Hi everyone,
I have drawn a few pictures- I love to draw - but I'm not great at it like some people. Maybe if i train a lot I'll get better. I'm really interested in learning how to draw on the computer and using the best program possible to do this so that in the future i could make my images come to life in flash- have any of you done this or do you have any information as to how to draw on the computer- when I try to use the mouse it just doesn't look right. I downloaded paint shop pro 7 and it looks like a great program.
thanks for any info,
Eren

Okay well it's fairly simple:

To draw on the computer, the best is to use a graphic tablet, the most well-known out their are Wacom, the Intuos series being the quality ones before going into touch-sensitive screens (Cintiq) which aren't cheap.

When it comes to software, I'd say Alias Sketchbook Pro, it's an amazing lil software that mimics pencil, pen, biro, ect REALLY well, and you can make your own brushes, it's great.

I draw on the computer using Adobe Photoshop 7 or Painter, and a cheap (£40ish) graphics tablet. It works for me though Wacoms are fantastic if you can afford one

Though I recommend you get a solid base on paper before moving onto the computer. With a pencil and paper you won't have anything to distract you from simply drawing - on the computer you have different brushes, pressure settings, opacity, layers, etc etc.. get comfortable with simply drawing first, then take the plunge

The only problem I have with a computer based art program is the dreaded <CTRL> Z (or whatever the program control is), which erases your last mistake and totally messes up your practice of drawing right and true the first time through. Course that is just me.

Yeah it's too tempting... I set mine as a easy access button on the side of the Intuos

Great ideas guys, but i would suggest working through Brenda's lessons first before spending your money on gadgets.
Once you have a grasp of art and the complexities of tone, perspective, form etc, then transfering that knowledge on to computer will be a little easier.
Computers play a big part in my life, and i consider myself no slouch when it comes to art, but i really struggle creating computer graphics. As has already been said, getting a solid base first without the distractions is a must!! (in my opinion)
RJS

there are loads of photoshop/paintshop tutorials online and some are easy to follow . but like RJS says get some practice in first .. you can also download trials of photoshop as well to help you out .. any help just give me a shout

I am a huge fan of painting/drawing on the computer although I do all of the lessons here on paper just to establish a firm drawing base.

I have a Wacom Intous and Painter 1X although if you're really determined, just about any graphics program can be used. There are several free ones that do a credible job namely Pixia, Art Rage, and even the Gimp but some are designed for digital painting and some are not even though they can be used for painting. But, no program is a magic bullet and instant success. It still takes practice, practice, practice to achieve any degree of proficiency in any medium!

Why did I decide to go digital with my painting? First, because I am mainly an oil painter and do not have a separate studio. There was always the smell along with the mess of having a wet canvas stuck in the middle of our living space. Then, it was drag out all the paints, thinners, palette, brushes and canvas to paint then have to put it all away again just a short time later.

With the computer, everything is always right at hand and I've also found that my work in traditional media (oil, watercolor, pastel, etc.) has improved as the result of digital painting. When you work on the computer, you don't feel that you're throwing money down the drain with every expensive sheet of paper/canvas that you mess up. That's very freeing.

I will say that I use the computer just as I would paint in traditional media and do not use filters or manipulate photos to achieve my paintings. I do think digital art (as opposed to digital painting) is an art form in itself, but I think pure digital painting is simply doing basically the same thing with a computer that you would do with traditional media.

To me, it just takes the pressure off. I don't think that digital painting will ever replace traditional art, but I do feel that it has a place in the art community.

Here is a portion of a digital painting in progress - it's not quite finished but maybe enough for you all to judge whether digital painting is a worthwhile pursuit.



J

I took the route of digital painting shortly after I grew comfortable with pencils, charcoal, etc. I haven't the space for painting traditionally, or the money. Digital painting gives a lot of freedom, and ctrl-z is one feature I wish my paper had! Yes, it seems like a cheat, but it's a hugely useful feature, so why not use it?

there certainly is a place for digital art in the art world

its been a god send to me for many many reasons .. love that flower i can almost smell it

I get that old "undo" "ctrl z", etc is cheating mostly from traditional artists who don't have a clue how close to traditional painting/drawing is to painting digitally! Is it considered cheating to use an eraser in traditional work? Is it considered cheating to use a ruler, for example? What about using a specialized brush, such as a fan brush, is that cheating? I agree with Lizzeh & say you use the tools at hand whether you're a traditional or digital artist. I have known some traditional artists who use plant material as brushes or Saran wrap to get a certain look. Salt is one of the "tricks" of a watercolorist. Funny, but no one ever says that's cheating.

