Inspiration: Don Seegmiller

This article was originally published on Digital Image Magazine in 2008 and is preserved here for historical reference. While the tools or trends may have evolved, the perspective it reflects remains part of my journey in the photographic world.

Don Seegmiller is equally comfortable working both traditionally and digitally. In the digital realm, he works with Corel Painter and Photoshop. Don has a new book coming out in September titled Advanced Painter Techniques, which I’ve pre-ordered on Amazon. I can’t wait to get my hands on it. While I’m waiting, I thought this would be a good time to introduce Don Seegmiller to you, in case you haven’t heard of him.

Don Seegmiller’s tool of choice is Corel Painter, though he does also use Photoshop and other applications. Don is both a professional illustrator and an instructor of senior level illustration for the Department of Visual Design at Brigham Young University. This combination is no doubt a big reason his books are so well-written and helpful. He has published a number of other excellent books, which you may find useful. The book that first introduced me to Don Seegmiller was Digital Character Design and Painting: The Photoshop CS Edition (Graphics Series) (Graphics Series) Though it’s getting a bit old (it uses version 7 of Painter, which is current at version 10 as of this writing), the book contains some timeless instruction applicable to any sort of painting. As the title indicates, the focus is on character design. There are, however, chapters on value, color, lighting, and edges which make the book valuable to anyone interested in improving their work, whatever the medium or subject matter.

You can see Seegmiller’s work at his website and at the Fantasy Fine Art website. There’s also an interview with Seegmiller available here.

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