Riley Stark

Hi, sorry if you get these kinds of questions a lot. First of all, your illustrations are amazing! Second-of-ly, I want to get into graphic design and illustration, but I know absolutely without a doubt nothing about it. (beware of the stupid ?s)... Do you draw on a tablet? If so, what kind? What kind of software do you use? What would you recommend for a beginner? I've been doing art all of my life, I have never used computers though. Any basic info you have would be splendid. Thanks so much!!

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:19:00 -0400

Firstly, thank you — I’m glad you enjoy my artwork! (And I don’t mind answering questions at all. I’m always happy to help, if I can! ^_^)

Secondly, I do draw on a tablet. I have a Cintiq 20wsx. (Which is a Wacom tablet, if you’re not familiar with what that is.) It’s a tablet that allows me to draw directly on the screen, like I’m drawing on a computer monitor. I use that as my secondary monitor and then use my main computer monitor for holding any references I’m using and any misc. applications I’m running while working. (iTunes, Skype, Safari, etc.)

For software, I mainly use Corel Painter 12. I do use Photoshop to occasionally make small tweaks my pieces, but about 98% of each piece is done in Painter. (I prefer the brush engine in Painter because it feels more natural to me, even though I started out learning to paint in Photoshop. I swapped almost exclusively to using Painter last summer.)

For a beginner, Painter can be a somewhat overwhelming program because there are so many brushes try out and almost an infinity of options for tweaking things, but I do have a tutorial here which might be helpful if you decide to try it. (If you stick to learning a just few brushes well to start with, then you expand to try others, it’s a lot easier to learn the program. That tutorial tells all my main brushes and what I use each brush for, so it’s a great starting point to work from.) I don’t know that I have a specific program I’d recommend to a beginner digital artist because they each have their own learning curves — it’s really about what’s ultimately most comfortable for you. The best I can suggest is download few trial versions of the main programs people use (Photoshop, Corel Painter, Paint Tool Sai, and Gimp) and see which suits you best, then learn that program. (You can find a ton of tutorials for any of those if you Google them, so you shouldn’t hesitate in giving them a go because you don’t know anything about them.)

If you’re looking to start digital art, remember that simplicity is best — don’t expect to create masterpieces right off the bat because working digitally is definitely different than working traditionally. (Though traditional skills will translate to a certain extent.) Start with easy things while you acclimate to how it feels to draw with a tablet and learning whichever program you ultimately decide to go with. Sometimes the best way to learn things is to experiment and make mistakes, just don’t get frustrated when you make them — you’ll get the hang of things in no time!

Best of luck!

The commission for the Sherlock Committee (from the recent...

Sun, 05 May 2013 14:27:00 -0400

The commission for the Sherlock Committee (from the recent Tumblr auctions). The commissioner wanted a scene from ‘The Norwood Builder’ (because it was their favorite episode), where Holmes & Watson are examining the will together.

Painter 12

Finished custom commission for the winner of the Baker Street...

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 11:03:00 -0400

Finished custom commission for the winner of the Baker Street Babes Twitter contest that wrapped up a little while ago.

A cozy night of reading in Baker Street. (Who doesn’t love to curl up by a fire, in a comfy chair, with an interesting book?)

Painter 12.

Just wanted to say your art is amazing!! Your fan art is my favorite that I have seen. :D

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 13:32:52 -0400

Thank you very much — that’s very sweet of you to say! <3

Done for the new Let’s Draw Sherlock challenge. (Because...

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 21:49:00 -0400

Done for the new Let’s Draw Sherlock challenge. (Because these are fun to do. XD)

Whistler’s Sherlock.

Painter 12.

Print available here.

Are you, by chance, selling any of these? Mainly the girl waiting?

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 00:14:20 -0400

Yes, I have quite a few pieces for sale in my Society 6 shop.

The piece you’re looking for can be found here.

Hope that helps! ^_^

“There’s a little girl waiting in a garden....

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 17:49:13 -0400

“There’s a little girl waiting in a garden. She’s going to wait a long time, so she’s going to need a lot of hope. Go to her. Tell her a story. Tell her that if she’s patient, the days are coming that she’ll never forget. Tell her she’ll go to sea and fight pirates. She’ll fall in love with a man who’ll wait two-thousand years to keep her safe. Tell her she’ll give hope to the greatest painter who ever lived and save a whale in outer space. Tell her this is the story of Amelia Pond..”

Painter 12.

Bow ties and Fezes = cool. Painter 12

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 13:36:00 -0400

Bow ties and Fezes = cool.

Painter 12

“What a lovely thing a rose is..” A ‘thank...

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 22:50:00 -0400

“What a lovely thing a rose is..”

A ‘thank you’ piece for all my followers. (Old and new.) <3

Quick photo study of Gandalf. (Testing out some new...

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 01:27:00 -0400

Quick photo study of Gandalf. (Testing out some new brushes!)

Painter 12, about 2 hours

like when someone leaves a comment on DA for example, thanking for the fave or something, how/where does one respond? i'm new on DA and I am not sure if it's supposed to answer on your page or like go to people's and comment there to answer? any help? :))

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 16:36:00 -0400

On all messages, there should be a “reply” button at the bottom (usually under a person’s avatar) that you should be able to click and just answer through there. (Then it will post your response to wherever is appropriate.)

