Common 2d Digital Art Concerns

Common Concerns of 2d Digital Art

So what are your digital art concerns? We need to look at a few things that will need to consider as these are some of the common concerns that you need to know about 2d digital art.

In this world of new media, it is not common for beginners to get lost simply because there is just too much to learn such as print resolutions.

To give you better directions, I will give a general description of what you need to get started. As well, we will explore these learning curves in depth as to not to overwhelm you.

Anyway, as a budding 2d digital artist, first of all, you need:

Tools that will help you transfer your drawings on the computer
Art programs as a medium between your tools and your imagination
The specifics of drawing that you will need to know
Techniques that will help you compose everything you’ve learned

1. You need a physical drawing tool!

The two most common tools to use is either the mouse or a digital stylus. Well, a mouse is self explanatory. A stylus, on the other hand:

Looks like a plastic pencil with a plastic writing tip
Usually is connected to an electronic drawing pad
Is activated within a certain distance above the drawing pad
Simulates a pencil and sketch pad
Gives far more control than a mouse

Generally speaking, the stylus is the superior tool that most digital painters use. Obviously, you can still use a mouse! But I strongly suggest you get a stylus.

If you don't have one, don’t worry about this concern. I will recommend one or two later that is perfect for the beginning digital artist such as yourself.

2. Finding the right 2d graphics program!

What’s next is the program that you will need to make everything work digitally. There are a few concerns regarding which is the best.

Through my experience in 2d digital art, I have recommended the top four programs, each has their strengths and weaknesses, that fit most beginning artists and their needs:

Adobe Photoshop
GIMP
Corel Painter
Paint Shop Pro

Certainly, you are free to use any programs to suite your needs. However, these four programs have created a standard in the world of 2d digital artworks. They each have their advantages and disadvantages which I will go in detail later. All you need to do is keep them in mind for the moment.

Even though you are using an art program, don’t depend on them! That is the mistake that most beginners do! You have to remember that you are the artist and not the program. It is just a tool for you!

Likewise, it is also important to know how to properly create a digital canvas in these programs you will be painting in so you can get the ball rolling!

3. Develop the right techniques!

The concerns regarding talent shouldn't even looked at.

Forget talent!

Instead, focusing on persistence is the key to success!

Throughout the building of the site, I will teach you brush techniques that will turn those scribbles and shapes into controlled brush strokes. For example, even the direction of the brush can alter how the leaves on a tree flow in your digital painting!

And when drawing the tree, you need specific strategies to draw it properly! For starters, which do you draw first: the leaves or the trunk? How would create depth in a world of greenery? Well, I will definitely teach you these tricks and strategies!

4. Learning to put it all together!

There are plenty of concerns of learning about composition.

When you build upon the basic techniques, I will show you how you can use them to compose the general image. For example, we can work on various eyes to give a specific facial expression that, when combined with the specific nose and mouth, create everyday emotions that we see!

As an extension, you can use everything that you’ve learned to do realistically and apply it to different types of styles such as cartooning, abstracts, and surrealism. But you need to keep in mind that you have to learn it properly through realistic drawing!

Furthermore, you can use what you learn and apply it to another level of 2d painting called vector images! These images depend heavily on shape manipulation, knowledge of depth, and color usage.

The biggest difference from what you will be doing, which is raster images, and vector, is that the latter has more freedom in terms of manipulation, color, and sizing as they rely heavily on mathematical equations of shapes rather than fixed pixels.

As an extension of 2d, you can even get into the realm of 3d digital art once you master 2d concepts!

Sounds confusing? Don’t be. You probably won’t use vector and 3d until much later in your learning. That’s why I haven’t said much about it in terms of techniques and tools. You just need to know that it exists for now.

Nevertheless, one thing to keep in mind to learn 2d digital art is that you need motivation! Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither is activating that hidden talent that is within you!

Regardless, my best advice for you is: always be motivated!

Return from Concerns to the 2d Digital Art Guide.