A Rose

Hi all,
The digital art is going pretty well. I'm still desperately trying to get to grips with the app that I'm using called Procreate, but I think it is just a matter of practise.

This week I managed to do a rose. The background is pathetic but the flower ain't too bad.

I tried several brushes in this painting. Sketching, inking, airbrush and textured brushes in an attempt to get the effect I was looking for. I am very pleased seeing as it is my first rose using a digital medium.

In my last post I said I'd tell you why I am having ago at digital as apposed to traditional art. Well there are many reasons and, one of the most important for me is the result.

I know there are some people who say it is enjoying the process that is more important than the result, but I'm afraid I need a good result too. Like many other amateur artists I believe that I have the knowledge to be able to paint, however, once I add some water to some paint and put it on the canvas it goes down hill from there and I end up with something mediocre. I understand about colour, contrast, shadows and composition, but the execution lets me down.

I have put it down to the lack of control. One needs to be very adept at mixing the right amount of water with the paint and dampen the paper just enough. To be honest, most of the time I was waiting for happy accidents which might have happened in one small area of the image but overall the painting was below expectations.

Have you ever been to one of those paint club exhibitions that are held in village halls all over the country. You look at all the paintings, nit picking and thinking you could do better. There are usually a couple of standout paintings but the rest look, let's be truthful about this, blinking washed out.


Well thats how I felt about my own attempts especially at watercolour. You may have seen these two images before but for me it sums it up when it comes to results.

Of course it is a matter of taste, but for me the digital picture is far superior and that is one of the reasons why I want to master the art of painting digitally. I will explore another reason in my next post. Meanwhile, if you would like to see a short video of me creating the rose picture above, here is a link to my Youtube channel and the painting. The Armchair Artist