Steven Powers (SMP)

Blender 2.91 Released

2020-11-28T11:03:00.000-06:00

Again I am out of sync, but excited to to see Blender 2.91 released. Blender has done a quick overview of the many updates and they are impressive. I add the links to YouTube and to Blenders Release notes as well as download link. Enjoy!

KRITA - 4.4.1 Is Released

2020-11-02T16:00:00.024-06:00

I know its not Thursday but after I take a long weekend to celebrate my Anniversary and Halloween...I come back to find that KRITA 4.4.1 is released. Did I not know this was coming? Version 4.4.0 was just released on Oct 13, 2020, and now 4.4.1 was released on Oct 29! Well if you missed it like I did, please visit the link below and enjoy creating.

Krita - https://krita.org/en/download/krita-desktop/

Release notes for 4.4.0 are listed below, but the incremental version is for multiple bug fixes.

How to Display Photoshop Thumbnails in Windows 10

2020-10-22T16:00:00.003-05:00

Where did my Photoshop thumbnails go? They were working in Windows 7 before I upgraded and then they were gone. With a little searching I found SageThumbs that would fix this problem.

Blender 2.9 ...Is Released

2020-09-10T15:00:00.019-05:00

Blender 2.9 is now out....but if you are like me, you probably haven't learned all the new features in the last Blender release.

Blender is my favorite 3D Suite. It does more than I use it for, but the Blender team keeps out doing themselves. If you are new to 3D or a seasoned pro, Blender is for you. Beside the fact that it is powerful, full featured 3D suite, it is also FREE and Open Source (FOSS)...yes I am a fanboy of Blender.

Vlog Home Studio Setup for Artists

2020-08-27T15:00:00.008-05:00

There are many ways to setup a functional home studio for Vlogs and YouTube channels...this is my current set up.

DYI Travel Brush for Watercolor

2020-07-16T16:00:00.029-05:00

Are you an artist that likes to paint no matter where you travel to? Then this is a simple solution to bring your favorite brushes with you.
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Krita 4.3 Brush Performance

2020-07-09T16:00:00.000-05:00

This is a basic demonstration of the Krita 4.3 Brush Performance (aptly titled), which relates to last week's post.
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Krita 4.3 Tablet Support

2020-06-26T16:00:00.000-05:00

I was just working with Krita 4.2.9 with my Huion HS610 and noted that I found there was a bit of lag when using the brushes, but NOT NOW!
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Graphics Drawing Tablets

2020-06-04T16:00:00.008-05:00

If you are new to digital drawing/painting and need an inexpensive way to explore your creativity, then a few options of Graphics Drawing Tablets. This is a dilemma that all digital artists have to solve that messes the Computer, Tablet, and Application.

Krita - Free Opensource Painting Tool

2020-05-14T15:00:00.012-05:00

This is more of a recommendation about Krita than a tutorial...actually, that is exactly what it is.

Character Construction…How to Draw Disney's Rabbit...The Video

2019-04-18T15:00:00.000-05:00

This episode starts with the deconstruction Disney's Rabbit, detailing, basic primitive forms, contour lines, and basic armature in preparation of applying the "Sketching: The 4 Step Method" to draw Rabbit.

This video is an extension of an earlier article that can be found HERE

VIDEO - How To Draw Disney's Rabbit: Character Construction

Jungle Book - How to Paint Mowgli in Watercolor

2019-03-29T10:00:00.000-05:00

This watercolor painting was fun to do. The composition is from a book based on Disney's original animated movie.
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Blender 2.8 Beta

2019-01-04T16:00:00.000-06:00

It has been awhile since I have talked about Blender, but this is a huge change. Version 2.8 Beta is more like a new program than a new version.

Character Construction and 4 Step Process, "How to Draw Disney's Rabbit"

2018-12-20T16:00:00.001-06:00

Awhile back I wrote an article "Sketching: The 4 Step Process." In the article I covered the 4 basic step of creating a drawing using classic Disney characters as examples.

One thing that I would add to that process today is breaking down character's structure…reverse engineering the character. What I am referring to is, simplifying the character's form using primitives, it's dimensions, and skeletal or armature. Deconstructing the character in this way helps visualize the character's design, aiding in adjusting the pose, or duplicating the character in various scenes.

