The biggest problem that arises when you move to digital illustration is preparing your set-up and choosing a device. This article summarizes the main things you need to think of when getting started.
Here are some of the best devices for digital art creation:
1. iPad Pro (with Apple Pencil)
- Best For: Professional digital painting, sketching, and design on the go.
- Features: Excellent pressure sensitivity with the Apple Pencil, smooth performance, large high-resolution display, and access to apps like Procreate and Adobe Fresco.
- Why It’s Great: Portable, responsive, and a favorite among digital artists.
2. Wacom Cintiq Pro
- Best For: Professional illustrators and designers.
- Features: High-quality pressure-sensitive display, customizable buttons, tilt recognition, and smooth drawing experience.
- Why It’s Great: Offers a natural pen-on-screen experience with great accuracy, and is widely used by professionals in the creative industry.
3. Microsoft Surface Pro
- Best For: Versatile digital drawing and general use.
- Features: Pressure-sensitive Surface Pen, touchscreen display, and powerful enough for programs like Photoshop and Illustrator.
- Why It’s Great: Functions as both a tablet and a laptop, making it a great all-in-one device for artists and designers.
4. Huion Kamvas Pro
- Best For: Budget-friendly alternative for professional digital art.
- Features: High-pressure sensitivity, large screen, customizable buttons, and smooth pen response.
- Why It’s Great: Offers many of the features of higher-end tablets like Wacom at a more affordable price.
5. XP-Pen Artist Pro
- Best For: Beginner and intermediate digital artists.
- Features: Highly responsive, pressure-sensitive pen, customizable keys, and a variety of screen sizes.
- Why It’s Great: Affordable without compromising much on quality, making it ideal for those just starting in digital art.
6. Wacom Intuos Pro
- Best For: Professional graphic designers and illustrators.
- Features: No built-in screen, but high-precision pressure sensitivity, multi-touch support, and customizable buttons.
- Why It’s Great: Offers the Wacom pen technology in a more portable, screen-less option for those who prefer drawing directly on a tablet surface.
7. Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 (with S Pen)
- Best For: Mobile digital sketching and painting.
- Features: Pressure-sensitive S Pen, AMOLED display, and powerful processing.
- Why It’s Great: A great alternative to the iPad Pro for Android users, with solid performance and a good drawing experience.
8. Lenovo Yoga Book
- Best For: Drawing and multitasking.
- Features: Dual-screen, pressure-sensitive pen, and versatile design that can function as a laptop or tablet.
- Why It’s Great: Combines the functionality of a drawing tablet and a laptop, offering flexibility for digital artists.
9. Gaomon PD1560
- Best For: Budget-conscious artists.
- Features: Large display, pressure-sensitive pen, and customizable shortcut keys.
- Why It’s Great: Offers a good balance of features at a budget price, making it ideal for students or hobbyists.
10. Wacom One
- Best For: Beginners or hobbyists.
- Features: Pen-on-screen drawing, lightweight, and affordable.
- Why It’s Great: A more affordable entry point into Wacom’s pen display range, ideal for those new to digital art.
Technique & tools:
Here are some essential techniques for digital art that can help you create professional and visually appealing work:
1. Layering
- How It Works: Use multiple layers to separate different elements of your artwork (background, characters, details, etc.).
- Why It’s Important: Layers allow you to work on specific parts of the artwork without affecting others, making it easier to edit and refine.
2. Blending and Smudging
- How It Works: Use blending tools or brush settings to soften edges or mix colors smoothly.
- Why It’s Important: Creates smooth transitions between colors, especially useful for shading, skin tones, and gradients.
3. Brush Customization
- How It Works: Customize or download different brushes to create various textures and effects (e.g., rough, smooth, watercolor, etc.).
- Why It’s Important: Gives your work a unique style and helps you achieve more realistic or artistic textures.
4. Shading and Highlighting
- How It Works: Use light and shadow to give your artwork depth and a 3D feel.
- Why It’s Important: Proper shading can make your artwork look more dynamic and realistic. Use soft brushes for smooth transitions or hard brushes for sharp highlights.
5. Use of Reference
- How It Works: Always refer to real-life objects, poses, or photographs for more accurate proportions and lighting.
- Why It’s Important: Helps you create more realistic and well-composed artwork by understanding how light, form, and perspective work in real life.
6. Color Theory and Palettes
- How It Works: Study color theory to understand which colors work well together and how to convey mood or emotion through color.
- Why It’s Important: A well-balanced color palette can make your artwork more aesthetically pleasing and impactful.
7. Pen Pressure Sensitivity
- How It Works: Use pen pressure settings to control the opacity and thickness of your brush strokes.
- Why It’s Important: Adds more control and precision to your lines, helping to create detailed and expressive work.
8. Non-Destructive Editing
- How It Works: Use adjustment layers, masks, and smart objects to make changes without permanently altering your artwork.
- Why It’s Important: Allows you to tweak colors, brightness, or contrast without losing original work or making irreversible changes.
9. Zoom In and Work on Details
- How It Works: Zoom in to focus on small areas like eyes, hands, or intricate textures.
- Why It’s Important: Ensures that fine details are crisp and clean, especially important in professional work.
10. Textures and Patterns
- How It Works: Apply textures or use texture brushes to create a more tactile feel (e.g., fabric, skin, metal).
- Why It’s Important: Adds realism and depth to surfaces, making your art more immersive.
11. Line Art
- How It Works: Create clean, precise outlines with consistent line thickness.
- Why It’s Important: Clean line art forms the foundation of many digital drawings and illustrations, especially for comics and character design.
12. Perspective and Grids
- How It Works: Use perspective grids or guides to create accurate depth and spatial relationships.
- Why It’s Important: Essential for creating scenes, environments, and objects with realistic proportions.
13. Selection Tools and Masks
- How It Works: Use selection tools and masking to work on specific areas of your art without affecting others.
- Why It’s Important: Makes it easier to apply effects, color changes, or adjustments to isolated parts of your artwork.
14. Symmetry Tool
- How It Works: Use symmetry tools for perfect mirrored drawings, especially useful for creating faces or intricate designs.
- Why It’s Important: Saves time and ensures accuracy when creating balanced compositions.
15. Experiment with Filters and Effects
- How It Works: Try out filters like blur, noise, and color adjustments to add dynamic effects to your artwork.
- Why It’s Important: Helps add atmosphere, mood, or special effects to your digital pieces.