Summertime and The Bloggin' Is Easy

Spring 2008 is now officially behind us. And so is the blog header that defined it. The plan was always to change the blog header to reflect the season. So, here's the summer version. Since this art is done digitally, it's a little easier because the base art is in place. All I had to do in this case was draw the leaves on the branches (where there were buds) and paint in Photoshop.

I find Photoshop to be the greatest tool ever invented for artists and illustrators. I love traditional processes, and my concepts and drawings are always done by hand. But, it's great to be able to scan the drawing and paint in Photoshop to test color palettes and light direction before actually taking a brush or colored pencil in hand. It's not that I don't still make mistakes as I'm painting the final piece but I have a much better idea of my direction and the mistakes are fewer.

As a Photoshop instructor, I would encourage artists to learn this software and expand their creative processes.