DD - How did you get involved with computer graphics?

Let's go back a few years and review my contact with computers. My very first contact with computers was programming simple games on a Commodore PET as a teenager back in London. I studied Physics at Oxford University 1979 - 82 and succeeded in avoiding much contact with computers during that time. I subsequently worked in sales for a Physics research equipment (superconducting magnets) company. I recall at one Physics tradeshow in the mid-80s drawing a portrait using crude mouse driven graphics package. A curiosity but nothing to write home about.

The real revolution happened in 1991. By then I'd moved to the heart of Silicon Valley, still selling superconducting magnets. I was at a party. As was usual when I wasn't working I had my sketch book and pastel crayons with me and was sketching people at the party. Someone looked over my shoulder, saw my drawings, and said "You should meet my friend who designs painting software". Thus I was introduced to Claire Barry who worked at SuperMac and designed the human graphical interface for Pixel Paint Pro. She sat me down at a Macintosh computer with Pixel Paint Pro and a Wacom tablet...the rest is history.

I was hooked. From that day I started exploring the creative possibilities of the world of computer graphics. Claire introduced me to the folks at SuperMac who then invited me to draw portraits on the Wacom booth at the computer graphics show SIGGRAPH '91 Las Vegas. This started a friendly and productive relationship with vendors that has continued ever since.

I invested in the top of the line Mac (a IIfx with 160 MB hard drive and 20 MB RAM) and tried whatever painting software I could get my hands on. I experimented with Adobe Photoshop, Time Arts Oasis, Micro Frontier PaintIt!, GM Technologie ArtMixer and Fractal Design Painter.

My first impressions of Painter 1.0 were not that favorable. I was used to the beautiful smooth strokes of Pixel Paint Pro. Painter 1.0 gave me crude circles within the brush stroke. However as Painter developed it soon overtook all other programs in versatility and richness of brush looks. Since 1994 it's been my primary tool for all my digital artwork.

DD - In which computer graphics (CG) areas are you working with and in which ones are you already worked?

My primary area of CG work is creating 2D paintings. Most of these are portraits, though I have painted animals, the human figure, and abstract designs. I create paintings for performance and demonstrations purposes at tradeshows and special events. I also create paintings for commercial commissions (magazine covers and editorials, CD-ROM content, annual report illustrations and fine art prints).

The second area of CG I work in is animation. I have used the scripting feature in Painter to convert my painting process into animations for display on TV, film, video and the web. I call these painterly animations 'Paintermations'.

Over the last two years I have developed my web site from a simple on-line portfolio to a central resource for information on CG, visual archive of my artwork, and virtial classroom for my on-line art class. I have created almost all graphics on my site using Painter. I also used Fractal Design Expression here and there (Expression is a vector based painting program). I have written all the HTML myself.

DD - In which CG areas that you are not involved that you would like to get in to?

I am currently getting more into the digital video content creation and editing side of CG. My main tools there are Adobe Premiere, MacroMedia Director, Adobe After Effects and, more recently Post Digital Software Roto. I tend to explore new tools on an as-needed basis. In other words when I get into a project where I need a tool I learn what I need to in order to get the job done.

DD - Do you also work with 3D animation?

I've done 3D animation tradeshow demonstrations with RayDream Studio. However it's an area of CG that hasn't grabbed me yet.

DD - Why are you, as an artist, interested in CG?

First and foremost I am an artist. CG is merely a tool, a medium. I'm not interested in producing 'computer art'. Art for me is a way to experience the world and express what I feel and observe.

The digital medium offers me unique opportunities to explore an almost unlimited diversity of brushes. It also allows me to play with, share and apply my creative process. I'm using CG for art making because I'm excited by it and enjoying developing as an artist in the medium.

DD - What attracted you the most in CG?

Exploring the unlimited and exciting possibilities. I love the magic of being able to draw a dramatic portrait with oil paint, watercolor, Image Hose and Impasto, zooming into pixel level, sharing the process live on a big screen, then printing out the resulting print on 8' high canvas, as well as sharing the unfolding of the painting as a Paintermation on my web site..What more could I ask for?!

DD - Being involved in CG helped you in your career? How?

