DIGITAL & TRADITIONAL ART PORTFOLIO 2015
Dale Jackson
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DAL E J ACKSON P O R T F O L I O
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A BO UT M E As an artist, I appreciate many forms of art. First and foremost, I am a traditional artist, learning to draw since I was very little. Soon, I was drawing with color and soon after that, I was painting on whatever I could find. When computers found their way into homes in the 1980s, I was instantly hooked! And what followed was a frensied fascination of digital art. I wrote about digital art. I studied digital art. I created digital art. Many years have passed since those early childhood days where my love for art blossomed. I was still a traditional artist at heart, always learning and creating richly detailed drawings in pencil and color pencil, but I was enamoured with digital art. During my military years, I turned again to digital art and used it to aid my efforts in creating art on aircraft. I was honored with the Air Force Achievment Medal for that endevour. After I finished my military career with honor, I was hired by a Fortune 500 company to design corporate logos, and in doing so, I gained so much knowledge with programs such as Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. I would use these skills of creating many logos and corporate branding graphics to my benefit when I was later hired as a senior graphic designer for 13 more years. There, I not only broadened my skills and experience with digital graphic design print media, but also became skilled with 3D modeling, animating and motion graphics and became a visual effects generalist. I still come back to my traditional roots in drawing and painting when I’m not at work on my computer creating digital graphic media and animations. For me, I love to settle back into my pencils and brushes.
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DIGITAL Art Digial Art, for me, can be just as dramatic, beautiful, or elegant as traditional art. I say this from experience in working in this medium that it isn’t any easier than creating a painting or a drawing, in fact, I would venture to say that it can be harder in many ways. For instance, in order to produce quality digital art, I have to learn how to use a computer, a digital drawing tablet and stylus as well as learn the software that I paint or draw in, digitally. In addition, the depth of the styles to produce, digitally are overwhelming, and deep. It’s a common misconception that the computer does all the work, and the artist just sits back and takes a coffee break while not doing much at all. This is simply, just not true. While there are those who simply use some plugin or cheap filter effect, this is not indicitive of a professional digital artist’s work. In fact, I would be bold enough to say, that a good digital artist is also a good traditional one. One must learn to master the human form, or learn the intricasies of light and shadow, hues, tones, and values. A good digital artist is one who properly understands the traditional methods long before they develop their art with the tool of a computer. For me, the computer is just another tool to convey my thoughts, just as a pencil, pen or brush is when I engage in traditional, non-digital mediums.
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Beauty Pass Year Tools Used:
2004 Corel Painter & Photoshop
“Beauty Pass” represents, at least for me, my first big dive into professional-looking Digital Aviation Art. This print alone is hanging at many military bases around the country. I love the F-16 Fighting Falcon. It’s sleek shapes give it a very attractive look for just about any angle this aircraft is in. I chose to present this legendary fighter during a dramatic sunset, where it’s just dark enough for the pilot to switch on some extra exterior lighting.
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Early Morning Rise Year 2012 Toos Used ArtRage & Photoshop
Hot air balloons arise early in the morning. The morning sun streams a light gold through the clouds and early morning fog. Their reflections dance softly on the lake. I created this painting ni ArtRage and added some finishing touches within Adobe Photoshop. I really enjoy using both tools to paint digitally.
Autumn Glory Triptych Year
2014
Toos Used
ArtRage
This triptych (3 paintings in one) was first commissioned by the President of Living Waters Publications. It is currently hanging up there at Living Waters Pulications. I really enjoyed working on this piece. I was inspired to paint it using ArtRage, based on a trailride experience I had while riding horseback in the Autumn forests of Southern Indiana many years ago.
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Crashing Waves Year 2012 Tools Used ArtRage
I have always loved the sea. I love the dynamic nature of water and waves. In this scene I wanted to capture that action, coupled with the bright blues and teals one sees in such gorgeous environments. I used to live in the Pacific - 2 years in Guam, and 3 years in Hawaii, and then I lived along the Emerald Coast in Florida, and I currently live near the beaches in Southern California. For me, the noise and sight of the sea, is deeply soothing.
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GRAPHIC Design Ever since I stepped into the big world of digital art, I immediately entered the world of Graphic Design. When I was going through college, I worked on the yearbook staff and was the shool photographer as well as layout artist and even became the chief editor of the yearbook for a year. There I learned the tools of the trade. Photoshop was in it’s infancy back in the early 1990s. I used Pagemaker to layout my work on the computer, and Photoshop to edit any of the photographs that I had taken and scanned in. I also engaged in the old-fashioned way to do layouts, on grid paper, with rubber cement, x-acto, and lots of patience. Today, layout work may be less physical but it isn’t less demanding. I typically use programs such as Adobe InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator to create my graphic designs nowadays. I love Adobe products and they have been the tools of trade for me, I haven’d deviated from them for more than a decade. This very portfolio was designed in InDesign, and the following pieces show my works for book covers and other types of graphic designs.
