Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Illustration - Tigers

Tigers

Painted with Corel Painter


This is the final illustration commission for a series of coins for the Coin Club of Australia, and my last digital illustration for a while. Whilst the digital work is wonderful for illustration work, in that it allows for changes so easily, for me I lose something in the creation of a digital work compared to working with tangible media. So whilst, the income from illustration work is always welcome, I have decided to focus for a while on drawing from the heart, and hopefully sell an artwork here or there to help pay the bills :))

8 comments:

Autumn Leaves said...

Beautiful work, Karen! You've captured the color of tigers beautifully! I can see some difference from your usual work but couldn't put my finger on it. Maybe it is the digitization that I could sense (though not sure I was seeing).

Wendy Mould AFCA said...

The Tigers look great but I know what you mean. There is something about the tangible creation of a picture that digital cannot replace.

Unknown said...

Thank you Sherry and Wendy - I have done quite a few digital illustrations now and they certainly have a lot of advantages, but yes I agree with you Wendy, there is something so satisfying about being able to hold your work and watch it develop :)

Artoholic said...

Karen you excel every time I visit your beautiful blog!

The tigers are so exciting (I can't help but think of Ben Stiller's The Tee-gra of Zoolander fame!)

I hear where you're coming from with Digital vs Real. Digital imagery can take just as long (if not longer) than traditional methods of illustrating. Just today I lost a good 25 mins of digital imaging work as I didn't "save along the way" when my software shut down unexpectedly. But for ease and speed of change, it can't be beaten.

I liken the whole dilemma to other progressions in technology and materials. Wooden vs plastic. Natural fibres vs polyester and nylon. Natural flavours vs chemical reproductions. They all have their advantages and maybe cheaper, but lose a little something in the translation.

Still, I'd rather use a computer than typewriter, and a calculator over an abacus. It's all about the right tool for the right job, and you feeling happy to be using it!

Unknown said...

Oh Cindy - that has happened to me too, and I think it had been about three hours since I'd saved - makes you paranoid about saving then doesn't it!!!

Cindy Lane said...

I'm paranoid anyway....

artbyakiko said...

Amazing work, Karen! It looks so real. And I absolutely love your gorilla baby artworks. They are so sweet.

Unknown said...

Thank you Akiko - the gorilla pieces are such fun and I'm thrilled you like them!!! :)