Digital Art Academy is hosting Summer of Fun Webinars (three total) starting in July. I was asked by Karen Bonaker if I would be her first interview and demonstrator this summer.  I said sure but I'm not use to talking while I paint. Especially working digitally. It's a medium that takes a lot of focus and, well, me being so right-brain inclined I may sound a bit deranged as I switch back and forth between lobes. She said no biggie she would do most of the talking and I could paint.

 

I made it through the live webinar and it was a learning experience for me. I realized number one, I need a Microphone to record myself so I don't sound so much like I am talking through a tin can. (Built in Microphones on iMacs are a whole other blog.) And number two, I made a gaffe. Karen was asking and commenting about my using the Navigator and I, in my right brain mode, blew her off. I feel really bad about it. The Navigator is an important part of the painting process for me. It's a little window at the bottom of my screen that allows me to see up close by using a slider or eyeglass/cross-hair icon on the Navigator. It also aids in moving around the zoomed image fast. When zoomed out I can see my painting as it progresses. This allows me to evaluate quickly my painting progression in thumbnail size as a whole. Checking the value and perspective of a painting as I progress is important. We as artists can sometimes get so caught up in the details that we forget to look at the piece as a whole. As stepping back from your easel will give you new perspective so does the navigator in Painter. So YES, the navigator is essential for me and a component of Painter I am never without on my screen.

 

 

I could not finish the painting during the allotted one hour time frame so I decided, for the people watching, I would record myself completing the painting. The result was a 20x sped up recording lasting about 12 min. The actual time took to complete the painting was approximately 6 hours. And NO ONE wants to sit that long and watch someone else paint.

 

 

 

 

~Comments are much appreciated~