ART SPOTLIGHT 1: BEGINNERS

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INK, EDITS AND DIGITAL TRENDS [MOBILE BASICS]

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Hello everyone! A hearty new year and great start for us all!

So January 1st rolls along and I have been in company of friends who have all made new year resolutions which got me thinking, how do I kick start my creative flare to a new level this year?

So, I am new to the steemit community and still learning a lot about how to introduce my artworks to the art community. Not that I am well versed in this area but if I can show my progress and inspire people to put themselves out there and be more creative, then it would be a wonderful resolution to keep in 2018. I am introducing a new segment called Art Spotlight where I would show my Artwork and the processes I used to achieve it. It may not be the high-end artwork that everyone loves and is amazing but it is enough to be warmed by, or at least I hope it is.
So anyone can post any artwork that they created without the nagging side saying it isn’t good enough, because hey, it’s the first step that counts!

So for my piece, the one thing that struck me about it is EMOTION and the version that resonates the most with us. I want you guys to be the judge of that, if you can!
I made this sketch a while ago but only got around to inking it last week. I worked on it during my break at work and made a few changes to the central theme.

fully inked

The main idea was to create a humanoid character with flowing hair then changed it into female character, simple and clean. Then I uploaded it into my phone and used a few editing app to create both soft and hard edge versions to the same image.

I used Adobe PhotoShop LightRoom CC (for the Soft edge image) and Snapseed (for the Hard-edge image) to add depth and dimension to the two line works and illuminate areas I found most interesting. I added effects to the hard-edge images with Picas and created this artwork.

The problem I found using this medium was that I had no control over the consistency of the overall art-piece as the effect I chose bleed a lot into the line work and made it quite unappealing. However, this is not as a result of the app but of the original setup of the image and how its proportions worked into the final result.

I got some feedback and realised that the artwork was not my standard style so I set out to create a new one with a loose feel and soft vibrant colours. So I used the soft-edge image I had gotten from Adobe Lightroom and used the Adobe Photoshop Express to create this beautiful hue which I loved.

The great thing about this process was that I was able to use two different effects to create this blend of colours and I was able to include alterations based on the brightness, shadows, contrast (among other things) on each individual piece before overlaying it with another edit.

When I was happy with the standard base, I used PicsArt, which is a favourite editing software, to create different effects using the Magic Tool and edited each individual piece accordingly.

So, that is how I achieved these images. Let me say that I did everything listed ON MY PHONE. How crazy is that?! It was a matter of having a general idea of the colour scheme I wanted, the effects I was going for and editing to get the best images as I possibly could. So the question falls to you, which appeals more to you?

Obviously, I could have used a digital tablet to sketch out and colour the whole piece but that is not the point of this series. The idea is to use something that is ordinary and make it interesting using various mediums and have fun with it. I use a lot of line work and colours across various mediums using different techniques so I will be happy to share them with you. I will also be glad to hear what you guys think so please let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Till next time, Steemers! Keep art alive!