Hi! Subscribed in October and thought it would only be right to say hello!
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Hello everyone! I have been following the classes via subscription for about two months now, but I've been learning so fast and furiously that I didn't even think to introduce myself until now. Oops!
I was a portrait artist for a number of years before becoming a mom took over my time for about 20 years, but now I find myself trying to restart an art career from outside the US, and finally the thought came to me--Why not do this digitally? And after searching all over for a local class that could teach me what I wanted to know (illustration via Photoshop) and finding nothing, a further thought popped up--Why not study online?
Since most of my past skills were based on working from life or at least close-to-life from photos, I'm now trying to pick up the whole gamut of imaginative illustration skills, add them to my drawing and painting skills, and apply them to some personal project. So far I just have a few things (mostly life drawings and a couple of portraits ) posted on my art Instagram account, but I hope to have some real illustrations up within not too long.
Does anyone else notice that it can be really hard to simply find the time to work?! Or that at first, one is learning so fast that it's hard to produce a finished project? Still, I find that online study is very efficient if one can keep it up.
Also, right now I'm working on a small Intuos and a 13" laptop, which isn't an optimal setup. I was waiting for the Cintiq 22" to update before I got a pen display, but now it seems that the closest 2017 device will be the Cintiq Pro 16". I may start a new thread about this, but if anyone has thoughts about the 2017 device lineup, I'd be happy to hear them.
And finally, an explanation of my screen name: It is a non-native-speaking attempt to make a play on words in Italian. "Roba da matti" means, loosely, "crazy stuff" and "matita" means pencil. So, together they suggest something like "pencil stuff," with a whiff of craziness. Which I like!
I look forward to seeing what is going on here in the forums!
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Oh, and my name is Laura. Thought it would show up...
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@Robadamatti.ta Welcome to the forums. I also believe that online classes can really help further your skills. As far a the cintiq's go, I can not say. I first started with a cheap Monoprice 19in digital monitor due to how cheap it was compared to the cintiq. I had that for about two years and loved it. There were some bugs with random pen marks would show up. I was never able to fix that. Then my computer died and while looking to get a new system I ended up getting the Surface Book which I love. My next goal is to get the new Surface Studio, but that is a little pricey right now.
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@Chip-Valecek Thanks for the reply, and welcome, Chip! Surface Book and Surface Studio are entire computers, right? Sounds like a good idea in many ways (you probably get the optimum specs for Photoshop with one), but I am really a Mac person and not in the market for an entire computer, so for that price I may spring for a Cintiq
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Welcome Laura!
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@Robadamatti.ta welcome! I've just been a member for the last couple of months and I agree it is hard to balance the learning with the working. It is nice to listen to classes while working, but then I am not always applying what I am learning right away and to really ingrain what I am learning I need to practice it. I am a mom too and balancing that with art is hard too! Good luck!
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Ciao, Laura! I just subscribed this month. I too am "getting back" into art after years of...let's just say life. LOL!
I tend to work more traditionally than digitally.-Ernest
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@Robadamatti.ta Hi, nice to meet you. I am in a very similar boat with you and was feeling self conscious, thinking everyone else is much younger and more "tech savvy" than me over here. I'll introduce myself in a bit too. Just joined the chat after being a subscriber for a few weeks and am reading through the comments.
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welcome Laura, you are going to love it here
