I had just finished doing further research about my topic and the questions that I have to answers for my zine. After more thoughts, I decided to change one question to allow a variation in the interview questions. Below are the questions and answers that made it to the final design in my zine.
Q1. First of all, Where and when did you come from?
Well first of all, we weren’t invented yet back then. We only came to this world only recently in 1980s. For us, we were first introduced to the society by the name of AARON. We existed because a group of computer engineer designed a paint program for a digital artist name Harold Cohen. However, this first digital paintbrush isn’t exactly what you readers think it is. It is not the same of how we do and look like now. It was first designed as a machine that will create large drawing on sheets of paper. It was not until 10 years later in 1990 when the digital paintbrush we all know (US, THE TWINS!) were introduced and released for everyone to use. Thanks to the technology that keeps on developing, artists now have the freedom to freely create their artwork anywhere they like.
As for the other paintbrushes,
I asked around and this is a summary of what they told me. The first ever paintbrushes that was first recorded in history dates back to 300 BC in the Qin Dynasty in China. Invented by Meng Tian, the original paintbrush was originally designed for caligraphy and writing with ink and was made with materials such as bamboo and fur of animals’ hair. It was not until the 1930s that paintbrush made its first debut in the Western culture, thanks to a Tuscan painter names Cennino Cennini. The history of paintbrush didn’t stop there, after it was first introduced, each country had its own materials to make the paintbrush with. For example, in Egypt, they use macerated weed fibre, in East Asia, they use feathers and in Europe and America, they use animal’s hair. Paintbrushes were developed throughout history to what we know and have now.
Q2. How has the art and design industry evolve?
As someone who witness and heard of the stories of how art and design has developed, I can say that there are major changes that can be seen throughout history. One reason being the development of new materials and equipment that allows artists to be able to express themselves more freely through art. This development leads you, to us! Digital paintbrushes! However, aside from that, the visual and meaning of each art that were made throughout history have also evolved ever since. If we look at the Palaeolithic era, we can see how your ancestors mostly drew things such as animals that are being hunted and also the human form itself. Same goes with another different era, take Ancient era for an example (3500 BC), they mostly draw things that are heavily influenced by law practices and religion of the country. Whereas now, the century we live in, people are now in the phase of contemporary art, where they focuses on modernism and the innovative way to represent and express art. In conclusion, each era that is recorded in history has its own individual job in creating the art industry unique and to what we know and see today. The way people think and express themselves adapt and evolve through what their current situtaion is like.
Q3. It seems like you as an object are involved with so many different fields from design to makeup. If you hadn’t been invented, What would the design world would look like?
Well if you want the obvious answer, the design world would have to stuck with using their hand or other alternatives materials such as a stick to create artwork. The paintings that were made by historical artists like the Monalisa, that was made by Leonardo Da Vinci or The Old Guitarist that was made by Pablo Picasso wouldn’t have existed in this world if paintbrush isn’t a thing for people to use.
If you look back about 40,000 years ago, you would know that our ancestors, or yours to be exact, they used stick and their own fingers as a way to express their feeling and message through art. And may I add that they didn’t even use canvas to paint on. They painted in a cave! They had to poke and dab each holes and lines that they wanted to make to create their artwork. In addition to that, they had other material alernatives, such as horse hairbrushes and blowing the paints using bone marrows to resemble airbrushes. Although brushes was known as one of the option of materials that they used, the quality of the brushes might not be as nice as what we have now and if it wasn’t made as an option, people who used to do cave painting can only use the other materials that they had.
How about us, the digital art brushes? Well, the designers before the 1980s survived without us! They used pencil and traditional art objects and material to create their design. Can’t you imagine your life without us? It would be so much harder for the designers to survive in the design world.
Q4. I know that you’ve been used by historically famous artists like Van Gogh, Leonardo Da Vinci and many more inspirational artists. How does it feel like to be apart of inspirational artists’ journey in the design/art industry?
Well, my sister and I obviously weren’t invented during that period where historical artists create a change for the society’s perspectives of art and design. We are however, involved with the design and artwork that are made in this century after we were invented and it makes us feel very honored to be apart of that process. I did asked our paintbrush ancestors or siblings as they liked us to hear us call them, and in summary, they said that they feel popular knowing that they’re involved in something that shape the history. They did say that the best part of being involved as a part of history is knowing different techniques each artists use. Each historical significant artitsts uses their own techiques to make their own artwork unique and resemble their own personality. For example, the techniques that is used by Van Gogh. Van Gogh uses bright and vibrant colours to apply his unique technique to each of his artwork. He used a flat brush that was loaded with two different thick paint colours on each sides of the brush to create the effect of having two colours side by side.
Q5. As a design object that is used by designers and artists throughout the world, from beginner to professional, you as an equipment for are constantly being used and bought. The prices aren’t always cheap either, What Influence do you have in the day to day life that allows some people to spend some money to be able to use you in their career?
I guess the more simple and straightforward answer is how they say the more expensive we are the better quality we tend to be. I guess that’s the main reason why many people would spend quite a bit money as an investment for art. For example, cheap art materials such s clay and paint, their durability might not be as long as products with a higher and more expensive prizes. Therefore buying materials that are cheap might be a waste of money since the durability is not a long time for other people from other future generations to be able to see your artwork throughout history. Aside from that, us as an art equipment , we have our own purpose and usage that allows us to differs from one another. Take us as an example, the both of us can’t quite resemble what one another do. One of us are meant for digital drawing in drawing apps whereas my twin is meant to edit and trace objects in Adobe apps. Due to our own individual role that helps artists to be a designer or a better artists, people tend to invest to reach the result they wanted.
