Very new to digital art

[Chromacon]

I'm really new to digital art.

I'm looking to get a tablet and try find a good program to buy and use.

My question is: What are the steps people use? Is there a tutorial for digital drawing? Also, do people draw on paper first, then scan it and draw digitally over it?
I'm very, very confused and I'd hopefully like to draw digitally like what I draw on paper. gonk

[XMegantronX]

Everyone does their digital art differently. Since you're new to it, the first thing would be to get to know your program and tablet. The tutorials you'll want will depend on the program you choose. Drawing on the tablet alone will take time to master too.

[Chromacon]

XMegantronX

Everyone does their digital art differently. Since you're new to it, the first thing would be to get to know your program and tablet. The tutorials you'll want will depend on the program you choose. Drawing on the tablet alone will take time to master too.

Ah okay, as a newbie what type of tablet and program should I use?

[XMegantronX]

xTechnoe

XMegantronX

Everyone does their digital art differently. Since you're new to it, the first thing would be to get to know your program and tablet. The tutorials you'll want will depend on the program you choose. Drawing on the tablet alone will take time to master too.

Ah okay, as a newbie what type of tablet and program should I use?

well, tablet depends on your budget. they range from less than $100 to $2,000. wacom tablets are generally well made. i have an intuos 4 and it serves me fairly well. the only hiccup you may have with them is if you have an average laptop, it could lag up the tablet a lot. bamboos are also good for beginners. maybe take a look at wacom's site and see which one may work for you.

program could be tricky. all of them do nearly the same thing and you can get similar results on them, but their interfaces are different. i, personally, like painting and drawing with photoshop. luckily, you can try out nearly all of the programs you want to see which one you prefer. photoshop has trial versions and free versions on their website, paint tool sai has a 30 day trial, and then there's free programs like gimp, krita, my paint, and many others. i'd try out a few and see what you think.

as for me, i started out on photoshop, so i was always partial to it. i got used to it, so every other program i tried after it just wasn't the same. there are also probably more tutorials on photoshop than any other program. i've tried sai and i just couldn't get past their interface. it just felt so alien to me. however, their paint brush tools are pretty neat if you like the painterly look. photoshop can mimic paintbrushes too, but you'll have to play with the brush settings, download brushes, or make your own brushes. it comes with a few neat brushes, but they're pretty basic. krita is new and i've heard good things about it. i haven't tried it yet. i think it's kind of like sai in which it focuses on mainly painting. my paint is mostly painting too and has some really awesome paint effects. gimp is like an open source photoshop. it does all the basic things photoshop can do.

hope i've helped a bit ^^

[Jessy Melly]

Everyone is different I'm kind of new to this digital art as well and I don't even own a tablet. So i have to draw it by scratch 4laugh crying

[Chromacon]

XMegantronX

xTechnoe

XMegantronX

Everyone does their digital art differently. Since you're new to it, the first thing would be to get to know your program and tablet. The tutorials you'll want will depend on the program you choose. Drawing on the tablet alone will take time to master too.

Ah okay, as a newbie what type of tablet and program should I use?

well, tablet depends on your budget. they range from less than $100 to $2,000. wacom tablets are generally well made. i have an intuos 4 and it serves me fairly well. the only hiccup you may have with them is if you have an average laptop, it could lag up the tablet a lot. bamboos are also good for beginners. maybe take a look at wacom's site and see which one may work for you.

program could be tricky. all of them do nearly the same thing and you can get similar results on them, but their interfaces are different. i, personally, like painting and drawing with photoshop. luckily, you can try out nearly all of the programs you want to see which one you prefer. photoshop has trial versions and free versions on their website, paint tool sai has a 30 day trial, and then there's free programs like gimp, krita, my paint, and many others. i'd try out a few and see what you think.

as for me, i started out on photoshop, so i was always partial to it. i got used to it, so every other program i tried after it just wasn't the same. there are also probably more tutorials on photoshop than any other program. i've tried sai and i just couldn't get past their interface. it just felt so alien to me. however, their paint brush tools are pretty neat if you like the painterly look. photoshop can mimic paintbrushes too, but you'll have to play with the brush settings, download brushes, or make your own brushes. it comes with a few neat brushes, but they're pretty basic. krita is new and i've heard good things about it. i haven't tried it yet. i think it's kind of like sai in which it focuses on mainly painting. my paint is mostly painting too and has some really awesome paint effects. gimp is like an open source photoshop. it does all the basic things photoshop can do.

hope i've helped a bit ^^

To be honest I'm not really into getting such an expensive tablet, maybe ranging about $100~? I saw some really cool tablets on wacom, but I'm still unsure if which one I should get. I mean, some tablets fit some purposes and some dont? What i'm asking is, which one is worth getting?

Yeah I was thinking about just going for photoshop, but damn that program is really expensive. I'm also interested in SAI but not really into GIMP and Krita.

[rentheory]

I think once you get your tablet, a lot of those questions will clear up. Everyone works differently, I used to scan images at first then do work on them, but now I only draw from my tablet. Once you get comfortable with it, you'll know what works for you and what you prefer.
As for programs, again, it's all preference there. I personally use sai, I'm not used to the ps interface so I work 10x slower in it. But you should try out anything really, usually wacom tablets come with some version of corel, and there's many other drawing programs out there. Just remember, it's not the program that makes the art, it's the artist. A lot of times people think by using a certain program they'll improve instantly, but it just boils down to your skill and comfort with everything. Hope this helps!

