Digital Painting and Illustration

Sometimes I have students that don't fully understand just how powerful Photoshop and Illustrator are. Many students think of Photoshop as something you use to edit photographs. That kind of thinking is along the lines of thinking a computer is there to use the calculator feature. While yes, you can edit photos in it, there is so much more you can do!

Photoshop can be used to create complex and compelling fine art, graphics for web based applications, graphics for dvd and cd applications, digital paintings, vector based art, posters, flyers, the list is endless. On top of all that, it's the best image and photo editing package available in the industry.

For anyone not very familiar with Illustrator, this is another very powerful tool that goes beyond using it for page layout. I have seen many examples of very complex and creative work done in Illustrator that rival any piece of fine art, or Photoshop painting. If you've never considered Illustrator as something beyond using to create logos or for page layout, then you really need to do some surfing and see just what it can do - it's pretty awesome.

A great site I recently ran across is that of Rick L. Simonson. He is a scientific illustrator who uses Illustrator and Photoshop to create outstanding scientific artwork.
http://www.rlsimonson.com/

Another great example of the variety of uses for Photoshop comes from NAPP's portfolio pages in the portfolio of Rebecca Hamstead. Here you can see examples of web application graphics, illustrations, collages, digital paint, and more. Some really beautiful work here.
http://www.photoshopuser.com/napmem/gallery/view_img.php?id=18605

These are just two examples, there are hundreds more. I love to explore and discover the many ways other digital artists are using the tools, it fuels my own passion and creativity for the art. I hope you feel the same.