(In good 'Michael-style', I am circling around and I will land this 747 momentarily. This particular blog entry is not at all about music, but I am using music as an example in the beginning, since music is a language that I speak with ease, and in which I am most comfortable.)
Before we begin, let's take a little parallel segway.
Anybody that knows me at all will know that I have several vintage instruments in my home. They range from accordions (2), one 1966 Wurlitzer electric piano, a hand-pumped Indian Harmonium, and 3 Hammond organs, two with Leslie speakers. These are all vintage, analog instruments - nothing digital about them.
Many people trap themselves in a world of "Either / Or". For reasons that I will not delve into in this blog, they refuse to allow themselves to see the multiple choices that are often before them. For example, Oprah Winfrey was shopping with her best friend, Gale King. They were in a mall store, and Oprah found a pink sweater that she absolutely adored. A dilemma presents itself when she finds the same sweater in gray on the rack. Oprah continues the story by saying that she stood there 15 minutes, trying to rationalize "Should I buy the pink sweater, or should I buy the gray sweater." I personally am enlightened to know that Oprah and most other people that have found fame and fortune have not forgotten their original roots. At any rate, at one point in the 'Pink / gray' discussion, Oprah looked at Gale and said, "What am I doing? I am Oprah Winfrey! I can buy both the pink *and* the gray sweater!" Michael speaking: Hell, she could buy the whole damned mall without thinking twice about it! My point of this little segway is that for a moment, Oprah forgot two things: 1) She has choices 2) She didn't have to make a choice if the didn't want to! Instead of "Either / Or", I am a big fan of "That and MORE!"
I like the vintage instruments AND the digital side of the music world. I have loads of both, vintage equipment and virtual or digital instruments that are stored only on a computer, but may be accessed through a piano-type keyboard made specifically for that purpose (MIDI).
(Fasten your seat belts and make sure your tray is up! We are approaching the runway!!!!!)
Please examine the following photographs:
I am somewhat of a photographer. More than an amateur, but I do not get much money for my photos. I use only a digital camera. Deleting a photo is much cheaper than buying film! There is yet another avenue that branches off digital photography's "Main Street".
The little secret is that *none* of the above photographs are real. Not a single item in any of these photographs actually exists. They are not photographs of actual people, animals or objects! One hundred percent of all the above photographs were digitally constructed using specific (And free!) software. I am not talking about digital airbrushing, or touching up a photograph. I am talking about building these objects completely from scratch. Actually, these items were constructed using the software as 3D objects, and a digital photograph was taken of the items, using the same software that was used to construct each scene.
We will discuss 4 free modeling, animation and image manipulation programs: Blender, Anim8or, GIMP and Google Sketchup. I will also provide links that will allow you to download these programs completely free of charge. They are known as 'open source' programs, and many people that are much farther into computer programming than I ever will be write their own add-ons for these programs. There are videos and other bits of information about all 4programs on www.youtube.com , and each program has it's own website that will allow you to download the program, itself, view tutorials and manuals, and download 'items' that range from trees to chairs, and literally anything in between for your scenes.
As with anything you want to learn and eventually master, you will get out of these programs exactly what you put into them. If you never do your homework and choose not to spend time learning them step-by-step, you will not be pleased with the results. If you commit a serious amount of time and energy to learning these programs, you will be rewarded with images and animations and you only previously could imagine, and a much greater perception and appreciation for those who choose to to virtual or digital art and animations.
Don't give me the "I don't have time to do that!" crap. If you can find time to sit and stare blankly for hours at a TV, live on FaceBook, or fight with your relatives, you defiitely have time to be creative. No excuses.
First up:
GIMP (Graphic Image Manipulation Program)
Even though it is 'quite a quinkie dink', I didn't name this program!
This program does one thing, but it does it's task using several tools, and it does it well. This program was created to change your photographs in some fashion, whether it is simple color changes, removing a pimple from your forehead in the photograph, or completely building a scene from scratch. GIMP can do nothing in the arena of animation. It's sole purpose is to manipulate or change photographs.