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High Impact Year 2015 Tools Used Photoshop
“High Impact” was a test book cover for Living Waters under a different name “Audacity.” We didn’t use the title or the image in order not to reveal the ending of the short film. I created the train scene originally to be animated, and that is what is seen in the film. I played around with different names for the cover to have more meaning to the huge locomotive bearing down on the viewer. I love the dramatic contrast between the yellow lights and the blue tones of the surrounding atmosphere and track.
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The Ancient Passover Year 2010 Tools Used Photoshop
My wife and I had, for over a decade, celebrated and hosted a Messianic Passover. We would invite friends to come and dine and enjoy this special event. For one of the years we did this, I created this cover for the program booklet that was given to all the guests. I wanted to emphasize the ancient look and feel for this as this was a very old custom. On the opposite pages include some of my other works, such as “24/7 Family” and “Camp Firefly” that I was commissioned to create by Kirk Cameron. “Fighter Ops” was a fun project where I entered a contest to come up with a design for a Flight Simulation and won first place, and they used the design for their new look. I also created novelty money for Living Waters Publications as seen in the lower right graphic.
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LOGO Design Engaging in digital art has opened up so many opportunities to create logo designs. When I started working at Cintas Corporation as a Graphic Artist and then promoted to the lead Graphic Designer for the Catalog Department, I prepped and created literally hundreds of logos. So, I certainly became experienced very fast in this environment. Much of what I created at Cintas was to be embroidered, so I had to design corporate logos with that in mind. It meant that many logos couldn’t have intricate details, because the thickness of the thread just wouldn’t work. That was over 13 years ago, and I’m sure that embroidery technology has advanced since then. Still, I have had a lot of experience creating corporate logos. I have to say, though that my favorite type of logos are the circle kinds, the kinds that are encapsulated in a globe, circle space.
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Global Kitchen Kidd Made For Scarlett Francis Year 2015 Tools Used Illustrator
This was truly a fun project to work on . This was a logo I created for a young cooking chef, Scarlett Francis. I really enjoyed this project because I got to draw the face, first on paper and then I created the vector gradient mesh of her face all in Adobe Illustrator. I love working with the gradient mesh feature in AI. It is a powerful but rare tool to use probably because it does take a good deal of time to produce and master.
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Lest We Forget Made For 173rd Fighter Wing, Oregon Air National Guard Year 2011 Tools Used Photoshop & Corel Painter “Lest We Forget” was a very special logo for me to create. I was approaced by the crew chief who worked on an F-15C based at Klamath Falls, Oregon - part of the 174rd Fighter Wing, Oregon Air National Guard. I had created five pieces of art for Boeing KC-135 aircraft while I served in the USAF at Fairchild Air Force Base - and was awarded the Air Force Achievement Medal for the work. I was honored to have this art flying too, on an F-15 that performed at airshows along the West Coast.
School of Biblical Evangelism Made For Living Waters Publications Year 2008 Tools Used Photoshop “The School of Biblical Evangelism” was a logo I designed to be a part of the new Outreaches of Living Waters Publications. The school is an online school with thousands in attendance. I really enjoyed working on theses glass-like logos, and I wanted the logo to reflect a University type of shield found at many schools.
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Living Waters Publications Made For Living Waters Publications Year 2015 Tools Used Illustrator This logo was a test design that I created just to see if I could come up with a new design for the logo for Living Waters Publications.
The Ambassadors’ Alliance Made For Living Waters Publications Year 2008 Tools Used Photoshop “The Ambassadors’ Alliance” was another glass logo I designed for an outreach part of Living Waters Publications. Again, I wanted to encorporate a “university” type of shield, emphasizing different elements of what the outreach encompassed.
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ILLUSTRATION Design I have engaged in Illustration even before I began to draw or paint digitally. For me, I love to illustrate. But I also love Fine Art. It doesn’t matter, for me, what tools I use to illustrate with, just as long as I can acocomplish my vision - to paper or canvas, or to the digital screen. In the sample above, I wanted to start a series of illustrations of famous pilots and their planes. Amelia Earhart was the first one that came to mind and I wanted to capture her in her iconic pose before going on her fateful flight. The aircraft seen is the one she flew into oblivion. I was approached by a group, a Foundation in the search for her - The Stratus Project. They loved my design so much that they wanted to use it in their publications and website. I was very honored and surprised and I think that’s great, you can see that here: http://www.stratusproject.com/ I am a very detail minded person. I love details. The following illustrations show my care and attention to detail and that it is extremely important to me to get things just right and accurate.
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B-58 Hustler Year 2015 Tools Used Photoshop
This was my first official profile illustration. It is of the famous Convair B-58A Hustler which was a record setting bomber jet in the 1950s. You cannot see it in this far-away shot, but my attention to details goes all the way down to the very rivets and screws.
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Charles Lindbergh Year 2013 Tools Used Photoshop
Here is a second illustration that I did for my list of famous pilots. Because I’m a traditional artist, I wanted the look of this piece to look like pencil on toned paper, although it is entirely digital, painted from scratch within Adobe Photoshop. Again, for me, it doesn’t matter the tools used - as long as I can easily convey my vission into art, that’s what is important.
