DaniDraws.com

Here is a bit of an explanation behind the making of my “Tough Teddy” painting, which I posted as a video earlier this week.

My traditional painting process is a lot like my digital work in that I like to experiment. As a result, a lot of my traditional paintings are done with mixed media. I like the interaction of the different materials and being able to use each of their advantages to create a one single great image. In the making of this painting, I used a whole mess of stuff, including gouache, oil, colored pencil, and acrylic.

In this post, I’ll explain which media I used and why, and hopefully you’ll be inspired to do a little experimenting yourself. Happy Painting!

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Here is the first non-digital DaniDraws.com painting video. This is a small character painting I did for fun. You will see me use various media, including acrylic, gouache, oil, and colored pencil.

The original painting is for sale. Find details at danijonesillustration.blogspot.com.

Video: Tough Teddy (Quicktime, 2:27, 4.19 MB)

So, you’ve bought that new scanner and you have a pile of paintings sitting in the corner ready to digitize. Are the terms “dpi”, “color mode”, and “resolution” starting to confuse you? Here are a 10 tips to help get the best possible scan of your artwork.

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Even if one never picks up a tablet or draws one stroke on the computer, a commercial artist will still need to know how to turn paint into pixels. In an industry that is becoming increasingly dependent on e-mail and websites, learning how to digitize artwork can be a great asset for an illustrator.

So, to start things off, here’s a few things to consider when you go to buy your new scanner. Don’t be confused by all numbers and the features. Just keep a few things in mind, and you will end up with the right tool for the job.

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Hello everyone. This blog went on hiatus for a couple weeks, but I’m now gearing up to post more articles, videos, and tutorials.

I’ve got some stuff almost ready to post, but I thought I would give you a taste of what is to come until then…

• Scanning Tips. I’ll help you decide what scanner to buy, tell you what settings to use when scanning artwork, and show you how to stitch together large paintings in Photoshop.
• Question and Answer. I’ll answer a reader’s question about brush settings and explain things like opacity, flow, and jitter.
• New Video. In an attempt to mix it up a little and step away from my computer for a bit, I’m going to try posting a video of me sketching with REAL pencil and paper. Hopefully, this will be a precursor to more traditional painting and drawing demos.

Stay tuned for these and more in the next few weeks on DaniDraws.com. If you have specific topics or questions you would like me to cover, drop me an email at contact@danidraws.com.