Creating digital illustrations is a pretty simple process if you are willing to learn some basic tools. There are many free, easy to use software programs that allow you to create your own illustrations or add texture and depth to pre-made images.
There are also several websites with stock photos and textures that can be used as sources for new designs. By looking through these resources, you will find lots of inspiration and ways to improve your craft.
Taking time to experiment in this area is very important since creating visuals for the internet requires careful planning and execution. People may give up when they do not see progress quickly, so it’s best to be aware of that before jumping into expensive production stages!
This article will go over some basics about how to start designing your own pictures using illustrator.
Examples of digital illustration
A few examples of how to use digital illustration in your artwork can be found everywhere these days- magazines, blogs, YouTube videos, etc. All of these contain illustrations that are not painted or drawn by hand. They are designed as computer graphics or interactive designs!
Illustrations have become very popular because they do not require much cost or time to create. Technology has made it possible to produce high quality work quickly and easily.
Making art is hard! Getting inspiration for new ideas is tough, trying to achieve that perfect look can take hours, and producing our own original work takes a lot of practice.
With digital art, all of those things make creating illustrative pieces easy and accessible.
Drawing with a digital pen
A very popular way to include illustration in this era is drawing using a digital pen! There are many brands that offer this technology, but they all have different styles of how to use it. Some stick to more traditional waysof illustrating, while others may go beyond just lines and shapes.
Some artists even create their illustrations completely freehand! This takes longer to complete than using templates or pre-designed artwork. But you get the chance to showcase your artistic skills more fully if you choose to do so.
There are also some apps that let you add text to your design which can look really cool. You can combine these three elements into one piece!
Tools such as Photoshop allow for easy editing and manipulation of images. So instead of having to draw everything by hand, you can simply edit what you have already drawn.
Drawing with a digital pencil
A very popular way to create illustrations is using drawing software that allows you to use a digital pen or stylus to draw directly onto your screen, computer-drawing programs.
Many people begin experimenting with this technique by first practicing drawing with a regular dry brush or charcoal pencil. Once they feel comfortable doing that, they move up into more advanced levels of drawing by adding in thicker washes, textures, and other features.
There are many ways to learn how to do this, but most start off teaching users how to draw basic shapes and figure out how to combine colors together. From there, artists teach their students how to add detail to their drawings and how to blend color together.
By blending different shades of solid colors and mixing between wet/dry brushes, artist can achieve beautiful effects such as watercolor painting.
Drawing with a digital marker
When creating illustrations using software, there are two main tools to use. Pencils or markers can be used to draw shapes and features of your image.
The first is called vector graphics which are drawn as mathematical equations instead of shaped objects. These files are perfect to expand or reduce in size without losing quality.
Vector drawings are computer generated so they have specific settings that affect how it looks. For example, you can choose from different brush styles and texture types for the drawing.
The other option is bitmap images which are painted directly onto the screen like a picture. Most graphics softwares allow you to save these as either PNG, JPG, or GIF format.
There are some apps that combine both methods by having a canvas where you can create your illustration and then export it as a vector graphic or bitmap.
Creating a background
When creating an illustration, there are two main components. These are referred to as the foreground and the background. The foreground is what you can see in the picture, such as people or landscapes. This is typically where most of the attention is since it is usually very detailed.
The background, on the other hand, is much less defined. It does not need to be seen fully since its function is to frame the rest of the image. A well designed background will set off the foreground slightly but still remain unnoticed. This gives your audience more room to focus on the content without being distracted by the background.
There are many ways to design a good background. One of the easiest is to use pictures that have been digitalized. By taking a picture and then editing down the colors and textures, it becomes clear how to make a great looking background. More advanced artists also blend shapes together to create new textures and patterns.
Artists’ tools vary quite a bit depending on which area of art they are working in. For example, some use computer programs like Photoshop or Manga Studio to edit backgrounds and figures. Others work with pen and paper first before moving onto the computer. What matters is that the artist is able to convey their message while incorporating creativity into their style.
Refining your image
When artists start with an existing photo, they must first do some refining. This is altering the colors, textures, or shapes of the picture to make it their own.
When artists start with an already existent photo, they have to take something that’s beautiful and add things like patterns, textures, or other pictures to give it their personal touch.
Most people when they begin creating artwork look at themselves as artist so they include artistic touches such as brush strokes, pattern mixing, and adding new pieces.
These additions are not only eye pleasing to look at, but also contribute heavily to making the art more authentic.
Artists sometimes will go in with very little knowledge about how to draw or paint, which is okay! They can either learn by doing or looking at examples and then bringing in what they know to make it fit.
There are many ways to hone your skills before moving onto bigger projects though, one of them being digital illustration. This article will talk about why this style of drawing is important and some basic steps for getting started.
Uploading your image to the internet
Once you have completed all of the settings, it is time to upload! Depending on the software you use for illustration, different ways exist to get your work online.
Some apps may offer you very clear instructions on how to publish your artwork, but for others there are more advanced features that require additional steps or settings. This can be tricky to find out unless you are familiar with the app already!
Mostly people opt to use either Facebook or Twitter as their publishing platform due to ease of use.
Choosing a website or app to publish with
When you have your illustrative masterpiece ready, it is time to find a platform for sharing it!
Most good online media (websites and apps) allow you to create an account and then upload your work. Some even let you add rich features like animations, videos, and links in your post!
It’s important to pick a medium that allows you to be very creative while still getting results. You want to make sure your illustrations look great, of course, but you also don’t want to use too many expensive tools to achieve this goal.
Google Drive and Facebook are both nice free alternatives if you just need an easy place to store and share your creations. Microsoft Office Online is another option, though some people may not agree with their business practices.
We would recommend trying out Adobe Photoshop or Manga Studio at first to see how these run and feel before investing more money into one of those.
