# Migrating Geese.



## TJ1985 (Feb 11, 2015)

I recently discovered that, with the tablet I bought several months ago, I was given a couple of graphics programs. Artrage Studio and Sketchbook Express. I've been breaking them in and trying to find their limitations. So far, I'm quite impressed. I like them well enough to recommend a Wacom Bamboo Splash. It's cheapish, but the benefits are nice. Artrage uses several "stencils" and once you learn to stop playing and get to work, it's not so bad.  

Here's what I did this evening. Please bear in mind, I didn't research the coloring patterns of geese. I'm no ornithologist, so I winged it. Yeah, it's a sad pun, but that's life. 




Thanks for looking.


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## Firemajic (Feb 11, 2015)

Love it! What is the process, a little more details please? I find all creative processes fascinating...


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## TJ1985 (Feb 11, 2015)

Well, with Artrage, there are ways to cheat and let the program do 90% of the work. This piece, I made a quick template stencil for the bird, actually from a photo of birds I had. This allowed me to paint the outline of the bird. I painted the "canvas" the light sky blue background, and then colored in the bird shape in black. Following that, I spent time doing the coloration work on the birds, the wings, body, head, and tail. I then turned my attention to the smaller birds in the background. I had a stencil for those, but wasn't incredibly pleased. So, I did the sun in the lower right using a combination of freehand and stencil work to get the look I was after. 

I returned to the small birds, and really didn't like the way they were looking. I did the best I could in Artrage with them, and then saved the file. I opened that file in GIMP, and did everything else freehand, the clouds, and touching up the small birds. I also freehand cleaned the geese up in GIMP, as I am far more comfortable in that program than any other. 

In truth, I'm sure I could have done more freehand, but I could have also done far less freehand work. Digital painting/drawing is difficult because the shape of the brush files tend to be very inflexible. To paint a tree with a real fan brush takes a few seconds. To paint the same tree in digital might take ten minutes. So, in digi, you've got to work with the options you've got access to. Some things, there are thousands of gimmick shortcuts, for others it's labor intensive. Artrage has many gimmicks, but work ethic is the only real defining factor. If you want to cheat and gimmick out, you can. Or, you can log time. Time, artistic skill, and interest in the project are the major factors. 

I believe all the stencils and "gimmicks", when balanced with pure skill, can be used as any other tool. Bob Ross painted very nice works, and his tooling wasn't typical. He could have done all his paintings with a filbert and scriptliner, but he opted for the 2 inch brush. I'll eventually progress to a point where the aids are just that: Little assistants to help me do my thing. 

I'm sure that, in glassblowing, there are ways to "cheat," and the artist must decide how they're going to get from Point A to Point B. This little digital painting, it's about 60/40 to the freehand side. So, I cheated, but I didn't cheat nearly as much as I could have.


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## Deafmute (Feb 11, 2015)

That is pretty sweet, always good to see new tools coming available for the more artistically minded.


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## Gumby (Feb 11, 2015)

How neat, TJ, that sounds like fun!


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## Blade (Feb 11, 2015)

:sunny:



			
				TJ1985 said:
			
		

> I didn't research the coloring patterns of geese. I'm no ornithologist, so I winged it. Yeah, it's a sad pun, but that's life



Actually those birds are a pretty close match for Canada Geese except for the white on the wing tips.


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## Firemajic (Feb 11, 2015)

TJ, sounds kind of complex, but from looking at your art work---so worth it. Thanks for taking the time to explain. Peace always...Jul


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## TJ1985 (Feb 11, 2015)

What struck me, I got the program about 4AM day before yesterday. To do that on day two... I worked in GIMP for more than a year before I could sign my name in color. So, when I've logged a year with Artrage, I'm going to be doing some stuff that should be pretty awesome. I've started strongly, and in a program like this I have to think that's a big deal. I've got a few programs that, try as I might, I can't do anything worth bothering to look at in picture. So, I'm thrilled. 

I've often prided myself on saying "Well, what he can do with a professional program, I can do with a freebie." In this instance, that's not entirely correct. I can do things in Artrage that I can't do without days of labor in GIMP. 



> Actually those birds are a pretty close match for Canada Geese except for the white on the wing tips.



I'm glad to know that I didn't totally screw it up. Down here in Tennessee, we get V's of geese coming over, but there's a problem. Beyond about 50-75 feet, everything is blurry for me. The geese tend to fly over at, easily, 200 feet. So, the only geese I've seen much of are the typical white ones with yellow beak. I'm not a fan of them, so I took creative freedom. I wish my ISP would get over themselves. 166 MB per day is what I'm allotted during anytime usage(5gigs per month) and I can blow through that looking for one good picture, lol. 

So, speaking from personal experience, the geese that fly over in my area are.... blurry.


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## Abby (Feb 17, 2015)

That's pretty cool! I bought a wacom tablet a while ago but still haven't gotten around to learning how to use it...it just seems easier to draw the traditional way!


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## TJ1985 (Feb 17, 2015)

Thanks Abby. It's by far harder for me to do traditional drawing and painting because I keep erasing holes in the paper.


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## Blade (Feb 17, 2015)

TJ1985 said:
			
		

> So, the only geese I've seen much of are the typical white ones with yellow beak. I'm not a fan of them, so I took creative freedom.



I find that ironic. I live about half a block from the central city park which has a summer population of Canada Geese so I see them all the time. I can't remember the last time I saw a regular 'quacker'. Thing is that the long neck is distinctive which you may have unconsciously picked up on. The geese also have a loud, sharp 'honk' which gets your attention.:eagerness:


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## TJ1985 (Feb 18, 2015)

Oh yeah, I like them because they're the sound of spring, and you can hear 'em coming from a half-mile away. Coming over and having a chat in the carpool lane. Squonk, squonk! I live in farm country and friends have ducks, chickens, guineafowl, but few have geese. I suppose they won't until somebody invents an anti-honking muzzle for a goose, lol.


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