# Want to switch from traditional drawing to digital. What is best way to do this?



## NightWolf (Aug 23, 2015)

Greetings. I've been drawing for a few months and while I feel my art has improved, I feel the medium is producing a glass ceiling. 

For example, I recently drew this: 








Compared to what I previously have done, this is okay, but the use of colored pencils and taking a picture of the drawing makes it look more like a child's drawing. I feel if I go digital, I can produce better colors and such. 

So, I want to go digital, where do I start?


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## MissFleece (Aug 23, 2015)

1) buy a tablet

2) it's not the medium, it's the artist.


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## DonKarnage (Aug 23, 2015)

You will need a software for painting, most artist use Pain tool Sai (you can have it for free if you know where to look ) and a tablet. Its not the price, its you who do the drawing.

Also if you want to broadcast, you can try picarto.tv and check if you can or not. Depending of the age or power of you com.


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## milvusbuteo (Aug 24, 2015)

I'm very much like you right now, did a few pencil drawings and a few days ago I tried Adobe Illustrator CS6. I just took photos of the pencil drawing and made it to a linework. I don't have a tablet, I only used a mouse.
I really like the Illustrator, it's pretty easy to use it (well at least on my level).


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## Centradragon (Aug 24, 2015)

You could also try other mediums like gouache, oils, watercolor, acrylic... or even marker. To me it looks like you just haven't explored good colored pencil technique, or you haven't looked at professional colored pencil pieces:

http://www.deviantart.com/art/Colored-Pencil-Drawing-Tutorial-Realistic-Grapes-343056846
http://www.deviantart.com/art/PENCIL-TUTORIAL-72083332
http://www.deviantart.com/art/Colored-Pencil-Tutorials-50849993


100% agree with MissFleece. It's all about your skill level, not about the medium. 

I don't want to discourage you from trying digital â€” however, keep in mind most of these things require some sort of financial investment (my first tablet was about $600, my Copics were $205, my gouache set was $60, etc). Watercolor/gouache (especially student-grade stuff) is pretty cheap online and would be great to use in addition to colored pencils. You could also get watercolor pencils (so you could blend it with wetness... pretty awesome!). Also: don't forget to get the correct paper! I usually buy illustration board for traditional stuff, since it can take just about any medium and is very cheap. Otherwise you'll have to deal with some paper buckling, and that's unpleasant at best. ;(


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## Maugryph (Aug 24, 2015)

NightWolf said:


> Greetings. I've been drawing for a few months and while I feel my art has improved, I feel the medium is producing a glass ceiling.
> 
> Compared to what I previously have done, this is okay, but the use of colored pencils and taking a picture of the drawing makes it look more like a child's drawing. I feel if I go digital, I can produce better colors and such.
> 
> So, I want to go digital, where do I start?


If you do not have a strong foundation, it doesn't matter what medium your in, Photoshop and a Digital Tablet will not magically make your paintings better, in fact drawing with a tablet is a new skill in itself and takes practice getting used to.
As for 'hitting a glass ceiling' with colored pencils, there is no glass ceiling. It has more to do with the limitations of your own drawing ability. Keep sketching every day, draw things from RL. Still life, landscapes, 'boring' stuff.
Here is a water based color pencil drawing by atomiccircus that show what the medium can do: 





http://atomiccircus.deviantart.com/art/Thorin-Color-Pencil-Drawing-420967601

Sorry for being blunt, but I encourage you to experiment with traditional media b4 jumping to digital.


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## Willow (Aug 24, 2015)

yeah honestly all you have to do to get into digital drawing is to just buy a tablet, find some free or cheap software, and go.  but like others have also pointed out, using a tablet won't really enhance your art. true you'll have a wider range of color and access to a lot of other fun settings but if you don't know how to use them, it doesn't matter. 

see, I kind of felt the same way when I first started out drawing and it was mostly because all I had was a scanner and a 24 pack of colored pencils and everyone else had tablets. so I asked for one for my 16th birthday and got it. it was a good move but a lot of my older drawings were still pretty bad since I didn't understand Photoshop.

there's still a learning curve to understanding just how digital art works, but if you're sure that's what you wanna do with your art, go for it.


