You know, too many times what we technical people tend to do when attempting to create something on the artistic side is sit down, stare at our PC’s for a few minutes to an hour, and rotate our mouse around with a few accompanying clicks to create an everlasting masterpiece. And it all turns out to be perfect in the end, right?

…well, I would say most of the time when us novices take this approach it’s not always the perfect result that we see. More like something that could be pretty close to elementary if we only spend 30 minutes to an hour on our initial PC creations. And of course, elementary is definitely OK when you’re in an initial learning process, we’ve all been there and some of us are still in that stage. But one thing I have to say we need to learn is one very important concept: START ON PAPER!

I know, I know, I’m going “old school” on all of you by pointing to the historic principles of art, but no matter how many times I’ve tried to stray away from this concept, I always have to come back to it. And of course you’re wondering, is starting on paper really required for a masterpiece? No, it isn’t, provided you’re either a Techy Artsy prodigy or you’ve been in the business for many years with alot of practice and projects. But the veterans had to start somewhere, and most of the time they started with pencil and a sketch pad.

Do I have an example in which I succumbed to the pad? Of course I do! Once upon a time, I was trying to think of a wonderful background for my multifinity company website intro page. I stared at my screen for many moons, trying to figure out how I can make Photoshop magic happen and I come up with a fantasmic design! Well all those hours staring at my screen started getting to me, so I took a PC break and decided to take notes on what I wanted for my design concept. So sitting down in silence with a pad in my lap, I saw the concept in my head, and decided to draw it on paper! What a great idea that was! Granted the design wasn’t instantly conceived, but after a few trials I ended up with the design I wanted.

And don’t be embarrassed if you’re wondering, “how did she get her design to the PC?” Well, it’s simple: Just scan it into your pc, and edit it using your trusty graphics application! Trust me, this “idea” took me a while to understand, as I was among the masses tweaking initial sketches digitally. What a wonderful relief it is to be able to use your magical hands to whip up some work, and then use your dream machine to perfect it!

-SB