Fine Arts and Computer Graphics

A Strong Foundation

Establishing a strong foundation is empirical for any structure to succeed. Art and design is no different. The concepts, history, and experience in the fine arts enables the possibility to excel. Fine art is the strong foundation that should be part of any computer graphics artist's utility belt. Without it, the ability to construct, design, and animate is made harder because of the lack of understanding between the elements and principles of design.

Old Assignment Back in High School

Elements and Principles of Design

The elements and principles of design are used adjacent with each other to bring about a high-quality piece of art that captures the attention of the viewer. Without going into too much detail, the elements of design are line, color, attributes, shape, categories, texture, space, and form. The principles of design are unity/harmony, methods, balance, types, hierarchy, repetition, scale/proportion, dominance/emphasis, and similarity/contrast. Depending on where the information is derived, the elements and principles of design can differ. 

The elements are physically applied to the composition; with the principles of design applied to the elements, the two work together to create a balanced and unified composition. Not every design needs to contain all of the elements and principles to become a successful piece of artwork, but knowing how to use the elements and principles together is vital.

Fine Art Hands On Experience

Not all, but some artists who strictly use computer graphics, assume fine art experience is not necessary for a successful career in the computer graphics industry. That is far from the truth. Having a history with fine arts creates a better understanding of how the elements and principles of design work with each other. Having first hand experience altering lines and creating depth by hand trains the mind to better analyze space and perspective. As wonderful as computers have become, most computer graphics programs analyze and produce depth and perspective for the user. Understanding color has to be the biggest factor in fine arts experience. Physically mixing color via watercolor, gouache, acrylic, and ink allows for greater understanding of color theory.

Portrait Of A Friend Back In School

Begin by sketching everyday objects. By doing so in different lighting environments, helps the artist understand how shadows interact with real-world objects. Exploring different mediums opens up the mind to different textures, shapes, and alternate ways to achieve harmony.

Recommended Equipment

For those inexperienced with the tools needed to create fine art pieces, this is a recommended list of what is best suited. Two necessary items are a drawing set and a notepad of drawing paper. The drawing set usually come with a series of different sketching pencils and charcoal pencils/sticks. Personally, a small set of high quality colored pencils should be acquired. These pencils can set guidelines for how a design's color will appear. Painting is not for everyone but for those interested, having a few trays of watercolor paint is helpful. Understanding mixing colors is accessible with paint, and color palettes can be saved on a physical medium.

AP Art Concentration Piece Back in School

Combination of Traditional and Computer Graphics

What Now???

With the proper fine art utensils and understanding of art and design, designers and artists with the proper skills can combine the techniques of multiple backgrounds to arrange a composition that fuses the two realms together. Ever since the explosion of popularity regarding computer graphics, artists have created works with traditional and new age elements. This relatively new avenue has contributed to unique motion pictures, advertisements, animations, and graphic designs. Explore different techniques and workflows to find new and exciting ways to leave an impact in the art and the design world. Experimentation is a pathway to achieve success.

A strong foundation is the building block to innovation. Traditional art and design is the foundation and new age computer graphics is the window to innovation.