What bugs me about digital artists...

I am not an art snob.
I love all kinds of art.
But a few things bother me about the "art world" in general...
and digital art, specifically.
When I first discovered programs like Photoshop and
PaintshopPro...I played with all the doodads.
It was beyond amusing to make photos of myself look like
metal or leather with the click of the mouse.
It was neato to make kalaidoscopic patterns with a similar
click or two.

Then I discovered you could actually make a mark...your own
mark...using a digital paintbrush.
Slowly, I would use a mouse to make drawings and paints.
I could even enhance them with grain, or changing color.



This pic is a drawing.
It was disqualified from a competition because it was
believed to be a photo...or at least that some trickery
was involved. Although the competition had a digital
art catagory...they didn't understand digital art very
well. They thought I had submitted a photomanipulation...
which they understood...and didn't allow.
I did use a grain filter...but other than that I used
PaintshopPro's round paintbrush, and smudge tools...
and nothing else. It is the equivalent...using a pencil and
a smudge stick. I didn't trace anything, I didn't
manipulate a photo. I used a reference photo to
LOOK at, but did not use any kind of trickery...
and this was before I had a graphics tablet.
My point.
I can draw.
I have honest artistic skill.
No..not the best skill, but I do have some.

So, can you guess what is bothering me?

I'm going to make people angry...
I will appologise now.

But I don't get all these people who "exhibit widely",
win "numerous awards", even judge competitons...

and all they do is run filters!

Or they do what is actually photo manipulations.

And most call themselves digital painters.

Shouldn't something have been painted,
before calling a piece a painting?

I am not saying that anyone or
any style is or is not art or an artist.
I am saying that running a
filter isn't painting.

I will furthur venture to say that until people stop
doing this, those who are anti-digital and think that
all digital art is "generated" , and that digital art is simply
not real art...will keep thinking these things.
How can they help it when digital artists themselves seem so confused,
about what they are doing?
I leave you with a digital...painting.
I made those marks.
I guided a stylus to paint them, and formed them into
a picture of a girl.

Wise words from Ms Japel

I like her.
She has ...something.
She's just one of those people whom you can look at in a
photograph, even and know...she's special.
I was reading an interview with Stefani Japel of
Glampyre knits, and this part really caught my eye.

"Nat: Are there any tips you can share about running a craft business?

Stefanie: I'm still learning about the whole business end of
things, so don't listen to any advice from me. But here are
some things that I do:
Don't pay too much attention to what other people are doing.
Keep to your own aesthetic and you'll stay original. The second
you decide to consciously directly compete with what someone
else is doing is the second you lose the freshness of your own ideas.
I read blogs, and there are a few shop sites I check every so often...
but maybe because I'm so busy, I live in a bubble. I don't have time
to pay too much attention to other craft businesses.

Don't take yourself too seriously. I think that one big mistake
people make is to think of themselves as experts...I don't know.
Craft is what you do because you love it. When you start to put
all that pressure on yourself...ideas are harder and harder to come by.
Let things just flow.

Constantly sketch. Draw every single permutation of every
idea that you have.

Save your receipts and organize them. Taxes suck.

Stay friendly. I learn so much from people who are in this business.
I see every relationship as something to learn from. The most annoying
customer can really give you insight into the minute things that could
be changed to either make the site more navigable, or the pattern more
easy to read. Some people even write just because they're lonely...not
because they really have a problem with you or your work...just treat
everyone with respect, and you'll be respected."

Sometimes it is the most simple actions that mean the most. And while she
is talking about crafts and knitting, I think the same advice should be taken by
fine artists too.
That ol "act like a rock start, cold shoulder the fans,let them know you are a superior
being " act has got to go.
I have seen it fail a number of times now, for a number of people.
Yeah...the part about staying nice REALLY caught my attention.

more quiz-y goodness.

Pure Nerd 82 % Nerd, 47% Geek, 30% Dork

For The Record: A Nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia. A Geek is someone who is passionate about some particular area or subject, often an obscure or difficult one. A Dork is someone who has difficulty with common social expectations/interactions. You scored better than half in Nerd, earning you the title of: Pure Nerd. The times, they are a-changing. It used to be that being exceptionally smart led to being unpopular, which would ultimately lead to picking up all of the traits and tendences associated with the "dork." No-longer. Being smart isn't as socially crippling as it once was, and even more so as you get older: eventually being a Pure Nerd will likely be replaced with the following label: Purely Successful. Congratulations! Also, you might want to check out some of my other tests if you're interested in any of the following: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Professional Wrestling testid=8115472531704248346">Love & Sexuality America/Politics Thanks Again! -- THE NERD? GEEK? OR DORK? TEST

My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 99% on nerdiness You scored higher than 99% on geekosity You scored higher than 99% on dork points

Link: The Nerd? Geek? or Dork? Test written by donathos on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

hmm...well, ok, then.


Lookies.
I made a sun.
It doesn't seem too popular on DA...
like a really care about that anymore.
It cheers me up.



I also made this..not so sure it cheers me. It's funny what people have seen in this...everything from Valentines to a preganant woman.

gratification

painting more or less
"flopped" everywhere I showed it.
Maybe people think parents are
being self indulgent when they
paint their children.
It's my daughter Donna.
Anyways...they liked it over at
artwanted.com.
That's nice.

