I've been drawn to art for as long as I can remember. Give me any medium and I will without thinking begin to "make" something out of it, be it pencil and paper or a piece of string. With my first computer I found myself spending most of my time in "paint" playing with bitmap drawings ~ not very good, but fun. With the computer I found a medium that, didn't require a lot of room, no clean-up and didn't get misplaced if I could'nt work on it for awhile ~ although it was rather crude ~ until...
Photoshop.

The more I painted, the more I was hooked. I started with a Wacom Graphire Pad and Photoshop 5.5, and am now up to Photoshop 7.0.1. I learn more everyday. When using Photoshop, I do NOT use photo's! I may look at a photo on another screen, but it is not cut and copied into my paintings in any way. The paintings are done on the computer Not traced! Although, if I am away from the computer and inspiration hits, I will sometimes draw out a "rough sketch" on paper and scan it in at a later date to "finish". Because of the way Photoshop is set up in "layers" it is also possible to do outlines on a layer, then change the painting dramatically. Basically, with Photoshop, the possibilities are endless.....

Yes, I do things different. I like starting out with white on black. Sometimes I end up adding color ~ sometimes I don't. I guess I could conform to all the art rules, or not. But, since I'm old - lol - I'll probably just paint what makes me happy the way I want. It would be nice to talk to others who like to draw however most of the time they are too tight or too hung up on how things "should" be done. eh. Maybe someday.

When drawing for yourself, do not follow directions from a book, a parent or even a friend. Only you know what's best for you. And if what you are doing is unconventional, that's okay. The only thing that really matters is that it works for you. And it's always best to draw for yourself.

My Gallery