 Who is Duncan Long? Duncan Long is an artist who is also an internationally recognized author with over sixty books and manuals that have gone into print including thirteen novels. Until recently Long did most of his illustrating work for his own non-fiction books (with 30-some now in print). "Up until a few years ago, these were 'traditional' drawings done with pen and ink," Long says with a grin. "Then I discovered computer graphics and got a graphics tablet. Now I don't think I can easily go back to the 'old ways' of doing artwork. What used to take me several days to do, I can now do in hours. And no ink splotches on my clothing afterward, either." Can I use your artwork for free at my Web site? With a few exceptions for non-profit organizations, I'm no longer letting folks use my artwork for free. I have a family to support and have lost several sales due to the use of artwork on sites. Remember, too, that if you display artwork without permission, you not only are breaking the law, you're also hurting the artist who created the work you like. Do you consider yourself an Outsider Visionary Artist? I have been called that. You can see a fuller discussion of this at my Outsider Visionary Artist Interview. How do you create your illustrations? I do everything on the computer, though people sometimes mistake my work for oils or airbrush work. That's probably because I cut my teeth on oil painting and liked the final product -- but not the mess of getting there. (And why most of my pre-computer stuff was pen and ink for the most part.) "I use a Wacom tablet for most of my drawing; at first it didn't seem much better than a mouse, but after a couple of days I got used to it and now it is in the 'can't live without it' category." What type of computer do you use for your illustrations? Most art people use Apples. I use a PC. Guess there's too much of a rebel in me. In the past, due to the unstable conditions created by the Windows environment, I was really tempted to switch to a Mac. However with XP, I have a very stable system and can continue to use programs I am familiar with (and also avoid shelling out a lot of cash to replace them with Apple versions). Too, there are programs available for the PC that aren't available for the Mac, making it impossible to do some things on that platform. What software does Duncan Long use for his illustrations? Most computer artists also use Photoshop. Rebel that I am... I use Corel Photo-Paint which comes with some added ''plugins'' that Photoshop users shell out hundreds of additional bucks for. Photo-Paint can use plugins designed for Photoshop so there are lots of free filters and add-ons floating around the net that can be employed as well should I need them; despite my Scottish blood, I've also bought a few plugins for key modifications as well. In the distant past I tried PSP (Paint Shop Pro), Painter, and Photoshop; they're good, but find that Photo-Paint is much better for me. I started with version 7 of Photo-Paint and upgraded to version 8 which is pretty stable with the various revisions Corel has issued for it (and it runs great under Windows XP, even though designed long before XP was available). I've also found that by not upgrading, I've become very familiar with all its quirks and virtues, allowing me to work very rapidly after using it year after year. And, of course, it saves me a bundle in not upgrading with each new version that comes out. This is not to say the new versions don't have a lot of nice features. It's just that I have found it often takes years to really master complex software; sticking with one verson allows me to concentrate on making artwork rather than learning the ropes of new software. Another plus of Photo-Paint is that it permits extensive modified with scripts and key command customization. This, along with the capability to resize a brush by holding down the shift key, makes it possible to work very fast without hunting for the button icons on a menu (in fact I have turned off my tool menu and just use the keyboard to select the brush or tool I need). I've augmented things with some keyboard macros under AutoHotkey as well. In the past I've used Bryce, a weird little program that works better with a mouse than with a tablet (a rarity with art programs). Except for less than perfect skies, It is excellent for backgrounds and I often used it for that, making batches of background files that I save and later add elements to using Photo-Paint; I don't use it a lot any more and recent upgrades have made its render engine as slow as molasses. I currently use Poser VI for some roughing in figures; but more and more most of my faces and hands are "home grown" on my Wacom graphics tablet working in Photo-Paint. Generally I go with whatever will get me there the quickest, with most figures starting as rough renders in Poser and then getting extensively modified in Photo-Paint. I used Terragen for a time; it creates very realistic landscapes, possibly the best of any software. But as this is written, Terragen still doesn't import objects or create vegetation, making Vue d'Esprit my 3D rendering program for the ''grunt work'' I don't want to do by hand in Photo-Paint. The big plus of Vue is that it has controls that are very easy to use (well, compared to Bryce and Terragen) and have a certain logic to them. And Vue also has add-ons for animation should a person want to go that route. It's terrains are not quite as good as Terragen, but since you can rotate the terrains and also hollow-out sections and objects with Boolean operations, you can create terrains that are impossible in either Bryce or Terragen. Recently I've been working more in 3D modeling with ZBrush and Metasequoia -- two very powerful programs. ZBrush has an unconventional layout that makes it have a slow learning curve, but it more than makes up for it with amazing capabilities in texturing and fine surface modeling that just can't be found anywhere else. Where do you get your ideas? Many of my pictures are 'made to order' for editors and others. These are a matter of transforming a writer's story or an editor's idea into a workable picture. However the illustrations I do for fun (which often become the ones that everyone wants - go figure) are a different matter. Sometimes I set about the work from an idea I have; often these are pretty straightforward and consist of producing a picture more or less the way