A few years ago I was overcome by a sudden desire to paint portraits after a lifetime of avoiding likenesses. Since then I have been learning to paint in oils and practicing when time permits.

Although I was making some progress it became difficult to find the chunks of time necessary to really get into painting. An alternative presented itself in the form of the touch screen tablet I received for Christmas 2015. I discovered that I love digital finger painting and drawing! It has been my way of relaxing at the end of a day of lino-cutting.

The Inktober 2016 drawing challenge inspired me to take a crack at digital sketching. I chose the life of Marie Antoinette for the theme and answered some daily prompts with her as my subject, feeding my other obsession with the history of the French Revolution and its people.

One thing I like about my linocut technique is that I get to work with analog and digital technology, since I colour the prints in Photoshop. I continue to enjoy this variety by practicing both analog and digital painting and drawing.
Variety is the spice of life!

Analog Oil Painting

I love the feel of real oil paint on canvas and am exploring portraiture of modern and historical figures. Click below to see more oil paintings.

Digital Oil Painting

Fingerpainting is not just for kids anymore! I enjoy the control I feel painting on a touch screen tablet. The digital paint is pretty convincing and applies in a similar fashion to actual paint. It's not perfect but a great solution if you are looking for a digital file. Click below to see a collection of explorations in digital paint.

Digital Ink

The same control achieved by finger painting with oil also translates with ink sketching. I played with Marie Antoinette for the Inktober 2016 drawing challenge. Click below for more digital ink drawings.