Learning Digital Painting
August 2021 - Present
2025 - The Transition To Krita
For a long time, I’ve dreamed of leaving Adobe behind. Photoshop is what was taught in school and it’s how I got my start in painting. Ever since I’ve graduated and have had to start paying for it myself, I’ve been scheming on how to switch. Krita is a free, open-source painting software first released in 2005. Today, the software has attained a small community of devoted followers and has received hundreds of updates from developers doing the work for free. I’ve tried switching to Krita three times with no luck. Trying to learn different key binds, different brushes, unorthodox features was a nightmare. All three times I gave up almost immediately. This time was different. The first day was terrible, I ran into all of the same problems as before. Day 2, I tried again. It took several hours, but I was able to adjust and having been using Krita ever since. It’s amazing, and I haven’t looked back yet.
Don't Wear Sandals to the Beach (A Cautionary Tale)
Pick It Up Cassie! (Promising Young Woman)
Daphne Blake
2024 - Lackluster Anatomy
I tried to study anatomy this year, but with little luck. I did a few sketches, but found little motivation doing this at home. It just isn’t as fun without people to share it with. All of these were done in Photoshop.
Study of an Arm
Study of an Hand
Study of an Ear
Hands Holding A Sword
Study of an Foot
Silver Hand Mirror With a Nymph Shaped Handle
2023 - Poor Traits & Clipping Masks
2023 has so far been the first and only time I’ve ever showed any of my work in a solo exhibition, including some of these. Frosty Morning Moonbath, In The Forest and Jonsu (Indica), were all displayed in the show. Since I had started, I had never figured out how to shade objects without leaving wonky edges. I was watching a tutorial when all of a sudden, I discovered clipping masks, and Volia! I had found a solution! They totally changed the way I work and immediately solved all kinds of problems. This was the start of major improvements.
Cadence of Her Fading Heart
Frosty Morning Moonbath (Ancestors Above)
In The Forest
Johanna Jonsu (Indica) (Finland)
Girl On Blue
Girl In Blue
2022 - Nothing
2022. Nothing. Not that they’re bad, I just didn’t do any. That’s all.
2021 - Self Guided Education
As August 2021 I began my first semester as a student at WIU (Western Illinois University). For some reason, I was offered to join The University’s Centennial Honors College (CHC). As a participant in the CHC I had to choose a teacher and write up proposal for a project I wanted to undertake once per semester. For my first semester I spoke with my graphic design professor about doing something I had wanted to learn for years, learn how to digitally paint. None of the schools I had ever attended offered a class on it. I was never motivated to do it on my own, and I knew this would be a great opportunity to try it. These are some of the paintings I worked on.
Eva On The Playground
Yasha The Stormaiden
Horse of The Wilds
Home Is Where The Heart Is (Critical Role)
What A Great Superpower. Invisible Face.
Hey You, Stop Looking At Me
A Lantern In The Storm
Yep, I can really see the resemblance
Study of an Eye
Gardens of Garwood
A close up of Beauregard Lionett arriving at her father's home (Critical Role C2 Ep 92 Home Is Where The Heart Is)
Home Is Where The Heart Is
2019 - 2020 - Final Days of High School and A Gift From James
These were all terrible. Hideous, ugly, every last one of them. The first time I had ever used a drawing tablet in my life is when one of my best friends James gave me one a few weeks before we graduated high school. It was a $50 Veikk A50, his sister got it for him as a gift. He used to draw, but was planning to go into the Marines, and had never used it. Since he knew I did, he offered it to me. It is the greatest gift I have ever reccieved. I had just helped James build his first computer and while sitting in his bedroom, we plugged in the tablet and tried it out in Photoshop. The painting in the top left is from sitting in his bedroom, the first time I had ever used a drawing tablet in my life.
I’m still using the one he gave me 6 years later. You can buy it here.
