Two Seasons, Two Tools

I just finished an image with a bit of an interesting story. Our daughter, Logan, is in her senior year at the University of Nebraska/Lincoln majoring in Meteorology. She is a member of Kappa Delta sorority, which holds an auction every year to raise money for the sorority house.

Last year, we donated a print that I did of the sorority house on UNL's campus. I shot the reference imagery in the late summer and then interpreted the photograph into an autumn scene using Corel Painter. The print was purchased by one of the sorority girl's parents and donated to the house where it now hangs in the dining room.

I was subsequently asked if I would create a second version...this time in a different season. For the winter version I used my Photoshop Artists' Brushes. 

I find it interesting to compare the two paintings with the use of each application used to create each in mind. What strikes me—and I think that this should be a goal of the artist—is to not let expressive software impose its signature on the resulting artwork.

Looking at these images, I don't think that either the Painter or Photoshop pedigree is apparent in either painting. Rather, my style —if there is one— is what comes through the pieces.

If you have an image created using John's Artists' Brushes, send me a JPEG and I'll feature it here on the PixlBlog!

John's Dry Media User: Karen Bonaker

Artist Karen Bonaker writes,

Well I must say that I am enjoying CS5. I would like to take some time and learn Photoshop better in the coming year. With that said, here is my attempt with your Dry Media brushes. I used all the brushes and worked free hand from a sketch that I created from some scenes in Sedona recently. This is the culmination of those sketches.

Great fun and will try the clone brushes next.

Karen is the proprietor of the Paintertalk digital art forum (registration required).

If you have an image created using John's Dry Media, send me a JPEG and I'll feature it here on the PixlBlog!

John's Dry Media User: Heather Adams

Artist Heather Adams writes,

"I've been trying out your new Dry Media brushes...they are amazing and I love the textures. This is drawing a I've done from scratch using mainly the Square Chalk brush and Blender.

This drawing was inspired from a painting that I saw hanging in the hotel where I stayed on my recent holiday. Thank you so much for these wonderful brushes, I will be using them often."

If you have an image created using John's Dry Media, send me a JPEG and I'll feature it here on the PixlBlog!

John's Dry Media User: Susan Bloom

Artist, educator, and author Susan Bloom was a beta tester for my Dry Media brushes. Susan writes, "After help from John, to get my tools installed correctly, here is an attempt. There is a pattern overlay, that can be removed or modified. I took the painted layer and laid it over a grey background. A varied assortment of John’s brushes were used."

Susan's book, Digital Collage and Painting, Second Edition: Using Photoshop and Painter to Create Fine Art will be published next month. I highly recommend it!

If you have an image created using John'sDry Media, send me a JPEG and I'll feature it here on the PixlBlog!