How Materials Affect an Artist’s Art, pt 1
It was only this year that I realized how much my artworks are affected by where I’ve collected the constituent images. Each for unique reasons. When I’m on free-images.com the content I get has certain size protocols. Often three fit perfectly across my 4000×3000 pixel canvas. This has led fluidly to a convention of vertical stripes.
With textures.com (formerly CGTextures.com) I find using Photoshop layerblends the compelling tool. Many of their photos are what we often call textures anymore. A patch of rusted concrete, a swatch of cloth, a building with modern same-same windows. My usual goal is to create an abstraction. Areas of color and texture with balance.
Time has obliterated when I began using textures.com. I remember it was a birthday present to myself, which helped me remember when to renew. I rarely get birthday presents from myself.
They use a team of photographers with calibrated cameras. The quality is steady. They are documentary statements. Here’s a canal in Venice, here’s a daisy, here’s a forklift. All nouns. Offered up in useful categories.
What I’ve done with the wealth of images is incalculable, growing as an artist over time. You need to know that their help when you need it is reliably helpful and free of snark. You are allowed a limited amount of downloads daily for free, which is what I dutifully used daily until I got addicted. There are advantages to buying premium packs, including a Freelance and Indie category for folks who earn less than $100,000 yearly. Not what cinema studios are charged.
As a side note, Allegorithmic’s Substance software for 3d textures also subscribes to this pricing policy, even now when Adobe has swallowed them up.
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I have a companion piece that I’m going to publish today as well. Together they fill in the idea.
Monday’s collection will feature artworks using photos from textures.com.