Welcome to Artwerk.art.

I am Dick Zunkel, an artist living and working in San Jose, California. I've painted in oil, acrylic, and watercolor for many years and still paint plein air weekly in the traditional way. In 2015 I started down a new path, computer aided illustration. I began by scanning my ink drawings and adding color and text with a vector graphics editor. The results were a leap forward in my art career, but there were limitations with application I was using, so I went on a search to see what professional cartoonists and illustrators were using. There are several, and they are expensive, particularly those that require a subscription. I came across CLIP STUDIO PAINT. It had a list of features that I was looking for, and the app was affordable, so I downloaded the free trial and gave it a go.

The first thing I noticed was the color application. It fills bounded shapes fully with no "gap" between color and line. The layers function is where CSP really shows it's strength. After practice and tutorials I began taking advantage of the layers menus. I could import photos, other line drawings, or transparent color overlays easily. Well, I could go on all day about this remarkable app, but here are a two ways you can use it:

Computer, mouse, and scanner:
This method uses an imported line drawing, preferably ink, to color hand drawn art. With layers, you can add additional details and photos to produce finished art. I used this method for years with a vector graphics editor.

Computer with tablet:
CSP runs on IOS or Windows operating systems, which means you can hand draw on a portable tablet or with a computer connected drawing tablet such as made by WACOM using a stylus. Drawing with a mouse is possible, but I don't recommend it. The "Wacom" method is what I use. You don't need to spend big bucks on a Wacom tablet, they are available used on Ebay at reasonable prices. I draw my cartoons and illustrations on a 20 year old WACOM tablet with a Windows 11 laptop computer. A large laptop screen or monitor makes drawing intricate details easy. The beauty of tablet drawing is that the pressure sensitive surface lets you vary line width, just like ink! When using paint and spray menus, you can vary the intensity of "paint" with pressure.

Digital art is not a replacement for brush and canvas. It simply broadens artistic accomplishment. CSP is a professional drawing and painting application, but it's great for artists who struggle producing art that they are really proud of. Digital art lets you make mistakes and corrections easily without wasting expensive art materials. If you've never tried it, now is the time. CSP lets you try it out free before choosing to buy it. The link or QR code on the home page will take you to the the Click Studio Paint affiliate website so you can see the features and benefits. If you have difficulty with the links, email me at: info@artwerk.art, and I will send you the link that you can copy and paste into your browser.