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You had tons of fun with this one, Eric! Great to see you experimenting with all these programs (I looooove the sky!).

I'm pulling for you with the Halloween baby! ;)

Thanks Brian!

I like this It seems you're really picking this up. Hope everything goes smoothly!

Thanks Vickie!

Congratulations on the baby! Finally...and almost on his due date... :)

Shannon

Gorgeous coloura nad texture! Good luck with the impending birth, your life never be the same! :)x

Hi Again! I meant to write colours and texture (sorry!)x

Thanks Shannon!

Thanks Jess!

Hey, my comment comes first today :D
Painter is really amazing, and so much fun to work with! I like the new sketches alot, I think you're doing really well...and that you'll master the digital technique in no time (to be more precise,you'll "bend it to your will":)). There's something very captivating about the middle sketch, the combination of those tones and lines...I love it!:)

Thanks Bojana! I love how photoshop lets you take a palette from outside sources, like, you can paint with rust or clouds. That really captures mt imagination.

I think you should get a full version of painter! If this is your first trials you'll be the King of Digital in a month!

LOL! thanks Viviane! I hope it's not obnoxious to say I was really pleased with this result. I always loved working in oils but didn't like the scale involved, so this might be a happy alternative. However, at
226.50 pounds it's a bit more then I can afford right now, especially if I'm getting a Wacom soon.

This is terrific. I love the palette. It looks like you're really mastering digital!

Thanks Vickie!

Each of these are wonderfull!!!!
congrats

Thanks claudia! It's good to hear from you!

These are amazing! They glow, they have a bit of dreaminess and softness around the edges that give your work another dimension. I almost can't tell which are cg's and which are real drawings, they're incredibly painterly.

Thanks Ambera! Have you tried Painter? It's amazing!! I think you'd love it.

I've always heard that using different programs is usually the best thing. Your piece is really well done and it's great that you're open to using several programs.

I've yet to play with Painter. I've started using photoshop not too long ago for my work and I love it. I'd like to see what Painter is like (I don't think I've ever heard one bad thing).

But get a wacom - you're going to LOVE it!

Thanks Brian! try the free trial on Corel's site. The only problem you'll really want the program.

Great use of white!

Ciao
Pagas

Thanks Pagas!

I like that you seem to be exploring a different aspect of your mind through this medium.. your recent work (mostly in color choice) touches on more mature tones. I am excited to see where this goes for you.

As for Painter X... that stuff is like Pandora's Box buddy, open it with great care :) and a hefty wallet.

Thanks Peter!
You bring up a really interesting point:
How does the medium effect the tone or subject? I think oil and similar mediums are more likely to suggest richer, more complete forms. As for tone, that's a lot harder to say. Maybe the available colours or mark making?

.....and why is it easier for me to work on a computer for crazy hours then a piece of paper or canvas?

Yo man, this is really awesome, I'm not sure exactly what I love about it, either the simplicity of it, the palette or just the shapes you've created, but keep it up, I'm diggin it! :D

Thanks Eric! I'm a big fan of your work so that means a lot to me.

just a super quick tip Eric. if you already know this, forgive me.
if you want to be able to add color to a black and white scan, or any scan, and you want to be able to clearly see your original line drawing, drag your line art scan to the top layer, go to the drop menu on the top left of the layers pallet and choose "multiply" as the assignment for that layer. multiply will allow you to build layer upon layer without ever having to erase to see the line drawing. its serves as a wash technique when used right.
hope this helps you have more fun with photoshop. and for a mere $80 you can get a Wacom Bamboo. not saying you should though, im still not convinced after all this time that i like my Cintiq or not.
i still like paint brushes:)

Whenever I come back here you've posted loads of wonderful work!!
This is great, I have always been a bit apprehensive of digital... but I guess you are right about combining it with real sketches and textures...

Thanks Joe! I'm embarrassed to admit I didn't know that. I find layers, the most lauded aspect of phtoshop, to be the least intuitive. I'll give that a try.

Thanks Rima! I know, I feel the same way about digital. Is your animation all done analog?

no problem Eric, i would be happy to answer any questions. also, "screen" works with white images just the same way multiply works with black. multiply makes all white invisible and screen makes all black invisible.

love the ethereal quality of this one..

Thanks Joe!

Thanks Kathy!
I really wish i had more time to play with this program right now!

very cool! i like this!

paz

Thanks Paz!

I wonder if there's "A Dummy's Guide to Digital Whatever" - even though, it may still be too complex for someone like me.

I am awed when I see artists like you working sheer wonders with all these tools out there! Amazing what you can create at first try with a new program.

NB:
Thank you for your visit and your kind comment on my blog. I am planning on showing more images of modern architecture around town. Have you looked at the Haas building pictures? I love how that very modern building reflects the ancient St. Stephen's cathedral. There are quite a few other felicitous marriages between old and new architecture around.

Thanks Merisi! There are guides for this stuff, I'm reading one now but feel like i need a guide for the guide!
Vienna is funny that way, I picture architecture from all times. Lately I've become a fan of Hundertwasser, his architecture has really found it's way into my work-much like Gaudi-especially my science fiction stuff.
I'm looking at the Haas pictures now, amazing stuff.

Painter is really magic stuff! Do you know Brian Despain? He paints with both manual and digital tools...most of his 'Robots' have been realized with Painter. Recently he revamped his website, but there's still a tutorial hid in his old pages (not erased , luckily!): http://www.imphead.com/about/blendboywip/bb1.html

I believe the trick is to follow the stream of your inspiration. At the beginning I was used to read guides, then I become focused on the drawings just exploring the functions I needed... these programs are so packed with myriads of options, that artists can easily reach the same effects following different paths!

Thanks for you thoughts on this Maurizio! I really appreciate you pointing me in the right direction.

a nice blog

http://cruzcanhoto.blogspot.com/

I just hope you love yours as much as I love mine!

Congrats on the new picture book! Your artwork is wonderful. I hope the new Cintiq works well for you.

just found your blog thru Jacketflap. I'm enjoying looking around in it. You mentioned that you updated your website recently. I can't find a link on your blog to your website... where are you hiding it?

oh... nice work!

SHERRY: It is a beautiful machine. First thing I thought was -- YAY --it looks just like a monster version of my Intuos 3! Then I turned it on. Definitely the nicest "monitor" I own.

KRISTI: Thank you! First proofs are back from the printer and KITCHEN DANCE is almost a real book!

DOUG: Wow, can't believe I didn't have a link to my site. Now I do -- thanks for letting me know!

thanks, I found the link to you website.
You have some great looking work there!

*Stacy's mom has got it goin' on*

Loud brainradio going now. Your fault.

Sniff... that's right... wait til my husband's been away for 3 days and then write about HIS FAVORITE SONG!

Now, MR, when we had that talk at Kid Lit Drink Night, I didn't REALLY give you permission to go THAT young. Besides, guys who chat you up in the bathroom line are stoned. (I learned this from Bonnaroo reports.) On the other hand, twenty year old guys who chat you up while you are busting the hell out of a punching bag at the gym on your fortieth birthday because they can't see your wedding ring under your boxing gloves, yeah, well, THOSE guys are all right. (Snort)

But I would like to have you make a country song out of all this.

Yegods. I have swiped THE SECRET off the holdshelf a couple times and browsed through it, only to cower in the face of its remarkable crapitude. I Think it's the Random Capitalization that really Tans my Hide. Can't wait.

"I feel bad for the rest of the audience who paid for my mistake"

That is hilarious!

Just here to say I love The Other Boleyn Girl and the other books by Philippa Gregory that I've read. Sadly though, I don't own them, so I can't reread them at leisure.

Alanis Morisette irnoy! Oh my goodness, you've made my freakin' day. That is so, so, so, so funny.

Is that like Spider Robinson irony?

So personally, I liked finding out wher my blog ranked, am a "C" list and that's okay and I have something to strive for. And I loved the article you wrote about blogging. But I would hate to reject students from a play and have to be the person who call. Tryouts for our school play are tomorrow. At elem, we try to make room for everyone... Happy Sunday.

Hey MR, I wanted to tell you that I liked your article. I hope I didn't sound like I was dismissing it.

By the way, I loved your B-List post the first time I read it, and re-reading it through this discussion. I think your advice is spot-on.

My only angst about my blog is not whether I'm C-list or not, but whether I've got the stamina to keep at it, even as a C-lister. Now that I've added a 12-hour work day to my life, my blog reading and posting has gotten thinner than I hoped. If I didn't have regular series like the postcards or Words on Wednesday, etc, I think it would be even thinner!

The idea that counting links via technorati determines any broader sort of popularity is, of course, flawed by itself. But MR... really, now... don't take this so personally. The conversation comes up alllll the time in every online community, and always will. You just keep on doing what you do....

I've gotten a lot of support online, and it seems that almost everyone got the point of the article, so I really don't feel that bad. There is nothing there to say that C-list or D-list is anything to feel bad about. The Technorati links are just a way to see if your blog is getting out there. But it takes time and energy, and it's not everyone's goal to apply that time and energy to their blog. And that's fine.

But I remember having four blogs linking to me and wondering how I could be a bigger part of it. Why not share those lessons learned?

Greg, thanks for the support, as you have always be a supportive voice. I'm not feeling that bad, more like a "where did THAT come from?" feeling that kinda took over my Friday.

What the hell? I take two days off from reading blogs (you know: life happened), and all hell breaks loose? Dang. I missed it.

I also meant to comment that I wanted questions, but again life happened and I forgot to do it, so I missed that too.

Bleh.

Life should just stop happening.