Recently I have dabbled in teaching myself how to create digital illustrations. Though I am by no means a professional, I thought it would be good to share my method. For those who have seen these images pop up on my Instagram lately, I thought it would be good to update the blog and fill you in on what i've been doing with my spare time the past few weeks.
Below are a few of my creations. Each one is pretty different, i'm still learning and finding my feet, drawing whatever it is I feel like that day. As you can see this ranges from Marilyn Monroe to chocolate labradors. Being in a lock down, keeping yourself busy isn't always easy. I have been lucky enough to find something that keeps me occupied. Of course, no one should feel pressured to learn a new skill just because of the lockdown. But if you're a fan of art like me, this can be a pretty fun outlet, not necessarily requiring a huge investment.
My Digital Illustration Method
There are a number of applications that can be used for digital illustrations, from what I have noticed the majority of people seem to favour Procreate. Procreate is an app for ipad that works best with an Apple pencil or presumably similar, lesser known brands. I have also seen a lot of artists using Photoshop or Illustrator and achieving a similar style and impact.
Unfortunately, I don't have my iPad with me during the lockdown and so I have opted to use the trackpad on my laptop to draw. As i'm just starting out I was also hesitant to invest in any new software for my creations and so instead, I have opted to use MS Paint 3D.
Hear me out, Paint may be a little outdated, but it does have its perks. It is very simple to use and of course it's free, so that can never hurt. I am hoping to retrieve my iPad soon and invest in an Apple pencil for ease but for the time being Paint is keeping me occupied. There is also the nostalgia value which 5 year old me enjoys.
My method on Paint is straightforward, I paste in the image I would like to draw, adjust the canvas size to 2400 x 3400, outline the image and then colour the background something complimentary. At this stage, i'm still working out my individual style. I have tried a few less detailed pieces and some more time consuming and elaborate.
For the simpler images, I just tend to block fill sections in colour (see the summer bikini piece above). For those images with facial features or cute dogs named Monty, I instead pick out the highlights and shadows first and then slowly use the 'marker' to draw in areas of colour. There is no exact science to this, but focusing on the light seems to help the image come alive. Altering opacity can also assist with this, again just to build up light and shadow. This is sometimes more tricky on Paint, where you have to just work on a single layer rather than stacking, as you can do with Photoshop or Illustrator.
I am still learning, and searching for techniques and insights. If you have any input, or any useful recommendations regarding software I would love to hear it. Please comment below or message me on my social channels! .
Thank you for reading!
Want to See More?
If you would like to follow my attempts at creating art, take a look at my recently created Instagram page @naomidrawsthings
You can also purchase all of the above designs on my Etsy and Redbubble accounts using the links below:
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