That is, an artist who creates lots of work probably experiences prolific days and slower days.

But in the old days, visual artists used to fall into two distinct categories: those of us who created images with cameras and those of us who applied stuff onto other stuff, with brushes or other tools.

Once an artist explores the vast variety of tools and features available on the great programs, we're hooked.

Sixteen million colors in your palette are hard for any artist, especially a beginner, to turn down.

I work closely with the printer to get the final print the way I want it.

Another time factor is output: proofing and printing. That is, getting your work out of the computer and onto paper and having it satisfy you. It can be time consuming and expensive.