Here is the website to download the free, no-strings attached software:
http://www.gimp.org/
This photograph is a simple example of some of the work that I have done using GIMP:
This picture:
Plus this picture:
= the first picture out of the 3.
With some simple manipulation of the photo of the sculpture's hand, and copy 'n' paste, I produced the above photo. I also had to make the photo of the hand a bit transparent, so we can see the sunrise through the texture of the hand. I duplicated the image of the hand, rotated both the original and the copy so that both were facing each other and VOILA! This is a extremely simple task using GIMP.
This is another example of a photo alteration in GIMP. This picture was submitted to me by a friend for restoration. I did restore the edges of the photo, her lower lip, and the creases on the paper across her face, and those in her hair. I choose to leave some of the signs of aging on the photo, itself, to leave some authenticity in the photograph.
Before:
After:
One last sample of a simple process using GIMP: ME!
Judging by the small gauges of the rings in my ears, I can determine that this pic was taken about 3 years ago. The eyes are my own, and are completely unaltered. I cannot say the same for the horns, ears, nose, chin and eyebrows. The color of the photo, in general, speaks for itself.
I borrowed the antlers from a picture of a real Gazelle mount that I got as a stock photo on-line. I grew pointed ears, nose, and chin, and those deep, thick eyebrows by using very simple, readily available features of the GIMP software. My reddish color was obtained by doing a general color gradient over the entire picture before I called my new look 'finished!"
The program "Picazza" is also helpful, and is also free and available for download. I use Picazza interchangeably with GIMP, depending on the task(s) that I need to accomplish. This program (and PhotoShop, to a degree!) are not near as versatile and useful as GIMP, but they do serve their individual functions well.
Next up:
Google Sketchup
In a manner of speaking, Google Sketchup is more or less (and in my opinion!) the 3D answer to GIMP. While GIMP works with flat, 2D images, Google Sketchup can be used to create 3D worlds to illustrate virtually anything your heart desires. If you have always wanted a way to make your idea for a new chair come into fruition, you can use Sketchup. You can also use the next two programs, Anim8or and Blender for this same task, but that is another matter for another time.
One major benefit of Sketchup is that when compared to Anim8or and Blender, it's interface is relatively simple to learn, which can be encouraging for beginners. Another benefit of Sketchup is that their website offers not only the free download, but there are libraries contain thousands of free, downloadable, ready-made objects for you to plug into your scenes and illustrations, if applicable. One benefit to these downloadable objects is that it will greatly shorten the time it takes to complete your project. The downside of these downloads are that you aren't really learning how to make these models for yourself, thus somewhat lengthening the time it takes you to learn the program, in general.
This is the website where you can find the latest, free Sketchup download, and the libraries with the ready-made objects You will also find instruction / tutorials on this website:
http://sketchup.google.com/
This link will direct you to a search on YouTube, where you will find tutorials and samples of other people's work in Sketchup. I am certain that if you Bing / Google / Altavista 'Sketchup', you will find a lot more information from other users readily available on the internet:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=sketchup&aq=f
Anim8or
(The '8' in the middle of 'Anim8or' is not a typo! It reads: Animator.)
Anim8or's primary purpose is to animate characters, both simple or complex, that you create. HOWEVER..... This program can also be used to create virtually any item or object that you can imagine. If you have always wanted to build that engine, or other mechanical device that actually has movement, this program will work for you. You can also build stationary items, such as furniture, musical instruments, or virtually anything your creative heart desires.
