Digital Collage and Painting: Using Photoshop and Painter to Create Fine Art part 1

If you already know your way around Photoshop and Painter and want to use these amazing programs to take your skills further, this book is for you! Much more than a simple "how-to" guide, Susan Ruddick Bloom takes you on a full-fledged journey of the imagination and shows you how to create incredible works of fine art. Supplemented by the work of 20+ world renowned artists in addition to Sue's own masterpieces, you'll learn how to create watercolors, black and white pencil sketches, texture collages, stunning realistic and fantastical collages, and so much more, all from your original photographs. If you are eager to dive into the world of digital art but need a refresher on the basics, flip to Sue's essential techniques chapter to brush up on your Photoshop and Painter skills, and you'll be on your way in no time. Whether you're a novice or an established digital artist, you'll find more creative ideas in this book than you could ever imagine. Fully updated for new versions of Painter and Photoshop and including brand new work from contemporary artists, Digital Collage and Painting provides all the inspiration you need to bring your artistic vision to light.

[...]... for your completed artwork to present a cohesive feel, you must consider the unifying factors of texture, color, contrast, and noise or grain OPPOSITE PAGE: “Sacred Place #1 The first truth is form Put on paper what you know is true rather than what you see —KIMON NICOLAÏDES, The Natural Way to Draw (19 41) 11 12 Digital Collage and Painting Texture Texture in collage can be handled particularly well... No digital police will stop you from pushing the artistic envelope I would encourage you to experiment and explore where these digital tools might take you with your artistic expressions What Is a Digital Painting? Digital painting, for me, usually involves just one image I start with a photograph that I would like to transform into a painting I use both a photo manipulation program (Adobe® Photoshop )... early in this book Using the computer to create art will not make you an artist, just as using pastels can’t make you an artist Ultimately, over time, the artwork will be judged on its own merits artistically Your challenge will be to learn the techniques that this new form of expression offers to you Once the vocabulary of the digital art world is well known to you and you can understand and practice the... array of artistic tools and possibilities The computer can be used to make imagery and is yet another tool in the imaginary tool belt that artists have at their disposal I attended a superb art college, where I was grounded in all the basics: strong drawing and painting skills, intense study of art history, and a good exposure to a variety of different artistic pursuits, from ceramics to fiber art, from... added other elements into the collage Adjustment layers were used to correct color and contrast, and shadows were added to nestle the elements into place, avoiding a cut-out feel If you are unaccustomed to using the Transform tool, be sure to try the exercise in Chapter 12 19 Talent isn’t genius, and no amount of energy can make it so —LOUISA MAY ALCOTT, Little Women (18 68) Figure 2 -12 Close-up of tree... the color and contrast on the relief portion All artists, including sculptors, are children of light —ALEXANDER ELIOT, Sight and Insight (19 59) 22 Digital Collage and Painting Figure 2 -15 Turkish relief carving and rock face combined Figure 2 -17 Sky area added to the composition Figure 2 -16 New sky component Important Considerations Before You Begin 23 Figure 2 -18 “Sacred Place #1 completed collage. .. with a Thousand Faces (19 49) What form will the imagery take? Artists throughout time have used marble and stone for sculpture, canvas and panels for paintings, paper for drawing and printmaking, and photographic paper for photography, to mention only a few formats But, there is a dawning of a new age in art materials We are fortunate to be living in the beginning of the digital age For the artist, this... image to make it more adaptable to your composition 16 Digital Collage and Painting Noise and Grain Figure 2-7 Close-up of infrared grain and noise Black is not a color —ÉDOUARD MANET, in The World of Manet, 18 32 18 83, by Pierre Schneider (19 68) Why black is the queen of colors —AUGUSTE RODIN, Art, by Paul Gsell (19 12) (translated by Romilly Fedden) Author’s note: It appears that even the great artists... Hulsker (19 77) 8 Digital Collage and Painting for a fraction of the cost that film and processing would have incurred Digital photography frees you to explore the nuances of things Did that scrap of paper in the gutter hold some appeal for you? Did that light beam outlining your toothbrush look interesting? Don’t hesitate Take the photo! Become a pack rat of imagery Begin to create large files of photos to. .. we explore our world Anything and everything is at our disposal to serve as possible elements for inspiration Often we are taken by surprise when a particular element “suggests” itself to us The making of art is very intuitive, and the artist learns to follow his nose The actual making of the art is seldom a OPPOSITE PAGE: “Autumn Vista” 3 4 Digital Collage and Painting Art is an affirmation of life . ISBN: 978-0-240- 811 75-8 For information on all Focal Press publications visit our website at www.elsevierdirect.com 10 11 12 13 14 5 4 3 2 1 Printed in.