Being involved in CG didn't 'help' my career. It created my career. It is my career. Without my involvement in CG I might still be selling superconducting magnets! My intial introduction to CG was through the vendors. This relationship with vendors allowed me to build up a wonderful network of contacts prior to becoming a full time CG artist.

DD - Were there any style changes or goals when you became a CG artist?

Let's take style first. Initially my style was close to the way I worked with pastel on paper. Gradually I've been pushing open the creative envelope and taking advantage of the unique digital brushes and facilities offered within Painter. I love collaging and working in a sculptural way (which is why I love the new Impasto plugin brushes). CG is perfect for collage. CG allows the paint to remain 'wet' and malleable, which I also appreciate. I'll leave it for you to judge my evolution in style: take a look through my on-line gallery where you'll find my paintings shown in chronological order.

At the back of my mind, ever since I was a kid, I had the knowledge that I would become an 'artist', whatever that meant. I have succeeded in doing just that. It is still a challenge, though, keeping my eyes on the goal as I get busy with commercial jobs and teaching. Whatever I am doing to earn my living I want to be utilizing my creative talents and skills.

I also want to make a positive difference to peoples lives, and to the world. I want to create artwork that moves people. I want to help people develop their own creative and expressive potential.

DD - What impressed you the most?

My first real exposure to CG, that time I used a Macintosh, Pixel Paint Pro and a Wacom tablet, I was most impressed with the ease. Using the Wacom seemed like second nature. Picking colors and brushes, adjusting brush size and opacity, and then applying brush strokes to the canvas seemed to all flow with little effort. I'd expected it to be more difficult.

I was also impressed with the comfort of working with the tablet on my lap while looking between the model and the screen. Even more comfortable than working with a sketch pad propped on my knees. With a traditional sketch pad I was always compromising between wanting a vertical sheet to avoid perspective distortions, and wanting a flat sheet to rest my drawing hand on.

DD - Did you immediately noticed the lack of any particular features? Which one?

Lack of rough tacile feel at my fingertips, and lack of variety of physical feel between different brushes.

Later I also noticed the fragility and lack of permanence of the digital image. My first creations were destroyed (without backup) when a portable hard drive crashed! Early lesson #1.

DD - What is your analysis about the CG evolution since your first contact with it?

Tablets: as good then as now from my perspective.
Computers: sooo much faster, bigger and better.
Software: much more sophisticated, many more varieties of brush looks and effects. Projection facilities: much more compact and efficient.
Portable computers: now I can have a truely portable paint studio and offic-on-the-road wrapped up in one.
Prices: amazing how much was paid for how little back in '91 (re hardware in particular) Interest: grown exponentially.

DD - What are the features you would like the most to see available in CG market?

When zoomed in on a small portion of an image, the ability to see a reasonable sized view of the whole image (say at approximately 3" x 4" size), at the same time.

Better interface for Painter - more logical grouping and naming of brushes, more consistency between functional behaviours (eg. Liquid Metal versus Impasto plugin floaters).

DD - Almost all your work is based on portrait painting. Why portraits? How do you go about painting a portrait?

I began drawing as a kid of 3. My mum let me cover my bedroom walls with drawings as long as I left the rest of the walls alone! My drawings as a child were all scenes out of my imaginations: people, machines, inventions, railways, spaceships, etc.

In 1979 I took a sketchbook on a holiday to the Greek islands and started sketching people. I carried a sketchbook where ever I went for the next fifteen years. I also began drawing nudes and experimenting with sculpture and print making at that time. I attended the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art, Oxford, in my spare time. Drawing people from life became a passion for me. This continued as I started using CG.

When I draw a portrait I start with a blank canvas. To prepare myself I go through a process of meditation-visualization. First I make sure I am sitting comfortably and the model is sitting close to me, also comfortable. I momentarily close my eyes, take a deep breath, hold the breath for a few moments, then let out a big sigh, relax, and open my eyes. Prior to putting stylus to tablet I look at my subject and tune in. I continue breathing steadily and deeply. I look into my subject. I feel my way into the portrait. I ask myself what is the mood, where is the emphasis, what moves me, where is the power? I also feel my way into the canvas, laying both hands flat, palms down, on my tablet. I then make gestural brushstrokes in the air, moving the stylus tip a few fractions of an inch over tablet surface, moving the cursor like a frenetic dancer, mapping out the portrait without making any marks.

