Me digital? Naaaaah.
I got several comments in the last blog entry-it has been out and out crazy with things this week, so nothing new-but I felt I wanted to re-assure people I'm not "going digital". The problem I have with CG or digital art is the basic idea that, it has no "original". Also, I like the tactile feel of paint going onto canvas. The inherent problem with digital art is that it stems from the use of the same programs. In other words, no matter where you go, there you are-Photoshop looks like Photoshop, and so on. And I have alot of this stuff onhand anyway-I have a nice Wacom tabet that I have yet to fully use. Which brings me to the next issue-the money spent on software that is constantly in a state of update to the point that unless one backs up one's work on new storage hardware, then eventually the older work will not be accessible.
All this said....I do dabble. What I am doing is a book involving dinosaurs matched in with photos. My end of things is very tradtional-pencil work. The pencils will be augmented with digital coloring and touching up, by someone else. It's a wholly commercial job, and it's a major commission so I couldn't ignore it and it provided a chance to be involved in producing a whole book as a team effort. More on all this later.....
But not to worry, I would never give up painting-I'll be one of the "dinosaurs" myself if that be the case. So far, I must be doing something right.
All this said....I do dabble. What I am doing is a book involving dinosaurs matched in with photos. My end of things is very tradtional-pencil work. The pencils will be augmented with digital coloring and touching up, by someone else. It's a wholly commercial job, and it's a major commission so I couldn't ignore it and it provided a chance to be involved in producing a whole book as a team effort. More on all this later.....
But not to worry, I would never give up painting-I'll be one of the "dinosaurs" myself if that be the case. So far, I must be doing something right.
posted by Bob Eggleton (Zillabob) | 10:34 PM
4 Comments:
If only we could all be "dinosaurs" like you, Bob.
The problems you mention are daily concerns for me. saving in archival formats and resisting upgrading for the sake of upgrading are ways around them.
I haven't been able to resolve the "Original" issue either. The idea of "Limited Edition" prints is distasteful to me and I think it undermines the value of the art in general.
Digital has been a godsend for those who have tight graphics deadlines but for the sheer enjoyment don't some people revert to the "classic" media when they need to feel close to the art?
Digital art still has its problems but in the hands of skilled artists (many trained traditionally) there is some beautiful and thoughtful work emerging.
Digital does AMAZING stuff for things like TRANSFORMERS and such. I'm quite blown away by some of the concept work I see in films-it's a neccessity there. And while I have a bunch of software and stuff to get started...I haven't had TIME to do so. I'd love to see what I can do. But, trust me, the oils will never dry up on me!
Digital is a tremendous medium for production work (in my world, concept work and production art for film). It has the adventage of speed and easy collaboration. It is also super fast to tweak and edit, and to a director, it is all about the iterations that evolve the images into the realm of the film. The more iterations, the closer one gets to the "vision", and digital certainly provides more iterations before the deadline pops.
However, ALL the art I collect and hang on my walls is original paint. To me traditional painting is still where fine art is found. Not to say a gifted artist can't do incredible work in digital (they do!) but for me there is something exciting about seeing the brush strokes, seeing where the artist physically touched the canvas and moved the paint around, knowing it is a totally unique work.
It is really personal preference, and there are no right and wrong answers, but to me it is like a music score... A composer writes a wonderful score for a film. At first a demo is made using samplers and synths, lots of changes and tweaking. It sounds good. But then the 80 piece orchestra cranks up and performs the score with real acoustic instruments -- WOW! Huge difference! Both mediums played a key role and served their purpose, but guess which recording I listen to at home!
John
Indeed-no right or wrong answers. Digital is exactly a great thing for movies in all phases up to and including the finished film. The big trick is making people understand, digital is not just "click and push a key". No, it needs talent.
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