Sorry to get on a soapbox but I take a lot of heat from traditional artists who don't think digital painting is of any value. I think they think that it's all photo manipulation and filters. Yes, there's more of an "oops" factor with some traditional media, mainly watercolor, pastel or colored pencil. But oil can be scraped off if you make a mistake and acrylics can be painted over. And there's even some new strata for watercolor now that can be washed off. But, I guess all of that isn't "cheating!"

Woo, those hibiscus relatives (they are mallows) don't have a fragrance and the flowers only last one day! But they are gorgeous in real life! Glad you like my version of it.

J

awww a flower that dosnt smell thats really sad but its beauty makes up for it

Exactly! The tools are there and they are meant to be used. They make things easier, yes, but isn't that just progression? It doesn't mean it takes less skill to use

My parents don't believe digital painting takes any skill. They seem to think that I press a button and the computer makes it for me. They don't take any interest in my art now because they think I'm just "cheating" and haven't any skill, even though I try again and again to explain it to them. Ah well.

blimey i wish it was that easy .. there is a lot of hard work thats goes into digital art and sometimes its more difficult with layers etc .. you also have to master the art of using the grafics pen as you are not looking at paper where your hand is but a screen where your hand isnt unless your flash and got one of those touch screen but even that is extremely difficult and i dont think that there is a graphics pen for that you can draw with but i could be wrong .. nothing suprises me in this virtual age ..

Sorry guys, did i miss anything?
Just got back from work...Well, having read the last few posts, in my opinion, digital art is much more difficult than traditional for this reason.

You need a good understanding of the software and computers.
This can be a little daunting to the best of us, everytime i look at a piece of digital/graphic art, i am in awe. I am fortunate enough to know the amount of work that goes into it, and how infuriating it can be. Being able to put ideas down on paper in rough sketch form can be invaluable, and it is common practice with a lot of the designers i know.

That is why i suggested getting a good traditional background first, thus eliminating extra work.

I have to agree with others that say there is a place for all types of art....well maybe not concrete blocks and submarines from tyres!!! lol

RJS

Yeah touch sensitive screens exist, my girlfriend has a tablet-PC, which is a laptop with a swiveling touch sensitive screen, so she can open it, swivel the screen 180 degrees, and close it back down with the screen facing up and draw on it, it's pretty amazing, and not too pricy either.

In the more pricey range, you can get a Cintiq from Wacom (http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/tag/wacom-cintiq-21ux-touch-screen-flatpanel-33025.php) absolutely amazing, the top of the top, but so expensive

To be honest after having tried drawing on my girlfriend's laptop (whenever I can get my hands on it) it's really hard to go back to the usual tablet, but I still love my tablet I wouldve bought the same laptop but they don't pack as much power as I needed ^^

i want one they look fantastic .. be an answer to all my prayers that would ..

Hey everybody!
thanks for so much information. that flower is sooo gorgeous- i had no idea that it was possible to draw a flower like that on the computer. I thought that the only kinds of things that could be drawn on the computer were animation graphics- like country graphics and cartoon graphics- WOW! I had no idea you could actually draw something so awesome like that on the computer.
So do you think I should buy that pen that draws on the mouse pad? I'll have to go look for one.
I have another question. Do you think that doing these online art lessons is enough for me or should i have a teacher (live one) for art. I'm not even close to any of you guys in talent but i have drawn a few okay looking pictures.
I downloaded paint shop pro. When you zoom in on the picture it looks like tiny squares instead of a line- it is kind of weird- the squares instaed os a line.
Thanks for the feedback.
Eren

The 'tiny squares' are pixels, they are what make up every computer image - try making your canvas size bigger. It's the same idea as using a bigger sheet of paper - you can get more onto it.

Lizzeh, I'm sorry your parents don't think computer painting is as "worthy" as traditional painting. But, I heard from someone that once upon a time watercolor was only used for a sketch for an oil painting. At that time, no "real" artist would consider using watercolor for a "real" painting! Oh how times have changed!

I just look on it all as a challenge & myself as a pioneer! lol I truly think that digital painting will be as accepted as watercolor in the not too distant future. The real kick in the tail is that it's mostly fellow artists who are so dead set against it (without ever trying it) but the general public is far less snobby! So don't worry - digital painting is not wrong - it's just another medium!

