We all have heard this popular saying, “Artists are Born, Not Made.” Well, as mankind has progressed and has made innovations in every field, this saying does not hold true anymore. The inner talents are indeed the gifts of God, but with the availability and easy accessibility of all the resources and education, a person can also cultivate the skills, and practicing it with dedication can also help one master the art.
When it comes to digital painting, even people who love art and have never picked up a pencil or a brush, they can also learn digital painting. For this, it is necessary to be equipped with proper tools and software, and then choose the right guidance where you can learn the important digital painting techniques to become proficient in it. However, patience, persistence, passion, and the strong desire to excel in the field are the prerequisites to learn digital painting along with the right set of digital painting techniques.
A lot of digital painting tutorials are available online, however, getting personal guidance can always set you apart from others. Whether you are a beginner or an intermediate learner, in this blog, you will definitely find some useful tips to advance your digital painting learning process. It can be anything that you wish to master, be it converting a photo to digital painting or any type of landscape or portrait painting, the tips given below will surely come to your rescue if you stop somewhere.
- Do Advance Sketch Work
Before you sit to do the final artwork, it is always advisable to take a rough paper and a pencil and put down your thoughts there. Along with helping you to gain more clarity on the subject that you will be working on, it will also give you more confidence. On the paper, you can implement the rule of thirds and decide beforehand the things that you want your audience to focus on. Thinking about the rule of thirds and executing it shows that the artist really cares about the important details and wishes to highlight them. Rule of thirds makes it easy for your audience to relate to your story and the main subject of the art.
Along with the rough sketching, put down other details as well as the kind of layers, brush effects, colour combinations, highlights, lighting, art style, etc. This exercise takes time but surely gives astounding and more precise results in the end.
- Use a Pen Tablet or a Stylus to achieve Perfection
If you are someone who is more habituated to draw with a pencil or a pen on a canvas or a paper, then using a pen tablet or a stylus will be helpful. It will give you the feel of drawing on a canvas only and if you have done your prior work, then using a pen tablet will help you achieve your optimum level of artwork. Also, for the ones who have never tried painting anything, instead of using a mouse for drawing or doing it with your finger will be difficult. Practicing with a pen tablet or a stylus can help get the knack of digital painting easily and effectively.
Also, certain Photoshop features can be accessed while sketching with a pen tablet, which helps you to come out with an amazing level of work. In the market, there are many types of pen tablets available at different price ranges, choose one that suits your budget and art level.
- Get Inspired by the Famous Artwork and Photographs
Be it any field, every person has the role model that he or she looks up to. When it comes to digital painting, it is the same case. Hence, to create masterpieces, follow the work of popular artists, study thoroughly their artwork, keep a notebook to pen down the important techniques that these people apply in their artwork and finally learn to execute them to perfect your artwork. Getting inspired is not copying. You are just learning some key elements that are necessary to create the artwork that evoke the emotions you wish to see in the eyes of your audience.
At Oilpixel, the artist takes inspiration from the portrait photography of various famous personalities and transforms the photo to digital painting. The colour techniques, the use of different brushes and layers in his digital portrait painting brings out the exceptional face features and emotions of a person. The artist is also an expert in different types of portrait painting like child portrait painting, family portrait painting, couple digital painting, etc. One can browse through the website to get a sneak peek of his artistic portfolio.
There are many other digital painting techniques that one needs to learn as one advances in this field. However, the above given are the key techniques that can always be practiced at any level. To learn an art is not like waving a magic wand, hence, equip yourself with tools, knowledge and people around you, who always inspire you to achieve your best.