Tentative Bio

My name is Alex Bogolepov. I am quite comfortable with computers and have enjoyed fiddling with Photoshop for a couple years. Mostly I have used it for altering and retouching photographs, but am very curious about learning to create digital artwork “from scratch”. Although I am comfortable with the software, I still feel that no matter how deep into it I go, I am only scratching the surface. Enormous programs like PS show you how much you DON'T know – and I value them for it. They fuel creative self-expression and are truly a fertile ground for our imaginations to blossom. One of my reasons for taking this class is learning Photoshop and Painter from an insider's perspective (well, more insider than me, I guess) – all the tips and tricks. But the more philosophical aspects of what it means to be a “digital” artist interest me as well, and I am looking forward to picking the instructor's brain for clues and answers.

What I'd like to do in this class is to further my skills of photo manipulation and alteration. I have a stock full of ideas that are itching to be materialized. I'm also curious about Corel Painer's potential to alter photographs. Now, these are just my initial goals :) I accept that as the class goes on, I may get hit with epiphany of some sort that will change my whole mindset about digital art.

The word “artist” arouses suspicions in me. It is definitely a social label, and what's even worse, a self-label. I am much more inclined to think that we are all artists – although some of us utilize that potential, and others don't for a variety of reasons. You seem to lose something at the moment you define yourself as an “artist”. You suddenly owe obligations and specific patterns of behavior to an obscure subculture and to the society at large. To make it short, I don't consider the term “artist” necessary when describing myself.

I work on a PC, but can use a Mac as well. The first class was great and I have no complaints whatsoever about the instructor's teaching style. It's informative and seems to accommodate both beginners and more advanced students. I can't wait for 8 weekends of watching, learning, and expanding upon what is learned.