This is the official link to download the free software for Anim8or. You will also find helpful tutorials, and 19 galleries of work by other very talented people on this website:
http://www.anim8or.com/main/index.html
This is one small, but detailed example of what Anim8or can do for you. An animation of a Twix candy bar. Please keep in mind that this entire thing, the wrapper, the candy, and everything in the scene was hand-made by the individual posting this video:
I think this is the original meaning of the term ' Debug'. Remember that everything in this video is completely man-made, and was rendered using Blender:
To give the still-life modeling side of things a fair shake, here is a YouTube search with videos on more stills (other than the 8 that I represented at the beginning of this blog.) Most of the hits on this search are actual tutorials, or time-lapse demonstrations of modeling using Blender:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=blender+modeling&aq=f
TO DOWNLOAD BLENDER:
To download Blender, please visit:
(Click the "Download" tabn at the top of this page:)
http://www.blender.org/features-gallery/
In Summary:
There you have it, folks. I just handed you the tubes of paint, the brushes, and the canvas - all in one neat, tidy basket. However, all the paint, brushes and canvas's in the kingdom can't make anyone an artist. For reasons that I will explain, I hate the word 'patience'. I have none. 'Patience' is for lazy people who prefer to sit around and wait for something to happen. 'Perseverance' is a more appropriate word. While 'Patience' is for lazy people who sit around and wait for something to happen, 'perseverance' is a quality that people have who will get up and do something about it! They will get the work done. If you ask anybody that knows me well, they will tell you that I am not at all a patient person. But - I do have a hell of a lot of perseverance. I do with the same for you. If you take your time, forge ahead step-by-step, and you persevere, you can learn any or all of these programs. If you are ever trying to describe an idea to a friend, and they 'just can't seem to grasp' what you are telling them (whether they honestly can't understand your point, or they willingly don't want to!), I have given you 4 tools, GIMP, Google SketchUp, Anim8or and Blender, to use to make your digital illustrative thoughts, ideas and dreams come true. If you can dream it, with some practice, you can render it into reality.
As I stated in the opening section of this blog, I like "This AND That", rather than "Either / Or". I like the physical world of photography, as demonstrated by my attendance at 5 major nationally recognized art shows in the St. Louis area to see the masterful physical creations of over 1,000 award winning artists from all over the United States and the rest of the world. Much in the same manner as I would never like to see a real Hammond B3 organ being **replaced** by a digital simulation, I do see a valid place and a market for the digital organs and software simulations of this timeless instrument. Remember: "This AND That", not "Either / Or ". With this same consideration, I would never want to see real, physical art replaced by computerized or digital simulations. I do, however, think that the digital world is yet another viable medium, much like oil paints, clay, fibers, or any other material that is used by artists that do physical renderings.
I have given you the virtual materials to create virtually anything you can imagine. I am encouraging you to do just that - to imagine, to work hard, and to persevere.
Happy Rendering!
-Michael
Before we begin, let's take a little parallel segway.
Anybody that knows me at all will know that I have several vintage instruments in my home. They range from accordions (2), one 1966 Wurlitzer electric piano, a hand-pumped Indian Harmonium, and 3 Hammond organs, two with Leslie speakers. These are all vintage, analog instruments - nothing digital about them.
Many people trap themselves in a world of "Either / Or". For reasons that I will not delve into in this blog, they refuse to allow themselves to see the multiple choices that are often before them. For example, Oprah Winfrey was shopping with her best friend, Gale King. They were in a mall store, and Oprah found a pink sweater that she absolutely adored. A dilemma presents itself when she finds the same sweater in gray on the rack. Oprah continues the story by saying that she stood there 15 minutes, trying to rationalize "Should I buy the pink sweater, or should I buy the gray sweater." I personally am enlightened to know that Oprah and most other people that have found fame and fortune have not forgotten their original roots. At any rate, at one point in the 'Pink / gray' discussion, Oprah looked at Gale and said, "What am I doing? I am Oprah Winfrey! I can buy both the pink *and* the gray sweater!" Michael speaking: Hell, she could buy the whole damned mall without thinking twice about it! My point of this little segway is that for a moment, Oprah forgot two things: 1) She has choices 2) She didn't have to make a choice if the didn't want to! Instead of "Either / Or", I am a big fan of "That and MORE!"
