Dawn of the Undo Button

I have fairly traditional values when it comes to making art. For as long as I can remember, it has always been something I’ve created with rudimentary tools; something which produces a tactile result I can run my hand over at the end. So the thought of having to sacrifice that and invite yet another way for screens to intrude on my life filled me with trepidation.

With the soaring popularity of digital art, however, and affordable tablets making it accessible as ever, it was only a matter of time before I would come to cross the bridge myself - no matter how much kicking and screaming I proffered along the way. The benefits as an illustrative artist are as abundant as they are irrefutable - even for my argumentative hardwiring.

In preparation for a mural on the Gold Coast, Australia, I decided to document my newfound design process and share some of the results:

It all starts in a sketchbook. If screens get to have the final say, at least paper could still have the first.

Exposé! The first pixels to appear form the outline; bare and devoid of any bells and whistles which can disguise a weak style.

Colour and light then begin to emerge.

One of the advantages of working with layers is that I get to take carefully curated snapshots like this and pretend my process is squeaky-clean and methodical. In reality, my lack of patience sees me rapidly switching focus from one area to another without much concern for efficiency.

Allowing the characters to do all of my talking, backgrounds are not something to which I generally pay much attention. Taking advantage of digital’s forgiving nature in this case, I opted to experiment with anchoring the subject to its surroundings.

Finally, in a bid to retain a sense of connection to its tangible origins (or simply a stubborn protest against progression), I elected to retain the pink paint splatter from the original concept sketch.

A reluctant digital artist I remain.

See the finished wall here.