More digital figure studies

A few more of my abstract digital figure studies. I have created quite a few of these and it seems that I could go on forever. You can see the variety possible by studying these images. I am considering doing a series of acrylic paintings based on these studies.



This also is a great way to experiment with color on the computer.



I thought that the above color combinations were unusual and quite interesting.





I really enjoyed developing the designs and shapes in these studies.







These images have been exhibited as signed, limited edition prints.

Digital abstract figure studies

I love to experiment on the computer and here are some of my abstract figure studies. Working without any preliminary sketches I usually start out with a blank canvas. After adding a flat color background I begin to develop the basic shapes of the figure.



This particular piece was used on a poster for an exhibition of my limited edition prints of these figure studies.













The above examples are a fun way to experiment with digital art. It's also a great way to develop your computer skills. These studies were all created using Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0.

More digitally colored cartoons

More examples of cartoon line art that is colored digitally. The beauty of this technique is that an artist can do two or three versions of the same art and pick out the best one, a real advantage over traditional coloring methods. Simple flat colors, without any modeling or rendering seen to work best.











The above cartoon is from "Art Therapy", my book of cartoons about the fine art business.



This flat, simple method of adding color to line art would also work equally well on certain realistic drawings. Below is an ink brush drawing that I colored in a few minutes just to show you another example of this simple technique. The color art is quite crude and needs a bit of work, but it demonstrates just what can be accomplished with thus technique.

Coloring cartoons on the computer

On my December 4th post I discussed coloring cartoons digitally. Here are a couple more examples of this technique, a superior method of coloring cartoons.
My basic drawing was roughly sketched with a Pentel Sign Pen on a sheet of layout paper. I am striving for a very free, loose drawing.



The drawing was scanned into the computer and I added some color to the background area. These colors can be easily changed as I develop the rest of the rendering.



Some color is added to the characters.



A few more color tones are added, finishing the cartoon. You can see that I have darkened some areas of the background so the figures become more prominent.



Another quick, freely drawn sketch. Sometimes I will have to do two or three drawings before I achieve the effect I am after. I use layout paper which is semi transparent enabling me to trace over a previous drawing.



Again, I first add colors to the background.



A few more colors as well as a slight change in the background and the cartoon is finished. As I've mentioned before, you can try several color versions and pick out the one that suits you best. This is a fairly quick, easy process, something that would take a great deal of time when using traditional painting mediums.

More typography as comics

Here are a few more of the experiments that I did on using typography as a comic strip. These were created as possible pieces for an exhibition of typography as art.





I have no idea just where some of these quotes are from, but they make for a fun project.



How true !







Hi, Just call me TYPEFACE !

Typography as comics

In 2007 the Krasl Art Center in St. Joseph, Michigan decided that they were going to have a special TYPOGRAPHY AS ART exhibition sometime in 2008. Later it became TEXT AS ART which changed the intent of the original idea. I had been working on various ideas for the original show, using typography as a comic strip. Here are some of the graphics that I came up with.













This was an interesting project as I have always had a great interest in typography. I have always admired the work of Bradbury Thompson, Paul Rand and Lester Beall, they all did some wonderful things in that field.

Variations on a scene

You can take rather mundane scenes and create interesting images on the computer. It's also a fun way to learn digital techniques in Photoshop. The possibilities are really unlimited as you will see in the following images. Get out some of those old photos and see what you can do.


LATE AFTERNOON ON 26TH STREET, NEW YORK CITY
This photo was altered to create an overall color tone.



This is negative of the original image to which black and color shapes were added.



Another variation, this time I created a rainy scene.



A bright, sunny variation.



Another late afternoon, sun-filled version. It's HOT out there !



Here is a beach scene near my home in Sawyer, Michigan. This was originally painted as an illustration for a book that a friend of mine had written.



A negative of the original. I added a few tones creating an interesting dusk scene.