I like the vintage instruments AND the digital side of the music world. I have loads of both, vintage equipment and virtual or digital instruments that are stored only on a computer, but may be accessed through a piano-type keyboard made specifically for that purpose (MIDI).
(Fasten your seat belts and make sure your tray is up! We are approaching the runway!!!!!)
Please examine the following photographs:
The little secret is that *none* of the above photographs are real. Not a single item in any of these photographs actually exists. They are not photographs of actual people, animals or objects! One hundred percent of all the above photographs were digitally constructed using specific (And free!) software. I am not talking about digital airbrushing, or touching up a photograph. I am talking about building these objects completely from scratch. Actually, these items were constructed using the software as 3D objects, and a digital photograph was taken of the items, using the same software that was used to construct each scene.
We will discuss 4 free modeling, animation and image manipulation programs: Blender, Anim8or, GIMP and Google Sketchup. I will also provide links that will allow you to download these programs completely free of charge. They are known as 'open source' programs, and many people that are much farther into computer programming than I ever will be write their own add-ons for these programs. There are videos and other bits of information about all 4programs on www.youtube.com , and each program has it's own website that will allow you to download the program, itself, view tutorials and manuals, and download 'items' that range from trees to chairs, and literally anything in between for your scenes.
As with anything you want to learn and eventually master, you will get out of these programs exactly what you put into them. If you never do your homework and choose not to spend time learning them step-by-step, you will not be pleased with the results. If you commit a serious amount of time and energy to learning these programs, you will be rewarded with images and animations and you only previously could imagine, and a much greater perception and appreciation for those who choose to to virtual or digital art and animations.
Don't give me the "I don't have time to do that!" crap. If you can find time to sit and stare blankly for hours at a TV, live on FaceBook, or fight with your relatives, you defiitely have time to be creative. No excuses.
First up:
GIMP (Graphic Image Manipulation Program)
Even though it is 'quite a quinkie dink', I didn't name this program!
This program does one thing, but it does it's task using several tools, and it does it well. This program was created to change your photographs in some fashion, whether it is simple color changes, removing a pimple from your forehead in the photograph, or completely building a scene from scratch. GIMP can do nothing in the arena of animation. It's sole purpose is to manipulate or change photographs.
Here is the website to download the free, no-strings attached software:
http://www.gimp.org/
This photograph is a simple example of some of the work that I have done using GIMP:
I took this picture at a local cemetery, of a hand on a sculpture above a memorial, and the photo of the background sunrise was taken from my front lawn in St. Louis.
This picture:
With some simple manipulation of the photo of the sculpture's hand, and copy 'n' paste, I produced the above photo. I also had to make the photo of the hand a bit transparent, so we can see the sunrise through the texture of the hand. I duplicated the image of the hand, rotated both the original and the copy so that both were facing each other and VOILA! This is a extremely simple task using GIMP.
This is another example of a photo alteration in GIMP. This picture was submitted to me by a friend for restoration. I did restore the edges of the photo, her lower lip, and the creases on the paper across her face, and those in her hair. I choose to leave some of the signs of aging on the photo, itself, to leave some authenticity in the photograph.
Before:
The work I did on this photo took a couple hours, and was done in one evening. I have had cases, however, that required many hours of work over several days. These things take time and perseverance. There was no 'quick fix' button for these photos. I did them piece-by-piece, and even though they are digital, the work was not done automatically, and even though it was accomplished via a computer, it was 'done by hand'. No automation involved.
One last sample of a simple process using GIMP: ME!
Judging by the small gauges of the rings in my ears, I can determine that this pic was taken about 3 years ago. The eyes are my own, and are completely unaltered. I cannot say the same for the horns, ears, nose, chin and eyebrows. The color of the photo, in general, speaks for itself.