Yanno..I am sorry about griping about Mom so much.
But sometimes, I need to vent.
The woman sits and talks for 30 minutes straight
about how backed up she is.
Asks if I will give her an enema...
to which I replied that there is a reason that
I didn't chose medical care with humans. ( I used to
be a vet tech.)
But she wouldn't be in this
shape if she didn't eat about 4 times more than
she should at each meal.
I mean...she uses a mixing bowl for a cereal bowl!
She complains about reflux when she eats...well duh...
She is 4'11".
You put that amount of food into such a
short torso/stomach...you run out of space.
But then she has the nerve to harass
my chidren every time they eat a piece of candy.
She was even trying to force them
to watch some talk show with a severly obese
child...all the while giving lectures and dire warnings...
AND SHE HAD A BOWL OF ONE OF HER MEGABOWLS
OF CEREAL AT THE TIME!
And the cereal is an example.
We all use smallish plates from my set of dishes.
She uses the giant dinner plate and fills it up.
She fills it up even if I haven't had a chance to eat.
So, sometimes...I don't even get to eat dinner.
You see why I needed to vent?

New Hobby?

It's becoming more and more clear, that with building a house, 
and all my hobby storage needs ...

I need to take up woodworking.

I have some basic knowledge...which I need to expand upon.

I was telling Bill about how alarming my storage situation
has become and he said he would help me.
We are also going to be doing this cool project that I saw while
watching B Original on HGTV.
It originally aired on the DIY Network.
If you have priced full sized floor easels you can
see the appeal of this.

I guess I knew it would happen.

Someone thought Bill was Becca's Grandfather today...
She had been told that fact by other's who know us, fairly well.
Or so I thought.
Perhaps people just assume even when presented with facts like
"This is my husband, Becca's step-Father."
The person in error appologised profusly.
I said it was ok, and that confusion can happen
when two people so vastly different in age marry.
And that indeed, Bill is significantly older than I.


Anyways..

he is actually a year older than Becca's Grandfather on my side
would have been. :)

Someone once said I was mentally ill for marrying
someone so much older.
If having and loving a man like Bill makes me mentally ill.
Then yay for being out of my mind.
Believe me..women dream about having a husband that
would treat them like Bill treats me.
I'm not bragging.
I am stating fact.
I pay for it with the knowledge that he will probably
die long before I do.
But one has to live now...
not for before, and not for after.

Does this have anything to do with knitting?

Not really..unless you count the fact that Bill does...
Knit.
Among other things.



 

doom and gloom-aboom,boom,boom

I have been Ms Negative Pants lately, eh?

But really, I'm a generally happy person.
I suppose that's because I get it out.

But I admit..this last year has been a very tough one...

sigh I even stopped painting.

I also stopped getting things out in other ways...
that is until I would just explode.

But I have started painting again...and everything seems to be
much more balanced.

I had stopped painting for ten years before...for various reasons.
And when I HAD to start again, I mean I NEEDED to paint.
I was getting a divorce.
But when I decided to start again, I wasn't sure that I could.
Then I painted this flower.
I think it's ok.

A bit better now..

So anyways..

(Hey...here's the shrug from a thrift store sweater that
was unraveled.
And no..I really dont appologise for anything.
I'm not neat, I'm not skinny, and I make stupid faces.
We'll all get over it.
Machine knit body and hand finished cuffs and ruffled edges.
The cuffs and edges are NOT recycled yarn...they are
Lion Brand Jiffy...erm..colorway is..el paso?)

In spite of being hit by the worst pain in my life on
Friday afternoon, it's been an nice weekend.

First of all, I have some lovely news.
I am the new editor for the Painting catagory at craftgossip.

I am being brief, tonight because I'm running
low on energy, and I want to make a new personal blog
that will help me to keep track of my projects.

I guess the "first of all" is going to be
the ONLY of all. I am really tired
and lacking focus right now.

Hmm..Bill just called and is telling me
almost all of the schools in the area
closed due to the extreme cold.

My weather thingy

A WIND CHILL ADVISORY REMAINS IN
EFFECT UNTIL 1 PM EST TUESDAY.

SINGLE DIGIT TEMPERATURES WILL
COMBINE WITH WINDS OF 10 TO 20 MPH
TO PRODUCE DANGEROUSLY LOW WIND
CHILLS. WIND CHILL READINGS OF 15
TO 25 BELOW ZERO ARE EXPECTED TONIGHT
INTO MONDAY MORNING. WIND
CHILLS WILL STILL BE 10 TO 20 BELOW ZERO
MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH
TUESDAY MORNING.

A WIND CHILL ADVISORY IS ISSUED WHEN
A STRONG WIND WILL COMBINE
WITH COLD TEMPERATURES TO CREATE
DANGEROUSLY COLD CONDITIONS FOR
EXPOSED SKIN. THE WIND WILL MAKE IT
FEEL LIKE IT IS BETWEEN 10 AND
25 DEGREES BELOW ZERO. THOSE PLANNING
TO VENTURE OUTDOORS SHOULD
USE COMMON SENSE AND DRESS WARMLY
...MAKING SURE THAT ALL EXPOSED
SKIN IS COVERED.

Well...the girls have a different set up at school..no waiting for a bus.

Eh..I'm seriously sick of fighting with blogger for now.
Stupid italics.

 

Maybe later

I have a terrible, and excruciating ear
 infection right now..
maybe later tonight, after  
antibiotics have had a
chance to do something,
I'll catch up on my blogs.