My Evolving Art Process...New Inspiration...New Tools

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The teacher in me is alive and well today...smile.

As time is not an issue these days I thought I would walk through my digital art process.  Since carrying brushes, paint, canvasses, and an easel don't fit into our travel model, I have turned to my laptop.  I have invested in an Intuos Art Pen and Tablet.  It will arrive next week when we relocate to Oaska.  In the meantime I am "old school" using a Bluetooth mouth and stylus pen.  Using my Paint.net application I am having a blast creating impressions from some of my favorite photos from the trip so far.  When I get back I will have them printed on canvas for proper framing in our new home.  When the tablet arrives it comes with a software bundle of art programs like Corel Draw and Essentials 5.  However with all the plug-ins that Dave Block alerted me to, I may simply stick with Paint.net.  Like all art and our lives...it is an evolving process.

Step One - Start with a blank canvas to which I have added a pastel background.

Step Two - I add dots of color for the sunset.

Step Three - I smudge the colored dots to spread out the color...like using a palette knife.

Step Four - I sketch in the distant mountain ridge.  Note the small trees on the ridge line.  A nice touch I think.  Then I fill in the ground with the base color.

Step Five - Add in the mountain ridges and place color.

 Step Six - Spread the color around using a palette knife.

Step Seven - Define the tree lines.

Step Eight - Bring in the foreground base color.

Step Nine - Bring in secondary base colors.

Step Ten - Build the shrubs in the foreground.

Step Eleven - Enhance the foreground.  Grasses and large leaf clustering.  Tedious, representative work but the final effect will be grand.

Step Twelve - Bring in the major trees, shrubs, and begin enhancing the perspective.

Step Thirteen - There's a rock wall of sorts....a bit overgrown.

Step Fourteen - Enhancing the trees...bringing the rocks down a bit...balancing the foreground.

Step Fifteen - Softening the mountain and tree lines.

Step Sixteen - Adding in the element I have been hiding all this time...