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Santa Claus Made For Living Waters Publications Year 2015 Tools Used Photoshop
This was a fun illustration. This was for the Christmas novelty money for Living Waters Publications. I painted it entirely in Adobe Photoshop where I have created special paint brshes for such use.
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PACKAGING Design Board Game Year 2015 Tools Used Adobe Photoshop
While working at Living Waters Publications I have had several occasions to produce some packaging designs. It wasn’t something I did continually as I mostly engaged in graphic design and animation. The sample above was for a board game that I developed for Living Waters Publications. This game was challenging as I had to come up with the board design, how it was played and the dimensions for packaging the game into a box.
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Display Case Visualization Year 2015 Tools Used Cinema 4D, Illustrator, Photoshop
This was a sample design for a display case for fishing sunglasses. I layed out the design in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, but built the 3D model in Maxon Cinema 4D. I often use Cinema 4D for such visualization of products.
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The Way of the Master Made For Living Waters Publications Year 2012 Tools Used Cinema 4D & Photoshop
I created all the DVD jacket covers and disc labels for four seasons with 13 episodes each, totallying 52 jacket designs and disc label art for the entire collection. Not only did I create the animations for theses shows as well, but I also was a DVD authorer for the entire series, using Adobe After Effects and DVD Studio Pro for the DVD Authoring portion of my work.
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WOTM Training Course Made For Your Name Client Year 2005 Tools Used Cinema 4D & Photoshop
I created the designs for two sets of training courses for Living Waters Publications. I created the graphics for the binder, study guide and discs as well.
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COVER Design Men’s Conference/Act Like a Man Made For Kindred Community Church Year 2015 Tools Used Photoshop
This was a very fun, and very fast project that I created for my church. A church had contacted me to create a cover practically overnight. This is what I came up with.
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The Greatest Gamble Made For Living Waters Publications Year 2009 Tools Used Cinema 4D & Photoshop
This was a fun project to work on. This was a DVD cover design for a TV show for Living Waters Publications. I created the briefcase, money and gun within Cinema 4D as 3D models and then composited them in Adobe Photosohp.
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TRADITIONAL Art A Spring Morning at Bag End Year Medium
2015 Oil on Canvas
This is one of my favorite traditional works to date. This is an oil painting on 36� x 24� stretched canvas. It took many months to paint. I love the Lord of the Rings and was inspired by the films to create this scene. Though in the film, this scene seemed not as colorful, I wanted Hobbiton to be very bright, colorful and vivid as if every flower was blooming in the morning light.
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Steam Locomotive Year Medium
2015 Watercolor
This was my first attempt at railroad art as well as watercolor. I really enjoy this medium and though it may not seem that watercolors are forgiving, I found great flexibility within this wondeful medium.
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Refueling the Strike Eagle Year Medium
2015 Watercolor
I have a brother who works on these aircraft and this was my painting for him. It is on 36� x 24� watercolor paper. I really enjoyed working on the mountain scene in the background and really shows the rugged terrain the refueling ensemble is flying over.
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Stormy Beach Year Concept
2015 Your Concept
A storm brews off of the coast as wind blown waves crash on the beach, a cool wind blowing through the air. The sent of ocean salt and rain permiates the air. This is a print of an oil painting. I love the sea. This is an oil painting on stretched canvas.
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PHOTOGRAPHY Project Being a digital and traditional artist is enhanced by being also a photographer. I love photography. When I get the chance to go out and do plein air drawings and paintings, I always take along my camera. I literally take thousands of photos for references when I’m working on a painting or a drawing. It’s important to me to capture the essence of the moment. My first experience with photography was with my father’s old Pentax K1000 camera that he took around the world when he was in the USAF. I also took it everywhere and photographed many things, mostly still life, landscapes, aviation, seascapes and skies. I also took photography courses and won first place in photography contests. I used to develop my own black and white film when I was working for the graphics department for my university. Today, everything is digital, so I take even more photographs than I know what to do with!
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All Opened Up Year Medium
2013 Digital Photography
An F4U Corsair is opened up for maintenance work at Planes of Fame, Chino California. Planes of Fame is of late, my favorite place to photography my favorite subject, that is, military aviation.
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Stearman Engine Year Medium
2013 Digital Photography
This Stearman was flown in several Hollywood movies, such as “Pearl Harbor” and “The Kid.” The vivid red of the plane contrasts beautifully against the steel piping on the open engine.
Bounty (opposite page) Year Medium
2011 Digital Photography
After harvesting a huge load of tomatoes from our own personal garden, I couldn’t resist the earge to photograph them. This photo has been used in many places as I’ve made it available freely at stock images online.
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Marbles Year Medium
2013 Digital Photography
I just bought a bunch of Marbles;Cat’s Eye and Blue Jay type of glass marbles, and photographed them in the bright sunlight on white paper. I use references like this for my traditional paintings.
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