia stylus 
..................................
Next week's prompt: "The Worries in My Head." [Now there's a fertile field -- the difficulty will be to settle on one].
..................................
My friend, Susan Gallacher-Turner makes, among many things, ceramic masks. This week she blogged about how she used a drawing program on her iPad to try out glazing ideas for two of her masks. This is great! What a clever use of the apps. You have to see what she's done! http://sculptingalife.blogspot.com/2014/03/digital-drawing-using-it-as-design-tool.html

5 comments:

  1. What's funny to me is that Terry is using the digital medium as if she were a painter and I'm trying desperately to upgrade my (minimal) graphic skills. One of these days I will actually have a neat black line, intermittent of course, around one of my images. Ta-ta -- the exciting life of the artist!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Funny June, I was going to say that this week you have sort of swapped roles, and then to read your comment.
    I think Susan's idea of working out what to put on a mask is a good one. I think it would also be a good idea of those of us who design garments. you could work out the scale of any style feature with out having to fret about sketchings and rubbings out on a croquis. I think it would really make a difference because it is a bit more 'real' in digital.
    So, I think you could make up a basic garment, take a photo, and then use the photo as a beginning layer. sleeves collars and other basic things could be added or removed with the tools. and so you could go on to have a good look at the unique things you want to add to this particular garment. Should it be longer? shorter, subtle style lines or lines which are more visible. and so on.

    I can see it as a way to help you be more productive because sometimes you are a bit frozen as you muddle your way through ideas in your mind before attempting them. Particularly freeing you from worrying about 'wasting fabric'.

    No, I don't have an Ipad, but I think I could use PSP in similar ways.
    Hmmm!
    Sandy in the UK

    ReplyDelete
  3. June's comment is interesting, because the results have seemed to follow different paths as you each progress. So I'm curious, Terry...I know this started as a "learn the tool" project for you, but would you find an application for quilt design?... something similar to Susan's mask "painting?" I love the subtlety in the colors of your leaves. Thanks for sharing these.

    ReplyDelete
  4. In m blog post http://victoriaedm1.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/digital-drawing-day-green-and-growing.html I was actually using the digital drawing for the first of a series of art quilts and I think the scribbling actually approximates my thread painting. So, like susan, I am finding this to be a great design tool.
    I love the filters and effects you are getting terry. I will have to be a bit more adventurous there. And June, I know what you mean about a straight line. Because the stylus is so slippery, whilst a pencil or brush has friction, it takes a little getting used to and straight lines are very difficult, or at least I find them so. Another problem I have is that because I do a lot of free motion, I have taught mself to not lift m pencil much and I need to retrain myself with the stylus. Otherwise, when I undo, I lose too much area of sketching!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I really like the leaves and the background you created Terry. I've been watching your progress and can see that this medium does have it's possibilities. The masks have proven that it's a valuable design tool to try out different ideas. It's growing on me ;-)

    ReplyDelete