Eren, Lizzeh is correct about the pixels. I paint with Paint Shop Pro as well as other programs and it's a good software for it. However, my advice is to not only increase your canvas size, but also increase the resolution to at least 150 dpi. Your brushes will work better and the pixels will blend better and if you end up with a masterpiece, it will also print nicely! Frankly, a canvas size of at least 8x10 inches at a resolution of 300 dpi is about the smallest I work with. It will depend on your computer because PSP doesn't handle large graphics well and you may get a real lag time with some brushes. It all depends on your computer & it's memory.

J

PS - thanks for the kudos on the flower!

In Photoshop, I work at around 4000x5000 pixels at 300dpi and I have no problems unless I use stupidly huge brushes. Painter starts getting laggy at half that for me which is a shame because it seems to be a very powerful program otherwise

Digital painting is becoming more and more accepted I think. I'm seeing more and more fantastic artists change to this medium and they produce absolutely stunning work. If that keeps up, it can't not get recognised

I would imagine that the biggest drawback to computer drawing/painting is that you don't have the physical product there when complete... to sell!

Sure you can print it out of the computer... you can sign limited prints and make your millions... but there is something that will always be missing there. There is something wonderful about holding a piece of artwork in your hands. I like knowing that that the lines you see were placed there by the artist.

On the business side fo things artists who make a living with their art must take the loss of the original art into consideration. For some this is a real obstacle until they come to terms with the transition. Some digital artist still do commissioning work on the side to offset any potential losses.

The same can be said of many art disciplines making (or that have already made) a transition to digital.
Animation cels for instance... they are a lot harder to find these days!

I've transitioned largely to the computer but I find my scanner is still an absolute necessity in my workflow.
At least *a little* of the work I do is still traditional.

On the plus side... you can produce a lot more work quickly with digital techniques and produce the same (and sometimes even better) quality.

As has been said, having a solid foundation in the basics is an absolute necessity.
Trying to learn a few of those myself.

Rodney

Rodney, two words! Digital Gallery

Yeah... I hear ya. Its not the same though.
I'm sure if it pays the bills its more than good enough.

I saw a guy today at the Base Exchange (Air Force's main store).
He was a local painter. Must have been 70 years old.
His work was on display which consisted of framed scenery and the like.
His specialty appeared to be painting on the faces of mirrors... which yielded some pretty impressive looking art. He was busy painting or I might have started asking him a lot of questions...

The point... if I have one... is that digital just wouldn't be the same as buying one of those paintings he had made.

In the store they had some mass produced paintings too.
I guess they were original... but other than being pretty... they might as well have been digital.

On the positive side, if someone gave me any of those in original or digital form I'd probably be glad to put it on my wall. Art is art after all... there's just something about the orginal work that speaks to me.

I don't think artists who switch to the digital format are the kinds of people who would exhibit their work (in general). It seems to be mainly concept artists who use it because of it's incredible flexibility and potential. Graphics designers will use it, architects, fashion designers, though I've seen a lot of aspiring artists use it because it's a good medium. But it seems to be used mainly in professions like those.

Though I've seen some incredible digital paintings... things I would love to get a large quality print of for my wall.

whats a concept artist??

i have been thinking of doing digital art as it would be better for me as painting makes me bedridden with the illness i have i see the digital art so much around i know that it has been accpected alreadly as i do say that people will not know untill they try!!
i see that cartoonists and illustraters for books, posters, greeting card artists for publishers , and the list goes on!!!!!!!! for digital art!!! and for that person that there partents dont think that there son/daughter is not skilled i Think that YOU SHOULD GET THEM TO DRAW SOMETHING ON THE PHOTOSHOP OR WHATEVER U USE AND SEE IF THEY CAN DRAW SOMETHING ON IT! AND U WILL SEE THAT THEY CANT I THINK THATS THE ONLY WAY TO SHOW U THEM THAT THERE IS Skill IN IT!!!
anything!!! that we use to make art is original
i have made art out of newspaper/ toothpase, food colouring / shoe poilsh, Cds i have used alot of wired and wonderful things!

My interest is animation - I managed to draw a decent cartoon character once, then realised that to make a movie, I had to draw him again just exactly the same, and again, and again.... At this point I started to think that maybe a real artist actually has control over the strokes he makes, and I was looking for this site even before I found it. (Thank you, Rodney, from a lurker at Hash!)