one might a traditional painting, sketching in the components, arranging them so they're balanced, then polishing and finishing them. Other pictures seem to spring up almost on their own. I'm not sure exactly how the process works or whether it is the same every time (observing oneself without getting so distracted that the work suffers isn't easy). That said, the computer art programs I use often seem to power the creative process into areas I would not have ventured had I been working in oils, pen and ink, or whatever. Additionally, the computer permits endless experimenting until an effect is achieved that is what I'm looking (yea, even hoping) for. Sometimes the computer creates changes that are somewhat unexpected. These also lead down avenues that would never have been discovered with traditional media. Leonardo De Vinci suggested using ink spots, stains on walls, etc., for inspiration for pictures. I think some of this goes on with the computer. I often find that taking an ordinary picture, distorting and changing it until it is unrecognizable gives me a jumping off point from which I can then create something I would never have thought of doing otherwise. Likewise superimposing two pictures with varying transparency or otherwise combining two very different pictures will jog new ideas in my mind that I then modify the picture toward. Finally the "artifacts" and other changes produced by filters -- especially those in KPT (see above) seem to inspire the "ink blot creativity" in me. Of course this description of what happens is an oversimplification of the process. Often the whole methodology is mystifying and somewhat seat-of-the-pants in operation. When I'm finished, I often go back to a file I've created and marvel that I had anything to do with producing it, somewhat amazed that my name is down there in the corner (but, of course, I'd rather have my name there than someone else's). The following is an excerpt from a recent interview I did: You are a writer as well as an artist - which talent did you discover you had first? Well, I've been drawing since I was able to lift a pencil - - my mom says that at an early age I created some very nice "cave man" drawings on her walls. By first grade I was putting together "books" that I wrote and illustrated, much like what I'm doing now (and at the same level of expertise, my critics would most likely argue). I often wonder if my profession was "in my blood." It certainly seems so. I haven't ever had any formal training except for a 3-hour course in college designed to teach elementary teachers how to teach children to color, cut paper, and other nonsense. That was worse than not having an art course (ha). Fortunately my dad was a skilled amateur artist who showed me how to do a lot and gave me some excellent books and magazines that got me started with oils and water colors in addition to my drawing. There are holes in my technique, but not many, thanks to my more-or-less self taught skills obtained by reading a lot and observing what other good artists have done -- the latter being similar to reverse engineering used in industry, I guess. I think if a person were really serious about artwork, they'd get a lot of formal training so they don't have to re-invent the wheel. If I had the time and money, I'd head back to college. Are there any artists that have influenced your work? Many. I've tried to become familiar with the whole gamut of work from ancient sculptures and wall paintings up to the present. It seems there's always something to learn, a new way of looking at things to be learned, from studying the works of others. I think this is really key to becoming a good artist. Beginners (myself included in the past) always want to blaze a new trail and do something that is completely new and different. But that isn't possible unless you want to invent a new medium and then can somehow manage to use it in a new way. That might have been possible in 5000 BC, but surely is not now barring some new break-through in technology. All the good art (whether literature, music, or painting) has been built on the techniques and styles of the past. We don't remember the first guy to paint in oils; we remember the guys who mastered the skill to create art that is treasured. The first guy to scrawl a drawing in pencil is forgotten; the guy that can create a memorable drawing is remembered - even though he technically hasn't done anything "new" with the medium. I think that what I've learned and have had driven home to me is that the great artists aren't trail blazers but rather masters of technique which they can then exploit to present original ideas and views. Since going to the medium of computer graphics, do you still use other methods, as in oils or watercolors? I left oils to concentrate on pen and ink because it seemed more precise and was easier and faster to work with. The precision was essential for illustrating the technical subjects I was writing about (which included everything from firearms to how to write). I packed up my oils and never got them out again (they still sit in a box on my desk at my parents' home, collecting dust for over three decades now). Several years ago I started using the computer for illustrating my writing projects. One day I realized I hadn't even touched my pens and drawing tools for almost a year. Stealth obsolescence, I guess. I packed them up and put the box on the shelf and have only opened it once to retrieve a ruler for measuring a picture. Currently the only time I use a pencil or pen is to jot a note at the phone or sign a check or contract. I guess it is pretty weird when you think about how fully the computer has changed the process of creating art. Actually the whole change-over is a very strange event - - rather like a child packing up his toys and never playing with them again. It is sad to think about, in a way - - nostalgic, if that's possible given the pain and agony of trying to correct a mistake made with pen or oil (no undo or deletes in the good old days). Yet this all seems like a normal progression. What could be done with the "toys" of paint brush and pen is far inferior to what I can do on the computer (or, at least, the old media were much, much slower). I don't feel all the years with oils and ink were wasted, however. Many of the techniques I used are now employed with the computer artwork. The abilities gained with pencil, pen, and brush all