the future of the end
the future of the end Ben Ross
the future of the end
Where It All Began
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the origin of the paintbrush tool obviously derives from the brush we all know and use in some form everyday.
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The paintbrush has been around for thousands of years in some form. Artists and craftsmen have used this tool for everything, from fine art to painting houses.
analog predecessors
The Paintbrush
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Pens and Ink
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While there is countless methods of mark making, and hundreds of tools used for image making, the two that most directly influnce the adobe illustraor paintbrush tool is analog painrbrushes, pens, and ink.
analog predecessors
Pens were developed for the purpose of being more precise and cleaner then methods using brushes.
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Pattern Making
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One of the most complicated endeavors is creating precise, clean patterns. Its requires extreme patience and precision.
analog predecessors
This process requires many tools, such as the ones pictured to the left. Most importantly it requires a massive investment of time.
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The Digital Age 1962-Now
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ben ross the future of the end
1962
Ivan Sutherland
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1984
In 1984, Bill Atkinson developed a program called “Macpaint.” Macpaint was one of the first graphic painting programs to be released for consumer use. It’s the first program that almost all computer graphics tools are based on today, especially Adobe Illustrator. Many tools introduced in the first Macpaint, such as the eraser, paintcan, and lasso tools are still the basis of many image editing programs from MS Paint to CorelDraw. 24
Images created by Ben Ross using Macpaint emulator “CloudPaint”
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Where we are now... 1987-Now
The Adobe Illustator brush tool was invented to re-create the aesthetic of analog painting for the digital world. They attempt this through a library of hundreds of different brushes that vary is size, stroke, style, and pattern. The paintbrush tool combines the many types of brushes, with hundreds of other non-convientional styles.
Just a few examples of brushes:
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What Can The Paintbrush Tool Do?
While attempting to convey the emotion, the artist’s hand, and the overall feel of actual drawing and painting something on canvas will never be recreated through a computer. But the paintbrush tool offers the means to create something similar.
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Clockwise: Angela Bolliger, Claude Monet, Keith Haring, Jackson Pollack
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Patterns! Patterns! Patterns! Patterns! Patterns! Patterns! Patterns! Patterns! Patterns! Patterns! Patterns! Patterns! Patterns! Patterns! Patterns! Patterns! Patterns! Patterns! Patterns! Patterns! Patterns! Patterns! Patterns! Patterns! Patterns! Patterns! Patterns! Patterns! Patterns! Patterns! Patterns! Patterns! 34
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As mentioned earlier, making patterns the old fashioned way is extremely time consuming, but with the paintbrush tool it takes just seconds to create an exact pattern from an image of your choice.
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The function of my digital tool is pretty straightforward, to act as a digital paintbrush for designers and illustrators to translate the aesthetic of analog drawing and painting to the computer. The tool has hundreds of different options to customize and obtain the exact effect you want. Also unlike brush tools in other programs it combines the concept of paths, as in the pen tool, with the unlimited possibilities of a “paintbrush” making every mark you make extremely precise and editable. Within the paintbrush tool it is possible to even create your own paintbrush from patterns that you make yourself, so the possibilities of what you can do is endless. The history of the paintbrush tool derives from the paintbrush, from pens/ink, and old printmaking techniques. This tool is an example of the designer’s quest for precision and simplification. When artists and designers decided that the paintbrush and pen wasn’t efficient enough for there needs the printing press was created. When the printing press became obsolete inventors began to focus on the next, more efficient method. That’s how programs such as “SketchPad” and “Macpaint” came to be. That leads us to the invention of the paintbrush tool; Adobe Illustrators developers were trying to create a “super paintbrush” that could do everything, one simple tool that has thousands of variations, all under the goal of making computer graphics easier and more efficient for the user.
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Colophon
Image Sources
Print and bound by Benjamin Ross in providence RI on CP digital paper. Typeset in Domaine Text and Akzidenz Grotesk.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f7/Chinese_ calligrapher_at_Crow_Museum_02.jpg, http://www.craftsy.com/ article/guide-to-patternmaking-tools, http://luc.devroye.org/ fonts-62097.html, http://www.monetalia.com/paintings/monet-irises-monets-garden.aspx, http://www.jackson-pollock.org/ convergence.jsp, http://arttattler.com/archivekeithharing.html, http://archive.sltrib.com/images/2009/1225/wkd_birthofinternet_1220~10.jpg
RISD F&C 2013