Do you want to be a digital artist, but don’t know where to start? Perhaps you’ve done a Google search before, but felt overwhelmed by all the information, or intimidated by what the authors assumed you already know.
I’ve realized that there’s not enough beginner-friendly material out there for people who want to try digital painting. That’s why I’ve put together this comprehensive guide to explain everything you need to know to get started. From the tools, software, process, and features–this guide is everything you need to jumpstart your new hobby (or career) ASAP.
Note: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. That means if you buy something, I get a small commission at no extra cost to you, to help support the blog and allows me to continue to make free content. Thanks for your support! 🙂
How To Create Digital Renderings Of Artwork On Client Walls Using Photoshop
Also, I’ve created 28-Portrait Brushes that might help you paint better – you may want to opt-in and get them. They are free!
So you might already be familiar with traditional media, such as watercolor, oils, or acrylic – and now you’re wondering.. “what is digital painting?”
Digital painting is a new medium that lets us create beautiful artwork, without the messiness of painting with inks or oils. It still requires many of the same skills and techniques as traditional painting (no, you can’t just create art at the click of a button… yet), but it’s also easier in many ways.
Tips For Making The Transition From Traditional Drawing To Digital
Instead of painting on canvas or paper, digital painting allows you to paint directly onto a computer, which has a number of amazing advantages:
They generally have just two components: a touch-pad, and a stylus (a digital pen), though fancier models will also have a number of buttons and dials along the side. Because these tablets don’t have screens, you will need a laptop or computer to plug them into (usually via a USB cable)
Pro-Tip: I would recommend you get a tablet that has a drawing area of at least 6″ x 3.7″. You’ll need this to create fluid, dynamic strokes.
Ways To Make Digital Art
Display tablets function like graphic tablets, but with a built-in monitor. You can draw directly onto a screen, which feels more intuitive (especially when you’re used to painting on paper or canvas).
These include popular tablets like the iPad Pro or Microsoft Surface Pro. The big advantage is that you won’t need an extra laptop or computer to plug your tablet into – these are essentially a tablet and computer 2-in-1. This makes them very portable – you can take them with you wherever you go. The downside is that they are more expensive, and you have a very limited selection of software available to you.
Important: If you choose to use an Apple iPad, you will also need a stylus with pressure sensitivity . The Apple Pencil has built in pressure sensitivity, but it only works with the iPad Pro – if you are using a regular iPad there are options like the Adonit Pixel Stylus.
Digital Art: What Is Digital Art Definition?
There are a lot of different programs available for digital painting, so to make your life easier I would suggest you get one of these three:
If you want to get serious about digital painting, I highly recommend Adobe Photoshop. It’s the most powerful software available for painting, and because it’s become the industry standard you’ll find the most training & lessons on it.
Krita is a free and open-source alternative to Adobe Photoshop. It’s not quite as powerful, though it’s certainly good enough to get started if you’re on a limited budget. Just be aware that you won’t find as much training on it online, and if you want to one day work professionally in an in-house studio or agency, you may need to eventually switch to Adobe Photoshop.
Top Free Sites For Creating Digital Art
Procreate has been taking the art world by storm in the last few years. It’s very light-weight and easy to use, and while it’s lacking some of Photoshops features, more are being added to it all the time. Unfortunately it’s currently only available for iPad.
While I recommend you stick to one of the 3 programs above, there are other options available to you. Other popular painting programs include:
Pro-Tip: At the end of the day, picking your software is a matter of preference. With enough practice you’ll be able to create professional looking artwork in any software. Based on my experiences I would recommend you pick one of 3 programs I listed above, but if you’d prefer to use another app, then go for it!
Digital Artist Does Physical Exhibition
It can be easy to get overwhelmed with the amount of choices available, and get lost down a rabbit hole of trying to find the perfect set up.
My advice to you is this: don’t overcomplicate it! At the end of the day, the tools don’t make an artist, and you won’t notice a huge difference between entry-level and professional-level tablets as a beginner.
Start simple! The Wacom Intuos is an inexpensive and very reliable tablet (I still use it to this day!). Pair it with Adobe Photoshop
Creating A Set Of Digital Painting Icons Part 4
Note: I’ve summarised some of the most important concepts from the video, but make sure to watch the video above as there are many more lessons in it!
In Adobe Photoshop, you can do this by going to File > New Document, or by using the keyboard shortcut CTRL/CMD + N
When you have the Brush Tool (shortcut: B) selected, there are a number of shortcuts you can access by holding the following keys:
Learn How To Create A Digital Painting
By using layers, you can keep different elements of your painting separate. Whether it’s an object, a body part, a highlight or a shadow–painting them on different layers will give you the ability to tweak each element without risking the rest of your work.
The most important thing to remember about layers is this: the order that layers are listed in your Layers panel is the order they will show up on your canvas. Layers that are higher up will be placed on top of layers underneath them. You can drag and drop layers to change their order in an instant.
The varieties of brushes used in digital painting are unlimited. In Photoshop, a unique brush stroke can be created by simply changing the brush tip, size, softness, shape, and even the pressure applied. If you miss the texture of traditional media, you can even use brushes that are designed to look like oil or watercolor!
Ideas For Beginners To Create Digital Art
As for erasers, they can be configured in the same way as brushes in terms of size, shape, and softness. The only difference is that they remove color instead of adding them.
There are many ways to create a blended effect in Photoshop: soft edge brush, smudge tool, and mixer brush being the most common tools. Of course, you should choose your technique based on the effect you are trying to achieve. We suggest you start by trying out various blending tools to see for yourself what fits your process and personal painting style.
In this step-by-step video, you’ll learn all of the most important digital painting techniques, and use them to create a prickly painting of your own! Don’t forget to download the free exercise sheet above so you can follow along yourself.
How To Create Digital Mark Making
I hope you’ve enjoyed this free guide, and I hope you’re feeling fired up about digital painting! If you’d like to keep learning and improving, take a look at the following resources:
The Academy is your one-stop-shop for mastering digital painting – full of step-by-step lessons, resources, an amazing community, and even the ability to get help and support from a seasoned instructor.
Get instant access to the learning paths, live events, and private community that have helped 9000+ artists like you master digital painting, fast!You want to get started making digital paintings too, but you don’t know where to start? In this article I will show you how to get started with digital art. The great thing is that making digital art doesn’t have to be expensive, it could be you already have most of the equipment you need!
How To Make Digital Art In Canva — Simple Guide And Examples
I haven’t tried out all the products that I show as examples in this article. I’d always recommend reading some reviews of products to make a considered choice. Also, the prices are only an indication, click the link if you want to see the exact price of a product.
At the end of this article you will find the best way to get started with digital art in my opinion. However, that’s just my opinion of course, take from this article what you need and make a considered choice based on your personal situation. Finally, if you have any questions, be sure to ask them!
Have you already bought everything you need to get started with digital art, but do you struggle with drawing? Then check out these 12 digital drawing exercises.
Digital Painting Tutorial By Sandrawinther On Deviantart
Note: In this article you’ll find some affiliate links, this means that if you buy something, I will get a small commission. This won’t cost you anything, but you will be supporting this website and allow me to continue making free digital art tutorials for you. Thank you for your support!
A graphic tablet works a bit like
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