Perfectly Imperfect Art

 

"Artists who seek perfection in everything are those who cannot attain it in anything."

~Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880)

While it's not everyone's cup of tea, abstract art is my favorite style of art, and one of the many reasons I love it so much is that there are few rules to making it.  It doesn't matter if the piece is imperfect.  There are no judgments.  It can be made intuitively and it flows from the very core of our being.

There is little in the way of planning when I sit down to create art.  I don't think very much about it, I just do it.  When I make fractals, I use a lot of trial and error.  When I make more traditional forms of digital art, I let my instincts guide me.  I explore, experiment, and play.  It is this method that helps me the most, mentally.

I really don't have any goals in mind when I create.  I make art for the purpose of making art.  It is the creation of it that gives me the most benefits.  Secondary to that, I like sharing my art with others.  I like to see what their reaction is.  Does it touch them in a positive way?  Does it stir any emotions within them?  Do they see anything in my art, or does it remind them of something or someone?

One of the pleasures I get from creating art is inspiring others in some way.  For instance, in the past month, since I have had my drawing tablet for my computer, three friends have been inspired to purchase their own tablet to make art.  This gives me a good feeling to know that I have passed something on to others.

Digital art differs from traditional art in many ways, and one way is that the undo button allows you to take a step back and try something else.  You can't do that in the traditional form.  I know I said that abstract art doesn't have to be perfect, but it's nice to have that undo button or digital eraser handy in case you've made a misstep or don't like where the piece is going.  I have used the undo feature many times in my fractals and art.

The digital eraser is great because it allows you to make corrections perfectly without leaving anything behind, whereas, in the traditional form, an eraser only partially erases while leaving behind small traces.  The eraser can also be used as a brush itself, letting you "paint," or erase, designs inside some areas of color as though it were part of the painting itself.  I've used the eraser many times.

I hope you like the piece above.  I made it on my iPad using the Procreate app.  I painted it with my finger.  I had bought some new Procreate brushes from the Etsy store and I wanted to try them.  I'm happy with my purchases and I still have a lot of experimenting to do with them.  There are thousands of brushes that I have yet to try.

Thanks for reading and be sure to check out other posts on this blog.  I'd love it if you would leave me a comment or contact me using the form on the left side of the page.