I borrowed the antlers from a picture of a real Gazelle mount that I got as a stock photo on-line. I grew pointed ears, nose, and chin, and those deep, thick eyebrows by using very simple, readily available features of the GIMP software. My reddish color was obtained by doing a general color gradient over the entire picture before I called my new look 'finished!"
The program "Picazza" is also helpful, and is also free and available for download. I use Picazza interchangeably with GIMP, depending on the task(s) that I need to accomplish. This program (and PhotoShop, to a degree!) are not near as versatile and useful as GIMP, but they do serve their individual functions well.
Next up:
Google Sketchup
In a manner of speaking, Google Sketchup is more or less (and in my opinion!) the 3D answer to GIMP. While GIMP works with flat, 2D images, Google Sketchup can be used to create 3D worlds to illustrate virtually anything your heart desires. If you have always wanted a way to make your idea for a new chair come into fruition, you can use Sketchup. You can also use the next two programs, Anim8or and Blender for this same task, but that is another matter for another time.
One major benefit of Sketchup is that when compared to Anim8or and Blender, it's interface is relatively simple to learn, which can be encouraging for beginners. Another benefit of Sketchup is that their website offers not only the free download, but there are libraries contain thousands of free, downloadable, ready-made objects for you to plug into your scenes and illustrations, if applicable. One benefit to these downloadable objects is that it will greatly shorten the time it takes to complete your project. The downside of these downloads are that you aren't really learning how to make these models for yourself, thus somewhat lengthening the time it takes you to learn the program, in general.
This is the website where you can find the latest, free Sketchup download, and the libraries with the ready-made objects You will also find instruction / tutorials on this website:
http://sketchup.google.com/
This link will direct you to a search on YouTube, where you will find tutorials and samples of other people's work in Sketchup. I am certain that if you Bing / Google / Altavista 'Sketchup', you will find a lot more information from other users readily available on the internet:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=sketchup&aq=f
Anim8or
(The '8' in the middle of 'Anim8or' is not a typo! It reads: Animator.)
Anim8or's primary purpose is to animate characters, both simple or complex, that you create. HOWEVER..... This program can also be used to create virtually any item or object that you can imagine. If you have always wanted to build that engine, or other mechanical device that actually has movement, this program will work for you. You can also build stationary items, such as furniture, musical instruments, or virtually anything your creative heart desires.
This is the official link to download the free software for Anim8or. You will also find helpful tutorials, and 19 galleries of work by other very talented people on this website:
http://www.anim8or.com/main/index.html
This is one small, but detailed example of what Anim8or can do for you. An animation of a Twix candy bar. Please keep in mind that this entire thing, the wrapper, the candy, and everything in the scene was hand-made by the individual posting this video:
This is another video that is another person's take on the things that are possible with Ani8or:
Remember: Even though this program (as well as the upcoming "Blender") were initially made to put animation into your scenes, here is no law on the books hat says you can't use them to create that fantastic bed room (as is illustrated in the first set of photographs in this blog), or that chair you have always wanted to design. Granted, Blender is most likely a better platform for detailed illustrations, but both programs have attributes that can broaden the horizons of your design and illustrative world.
The last one on my list:
Blender
Yep. The name of this program is exactly like the kitchen appliance used to make margaritas.
We have previously explored official websites for the last 3 programs: GIMP, Google Sketchup and Anim8or. All of these websites have available manuals and tutorials for these programs, and Blender is definitely no exception to this rule. There are, however, differences between the previous 3 programs and Blender. The most notable and very important difference is that GIMP, Google Sketchup and Anim8or are, as far as rendering and animation programs are concerned, relatively intuitive and with some work applied, they are not too difficult master, if you put the required time into it, and you use available tutorials and samples. They were created to be easy to use and to master on your own. The same cannot be said for Blender. Blender was created for professionals, and by professionals. The downside of this entire deal is that, in this user's opinion, Blender is the most versatile platform mentioned in this blog. It can be used to render 3D objects, with or without animation, and still-life-like photos. In the beginning of this blog, I presented to my readers 8 photos that started life as a 3D rendered setting by those particular artist, and a digital snapshot was taken using the same software. Those are fantastic samples of the work that can be rendered using Blender.
