Team-BHP - DIGITAL. Where I live..

Hi guys.
For last few months I’ve been very often bombarded by one question.
"What do you mean by saying that you’re into digital art?"
The answer to this is not as simple as saying- well, I like to do my art in digital form.

The fact is every single picture we see today in print form is some way DIGITAL.
To narrow the gap the latest entry in the market is DIGICAM, where one eliminates the ‘scanning photograph’ part completely and also benefits in terms of time, unwanted problems like noise/grain etc. Sounds very technical and let me also admit, it’s technical. Generally speaking, in the world of digital imaging one can do a lot to enhance an image. To start with one should be a keen learner. Otherwise Photoshop, a largely misunderstood and much abused platform can make or break an image.
Along with Photoshop knowledge if one can understand the technicalities of photography… It’s pure magic. One must keep in mind that the name Photoshop came from the word ‘photography’.

In my case the word digital goes little more than Photoshop. For me it’s only one of the tools I employ for my work. Other than four of my regular software, I use my old fashioned 35mm camera. This part of the process is definitely slower than using a digital camera. So, in terms of quick result I lag much behind Rehan and Dippy.
I believe GTO is also joining them soon with some state of the art camera.

I generally work in two ways.

One, where I take a photograph keeping in mind what I want as final result. In this case scanned image gets my software treatment. I may remove/add elements to make a picture.
Two, image is completely generated in computer. Four softwares including Photoshop and my digital brush. Not every time I use all the software together.
The important part here is to know how light works in different times of the day. Because, it’s is going to give life in the picture. Pretty much the same fundamentals as photography.

A few descriptions may help as you go through the images.

In photography selections, the water bike was shot in Goa. I waited for the noon light to get a strong contrast of water and sand. Beach was jam packed with tourists. There was one dilapidated cargo vessel on the right side of the frame. Sky was painted. Island was created in ‘Alias Sketch’. I added extra depth in water and sky to enhance the distance.
Yellow Honda was parked in front of interesting but pale looking building. I added little more to the building character. Red Mercedes was originally white and so were the buildings. Phone booths were red with grey buildings behind. I’ve changed the building colour cause find red/green combination very graphic. *

Now comes my favourite. These images are completely computer generated.
‘Chrome exhaust’ (1999). Old iron head and iron block.
Wine bottles (2002). For one of my friend’s book. It was more to get a look before we could start the actual shoot. Unfortunately the book never happened.
‘Passage’ (2002) is the entry of a heritage restaurant in Jordan called ‘Kan Zaman’ means a place in time. How appropriate!
‘Inspection bungalow’ (2001) a romantic view I saw 20 years ago in MP. Our train was stopped for more than seven hours because it was a single line.
‘Coffee pot’ (2000) was reflecting the morning light through the window. My friend’s kitchen in Ranchi.
Watch1 (2004) was for a Swiss watch boutique in Bangalore and Bombay.
Bombaites can see that in the mall ‘INORBIT’. Watch 2 (2000) was for my own jolly.
‘Shell1’ (2000) was part of a series published in EFX Art & Design magazine from Sweden. This magazine is known as the bible of digital art, world-wide.
‘Labyrinth’ (2003) and ‘Winter afternoon’ (2003) are part of new next set of images.

Outside the world of car images, these give me the turbo boost.
Guys, give me your views.
Cheers.

Water bike

Yellow Honda

Merc

Booths

Chrome exhaust

Bottle

Passage

Insp bungalow

Coffee pot