Crossfire
Source: WikipediaIf you are an artist in today’s date and time, then you know that digital art vs. traditional mediums is a growing dispute. I’ve commented about this subject before, and my position has not changed. I don’t see the breach between the two mediums, and have a profound interest in both, for particular reasons.
For my part, I love using conventional mediums. For me there is nothing quite like the tactile experience of putting pencil to paper, or mixing paint with a brush. Yet, I keep coming back to digital art, almost the same way homesteaders might have during the great migration to the west over a century ago. It’s comparable to what I currently know, yet still unfamiliar territory.
Part of my quandary is deals with both time and convenience. I have a studio to use for many of my projects. However, I can’t ensconce myself into one room for any prolonged period of time. The rigors of everyday life simply will not permit it. Simple drawing is easy to allow time for, since I can sit in my living room and scribble away at my leisure. Yet, I love working with color, and my color mediums demand that I use my studio.
A few years ago, I bought a Wacom tablet, the Graphire, with the idea that I might venture into the digital art realm. The results were less than spectacular, to say the least. I could not get around the disconnect I felt at not being able to simultaneously look at what my hands were doing and what I was drawing at the same time. As a result, the Graphire was relegated back to light usage, mainly for post-work.
A couple of months ago, Wacom released a new addition to their Cintiq lineup of digital tablets. For those who do not know, the Cintiq displays the computer screen on the tablet itself, allowing the artist to draw directly on its surface, as though they were drawing on paper, or painting on canvas. Wacom has had Cintiq’s around for a while, but with a price point of 2 thousand dollars and above, it was beyond ridiculous to even consider buying one. This new Cintiq, however, clocks in right at a grand. Still a little pricey, but not prohibitively so.
As of a few days ago, the Graphire died and my attention is back on the Cintiq. While I stare at it longingly, I am hesitant, but not so much about the cost (although I still have yet to fully sell the idea to my “accountant”). The reason for my indecision is that it represents a sizable investment in a specific medium. Do I make that investment, and if I do will that spell the end of my time with traditional mediums? Should I abandon the idea entirely, and continue to “stare through the window”?
I love being an artist. Specifically I like the process of being an artist morso than the end result. My knowledge of the software is considerable, in my own estimation as well as others. Part of me thinks that the digital medium would be a natural fit for me, enabling me to create some pretty incredible things. Yet, I don’t want to get so invested in that specific area that all others fall into disuse.
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