Friday, July 6, 2007

For those who asked.....I am GEEKY



And for those who didn't know I am, but might have wondered..... I am a computer Geek! And my fave program is Painter. The upgrades keep coming and I keep acquiring them.

The newest, Painter X is worth the price of the upgrade. Hard to say how many updates will be needed. With any new program as deep as Painter, there is always a bit of wiggle room for improvement. This first update to Painter X.... Painter X.1 fixes some of the problems people had with the initial offering.

My history with Painter goes back to Painter 4.0 when I was a graphic arts, Family Computing host on AOL. Several of us hosted chat groups and tutorial groups on AOL for those new to Painter. Those were my "formative"GEEKY days, I guess .... about 12 years ago.
This image is from a lesson on creating 3D text and it is still in some dark corner of AOL although it cannot be accessed by anyone anymore. I still use Painter for my illustration work, and the advances in technology, computers and the program itself make the time taken to learn it, well worthwhile.
The advances in the program and the learning all along the way makes the occasional struggle or late night learning session
profitable in the end result. Layers, transparencies, the ability to move objects and smoosh, squeeze, and manipulate a painting are only a few of the tools Painter offers. With the newer programs, the ability to paint with ease and mimic traditional brush strokes is amazing. (You can view this image a bit larger if you click on it)

And I do still paint traditionally as well. Somehow the work I do in the computer actually enhances my traditional work. There is something about being able to explore so many things in a computer, without having to completely rePAINT, that gives me an advantage when it comes to making those final decisions with traditional media.

11 comments:

Teri said...

What a great post!! Now I really know what a geek is. And your 'painter' capabilities are wonderful!! Your art has such an adorable quality to it.

Tina Poe said...

I recently started experimenting with Painter X, I love the textures and color variations that create such realistic material strokes. But I still miss the variety of tools Photoshop has, I wish they could merge the two programs. Here is my first Painter X piece: http://tinavaziri.com/blog/?p=18

Love your work, it's so beautiful and fun!

Unknown said...

Awesome stuff, Ginger! Love the running Hippo!

I am proud to join your "geeky"community of computer painters! Painter is pretty amazing. I'm reading the guide that came packed with the software as if it is a novel! I feel like I need to learn all of the things it is truly capabler of doing before I settle into a style of workflow with it. I am so tied to the hip with Photoshop as a general rule, I'm also interested to see how my workflow with Painter can work in Photoshop into the mix. It's my latest Big Question!!

:)

Kathy

Majeak Ann said...

You are classy!

Jana Bouc said...

That was fun to click to see what you did and discover your confession of geekiness. It was interesting reading more about your experience with Painter too.

studio lolo said...

yes, but you're a very cool geek! I may have to break down and try a computer program one day. Some of the results I see are amazing!

° said...

if u wanna call ur self a geek fine with me i dont care.
Ur still a very talented artist who i enjoy the work of and thats why i come around to look not cause ur geek or cool or whtever the flavor of the genertion is.
lov the playful hippo romping around in the pic.

trowbridge chronicles said...

I've wondered why you were so computer saavy. Now I know. Wow...12 years. I'm just glad I can stumble around Photoshop a bit. I have so far to go.

Michelle Lana said...

Your'e the coolest Ginger!

Random York said...

If a girl has to be a geek you have sure found a way to make a cute geek

valerie walsh said...

To me a geek is a very smart person! that is what you are, and I appreciate your enthusiasm and sharing of knowledge. I sure would love to learn these things and you make me want to. Great post Ginger!