JACOB BLOOM'S STEAM.

"My art is created using the tools available in Adobe Photoshop and a Wacom Tablet Pen. Using layers and the brush tool I make quick digital sketches aka Speed Paintings. The sketch is than slowly painted over using the airbrush/brush tool adding in the details like light and shadow. I try to tell a bit of a story, relay an emotion or bring to life a concept in every painting.

I also sometimes use photos, toys or a model as a reference. Even concepts or images with no bounds on real life still can have references to objects or emotions in everyday life. When I start a painting as a sketch is when the story or emotion is first captured. Most the paintings I have taken from sketch to finished piece usually spoke to me early on in the process on some emotional level that told me “this image must be elaborated on”. Many others simply get saved in a folder and forgotten or the file closed without saving.

I never start a painting with a clear 100% vision of what I want to paint. I have ideas and concepts I would like to portray but it isn’t until I actually start painting that the image and story of the image come to life. Many of my paintings started with one idea and finished with a totally different idea or concept. I have had paintings that have started as something simple like a train that over the course of the painting process ended as a cityscape with no train at all.

I like to let the random happen, painting digitally allows me the freedom of do so with no remorse for changing course mid stream. Being able to work in layers and save in steps means I can always go back to that original concept." -- Jacob Bloom






ABOUT THE ARTIST.

"I started drawing early in life inspired by paintings my mother had made when she was younger. My parents got me a lot of those “learn to Draw” books of which I loved as a kid. Drawing quickly became my #1 past time… maybe even a little too often. Some of my best works of art have been known to be on the sides of math test or the back of English papers.

One of my biggest influences in my art was my high school art teacher Gene Koffkin. He was one of the first teachers who saw my potential and instead of getting mad at me for constantly drawing he instead got me to push what I could do and advance my abilities. After my 4th time taking his class he had me do an independent study to learn how to air brush. I spent the next year making some great pieces of art. When the High School got remodeled my senior year they added a show room by the new auditorium. This was my first art show and with Gene Koffkins inspiration I decided to go to art school.

I attended collage at the Art Institute of Seattle were I studied in art Illustration and animation with further studies into graphic design and game design. In school I learned many techniques to create what I was imagining. The one that talked to me the most was in my concept art for video games were we learned how to use tablet mouse and paint quick concept art using Photoshop.

When I got out of school I further self taught myself how to take those concept sketches and develop them further into detailed illustrations and other works of art.

Most my art at that time was made for my own personal viewing and the occasional small laser print given to a friend. It wasn’t until a game company out of England called Codemasters had me take the long flight to Birmingham England to show my art based on their games that I realized I could show my art just like any other painter. It was a great experience getting to show some off my work to fans and players of their games. Many fans already were familiar with me and my paintings and I conversed with them about my art. It was magnificent. This was the first time I printed my art on a Giclee printer for display.

Since then I have gotten the chance to show and sell my art a few places here on Whidbey Island as well as my web site." -- Jacob Bloom


LEARN MORE.

http://rainstater.deviantart.com


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