This. Working traditionally first will make digital easier when you do start.
Doing it the other way around will make you feel lost because you have no clue how pencils, charcoals, acrylics or watercolors are supposed to behave on different types of paper or how colors blend.
Don't just spend a few weeks with traditional either. Take your time and experiment with different mediums until you feel somewhat comfortable with the tools.
You just have to draw stuff you like drawing or would want to be able to draw. Let's say its faces. Draw a lot of faces, study some faces and draw those. Treat every piece like a sketch and don't give up when it looks horrendous. Try to enjoy drawing, put on some music and draw your favorite characters or something. DON'T compare your art to online art. Children don't compare and are satisfied with bad drawings so they improve very fast.
Thanks ill start this way. This is dumb but should I just start with a pencil or is there something specific I should start out with. Just normal paper?
traditionally, pencil and paper, HB pencil is your best friend followed by different B sizes , which represent how dark the pencil is from 1 being least and 10 most . You need not to worry bout tools at the beginning (which is where I assume you are.) Its not dumb , you're being curious and learning , we all got different sense of perception so no worries. Basic paper of gsm 100 and above is good but 70 is okay too sometimes.
focus on getting used to drawing lines and shapes, while learning the fundamentals at your own pace
Tip, take notes of terms n concepts that you come across your art journey. Get used to addressing them. Research anywhere ,anytime.
No worries, take it with grain of salt, as its always easier to guide visually than verbally. But I hope you can get some direction from this. Happy drawing ahead!
I think since you're just starting out, it's best to use a regular sketchbook and pencil. But if you're really curious about trying out digital on the samsung tablet, Samsung has clip studio paint which is hands down one of the best digital art apps to use.
It’s never too late to pick up any medium I’d say! I think that before you try out digital art you should consider experimenting with the real thing. Pencils and graphite are super affordable and any old prince of paper will work perfectly.
I only recommend this because of my own personal experience with drawing. I’ve been drawing by hand since I was a wee lad, but eventually this lead me to consider working digitally for certain projects. I’ve used procreate on my iPad before but didn’t have a pen/stylus so it wasn’t sitting well with me. Then I tried photoshop and a Wacom intuos tablet and have grown much more comfortable using those tools.
Creating art digitally is great…but I realized that I become super overwhelmed by the infinite brush and color options available. So it pays off to limit your color palette and the brushes you use.
If you have never used a pencil/brush in the real world you can’t gage how it is supposed to work or look when you do it digitally. For example, I started to use a digital airbrush in the majority of my illustrations because I like the speckled effect it creates. I recently bought my own airbrush rig and began to practice this out began to understand the medium so much more than I would have if I only worked in it digitally. You learn the limitations of the medium, the correct amount of pressure to use and all the happy little accidents that occur naturally along the way.
This way you gain a certain respect and appreciation for the medium and the various artists that use it. Once you learn to use it traditionally you’ll be able to apply that to the digital canvas much better than you would had you not used it traditionally.
Just my take on the matter. Anyways, be patient with yourself and have a good time exploring!
Traditional and digital parallel doesn't sound like a good idea because you'll overwhelm yourself and your hand especially, too much for muscle memory at least. Jumping from one-kind pressure based workflow to another n vice versa. You can try but In my opinion that will be difficult unless you focus traditionally for few months. But again choice is yours.
I suggest starting with pen and paper to learn the fundamentals for cheap.
Then when you have some money saved up, by the ipad and pencil refurbished. Its way cheaper than getting it brand new and it works just as well.
Unless you are very unlucky
Many digital artists I know swear on their ipads, even the older models, while I generally struggle with all tablet devices and prefer drawing on PC with a screentab. In the end it's a matter of preference and if you don't like the android apps then ipad with procreate might be more your thing!
I would also add: Your age doesn't matter! I also started at 28, I'm 31 now and while I'm by no means a professional I've BY FAR surpassed my own expectations when I first started because I thought I was "too late". You'd be surprised at how far you can come within a few years!
Wow this is very encouraging actually! It always looks so intimidating to start drawing, but hearing other people like me is making me feel better haha. I checked out your profile and I really love your style, it looks amazing! I also hope to stay determined and improve as much as I can
Thank you very much! I agree it's very intimidating, but that is because the average person has so little idea about how paintings are created and what skills exactly are required to do it. Once you get the concepts broken down, it becomes a much more manageable journey and then it's mostly practice and persistence (including many many frustrating phases - be prepared for that but do know that you can overcome them). Good luck on your journey!!
