One day last week, I found a chance to use my new Wacom Intuos4 tablet, and here is my first "oil" sketch. I used Corel Painter, and I have to say I am really thrilled with the tablet and with that program. (Resolution is much better if you click on the image.)
I'm quite astounded by how much like real oil paint and brushes it feels, and I found that, very quickly, I was able to focus not on manipulating the technology, but on just enjoying the feel of painting again.
The paint moves, blends, and gets dirty in a strikingly similar way to the real thing, but I love the ability to undo something that isn't working. It is easier on the whole to keep colors rich and bright. I started with a dark background: with a tap of the pen... no drying time. I am looking forward to exploring means to better achieve fine detail, as I found that the pixelation was a little trying when I zoomed in. Perhaps I just need to start with a larger canvas. I do miss the smell of the linseed oil...but I don't miss the clean-up.
I doubt I'll ever give up the real thing, because there's nothing like the real thing, but I'm quite certain that digital is the way for me right now as I work toward producing this current picture book dummy. I'll keep you posted on my results...
