My Digital Art Process

Dear Gentle Reader,

So, creating digital art is different than painting on a canvas but the artist's mind and hand are still very much involved in the process. First I decide on a design, we will use the Clipper Ship, as an example. Many years ago I painted a clipper ship in oil, it was the Cutty Sark. I have since that time sold it.

So, one day when I was deciding on what image to draw on my digital program I thought clipper ship. I sketched the idea out on my paper drawing pad, then went to my computer and started working on it.

I love nautical images. I have been to the ocean, the smell of the ocean water and air are so calming. So I put in the water first, then the body of the ship. The sails and the ropes are tricky but on my paint program I drew them out then went back and erased the overlapping lines.

Once the image is drawn out comes the fun part, color! So I click on the little paint bucket icon and start filling in the basic color. I usually put in the shading before the highlights, so I choose the option of my color pallet and move the little arrow down to a darker shade of that color.

My program does not have a shading feature so I will graduate the colors going from either darker to lighter or lighter to darker. Usually it takes about four graduations to get the desired effect. With my clipper ship I did not have to graduate the designs. The white sails with sunlight on them look very nice with a simple shade of blue or lavender.

Well, gentle reader, that is all for today. Happy art observing.