Public apology to rotaryworks. and cintiq and what it is and isnt to me.

**redrichie** · 11-16-2013, 01:23 PM

First and foremost I wish to extend an apology to rotaryworks as recently he was gracious enough to hold a facebook competition giving away some of his machines to the winners of his art competition.He is a stand up guy and i applaud him for hosting any such event. We had a bit of a tussle and as usual I lose my cool and like to type fast and think later. Especially after 2 no call no shows on a friday.
Our skirmish began when I asked a question if I could use my WACOM cintiq as he stated only paint, pencil colored pencil etc. but explicitly excluded digital even though I entered (and did not win) his last competition with a digital piece. I felt a tad discriminated against as a digital artist especially when he said we should be artists and not computer freaks. Even though the likes of some of the best tattoosist in the world, such as dan hazelton, sean sullivan, markus lenhard and tons of other guys use digital media everyday. But alas it is his bbq and he can invite who he wishes.

That aside here is what the Cintiq is to me. A tool. something I use everyday to get my art out in an efficient and profitable manner. It is my sketch pad. MY light table. My canvas. EVERYDAY. I do use it a lot for editing and arranging things in photoshop for tattoos. if youre not using photoshop for certain things im telling you, you are behind the 8 ball fellas. I can take a picture of the clients area to be tattooed and rapidly draw on them with multiple thumbnail drawings right in front of the client. once a design is given a thumbs up I can then push the design to a near finished product in the same EXACT manner as if I use a pencil.
If a client brings in design or a picture I can use it as I would a light table. then print out my line work and make a stencil. that in and of itself has paid for this little nugget of technology.
As a canvas...What can I say. Simple. it is no different than painting. I use one round brush at different sizes and opacities. I use an eraser. thats pretty much it. Sure Ill use layers from time to time but in all honesty those end up being a bit of a pain in the ass as blending with layers doesnt work between 2 different layers. the object is to paint as normal as possible but without the mess. It allows a total range of any color I can imagine in any tone or hue I wish. With the cintiq you arent limited by your media but only by your ability.
About ability. This isnt some magic drawing bullet. Getting a cintiq or any wacom wont make you a better artist because you own one. Only you and your talent can do that. If you cant draw with a pencil or a brush then chances are you will still suck with one of these. in fact they tend to be a bit harder for quite a while as anyone who has used one will tell you. If you dont put in the hours of hard work and have some talent then your art will still look like like shit.
A few drawbacks. One appears to be the stigma that somehow digital art isnt real. If thats how you feel. Well whatever, I cant change that. Some others would be that you may use filters, or various other PHOTO type tools to give you an advantage. Well if thats what you are doing then whatever, you are cheating. But the artists that use this as a painting and drawing tool arent doing that. They use it in the same manner as anyone else uses canvas and brushes or pencil and paper. and with the talent they have personally spent hours upon hours and sleepless nights perfecting. The digital art I will post below are all still drawn BY HAND. No manipulations. You think Jim Lee of comic book fame uses a pencil anymore? pretty much no. he has a cintiq 24 HD. Why because the industry has progressed into the modern age. not that there is anything at all wrong with ANY anolog media. I love and use them all. But just like tattoo designs of old that have a special place so do the new bob tyrell and nikko and a thousand other realism guys tattoos.
Digital art is here and it isnt going anywhere. Its not meant to be a replacement to any of our time tested and beloved media. It is just that...another media. Give it a chance if you havent.
the first 2 are a fellow tattooists, chris morant's, digital works. his totem isnt even complete yet. the second 2 are mine. all paint. no photo manipulations. all of these works take the same amount of time and effort as any canvas or pencil media.
necrotech.jpg totem.jpg skull roses 2.jpg giraffe head.jpg

**Fergus** · 11-16-2013, 01:43 PM

digital art and computer animation lovely looking as it is, will never replace the pencil and paintbrush. can any digital artist recreate the splendor of the cistine chapel or the dramatic lights and darks of a caravagio??? I like digital art, I went to classical animation college for four years before i got into tattooing and i worked as a web designer for a year back in 99 so im no stranger to photoshop,,,i also collect comics mainly 2000 AD since the early 80s and the artwork in comics today is all shiny and soulless compared to the hand drawn hand painted stuff of simon bisley/pat mills the horned god for example,,,,but as you point out, digital is here to stay. lets hope they dont invent a robot who can tattoo or we are all fucked!!!!!!!

**peter clements** · 11-16-2013, 01:48 PM

Originally Posted by Fergus

digital art and computer animation lovely looking as it is, will never replace the pencil and paintbrush. can any digital artist recreate the splendor of the cistine chapel or the dramatic lights and darks of a caravagio??? I like digital art, I went to classical animation college for four years before i got into tattooing and i worked as a web designer for a year back in 99 so im no stranger to photoshop,,,i also collect comics mainly 2000 AD since the early 80s and the artwork in comics today is all shiny and soulless compared to the hand drawn hand painted stuff of simon bisley/pat mills the horned god for example,,,,but as you point out, digital is here to stay. lets hope they dont invent a robot who can tattoo or we are all fucked!!!!!!!

You sir are a Guru, I agree entirely with every word you've said.