I can ascertain that GIMP, Anim8or and Blender are all 'open source' software. Users that are so inclined can make plug-ins and other alterations to the software, itself, to better suit their own needs, should they desire to do so.
Blender, however, is not 'intuitive'. For example, Control-C doesn't copy anything. Shift-D does. In every other computer program, the left mouse button selects everything that needs to be selected. The right mouse button selects and deselects objects in Blender, while the left mouse button has entirely different tasks assigned to it.
There are tutorials, manuals and samples available on-line for Blender. I would suggest, however, that you visit either a real-world bookstore, or Amazon.com, Borders.com or Barnesandnobel.com, and purchase one of the books that are available as real-world books to learn Blender. I have 2 of these books, and they have taught me everything I know thus far about this program.
The books that I have purchased are:
1) The Essential Blender - Guide to 3D Creation with the Open Source Suite Blender
The last one on my list:
Blender
Yep. The name of this program is exactly like the kitchen appliance used to make margaritas.
We have previously explored official websites for the last 3 programs: GIMP, Google Sketchup and Anim8or. All of these websites have available manuals and tutorials for these programs, and Blender is definitely no exception to this rule. There are, however, differences between the previous 3 programs and Blender. The most notable and very important difference is that GIMP, Google Sketchup and Anim8or are, as far as rendering and animation programs are concerned, relatively intuitive and with some work applied, they are not too difficult master, if you put the required time into it, and you use available tutorials and samples. They were created to be easy to use and to master on your own. The same cannot be said for Blender. Blender was created for professionals, and by professionals. The downside of this entire deal is that, in this user's opinion, Blender is the most versatile platform mentioned in this blog. It can be used to render 3D objects, with or without animation, and still-life-like photos. In the beginning of this blog, I presented to my readers 8 photos that started life as a 3D rendered setting by those particular artist, and a digital snapshot was taken using the same software. Those are fantastic samples of the work that can be rendered using Blender.
I can ascertain that GIMP, Anim8or and Blender are all 'open source' software. Users that are so inclined can make plug-ins and other alterations to the software, itself, to better suit their own needs, should they desire to do so.
Blender, however, is not 'intuitive'. For example, Control-C doesn't copy anything. Shift-D does. In every other computer program, the left mouse button selects everything that needs to be selected. The right mouse button selects and deselects objects in Blender, while the left mouse button has entirely different tasks assigned to it.
There are tutorials, manuals and samples available on-line for Blender. I would suggest, however, that you visit either a real-world bookstore, or Amazon.com, Borders.com or Barnesandnobel.com, and purchase one of the books that are available as real-world books to learn Blender. I have 2 of these books, and they have taught me everything I know thus far about this program.
The books that I have purchased are:
1) The Essential Blender - Guide to 3D Creation with the Open Source Suite Blender
2) Blender Foundations - The Essential Guide to Learning Blender 2.6
Of course, Blender versions have progressed past the Blender 2.44 that comes on the CD that is included with the first book I mentioned, The Essential Blender, and even the Blender 2.6 that Blender Foundations (the second book mentioned) covers. These books are not a waste, however. They will give you information that includes the basics and beyond, and they will help you to reorient your head into the 'slightly different' world of modeling and rendering using Blender. The fact that it is counter-intuitive is enough to rationalize spending a few bucks on these books. It of the fine, twined opinion of this reader that if you learn how to use a tool (software, in this case), properly and efficiently, your chances of having a successful, finished product are greatly increased. In other words, the clams you shell out for these books are well worth the expense.
