Hand-produced digital motorsport paintings

Hi, Thanks for taking the time to take a look at this thread...
I've been around a lot of the Photography forums demonstrating these paintings, when I probably should have started here (I've only just noticed Autosport had a forum section).

Firstly I guess "hand produced digital" needs to be explained.... These "paintings" have been produced using a digital tablet (think a mouse that looks like a pen), every single stroke has been made by hand, The paintings have been sketched, coloured and detailed in exactly the same way as you would with traditional paint and canvas techniques. Each one can take weeks, even months to complete and are around A1 (84.1 cm x 59.4 cm) in full size when printed.

I've been doing this since I graduated from University (about 3 years ago), Just a Hobby that makes a bit of pocket money... Each one has been based on my own reference photography (hence the forum misplacement).

Anyway enough waffle, please feel free to offer criticism or advice, like I say I haven't been at it long so I can only improve Thanks in advance, I hope you like them.



THIS IS HOW ITS DONE ----->>>STEP BY STEP VIDEO - for the painting above
















Thanks again for taking the time to look, again any comments are gratefully received

Edited by Graphix501, 28 April 2011 - 18:08.

Although I have no qualms with digital media whatsoever, and I think your photography (and subsequent manipulation thereof) is fantastic, I take exception to using the term 'paintings,' as that requires one to actually use paint, not a computer program to enhance a digital image. It's the same thing with pastelists who refer to their drawings as 'paintings.' It's like fingernails on a chalkboard.

As a full-time, professional artist who has painted (with actual paints, brushes and canvas) for over 20 years, it still bothers me that those who don't paint refer to their works as paintings. Just because they're not paintings, doesn't mean they're not worthy of being descibed as art. They are. Just be honest with yourself and your audience and be proud enough of your work to describe it as what it actually is without trying to say it's something else. I think you'll enjoy a new-found freedom without having to explain that it's not really what you described.

People are smart enough to know what medium is being used without having the artist attempt to confuse them, and the medium is not always the deciding factor when purchasing, anyway.

Be proud of your excellent work and stand tall. And be honest. Good art is what you like; bad art is what you don't like. If people like the art, they'll buy it. In the end, they're always buying you.

Firstly, thank you for the generous feedback

I can assure you I neither intended to confuse or irritate with my description . I also agree whole heartedly with your sentiments regarding the term "paintings" (hence the inverted commas used in my original post), I find difficultly in explaining to people what it is that I do, and have subsequently found that this is the simplest way of getting the idea across. The reason I've settled on this method of explanation is, that like yourself, people assume I've just manipulated a photograph (I know there is considerable effort involved in this also) or used a filter.... This is very very wide of the mark, I work from a blank canvas (excuse the terms ;) ).

Rather than listing all the steps involved, here is a more detailed speeded up demonstration video of the techniques used (Not my work, but a fellow digital artist), these are the same steps I go through when producing one of these images
Nico DI Mattia (digital artist)

Hopefully that does a better job of explaining my work than my original description


Thank you again for the support, hopefully there will be more people thinking good art than bad

Edited by Graphix501, 28 April 2011 - 18:19.

The reason I've settled on this method of explanation is, that like yourself, people assume I've just manipulated a photograph (I know there is considerable effort involved in this also) or used a filter.... This is very very wide of the mark, I work from a blank canvas (excuse the terms ;) ).

This makes your work even more imressive. Thanks for the link.

Thank you again for the support, hopefully there will be more people thinking good art than bad

Amen.

Edited by CONOSUR, 29 April 2011 - 16:36.