Digital Painting - some methods

Thought I would show some digital sketches made with Painter IX to give an idea of the ways graphics programs can be used which might help newcomers to the genre – though I’m still finding my way myself. The first is a Flower Study set up in my studio and drawn directly on the computer screen with a graphics tablet and stylus. I’ve drawn it against a toned ground rather like a pastel paper. If I were to take this further I would attempt a loose pastel study on the smooth side of Canson Mi Teintes. http://robertkirk.co.uk/digitalGallery/flowerStudy2.html For the second I used a pen sketch sketch taken from a footpath which leads to our village church. The sketch was scanned and opened in Painter. I used the sketch as an underdrawing in just the same way as I would if working in say pastel, oil or acrylic. Very little of the original sketch shows it now resides underneath the painted layer. If I chose I could reveal it by turning off the painting layer – open a new blank layer and start again. Anyone who has worked with Photoshop is probably familiar with the concept of ‘layers’ http://robertkirk.co.uk/digitalGallery/myVillage.html The last one is based on a pencil sketch drawn on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path near Broad Haven. I worked just as I sometimes do in acrylic on canvas with the sketch as reference at the side. I like starting by freely floating colour on the canvas – though this time the canvas is a computer screen – to try to relive the memory and capture the spirit of the place. As the evolving colour harmonies develop I use the information provided by the sketch to refine and define the elements of the composition. As a final touch I imported the boat by using another sketch. The boat is normally berthed 40 or so miles north along the Welsh coast at Barmouth – having a day out as it were! http://robertkirk.co.uk/digitalGallery/pembrokeCoast.html Although to get the best out of programs like Painter you need a graphics tablet and stylus. That said I’ve seen very attractive digital paintings on other forums created with an optical mouse. An optical or a laser mouse offer a reasonable degree of control. There are also free trial versions available for download or on CD from magazines. Note digital paintings like these can be done without any reference to photographs – there I go on my hobby horse again!