Digital Painting – Things to Know Before You Start

The world is an amazing place where technology meets art and everything else, for that matter. It meeting art is a big deal, because artists can now work wherever they are. They might not use physical tools to make their art, but they can use digital tools to make art, which is more practical, if not the same as using real paint or real stone to make sculptures. But, like punters who visit online bookmakers to find a Betting Bonus Code, and are not visiting local brick and mortar bookmakers, so do painters use software and hardware to paint, and not brushes and tempera or oil.

If you’re new to digital painting, here is what you need to know before you get started, to make your journey easier.

The Hardware – The Tools of the Trade

For a painter, using the right hardware is a must. Some work on a PC, using the keyboard and mouse but most people prefer using tablets of some kind. Graphic tablets are the cheapest kind. They do not have screens, but are rather a blank space where you draw and objects appear on your laptop or desktop. You get a stylus with them. Some tablets come with a plethora of buttons which can be used as various shortcuts to find the tools you need, erasers, brushes or pencils. Display tablets are a better version of graphic tablets, because they have an actual screen which you can use to view the content you are making, and not look at a different screen. They also require a computer to work. The third option is an all in one tablet, which is a device on its own, not requiring a computer, though, you can connect it to one if you want to export your data.

The Software – Another Necessary Tool

For digital painting, most would agree that Adobe Photoshop is the best tool around. It was the first tool, and it is still one of the best tools out there. It is the industry standard, alongside it being the tool for which the most tutorials were written. There is a lot of content to teach you how to use and manipulate Photoshop to your advantage, so that it becomes your tool and not something which scares you once you see all the buttons and options. There are alternatives, like GIMP or Corel products, or Krita. 

Learning to Use Both

Whether you have software and hardware will mean nothing if you cannot use them properly. The best place to start is YouTube because chances are, you will have all the necessary material to master your device and software. There are specific courses for the software, but the hardware itself might not be covered. While the hardware shouldn’t give you problems, you might want to brush up on the knowledge, anyway, to avoid potential nuisances and learn tips and shortcuts.

Browse The Internet and Get Inspired

If you are lacking in inspiration, then you should look up sites like DeviantArt or Tumblr, or even various other blogs which deal with digital art. It should inspire you so that you can start learning a new type of digital painting, or even make a new creation of your own.

These are the things to look out for prior to starting your digital painting journey.