go right into the strokes of the Wacom pen. Oddly enough, it seems like my computer art comes closest to oil painting in terms of how things are put together. With pen and ink you create foregrounds first and then fill in backgrounds; oils tend to be just the opposite. You start with the background and then work toward the foreground and add the details. That's pretty much how I work digitally - - distance to foreground. However this isn't always true; layers and objects which can be moved and repositioned on the screen make a digital painting much more dynamic and capable of almost infinite modification and alterations. I use the "smear" brush a lot to blend colors and position and shape objects. And unlike oils, I can keep working until I get everything just right without fear of having everything become muddy looking. Plugins and filters are useful tools, though care must be taken that they don't become an end to themselves rather than a tool. Sometimes when using these the computer almost becomes an "assistant", generating ideas or layouts I would never have considered in working without the modifications the program generated. This dynamic element of the computer is something that has really made my work "spread its wings" and venture into areas I would have been incapable of journeying to without the computer-assist. Ditto with "sprays" of pictures. The best part of computer art, though, is that there're no turpentine fumes. Which of your pieces of art is your favorite? That's like asking a parent to pick their favorite child (ha). I think my work that is dark and more abstract (though never totally abstract) tends to be my favorite. That isn't always what people seeing my work like the best, however. I've found one big plus of the Internet is that there is now the space to display almost all of an artist's works so people can see them. What I've found in doing this with my online galleries is that pictures that would otherwise never been seen by anyone because I wasn't too crazy about them are sometimes the favorites of some viewers. Bolstered by the favorable response from visitors to my site in the past, I now put more material on the Web and continue to be surprised at how people like some of the pieces that I thought were hardly worth saving. Since the computer makes it possible to create "sketches" relatively rapidly, it's possible to create far more pictures than there's any market for. In the past most of these surplus drawings would have been stored away on a CD and forgotten or even simply deleted. Now I can put them up on the WWW with little effort. In effect art that would never have been seen can now be enjoyed by viewers. By the same tokens the numbers of viewers of my artwork is amazing, thanks to the Web. If I were trying to display my artwork locally -- where I can't get either businesses or the local university to even look at my work, let alone display it on their sacred walls, I would be lucky if I had several hundred people view it. Today on the Internet, I may soon see my main art index page score a million hits before too long. That order of magnitude is simply amazing. I think eventually the web is going to give students and those who appreciate art a true wealth of material that has never been available in the history of the world. People will be able to sit in their home, school, or public library and have more art to enjoy than has ever been possible in the past, regardless of how wealthy you might have been. From the standpoint of art and culture, we are living better than royalty did in the recent past. Do you have any 'words of wisdom' for young artists? Go into another line of work. I'm only half joking. It's a really hard task to make ends meet, especially when starting out, in any of the arts these days. I've seen some really good writers and composers end up with the most horrid of jobs because they devoted their education and time to their art. I know the average writer in the US makes about $10,000 a year - and I suspect the average illustrator makes half that. Ditto for musicians, dancers, and such. I made it because I'd saved up money from 9 years of teaching, created a mail order company to peddle my first books, and had a spouse who was willing to gamble on my new career. But that I've been able to make a living at this is more fluke than common occurrence (and even today I often feel like I'm living on borrowed time as far as obtaining work). As it stands now, my writing more or less pays for my artwork; I'm my own patron. Unfortunately there are few if any real patrons these days who will hire you to paint a portrait or decorate a chapel or castle. Business rules most of the arts and businessmen tend to see art as a throw-away item suitable only for selling toothpaste or cars; such attitudes don't bode well for artists who are viewed by such folks as a step above the janitorial staff. My advice to budding artists: Don't quit your day job and have another way to make a living. What books have you written? My nonfiction subjects include everything from a health manual to how-to books -- including one about making a living as a freelance writer. Three of my manuals were used by the International Correspondence Schools (I think that group has since pulled up stakes and perhaps operates out of England -- I'm not sure this is the same school). In addition to having articles printed in national magazines, many of my newer pieces can be found at several sites on the Internet. Some of my firearms and chemical/biological warfare books are in the private libraries of the CIA, US Marines, FEMA, and other US agencies as well as the private library of at least one foreign embassy and the EPC (Emergency Planning, Canada). Before becoming a full-time writer, I secured an MA in music composition and have enjoyed working at a variety of jobs including rock musician (where I possibly earned a total of $330 over four years); private guitar teacher; public school teacher; and a very, very short stint (one week, part time) as a mail carrier. I hosted my own talk radio program for about a year (mostly talking on the subject of firearms and politics). Links of Interest: Duncan Long's Graphic Designs, Illustrations, and Graphic Artwork Duncan's Digital Music and MP3s Duncan's Science Fiction Stories and Articles Duncan Long's Home Page Contact Duncan Long
Soli Deo Gloria
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