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Microsoft Paint
My grandpa had a new computer. It was running something called Windows 95. It was in full color and it had a drawing program called paint. I was blown away by its ability to show 256 colors. I loved doodling with the mouse on that program. -
Photoshop
I was introduced to Photoshop by my friend's dad in Logan in 1998. His dad was a computer engineer and I remember looking at the program and not being impressed. It was until he showed me the magic wand tool and clicked on a dragon and it selected a specific color. I was hooked. I couldn't believe a computer was understanding what I wanted. -
2002
My dad bought me a Wacom tablet and it was a replacement for my retched mouse and it was glorious. I could now draw with pressure sensitivity. It was still like a mouse because I couldn't see what I was drawing on; only a cursor. -
Digital Camera
My first exposure to a digital camera was in 2002. It was a Sony Camera that saved files onto 3.5 floppy drives. It could hold maybe 20 pictures that were 2 megapixels each. I remember that I had to have a backpack with all the floppies that I would then upload all the pictures on my computer at home. -
Color Printer
We had professional color printers before this but I remember having a Kodak Color printer and that allowed me to print my digital work and allow it to become real. The idea that I could create something on my computer and see it in real life in the same hour was captivating. -
YouTube
Up until now, the internet was useful for image searching but there wasn't a really good platform for watching videos. Once YouTube was up and running I could see other artists create art like Bob Ross and I could watch techniques over and over. -
Zbrush
Zbrush is a digital sculpting program that I was introduced to in 2007. It made it so you could create a 3D sculpture relatively fast compared to making a wireframe from scratch. -
Note Cell Phone
This was my first cell phone with a stylus built-in. This allowed me to sketch on the fly. I also had full access to a full HD camera. This really accelerated my professional career because they could see me sketch live. -
iPad
When I got my first iPad Pro I couldn't believe that my computer and my drawing tablet could all be on one device. It also ran better than my computer which blew my mind. -
VR
VR painting allows me and my students to actually draw 1 to 1 in an environment that would otherwise be astronomically expensive.