This form of warm-up meditation lays the foundation for the direction my painting takes. It doesnt involve picturing exactly what its going to end up looking like, more just listening to my reaction to this subject, becoming aware of what I'd like to express in the portrait. This meditation-visualization also separates my painting state from my every-day state. It is a way that I let go of the many distractions that normally fill my mind, and focus exclusively on my subject and the creation of the painting.

When I paint I allow myself to flow with the intuitive path of the painting process. This involves trust. I also am commited to my marks. I never use an eraser or undo. Instead I treat the canvas as an ever changing organism.

I worked simply, often with just a few brushes for the whole painting. I try to get the most out of each brush with subtle changes in brush size, opacity and pressure.

DD - Do you use special effects in your jobs? Which ones? And for what?

I'm not a fan of special effects. In general I find they tend to 'computerize' and degrade the image, especially when applied universally to an entire image. They also take away from the idiosyncrasies and non-uniformities of hand applied brushstrokes. One thing that's fabulous in Painter is the ability to apply 'special effects' through hand brush strokes.

Having said all that, there is one special effect I apply now and then. That is the Effects --> Surface Control --> Apply Surface Texture --> Using: Image Luminance. This givesd a beautiful 3D paint look based on luminance values (darks and lights) in the image. I usually follow it with an Edit --> Fade to make it more subtle.

DD - Have you ever been in Brazil?

No. I'm very excited to be going. I love music and dance. I once studied a little Copiera and Samba. I'm looking forward to tasting abit of Brazilian culture. We had a bit imported here in Palo Alto for the World Cup soccer games a few years back. The Brazilians showed Silicon valley how to party!!

DD - There is already a great expectation about your coming. How do you plan to help people that will be present at your workshops?

People who attend my workshop will gain an insight and experience into mastering the basics of Painter. I'll help students overcome the confusion and intimidation often associated with trying to get into Painter. I always encourage students to explore and take risks. My goal is for attendees to be able to comfortably integrate Painter into their everyday toolbox and to share in the excitement of creating with such a powerful tool.

I shall achieve those goals through well organized instructional material and thorough presentations, combined with enthusiasm, encouragement and patience.

DD - Since when did you start teaching?

I started teaching an Introduction to Computer Painting course at the Academy of Art College, San Francisco, in 1994. Since then I've taught classes and workshops at many institutions worldwide. My latest class is an on-line digital art class where students learn to paint portraits with Painter 5. All communication and interaction is via the internet. You can see details of my background and current classes on my web site (www.portrayals.com).

DD - How does this job of passing information to people helps you in your profession?

I learn as much from my students as they do from me. Preparing for my classes forces me to structure and research my material, giving me a deeper understanding of Painter. Students bring many new brush looks and effects to my attention that I may never come across otherwise. Besides that, students have also become clients, or have recommended my services to others. Thus all in all teaching is very productive for me professionally.

However, professional reasons alone would not be enough reason to teach. To teach well you have to love it and believe in it. I love helping people. There's no greater compliment than when a student shares with me how much my class has helped them.

DD - What are the most explained subjects during your workshops?

I believe in teaching from the ground up. In other words I build strong foundations and empower my students to explore further after the class finishes. The foundations of Painter are the brushes. I spend the first day of any workshop familiarizing students with the way to access and control brushes. I get students to get used to freely applying brushstrokes (some resist, especially those used to photography).

In terms of subjects students ask the most questions about, the winner hands down is understanding floaters, masks and selections. I address these topics.

In my workshops I emphasize methodology and efficient work habits. I encourage use of organized consistent file naming and folder hierarchies. I encourage careful naming of images, clones, clones sources, floaters and shapes within Painter. I am also a great proponent of simplicity. 'Simplify, simplify simplify' is my Painter motto! That means keeping the screen as uncluttered as possible. Basically I believe in making life as easy as possible. It's amazing how many problems can be resolved with a bit of simplification and tidying up.