doodling is good for your health

I must admit I have been very busy not being healthy ...on the treadmill of medical tests, specialist, health fund claims and more tests I was starting to feel rundown and gloomy ...i should have picked up the brush and ink sooner ...an hour or so doodling and I was away in a happier place ...even with the clouds getting darker and darker outside and then heavy rain.

Another water nymph in pen & ink

So I'm not alone

Seems I'm not alone seeing the potential of art rage to free up the mark marking on a computer screen. I realise what I was doing is what Andrea Bianco calls "speed painting"

A speed painting is a painting where you try to define the main concepts as quickly and effectively as possible.

He has a great blog post about and even better, it includes links to a wonderful pdf file he wrote on how to do it in art rage and he even has includes some brushes he designed for the technique. This is all great art, I think any tools that really help you put down what we what to show needs exploration and application. Just because it is not smelly, sticky or messy to use should not lessens its value

a long standing party trick

A long standing party trick on mine, is to do quick sketches of my friends and others ...candid ones while they talk, laugh and dance ..the sketches are just that quick pencil, pen or brush squiggles ..a bit of fun ..and normally well received. I've even been brave enough to attempt a few on the computer, using my bamboo tablet ...trouble is I'm still learning the rope and my computer prowess (or lack of it) detracts from the spontaneity ...well last night a young friend showed me art rage, and even where to download a starter version for free. ...I was away, it made immediate sense to me ...especially when one of the ladies stripped off to pose nude for me ...the whole thing only last two minutes but it was talked about all night.

Mood & Tone

Limiting the palette, simple gestural strokes, focus on skin tone and bold composition ...getting the right mood sounds simpler than it really is

The Hat Series

Watercolour & gouache on paper

more computer art attempts

In a busy house tonight, lots of coming and going ... and getting ready to go out ...must be time to try out some rapid sketching in corel painter. The watercolour is nicely like a real wash, and those washes can be dried at the click of a button :) and ...and it is a big AND ...the felt pen tool can be any colour, even a light pinkish purple that has strong coverage over the underlying image ...wow such artistic freedom.