Cory Deitrick

DEITRIX: Digital Artist

I’ve been drawing ever since I could hold a pencil but I’ve never been much for writing with one. It’s always been hard for me to write things like this “Artist Statement” - but I could draw one for you. I can much easier explain myself through art than I can through words.

I remember first getting serious about drawing when I was just a kid in grade school and my dad, who was cartooning for a local paper, looked at something I was drawing and told me that it was really good – he said that I was a natural. He gave me a couple of pointers, and told...

DEITRIX: Digital Artist

I’ve been drawing ever since I could hold a pencil but I’ve never been much for writing with one. It’s always been hard for me to write things like this “Artist Statement” - but I could draw one for you. I can much easier explain myself through art than I can through words.

I remember first getting serious about drawing when I was just a kid in grade school and my dad, who was cartooning for a local paper, looked at something I was drawing and told me that it was really good – he said that I was a natural. He gave me a couple of pointers, and told me that if I’d keep on, one day I would be far better than he ever was. That inspired me even at that age, and I’ve been “keeping on” ever since.

Where I grew up in Florida, there weren’t any art classes offered in school so I’m mostly self-taught. I loved to draw just about anything, but my passion early on was “fantasy” drawing which soon led me into painting. When I moved to Illinois, I attended my first art class in High School where I got to experiment with a variety of techniques and mediums – and that’s something that I still do. I strive to learn and experiment every day. There’s always something new to learn and something new to try.

I’m often billed as a “digital artist” (which is explained below). I have been doing traditional art for over 15 years and digital art for 6 years. I still do some traditional painting with a variety of mediums, but I prefer digital painting. I also like to mix the two: traditional with digital art.

My preferred “style” is still creating works of fantasy, but upon request I also do portraits, landscapes, scenic, and abstracts. Fantasy art is truly meaningful to me, because it comes from my own mind and imagination. Observers respond to my art work in many different ways and there is no right or wrong way to interpret a piece or develop a piece. So please just enjoy.

Cory Deitrick (DEITRIX)

What is a digital painting? A digital (or virtual) painting is a computer based interpretation painted by hand using the latest tools in technology. This technique undergoes the same process as a true watercolor, oil or acrylic painting, but uses the computer instead of a traditional paintbrush and canvas. I hand paint each pixel using a pressure sensitive Wacom Intous3 tablet and homemade digital brush variants, stroke by stroke. There are no shortcuts, no filters, or programs that automatically "paint" the image. The process is time consuming, and custom tailored. In most digital painting programs, the user can create their own brush style using a combination of texture and shape. This ability is very important in bridging the gap between traditional and digital painting.