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It's funny what owning a computer can do to your brain. Today, I spent half an hour looking through clipart for a certain shape or anything close to it, when suddenly I remembered that I actuallly have the ability to simply draw and paint this thing. So I did, and finished in less than fifteen minutes. Steve N. likes to sit and wonder. Well, I sit and wonder what is happening to the creative side of my brain, and to the fun I used to have doing signs. Will I not eventually lose some of those hard earned skills by depending on technology? There is little or no room in an average day to play and practice on panels, nor can I attend Letterhead meets every few month or so. Those of you that have used computers for years, do you think it has affected your skills and creativity negatively? Are you still the talented person you were BC (before computers)?
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I never hand lettered a sign, but using the computer to come here has got me attempting gold leaf, a little carving, & I'm sure many other things. But seriously, I would say no because I am constantly developing creative skills & although I always considered myself creative BC, it wasn't in sign related skills so the computer is not taking me away from that. I agree though, that your clip-art search is a good example of the trap we could face. I think if you kept looking for the clip art & never went for the hand drawn approach you would lose some talent, but I think as much as we may all get caught up in technology now & then, hopefully most of us won't completely forget the obvious alternatives.
Interesting topic, just yesterday I had to draw a brook flowing between a stone wall in a meadow, now I know there isnt any clip art for that, but I was trying to do it in Illustrator, after trying to figure out a software program I abandoned it for the pencils I knew like my right hand......or was that my left hand? lol
-------------------- Bob Rochon Creative Signworks Millbury, MA 508-865-7330
"Life is Like an Echo, what you put out, comes back to you." Posts: 5149 | From: Millbury, Mass. U.S. | Registered: Nov 1998
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i can't tell ya the amount of time i have wasted looking thru my 650,000,000,000,000 clipart images only to be pi$$ed at myself for doing what i could drawn by hand or recreated on computer in minutes...and it never fails that when i'm looking for something specific i most always find what i was previously looking for under some weird heading..."they put it under that??" note to self. soooo...i can't wait til i can say,"computer find me this."...and there it will be.
-------------------- Karyn Bush Simply Not Ordinary, LLC Bartlett, NH 603-383-9955 www.snosigns.com info@snosigns.com Posts: 3516 | From: Bartlett, NH USA | Registered: Jan 2001
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-------------------- Dan Sawatzky Imagination Corporation Yarrow, British Columbia dan@imaginationcorporation.com http://www.imaginationcorporation.com
Being a grampa is one of the the most wonderful things in the world!!! Posts: 8738 | From: Yarrow, B.C. Canada | Registered: Nov 1998
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Thank you Dan. Personalized service is important to my customers and to me. Though I have put more than my share of Taz toons on vehicles, I find it easier to either present a thumbnail at the job site or if the job is large enough, scan in a hand drawn black and white to Corel Draw via Corel Trace and and simplify the design at the shop. Either way, it's easier to make the image fit in to the total design package.
-------------------- Ron Costa Sign and Design 28 Ingerson Road Jefferson, NH 0358 Posts: 620 | From: New Hampshire | Registered: Oct 2002
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it doesn't matter *how* you get there, as long as you get there and the end result is top notch.
Personally, I rarely design on computer. I usually sketch things out with pencil or pen because then my hand can move as fast as my brain thus putting my thoughts right there on paper in front of my eyes.
Once I have a rough sketch, then I can scan it and tweak.
But to say a computer is "rotting" my mind or taking away my creativity... not gonna happen, ever.
-------------------- "If I share all my wisdom I won't have any left for myself."
Mike Pipes stickerpimp.com Lake Havasu, AZ mike@stickerpimp.com Posts: 8746 | From: Lake Havasu, AZ USA | Registered: Jun 2000
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I have never been an "artistic" person in that I can not paint and sketch very well. I have been called creative and artistic by many who know me. I work in leather and write cowboy poetry. Give me some sort of problem and more than likely I will find some sort of creative solution. I can understand the dichotomy of computer vs. sketch design. Both have their place and as has been said often it is quicker and more efficent to sketch what you need and then scan or whatever. On the other hand the computer is a wonderful "TOOL".
I think Mike and others have hit the nail on the head. I think there is a trap that we can fall into, a sort of crutch if you will, but the computer is just a tool and used in the right way can be of great value.
Guess I'll go back to my chair and close my eyes and just wonder about this interesting post.
I have noticed my creativity waning at times, and have caught myself looking for clip art too many times. I think that the panel swap did me good, because I was able to separate that project from all my others, and just goof off with it. In doing so, I guess a little light came on in my head, reminding me that I should be doing this all the time, not just once in a while. I don't get those kind of feelings from working with a computer.Maybe I'm not at a high enough technical level yet, I don't know, but the old painted and hand made work always turns me on.
-------------------- Jeff Ogden 8727 NE 68 Terr. Gainesville FL, 32609 Posts: 2138 | From: 8827 NE 68 Terr Gainesville Fl 32609 | Registered: Aug 2002
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