Greenburgh Public Library Blog

Art In The Stacks

Did you happen to catch the David Hockney retrospect at the Metropolitan Museum of Art earlier this year - especially the dazzling tablet art?  For many this was the first time we got to witness a modern master using an art medium accessible to us all.  For years graphic designers have been using digital drawing tablets such as the Huion, Simbans Picasso or Wacom products. Then there is the software required to produce amazing graphic novels, animation or photographic manipulation.  I am not endorsing any of these products but simply listing them as a historic progression to where we are today.  We are all able to use similar tools built into most smart phones and tablets making it possible to doodle, draw or paint anywhere or anytime!  David Hockney tablet art used from Chronicles.

To create detailed, colorful digital art it is still easier with an app (a piece of software) either purchased or found free online.  The high end software used by professional artists such as Photoshop, InDesign or Corel Painter can be matched with such apps as Procreate, Adobe Illustrator or Infinite Painter.  Even without these products you can still have fun using your stylus, even your finger, with a blank page from a tablet's notes section.   

     Make Great Art on Your IPad by Alison Jardine

     Call Number: 776.2 J

     ISBN: 9781781573877

     Publication Date: 2017-08-01

     A helpful guide to fundamental art school principles and iPad techniques.

A few books have been published on how to make tablet art but like all things electronic the data quickly becomes out dated.  Using the internet to explore videos and artist blog sites may be a better option to learn how to manipulate an electronic art program.  Click on AutoDesk Sketchbook's blog and learn more from contributing guest Polish Artist Monika Zagrobelina on "How Is Digital Drawing Different From Traditional Art". Just as artists learn basic drawing techniques such as composition and proportions, a tablet can make learning these skills much easier.  Tablets have built in grids to help with proportions, ways to easily adjust tonal qualities and rendering.  Take a look at the 10 minute time lapse video which captures the artist Vincent Chu's detailed rendering of an eye.  You may first believe you are seeing a photograph and blink in disbelief at the end result. Sequencing your work becomes another fun way to document and share art.  For more tips and links to creating digital art click on Aaron Rutten's fun video.