Getting Back in the Groove of Abstract Art

I started doing traditional art around three years ago. I started out drawing by hand and doodling and worked my way through about a dozen mediums before I settled on digital art using a Samsung Tablet and the Infinite Painter app.

The reason was mostly a pragmatic one. I was spending 300-400 a month on art supplies, and we have a small house that was filling up quickly with canvases. Despite all of my practice, my drawing skills never fleshed out. I do draw better now than I did when I started, but they still look like something a toddler scratched out. I think I press too hard and my hands get too shaky. Not sure what, but I doubt I'll ever be able to do realism and portraits.

So, I've leaned into abstract art, which is really a lot of fun for me to do. I would worry at times that some of it looked too similar. Doing it digitally there are way more textures and layers I can do than I could on canvas using Posca markers. I never used liquid paints because I just didn't have room for that kind of setup.

One thing I love doing is the liquify effects on my art.

Those are some of the progression of my art over the last few years. As most of you know, last couple months I've leaned into AI and AI art a bit which has angered some people. It was interesting on Facebook, several artists came on my page to yell at me for using AI. These same artists never once liked or commented on any of my traditional art, but they'd all pat each other on the back. Yet I post a few AI pieces and they were there to be the art police. Makes me wonder if they aren't encouraging the very behavior they say they loathe. Just a thought on that topic.

Doing the liquid art on a tablet is fun, as I can control the lines and waves and swirls. Oddly months ago one acrylic pour artist went off on me and blocked me because she said doing digital "pour" art was fake and cheating and not real art. She wasn't talking about AI. But doing it by hand on my tablet because she actually pours out paint on canvases which is great. I love pour art. But saying digital art done by hand is fake, its just shows how much artists cannibalize each other and while I'm still doing art and love art, I'm kind of pulling away from that community. I don't need other artists' blessing to do any form of art and share it and make people happy.

That said, Last night, I did more abstract on my tablet after a few month layoff and it felt really good and I think these are some of my best pieces. This one I really love a lot and it was inspired by a dream I had about large birds and fighter planes.

That one is a couple of layers and took me a bit, I'm quite proud of it and there are prints in my shop if anyone would like to see this hanging on their wall.

I did this one early this morning and this may be my best one ever. I'm really quite proud of the layers and textures I added into this and how it turned out.

This one is called Singularity's Bloom and there are prints of this as well in the shop if you'd like it. I may get a print myself as I love this one so much.

So, I think I'll play more with abstract and layers and textures. I feel like my art had been getting stale a few months ago and taking a couple months away has given me some fresh eyes and ideas as to how to make new and exciting creations. I also had a pretty stressful mental health day a few days ago. An online friend got mad at me over something I couldn't quite grasp, and it had me a bit upset trying to figure out what I may have done wrong. I think communication online sometimes intentions get lost is ultimately what happens. That said, art has helped me soothe my mind and my hands and I plan on keeping going.