Digital Painting: The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide
paintable.cc/digital-painting-the-ultimate-beginners-guide
David Belliveau
Fancy yourself an artist? Here's the ultimate step-by-step guide to
becoming a 21st Century painter!
Do you want to be a digital artist, but don’t know where to start? Perhaps you’ve done a
Google search before, but felt overwhelmed by all the information, or intimidated by what
the authors assumed you already know.
I’ve realized that there’s not enough beginner-friendly material out there for people who
want to try digital painting. That’s why I’ve put together this comprehensive guide to
explain everything you need to know to get started. From the tools, software, process, and
features–this guide is everything you need to jumpstart your new hobby (or career) ASAP.
Note: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. That means if you buy something, I
get a small commission at no extra cost to you, to help support the blog and allows me to
continue to make free content. Thanks for your support!
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What Is Digital Painting?
Watch Video At: https://youtu.be/l_kwF62SDwk
So you might already be familiar with traditional media, such as watercolor, oils, or
acrylic – and now you’re wondering.. “what is digital painting?”
Digital painting is a new medium that lets us create beautiful artwork, without the
messiness of painting with inks or oils. It still requires many of the same skills and
techniques as traditional painting (no, you can’t just create art at the click of a button…
yet), but it’s also easier in many ways.
Instead of painting on canvas or paper, digital painting allows you to paint
directly onto a computer, which has a number of amazing advantages:
It’s a lot less messy, and you can do it in even the smallest spaces – as long as you’ve
got space to set up your tablet (and possibly a computer), you’re good to go!
It’s a lot faster, as you don’t need to wait for paints to dry
It will allow you to work faster and more creatively – you can use powerful digital
tools like layers to unlock entirely new ways of working
The only things you need to get started with digital painting are a graphics tablet, and
painting software of your choice.
Don’t worry if you’re unsure where to begin – in this guide I’ll walk you through it all
step-by-step.
Let’s begin…
What tools do I need to get started with digital painting?
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Watch Video At: https://youtu.be/4AFu8_OTay4
To get started with digital painting, you will need just two things: a tablet, and some
painting software.
Choosing Your Hardware
There are three main categories of graphic tablets:
Graphic Tablets
These are the cheapest models, and what most artists (myself included) start out with.
They generally have just two components: a touch-pad, and a stylus (a digital pen),
though fancier models will also have a number of buttons and dials along the side.
Because these tablets don’t have screens, you will need a laptop or computer to plug them
into (usually via a USB cable)
Pros:
Cheapest option, and totally good enough to get started with
No batteries or charging necessary
No screen to get damaged
Cons:
You have to keep your eyes on the computer screen, meaning you can't watch your
hands as you paint - this can take some getting used to
Require a computer
Most popular models:
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Pro-Tip: I would recommend you get a tablet that has a drawing area of at least 6″ x
3.7″. You’ll need this to create fluid, dynamic strokes.
Display Tablets
Got a little extra budget? Consider investing in a display tablet!
Display tablets function like graphic tablets, but with a built-in monitor. You can draw
directly onto a screen, which feels more intuitive (especially when you’re used to painting
on paper or canvas).
Pros:
Drawing on a screen feels more natural than a touch-pad
Allow you to work more accurately
Cons:
More expensive
May develop 'dead pixels' over time
Require a computer
Most popular models:
"All-In-One" Tablets
These include popular tablets like the iPad Pro or Microsoft Surface Pro. The big
advantage is that you won’t need an extra laptop or computer to plug your tablet into –
these are essentially a tablet and computer 2-in-1. This makes them very portable – you
can take them with you wherever you go. The downside is that they are more expensive,
and you have a very limited selection of software available to you. Important: If you
choose to use an Apple iPad, you will also need a stylus with pressure sensitivity. The
Apple Pencil has built in pressure sensitivity, but it only works with the iPad Pro – if you
are using a regular iPad there are options like the Adonit Pixel Stylus.
