Guest Blogger- Children's Illustrator Jeff Chandler Discusses Digital Art 101

To go digital or not, that is the question, and one that's been on my mind for quite a long time. At a recent SCBWI meeting, a children's book agent recommended that artists who use traditional media begin exploring digital, especially in terms of educational publishing. I can see why it would be necessary, given the use of computers in schools. And truly there's a part of me that wants to work digitally and open my door to new opportunities not only for myself but for the kids who would benefit in the classrooms. This led me to ask one of my friends and colleagues, Jeff Chandler, who has been doing digital artwork for years, for advice about using digital media. I'm so grateful he accepted the challenge to be my guest blogger on the subject. Here's what he had to say. I hope you enjoy it and when you're done, please check out Jeff's amazing work at : www.artgeckostudios.com



So here’s the deal – when my friend Cynthia approached me about writing an article concerning Traditional vs. Digital Art, I jumped at the chance… my enthusiasm quickly turned to horror though as I wrestled with what I was actually going to say about the topic – I mean, I’ve been a commercial illustrator for over 20 years (yikes!) and most of those years have been spent behind a Mac doing editorial art, logo design, desktop publishing, and web design for whatever client came my way. BUT what do I really know about digital art being better than traditional hand-drawn art, or vice versa? IS one better than the other? Do people even concern themselves with comparing the two? A quick online search showed me that many people DO think it is worth comparing, as I found blog after blog devoted to this very topic! Personally I’m boggled that this is even an issue and can only compare it to the universal arguments of Egg vs. Chicken, Creationism vs. Evolution or Original Trilogy vs. Prequels – it’s a topic that is just too heady and philosophical to debate here. (For the record, I think we can ALL agree that Original Trilogy kicks @ss over the Prequels though, am I right?!) To me, the argument is like comparing apples to oranges; and since they say you should ‘write what you know’, I’m sticking with Apples (yes, that’s a non-too-subtle Mac reference J).


As stated above, I have been blessed with working in the Advertising/Publishing world for most of my adult life. My first official job out of college was at a small Ad Agency in Manhattan right on Madison Ave. – the year was 1988 so no computers, everything was done ‘on board’, art was still delivered via bike messengers and type was set by a single monstrous machine on galley sheets and then cut n’ pasted onto the drafting board. I actually consider myself lucky to be have been a part of that era of being forced to know how to spec type and shoot deliverable art on stat machines. 
 
Of course computers changed all that, literally overnight. Nowadays you would not even consider a career in desktop publishing without having a solid computer background behind you; InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator are standards in the industry – but would the same hold true if you were a freelance illustrator? As an artist, does it make a difference if you don’t know your bitmap from your subway map? The answer is a resounding “NO!” (with an itty-bitty “yes” tacked onto the end).

What’s that, you say? How can it be “No” AND “Yes” at the same time?

I think the best way to illustrate the point is to create a hypothetical situation – let’s say you are a freelance illustrator from… oh, let’s pick Chicago ;) You have spent the past few years honing your craft using gouache, colored pencils and watercolors as your medium… One day you send out samples in an effort to gain work at a prestigious publishing company only to receive a cryptic reply indicating that you need to ‘work digitally’. Does that mean you need to abandon years of brushwork, buy a computer and hope like hell you can master Photoshop or Illustrator in time to reap the rewards of freelance work from this company? The short answer is no… As an artist, your medium is your medium and you shouldn’t compromise for anyone! It’s silly to think that all Editorial art is done as vector-based art, or all Children’s books are rendered in watercolor… Subject matter and content should drive the style, not the other way around. If a potential client is telling you to change your medium in order to obtain work from them, then perhaps they are not the right clients for you.

But how exactly do you combat this backlash of ‘traditional art’? 
 
Unless the client make a specific request such as “We need this illo to be an elbow macaroni-based collage utilizing only organic ingredients from Guam”, then it shouldn’t matter HOW you created it… However, it DOES matter how you deliver it to them. 
 
With just a few additions to your artistic arsenal (a few of which you probably already have access to) – you can continue to prosper in mastering the art of Post-it® Note portraits while meeting the client’s demands for ‘digital’:

Computer 

I suppose you could go the PC route since most design/art software programs are now cross-platform, but for me it’s a Macintosh all the way – Every job I have ever held values Macs over PC in the design department and it’s the only computer I have every owned at home. Yes, Macs are much more expensive, but it’s an investment worthwhile and needed in an industry that values Macs as standard-issue equipment. (Although in all my years I have never really encountered any compatibility issues with PC-to-Mac files, so it really comes down to what your budget can afford) 
 
For the record, my new Mac Pro set me back $4,000. Of course I added some bells n’ whistles and splurged on a 24 inch monitor as well… but even a standard laptop will provide you with the basic platform needed to bring your crayon masterpiece into the digital age!


Scanner 

Too many out there to list and way too many features to compare. Depending on your needs, and the level of detail in your work, you can get away with a standard (and relatively cheap) HP or Epson 8” x 10” scanner. There are some nice 11” x 17” flatbeds out there as well, which are pricier, but they alleviate the need to scan your art into pieces and reassemble if it happens to exceed the 8 x 10 format. 
 
Making sure that the scanner can scan at least 300dpi though as that is standard resolution for print.


Software 

This one’s a biggie! Photoshop is king when it comes to digital art – yes, there are other programs out there such as CorelDraw, Painter and whatnot, but once again let me state – Photoshop is KING!! 
 
Being able to scan your art into Photoshop and manipulate the colors/details will ultimately open up a whole new world to play in… I use the program every day and am constantly amazed at finding new ways to do things in it! 
You can purchase Photoshop CS4 now for $699 (count yourself lucky if you are a student as Adobe offers Educational Versions of all their software for ½ the price!) 
They also offer free ‘Trial’ downloads to get your feet wet . If you chose the PC over Mac at Step 1, note that Adobe makes Windows versions of all their software as well:)

Internet Access

If you’re reading this, then you already have it! The internet is crucial to the delivery of digital art. Long gone are the days of bike messengers or even FedEx in which to deliver artwork – when my file is finalized and it’s saved exactly to the client’s specifications, I just go online and upload directly to their FTP site (File Transfer Protocol for the uninitiated) 
 
I use Fetch software but you can download others such as CuteFTP or SmartFTP if using Windows, there are even sites that host FTP space like YouSendIt.com. 
 
Heck, if a client does NOT have access to one, I simply use my own website as an FTP hub – so fear not as there are plenty of possibilities (Worst case, you burn the art to a disk or Thumb Drive and overnight via FedEx, or even cheaper, Priority Mail which usually gets there within 2-3 days, depending on the distance.) 




So there you have it – no need to stress out about learning CAD for that next assignment or freaking out if a new client asks for that satirical cartoon as a TIF. With the four basic tools listed above, you can draw to your heart’s content in oil, acrylics or magic marker, scan it in, clean it up/color-correct in Photoshop and then deliver final art online – all without getting out of your fuzzy pajamas! If Cynthia allows me another shot at this, perhaps next time we can delve into some of the specifics of Photoshop and other important desktop publishing software like Illustrator or InDesign.
Until then, I’m zen.
J-
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Thank you Jeff! I would love to hear your thoughts about using digital media vs. traditional so please leave a comment. And as I said, please be sure to check out Jeff's web site: www.artgeckostudios.com