For many in the illustration industry, it's probably no surprise than many artist these days are working in a completely digital environment. By that, I mean that all sketching, illustrating and finishing is done on a computer. I've been doing that for about the last six years or so, but only recently had a steady run at it. Having done some small illustrations for the magazine just about every month, I've been able to get a somewhat organized process going, and it's worked okay for the most part. The only part that gives me trouble is the concept phase. I still have to work with a pencil and paper to get things going. Yesterday, while I was sketching out some ideas, I had a thought.

Yes, it's true, you can get by just fine without ever coming into contact with a computer in today's world.I've got a relative that has been illustrating, painting, designing for years, but now she's out of work. I'd imagine the big hitch is that she doesn't work with computers. I've done enough illustrating over the years to know that working with computers is hardly necessary, and can actually become a hindrance if you let it. But is it essential that artists use them?

These days, absolutely. Even if not a single stroke is laid down using a computer, there's so much more to conducting everyday business that requires it. That's where my relative is stuck out. During a discussion the other day, it took me a little while to realize that we're working in two different worlds. She's a bit older than me, so my initial reasoning behind the lack of computer skills was the age/generation factor. Then again, my dad uses a computer all the time. I've worked with all sorts of people of all ages, from their 20s to their 50s, who are very proficient, so that couldn't be it.