Art 103A - learning from my students~

Written By Candace Garlock

Each of the students in Art 103A created art tutorials on their own blogs. They then had to follow two of their classmates’ tutorials and create a project from their learning. I decided to follow two of the tutorials, actually three because two students used ibisPaint for their tutorial.

The first tutorial: https://ddartjourney.blogspot.com/2025/10/time-for-my-tutorial.html

I felt like their tutorial was easy to follow and I had a lot of fun just knowing that I could draw first with line and then play with water to create a fluid illustration. I just wish I could have found the Crayola markers.

So the first struggle I had - I couldn’t find any Crayola markers in my studio and I’m thinking a certain grandchild took them home to use in her studio, HA! I did find a Tombow marker which is also water-soluble. I created this quick drawing that then I decided I would use for the next part of the project using ibisPaint.

My next step was to follow the tutorial: https://daisyprizo.blogspot.com/2025/10/mixed-media-tutorial-digital-art-and.html

I didn’t have ibisPaint, so I downloaded the trial. There are adds in the app which made it a bit annoying. I first started to use it on my phone but it was too frustrating, so I moved over to the ipad where I could see better.

I imported the original drawing I had done from the first tutorial. I did cut out the background. I duplicated the layer and then in that second layer, I played with the FX feature - just for fun! This is similar feature as Photoshop's filters. Photoshop is my-to-go software (been using it since it’s inception.) Needless to say I will always compare everything to Photoshop. I also added a pre-made background that is part of ibisPaint. Most of my time on this was just getting used to where the tools were and how they worked. Where the layers were, etc. The built in tutorials are very helpful. Will I use this over Adobe products? No, I’m just so used to them. I also prefer Procreate which I think is cheaper to use in the long run.

I’m so involved with Adobe products, so I went and asked Perplexity AI “What are the advantages of using ibisPaint over Adobe products?” This is what she said:

“ibisPaint offers several advantages over Adobe products, particularly for mobile drawing and beginners who want feature-rich tools with simplicity, affordability, and community-focused extras. Adobe apps, while industry standard, target advanced professional workflows, come with subscription costs, and have steeper learning curves.​”

The third tutorial blog that I followed: https://kailanleia.blogspot.com/2025/10/what-ive-learned-so-far-with-digital-art.html I had just a lot of fun smudging and blending. Thank-you, my students!

Candace Garlock

As an artist, Candace Nicol Garlock uses an array of mediums in her work. The coalescence of printmaking techniques, painting, photography (and sculpture, too!) overlap and converge with color, texture and line in a collaboration of mixed, experimental beauty. With her appreciation of the interconnectedness of everything, she elevates relationships: human and environment, human and animal, human and human. She writes, “my multilayered compositions posit engaging questions to viewers regarding relationships, social identities, and societal issues surrounding the female gaze.”

Garlock's mentorship in student advancement, both artistically and professionally, as well as her engagement and participation in community events makes her a true ambassador of art. She draws inspiration from the collaboration of those around her, through the interplay with students, and continually is organizing collaborative projects. A renown printmaker whose work has been shown nationally and internationally, she has received multiple awards including the Reno Tahoe Artist Best in Sculpture/3-D Artworks in 2022, Best of Show and Best in 2D Mixed Media in 2023 and Best in 2-D Artworks in 2024, the Nevada Regents’ Creative Activity Award in 2017, the Nevada Arts Council Artist Fellowship in 2009 and an honorable mention in Printmaking Today in 2008, a review of fine art printmaking in Abruzzo, Italy. Nicol’s work can also be seen in 100 Artists of the Male Figure by E.Gibbons. Her work is included in many prestigious collections including the Kinsey Institute, Zuckerman Museum of Art, Rutgers Center for Innovative Print and Paper, Nevada Arts Council, and National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts.

https://candacenicolgarlock.com
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Art 103A-creating a pattern