We don’t always give digital art enough attention, partly because it is not widely available and partly because we still consider traditionally painted art as real art. There is something about creating art on the computer that doesn’t always resonate with the general public, but with the tools, technique and artists’ imagination nowadays, digital art is claiming, deservingly, its place within the art world gaining more and more popularity with art collectors.
After seeing this artwork by Neil Hemsley, we wanted to find out more, so we talked with the artist about his inspiration and creative process. The conclusion is that it takes the same amount of effort and talent to create a piece of digital art that is meaningful and aesthetically pleasing.
Where did the inspiration come from for this piece?
The inspiration for “Drift” was from Picasso’s works “Violin and Guitar” and “Guitar on a Table II”.
I always loved the cubist style and wanted to try to make a piece which was recognizable but different enough from its inspiration as to have its own style so I used much stronger colours including neon.
What is the creative process when creating your digital art?
My creative process involves building a piece which grows as it progresses.
I use a computer for most of my work so I can add or take from the piece much easier than if I was painting say in acrylics or oils. I tend to try a number of different colours, textures, and shapes which also means I have much less idea of how the finished piece will look. This can be totally different from the original idea.
How long would this work have taken you?
The piece “Drift” is not the first creation of the finished piece; it is actually the third evolution of the initial artwork. This happens quite often as I will look at an artwork after I have saved it and a new idea will emerge. All in all, this piece took about two months from start to finish but the actual work time was about five hours.
