Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Queen of Opala


This is one of three pieces I did for the new Queen of Opala game. I had never heard of this game before the creator contacted me, but I've spoken to some gamers and, apparently, it's really huge. So, if you play the game, you'll see some Taylor originals there. It looks like winning would be fun.

http://kevinjtaylor.com

Friday, December 16, 2011

Today's "Artist"


Anonymous 12/15/11(Thu)01:50 No.1082449 [Reply]

What programs is it possible to do Bob Ross type paintings in?

Anonymous 12/15/11(Thu)01:54 No.1082450

Real life

Anonymous 12/15/11(Thu)02:47 No.1082466

>>1082450

How much does this program cost?

Anonymous 12/15/11(Thu)02:52 No.1082468

>>1082466
room and board, food, art supplies will be somewhere around 7 hundo a month at the very least.

Anonymous
12/15/11(Thu)02:58 No.1082473

>>1082468

Thank you :) I'll go ahead and give Futureshop a call and ask if they have any available disks of Real Life in stock.

Anonymous 12/15/11(Thu)03:53 No.1082505

>>1082473
Hardly an artist today can paint better than the people on the Neolitithic. And they didn't have any resource other than looking at real life. Now, quit bitching.


The above conversation was part of an art thread that I like to check out, and, while most of the people there do actual drawing with real art materials, at least 75% of the thread is devoted to people looking for digital programs to make "being an artist" easier.

I'm a traditional artist, meaning I get off on feeling an image being formed off the end of a brush, the sound of a pencil dragging along the illustration board forming the genesis of what will eventually be a painting. And there will be mistakes along the way, like with any painting. But what makes the artist is how well he can correct those mistakes to get the painting he wants. Instead of hitting an "undo" button, I've actually had to train myself to correct mistakes. Through lots of trial and error, I've gotten better, and I'll keep getting better.

Some digital art I like, some I don't and it all depends on the skill level of the artist. I can always tell when a digital artist is someone who can actually draw and paint with raw materials, and one who learned his art by clicking and typing. I can especially tell the difference from an artist who really learned how to draw and study anatomy, and one who just uses the characters he bought in a program.

I saw an interview with Prince last year and the interviewer asked him why he declined to let Guitar Hero use any of his music. He said Guitar Hero may be fun, but he thought it was more important for kids to actually learn how to play the guitar. It's a frustrating instrument, but once you learn it you'll be happy.

Although Guitar Hero is just for fun, Prince's comment is something I understand. As for digital painting, in my opinion, if you learn how to draw with raw art materials, learn anatomy and how to paint light and shadow, it'll make you a better artist period. My brother is a writer and we share stories on meeting people who are looking for the best shortcut to being a writer or artist. and I always read in art threads people looking for ways to get better faster. I wish I could say it's easy and develop a magical way to become a great artist overnight, but it just doesn't exist. (I'd like to invent one of those Bugs Bunny paint brushes where, with a few swipes on a blank wall, he creates an entire countryside, with a train tunnel. I'd be rich!)

The conversation at the top is particularly pathetic. Bob Ross is one of the greatest art teachers of all time. I always watched his show and still use a lot of his techniques in my own paintings. His shows are each a half hour and, in that half hour, he shows you how to do a complete painting-even if you've never painted before. I once dated a girl who always wanted to paint. She'd never even held a paint brush. One Christmas I bought her a Bob Ross paint kit, with two videos, and, when she showed me her first painting, I didn't believe she'd never painted before. And she did it in thirty minutes.

I'll eventually venture into digital art, but I'm still too proud of the skills I've aquired on my own. There's no program you can buy on what I know. But, again, in my opinion, if you can't devote thirty minutes to learn the techniques of Bob Ross, that's really sad. But, I guess that's how today's so-called "artists" do things.