His Bristle Studio, also
called MoXi, is a digital ink painting software package that makes
use of a pressure sensitive pen and tablet device to simulate Chinese
calligraphy and ink painting on the computer screen.
Last year,
Nelson presented a technical paper on his new technology at the
world-renowned SIGGRAPH, the International Conference on Computer
Graphics and Interactive Techniques.
SIGGRAPH
is the most prestigious annual event in the computer graphics and
animation sector. Papers on the latest research findings are
presented while hardware and software vendors compete to demonstrate
state-of-the-art industrial technologies.
An afficionado
of Chinese calligraphy for many years, Nelson said of his attendance
at SIGGRAPH: "I hope our exposure will further promote the
arts of calligraphy and ink painting."
He became
a computer fan at primary school. From then, it was always one of
his ambitions to bring these disparate hobbies together. "People
today are reluctant to practice Chinese brush techniques because
they are quite time consuming. Computers are more popular now and
relatively convenient. I hope MoXi will encourage more people to
appreciate this kind of art."
One of Nelson's goals
now is to develop Bristle Studio into a computer teaching tool.
Teachers can use the software to capture the correct ways of writing.
In addition, students can try different writing styles and papers
at no cost.
He also wants to promote Chinese
painting arts elsewhere: "For instance, the software can help
Western artists appreciate the characteristics of Chinese brushes
and expose them to more artistic effects," he said. Recently,
artists from the US and Brazil have expressed their interest in
Nelson's software.
"Ink simulation software
still has much room for development. I hope computers will further
develop the art traditions by bringing about new artistic effects
not achievable before," he concluded.
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