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## Kaizy (Aug 25, 2015)

NightWolf said:


> Greetings. I've been drawing for a few months and while I feel my art has improved, I feel the medium is producing a glass ceiling.



There's only a ceiling if your technical ability is making one.



NightWolf said:


> So, I want to go digital, where do I start?



Usually by buying a good starting tablet. Wacom is the most recognized brand and they make some pretty reliable tablets. I've had an Intuos 3 for many years now and it's still working great, despite a few driver hiccups once or twice. Most people recommend getting the Bamboo, especially if you're just starting, as it's affordable for a first tablet and still functions well enough to help you get a feel for drawing digitally. There's also Monoprice tablets, which are incredibly affordable for the size, though I've heard some mixed things on them. More or less, you will need a tablet, so it's best to just ask around and see what other artists think is a good tablet choice.

As far as programs, I always recommend PaintTool SAI. It's easy to produce clean work with the tools, and there's stabilizers for the brushes that you can adjust to fit your personal tastes. There's millions of good art programs out there, but SAI is the one I recommend and the one I see a lot of people using.


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## monochromatic-dragon (Aug 25, 2015)

I agree with what everyone has said so far. Media is irrelevant if you lack the basics of drawing.

Why not abandon color all together for now? Why not focus on anatomy, proportion, and shading? In learning this, the pencil is your best friend.


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## NightWolf (Aug 25, 2015)

monochromatic-dragon said:


> I agree with what everyone has said so far. Media is irrelevant if you lack the basics of drawing.
> 
> Why not abandon color all together for now? Why not focus on anatomy, proportion, and shading? In learning this, the pencil is your best friend.



Agreed. I'm struggling on doing heads and stuff currently and I think i might be rushing myself too fast.


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## Lilith (Feb 23, 2016)

I recommend buying a tablet, most of the decent ones are about 80 bucks but are really nice, I use an Intous Pen Small from wacom. Just have to get past the learning curve from going to staring at the paper, to drawing on screen without looking at your tablet.

Then there are a few free progrmas you can get. GIMP is a good one, or if you have the extra cash, I recommend Paint Tool SAI since its only about 45 bucks.


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## TheKC (Feb 23, 2016)

Everyone has good suggestions. I just want to add, don't use Gimp. If you want a good free art program Krita is good.
But SAI is the best thing to get for the price. Most of my friends switched to it after using free programs.


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## Fallowfox (Feb 23, 2016)

I use Gimp. Gimp is good.


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## Sforzie (Feb 24, 2016)

I would also add that if/when you do get a tablet (and honestly, a sub-$100 tablet is fine for starters), don't be discouraged if it takes some time to get used to it. There's almost a rewiring of your brain that has to happen so that you're staring at a computer screen while moving your hand to draw and not looking at your hand. Like others have said, getting a tablet won't magically make you a better artist. However, it might make it easier for you to practice. (And I think they're extra useful for left handed artists who are tired of the smudge hand.)
You can also get a free 31 day trial version of Paint Tool Sai off its official website if you want to try before you buy. It's a nice program, but the current version doesn't have a text option. Many tablets also come with some sort of freebie art program that you can mess around in after getting your tablet installed.


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## Zrcalo (Feb 24, 2016)

Get a 6x8 wacom intuos 1 or 2. you can pick them up for about $30-$60.
they're durable and a good size. cheap to repair too.

fyi? I'd start with scanning in your lineart and then using a mouse to color it. 
do more sketches and use references. Also invest in some fine tip markers. 

I'll be fairly blunt and say the materials are part of what defines an artist. 
My colored pencil work is fantastic.. if I have the right pencils. otherwise I lose a lot when I use crayola.

digital is cheaper, as its a one-time investment.. but nothing replaces a good 'ol fashioned sketchbook and pencil.


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## redhusky (Feb 29, 2016)

It been said already but I shall repeat because it's important. Digital is just another tool and won't make your work any better if you lack skills already. But being said, working digitally can make some parts easier. I personally start a drawing in real media as a sketch and finish it digitally. It saves me time and money on inking supplies.

This is a workflow example for me:

Larger version of below:
http://flyingram.deviantart.com/art/Athletic-Process-403758988


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## Gnarl (Mar 2, 2016)

After 30 years of traditional i went digital 10 months ago. I love it, but as they are all telling you, get the basics first!


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