Learning how to draw is an incredible way to expand your knowledge base. There are many ways to learn drawing, from in-person classes with teachers or art schools, to online courses, apps, and software that can help you get into the swing of things faster.
But before you dive in, there’s one thing most people don’t know about drawing — why it’s important to learn digital illustration.
It may sound like a vague concept at first, but I’ll explain everything you need to know about this discipline here. So whether you’re just starting out as a beginner artist or you’re already familiar with some painting techniques, let’s talk about what makes up digital illustration and why it’s different than other types of artwork.
What Is It?
Digital illustrators create illustrations using computer programs. These artists usually start their process by doing preliminary studies or research on a topic they want to depict, then use these ideas to develop their own compositions and style.
From there, they pick a tool (like Photoshop, for example) and begin creating their image. Once it’s completed, they edit it slightly and upload it onto the internet so anyone can see it.
This is where it gets interesting! Because now everyone has access to the finished piece, followers can add their comments and give feedback. Artists take note of all the comments and input they receive, making sure to incorporate those lessons into future works.
Practice drawing shapes
A very important part of digital illustration is learning how to draw, well, shapes! There are many ways to learn this, but one of my favorite methods is practicing drawn shapes.
Practicing drawn shapes is great because you will be working with mostly line drawings which use shape as your form material. By doing so, you get to practice using lines in different styles and patterns, and you can also add textures or other features onto your forms.
There are several types of practiced shapes that you could start by looking at and trying to reproduce. These include circle, square, triangle, rhombus, ovals, and more. Take your time and try experimenting with each one.
Another way to learn about shapes is to look at natural formations and manmade designs such as buildings, cars, and gadgets. The proportions, angles, and structures of these things all come down to geometry, which is an essential concept for understanding shapes.
Learn how to use colors
Color is one of the most important tools in digital illustration. There are many ways to learn about color theory, which types of color you should use in what situations, and how to combine them to create your own styles.
Color psychology is another way to apply color to gain insights into why certain shades appeal to you or others. For example, red has strong emotional value and can be used for both decoration and inspiration.
There are several sites that offer free educational resources on color theory and design. You do not have to invest in expensive courses to get great information.
You can also find lots of vibrant and interesting colors online and in nature.
Learn how to use the pencil tool
The first way to learn digital illustration is by learning how to use the Pencil Tool. This tool can be used in many ways! You can draw lines, circles, squares, ovals, and even polygons using it.
The Pencil Tool allows you to pick your brush style and length, along with the number of layers you want to add onto your drawing.
After that, you simply have to drag the tool across the canvas and drop it where you wanted to place your shape.
Learn how to use the paint tool
The first way to learn digital illustration is by learning how to use the most important tool in the field-the brush or painting tool. There are many ways to learn how to use this tool, but the easiest way is to pick an easy subject matter or area of the computer software that you already have some experience with and then move onto more complex designs.
The easiest way to begin using the brush tool is to choose a simple still life or nature setting as your starting place. A simple flower, leaf, or plant design can easily be painted with just the right amount of brushes and textures.
There are two main reasons why people start teaching themselves how to use the brush tool. First, it is very versatile; you can either go all out and create elaborate masterpieces or keep it simple and add texture and depth to your artwork. Second, the brush tool takes time to understand properly, so there is always something new to learn about it.
Learn how to use the eraser
The first tool you will need to learn is probably the most important one in this field-the eraser! If you have ever drawn a circle or line, you used an eraser to take away parts of your drawing.
The same goes for when you want to go back and edit your lines and shapes. By using the eraser, you can easily remove all of the thick outlines that you may have made with too much gel pen or brush tip gushed down.
By learning how to use the eraser, you will be able to fix many mistakes quickly and simply.
Learn how to use the clone tool
The first way to learn how to draw in the digital realm is by learning how to use the clone tool. This tool allows you to create new shapes, images or features within an image. For example, if you want to add some leaves to your tree picture, you can use the clone tool to do it. Simply click around the area of the picture that has already been completed, press the copy button and then paste the item where you would like it to be inserted.
The clone tool comes in very handy as there are no limits to what you can achieve with it. You can easily take something and make it yours! Try out the tool and see what you can produce.
Learn how to use the healing tool
One of the most important things to learn as an illustrator is how to use your computer’s drawing software to create illustrations. A lot of people start working in digital art by picking an aesthetically pleasing style and copying it, layer by layer, until they have their own version!
This is great for beginners who want to try their hand at creating their own look, but this isn’t the best way to begin. Finding out how to take what you like and remix it is very inspiring, but starting with that can be tricky.
The first step towards learning how to draw in digital illustration is knowing how to use the program’s “healing tool.” This tool allows you to select parts of a picture or image and drag your cursor across it so that the selected area gets erased and replaced with another color.
Learn how to use the straighten tool
The next most important tool in the illustration process is the straighten tool. This tool allows you to choose an object or collection of objects, then drag it away from the original position. As you can imagine, this tool comes in very handy for creating reflections and additional depth in your images!
The best way to learn this tool is by doing some simple exercises. You can start with something easy like creating a reflection using the straighten tool. From there, you can move onto more complicated reflections such as adding fog to your image.
There are many free resources available online that contain beginner level tutorials on the straighten tool. These lessons will teach you everything you need to know about using the tool effectively.
