Confession: I collect arty apps like other people collect, ummm…other things. Imagine that! I’ve played with them a bit from time to time but have never been happy with the results. Everything always came out looking too digital. Like that one over there (arrow pointing right).
Go figure.
Well this weekend I had this AHA! moment, this flash of inspiration that said maybe it’s not the apps’ fault. Repeat, please…maybe it’s not the app’s fault!
Maybe I needed to treat them as any other art TOOL and not a toy.
Maybe I should learn how to use them.
Sometimes I astound myself with maybes.
So I decided to explore Procreate. This is a digital illustration app complete with layers, more layers and a full selection of mark making tools. But I ran into the same issues I’ve had with apps in the past…the end results looked contrived. Looked like cartoons. Nothing against ‘toons but that’s not the look I was going for.
And then one of the many voices in my head, one of the nice ones, said something I needed to hear. She said stick to your own style!
MY. STYLE. You know, the way I normally paint… scribbles and layers and textures and whatever else I throw into the pot. Approach it like one of my paintings sans air guitar and Da Boss. Instead of the studio I was on the sofa. My feet were up on the coffee table and the dogs were snuggled on either side of me.
AND THERE WAS NOTHING TO CLEAN UP!!!
Ohhhhh… I might like this digital stuff.
I have yet to watch a Procreate tutorial (of which there are many). I just dived in layer by layer. Because Procreate allows you to work in layers. Large, like 4K, the industry standard for high def resolution. And export in layered PSD files.
There’s even a free manual you can download. Can you believe that…an app with a manual!
Are you in love yet?
I had several false starts as I was getting a feel for the way it works. I’m still working on that, actually. This is the first image I was satisfied with.
Yes, you’ve seen this image before. Or it’s canvas cousin Red Bob. Red seems to be an ongoing theme of mine. But by starting with a familiar design, I was free to explore the tools. And after I was comfortable with them–
But I’m not phased, nope, not one bit. Because I HAVE NEW BOOTS. Bought them the day before the storm. They’re black. Nothing natural about them. Rubber and I dunno, maybe Neoprene? Waterproof. Amazingly comfortable. And WARM.
And on my feet they are MAGIC. They’ve turned me into a snow kickin’, ass kickin’ INVINCIBLE woman. Like Superman’s cape, only better.
So I can run around outside all day. Break ice in the horse trough with a swift kick. Dig through snow looking for the water shutoff box (the frozen pipe is another story). I can do all that because my feet are HAPPY.
So take THAT, snow!
But it’s not all about frozen pipes and stuck pickups (I didn’t mention the truck stuck at the bottom of the drive, did I?) Oh no, because for all it’s inconvenience, there is no denying the beauty of the white stuff.
And now for a mindtrip…think of all the bazillions of snowflakes in those photos and then try, just TRY to wrap your brain around this.
Go ahead. I’ll wait.
Back? Talk about MAGIC… Stunning. Breathtaking. Unbelievable. Each and every flake… I don’t know about you but I will never look at snow quite the same way again.
And now I’m out the door to buy Mr. Spouse a pair of boots just. like. mine. So he’ll quit whining complaining about his cold feet and enjoy what the universe has so generously shared.
Today, as I write this, it’s the first day of December. Our lazy, easy autumn is about to give us a winter preview tomorrow. Or the next day. Hard freeze. Rain. Snow. The times they are a-changin’.
Take it away Bob—
Well, really, I was only talking about the weather. But other things are changing as well. See the navigation bar up above? There is magic there, oh yes indeed. MAGIC.
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh….
I know you’re attracted to the bright shiny colors but WAIT!!! You must listen to me. Come a little closer so I can whisper. Because important things, VERY important things, carry more weight when whispered.
See those two new links? ABOUT and PORTFOLIO.
DO. NOT. TOUCH. THEM.
No no no no no…not until I give you a heads up!
OKay, sometimes very important things need a shout. Sorry.
But you can’t click on those links yet because once you click on them–either one–you’ll end up transported as surely as James T. Kirk to another dimension.
And just to thoroughly mix up metaphors, you will end up down the rabbit hole in the land of SLPorter.
Ooooooooooooo….
The land of SLPorter, my dearies, is my official not-ready-for-prime-time, ART website. The one I’ve been dicking around with rebuilding for, umm…a while now. And it’s still a work in progress. The PORTFOLIO page is a total tease. But soon, soon, you will be able to click on galleries and individual images and sales information for originals and prints.
Ahhhhhhhhhhh….
So go ahead, click on them now. Wander around the site-that-isn’t-quite. And when you’re ready come back here and tell me your impressions in the comments below—because you ARE coming back, right?. And all you have to dowhen you want to come back here is click the BLOG link on the SLPorter nav bar. And poof–just like that–you’re back in Arty Life Land.
