Creating digital illustrations is a craft that requires time, resources, and strategies to perfect. There are many ways to get creative with your illustration style, so do not feel like you have to stick to a set structure or formula.
That being said, there are several key components of creating digital artwork that require some level of expertise. These include color theory, proportion, rhythm, line quality, and more.
Color theory teaches us about how colors relate to each other and which ones go well together. Proportion refers to the size of an object in relation to its surrounding area. Rhythm looks at how spaces between objects relate to each other and creates tension or relaxation. Line quality depends on what kind of effect you want to create and what medium you use to achieve it.
All of these components combine to form one important part of artistic expression- contrast. The intensity of a color, the length of a line, and the space in between all contribute to this concept. Artists use this to emphasize something or showcase their skills.
This article will go into greater detail about each component and how to apply them to making your own digital art.
Practice makes perfect
As with any artistic skill, drawing is all about practice. There are many ways to improve your illustration skills, but you must be willing to invest time in it!
Drawing from real life or pre-existing imagery is one of the best strategies to learn how to draw. By practicing this process out front, you will eventually pick up techniques and things you learned along the way begin to combine together into one style.
Practice making sketches by taking some time every day to look through those beginner’s guides we mentioned earlier. Once you have mastered that, start experimenting with shapes, colors, and styles. You may want to try doing quick washes, layering patterns, or even giving yourself a challenge like designing an illustrative picture book.
Watch videos
One of the most helpful things you can do to hone your illustration skills is to watch YouTube tutorials and examples. Many artists upload their work online so that people can comment, give feedback, and learn from what tools they use and how they apply them.
Artists’ blogs are another great way to stay in touch with the industry and learn new tricks. People who are successful in the art business share their knowledge through blogs and videos, and those artists’ insights can help you take your craft to the next level.
There are many ways to improve your drawing and painting techniques, and watching others create beautiful images can inspire you.
Keep up with exhibitions
A growing field that has become very popular is called digital illustration. This is when artists use computer software to create illustrations, pictures or cartoons. These designs are not printed onto paper but instead saved as files on a program. Then they are manipulated and enhanced in software or using another tool such as Photoshop.
Many people have dabbled in creating their own artwork by drawing, painting or designing using computers. But for those who really want to make it professionally, this is must do! There are many ways to learn how to draw, design or paint digitally, and most art schools offer courses in this area.
Digital illustration is a great way to hone your creative skills while still working with ink and paints. It is also a flexible medium as you can take your time to explore different styles, colors and shapes.
Get a drawing tablet
A drawing tablet is a device that has touch screen technology and can be used for creating illustrations, designing logos, or doing any other artistic tasks you can think of!
There are many brands that offer drawing tablets these days, so it is easy to pick one depending on your budget and what features you need.
Some feature-packed models will cost quite a bit more than others, but they are worth the investment if you are looking to push yourself creatively.
We recommend staying within your budget as much as possible, but if you have to spend a little extra, look up reviews to see if anyone had good luck with the model before to get an idea of how well it worked for them.
Use a computer mouse
Using a computer comes with lots of tasks, one of which is creating illustrations or digital art. When you are designing your artwork, there are several tools that can help you create your designs more quickly and effectively.
One such tool is using a mouse instead of your touchpad or trackball. A mouse allows for much easier manipulation of settings and features than a device that requires you to use your fingers or hands as input. This also helps in becoming familiar with the software since you will be using it more frequently.
There are many types of mice designed for different users and purposes. The most important thing to look into is if the mouse has adjustable DPI (dots per inch), this setting changes how small or large an object looks in the program being used. For example, if you are editing photos in Photoshop, having a higher DPI may make things seem too blurry and not crisp. If this happens, you can lower the DPI to improve the quality of the image.
Learn to use your keyboard
One of the most fundamental things you can do as a digital illustrator is learn how to use your computer! Most major software like Photoshop, Indesign, or Sketch have an easy way to create a new document or layer.
By using the keyboard more often, this will also help reduce unintentional touches that may otherwise cost you time later.
The basic keys including Ctrl + A/Select All, ́Ctrl + C/Copy, ͝ Ctrl + X/Cut, Alt + I/Invert, and F8/Filter… are very powerful tools.
Some other useful shortcuts include Shift+Alt+A/Add Anchor Point, Shift+Alt+I/Add Inner Stroke, Ctrl+D/Duplicate Layer, and Delete/Trash Can be uninstalled if you no longer need them.
Learn the basics
There are many ways to digitally illustrate or paint pictures, and it is easy to get distracted by all of the different styles and genres that exist. While some artists focus more on realism, others experiment with cartoon-style illustrations or vibrant colors.
Whatever style you want to pursue as an artist, learning the basic tools first will help you achieve that goal effectively. Tools such as Photoshop and Gimp contain features that have become staples in most artists’ toolboxes. These features include things like layers, clipping masks, color filters, brush types, textures, and even vectorizing formats.
By being familiar with these programs, you would be able to produce your own unique artwork using them.
Learn to use Adobe Illustrator
There are many ways to include digital illustrations in your artistic repertoire. You can take any type of image, edit it in an editing software like Photoshop or GIMP, and then incorporate it into another application using these tips.
One such app is called Adobe Illustrator. It is designed for creating professional looking illustrations. This tool offers you several features that allow you to create beautiful images. These features range from drawing shapes, adding shadows, textures and colors to incorporating other apps’ designs into your illustration.
There are two main reasons why most people start experimenting with this app. One is that some of the designs look very close to what we call realism. For example, someone might add droplets onto a leaf to make it seem as if it was raining. Or they could add glimmering stars to give the effect of light shining through the leaves.
The second reason is that some of the design elements have shades of color which go really well together. For instance, someone may put one line next to another and mix their colors up to see how different effects can be achieved.
