Thursday, September 22, 2016

Exploring Digital Art: "On the River" Painting


“On the River.” Original Digital Art by Charles Wolf. 
Impulsive Artistry © 2016. All Rights Reserved. 

I have wanted to dabble in Digital Art for sometime now, to explore the medium a bit, and find out if I liked it before purchasing professional software (at some point in the future). Like most of us when starting a new project, I turned to Google for help to learn about free painting programs that I could download. Would they be as powerful as the higher-end painting software? Of course not, but it enabled me to try it out. I settled on Inkscape, a free program that you can download and use yourself at the link below. Just so you know, I am not gaining any monetary compensation for this review, but I am seeking to provide my readers with creative avenues for their artistry.


Admittedly, it took me a little bit to get used to the interface. I also know that I only scratched the surface of what Inkscape can do, when I created this landscape scene. I feel that with time and practice, I might be able to achieve some very neat effects with this surprisingly complex program. I believe the purpose of this program is to act like MS Paint, particularly to create clip art, so trying to make paintings with it is possible, but requires some patience throughout the process and you attempt to bend the software to your will. :  )

This is only my first attempt in the art form, and I fairly pleased with the result. I used the calligraphy tool, a basic palette of greens and light blues mostly, and added a pixelating filter at the end to blend the image more like a traditional painting.

What are the benefits of digital art:

  • No mess — no paint, no drop cloths, no brushes to clean afterwards.

  • Speed, with some practice, I think you could create these works very quickly, just click the color you want (no mixing here) and away you go!

  • Paint anywhere in the house or even on the go – anywhere you can take a laptop or tablet you can paint!

  •  Free (to get started) – no buying expensive paint, brushes, palette knives, canvases, just download the program and start creating.


What are cons to digital art:

  • Without buying high-end software, it is difficult to achieve very realistic painting effects. But if you are not going for realism, then it should be just fine.

  • Many different painting programs out there (free and paid) so finding the right one may be tricky.

  • Learning to use the interface initially takes time and patience.

Questions of the Day:

Do you like this style of art? 
Would like to see/learn more about digital art?

Let me know in the comments below or on the Impulsive Artistry Facebook or Twitter!


If you are interested in painting or finding a new creative outlet, then give Digital Art a try. I so enjoyed trying to create this piece that I think I will paint a few more this way very soon!

Have a great artistic weekend,

—Charles

Subscribe to Impulsive Artistry:

Enter your email address:


Delivered by FeedBurner

Follow Impulsive Artistry: 





No comments: