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Dave's Tablet (1 Viewer)

Dave B

Well-known member
At Tim's suggestion and with much trepidation, I'm launching my own thread. It feels a bit like buying a puppy - do I have the commitment to keep it alive - only time will tell!

An explanation of the title - latterly I've been experimenting by starting my sketches in the conventional manner - using field sketches or referring to photos taken in the field immediately after the event, painting up a fairly rough copy using watercolours, then scanning it into the computer and finishing it off using a Wacom tablet and pen. I work pretty much as I would with a paintbrush or pencil, but the advantage is that I can add or remove colours, play around with shapes, etc, to my heart's content without fear of ruining the piece. As a recovering perfectionist, this frees me from the worry of making a mistake and messing the whole thing up, so it's quite fun.

Without more ado, here's another Curlew Sand sketch (see 'Joint Thread' for the first) from a few days ago.

Cheers and thanks for looking,

Dave
 

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At Tim's suggestion and with much trepidation, I'm launching my own thread. It feels a bit like buying a puppy - do I have the commitment to keep it alive - only time will tell!

An explanation of the title - latterly I've been experimenting by starting my sketches in the conventional manner - using field sketches or referring to photos taken in the field immediately after the event, painting up a fairly rough copy using watercolours, then scanning it into the computer and finishing it off using a Wacom tablet and pen. I work pretty much as I would with a paintbrush or pencil, but the advantage is that I can add or remove colours, play around with shapes, etc, to my heart's content without fear of ruining the piece. As a recovering perfectionist, this frees me from the worry of making a mistake and messing the whole thing up, so it's quite fun.

Without more ado, here's another Curlew Sand sketch (see 'Joint Thread' for the first) from a few days ago.

Cheers and thanks for looking,

Dave

Welcome aboard first of all! Look forward to following your work here, particularily if it conforms to the standard of that opening sketch, its great.(the subject appeals to me!);)
 
Welcome aboard first of all! Look forward to following your work here, particularily if it conforms to the standard of that opening sketch, its great.(the subject appeals to me!);)

Hi Dave

Welcome!

Lovely work, looks good to me. :t:

That is quite a difficult pose to do. Looking at an animal straight on is not the easiest thing to do. The position and the tone of the bird looks very alive.

Water is probabily most artists nightmare to try to recreate, and get right. What you have done looks realistic, and I love the shadow effect too

Love the colours too, and the way that you have presented the picture too
:-O

Looking forward to the next one. :-O
 
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Thanks for starting this particular thread, Dave - I shall be an avid follower. Your opening shot is a remarkable little painting and I look forward with a mix of joy and envy to the work we are about to see.
Good man!
 
Well done Dave for the big step. Think this Curlew Sand is better than
the first and that was beautiful! keep em coming now so we can
admire some more.:t:
 
At Tim's suggestion and with much trepidation, I'm launching my own thread.
Dave


Brill- I was thinking we would have to start a Dave's thread and then keep posting into it demanding that you join..but this way is much better! You must be really pleased to see these wader pics turning out the way you want 'em- and rightly so.
 
Great to see you've started this thread, seriously, I want one of those tablet things, would save a load of paper! Having an evening of mistakes and starting again. That Curlew Sand is very special indeed.
 
Great to see you've started this thread, seriously, I want one of those tablet things, would save a load of paper! Having an evening of mistakes and starting again. That Curlew Sand is very special indeed.

Thanks folks for all your kind comments. Not sure about a tablet for you Nick - why fix it if it ain't broke? - I'm thinking. You are producing such high quality work at the moment, and I think that real paper suits your style perfectly!

Another problem with tablet work is that the 'painting' doesn't exist as a 'hard copy'. This is the problem with exhibitions (in reference to Tim's question on Joint Thread), unless there is a way to render CGIs convincingly on 'proper art paper'?

Anyway, just to say that I am supposed to be very busy with 'work' at the moment, so I really shouldn't be posting many paintings for the next coupla months!

Dave
 
Another problem with tablet work is that the 'painting' doesn't exist as a 'hard copy'. This is the problem with exhibitions (in reference to Tim's question on Joint Thread), unless there is a way to render CGIs convincingly on 'proper art paper'?

Dave

You are right about there not being a true messy, painty original matching the final image, but if you e-mail them off to an art printer, these CGIs come out just fine enlarged and printed back onto nice toothy watercolour paper. The nice thing about it is that enlarging them to print tends to enhance the graininess and texture in the image.
 
You are right about there not being a true messy, painty original matching the final image, but if you e-mail them off to an art printer, these CGIs come out just fine enlarged and printed back onto nice toothy watercolour paper. The nice thing about it is that enlarging them to print tends to enhance the graininess and texture in the image.

Ed you took the words right out of my mouth! Some of these Giclee
prints on toothy watercolour paper ,The results are impressive.
 
This is a mix of influences from this forum - Nick's insomnia and Andrew's patented blurry wingtips! I took a close look at your Moussier's Redstart Andrew in trying to replicate the blur effect. Not too bad for a first try, and wonderful to have your technique to refer to!

A Brown Needletail, by the way. When they fly past you can hear and feel the whoosh of their wings. Fabulous!

To bed!

Dave
 

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and that's a successful whoosh, I like the way only the near tip is blurred, it looks like he's coming along to smack me one!
 
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