If you’re asking about etiquette for replies, it’s generally the practice to reply to wherever the message was originally posted. For instance, if someone comes to my profile to thank me for watching them, then I would reply to their original post on my page. (And vice versa if it had been done on theirs.)

Hopefully that was helpful. ^_^

For the “Let’s Draw Sherlock” challenge. BBC...

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 23:51:00 -0400

For the “Let’s Draw Sherlock” challenge.

BBC meets Granada. Awesome.

Available as a print here.

Well, it’s official — my house is on the market as of about 10 minutes ago and I’m...

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 13:59:00 -0400

Well, it’s official — my house is on the market as of about 10 minutes ago and I’m looking to move to NYC. So excited!

Just sent off the illustration samples I’m going to be doing for the Save Undershaw campaign...

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 23:47:00 -0500

Just sent off the illustration samples I’m going to be doing for the Save Undershaw campaign for approval.

Very excited to be working with them!

(Such a great cause! If you’re not already familiar, visit the link above and definitely give them your support!)

More Brett!Holmes because it’s my favorite thing...

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 19:30:00 -0500

More Brett!Holmes because it’s my favorite thing ever.

I’ve also discovered that I really love working in black and white. Like, seriously.

Painter 12.

Now available as a print through here.

Hello! This might be a bit odd but I am completing Units 3 & 4 of Studio Arts at my High School in Australia and I've mentioned you as one of my influential artists. May I have known you have a tumblr I would've followed you sooner; I'm terribly sorry. More to the point, I'm wondering if you would assist me in writing a short biography on you. Giving me small facts, when you were born, how you got into art, what influences you? Again, sorry if this sounds stalkerish. -

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 10:17:00 -0500

Oh, wow.. It’s not stalkerish at all — I’m honored that you consider me to be one of your influential artists! (I will say that this made me blush a bit — it’s always nice to hear what you’re doing is appreciated..)

I don’t have a terribly long story to tell from a ‘how I got into art’ perspective — I’m currently in my late 20’s, I started drawing in my mid-20’s. I had never really had much of an interest in drawing growing up; art was something I enjoyed looking at, but never really felt the need to try and draw/paint, myself. Outside of the usual mandatory art classes in grade school, I never took classes or really went out of my way to learn any art-related skills. (Aside from teaching myself Photoshop and dabbling in graphic design for a few years.) I only became interested in drawing sort of by accident..

There was this video game I had been playing and I wanted to make a computer background out of something from the game, which sent me to Google to try and find images that I could potentially make use of. Long story short, I wound up on conceptart.org and found a thread with the original concept artist talking about how they had produced the artwork for the game. The artwork they had posted really impressed me — I couldn’t believe someone had drawn/painted it, let alone done it all on a computer! (I didn’t even know that was possible!) So, that got me curious.. I decided I wanted to try learn how to do that, too, because it just seemed so awesome to be able to create things like that..

So, I got a tablet and began the (never-ending) process of learning to draw. Three and a half years later, you find me where I’m currently at skill-wise, which will hopefully continue to improve as I keep on doing studies and learn even more. ^_^

My influences tend to center around a few specific artists and periods in history:

Favorite ‘old’ artists: Leyendecker (for his loose painting style and chiseled features on subjects), Sargent (also for his loose painting style and his use of light), Sidney Paget (for his simplistic use of values/light and story telling abilities in illustrations), and Bouguereau (mostly for his rendering abilities and skin tones).

Favorite ‘new’ artists: Jason Chan (his use of colors is great and also his ability to render), Marko Djurdjevic (I just love everything about this work), and Craig Mullins (his stuff reminds me of Sargent’s style, which I adore).

I also love anything from the Edwardian/Victorian eras.. The styles of clothing, the general elegance of the periods, the richness of the fabrics/textures/locations, etc. Something about these just really click with me and they definitely creep into my work from time to time. (I think because I study a lot of artists from those eras, that’s part of it, too.)

Anyway, hopefully that answers your questions to some extent.. (If I missed something or wasn’t clear on something, let me know and I’ll be happy to try and elaborate.)

its caused by your awesomeness

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 17:06:29 -0500

Thank you — I’m very flattered! XD

“I am an omnivorous reader with a strangely retentive memory for...

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 00:08:00 -0500

“I am an omnivorous reader with a strangely retentive memory for trifles.” - Sherlock Holmes

Brett-Holmes done in the original Paget illustration style. Painted last night on my Livestream. (Not sure how long, lost track of time. XD)

Painter 12.

Prints available here.

Your Bernard Black of Black's Books and Link have made me love you! If we are of the same sex this will be awkward for me to tell my family.

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 12:13:16 -0500

I’m glad you like the pieces - It’s always nice to hear people are enjoying your work. I’m very flattered!

Also, prepare for awkwardness.. XD

Link.. He come to town.. Come to SAVE the Princess Zelda.....

Sat, 19 Jan 2013 22:41:00 -0500

Link.. He come to town.. Come to SAVE the Princess Zelda.. XD

Painter 12.