You may not be familiar with his name but most likely you’ve encountered his work, and now Kevin Carden is giving you tips to make your very own digital art.
- Getting an equipment
Digital Art does not take a lot of technology. Even though Kevin uses a computer and Photoshop software, he says it is very possible to do so many designs using a smartphone that has all the necessary apps installed. Using the resources you have at the moment will help you get started and do a lot of creative artwork. As you continue to grow as an artist, more resources will come in later and you can use more technology.
- Learning Digital Art
Kevin says he is a self-taught artist and started out as far back as 2010. He would take pictures and play around with different editing tools on Photoshop. Gradually, he got the hang of it. It was indeed a long learning curve for him. Of course, he watched some YouTube videos and downloaded few tutorial packages, yet most of his knowledge came from years of practice.
- His creative process
Most of his concepts come together after reading Bible stories, listening to sermons, or teaching Sunday School and not necessarily praying. Of course, prayer is a big part of his digital artwork, but Kevin says he does not particularly pray each time before he starts. Other times, he does random brainstorm and makes several paper-pencil sketches. Then he figures out many other elements like background, light setup, photo, etc.
He also goes on to say that he particularly admires Erik Johansson, a Swedish artist who has done a lot of great works. There are not many Christians in the digital art space, which is why he really wants to equip other believers. Carden also appreciates the works of other secular artists he follows on Instagram and Facebook.
- Kevin’s source of inspiration
When it comes to art, the medium you use does not necessarily matter as long as you are driving home a point. Kevin says he is not skilled when it comes to traditional painting, but he has created a niche for himself using Photoshop. The motivation behind every artwork should be the message it sends. On inspiration, Kevin suggests that the Psalms are a great place to start because of their vivid imagery. A moment of prayer and meditation on how they would apply to our immediate environment, families, and situation will help in conceptualizing a design. For powerful illustrations, the parables of Jesus are also a great read.
- About Christian digital artwork
Christian digital artwork is not a group. It is Kevin’s personal profile on Facebook where he publishes all his Christian artworks. However, Kevin looks forward to a time when several Christian photographers and artists will come together to form a Facebook group where they can share all their amazing works with one another.
- Difficulty with bringing ideas to life
For people experiencing difficulties with visualizing their ideas, Kevin encourages them to feel free and shoot him a message with whatever rough sketch they may have at the moment. However, Kevin says he cannot help out with designs that may include an actual image of Jesus simply because he does not know what Jesus looks like. The closest to this that he designs are images that block out the face of Jesus and only show his hands, nailed palms, or his silhouette.
- Glorifying God in our artworks
In relation to the parable of the talents, it is important to know that God has given each of us a talent, and being an artist can be one of them. For example, Kevin says God has given him an unusual talent of unique imagery and creating artwork that is very different. Most times, God gives us a burden to create something new which is to glorify God through our art. Regardless of our artistic styles, we should remain faithful to whatever burden Gid has laced in us and stay humble through the growth process. All that God asks for is to be faithful with the little He has given us and realize that our talent is to honor him alone.
- Sharing inspiration with viewers
Kevin says he likes to share his inspiration and behind-the-scene process with his audience because it can also serve as a source of inspiration to them. A lot of other artists do not share because they feel others may copy their work thus making it less special, but Kevin thinks differently. He wants his viewers to be inspired to create their own designs, thus raising more creative artists who will go on to do more awesome things.
- Creating a light effect
Kevin has recorded many free tutorials on his YouTube channel, mostly teaching how he creates light effects on his photos. In these videos, he showed how he does the blend mode, layer effects and how he incorporates contrast to create the good-and-evil as well as the light-and-dark effect in many of his images. He also added that studying the gospel of John helps with his imagery of light and darkness.
- Organizing a workshop
Kevin said he would rather organize a physical workshop where he brings together 10 to 20 creatives, rather than virtual training which is on the rise due to the pandemic. Hence, he would stick to uploading video tutorials on YouTube, Facebook, or Instagram.
- Creating a script
Kevin says he is neither a motion artist nor a filmmaker. It is better to realize that you cannot be good at everything so it is better to focus on one thing you are really good at, and for him, it is photoshop and photography.
