Last week’s challenge for the Everyday Matters group was “Draw bread.” This delicious sourdough loaf (a specialty of the San Francisco Bay Area) was sketched from life using Painter’s digital pencil and paint tools.
My cats were very confused finding bread on my drawing table and my little calico, Fiona, tried to snatch a slice and make a run for it when I wasn’t looking. She has a thing for grains–I left a plastic bag of granola on the counter while I was drawing the bread and when I brought the bread back to the kitchen the granola bag was ripped open on the floor and piles of granola were everywhere. She also opens the cereal cabinet door, climbs in and shreds open the Cheerios box (doesn’t touch the Special K low-carb cereal though). She also steals my socks if I put them down when I take them off but I don’t think that’s related.
Even though this came out looking more like a marker drawing than pencil (I’ve since solved that problem and now pencil draws like pencil), I had great fun doing it. It’s exactly like drawing in a sketchbook, but somehow more freeing in a funny way. I’m going to make a “sketchbook” to hold my digital sketches too.
I used to feel judgmental about digital art, thinking it was somehow not “real” art–and maybe easier. It’s definitely not easier, or better or worse, just another art tool to explore and play with. I hope you don’t feel disappointed to find digital art here from time to time, not just watercolor. Watercolor is my true love, but an occasional dalliance with digital is fun too.
Jana Bouc, Artist 
10 replies on “Bread: Everyday Matters Challenge #84”
It looks delicious! I would not have guessed that it was made with digital tools. The undo functions would be quite nice in real life, too 🙂
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WONDERFUL, Jana!!! Digital? Another talent, cara!!! What fabulous breads you have access to !! Your cat story is funny — have you ever grown wheat for your cats? Mine used to love chewing on the grass like blades.
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I think you did a marvelous job! Dallying with digital is an acceptable pass time! Just another thing to play with and that is what art is about anyway, playing and freeing the mind and hand.
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Another loaf of bread to drool over!! You are really making headway with that digital stuff. Looks great.
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I like it alot. Even though is digital and all it still looks good. 🙂
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I don’t think the digital part detracts from the beauty, the execution and the final result. Well done. I find myself more and more inclined to the cleanliness of digital and the convenience of the undo’s
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I love your stories about your cats.
I also feel digital drawing is another tool or art medium. it is not easy and takes time to get used to. You are doing fantastic.
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Beautiful drawing. I like the purple and blues in the shadows. (And that Fiona is quite a character!) So, you drew and colored this sketch in the computer? I haven’t done that yet. Coloring is one thing, but drawing using the Wacom tablet is still a little akward for me. I’ve even heard stories of people bringing their computers into life drawing classes! It’s a new age; and I agree with you about computers being another tool for the artist.
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“I used to feel judgmental about digital art, thinking it was somehow not “real” art–and maybe easier. It’s definitely not easier, or better or worse, just another art tool to explore and play with”
Well, said. I’m not sure why some people think that digitally produced art is ‘easier’ or some lesser form of art. There are some advantage to working digitally (as well as disadvantages), but you still must have artistic skills to produce quality work. I use traditional tools and mediums (pencil, acrylics, pastels, chalks, etc.) but in digital form. In fact, it’s amazing how ‘undigital’ it looks! Happy to hear you’re enjoying your adventure into the digital world!
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I think this is great. I find the slipperiness of the Wacom pad difficult at times. And I absolutely agree that digital art is not inferior to traditional media. However I think the real problem with digital art is that most people have a real love of the preciousness of the one and only original, and also the thought that the artist’s tool held by the artist’s hand touched this piece of paper. And so it’s difficult to sell printots of your digital art.
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