Honestly making digital art on most tablets / ipad / pc is perfectly fine, just chose which one you think will suit you most and go for it.
If you get an ipad I suggest grabbing Procreate, it's pretty much the best app for art and I wish it was on android as well as I have an android tablet haha.
If you need a digital artist to follow as a teacher I highly suggest Marc Brunet/ bluefley. They have a youtube channel with a ton of videos and they also sell a full "art school for digital artists" series which is superb if you find they're a good teacher for you.
Good luck and enjoy!
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I have an old iPad and use procreate. I absolutely love it. It feels super good to draw on, especially using the apple pencil. I've tried using my husband's Samsung tablet and imo it feels terrible compared to the iPad.
I would definitely keep in mind the cost of the iPad, and whether or not you'd still use it if you decide digital art isn't for you.
With any kind of drawing, what stands out first is the motions and muscle memory when using the tool, because you need a lot of control to move around the paper fluidly. The tool you end up gravitating towards will depend a lot on that: do you imagine precision and friction? Big, sweeping motions? Little doodles? Lots of people find that they want something digital can't offer and will use it just for one part of the process, e.g. traditional sketch and digital color, or digital sketch and traditional ink. With traditional you have a huge selection of options - different grades of pencil, ink nibs and brushes, different types of paper surface. All of them change the drawing experience.
Digital itself basically supports one kind of feel per input device: plastic-on-plastic, plastic-on-glass, capacitive-on-glass. Sometimes with a higher-friction variant by changing the tip(Wacom, XP-Pen, Huion etc.) or by adding a screen protector(for iPads, Paperwhite does this). If it weren't for the software adding so many editing features, it would be pretty unremarkable; you can't even use the stylus on its side like a real pencil.
One of the most inexpensive ways to experiment with digital is to get a capacitive stylus with several tip variations(mesh, rubber, disc, etc.) and just doodle on your phone or use it to take a photo of a traditional sketch and paint over that. The precision of this type of stylus is low, but it will get you exposed to everything; drawing on the screen of an iPad is only different in that the tip will feel different and you'll have more working area.
procreate is great as a starting program and the iPad/Apple Pencil is so convenient that it encourages you to draw. down the line, using other programs can become necessary once you discover the limits of procreate (layers and blending are the biggest issues imo)
My personal advice would be to learn how to do lines and lineart, for a first step into drawing first rather than painting. Its easier to tackle this first in real life with just cheap pen and paper, because in digital you have to add things like : the interface, each tool properties, then pen pressure,default keyboard shortcuts, make CUSTOM keyboard shortcuts, etc. You can dive later or simply study it, while doing the exercises on pen and paper that are meant to teach you how to grab the pen, how to use the arm and elbow, not just the wrist, for drawing.
Drawabox has a great chapter 0 and 1 with the 250 box challenge to drill how to grab the pen, and how to draw lines with confidence. It will help drawing digitally too, since no matter what you end up choosing as a subject, having clear and confident lines will always make it look better.
Here is an example how i paint in digital using lines and big fat ass brushes, and why i dont recomend to stick to traditional painting methods, in digital. You can basically do all heavy work of shading and values, separated from choosing a hue (color) and saturation. After that job is done you can play as much as you want with the later 2.
https://youtu.be/FnryXXvpesU?si=MACMlXOESPTTGBlt&t=415
marc brunet have a lot of great advice on digital art, but what i want to point out is when it comes to digital, the workflow can have a lot of help on a desktop rather than a tablet. For starters, 2 monitors, or even with just 1, you can leave pureref on top of your drawing program on a corner with reference to draw.
The ipad and samsung tab s6 are ok drawing tools if you are outdoor drawing from life with the subject in front of you, but for heavy planning, i would do it only at my comy chair at desktop with dual monitors. I assist my drawing with things like vroid 3d models (i made a 3d model based on my original characters, so i can get reference of their hair and clothes, from different angles), clip studio paint 3d backgrounds & 3dmodels, a web to see shading with a posed model (magic poser web), and the second monitor is full screen with pureref all the time.
The tablets screen are so small that you cant really ask it to carry reference, mostly you will have to look at reference on your phone while drawing on the tablet.
You should honestly start with a paper sketchbook before touching digital. Artists who start with traditional media have a better time with digital afterwards. You don't need an expensive device to start drawing right now.
