an Oily Start with a Photo(shop) Finish Digital

Started an oil painting and finished with photoshop

 

Start you piece traditionally to get a painterly look.

One of the problems with digital painting for a lot of artists is that it’s often hard to get the subtleties and happy accidents that traditional mediums provide.

One of the problems with painting in traditional mediums – like oils for instance is the lack of control or the tedious nature of finishing details – not to mention the fact that you can’t undo, adjust color, or zoom in.

This technique is probably not for Gallery art but. . .

Of course the solution won’t work for gallery painters or people who enjoy having originals but I had fun painting on this little oil painting in Photoshop. Originally I painted it on a Gessoed board in a few hours in my University painting class but never got around to finishing it. So yesterday I thought – why not scan it and spend an hour in Photoshop?

This is the original oil painting that I never had time to finish

Unfinished oil by Will Terry

Note see the flat strokes I made in the oil painting and the gesso texture.

close up, unfinished oil of jumping Fox

 I used one stock photoshop brush – the flat blunt (bristle tilt).

close up, jumping fox, finished in Photoshop

and here is the same oil painting with the digital strokes added in.

close up, of the grass in jumping fox painting.
My process is far from perfect. I don’t do this sort of thing every day but it can give you an idea of what is possible if you wanted to start your paintings in oil and finish them digitally.