[Chromacon]

rentheory

I think once you get your tablet, a lot of those questions will clear up. Everyone works differently, I used to scan images at first then do work on them, but now I only draw from my tablet. Once you get comfortable with it, you'll know what works for you and what you prefer.
As for programs, again, it's all preference there. I personally use sai, I'm not used to the ps interface so I work 10x slower in it. But you should try out anything really, usually wacom tablets come with some version of corel, and there's many other drawing programs out there. Just remember, it's not the program that makes the art, it's the artist. A lot of times people think by using a certain program they'll improve instantly, but it just boils down to your skill and comfort with everything. Hope this helps!

I understand. What I'm stuck on is the budget. Wacom tablets seem very expensive and i'm not too interested in such prices.
For programs I'm also lost, I'm probably going to try their trial though.

[rentheory]

xTechnoe

My first tablet was around $60(I got it about 4 years ago), not too expensive and to this day it still works perfectly. As long as you take care of your tablet, I think even if you spend under 100, you should be fine. But there are other brands besides wacom, I've personally never tried any others, but you could look into reviews.

[Chromacon]

rentheory

xTechnoe

My first tablet was around $60(I got it about 4 years ago), not too expensive and to this day it still works perfectly. As long as you take care of your tablet, I think even if you spend under 100, you should be fine. But there are other brands besides wacom, I've personally never tried any others, but you could look into reviews.

Hm $60 is definitely a price I'd like. Somewhere around $100 is okay too. I'll try look at reviews, thanks.

[Kaiser-chan]

The most basic wacom model is about 80$ USD. There's a slightly upgraded (not really anything worthwhile feature-wise I think?) that comes with some basic art software. But I've never used that model specifically, so I can't really recommend it. I do recommend wacoms in general, because I find that my wacom and others I've used seem to have better longevity and fewer hiccups in use than the cheaper competitors. But a lot of that is luck to not get a lemon, and treating it right.

As far as software, the good stuff will set you back. Painter and Photoshop will both break your budget. Paint Tool Sai is a lot cheaper, as is Open Canvas (though Sai seems to have a better community for support than OC does these days.)

There are free options like Open Canvas 1.1 (an extremely old program - it's something crazy like over 10 years old or something iirc) or the Gimp, but your mileage may vary on free programs. If you have free time though, I would recommend playing around with free ones. It'll give you more of a feel for what is out there and what you're looking for in a program.

I'm not great at giving recommendations for programs because I've been using Photoshop for about fifteen years and every time I try a new program it just isn't Photoshop, so I end up slinking back. But you'll only find the one that fits your needs best if you figure out what your needs are.


You can do your workflow however you want with digital, there's no set guidelines. Personally, I like to sketch with pen or pencil instead of digitally. I find I make more free, loose sketches that way. Also, I have CTS and inking digitally is a little rougher on my wrists than traditional, so I like to ink traditionally when I do a piece with lineart. A scanner helps, but if you've got a good phone camera and direct sunlight, you can do without these days. So for example: traditional lines, digital finished version. And traditional preliminary sketch to start, then digitally I start working over that to tighten up anatomy and crap for a painting that'll be done otherwise all digitally. But your workflow doesn't have to match mine or anyone else's.


And because generally speaking there is always the awkward thing when it comes to any conversation about beginning digital and not being able to afford the programs - if you do ever decide to pirate anything, use caution. Art programs are and always have been over-pirated and are a fast ticket to an infected computer. Regardless of whether or not you would ever try it, someone reading might and part of being a digital-painting adult is having to make sure someone gives proverbial kids "the talk." wink

[Fresc]

It is possible to work with a drawing on the program. I think its better to do it that way, because just about every experience I've had with designs of any field have something to go off of, plus if you're new it could help to enhance a drawing you already did. I remember when I first inserted a drawing into a program (Pphotoshop CS6 or was it Illustrator) and with a few clicks the lines I wasn't as crafty with were cleaned up. But anyways, either way is cool, enjoy the digital experience!

[tentaraf00]

i recommend Sai- i tried to use photoshop before but there was just something off about the tools to me...
You can totally sketch the drawing traditionally and color it digitally- i do that sometimes.
Lots of people start off with a Wacom tablet, really though, you can use anything you feel comfortable with. if you have a friend with a tablet, maybe ask to try it out?

[Spice Vomit]

hello,
for free start with Gimp. if you have tablet, you ll train your hand for exemple : doing line.
After: Paintool Sai (70$) is simple to handle you will notice the diference at the first try. you ll need to find some brush on Deviant art or everywhere. But it s not necessary for a Manga styl color for beguiner.

[Puddingskinmcgee]

In terms of tablets I want you to know that wacoms are over priced for amateur level tablets. They have the same basic functions as ones under 100 but the prices are bumped up because of unnecessary features and tools. For your first tablet, you're better off getting something simpler and just using free tools and features you can find online.
All of the program suggestions above are very good, its a good idea to experiment with programs until you find the one that suits you best. The one that I personally prefer is Photoshop CS2, which can be gotten free on the Adobe website. It has all of the basic tools you need in a drawing program and it's compatible with most Photoshop tutorials out there, not to mention that it's both free, legal, and safe. I've also heard good things about Krita and SAI, as well as Fire Alpaca.
The ones that you should stay away from are Photoshop elements, those programs are like drawing with a slippery potato.
As for a general tip, before you start going too deeply into drawing digitally be sure to experiment and test out a of your tools so that you have a good feel for the program beforehand and begin to develop your own way of digitally doing things.
I hope this helps, feel free to ask away if you have any questions! ^^