Digital art where to start?

[Gasman]

Hi guys

I`m often blown away by the works of art done by folk on the forum and would dearly love to get into that but never having drawn stuff before it would be great for some pointers from you experts how to get started in this please?. Did you guys start off your drawing careers the conventional (?) way using paper,paints, pencils etc and then move onto digital?. I have a registered copy of Artrage 4 (before I`d heard of AD ) which I got for the kids which I`ve had a play with. Any tuts,books you could recommend would be great ! Thanks

cheers

Steve

[ronniemcbride]

Hello Gasman,

 

That a tough question that really depends on your interest. First off  I think you should explore as many mediums of expression to really see what you like the best.

 

I would suggest you take a 30-day course or pick up a 30-day drawing book. Learn the basics of drawing. Like drawing with lines and shape then learn about light, shadows as it applies to shading. Learn about drawing what you see and practice doing still life drawings. These are all things you should be familiar with before jumping into a digital program. Times have change and digital technology has come along way, but nothing will replace learning the basic concepts and applying them with a little hand and eye coordination.

 Here are a few books I would recommend to start.

 

Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain

You Can Draw in 30 Days

Picture this: How Pictures Work

 

Then when you are done with that then take An  Affinity Course or Dive deep into the numerous free content found here.

 

Hope that helps if you have any other questions feel free to ask. Ther are no stupid questions only the ones that are never asked  

 

Cheers!

 

Ronnie

 

 

[eejits]

Totally agree with what Ronnie said. Great advice!

I've always (and still do) start with good ol' pencil and paper. Best place to start.

Take time to learn the basics (in fact, you never stop learning), stating with lines and shapes and then combining them to construct things. Don't try to be perfect straight off the bat or you will end up frustrated. Take your time and practice, practice and practice before opening AD or AP. When you're done practicing, practice some more!

Good luck and I look forward to seeing what you create.

George

[Gasman]

Great stuff, many thanks Ronnie and George.

Steve

[gdenby]

I started in the conventional way, there wasn't any digital. What I learned about drawing accurately, composition with proportion, defining shapes w. light and dark contrast, selecting what portions should be detailed and high lighted, as opposed to those that can be left as backdrop, all those apply to digital images.

 

Besides practice, practice, practice, I'll also suggest that you look over basic composition techniques, maybe (some usually pretty boring) academic drawing studies.

 

Look at a few thousand images from museums. When you find an artist whose work you admire, copy it as faithfully as possible. Its a beginner step, but classically, learning to emulate the master was necessary to get beyond an apprentice.

 

Because you are using digital media, you will have pick up what is needed to emulate the the effects you admire

 

[Gasman]

Thanks g much appreciated.

Steve