Guild Wars 2

Hai all, sorry for the bother but I had a quick question or two for you talented people. Moon wants to learn how to make digital art really really bad lol. I’ve always loved art and adore getting commissions from other people but I’ve always wanted to be able to do it myself and so I’d like to start. What I’d like from you amazing people is just a few answers and a moment of your time. <3
1.) How did you learn to create digital art? Did you teach yourself, take a class, make copies of others work, etc?
2.) What kind of physical tools do you use and what would you recommend for someone trying to learn? (Stuff like drawing tablets for example)
3.) What digital program do you use? Is it like photoshop or some other program?
4.) Any other advice you think could help

Once again thank you for your time and any help/advice you could contribute! <3

1. I’m mostly self-taught, but I have plenty of references in anatomical books, biological books, and some collected works in varying styles of art and tools used. Usually, if you draw, you start out classically. While not all skills in drawing transfer over to or from a digital medium from classical drawing (Ctr-Z, oh god), general drawing motions do. And if you have a good drawing board available to you, you’ll barely miss fidelity.
2. Get a good workstation. Any kind of spacious and high enough set a desk, a good seat, that’s a starter. A solid drawing tablet comes second – I’m still using an old FT-0405-U Wacom tablet, but there’s drivers for it still, and the sensitivity is excellent for my amateur arting about. Consider also a solid computer with multithreading capabilities, good RAM, and 64-bit compatibility.
   If you’ve never saved a Photoshop document as a PSB, or if any of your saved Photoshop documents or TIFF files have never exceeded the 1 or 1.5GB mark, then you don’t need more than 16GB – 8GB might do as well. Although, I would suggest upgrading your RAM to 16GB. If you’re upgrading, why not upgrade properly? Plus, desktop RAM is dirt cheap.
3. I use a combination of Photoshop CS6 and Paint.net, depending on plug-ins required. [ GNU Image Manipulation Program is apparently blocked by the forum’s filter ] is also a solid program, but I prefer Photoshop for ease of reference with tutorials that I look up online when I am stuck trying to work out features or to experiment with unfamiliar options.
4. Practice! Keep at it! Even something as simple as just mucking about with layers, masks and filters is a good start.
   Build a library of resources for textures, and look up what brushes are available. Use them, see what sticks.
   Additionally, never ever draw or edit destructively, ie. delete and draw over an image itself, without either considering a back-up of an image in a layer or making additional layers where you make edits on.
   Name things sensibly! Use folders!
   And save often!

1.) How did you learn to create digital art? Did you teach yourself, take a class, make copies of others work, etc?

Im am mostly self taught as well. it just really depends on yourself, how willing you are to put time into it.
no class will help you much if you arent willing to sit down and do the thing. it helps nailing down basics however and its nice drawing with other people.
if you cant get art class there is plenty tutorials (and feedback groups on deviantart if you like)
don’t expect to get good in a little bit of time. art of all things requires patience (sadly :V) take your time. if something doesnt work do it again and again and again.

2.) What kind of physical tools do you use and what would you recommend for someone trying to learn? (Stuff like drawing tablets for example)

for a complete starter? go pencils. you don’t wanna spend your money on expensive stuff yet, and each new material requires some learning once again.

if you desperately need programms, photoshop or sai it is ( though i’d recommend sai if you start on digital art and plan to do more lineart stuff than actual painting.)

3.) What digital program do you use? Is it like photoshop or some other program?
photoshop and sai are most used. they prooved themselved over time

4.) Any other advice you think could help
as loco said. practice. look at references. do studies. cry. repeat.

keep old pictures they help you see your progress. accept good written feedback
and never forget to save or you hate yourself
ctrl+s always on your off hand :P

Thanks for the advice thus far guys. One thing I forgot to mention that may be relevant is a little is I guess right now I’m a bit of a copycat. I like to look at other peoples art that I think is good or cool and then sketch it in rl for fun. Normally I can get a lot of copies fairly close to the original which I’m pretty happy with but I suppose my biggest issue is I don’t really have a style of my own. Making copies and replicating I do fine but when I try to do original stuff it never turns out good lol but I just don’t know how to start making my own style, so to speak. =/

My background is analog, so I’m probably not your best resource.

But I do want to encourage you! So of course, use whatever tool (digital or analog) you are most comfortable with if you are just starting out.

If you like line work and you don’t want to start out with software that will break the bank, you may enjoy manga studio. Its not the industry standard many are used to (adobe CS), so there are some drawbacks there with respect to user documentation (translation issues, etc.) But you can do a lot with it for a relatively low entry price tag. I use it on a surface pro because my husband (the software developer he is) will kill me if he doesnt see my art training translating somehow into digital But again, my daily and studio work primairly require sketchbook/canvas (required to work primairly from direct live observation).

Keep at it. Day by Day, Sketch by Sketch. You won’t fail. And you’ll find your voice. Trust me

Heya!

1.) How did you learn to create digital art? Did you teach yourself, take a class, make copies of others work, etc?

I’ve been doing art for more than a decade both teaching myself and learning from great teachers. I got a Bachelors degree in Animation and I work as an animator in the video game industry (working towards someday getting a job at ArenaNet, actually xb ). I’d say that most of how I learn is through experience, taking constructive critique to heart, and trying new things. I’d say that the best advice I can give is to just practice a lot! Do gesture drawings, nude studies, learn about the fundamentals of art and the principles of visual communication. I highly recommend learning about color theory and the physics of light.

2.) What kind of physical tools do you use and what would you recommend for someone trying to learn? (Stuff like drawing tablets for example)

I use a wacom tablet to produce my work and i would recommend the same for anyone looking to get into digital art.

3.) What digital program do you use? Is it like photoshop or some other program?

I use Photoshop CC for 2D work. The Adobe suite is pretty standard in the industry. I love to use Z-Brush and Maya for my 3D work, though. Substance is great for texturing, but i’m sure you weren’t looking to do 3D <.<; . Thought I’d cover my bases…

4.) Any other advice you think could help

Be patient with yourself! You’re not going to get it overnight and that’s ok! That’s the main take away of being an artist though, really: you’re always going to be a student. I don’t believe anyone can be a “true master” because there is always something new and interesting to learn. Being an artist is a life-long thing, if you’ve got the passion for it.

There’s nothing wrong with copying people’s styles, by the way. That’s how you end up developing your own, honestly. You take tidbits of things you like and your style becomes an amalgamation of your favorite artists. My favorite artist is Skottie Young and I totally recommend checking out his work. He’s a comic book artist.

Here are some great resources that I use frequently:

Digital Tutors is probably one of the best places to learn new skills in creative fields:
http://www.digitaltutors.com/11/index.php

The Gnomon Workshop is highly regarded as the premium place to learn new skills in creative fields:
http://www.thegnomonworkshop.com/

ConceptArt.org is a fantastic place to develop your skills, learn new things, and ask for critique. I will say though that you might not get a lot of replies, but that really depends i guess.
http://www.conceptart.org/go/artist/

I hope that helps!