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Computer rendered artwork

- the virtual paintbox

In recent years I've been doing more and more work using the computer to create my artwork. I don't like the phrase 'computer generated art' as that makes it sound as if the computer is doing all the work. The computer and the software that runs on it, it seems to me, are just different tools - like brushes and paint or pen and ink, and the monitor screen is simply another form of canvas. It takes just as much time and effort to produce a good picture using these new tools as it ever did with the conventional media that I always used before. The big advantage, though, is that I can save the work at any stage in the process and edit it at leisure, or produce many different versions before deciding on a final one.

Among the programmes I use most often are: Poser 4 by Curious Labs and Photoshop by Adobe. Also indispensable are my trusty scanner and, more recently, a Wacom Intuos 2 tablet which finally allows me the same freedom and range of pressure and strokes on a computer as I had with a brush or pencil. Other good Poser sites and resources can be found at Renderosity.com and Daz 3D.

The pictures below represent the best work I've done in this area to date (in my opinion!). None of them are commissions and they represent experimental and practice work in progress for me.

Click on the links and / or thumbnails below to view the picture in more detail.

Back-lit by moonlight, a woman stands, her hair blown in the wind. Her body is covered in fur and her eyes glow silver. She is weeping.