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Journal nizo's Journal: The sweet siren beckons me, and the dilemma I now face 8

As some of you may or may not have noticed, my postings to deviantART have come to a screeching halt after my earlier flurry of postings. I blame my computer; in a way it has sucked out my soul, and redirected me in a different direction. Here is a quick sketch I made with GIMP and my mouse, using only the line and blend tools. It probably took me no more than 10 minutes to make, and thus we come to my dilemma: using the computer to create art.

I have tried to put off using the computer, instead sticking with charcoal and graphite. However, my lack of control of the media has been seriously frustrating, and it usually takes me forever to create anything that I am happy with (and don't even get me started on the charcoal-gets-everywhere mess factor :-) ).

Initially I purchased a copy of poser (version 5, for $50 delivered from ebay). It is a fantastic program for creating figures and posing/lighting them in a variety of ways. I had planned on using it to create references to draw from. It works awesome for this purpose.

Except now it is hard for me to go draw them. It might take me 20 minutes to get everything posed/lit just right, but then I feel like the creation process is done. I think part of it is I feel like I could then go draw with charcoal for 4 hours, and it won't look a tenth as realistic as the rendered drawing. Granted realism isn't everything, but it is still frustrating. And then I started fiddling around with GIMP.....

The tree picture doesn't look like much, but it is certainly the best tree I have ever created. But is it art? Does it matter how much manual work is involved, and how much of a crutch is the computer? By using the computer, will I lose whatever distinctive style I may have? And ultimately it leads me back to: why do I create art?

Anyway, I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of a digital drawing pad (which should give me much better control than the mouse), and my Photoshop class is starting up in a week or so. And I continue to wrestle with this new dilemma.

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The sweet siren beckons me, and the dilemma I now face

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  • I had to think about this one. The question you need to ask first is, who's it for?

    If it's for you, then computer art is fine. You've managed to take the image from your mind and put it in a form you can see with your eyes, and that's where you apparently get your pleasure.

    If it's for other people, then computer art may not be the final step. Computer illustrations, of various degrees of quality, are available all over the net. If you're looking to impress or please other people, you may need to put more
    • by nizo ( 81281 ) *
      Good point. First I want to say I almost bagged on the whole idea of any kind of degree in graphic arts. My reason? I figured I didn't have any artistic talent, and would never develop any. Ok, so I may need to explore some more here, but that leads me to the next question: can I create art, say icons, or graphics for brochures, or whatever; i.e. job art? Yeah, I think with a computer I can learn to do that, so in that sense the computer is just another way for me to potentially put food on the table. That
  • This is my $.02 worth. Take with a grain of salt and a shot of tequila.

    It does not matter what medium you use, or how much time you spend at it, or what "shortcuts" you may have taken to get there. I still consider it art. I looked at your tree drawing, and it's far, far better than anything I could do. That it took you only a few minutes would never have dawned on me except that you said so.

    The computer is just another medium. Perhaps using an actual piece of vellum and a charcoal pencil is more "artis

  • You should do what you enjoy, even if it's difficult or takes more time.

    It stretches you.

    But, if you prefer computer art, go for that.

    And don't forget - you can do both.

    Most artists eventually run up against choosing the balance between what they want to do, what they have time to do, and what sells. The successful ones do enough of all three.
  • OK, seeing as last week I defined what 'truth' is, I'll go on to something easier ;] What is art?

    Art is anything that can be done well, done well. That's the key: the medium has to require skill, and that skill has to be demonstrated for it to be 'art'. The medium must allow for 'caring', meaning the artist must have the ability, in that medium, to 'care' about the quality of his work.

    The key to art appreciation is to have the ability to percieve the quality in a work of art. One must have the foundati
  • It most certainly is art. ;-)

    As an amateur musician, I've dealt with the same issues. I've come to realize that computers can't be creative for you; a computer is just another tool you can utilize to express yourself. It can only do what you tell it to, no matter how many purists may consider using a rendering program (in your case) or a sampler (in my case) to be "cheating".
    I primarily use acoustic instruments, but on occasion use samplers, sequencers, synthesizers, and other computer-based sound sources.
  • Is to use whatever medium you'll actually use. If you don't like pastels and won't use them, then don't. If you work well with the computer and enjoy and keep making kick-arse stuff, than, by all means, keep doing it. I think the product you produce with your creativity is more important than the means you you use to get there.
  • I just found out about this [contentparadise.com] today. Maybe someone else you know will have a good use for it.

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