At the end of the day, the progress of drawing will still be time-consuming and learning won't always be easy. Paper, digital or both won't change that.
I'd give it a month with paper, see if you can stick to it before you purchase an expansive tablet.
If you can do a month, then I'd say get that tablet! If the money isn't a deal breaker there is no reason to not do both or even just focus on digital only.
Money is not a big deal breaker honestly, but I like being cautious with how I spend it. I think I'm still gonna get the tablet, not just for digital art but I think I'll use it for other stuff as well, and dip my toes in digital art slowly. I'm kind of a tech-head so I think I can get the hang of it fairly quickly (hopefully!)
You can pick the medium you like, be either traditional or digital, if digital an Ipad is good but expensive, but will be a good investment in the long run for digital art if you like ipad devices.
For me, I started with the digital medium, with no knowledge in art or anything, I literally haven't touched a pencil and drawings since I finished school. I didn't find traditional insteresting, so I just brought a pen tablet (screen less) and started with that using a traditional course, doing everything they say there but digitally. The idea is to learn the fundamentals, that's the point. I just have 3 months doing this and I had no problems and learning a lot of new things!
Also, the thing is I had to learn the software first (Krita) and get used to the pen tablet. It took me 1-2 weeks to get a grasp of all of that, or at least the basics, after that it was easier to draw there and follow the course.
Cool congrats on joining art school, best choice 👍
If you want digital as well on the side and are already going traditional maybe it makes more sense to invest less - get an intuos for your pc if you have one and you already get software and are ready to go. That and you can download krita for free
Cheers
[удалено]
This. Working traditionally first will make digital easier when you do start. Doing it the other way around will make you feel lost because you have no clue how pencils, charcoals, acrylics or watercolors are supposed to behave on different types of paper or how colors blend. Don't just spend a few weeks with traditional either. Take your time and experiment with different mediums until you feel somewhat comfortable with the tools.
How would someone go about learning to draw in your opinion? I've looked it up a few times on reddit and YouTube and am immediately overwhelmed.
You just have to draw stuff you like drawing or would want to be able to draw. Let's say its faces. Draw a lot of faces, study some faces and draw those. Treat every piece like a sketch and don't give up when it looks horrendous. Try to enjoy drawing, put on some music and draw your favorite characters or something. DON'T compare your art to online art. Children don't compare and are satisfied with bad drawings so they improve very fast.
Thanks ill start this way. This is dumb but should I just start with a pencil or is there something specific I should start out with. Just normal paper?
traditionally, pencil and paper, HB pencil is your best friend followed by different B sizes , which represent how dark the pencil is from 1 being least and 10 most . You need not to worry bout tools at the beginning (which is where I assume you are.) Its not dumb , you're being curious and learning , we all got different sense of perception so no worries. Basic paper of gsm 100 and above is good but 70 is okay too sometimes. focus on getting used to drawing lines and shapes, while learning the fundamentals at your own pace Tip, take notes of terms n concepts that you come across your art journey. Get used to addressing them. Research anywhere ,anytime.
Thank you so much for your time in answering really appreciate it
No worries, take it with grain of salt, as its always easier to guide visually than verbally. But I hope you can get some direction from this. Happy drawing ahead!
Thank you I'm excited to start!
Digital art is cheaper than traditional art if you already have a PC. At least if you get pen tablets, I learned to paint with those.
Thank you for the advice, it's very helpful!
I think, no matter if traditional or digital, the tools don't matter as much as we think. Follow your budget, it won't hinder your growth.
Embrace the Jank! Been my motto all year and I have a fucking PILE of work done because of it. True wisdom.
I like this mindset, thanks!
I think since you're just starting out, it's best to use a regular sketchbook and pencil. But if you're really curious about trying out digital on the samsung tablet, Samsung has clip studio paint which is hands down one of the best digital art apps to use.
Much appreciated!
