I used to view digital paintings as inferior to “real” paintings, requiring less skill. I’ve since come to realize the skill of digital work is no less challenging, and the medium can be every bit as sincere. Digital paintings require the artist to mix and apply specific color, value, texture, layers, and transparency – all of the decision making that “real” painting requires – but digital comes with some extra surprises like curves that change the color palette to ideas I never could have imagined, and there is something liberating about being able to try things without fear you’ll ruin something, whether you just started the painting, or are looking to see how far you can take something you’ve been developing for countless hours. Or what if you get the painting to an inspired place where you can see it going in multiple directions? You don’t need to choose just one! For me, the most valuable asset is that digital removes the dry time and the cleanup. In fact, I’ve recently started carrying my tablet so I can practice new ways of painting when I’m not able to get to the studio. It has been training my brain and keeping me in the game even when I’m busy.
Below are a few sketches from Keith’s Beginning Procreate class.
This is one in a series of posts showcasing a selection of artwork made by League artists during the last year in quarantine. These artwork pics are borrowed from our online class archives. Instead of viewing these as finished artworks, we hope you will appreciate the excitement of these experimental works in process.
Model and Chair by Ruthie V. 10×8″ drypoint on grey BFK What a great day! Nikki and I hung out in the studio and made drypoint prints. The image above was my favorite of the day. It was scratched into plexiglass using 220 grit sandpaper and a diamond tipped scribe, then printed on grey BFK. I …
[image_with_animation image_url=”8262″ alignment=”” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] I asked Paul D. McKee who some inspirational painters were for his upcoming Unconventional Painting workshop. He sent me this: Robert Rauschenberg David Wojnarowicz Anselm Kiefer Lawrence Carroll I knew the first three names (V-Notes on the way), and thank you to Suzanne Walker for repeatedly saying the name “Wojnarowicz” in …
With strong artistic similarities to Alice Neel in figurative portraiture, Aliza Nisenbaum’s large scale angled figures lead the eye across the composition, and her sharp colors stay fresh, not overworked. Like Neel, Nisenbaum paints small areas of contrasting colors of yellow and purple, pink and green, next to each other to show the variety …
Above: A beautiful example of multi-layered blending by Sharon Kingston Blending The most common way to kill the vitality in a painting, blending is a smooth transition between two colors, painted when wet. This is difficult to do with acrylic because it dries so danged fast, so using a slow drying paint like Golden OPEN Acrylics might help. 3 Blending …
Artworks with an “Undo” button; Online Anniversary Show Continues
I used to view digital paintings as inferior to “real” paintings, requiring less skill. I’ve since come to realize the skill of digital work is no less challenging, and the medium can be every bit as sincere. Digital paintings require the artist to mix and apply specific color, value, texture, layers, and transparency – all of the decision making that “real” painting requires – but digital comes with some extra surprises like curves that change the color palette to ideas I never could have imagined, and there is something liberating about being able to try things without fear you’ll ruin something, whether you just started the painting, or are looking to see how far you can take something you’ve been developing for countless hours. Or what if you get the painting to an inspired place where you can see it going in multiple directions? You don’t need to choose just one! For me, the most valuable asset is that digital removes the dry time and the cleanup. In fact, I’ve recently started carrying my tablet so I can practice new ways of painting when I’m not able to get to the studio. It has been training my brain and keeping me in the game even when I’m busy.
Below are a few sketches from Keith’s Beginning Procreate class.
This is one in a series of posts showcasing a selection of artwork made by League artists during the last year in quarantine. These artwork pics are borrowed from our online class archives. Instead of viewing these as finished artworks, we hope you will appreciate the excitement of these experimental works in process.
Monster big doggy!
Related Posts
Printmaking as a Complement to Painting
Model and Chair by Ruthie V. 10×8″ drypoint on grey BFK What a great day! Nikki and I hung out in the studio and made drypoint prints. The image above was my favorite of the day. It was scratched into plexiglass using 220 grit sandpaper and a diamond tipped scribe, then printed on grey BFK. I …
Lawrence Carroll
[image_with_animation image_url=”8262″ alignment=”” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] I asked Paul D. McKee who some inspirational painters were for his upcoming Unconventional Painting workshop. He sent me this: Robert Rauschenberg David Wojnarowicz Anselm Kiefer Lawrence Carroll I knew the first three names (V-Notes on the way), and thank you to Suzanne Walker for repeatedly saying the name “Wojnarowicz” in …
Aliza Nisenbaum’s Labor Portraits
With strong artistic similarities to Alice Neel in figurative portraiture, Aliza Nisenbaum’s large scale angled figures lead the eye across the composition, and her sharp colors stay fresh, not overworked. Like Neel, Nisenbaum paints small areas of contrasting colors of yellow and purple, pink and green, next to each other to show the variety …
Blending Techniques for Painters
Above: A beautiful example of multi-layered blending by Sharon Kingston Blending The most common way to kill the vitality in a painting, blending is a smooth transition between two colors, painted when wet. This is difficult to do with acrylic because it dries so danged fast, so using a slow drying paint like Golden OPEN Acrylics might help. 3 Blending …