BUTTERFLY - Day 8 - 30 in 30 Challenge

BUTTERFLY is my latest iPad drawing. A totally embellished image of a huge (15”) butterfly called Attacus Atlas. I’m also thinking of turning this into a large painting, so if interested I’d be happy to take a commission. Approximately 72” x 36” would be my preference.

Some new readers may be interested in my digital process, so I thought I would go into detail. Loyal followers have had some of this explained before, but this gives even more about technique. If you have an iPad, follow along.

In general I create my digital drawings from a blank page in the Notes app on my iPad. There are two options,
1. When in the Notes app click on the square with pen symbol at the top, then the plus symbol at the bottom and ‘Add Sketch’. This is the older Markup version which is my main drawing tool with very limited tools and colors. Most of my work to date has been created with this.

2. When in the Notes app click on the square with pen symbol at the top, then the pen symbol at the bottom. This brings up a more complex set of tools and many more colors. Click on each tool and there is a selection of nib sizes and a slider for transparency. Click on the colored circle to the far right and up pops a large selection of colours.
Even the first version has an undo button, a rule and eraser, so its a good way to start.

For drawing I use the index finger of my dominant hand and move it around on the touch screen to draw. This isn’t an accurate method as my finger covers the spot I am working on; sometimes I have to erase many times before I get the mark I want. Yes, I know I could use a stylus, but ultimately a finger is easier on the screen and I tend to be a bit of a Luddite. Luckily there is a handy tool to undo one mark at a time, which I indulge in far too frequently. At art school we were taught never to use an eraser when drawing, so sometimes this feels like cheating. There is an eraser tool which violently removes the area you touch back to a stark white page, but I only use this as a drawing tool to create bright white spots and draw back into them, as in apples or rain drops.

My technique could be called modern folk art due to its simple nature. Because I mainly use #1 basic toolset, I spend oodles of time learning to push the app to its max to fit my vision. My drawings within Notes go from simple line, to highly complex fully rendered explorations: Below are four examples of what can be created with the basic Notes drawing and one finger.

Above is my normal digital technique, however, in the spirit of the Creative Gathering FB group with whom I am creating 30 pieces of art in 30 days, I am experimenting. BUTTERFLY, above like some other 30 in 30 submissions to the group, uses a digital photograph as a base. I then have access to use the digital enhancement tools within iPad Photos app. The digital tools in the iPad Photo app are similar to the Notes app drawing tools in 2. I took them for a run. First I turn up the color saturation to max, then apply the tools with the intention of covering all of the original image.

Sadly its easy to delete the Photo Markup overlay and it doesn’t automatically save, so I created two detailed and time consuming butterflies which were lost and beyond recovery. Losing a piece of art is like losing a child, so this was heartbreaking and I tried for hours to bring them back to no avail. I learned my lesson and now I save the file throughout the process, something which is not often available in other apps.

I persevered and produced the third BUTTERFLY above, each time learning more about the tools and options. I got close, but I still see some areas I could go in and work on. This is an app with which I will enjoy experimenting some more.

As digital work comes in a digital file it can be reproduced in a variety of sizes and framed or mounted; There is no such thing as an ‘original’ but you can produce a limited edition of one.
I generally sell mine in small limited editions. Some of my finished work can be purchased at www.artfinder.com/sea-dean