The rendering and modeling capabilities of this software are breathtaking. (Hey! To each their own, eh?) If you never plan on rendering even the simplest animation, the modeling capabilities of this software are alone well worth the effort.
As an example, check out this fluid / water simulation. Remember that the orange character in the beginning of this video is for demonstrative purposes, only. Wait till a bit later in the video, and watch the gentleman rise up out of the mercury!
Of course, Blender versions have progressed past the Blender 2.44 that comes on the CD that is included with the first book I mentioned, The Essential Blender, and even the Blender 2.6 that Blender Foundations (the second book mentioned) covers. These books are not a waste, however. They will give you information that includes the basics and beyond, and they will help you to reorient your head into the 'slightly different' world of modeling and rendering using Blender. The fact that it is counter-intuitive is enough to rationalize spending a few bucks on these books. It of the fine, twined opinion of this reader that if you learn how to use a tool (software, in this case), properly and efficiently, your chances of having a successful, finished product are greatly increased. In other words, the clams you shell out for these books are well worth the expense.
The rendering and modeling capabilities of this software are breathtaking. (Hey! To each their own, eh?) If you never plan on rendering even the simplest animation, the modeling capabilities of this software are alone well worth the effort.
As an example, check out this fluid / water simulation. Remember that the orange character in the beginning of this video is for demonstrative purposes, only. Wait till a bit later in the video, and watch the gentleman rise up out of the mercury!
I think this is the original meaning of the term ' Debug'. Remember that everything in this video is completely man-made, and was rendered using Blender:
To give the still-life modeling side of things a fair shake, here is a YouTube search with videos on more stills (other than the 8 that I represented at the beginning of this blog.) Most of the hits on this search are actual tutorials, or time-lapse demonstrations of modeling using Blender:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=blender+modeling&aq=f
TO DOWNLOAD BLENDER:
To download Blender, please visit:
(Click the "Download" tabn at the top of this page:)
http://www.blender.org/features-gallery/
In Summary:
There you have it, folks. I just handed you the tubes of paint, the brushes, and the canvas - all in one neat, tidy basket. However, all the paint, brushes and canvas's in the kingdom can't make anyone an artist. For reasons that I will explain, I hate the word 'patience'. I have none. 'Patience' is for lazy people who prefer to sit around and wait for something to happen. 'Perseverance' is a more appropriate word. While 'Patience' is for lazy people who sit around and wait for something to happen, 'perseverance' is a quality that people have who will get up and do something about it! They will get the work done. If you ask anybody that knows me well, they will tell you that I am not at all a patient person. But - I do have a hell of a lot of perseverance. I do with the same for you. If you take your time, forge ahead step-by-step, and you persevere, you can learn any or all of these programs. If you are ever trying to describe an idea to a friend, and they 'just can't seem to grasp' what you are telling them (whether they honestly can't understand your point, or they willingly don't want to!), I have given you 4 tools, GIMP, Google SketchUp, Anim8or and Blender, to use to make your digital illustrative thoughts, ideas and dreams come true. If you can dream it, with some practice, you can render it into reality.
As I stated in the opening section of this blog, I like "This AND That", rather than "Either / Or". I like the physical world of photography, as demonstrated by my attendance at 5 major nationally recognized art shows in the St. Louis area to see the masterful physical creations of over 1,000 award winning artists from all over the United States and the rest of the world. Much in the same manner as I would never like to see a real Hammond B3 organ being **replaced** by a digital simulation, I do see a valid place and a market for the digital organs and software simulations of this timeless instrument. Remember: "This AND That", not "Either / Or ". With this same consideration, I would never want to see real, physical art replaced by computerized or digital simulations. I do, however, think that the digital world is yet another viable medium, much like oil paints, clay, fibers, or any other material that is used by artists that do physical renderings.
I have given you the virtual materials to create virtually anything you can imagine. I am encouraging you to do just that - to imagine, to work hard, and to persevere.
Happy Rendering!
-Michael
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