I said I’d get round to it eventually. I know you folk like these articles so I’m sorry for making you wait so long for this issue. Hopefully you will enjoy these features as much as you have enjoyed the previous ones. It’s a slightly shorter article this time, so I apologise for that too – but I’m sure the quality of these images will make up for it (note that I appreciate suggestions for future images!). As usual, first comes the obligatory blurb, then lots of images for you to look at:

Some intriguing pieces of art can fool the eye. No doubt you have glimpsed such works on deviantART before – you believe you’re about to view a photograph when you click the thumbnail, but upon finally viewing the image in full, you realise that you’re looking at a piece that demonstrates a mastery of texture and lighting and most definitely hasn’t been captured with a camera, but rather with the artist’s brush, pencil, graphics tablet or mouse – and their skill. This is a feature for those of you learning and experienced artists alike, who strive to achieve accurate and believable studies of landscape, objects, animals, people and the rest of the world around us.

Traditional Art – Black and White (pencils, charcoal etc)

To create a realistic drawing, an artist requires knowledge of how to translate colour into tonal values, and then represent these values complete with textures on the paper:

I’ve never seen anyone draw a spam lid before, and never thought I’d enjoy such a picture, but ~enky has proven me wrong with “spammer time”. I bet it makes you want to pull the ringpull!
I have to admit that I’m one of those rare people who has never read Lord of the Rings, and never watched the films – I know nothing about it. But I know a good portrait when I see one. ~lithriel has managed capably the deep shadows cast over the face in “Gandalf the Grey”.
There’s something about tigers and realism; I’ve featured tigers a couple of times – and *nobodysghost’s piece is just as irresistible. The tiger really is “Burning Bright” with beautifully rendered blooming light.
I’m finding more and more that if an artist can put a little life in the eyes, it can absolutely make a picture. *Truyen has popular pieces in his gallery, but “commission 1” is a bit overlooked and is well worth viewing.

Traditional Art – Colour (paint etc)
Painting and colouring accurately requires an eye for hue and a confident hand at the reins of what can be unpredictable media:
~HMellender only joined deviantART a few days ago and already has to offer such wonderful works as “Basque Miner”. Her gallery is small but well worth a look already – it was hard to choose which piece to feature. I hope she continues to upload more art to the site!
As the person who suggested “My Paintings” by ~cmg2901 said to me, the fluffy fur in this piece is gorgeous, but for me, it’s also the soul in the eye that brings this work together. This is the focus of the piece and the fine detail of the face makes this cat come to life.
I wasn’t quite sure where to categorize *spidol’s “Untitled Oil-Digital Hybrid” as it’s an painting touched with a little digital – but primarily, it’s done in oils, and patently, it’s fantastic. A lot of character is given to the ornament and the shadows and lights are very believable.
A little unusual, yes – but I purposefully had a look for a surreal piece, because I love surreal pieces that are so masterfully handled that despite the situation being implausible, the objects still look very real. Look at this piece and be thankful that this “B-Ball” by *Twistmyflesh hit the ground instead of your foot when it fell to the floor!


Digital Art – Painting, Airbrushing, Drawing, etc
A realistic digital painting requires patience for details, and such artists work hard to recreate natural and real textures with ‘virtual’ brushes:
When “Robin” by *Shiaine was recommended to me, I have to admit that I had to read the words of the note saying, “It is NOT a photo” a few times before I registered this. Even with close examination the magnificently managed textures in this piece stand up to inspection.
“Cherry” by ~wiis is a quality piece – have a gander at the water droplets and the fine shading across the surface of the cherry.
I love a piece with a heavy, moody atmosphere and “Rain” by ~lukpazera certainly delivers that. I’m sure you’ll admire the texture of the wet stones and the way the rainwater is splashed up from the ground.
When I first saw the thumbnail of “Nancy Botwin” by ~GlacierFusion I thought I was going to end up sending a miscat. report! However, it is indeed a digital painting – have a good look at this one.
There’s certainly something about big cats that inspires artists to accurately paint their portraits. Enjoy ~Geirahod’s attention to fine detail in “A perfect scene”.

I hope that these works of art have inspired you, and, of course, that you have simply enjoyed looking at them!
_{Any suggestions (or complaints! - want to berate me for accidentally including a real photo? ) would be very much appreciated if forwarded to me in a note. I'd like to hear about any pieces of work you think deserve to be seen here.}
Previous issues:
Vol. 1: [link]
Vol. 2: [link]
Vol. 3: [link]