January 2014 Video Tutorial : Drawing Plastic and Chrome What's the Diff?

If anyone has any doubt that creating art is "less vital" to a civilization than, say accounting or mechanical engineering, let's bear in mind that civilizations are often, if not only, judged by their culture. And what is art, except a physical reflection ofr a society's culture.

The Roman's understood this, and I think I've mentioned this before: Albert Einstein, in his later years, became somewhat of a spiritualist, a humanitarian, and he used his magnificent genius to explore the condition of Man, not thinking of better ways to split atoms or slow down Time.

One of his observations, which is undeniable if you think about it is that one of Humankind's greatest needs is self-expression. We can't live without self-expression because without it, whatever makes us "us" cannot be psychologically reaffirmed. Einstein went on to say that the need for self-expression in Man is so great that it sometimes overshadows the need for food and shelter.

I've been there. I've worked so passionately on a piece that I forget to eat, which is sort of dangerous for a diabetic!

Xesame Xtreet's Word for the Day is : Passion. It's what makes you do something other than what you think you should be doing, because you are convinced that at a given moment there is nothing more important than to express yourself.

Don't look back in regret, stygg. Look forward to what a much smarter person is going to do tomorrow.

-g

I don't look back with regret as much as I use to, especially since the arrival of the Xone, I've learned so much here and more insight and understanding of what art is for me to fully appreciate art. As regards the Passion, I was so busy working on a piece that I forgot all about the cottage pie in the oven, I hope my wife appreciates crispy cottage pie ;)) Seriously though, these so called Sermons as you call them are well appreciated, they are very uplifting and well worded, Csehz also said he looks forward to them so with a strong vote of two, I think you should post a monthly Xone "Art thoughts of the month" :D

Stygg

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Originally Posted by stygg2003

I think you should post a monthly Xone "Art thoughts of the month" :D

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Yes +1 definitely :D

Really enjoying these thoughts Gare. Exactly today I was considering after a lot of experimenting of different fractal graininess values at cloud transparencies, or searching after 'impossible extrudes', in the morning also trying to reproduce a room, that finally why I am drawing in Xara at all? :D Will I ever earn money from it or what? Of course that not. Neither feel especially talented, but yes that is true, loving something in it. But can not determine what or why, maybe really as you say, a kind of demand of self-expressing.

For example it is so typical that looking back on before works, immediately listing the errors and I would like to correct all of them with the slightly better skills, but in this way that would be just an endless road of this 'self-exprressing' :D So why it is at all, interesting, around that much mystical like the life itself, and coming to TG it is very good that you wrote exactly about this topic

I don't know how you can talk about Xara, and not talk about "Art", csehz! :)

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I think you're underestimating yourself as an artist, csehz. I've seen stuff done by you that I can't reproduce or believe, seriously!

Maybe there is a place on Xara Xone, or tg itself, where we can talk about Art as the destination and Xara as the vehicle.

Not right now, though, because I'm 6 days late posting Feb's tutorials.

My Best,

Gary

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Originally Posted by stygg2003

these so called Sermons as you call them are well appreciated, they are very uplifting and well worded, Csehz also said he looks forward to them so with a strong vote of two, I think you should post a monthly Xone "Art thoughts of the month" :D

Stygg

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make that a vote of 3 Stygg

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Originally Posted by Gare

Maybe there is a place on Xara Xone, or tg itself, where we can talk about Art as the destination and Xara as the vehicle.

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Yes that sounds putting the things to their right place and level.

Anyway concretely I just have only one xar on that Art road but like it so much, that it has quite a big effect that I am driving at all.. :D

Cheers for your vote Larry, I know asking Gary for such extra input is asking a lot, he's got enough to do as it is but those explanations of art, the whys, what for, how we see it and so on are brilliant, I hope eventually he can fit one or two more in and as Gary said in #84 there might be a place in the Xone or tg to talk about art as the destination and Xara as the vehicle, I definitely would look forward to that.

