digital sketchbook
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While I remain deeply engaged by the enduring charm of a well-worn sketchbook, the boundless potential of digital media has become an integral part of my practice. Procreate, a tool I have used for many years, serves as both an independent medium and a complement to my analogue work, bridging the gap between tradition and innovation.
The sketches presented here, all created whilst commuting during 2024, demonstrate the adaptability of this digital approach. Created on an iPad, they capture fleeting moments with immediacy, either as complete entities in their own right or as extensions of traditional processes. Each piece embodies a synthesis of analogue sensibility and digital versatility, a reflection of the evolving dialogue between the physical and the virtual in contemporary artistic practice. |
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DIGITAL INK
These pieces represent a deliberate effort to replicate the aesthetic of a traditional sketchbook, closely mirroring the character of my own analogue practice. In my physical sketchbooks, I work exclusively in black ink, using a single pen to explore form and texture. Here, I have sought to translate that approach into a digital medium, modifying a Procreate brush in an attempt to emulate the distinctive line quality of my Lamy fountain pen. While the results remain an approximation, this exercise underscores my commitment to bridging the tactile authenticity of analogue techniques with the flexibility of digital tools. |
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TRANSITIONAL PHASE
These works mark a small transitional phase within this collection, bridging the aesthetic of the initial digital attempts at analogue sketchbook studies (above) and the development of a more self-assured visual language (below). Here, colour emerges as a significant element, interacting with the white of the 'page' to evoke a sense of solid form and volume, offering a subtle nod to literal representation. These pieces owe as much to the digital ink works above as they pave the way toward the more specifically digital approach that follows, serving as a visual and conceptual link, highlighting the evolution of this particular period of exploration. |
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reduced
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These works (below) explore the potential of a deliberately limited digital toolkit. Each piece is crafted using a single digital brush locked at a specific size, complemented by carefully considered, minimal colour palettes. This intentional limitation mirrors my approach to analogue media, where I typically work with just one pen, eschewing the multiplicity of tools in favour of focus and simplicity. This methodology fosters a disciplined engagement with form and texture, compelling me to extract the maximum expressive potential from each element. The use of digital texture bridges the tactile qualities of traditional printmaking with the flexibility of digital media, completing the synthesis of analogue and digital sensibilities that defines my practice.
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