nightserpent

Another new video, in it you can watch me paint a 12x16" acrylic illustration for the Call of Cthulhu role playing game. I narrate with commentary.

please click here: https://youtu.be/4f_YilozjGE

I've just started experimenting with time-lapse videos of myself making art. This is my first Youtube short: https://youtu.be/2NIqQ61SrnQ I am open to suggestions! Right now, the challenge seems to find the right balance between a good angle and lighting vs a setup which does not hinder my ability to work. I also look to do videos for my wood carving as well, which would have a different set of dynamics to contend with. Wish me luck!

I have noticed a trend in recent deviations, less and less description of people's work... often with no description or explanation at all. Why did you make this piece? Was it for a job... then, what was it and for whom? What is the medium and dimensions? What was your experience like to make it? I find that when people write nothing at all I feel a bit detached and less interested in the piece if the submitter had no interest in the submission process. It feels like they don't care about it, so why should I? Come on people, you put a lot of work into your art, help us appreciate your efforts!

I guess I shouldn't make this any longer, as I know people are turned off by the idea of reading as well. *sigh*

Hi Everyone! Perhaps some of you have noticed an influx of art which is partially or entirely made via artificial intelligence here and on other social media. What's your take? Full disclosure: though I find the AI results attractive, I prefer creating via traditional media. I don't look down on those who want to ‘paint’ or ‘sculpt/carve’ using computers but I personally get more satisfaction and enjoyment when using my hands on a more tangible medium. For me, the 'old world' processes have more romance to them, and I appreciate the human element. Yet, I certainly see the convenience and benefits of going digital! It is certainly a time saver. You can also do things which would be very challenging if not impossible by hand, like mixing different media together in one image.

In the 90's I became aware of graphics tablets, I recall a lot of conversation in art school about the arrival of 'computer art'. Some embraced it, enjoying to be on the forefront of technology, while some felt as if it would be the end of traditional art. Will we be replaced by computers?? Were we? Looking back, we weren't, but it did change the role of traditional art, especially in the more commercial fields like illustration. When I look at modern illustration in my typical fields of work, it seems to me that the vast percentage is made digitally. When I meet new art directors and they discover that I am using traditional media, they seem a bit surprised. Why? Because it will be far less convenient for me to make edits and adjustments to suit their preferences. It does feel like working traditionally is becoming more of a novelty. In the world of dimensional art, I have noticed more gaming miniatures being ‘sculpted’ via computer and then 3D printed rather than being hand sculpted with putty and dental tools. With CNC machines we also have computer wood-carving. Once upon a time it was fairly easy to spot a digital ‘painting’, even in thumbnail form, there were little tell-tale signs which revealed it wasn’t traditional. Usually it was a little soft in areas, or it was doing things which traditional couldn’t. But, in more recent years, as the software improves, I am having a harder time spotting them. At present, the computer caving and sculpting is still easy to notice, but I am sure that will improve as well. No matter what the case, creating these images still required the creator to have knowledge of design, composition, color and all the usual stuff.

When cameras became available to people, it changed traditional painting's purpose and use. Cameras absorbed the role of recording images (portraits, etc), it was faster and more accurate (for the most part). This is when we saw a lot of new styles of art emerging, effects that the camera could not achieve... the Impressionists and Abstract artists came to mind. But, with the advent of digital painting and sculpting software, I have not yet noticed any new artistic movements within the traditional artists.

In this latest chapter of evolution, AI software is popping up everywhere. Much like the arrival of digital ‘painting’, I find it easy to spot, even as a little thumbnail image. I find the images to be very attractive and inspiring, they tend to have very brooding atmospheres, dramatic uses of color and sometimes very intricate patterns. At present, it seems like the AI can’t quite do certain details, usually leaving things like faces very abstract, yet still quite expressive. Soon enough the AI will improve, and it will be more refined and less detectable. One big difference this time is that it doesn’t require someone to have any artistic ability or design sense (thought it sure could be used by those who do have artistic ability, and they could take things much farther). They simply need to provide a description for the AI to create, and the AI does the heavy lifting. I suspect that this will be more than enough for most people's needs, especially for those with less of an available budget to hire artists. I can’t but help think that this will put the squeeze on a lot of aspiring illustrators.

So… what will the future of traditional art be like? Will it continue to become more of a novelty? Will it find some new purpose or home, as it did with the advent of cameras? I am curious to hear people’s thoughts and predictions about this next phase in the intersection or art and technology…….

cheers!

~Paul

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* I have been putting quotations on words like 'painting' 'carving' and 'sculpting' not as a sleight to digital artists, but I think these new processes deserve their own original terms. I find it a little confusing at times when the terms get watered down and attempt to include too broad a definition. Call me old fashioned, but I think paintings should involve paint. Maybe it could be called 'light shaping' instead? 'pixelcraft'??

Like many out there, I am not a fan of the Eclipse version of DeviantArt. It took me ten minutes to just find out how to make this new post. But, I realize that all changes take some getting used to, and hopefully in time we will all get our bearings and be able to return to some sense of functionality and normalcy here. My concern is a mass exodus of friends leaving here out of frustration. I ask my frustrated friends to hang on a little longer in hopes that things will smooth out one way or another, hopefully we'll get used this interface or maybe DA will recognize our issues and address them. I value you all as friends and would consider it a great loss to lose this nice experience.