This is why I hate digital art.

[enyawd72]

I found some (what I thought) was incredible 1966 Batman art online by this guy Christopher Franchi.
I was totally blown away by his work until I started seeing numerous variations of the same image. Turns out what I thought was beautiful hand drawn artwork is nothing more than photo manipulation. Here are three different variations of his work that he sells, and I saw at least half a dozen more variations of this same image...some laid out horizontally, etc.

I don't know...am I just too old fashioned? To me this just smacks of cheating. When I paint a picture...I actually paint it by hand. On canvas. With a brush. And when it's done, I don't rearrange it ten different ways to get ten different paintings out of it. Am I wrong in my thinking? Everyone keeps telling me to "go digital" but it just seems wrong to me. Look at all the beautiful painted box and card art toy companies used to produce. You just don't see that anymore.
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[thunderbolt]

yeah, its just playing with existing pics and not really original

[thunderbolt]

[The Toyroom]

The 2nd one swaps out Lee Meriwether's face with Julie Newmar's but it's Lee's pose from the '66 movie...

[Earth 2 Chris]

I'm of two minds on it. It does take talent to do this. To render the photos in a painterly style, and to compose the image. However, it's not the same as the raw talent you get with paint on canvas.

Chris

[EMCE Hammer]

I'm of two minds on it. It does take talent to do this. To render the photos in a painterly style, and to compose the image. However, it's not the same as the raw talent you get with paint on canvas.

Chris

That's how I see it. If I had to choose one ability over the other, I'd wanna be a painter. I think many people could develop the talent to do the digital, at least to a degree. I don't think the same is true with painting.

[MIB41]

In my mind, nothing beats the skill and patience required to do something by hand. Of course these days there are so many new tools to deliver that same kind of product for marketing and merchandise (and they have immense value for those reasons). But for me, the art of putting paint or ink to a surface is a beautiful discipline that will never be topped.

[enyawd72]

^Thank you both for that sentiment...makes me feel a lot better. I've experienced a lot of frustration with my art because it seems like old fashioned craftsmanship isn't appreciated. When someone offers me $20 for a painting it's just insulting and disheartening at the same time. Also, it's so difficult to get any type of commercial work doing it the old fashioned way. It's considered an unsuitable method for most of today's needs. I mean, when's the last time you saw a painted anything really?

[Earth 2 Chris]

I make my living as a graphic designer, and the software tools I use have developed so greatly in the last 15 years, it's kind of scary. It takes less and less true talent to create a professional looking piece. That's a great thing for the masses, but a scary prospect for a graphic designer! At this point, a well-trained monkey could do a decent design piece. In a few years, an untrained monkey may be able to do it.

I do think the Batman piece above is something you have to have a certain amount of talent to pull off at that level...but I agree it's not at the same level of putting paint to canvas, and getting the same result. Unfortunately, the digital way is faster and more easily accessible for reproduction.

Chris

[CrimsonGhost]

I do both digital art and ... analog! HAHA! Whatever you want to call it....

Back in the early 90's I worked for Valiant Comics and colored comic pages by hand with Dr. Martin dyes. It wasn't long before we were all replaced with computer coloring, which at the time looked like garbage to my eye and I couldn't understand how anyone could prefer that to the hand painted work we were doing. Well, they did. And before I knew it, I found myself having to learn to color on computer. It was slow and awkward and took FOREVER to just complete one page. But it also had it's advantages. It allowed for experimentation in color and design that took seconds to try. It allowed for numerous effects. I found it to even be...fun. I love working in photoshop and painter now.

I use a Wacom tablet. I'm still doing it by hand on the computer. Theres no "compose layout" button or "fix anatomy" or "finish blank comic page with color button" on the computer. I'm still making artistic decisions and creating drawings within the computer.

Sure, there's something romantic about doing brush to canvas paintings and I have nothing but love for hand painting as well.

In the end, it's just another tool and it's my opinion that you're doing yourself a disservice by not giving it a chance. Don't blame the computer, blame the Batman artist you posted above.

On a side note: You have to admit, those Batman posters are still pretty cool.

[enyawd72]

^I admit nothing! They'll have to pry my paintbrush from my cold, dead hand!

No, they are nice looking.

[CrimsonGhost]

^I admit nothing! They'll have to pry my paintbrush from my cold, dead hand!

No, they are nice looking.

Ha! Fair enough.

BTW, I like your Batman painting! Is that acrylic? What size is it?

[Earth 2 Chris]

^I've played with a Wacom tablet, but I really need to give it a good try. Not a lot of use for it on the work I do at my day job, but for fun and freelance stuff, I need to get on that train.

Chris

[CrimsonGhost]

^I've played with a Wacom tablet, but I really need to give it a good try. Not a lot of use for it on the work I do at my day job, but for fun and freelance stuff, I need to get on that train.

Chris

I was great at drawing with a mouse, then I got a job where I worked in their studio and they stuck me with a tablet. It was a struggle at first, but by the end of the week, I was ready to throw my mouse in the river. I've never used one again.

[enyawd72]

Ha! Fair enough.

BTW, I like your Batman painting! Is that acrylic? What size is it?

Thanks! It's acrylic on 11x14 canvas board.