Afraid of the Dark

Creeping closer and closer to Halloween night, we are.  What’s out there?  What’s in the closet?  What’s in the basement?  Darkness.

Happy Halloween!

Below is a quick digital painting tutorial at it’s most basic.  Quite traditional, were it not for the Wacom stylus and tablet.  This piece could just as easily been created with acrylic or oil paint on canvas.  All I’ve  done here is transfer traditional painting skills into Photoshop via my Mac.  Digital work need not appear slick and shiny. You maintain control over the medium.  Do not be afraid to give it a try.

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A Little Scary

Halloween:A little scary and a little exciting.

October is Halloween’s month.  Halloween makes anything seem possible if one is willing to take a risk.  October’s crisp breezes taunt us with possibilities.   But, as the days grow shorter, the allure of  October warns that opportunities may soon be waning.    All too soon, crisp will become cold and winter will shroud our adventurous impulses with a desire for warmth and security.

Before November thwarts us, release the devilish muses niggling at your artistic sensibilities,  Come on,  let’s travel to the space of  an alternate universe before it’s too late.  This is a place of endless possibilities. Take the risk.  Go to your computer, find a paint application, take the mouse into your hand and draw! If you can stand it, try the color panel.  Adjust your  line.  Warning#1: We are entering dangerous territory. You may need to purchase Adobe Photoshop, Corel Painter, or spring for an upgrade.  Warning#2: Once you’ve entered this place, the purchase of a Wacom tablet may lurk in multiple dimensions of your future. The faint of heart will turn away now.  But if you are fearless, we can support one another and explore the unknown together.

“Scary” digital tutorials will be offered throughout October.   Send me evidence of your digital explorations and I will post them.   Send me comments or questions if you dare.

Stay with me!  I’m afraid of the dark!

Back To School:How’s it going?

Most students are back at school. The September phase that I like to call “transition” is in place.  It’s the settling in period- for parents, college students, and K-12’s alike.  Teachers must experience this too.  It’s about becoming comfortable with new terrain.  In my experience, “transition” seems to last approximately  two weeks.

I’ve  played with a couple of visual translations of the “transition” state. They are all digital illustrations, and I’ve included the steps in the process of making them.

I’d love to illustrate your “transition” stories throughout the month of September. So, leave me a comment describing how you’re feeling about going back to school. How was the first day?  Do you find yourself lodging with a particularly interesting new roommate?  Will the first day of middle school vividly reside in your memory forever?  Have you recently graduated, but still feel the pull of this back to school passage?  Parents, teachers, you count too.  How are you feeling about this annual autumnal migration?

Sketches brought to you by the glories of Photoshop and Wacom tablets: