Matt Shanks: Small adventures in words and pictures
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Watercolour is inconvenient

In many ways, watercolour is inconvenient. I know that if I went digital with my art, things would be easier for me. I’d be able to expand my client base. I’d be able to work from anywhere rather than be constrained to my studio. I’d be able to correct any mistake, remove any blemish. It would also be way cheaper for me—no more expensive brushes and paints and papers that need replenishing every few months.

If I went digital, it would be better for publishers, too. There would be no artwork to post or insure. No lag in time for sending things off to scanners or colour-balancing images when they returned. There would be more space in their office because they wouldn’t need to store my work for over a year before they then have to spend more money to send it back to me. There would be more space in mine, too.

In a world that increasingly values cheaper, easier, faster, and more convenient, watercolour isn’t the ‘smart choice’ in which to ground business. But, it is a unique one, and maybe that’s more important.

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