The ULTIMATE GUIDE to Digital Art | YTartschool - TLDW Summary | tldw.yt | tldw.yt

The ULTIMATE GUIDE to Digital Art | YTartschool - TLDW Summary | tldw.yt | tldw.yt

The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Digital Art

📝 TLDW Summary

Learn everything you need to start digital art, from choosing the right tablet and software to mastering essential tools and techniques. This comprehensive guide covers hardware options, software selection, basic exercises, and key features to help you begin your digital art journey.

⏱️19:26📝10 steps

🛠️Materials Needed

Drawing tablet (pen tablet, pen display, or iPad)
Digital art software (Krita, Procreate, Clip Studio Paint, or Photoshop)

📋Step by Step

1

Choose Your Drawing Tablet

Select between pen tablets (budget), pen displays (mid-range), or iPads (premium) based on your budget and preferences

Pen tablets require hand-eye adjustment but are affordable. Pen displays offer natural drawing experience. iPads provide all-in-one solution but cost more.

2

Install Tablet Drivers

Download and install the correct drivers for your tablet from the manufacturer's website

Without proper drivers, your tablet won't work correctly - you'll only get basic mouse-like functionality instead of pressure sensitivity.

3

Select Digital Art Software

Choose from Krita (free), Procreate (iPad only), Clip Studio Paint (recommended), or Photoshop (industry standard)

Clip Studio Paint works on all devices and is most popular among students. Photoshop is powerful but expensive with monthly subscription.

4

Create Your First Canvas

Use Ctrl+N or File > New to create a 4K canvas (3840x2160 pixels) for balanced quality and performance

4K resolution prevents pixelation while maintaining good performance. For printing large works, you may need higher resolution.

5

Learn Essential Shortcuts

Master brush (B), eraser (E), and color picker (Alt+click) shortcuts for efficient workflow

These three shortcuts allow you to work quickly without constantly switching tools through menus.

6

Practice Basic Exercises

Draw circles with one continuous line and parallel curved lines to improve pen control

Disable smoothing to develop real dexterity. Practice on paper too - these exercises benefit all artists.

7

Understand Layers

Use layers to separate elements, adjust opacity, and experiment with blending modes

Layers work like transparent sheets. Use alpha lock to paint within existing areas without affecting other parts.

8

Use Selection Tools

Master lasso tool and selection box for precise painting within defined areas

Use Ctrl+D to deselect. Selections are great for creating gradients and clean edges without affecting surrounding areas.

9

Save Your Work Properly

Save as PSD for working files, export as JPEG (quality 8-10) for sharing online

PSD files preserve layers for future editing. Resize to 50% for web sharing to balance quality and loading speed.

10

Import Custom Brushes

Download and import custom brushes to enhance your painting capabilities

Use soft brushes for smooth shading. Import brushes through the brush menu in your software of choice.

💡Pro Tips

→Use a soft brush for shading to avoid harsh brush strokes
→Practice basic exercises regularly to improve dexterity
→Disable smoothing when practicing to develop real control
→Use Alt+click for quick color picking while painting
→Save both PSD (working) and JPEG (final) versions of your artwork