ARTISTS GALLERY
Mike Ainscough, The Henfield Club, Sat & Sun
Mike Ainscough, The Henfield Club, Sat & Sun
In my younger days, my drawings and watercolours were done in a traditional way - seated on a small folding chair with easel, sketchbooks, ink, paper, colours, brushes, pens and all the associated paraphernalia close to hand. I started experimenting with graphic work on my Mac Book Pro, using the Photoshop and Pixelmator programs, around 2009. In 2018 I tried out the paint program ArtRage, and my early illustrative work was done using that program, with my Mac Book, and a Wacom Intuos tablet and stylus. Inspired by graphic work seen at an Artists Open House at the 2019 Brighton Festival, in early 2020 I bought a top end iPad Pro and Apple pencil, and started painting with the ProCreate program.
The techniques for using digital painting programs require a different mindset to make the most of the tools available, especially working in 'layers', where one layer of colour can be applied above another, masking the lower layer. The ability to easily mix digital media - 'ink', 'oil', 'chalk', 'airbrush', etc. - in one picture is another aspect of the creative process. The array of tool shapes, sizes and textures requires a great deal of experimentation and application - very satisfying when it all comes together.
My paintings are created as prints for me by the London-based The Printspace, who produce high quality giclée output on archival quality papers.
I use sketches, my own photographs or a combination of both as the starting point for paintings. Drawing is the basis of all art, and I still have my pen and paper alongside my iPad! I don't have any agenda for what I paint - if I like what I see and think it will be interesting to paint, I paint it. The act of creating the painting helps me to relive the experience of being at a particular place, or gives me a new insight into a flower or object. It's an obsession and I paint as much as I can.
The techniques for using digital painting programs require a different mindset to make the most of the tools available, especially working in 'layers', where one layer of colour can be applied above another, masking the lower layer. The ability to easily mix digital media - 'ink', 'oil', 'chalk', 'airbrush', etc. - in one picture is another aspect of the creative process. The array of tool shapes, sizes and textures requires a great deal of experimentation and application - very satisfying when it all comes together.
My paintings are created as prints for me by the London-based The Printspace, who produce high quality giclée output on archival quality papers.
I use sketches, my own photographs or a combination of both as the starting point for paintings. Drawing is the basis of all art, and I still have my pen and paper alongside my iPad! I don't have any agenda for what I paint - if I like what I see and think it will be interesting to paint, I paint it. The act of creating the painting helps me to relive the experience of being at a particular place, or gives me a new insight into a flower or object. It's an obsession and I paint as much as I can.
Click on a thumbnail to see the painting in larger size
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Water Lily
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Rose & Gladiolus
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Castle Hill, Lancaster
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The Club, Late Afternoon
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