Going Back to the Basics

Recently Wacom unveiled a few new products which have caught everyone's eye on the internet. There was the Inkling

 

And now the new 24 inch Cintiq

Now, I'll be honest, all these devices look amazing and I want them both, but at the same time I hate relying on technology to get work done. Whenever my computer breaks down and it's in the Apple Genius Bar is a day I can't work. Whenever there is a power outage I can't work. When my computer crashes and I didn't saved the file I was working on is work I have to redo (and in most cases) is not as good as the original.

I sometimes speak with younger artists just finishing art school who feel they need the newest device in order to stay competitive in the freelance art and design world. The fact is, you're only as good as your own abilities. The reason why I work digitally is because it saves me a tremendous amount of time, not because I feel the art looks better. The convenience of color adjusting or making changes for an art director is much simpler in Photoshop. I will admit, but I do miss having the tangibility of pen and ink and a finished product once a piece is done. I've been trying to get back into sketching in pen and ink and selling my sketches on Etsy...

I'm always selling sketches on Etsy and you can see all my sketches HERE.

I'm currently finishing up the sequel to Nanny Piggins for Little, Brown. This is a night scene illustration from the first Nanny Piggins book completed digitally....

and this is a night scene that I completed in pen and ink on paper for the new Nanny Piggins book...

Two different approaches in application, which leads to two very subtle adjustments in style and aesthetic, but I can't say one medium is vastly superior to the other. The idea that switching to a digital medium over a traditional one because you think it will make you a better artist is, in my opinion, not a valid argument.

Comments

[Will Orser]

Dan,

Two things jumped out at me:

1. Lose power and lose your work? That's what a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) is for (I'm a computer geek in my real job...). Laptops have these inherently built in, but UPSs are a must for desktops in Florida, or anywhere else that power reliability might be an issue.

2. The feel of pen and paper. Oh yeah! I'm a poet at heart and there's nothing like writing, crossing out, writing in the margins, writing lists off to the side, etc. I can't do that (easily) in Word or Notepad. But with pen or pencil and paper...the world is mine to make and destroy!

Nice sketches!

[Jerry]

Yeah, I agree 100%. Your skills are NOT determined by the tech. I also love the convenience of digitally creating. Digital inking comics is a Godsend.