[Mike]

I'm starting learning to paint(both traditionally and digitally) and I was wondering if you guys feel that it is more important to have a traditional painting background before you start trying to do it digitally, or do you feel that you can transition from digital to traditional media with a little adjustment.

[sacrelicious]

I have an extensive background in traditional drawing (lead pencil, charcoal, pastel, chalk, etc)- basically I've been drawing since I was three- but very little experience with actual painting. I've come to feel that my lack of knowledge of traditional painting methods has hampered my ability to paint digitally (especially now the I have a tablet, which I think is pretty weird). I think I'm just impatient, though. It certainly can't hurt to get as much practice and build as much knowledge as is possible. Who knows, perhaps by learning both simultaneously you'll gain better insight into the media.

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What is your obsession with my forbidden closet of mystery?

[travis travis]

If you don't have principles that which you work upon, how can you work? Yes, learn some traditional stuff. Otherwise you're just dabbling or stabbing in the dark. Which is not to say you should only follow tradition, but if you're an artist you should have some realist skills to fall back on.

And you're not liable to learn much on a computer, you're liable to experiment a lot. You can't lug a computer around and practice life drawing, so just avoid the damn thing until you get good at traditional stuff. The other path is pretty much to 'hack' your way to the top, and do really want to do that? Any kid can learn software, being an artist is a completely different thing.

[Impaler]

*shrug* I don't think you need as much of the skills as you do the knowledge. Essentially, all the stuff you learn to do in traditional can be directly cross-applied to digital. I'm talking of course about anatomy, lighting, color usage, stuff like that.

If you have that down, then digital is essentially the same as traditional, with a few technical adjustments.

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My signature is slightly better than yours.

[DonSeeg]

Absolutely learn traditional painting. What you learn will directly effect the way you paint digitally. I paint extensively both traditionally and digitally and the skills you learn are used in both mediums. If you only work digital I believe that your work will always look digital which I find sometimes annoying and sterile looking. You can see examples of both my digital and traditional art at www.seegmiller-art.com

Don

[Mike]

Thanks guys for taking the time to give some advice. I really appreciate it.