|
September 2003
Kane Rogers
My interest in rendering the automobile began early in my childhood; my father was a draftsman by trade and a car buff and modeling
enthusiast, and I assumed those interests and ran with them. We always had car magazines and books around the house, so it was natural for me to begin relating to the photography therein, by such greats as Jesse
Alexander, Henry Manney and Geoff Goddard, to mention but three. There was a huge pool of talent there, both photographers and illustrators, providing regular lessons on composition, lighting, colour and an eye for
the dramatic. In fact, when I think about the popular culture of my youth, the magazines, books, comics, movies and television, I'd have to say that the path I've traveled was almost inevitable.
My training was mostly informal and self-imposed; I started with pencil and moved through various media and tools until in my twenties I
discovered the airbrush, which I took to immediately and used for many years with great success and satisfaction. It followed of course that I would begin experimenting with the computer and drawing programs. After
many frustrating ventures with Illustrator, CorelDraw and other programs, I found that Xara 2 was the most intuitive, and best suited my work methods. I saw that I could still think as an airbrusher, but work with
far more control and flexibility. And to my relief, it is no longer a challenge to go directly to print.
However I may define myself as an artist, the most important thing to me is to be free from technical limitations; Xara comes closest to
accomplishing that goal for me, while at the same time allowing me freedom of technique.
—Kane Rogers
|