Pros:
Drawing on a screen feels more natural than a touch-pad
Portable, no need to bring a laptop with you
Cons:
Fairly expensive
Limited software options
Most popular models:
iPad Pro (rapidly becoming one of the most popular tools for digital illustrators, as it
allows you to use the Procreate app)
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Microsoft Surface Pro (amazingly, you can actually run the full version of Photoshop
on this tablet)
Wacom Mobile Studio Pro (essentially a portable Cintiq, very powerful but
prohibitively expensive for most beginners)
Digital Painting Software
There are a lot of different programs available for digital painting, so to make your life
easier I would suggest you get one of these three:
Adobe Photoshop
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Krita
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Procreate
If you’re using an iPad Pro, use Procreate. For all other devices, I’d recommend Adobe
Photoshop or Krita.
Adobe Photoshop
Price: $9.99/month (on the Creative Cloud “Photography” Plan)
If you want to get serious about digital painting, I highly recommend Adobe
Photoshop. It’s the most powerful software available for painting, and because it’s become
the industry standard you’ll find the most training & lessons on it.
> Click HERE For a Free 30-Day Trial
Krita
Price: Free!
Krita is a free and open-source alternative to Adobe Photoshop. It’s not quite as powerful,
though it’s certainly good enough to get started if you’re on a limited budget. Just be
aware that you won’t find as much training on it online, and if you want to one day work
professionally in an in-house studio or agency, you may need to eventually switch to
Adobe Photoshop.
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> Click HERE to download for free
Procreate
Price: $9.99 (one-time payment)
Procreate has been taking the art world by storm in the last few years. It’s very light-
weight and easy to use, and while it’s lacking some of Photoshops features, more are being
added to it all the time. Unfortunately it’s currently only available for iPad.
> Click HERE to Get Procreate
Other Software
While I recommend you stick to one of the 3 programs above, there are other options
available to you. Other popular painting programs include:
Gimp (free)
Clip Studio Paint Pro ($49.99)
Art Studio Pro (macOS and iOS) ($11.99)
ArtRage ($79)
Corel Painter
Pro-Tip: At the end of the day, picking your software is a matter of preference. With
enough practice you’ll be able to create professional looking artwork in any software.
Based on my experiences I would recommend you pick one of 3 programs I listed above,
but if you’d prefer to use another app, then go for it!
Overwhelmed? Here's What I'd Recommend...
It can be easy to get overwhelmed with the amount of choices available, and get lost down
a rabbit hole of trying to find the perfect set up. My advice to you is this: don’t
overcomplicate it! At the end of the day, the tools don’t make an artist, and you won’t
notice a huge difference between entry-level and professional-level tablets as a beginner.
Start simple! The Wacom Intuos is an inexpensive and very reliable tablet (I still use it to
this day!). Pair it with Adobe Photoshop – or Krita if you’re on a budget – and you’re good
to go!
Understanding Your Tools & Software
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Watch Video At: https://youtu.be/C9N0kCBwt7Y
In this video, I’m going to walk you through the software interface, so you
know how all of the tools work!
I’ll be using Adobe Photoshop, but you can follow along in most software – many of the
tools look & behave similarly.
Note: I’ve summarised some of the most important concepts from the video, but make
sure to watch the video above as there are many more lessons in it!
Canvas and Documents
The very first step of digital painting is to create a new document.
In Adobe Photoshop, you can do this by going to File > New Document, or by using the
keyboard shortcut CTRL/CMD + N
Depending on your version of Photoshop, you’ll see a window with the following options:
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The most important settings to remember are:
Width & Height: Use this to set the size of your canvas, in either Centimetres or
Inches
Resolution: If you’re planning to print your artwork, use 300 Pixels/Inch. If you’re
not planning to print it, use 72 Pixels/Inch – this will keep your file sizes smaller
and make your computer run faster
Color Mode: Always start in RGB. If you want to print your artwork, you can
switch this to CMYK later on.