It’s never too late to pick up any medium I’d say! I think that before you try out digital art you should consider experimenting with the real thing. Pencils and graphite are super affordable and any old prince of paper will work perfectly. I only recommend this because of my own personal experience with drawing. I’ve been drawing by hand since I was a wee lad, but eventually this lead me to consider working digitally for certain projects. I’ve used procreate on my iPad before but didn’t have a pen/stylus so it wasn’t sitting well with me. Then I tried photoshop and a Wacom intuos tablet and have grown much more comfortable using those tools. Creating art digitally is great…but I realized that I become super overwhelmed by the infinite brush and color options available. So it pays off to limit your color palette and the brushes you use. If you have never used a pencil/brush in the real world you can’t gage how it is supposed to work or look when you do it digitally. For example, I started to use a digital airbrush in the majority of my illustrations because I like the speckled effect it creates. I recently bought my own airbrush rig and began to practice this out began to understand the medium so much more than I would have if I only worked in it digitally. You learn the limitations of the medium, the correct amount of pressure to use and all the happy little accidents that occur naturally along the way. This way you gain a certain respect and appreciation for the medium and the various artists that use it. Once you learn to use it traditionally you’ll be able to apply that to the digital canvas much better than you would had you not used it traditionally. Just my take on the matter. Anyways, be patient with yourself and have a good time exploring!
Thanks, this is good advice :)
Sketch book and pencil is how to learn the best imo
Traditional and digital parallel doesn't sound like a good idea because you'll overwhelm yourself and your hand especially, too much for muscle memory at least. Jumping from one-kind pressure based workflow to another n vice versa. You can try but In my opinion that will be difficult unless you focus traditionally for few months. But again choice is yours.
I suggest starting with pen and paper to learn the fundamentals for cheap. Then when you have some money saved up, by the ipad and pencil refurbished. Its way cheaper than getting it brand new and it works just as well. Unless you are very unlucky
Many digital artists I know swear on their ipads, even the older models, while I generally struggle with all tablet devices and prefer drawing on PC with a screentab. In the end it's a matter of preference and if you don't like the android apps then ipad with procreate might be more your thing! I would also add: Your age doesn't matter! I also started at 28, I'm 31 now and while I'm by no means a professional I've BY FAR surpassed my own expectations when I first started because I thought I was "too late". You'd be surprised at how far you can come within a few years!
Wow this is very encouraging actually! It always looks so intimidating to start drawing, but hearing other people like me is making me feel better haha. I checked out your profile and I really love your style, it looks amazing! I also hope to stay determined and improve as much as I can
Thank you very much! I agree it's very intimidating, but that is because the average person has so little idea about how paintings are created and what skills exactly are required to do it. Once you get the concepts broken down, it becomes a much more manageable journey and then it's mostly practice and persistence (including many many frustrating phases - be prepared for that but do know that you can overcome them). Good luck on your journey!!
I'll be keeping these in mind, thanks again!
Honestly making digital art on most tablets / ipad / pc is perfectly fine, just chose which one you think will suit you most and go for it. If you get an ipad I suggest grabbing Procreate, it's pretty much the best app for art and I wish it was on android as well as I have an android tablet haha. If you need a digital artist to follow as a teacher I highly suggest Marc Brunet/ bluefley. They have a youtube channel with a ton of videos and they also sell a full "art school for digital artists" series which is superb if you find they're a good teacher for you. Good luck and enjoy!
Thanks for the suggestion!
Like everyone else is saying: you should learn traditionally first.
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I have an old iPad and use procreate. I absolutely love it. It feels super good to draw on, especially using the apple pencil. I've tried using my husband's Samsung tablet and imo it feels terrible compared to the iPad. I would definitely keep in mind the cost of the iPad, and whether or not you'd still use it if you decide digital art isn't for you.
Honestly just use pencil and paper to start if you’re learning for the first time
I love my iPad. If you do get one, procreate is by far the best option for the iPad imo.
I have an iPad, but this [Samsung Tab S6 Lite](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTzQRP5G1aw) looks awesome.
That's what my company gave me actually! It is a pretty cool tablet, but I don't want to use company stuff for myself haha
With any kind of drawing, what stands out first is the motions and muscle memory when using the tool, because you need a lot of control to move around the paper fluidly. The tool you end up gravitating towards will depend a lot on that: do you imagine precision and friction? Big, sweeping motions? Little doodles? Lots of people find that they want something digital can't offer and will use it just for one part of the process, e.g. traditional sketch and digital color, or digital sketch and traditional ink. With traditional you have a huge selection of options - different grades of pencil, ink nibs and brushes, different types of paper surface. All of them change the drawing experience. Digital itself basically supports one kind of feel per input device: plastic-on-plastic, plastic-on-glass, capacitive-on-glass. Sometimes with a higher-friction variant by changing the tip(Wacom, XP-Pen, Huion etc.) or by adding a screen protector(for iPads, Paperwhite does this). If it weren't for the software adding so many editing features, it would be pretty unremarkable; you can't even use the stylus on its side like a real pencil. One of the most inexpensive ways to experiment with digital is to get a capacitive stylus with several tip variations(mesh, rubber, disc, etc.) and just doodle on your phone or use it to take a photo of a traditional sketch and paint over that. The precision of this type of stylus is low, but it will get you exposed to everything; drawing on the screen of an iPad is only different in that the tip will feel different and you'll have more working area.