Using an actual pencil is much too frightening for me, but I really enjoy playing with the tablet.

My program of choice is Twisted Brush (www.pixarra.com), and I'm saving up for the real version (I just bought A:M, Rodney ) - the free one is still pretty fun though. With this program, you don't have to deal so much with the interface - you find a pen and draw. You don't have to save, as it does this automatically. There are pages in artbooks, so you can keep your works (or not!) by moving to another page. While I had the trial version, I created a fantastic (well, from a stick figure point of view) 'Degas' by smudging pastels. Thanks to not having to clean mess up, I was able to work on it for some days.

Hi to everyone - love the forum!

welcome

i have Photoshop CS2 and i dont have a clue how to use it lol

I have Painter 9 and have two maybe three clues on how to use it!

I liked the interface in the ArtRage 2.1 program and splurged on the full version (http://www.artrage.com) But I have no drawing tablet yet. Every art supply store here says I can get one at a computer store but they don't carry it themselves.


Certainly everyone should consider practicing drawing with a computer. You can get lots of practice in without worrying about mess and cost of materials. If you still want to try something for real, then okay, go ahead and do it.

sometimes it better to have some one online to talk you through how to use some of these programmes as i found that you needed a degree to understand some of them.. especially if you are not techy minded.. but once you get the gist of using them you will love it

I agree woo!!

i got mine from ebay so i didnt get a manual as i dont have the money to pay out for a £500 photoshop i only paid about £7 for mine i will get there in the end lol

if you need any tips just let me know .. there are a few sites that are pretty good for tutorials just type in photoshop tutorials in the search bar and a subject you want to cover and you should get a fair few come up .. and they are mostly free

im finding new things every day whilst im working on pieces some i find out by accident and works out well.. but if you want some easy excercises to do just shout .. ive been using photoshop for about 4 years now

If Undo is bad on a computer, maybe we should throw away our erasers...?

I had a graphics tablet some years ago, and it was great in some ways, but the lag between making a stroke, and its appearance on the screen, got pretty annoying. Maybe that's changed with today's computers and faster buses. I want to say this thing plugged into a serial port, which tells you that it was a very, very long time ago. In computer years, anyway.

But I think that, if someone wants to get involved with computer-based art, they're better off starting with a line-art or illustration package, like Adobe Illustrator. I use one called Micrografx Designer, which hasn't been available for some years. These are somewhat like drafting packages, but they go way beyond something like AutoCAD. I've done hundreds of illustrations over the years for various reasons, and the package is also great for assisting with "real" art. For instance, I can import a photo, resize it, then lay down a grid of lines over it and print it so that I have a gridded reference shot to work from. (Maybe grids are considered bad here too? I find varying levels of taboo among different groups of artists.)

The only drawback is that Adobe Illustrator is really expensive.

Another option is something like Corel Painter, which is not a Photoshop-like product, but rather you again draw lines, as in a cad program, but those lines can be define as different kinds of media, oil paints, pastels, and so on. And once the stroke is "painted", you can move it, reshape it, move one end of it...whatever you want. I've used software like that before too, and although it can be frustrating, you can get amazing results with patience.

i like digital art as much as conventional .. you can do so much more with digital art though than you can with conventional ways .. for example you can see each layer as and when you do them and see the progress .. with conventional art once you have done it you cant go back and see the layer underneath especially with oils and waters .. well infact with any .. so trying to correct any mistakes you have made ir you do something you dont like then the artwork is ruined .. there is a certain feel with conventional art i must agree you do tend to put more heart and soul into a convetional piece.. and you can often feel what the person has done.. and it can never be repeated which i supose is another good thing where as digital art can be repeated over and over again.. but at the end of the day art is art no matter what media you use

Thanks woo am starting out with the Basics right now with pencil

Check conceptart.org for a good digital art forum.

Digital art V traditional? both have a place, and both have advantages and dissadvantages, however definatly learn with pencil and paper, on paper you only need to learn how to move you hand and see with your eyes.
with digital, you need to learn software/computers as well! i've used photoshop on and off for the last 5 years and i still learn new things all the time, its an extreamly complex program.

if you want digital painting with out the pixels, (when you zoom in you still get lines) you need to use a Vector graphics program such as adobe illustrator.

there is something special about creating something with your hands, touching pencils and paints that you dont get in a digital medium.