Process & Tutorials

    I'm still so new to digital art. I've been pounding away at it for almost three years, but I am FAR from concurring the beast! But when I learn something new, I've got to share how I put it to use.
Not long ago, I learned how to make an Image Hose in Painter 11 here Image Hose Tutorial
Now this is a risky tool. It can ruin a piece if overused, and I hope this will offer an example of proper usage.

   For the latest page of my Steampunk Anthology piece, I needed to picture plants growing over buildings, being poisoned by men in safety suits. It started with this photo I took a couple of years ago on a trip to New York City.  After a little noodling in Painter, I had this;    




Then came the fun Part! Making up the image hose.
Years ago I pressed some flowers in a poetry book. I fond them awhile back
and decided to scan them into the computer, and this is what I had.

Following the directions in the tutorial, I made an image hose from all, and while playing around with it found it to be the answer to my plant problems in this piece. The Aged, weathered & warn appearance of these pressed flowers from long ago worked perfectly along with some fall leaves processed in the same manner.    







 All the other elements worked up and combined, I think It worked out perfectly for the effect I was going for in this page.

Having trouble with the text tool in painter. My just be the font I've chosen, but I may need to use Pages to reassemble the page and fix the problem, but all in all I was really happy with the new process I discovered, and I think It worked out really well for this piece.    

 

How collaboration brings about Progress

Some times in the solitude of the artistic life, you find yourself wondering if you have made any progress what soever. Locked in the fervent battle of line, value, composition and color, hours pass unnoticed, and when you come up for air, your mind can be so muddled that you can't make that distinction. I have concluded that it must be a rare individual that can subsist on their own with out the vantage point of an exterior view. I indeed wonder if such an individual exists. A truly successful individual that is. So I must give pause to praise those who give of themselves in an effort to lend their eyes, ears and voices, both literal and metaphorical to the encouragement and betterment of their fellow artists.
YES! Praise to the collaborative effort! To my Art buddies over at the http://Illopond.com      
       Just to demonstrate how you can benefit from the constructive criticism of other artists, here are a couple of pages from my contribution to "8 A SteamPunk Anthology" a "Before and After"
if you will, of how listening to the comments can motivate you to reach the next level in your creative life.

TA DAAA! Hows that? 

Well, I hope there have been improvements any way. Perhaps my muddled brain wishes, but I feel that it is a vast improvement in paneling as well as in the execution if the visuals. The befores were done a little over a year ago, and the afters I just finished up tonight.  

I think this highlights also the importance of letting go of the precious, realizing that even your best work, in your mind, can be made better if you are willing to do so. Case in point, I tried to cut corners and fidge  with the boys illustration in panel one and using it in panel four, COUGHT! thanks Mark! Ill hammer out another one. So I'm still not done with this one. Nice to know that even

completely rejected concepts, are beneficial in what you learn from their execution, so nothing is waste.         

You know, I think this is true not only as far as our artistic endeavors, but also for our growth as human beings.  We have to learn from each other and trust each other. Everyone has a perspective that is different from our own, and from that perspective we can find much which can be used to better ourselves.    

What lies Ahead

Our Steam Punk anthology project is moving right along, and it is affording me opportunity to rethink and retool some rejected concepts for GREW. 

This 8 page story will serve as a prequel to GREW and I hope will properly set the mood for the major work to follow. All of my book-mates have very strong projects in process, and I cant wait to show it all to the world! Our goal is to have the anthology wrapped up and at the printers by the end of February 2011, affording me opportunity to take along issues to Wondercon in San Francisco in April. All booth space in Artist Alley and in small press are full. I've submitted an application to get us on the waiting list. I just hope there are cancelations so we can represent.       

So we look hopefully to the future, and in the mean time breath life in to what is shaping up to be a stunning Project. 

New Steam Punk Prequel

I'm so excited about my latest side project. I am working again with the best group imaginable!
Mark Harmon, Chris Tupa, Lee Wiley, Clint Sutton,  Zack Bosteel, Myself, and a newbe to the group Jeremy Wilson, and perhaps a BIG surprise contributor (Hopefully more on that later)  are producing
yet another Anthology 8 project.  8 A Steam Punk Anthology. Geared for a mid to older teen audience this one promises to be one incredible book!  Here is a sneak peak!

Check out our first offering 8 a Kids Anthology it turned out So nice!

And don't forget to check out my first all ages comic available for the first time anywhere over at Indyplanet.com 

So excited about it. Please tell everyone you know!   

and come join in all the fun over at the Illopond.com Lots of Collaborating going on!!!  
 http://illopond.com