The Software Interface
The 3 most important part of the Photoshop software interface to remember are:
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1. The Toolbox – this contains all of the tools you’ll need, like the brush, eraser,
selection tools, etc.
2. The Options Bar – as you select tools in the toolbox, you’ll see that the bar at the
top of the window changes, giving you different options for each tool
3. Panels – you can mix and match the panels that you find most useful for your own
workflow. For now, I recommend you start with the Brushes, Layers, and Color
panels
Keyboard Shortcuts
To speed up your workflow, you should start to get familiar with using keyboard
shortcuts.
Here are some of the most important Photoshop shortcuts to remember:
B – Select the Brush Tool
E – Select the Eraser Tool
Z – Select the Zoom Tool
M – Select the Marquee Tool
Ctrl/Cmd + T – Use the Free-Transform Tool
When you have the Brush Tool (shortcut: B) selected, there are a number of shortcuts you
can access by holding the following keys:
Spacebar– Temporarily select Move Tool
Spacebar + CMD/CTRL– Temporarily select Zoom Tool
CMD/CTRL – Temporarily select Eyedropper Tool
You can download a list of other useful Photoshop keyboard shortcuts here.
Making Your First Marks:
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Watch Video At: https://youtu.be/dDz8J-MMujg
Click Here to Download the Course Files
Now that you understand the interface, let’s take a look at the most
important tools & concepts…
Note: I’ve summarised some of the most important concepts from the video, but make
sure to watch the video above as there are many more lessons in it!
Layers
Layers can be one of the most useful features of digital painting, if you know how to use
them.
By using layers, you can keep different elements of your painting separate. Whether it’s an
object, a body part, a highlight or a shadow–painting them on different layers will give
you the ability to tweak each element without risking the rest of your work.
The most important thing to remember about layers is this: the order that layers are listed
in your Layers panel is the order they will show up on your canvas. Layers that are higher
up will be placed on top of layers underneath them. You can drag and drop layers to
change their order in an instant.
More resources on using layers:
Brushes & Erasers
As in traditional media, brushes & erasers are tools used to add and remove color,
respectively.
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The varieties of brushes used in digital painting are unlimited. In Photoshop, a unique
brush stroke can be created by simply changing the brush tip, size, softness, shape, and
even the pressure applied. If you miss the texture of traditional media, you can even use
brushes that are designed to look like oil or watercolor!
As for erasers, they can be configured in the same way as brushes in terms of size, shape,
and softness. The only difference is that they remove color instead of adding them.
More resources on using brushes:
Blending
Blending colors is essential in creating a smooth, three-dimensional effect.
There are many ways to create a blended effect in Photoshop: soft edge brush, smudge
tool, and mixer brush being the most common tools. Of course, you should choose your
technique based on the effect you are trying to achieve. We suggest you start by trying out
various blending tools to see for yourself what fits your process and personal painting
style.
To learn more about blending, take a look at this guide we’ve put together for you!
Putting It All Together: Painting Your First Masterpiece!
If you’ve made it this far, then congrats! You’re ready to start painting your very first
digital masterpiece:
Watch Video At: https://youtu.be/gjNO6Mukm6A
Click Here to Download the Course Files
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In this step-by-step video, you’ll learn all of the most important digital painting
techniques, and use them to create a prickly painting of your own! Don’t forget to
download the free exercise sheet above so you can follow along yourself.
Next Steps
Congratulations, you’ve taken the first (and most difficult) step as an artist… getting
started!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this free guide, and I hope you’re feeling fired up about digital
painting! If you’d like to keep learning and improving, take a look at the following
resources:
1. Browse our blog for more free tutorials, guides, and inspiration
2. Or if you’d like to really take your paintings to the next level, check out the Digital
Painting Academy!
The Academy is your one-stop-shop for mastering digital painting – full of step-by-step
lessons, resources, an amazing community, and even the ability to get help and support
from a seasoned instructor.
It’s the most affordable alternative to Art School – so come take a look!
Happy painting!
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