Stygg

I recently did my attempt at the vase in Plastic Studies so I thought I would have ago at the Apple but this time not following exactly the Plastic Apple Image but drawing it as how I see it wrong or right! Probably wrong but I had to try it :D

Stygg

It's Good Art, Stygg. Your drawing displays a lot of intelligence, some studying, and a remarkable grasp of what I'm putting out there, which is not elementary school stuff!

Needs more contrast: you've done a beautiful job illustrating, but I think your choice of background colours might be so similar to your illustration, that the apple doesn't "pop" as they say in advertising. You spend this much time on it: a modest investment of choosing the perfect background colour might do the trick for you.

Or perhaps plit the background into a dull brick pattern upon which the apple rests and let the top of the background be a light blue sky with a few clouds. It could be reminiscent of what the Surrealist painter Reneé Magritte did with simple objects to "exalt" them.

I'd like to jump start the Xara Academy, for this would be the ideal place to discuss art, but I have much more sand in the bottom of my hourglass than the top at this time!

My Best,

Gary

Cheers for that Gary, I know your busy so short and sweet- will do as you suggest. :D

Stygg

Attachment 100847

I'm sure everyone on Earth has seen this painting, but I'd only suggest you use it for inspiration drawing your background for the apple. What Magritte did, in addition to surrealism, is he used some very attractive colours behind the green apple.

Don't bother drawing the bloke. :)

-g

Well my drawing is not Magritte by any means but used the style of his Apple image and made 3 images.
1.Normal
2.Contrast and Levels
3.Contrast, Levels and colour down to -95

Not sure which one I prefer now :D It's been another learning curve doing the Apple and incorporating into my amateurish Magritte but all in all, enjoyable.

Stygg

It's the process that matters to the artist, not necessarily the finished piece, stygg.

Just play with it until you're happy, ignore Magritte for a while and focus on what you see and feel, not someone else, and get happy in the immersion process.

That's what I do, honest!

-g

I'm happy with the apple its self and the background and foreground so out of the three I prefer the contrast image, all I've added is what I was trying to purvey without tall buildings!! :D I think you'll get the title :D

Stygg

I won't spoil it for others, stygg, but I believe I know the title. Lived there for almost 20 years, never toured the green chick's head, though.

Now, stygg, moving, on let me ask you: does the background stylistically integrate with the foreground? Do you have shadows casting on the brick wall from the apple resting there? The apple is a highly photorealistic rendering, while I believe not as much effort went into the subordinate elements.

I'm only trying to help you move ahead, stygg, and not being destructively critical. Brute honesty here: I don't think you're done with this composition yet.

Now is the time to think analytically more than you feel about the work. Head and Heart often have to work together harmoniously.

And thinking lots of times means "not doing." So don't pick up the Pen tool or anything; just reflect on the piece for a day, consider other avenues, refinements, make thinking about it part of the process.

And enjoy the process.

"Produce Great Art you will not, if too hard you try."
— (you know which Star Wars character already)

Thanks for feedback Gary and your absolutely right, not much effort went into the subordinate elements. Will sit back and consider what I had in mind in the first place and that was a more greyish wall and the sky and clouds a bit unsettling, darker, storm on the way sort of thing and also shadows which I missed out completely. I think all that would make the apple "pop" and overall convey the message I saw in this image "The Big Apple" and that was, everyone wants to make it to New York and America but it's not always plain sailing. Looks like thinking about art makes one philosophical as well :D

Stygg

That's the ticket, stygg. You understand what I meant, which is difficult for most bipedal creatures, and you should weigh how much you want to make this piece a winner against the time you have, against the technical versus the emotional fork in the road we all have to decide upon.

Wow. I not only made it to New York but I was born here. New York State, not the city.

They say there's a broken light for every heart on Broadway.

(that was a joke).

