Redditch Art Circle

The meeting opened with an update on progress on the arranging of a trip to Patchings and a reminder of the opening of the Arts in Redditch pop-up shop in the Kingfisher Centre. Paul Arnott was then introduced to give his presentation on 'Digital Computer Art'. Paul had set up his projector, screen, laptop and graphics pad, and started by describing CorelPainter, which is his choice of digital art application. Working with a pressure-sensitive stylus on the pad, he could create an image on the laptop which could then be saved or printed. Any medium could be replicated, pencil, pastel, watercolour etc, as could the size and characteristics of the selected brush or tool. Colours could be selected from colour swatches or imported colour palettes. Smudging, wet-in-wet, impasto and various other techniques could be used and the mark-making options seemed limitless. Paul went on to demonstrate the application by creating a beach scene in the style of a watercolour. He rapidly 'painted' in the sky and sea, adding clouds and wave patterns, and then applied other landscape features like a rocky headland and a sandy shore with pebbly areas and foreground rocks. Paul then demonstrated another application, Dynamic AutoPainter. This enabled any image to be digitally modified to give the appearance of a painting in the style of a chosen artist. To complete his presentation, Paul used some photographic images to create some attractive 'paintings' in the style of `Monet, Cezanne and Van Gogh.

The next meeting will be at St. Luke’s Methodist Church, Evesham Road, Headless Cross on Wednesday, June 7 at 7.30pm. when Charles Bezzina will give his presentation “Arctic Landscape”

Supported by Redditch School of Art through Redditch Arts Council.