In the following examples, I will only focus on a single character and pose, and use my version of Rabbit from the original article, adding in the preliminary construction steps…or in this case, Deconstruction.

How To Use a Lightbox, "Transferring a Design Sketch to Watercolor Paper"

2018-11-29T16:00:00.000-06:00

This is a quick demonstration in using a lightbox to transfer a design sketch to watercolor paper. The video can be found HERE. https://youtu.be/fBzHaWfRxNE

Please remember to subscribe to my blog for all of my articles and videos.

-Steve

New Video - "The Jungle Book in Watercolor, "Learn How to Paint Using Fan Art."

2018-11-15T16:00:00.000-06:00

New Video - "The Jungle Book in Watercolor, "Learn How to Paint Using Fan Art."
https://youtu.be/VrELqPtusA8

This is related to an earlier article [HERE] and expands upon the points covered in the video.

-Steve

Happy Halloween...My Little Monster

2018-10-31T16:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Halloween - This is my little monster playing dress-up. His inner-self is showing through.

How to Paint The Jungle Book in Watercolor

2018-10-04T16:00:00.001-05:00

The original Disney animated movies are a great resource to use to practice your watercolor techniques. This is the opening scene of The Jungle Book taken from a still of the illustrated version of the book.

Character Design: Monster's Favorite Toy

2018-07-06T16:00:00.000-05:00

LINK: https://youtu.be/GxnSpWDvXa8

This is one of those design ideas that came from a simple pen and pencil sketch...as simple doodle that was nothing more than that, until I rotated the sheet. That is when the inspiration hit me to design this little monster.

Composition: Fantasy Landscape "The Toxic Fisherman"

2018-06-21T16:00:00.000-05:00

I use The Toxic Fisherman sketch to discuss the aspects of composition and the thought process using one's imagination to expand from a simple design. The big thing to remember is "Don't Be Afraid To Fail"...put it down and erase what you don't like...experiment with the design and have fun.

LINK - https://youtu.be/iUL2umnYlZY

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Salvation - Published Through Amazon Self-Publishing

2018-03-22T11:54:00.001-05:00

Let me introduce the newest author of the family from a long line of writers, which include poets, children's author, a contributing writer for travel publications and a political writer who also wrote speeches for a past Speaker-of-the-House. The New author is my son Quinlan Powers and his book "Salvation" can be found at http://amzn.to/2G5rHkE.

This was a family adventure. Quinlan wrote the book and then both his grandmother and I edited the book and his mother designed the cover. Yes I know, "Why didn't I illustrate the cover?" I was tasked with designing the book, setting up accounts, websites, domain names and everything else that is required to self publish through Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP.)

This is not a detailed look on how to self publish, but I did learn a lot myself. Amazon makes it easy for anyone to publish a book. This book is only has been released as an eBook so far, but in the next week or so, it should be available in paper back.

Please check out the book at http://amzn.to/2G5rHkE. It is priced at $2.99. If you are a fan of science fiction, you will love this fast paced book.

Thanks for your support,

-Steve

How to Paint Tigger...Again

2018-01-10T18:04:00.001-06:00

This is a leftover from last year. It is a different pose, but same procedure demonstrating one way to colorize a sketch.

LINK: https://youtu.be/2UnDwcPTGtg

How to Colorize a Sketch

2017-12-22T08:44:00.004-06:00

I took a sketch that I did a while back and printed it out on Bristol paper and colorized it with Water Color and Colored Pencils.

LINKS:
https://youtu.be/3jF-lNqLzPE

How To Paint a Rose in Gouache

2017-12-06T16:10:00.000-06:00

The title is somewhat misleading. Though the Rose is painted in gouache, I also used transparent watercolors and colored pencils making this mixed-media.

Link:
https://youtu.be/899ZU8qFI9M

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Artist's Travel Kit

2017-11-15T10:23:00.000-06:00

This is a brief example of my travel kit that I take with me when away from home. It is great for lunch breaks, coffee shops, waiting in vehicles or any down time that you may find yourself with. List of Materials are below. You can make do with whatever you have on hand. I like ball point pens on napkins if need be. If I like something I sketched, then I take a snapshot with my iPhone.

Link to Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jrudlHXg30

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