I had a classic day where I really meant to do some art, but had somehow made it to the evening and had not done a single thing. I knew I didn't want to go to my art room and as always I was concerned about creating a mess and having to do a clean-up.
I then spotted my laptop and decided to load up and try Sketchbook Pro. The spirit was really not with me, hence I avoided one of the more complex pieces I could have worked on. Instead I thought about the abstract painting I started and completely failed with at the end of my abstract painting course. My failure was as much to do with a lack of confidence and skill with acrylics as my complete lack of experience with non-objective abstract.
The thing with software is that you can rub out and undo whenever you go wrong. Nothing is beyond saving. By now I am getting pretty confident with the basic paint tool and how to use layers. I was able to create the nice, grubby cream background he used. Then created a layer to rough sketch the shapes. I added another layer to put on the colour using the second layer as a guide. Finally, I added a fourth layer to redraw the shape borders in a heavier, painted line and add additional architectural lines as I saw fit.
Even though the idea came from the course, I didn't reference it at all. I based it on what I could remember and then just added as I saw fit and felt. It was a really good evening of art that ate away two hours! I can honestly say I couldn't have done this with paint. Yet the end result was very satisfying and it looks great printed out on photograph paper and stuck to my art room wall. What I love about Sketchbook Pro, is that it gives me an opportunity to try ideas floating about in my head that I may not have the skill or patience to do in real paint. To my mind, all three works I have completed so far would all look great in largescale oil. Perhaps one day I will give them a go. I'll keep you posted.
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