I just found this unposted post and so I'm posting it today. I think it might be almost a year old!!!
I recently purchased a digital tablet and with it came some pretty nifty software. Between actual painting and streaming - and all the time spent setting that up - I have only had a couple of sessions playing with it. So here are my first impressions:
First, I find it really nice to work with: the different brushes, pens, etc and the colours work really nicely. Also you can make layers and so keep the various stages of the picture intact while you move onto the next.
Second, it is so much easier than painting. It is error-free: anything can be undone, particularly if you use the layers.
Third, it is lots of fun to learn to use something new and that works really well. I expect it will take me quite a few sessions before I really feel like I can just paint without thinking and having to remember where what is and figuring out all the how-to's (the really fun part of the new toy).
On the other hand, the playfulness and 'risk' of real painting is not there, obviously. For me, painting is more about the journey than the result and I find digital painting is more results-driven; but that's me. So, for now, I am enjoying the learning process, the struggle, the discovery. It is a different kind of journey. Once I get comfortable with it, will I get bored with it? or will I enjoy using it when it's too cold in the studio or when I get stuck and frustrated with all three or four 'current' paintings? I have all kinds of 'side-tracks' for when that happens, such as doodling, drawing, sculpture, writing and photography and so digital painting will likely be added to that list.
I also 'performed' my first streams. I doodled for a couple of hours, unannounced and unpredicted - on my channel I have a little blurb about Tuesday and Thursday at 4 for my streams - and I noticed one or two viewers but since I don't know what the protocol is I just continued doodling. So my first 'official' and announced stream took place on Tuesday and I had two viewers and both started "following" me. I had a little exchange of messages with one of the two viewers and that was very interesting and encouraging. He communicated his web and instagram info and I looked at his work. Really nice work and so I followed him on Instagram. I would put his coordinates here but I did not think to ask if I can. Pity. I'm sure many people would enjoy seeing his work. Anyway, after the first feeble attempts at getting a decent stream - I ran into technical problems such as bad lighting, connection drops, wrong settings and so on - I think I now can stream decently, well that means the viewer can actually see what I'm drawing. Now I just have to get over the speaking to messages. Viewers can hear me but I can't hear them so I typed responses to messages. Talking would no doubt be better. The one real problem I have is music. I always have music to work with. It's my driver and so I have to have music I choose for the mood, shapes, colours, etc. Since most music is copyrighted, I have not played anything but jazz and blues, which I really like but not all the time. I don't like any music all the time, but I do like all music at some point - except free jazz. During my "official" stream, I listened to music on headphones and listed what was playing as I listened, the idea being that a viewer would 'have' the music with the picture. I have no idea if that would work for anyone but me.
So far, both new things have been very positive even if they have operated as yet another deviation from painting in the studio. I did try to stream painting while in the studio but the connection is so bad that it became impossible. I am thinking of recording a painting and then playing it between streams. More on that later.
Well, that's it for the Art and Technology update. If anyone has any tips on streaming, I would love to read them.
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