**redrichie** · 11-16-2013, 05:06 PM

No i do agree that its not a replacement for painted anything. no more than paint is a replacement for pencils. it has its place. I mean some dudes do better art than most of us with chalk and a patch of road. it doesnt make it any less of an art. And the stuff you mention above though true is comparing masters to ordinary dudes. My little sister can use the best paint and brushes in the world and her shit would be soulless and stupid next to frank frazetta. Then again so would mine. LOL. Its just a media. But on the flip side there are tons of tattooist that think we are fucking morons for using rotaries. Our response is either ,well you havent really tried it or to each his own. no right answer. except, does it work for you and does it help you earn a living doing it. Art is the destination not the road. As long as your not cheating and lying to yourself on the journey.

**FTW** · 11-16-2013, 05:08 PM

I use an i Pad and a few art programs to compose most of my stuff,then export to Photoshop for final sizing and off to my dot matrix printer for stenciling.
It saves me time and materials and customers love to watch u draw right over the picture u just took of them.
I can see how some people see it differently but art is art, whether its created on a tablet or other mediums..it don't draw it self
After putting in the time to learn to make the most of technology its serving me well, im sure at some point i will do stuff for my walls at home on a "real medium" but this just works well for designing images for tattooing.
i believe you have to do all you can to keep up with the times, im 46 and still learning how to use all this new fangeled stuff

**cagelavey** · 11-16-2013, 06:49 PM

god I cant stand it anymore! its like with machines, carts or any other new evolution in this industry. I cant believe how much people hate and fight change. it reminds me of sudo-religious zealots that burned innocent women on the cross for being witches because of ignorance and fear! im not singling any one person out but Jesus Christ! I currently have over 10,000 comic books/graphic novels, most are digital representations. to say that the art within those pages have no soul, and to state it as fact and not solely just personal opinion, is like saying rotaries are no where close to being capable of the same great work as coils. all of these views on such subjects are exactly that, just views. personal opinions and nothing more. ive always thought that the tattoo industry was full of idealist, individuals that stood against the grain. people who represented freedom from societal conformity and its un-constituted restraints of individual thought and creativity. we are not part of some elitist self-entitled group that should color inside the lines of what is acceptable. art is art, no matter the avenue taken. anytime that a person sets down in front of their chosen canvas and go to work to reproduce the images and ideas within themselves and let that pour out into this world for others to see, no matter the chosen medium that the artist so desires to use, whether it be with paints, ink, charcoals, or even digital format, etc. it has life and it has the soul of that artist within it. it is all just the same tired argument of what one perceives as acceptable and what is not. more times than not these perceptions are relayed as fact or what the moral majority deems acceptable. I for one love everything about art, tattooing or otherwise, but I love it because art is in the eye of the beholder and no one has the right to say what is art and what is not. I became a tattoo artist because ive always felt unaccepted and different from the masses. tattooing was a way to convey my self expression to the world and I loved the fact that tattoos didn't fit inside a mold, it gave me a way to be myself and sculpt my individuality in whatever way I saw fit, to work outside the moral majority. I no longer had to conform to what most people deemed normal. I know im ranting, and im sorry. its just we share our ideas, our thoughts, our passions, and our views and that's an awesome thing. I just feel that so many people in this industry miss the point of why it is so awesome to be an artist.one of the definitions of an artist is, "a person whose work exhibits exceptional skill. we may not always agree, like or understand what a person is trying to convey in their style of art or particularly care for the way in which someone chooses to produce it, but being artist ourselves, especially a tattoo artist/body modificationist, etc. we know what its like when our chosen craft is singled out, judged and discriminated against. so I just cant see the difference in that and the negative things being said or thought here. again, this is just how I feel. I just don't believe that one persons chosen field of expression has more validity than anothers, its just different, so let it live because the only way a persons piece of art lacks soul, is when others strip that soul from it. If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.
- Henry David Thoreau

which one has more soul? all depends on what appeals to the viewer I guess

**Fergus** · 11-16-2013, 08:15 PM

ho.jpg
I simply think this kind of artwork is more pleasing to the eye than that done in the digital medium,,,,im not witch-hunting anyone,,,,,,the whole point of art is to create an emotion in the viewer (or listener or wearer etc) so if it involves shitting on the pavement wearing a pink rabbit costume then good stuff out of them,,,,,i only said that the classical forms of art are superior to digital...and i stand by that,,,,its only my opinion, im only one guy,,,learning all the time an hope to never stop,,,,the hand drawn hawkman comic cover is totally rad btw.

**cagelavey** · 11-16-2013, 09:52 PM

thanks for stating that it was just your opinion, so many people have a hard time seeing situations three dimensionally(no pun intended) people are a lot of the time limited by their singular views. it all comes down to perspective. like I said "art is in the eye of the beholder." like for me for example. growing up, comics were a way for me to escape a horrible abusive childhood filled with bruises and belittlement. so I suppose on a subconscious level the more real and immersive the imagery and subject matter the more I was able to escape. like I said, perspective. a lot of times a persons reason for the enjoyment of different types of art has a more emotional and personal connotation. we like and respect art among other things(like different avenues to achieve art), based on personal and individual logics that many times cannot be made aware to others or even ourselves for that matter. in any event enough psychobabble, lol. what's aesthetically pleasing and a viable avenue to art for some, is most times lost on others. to each is there own, peace.