Left to right: Norman Reedus (Daryl Dixon); me; Michael Rooker (Merle Dixon); Jon Bernthal (Shane Walsh) at WizardCon, Philadelphia
I love finding new art stores. Sometimes ‘online’ doesn’t cut it when I’m looking for watercolor paper or board. I have to feel it, the weight, the texture, and see the size.
To be honest, the real reason is that when I open that door and step into the explosion of color, art-supply smells and adventure that is the art store, I see many other things I need. I didn’t know I needed them until I saw them, but I do.
Last weekend, I went to Dick Blick in DC to get some watercolor paper. That’s all. I was JUST going to get watercolor paper, nothing else. The six illustration boards, watercolor paper, pencils, new erasers, mixed media pad, sketchbooks and tiny rubber animals I hauled out of there, well, maybe I didn’t need all of that.
Just kidding. I did need all of that. The tiny rubber animals made me happy. How can you pass up a 1” tall dragon? It’s part of being an artist: inspiration.
But art supplies aren’t the only thing best seen in person. I get that we’re in the digital age. We probably don’t need to say ‘age’ anymore, because this is just where we are, and digital isn’t going away. Now, to anger some of my digital artist friends (I also am a digital artist, so I can speak this way):
Digital art is pretty, but it’s different than ‘traditional’ art. Yes, I get the ‘NFT’s that everyone got so crazy about. Real money does exchange hands. I heard one artist—the one who sold a digital image for, like $68M or something—also gave the customer a print. But in the realm of fine art, you still can’t hold the original in your hands, see the textures, the glow of the paint or any anomalies on the canvas or panel or paper.
But, some people like that, and that’s fine. There are some tremendous digital artworks out there, and people who can digital-paint things I can only dream about. But in the realm of ‘fine art’; art you hang on your wall, I like walking out of the studio/gallery/store with a painting under my arm. And I like getting messy creating those paintings for other people to gaze at from different angles and touch.
It’s just my personal taste. It doesn’t make digital art any less of anything. Certainly, when I have an illustration job to do, even if I draw or paint it, it ends up digital in the end. I also do my forensic art in Photoshop, and clean up my fine art there, too, not to mention creating shapes and text for printing for my collage. I wouldn’t say it isn’t real art; it most certainly is. But before I buy a digital print (which I have) I would rather buy an original work on a substrate I can hang on my wall. Again…that’s just me.
I purchased a print of Norman Reedus as ‘Daryl Dixon’ from The Walking Dead holding his crossbow, from digital artist Jason Palmer. Check out his work; he’s aMAzing! In fact, the print was going to go to Norman Reedus, who was in the room at the time, but I wanted it, so I convinced Jason sell it to me while Norman was having pictures taken with fans. And I love the print, and it will be framed. But if there had been an original on paper or board or canvas, and if I had the money, I would have bought that.
Digital art can be amazing. I’ll do a post on why I think art students should learn and work in physical drawing and drafting and NOT learn at first on their digital media. But, the art has its place.
Online shopping does, too. All of this is my opinion. But nothing beats going out to eat instead of having it delivered (unless you’re up making art after the restaurants have closed), or trying clothes on in the store instead of having to send them back. Or getting more art supplies than you had planned because it was there, all around you and in front of you where you can feel the paper and smell the paint, IRL. That’s just my happiness.
