This piece is dedicated to my beautiful wife Chelsea, who always inspires me to be myself.
Texture Trail is an exploration in digital painting using Adobe Fresco. Fresco is interesting because it includes "live" brushes in both watercolors and oil "paints". This piece was created using a variety of digital oil brushes.
This was my first real project in Fresco, and the first time I've digitally painted anything in over a decade. It was fascinating to play with the various brushes, and extremely fun to progress through the painting with all of the power Fresco provides.
One thing I found especially satisfying is the way that Fresco emulates the physical nature of oil paint. I found myself mesmerized by the various way I could "shape" the digital oil. This comes through in the various textures on the canvas.
For this project I "cheated" by using a digital photo as a base for the painting. This made the color selection and composition easier. I also took the original photo, and so I feel even more connected to this special photograph now that I have examined every aspect of it in detail. The experience was cathartic, and reminded me of the soothing benefits of coloring books.
I learned a lot about Fresco and digital paint during this experience, and I am looking forward to my next opportunity with this software.