LadyJudgement

That's Mr. Uncle Lady Judgement to you...

AS to having Elements over CS x, I'd have to go back to see the real differences of things I need to have to use. Off the top of my head, I NEED, the lasso tool, layers, certain brushes, and the smudge tool.

As for Painter's lesser version cousin, just say no. It is light years away from the original, and so many other programs can do it better for less.
I really liked SAI, but not sure of it's price.

Sorry to be late to this discussion. As a former art teacher. Respectfully I disagree with the above point about there being no wrong way of teaching it. I believe there are several wrong ways. One of the most obvious and still practiced today is what I like to call "The Cookie Cutter Method".

Where no student is different, the lesson is so incredibly simplified a monkey could do it, and the result is equally boring. To see an example look at all the outline drawings of hands turned into construction paper cutouts glued on to paper plates in grade school class rooms.

These kids aren't bothered to be taught the differences in their fingers, the differences in their hands. Nope, all hands are alike in their world, and why bother teaching them art, when they can "craft" it. Man I hate scrapbookers. They're like kids again, only using expensive acid to create...

Anyway, I digress. Perhaps your teacher Larissa didn't want you to use smudging as a crutch, while you first learn the hard way. I'm sure they would have given in years later, when they might have been convinced you knew the difference of when to use it, and when not to use it.

In the case of CR's work, it is "his" method. And he's probably done it so much, he knows just how much to apply, when to apply it and when not to. It's one of the many things in his art repertoire. I personally like the depth of his ink work, knowing what to make dark and what not to... it's a skill not many people work on.

Some teachers do have very specific methods. There ARE techniques which can't be ignored, and some that shouldn't be attempted till the student has a grasp of the basics. Smudging is one of those things that can make you get carried away, and yet they make special tools to do them, those little cones of rolled up compressed paper into a perfect point. Other teachers will show you to do it with common tissue paper.

There are plenty of methods to achieve almost the exact same look, but some of them are aesthetically more pleasing to others than some. I love real ink work, even a great digital piece printed on exceptional paper, can't compare to that inky sheen on bristol, or that slightly raised surface of black on white. It's a visceral thing no?

As for the right way to teach art, yes I agree there is no right way.

For years many people thought Anime drawings were the end of realism, but you can't draw Anime without some knowledge of reality. In fact the more reality you put into anime the better it gets, well imho. But it is one of those short cut methods that teachers frown upon, because they feel the student is cheating themselves of the nuances of learning. Anime is probably a bad example as to some it is high art and to others not so much. But I've always thought it had promise coupled with real life drawing experience.

I wonder what your teacher would have thought of Air Brushing, which is all about the smudging in my brain. Digital art to me is at least 10% smudging, but then a lot of traditional artists, teachers, I have had, have hated digital art for it's short cuts. They just don't get the nuance of it.

I say Smudge away, and damn the torpedoes! Ummm well you know what I mean... right?

EDIT: duh blending stumps, my brain must have dumped that in the last sleep session. Would you agree though Wassy that not all art is intended for mass reproduction or photographic archiving. So if that is the case, smudging will fit the purpose of that particular piece? I agree that it should be done in moderation, and after you learn to do shading the more difficult way.

Ahhhh haaa! Excellent... now what to do when I round them up? how hard can you spank an art leech before they bruise?

I am back to work tomorrow, but my TV sale is not working for me. My plan is to finish my queue, take a short break, and then come back with a manageable schedule. The 4 at a time thing was perfect. Easy to maintain, easy to do turn overs, and easy to stay inspired.

Thanks for thinking of me though.

I was gonna send you updated info TA, but I want to finish my queue first before I solicit any new work. My account is open till January, expect some new finished work tomorrow!

LJ

Hope it was worth the wait, trying a new quick style of cell shading. I'd color it my normal way, but no time tonight. May try again later... though I gotta say I have been in a major slump for weeks, and your kid's drawing has been the most satisfying thing I've done in ages! Tell him thanks!

LJ

Ack I was all ready to make it stand out as a dinner plate... now I have to rethink this whole piece...

Thought you would like to see the references... The Mila Kunis headshot and the screenshot of Scarlet Doc herself...