I have had people ask me what got me started with photography; I originally used photography to create references for paintings My preferred wet media is acrylic with occasional forays into other media such as inks. I started using a computer for painting when I found out about a program created by Corel called Painter, Combined with a Wacom tablet, Painter mimics the textures and reactions of the actual media without having the worry of having the cat walking across pieces in progress. Another advantage is that a large painting does not take up as much space when it is done on the computer as well as paint does not dry when it is pixels on a screen so if one has to leave and then come back at a later time , it would be like they never left. A disadvantage of using the program is that happy accidents are less likely to happen since those would not in in the programs coding.
When I do a photo session, I will look for elements that I can turn into a painting. It can be something in the background or seeing an area that would be a good background for a portrait. I will then take the image(s) that I selected for the painting, opening them in Painter and place the source image on my second monitor. I will then block out the major elements of the painting in my electronic canvas and work on the image. When I have competed the painting, I will bring it into Photoshop to size it to the dimensions I want it printed to and make sure that the resolution is correct. I then will upload the image to an online gallery where it can be ordered to be printed by a customer on either canvas or metal.
I do still work in wet media on occasions, quite often combining it with the work done in the computer. That gives the final work a unique element to enjoy.
