T H E A R T O F R A C H E L G R A Y
Rachel Gray is a British artist who specialises in wildlife portraiture. Her work is inspired by the animals she documents through her own wildlife photography. She has traveled extensively to see these awe-inspiring animals and their natural habitats. This has led Rachel from the dunes of Namibia to some of the oldest rainforests in the world, found in Malaysia, from camping by riverbeds to sleeping in caves. These experiences further enrich and develop Rachel’s art and she firmly believes that you must see these animals with your own eyes in order to paint them. She studies the animals as long as they allow her to, with her camera and sketch book, soaking up the details, colours, behaviours and surroundings before she tries to recreate these moments on canvas. Her work is known for its life-like qualities however Rachel does not strive for photorealism. Her aim is to convey the character of the animal, and the moments they shared.
T H E D E T A I L S & D E V E L O P M E N T
D I G I T A L P A I N T I N G
Digital painting is an art form in which traditional painting mediums such as watercolour, oils, pencil and acrylics, are emulated by means of a computer using a digital tablet, stylus and software.
Rachel’s portraits are created entirely by hand via a touch, tilt and weight sensitive tablet made by Wacom, Rachel uses the software Corel Painter which enables her to use a stylus that simulates the texture of oil on canvas and allows her to create digital portraits in the same way that traditional artists might use oil paint on a blank white canvas. Essentially, Rachel is using traditional techniques in a digital medium.
Digital art is not computer-generated art, in that it does not involve the computer automatically generating an image from mathematical models. The artist uses traditional painting techniques to create the image directly on the computer via a stylus and Wacom. Sketching and painting by hand including traditional methods such as weight, tone, perspective, light, colour and so on, it is also distinct from digital manipulation of photographs, in that it is an original construction from scratch.