Process
I use sketches and photographs - always my own - as the basis for many of the illustrations I produce, but it's important to understand that they are a "basis" only. Photos are good for giving the potential structure and proportions of a painting, but the actual construction, palette, colour harmony, tonal balance, light and shade, etc., are decided during the illustrative process. The overall composition is more important than being completely faithful to the contents of the photo. Parts may be omitted or changed - while staying true to the subject of the illustration. Having said that, a painting titled "St. Ives" - for example - should probably bear some resemblance, however tenuous, to St. Ives.
I shoot photos with a Canon DSLR camera, in RAW format, then process them with Adobe LightRoom to give a high-quality JPG file.
ARTRAGE
With some exceptions, most of my early illustrations used mixed media, i.e. different tools and utilities in the ArtRage program. I often used a combination of ink, pastel and airbrush: ink for the basic colour, and pastel and airbrush for shading and other textures. One of the most useful features of digital art programs is the ability to create a painting in separate layers, with the topmost layers taking precedence over the lower layers. I can create different layers for sections of the illustration and then lay a basic ground colour for each section. I now use ArtRage solely for paintings which require an oil paint effect,
With some exceptions, most of my early illustrations used mixed media, i.e. different tools and utilities in the ArtRage program. I often used a combination of ink, pastel and airbrush: ink for the basic colour, and pastel and airbrush for shading and other textures. One of the most useful features of digital art programs is the ability to create a painting in separate layers, with the topmost layers taking precedence over the lower layers. I can create different layers for sections of the illustration and then lay a basic ground colour for each section. I now use ArtRage solely for paintings which require an oil paint effect,
PROCREATE
While the ArtRage program has been developed very much around the concept of creating sophisticated media - oil, watercolour, ink, pastel, etc. - ProCreate is built on the foundation of a large selection of different brush tools, with less emphasis on the textural qualities of the media. The main difference between ProCreate and ArtRage is that the ProCreate painting is done only on to the iPad, rather than also with a separate tablet, which gives a more conventional approach to the handling of the paint tools. In other essentials - colour palettes, layering and mixing of media, the techniques are very similar.
While the ArtRage program has been developed very much around the concept of creating sophisticated media - oil, watercolour, ink, pastel, etc. - ProCreate is built on the foundation of a large selection of different brush tools, with less emphasis on the textural qualities of the media. The main difference between ProCreate and ArtRage is that the ProCreate painting is done only on to the iPad, rather than also with a separate tablet, which gives a more conventional approach to the handling of the paint tools. In other essentials - colour palettes, layering and mixing of media, the techniques are very similar.
OUTPUT
When completed, the illustration is exported as a JPG, converted from RGB (red/blue/green) mode to CMYK - essential for quality prints - and then uploaded to the Printspace hub for storage and printing.
When completed, the illustration is exported as a JPG, converted from RGB (red/blue/green) mode to CMYK - essential for quality prints - and then uploaded to the Printspace hub for storage and printing.