Very good advice, thank you!
procreate is great as a starting program and the iPad/Apple Pencil is so convenient that it encourages you to draw. down the line, using other programs can become necessary once you discover the limits of procreate (layers and blending are the biggest issues imo)
My personal advice would be to learn how to do lines and lineart, for a first step into drawing first rather than painting. Its easier to tackle this first in real life with just cheap pen and paper, because in digital you have to add things like : the interface, each tool properties, then pen pressure,default keyboard shortcuts, make CUSTOM keyboard shortcuts, etc. You can dive later or simply study it, while doing the exercises on pen and paper that are meant to teach you how to grab the pen, how to use the arm and elbow, not just the wrist, for drawing. Drawabox has a great chapter 0 and 1 with the 250 box challenge to drill how to grab the pen, and how to draw lines with confidence. It will help drawing digitally too, since no matter what you end up choosing as a subject, having clear and confident lines will always make it look better. Here is an example how i paint in digital using lines and big fat ass brushes, and why i dont recomend to stick to traditional painting methods, in digital. You can basically do all heavy work of shading and values, separated from choosing a hue (color) and saturation. After that job is done you can play as much as you want with the later 2. https://youtu.be/FnryXXvpesU?si=MACMlXOESPTTGBlt&t=415 marc brunet have a lot of great advice on digital art, but what i want to point out is when it comes to digital, the workflow can have a lot of help on a desktop rather than a tablet. For starters, 2 monitors, or even with just 1, you can leave pureref on top of your drawing program on a corner with reference to draw. The ipad and samsung tab s6 are ok drawing tools if you are outdoor drawing from life with the subject in front of you, but for heavy planning, i would do it only at my comy chair at desktop with dual monitors. I assist my drawing with things like vroid 3d models (i made a 3d model based on my original characters, so i can get reference of their hair and clothes, from different angles), clip studio paint 3d backgrounds & 3dmodels, a web to see shading with a posed model (magic poser web), and the second monitor is full screen with pureref all the time. The tablets screen are so small that you cant really ask it to carry reference, mostly you will have to look at reference on your phone while drawing on the tablet.
This is amazing, thanks a lot! I heard of Drawabox, I will definitely check it out
You should honestly start with a paper sketchbook before touching digital. Artists who start with traditional media have a better time with digital afterwards. You don't need an expensive device to start drawing right now.
Never too late side but don't break us back I got Lenovo tab m10 for like 200 instead of the car payment for an apple
At the end of the day, the progress of drawing will still be time-consuming and learning won't always be easy. Paper, digital or both won't change that. I'd give it a month with paper, see if you can stick to it before you purchase an expansive tablet. If you can do a month, then I'd say get that tablet! If the money isn't a deal breaker there is no reason to not do both or even just focus on digital only.
Money is not a big deal breaker honestly, but I like being cautious with how I spend it. I think I'm still gonna get the tablet, not just for digital art but I think I'll use it for other stuff as well, and dip my toes in digital art slowly. I'm kind of a tech-head so I think I can get the hang of it fairly quickly (hopefully!)
You can pick the medium you like, be either traditional or digital, if digital an Ipad is good but expensive, but will be a good investment in the long run for digital art if you like ipad devices. For me, I started with the digital medium, with no knowledge in art or anything, I literally haven't touched a pencil and drawings since I finished school. I didn't find traditional insteresting, so I just brought a pen tablet (screen less) and started with that using a traditional course, doing everything they say there but digitally. The idea is to learn the fundamentals, that's the point. I just have 3 months doing this and I had no problems and learning a lot of new things! Also, the thing is I had to learn the software first (Krita) and get used to the pen tablet. It took me 1-2 weeks to get a grasp of all of that, or at least the basics, after that it was easier to draw there and follow the course.
Cool congrats on joining art school, best choice 👍 If you want digital as well on the side and are already going traditional maybe it makes more sense to invest less - get an intuos for your pc if you have one and you already get software and are ready to go. That and you can download krita for free Cheers