#GlendaMarkwellArt

I am a convert! I love painting and drawing digitally.

To be clear, this does not mean that I am giving up my canvases, pencils and paints. The textures, and hands on feel of paint on canvas, or the joy of watercolours blending with paper is not something I intend on giving up on. Absolutely not! I am also not talking about AI created work… yet : ). But I am surprised how the mention of digital art divides people into lovers or haters.

To me, it is just a new tool.
One I can play with almost anywhere. Without planning, without mess and without fuss. For me, it gives me the freedom that I imagine artists felt when paint became available in a tube and they were able to pain ‘plein air’. Freedom from being tied to the studio, freedom from having to ensure that you have enough of the right materials , canvasses and paint on hand. Painting and drawing digitally has extended that freedom for me.

While on holidays recently, I visited ancient sites where artists worked in cramped, dark and damp caves to create incredible drawings. The conditions were not comfortable, and yet the artists continued to create their works, using the tools and materials at hand. I understand that need to create, the drive inside of us that keeps us going even when we are unhappy with every piece of work. I wonder whether I would have had enough drive to create in the conditions that those ancient artists worked in.

I use an app called Procreate on my aging iPad.
I love every minute, and revel in the freedom it gives me to paint or draw just about anywhere. My iPad is not the biggest or fastest, but suits me well. It fits easily into my handbag and is on hand whenever I feel inspired. Previously, I would write a note or sketch or just try and remember until I had time to test my ideas in the studio. Quite often, the moment would have passed, along with the inspiration.

Procreate has a multitude of tools and features, far more than I need or even want, but the ability to put in some art time while on the train, or before I go to sleep, allows me to develop and experiment with ideas in the small pockets of free time that come my way during my working week. I still use the same principles that I do when painting – blocking, adjusting, details – but with the benfit of ‘undo’ and ‘redo’ options. I still make the same sort of mistakes that I do when painting traditionally, but I can experiment more easily, without the fear of ruining the bits I like.

But what to do with it once created?
This has also been a learning curve for me, I have output to canvas, paper and even merchandise, just for fun. Sadly, some competitiions expressly say no to digital art. Luckily not all. I am looking forward to an exciting future, to see what other creatives make using the wonderful new tools available, and see how they inspire me.

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See my current work for sale on BlueThumb
I am taking on new projects, and commissions and can offer some artworks as prints.
If you have any requests or want to say hi, please get in touch with the links below.