-g

I think this is as far as I can go with this image Gary or should I say want to go? Stuck now between art and techno, the fork you mentioned but still pleased with the outcome- the Apple and the underlying message I wanted the image to put across.

Stygg

Gawd, I love it, Stygg. Tone down the apple a little because the scene is not casting so much ambient light on it.

Real easy to do: use the Levels command on it.

Beautiful, beautiful imagery. Speaks of YOU, stygg, not "art lessons."

:)

-g

Thank you for such kind remarks Gary and you are correct, I like dark images, they seem to say more and appear mysterious to a viewer. You said tone the apple down a tad, of which I set the level of darkness for the apple to 54 and also the darkness of the storm clouds down to 24, all looks ok ? :rolleyes: Another good weekend for me :D

Stygg

You hit the bullseye, dead center, stygg.

Mission accomplish! Post it in your gallery now!

-g

Actually, Larry hit upon a related topic when he mentioned simplifying a text character to reveal control points.

I don't know if any of you have ever tried to import an EPS vector file, not an AI Illustrator file or a PDF, but an EPS that contains only vector info. I've attached a Xara file that contains what appears to be three hexagons, but they are not shapes...but instead they are a line, and this used to be a perennial problem between me and clients: EPS allows open paths to contain fills, unlike Xara. When Dover Publications offers EPS files, same problem. Illustrator doesn't mind filling and open path, but it tends to flummox Xara users.

So how do you make a shape out of a line? It's not as simple as closing the line, because a line can have hundreds of control popints...will you spend hours finding the control points needed to close it?

You do what Larry suggested: you put a square or a circle right on the colored area of the EPS design, select both and then choose Arrange>Combine Shapes>Add Shapes.

The result is a shape, not a line, that you can now work with.

My Best,

Gary

I must be missing something here Gare. I opened the file and broke the shapes and guess what, they were shapes with no line. I could color each of them and put a line around each. Even unbroken I could add a line, but it put it around each hex. Hellllllllllp! what am I doing wrong here.

I got the same result as you Larry by breaking the shapes first got shapes, so I undid all and used the rectangle method and that worked just the same so it looks like you can use both methods just as you can with text.

Stygg

Thanks Stygg. I'll have to look at that again in case I committed a a fopa.

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Originally Posted by Gare

Attachment 100847

I'm sure everyone on Earth has seen this painting, but I'd only suggest you use it for inspiration drawing your background for the apple. What Magritte did, in addition to surrealism, is he used some very attractive colours behind the green apple.

Don't bother drawing the bloke. :)

-g

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Ever since Gary posted the Magritte painting it fascinated me because I have no idea what it's saying or depicting, perhaps nothing. So being a not well up on art bloke, I thought I'd put my slant on it depicting something simple and carrying on the Apple on the wall theme.

Stygg

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Originally Posted by stygg2003

Ever since Gary posted the Magritte painting it fascinated me because I have no idea what it's saying or depicting, perhaps nothing. So being a not well up on art bloke, I thought I'd put my slant on it depicting something simple and carrying on the Apple on the wall theme.

Stygg

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I still don't. But come to think of it I didn't understand SD's melting clocks either.

Just read up on surrealism Larry, it's art from the sub-consciousness or dreams of a weird or sexual nature. See what I can dream up tonight then :D

Stygg

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Originally Posted by stygg2003

...dreams of a weird or sexual nature. See what I can dream up tonight then :D

Stygg

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Stygg? For the sake of tg, please do your dreaming at night, then, and do NOT take an afternoon nap and then log in.


P.S. I think your parody of the iconic Reneé Magritte painting is hysterical! So William Tell actually was supposed to aim for the head!?

Well if your going to put an apple in your mouth and hope the archer can hit it with his arrow then your asking for trouble :D Seriously though, I did enjoy making the background as for an artist, I'm certainly not. These matchsticks are hurting my eyelids :D

Stygg