Computer Art is still Art.

When people ask me what medium I use to color my art, I usually answer Photoshop or MS paint. At this response they normally give me a look like my art has lost some value because it’s not done with watercolors or acrylics. I have tried so many different mediums including watercolors, color pencils, markers, and for me the one I like best for coloring is the computer. I don’t get mad at those people though, it seems to me if you aren’t impressed with art created on the computer, it’s because you don’t know all that goes into it. So I’d like to explain how my drawings are made.

First I start with a pencil and a piece of paper as most artists do. After I’ve drawn the picture, I ink it to keep it from being too light when I scan it onto the computer. Now it’s time to add color, and this is where the computer comes in. After deciding what colors my picture will have, I blend the colors. It’s much like you would with a paintbrush only a lot less clean up. I add and take colors using the color index until I create the desired color.

I then add my color to the picture. I make a base color, (a darker shade of the chosen color). I fill in the area with the base making sure to get every small detail by zooming in to color it. It’s not just a matter of clicking the icon, I use the mouse like a brush as I add the different colors. I then color over it with the chosen color, carefully leaving any areas I wish to be shaded open for the base to show through. Then starting with the chosen color, I readjust it to make highlights or shadows on my picture. Each small color difference is a result of adjusting and readjusting to get the precise color I want. True, I don’t have paint all over my face and clothes when I am finished, but I believe the end result is just as colorful and valuable as watercolors, and certainly as much hard work.