My first experience with Digital Painting - Frida Khalo
It has been a long time since I have done any sort of painting or drawing but I was inspired to try it again after I had watched Chezlin on YouTube.
Her Channel is great if your are into DIY, like to make crafty things or are interested in digital painting. Her art style is earthy and is hypnotic to watch.
Chezlin inspired me to get a drawing tablet of my own and start drawing digitally. It appealed to me as you can easily erase or undo any mistakes and and you can zoom into your picture to draw the tiny details.
The Tablet I decided on getting was the Wacom Intuos Draw. This Tablet generally recommend for those who want to try out Digital Painting. Compared to the Wacom line this Tablet is modestly priced at $79.95 on Amazon
My experience
I really liked using the pen with the tablet as it felt similar to pencil on paper.
I also loved that I could program the buttons on the tablet to automatically undo or erase. This was really handy for me.
I was really surprised with the pressure sensitivity.
As you can see in my Frida painting, I was doing a value study. The painting has a good range of lights and deep blacks. The pressure sensitivity of the tablet helped me to be able to change the size of my brush and the opacity which made shading Fridas face really simple.
Being able to zoom into the picture on my digital painting program was good for me to draw the important details of the Eyes.
The Digital painting program I used to paint Frida was Krita. It is a free painting program similar to Photoshop but it is free. I had used Photoshop before when I studied Media Arts, so I was familiar with how to use the basics of the program. The program is a great tool if you want to give digital art a try.
I was overall impressed with what I was able to achieve, having not drawn anything in while. I feel like I am yet to develope a particular art style. I am great at copying and reproducing but my goal is to have my own style of drawing and painting.
This painting is somewhat unfinished and decidedly so. I had spent over a week getting used to the process and playing around with settings. I got the painting to a point where all the elements were in place but not quite polished to completion but I am happy with where I got it to.
I would love any constructive criticism. If you could lend some in the comments I would really appreciate it. 😊
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You are to good my friend...
Great job
Thanks for sharing
Thankyou, am24it! You are very kind. :)
Incredible painting!! You can draw a portrait, not on paper, but on software. You are an artist or a painter?! The black and white effect is very classic and powerful.
I wish I could draw, I always envy people who can draw. drawing is the only subject I failed at school!! But I love art and used to spend hours in art gallery in London.
Following your post too.
Cheers.
Thanks again Kaminchan! if you love art you should try giving Krita a try. It couldn't hurt to play around, maybe you will find you drawing talent with it? :)
I find that I make a lot of mistakes while drawing or painting and if I make those mistakes on paper, it can take a lot of time to go over and fix those error by hand. However, with digital painting, you can quickly fix anything with a click of a button. I'm not sure if I would call my self a painter or artist, I consider myself to be a creative who dabbles in arty things. :D
Thank you @kiwicanfly. This sounds encouraging . I did know a friend's mother-in-law who started painting at over sixty years old! All the oil paintings in my friend's house were done by this lady! She never had any painting lessons, she just experimented and did it straight away. I think she must have been an artist in one of her past lives. I cannot feel anything artistic in my past lives!
However, I do like the idea of drawing with pencils and crayons, just like children. May be I'll start drawing one day in the countryside.
Thanks for your kind words.
All the best!
Awesoem work, I cannot draw a straight line LOL
I do have a Wacom Tablet similar to yours though I use it for editing photos occasionally
Welcome from another Kiwi all be it one currently living in the USA
Kia Ora, Tattoodjay! That's what rulers are for bro! XD
These tablets are definitely good for all sorts! I see how it would be good for spot cleaning photos.
Kia Ora Mate
I dont use mine as much as I should, as I am used to using the mouse and keep forgetting to use it,would love to get a graphics tablet screen to work on but there out of my budget for now
Cheers
This is really amazing. It doesn't even look like a "digital" image at all. I love how well Krita is able to reproduce the look of traditional media.
I have to admit I'm spoiled by my Thinkpad tabet laptop. It makes a huge difference for me, being able to see the picture I'm drawing right beneath the stylus. If you ever have a chance to pick up a used Thinkpad X220t or X230t I'd say go for it - it's a great way to get a tablet/monitor on the cheap. Ebay has several listings for under $200 but I'm not sure about New Zealand shipping.
What image size were you working at in this picture?
I have been looking into monitor tablets but the Wacom Citiqs are in my opinion way over priced. There is definitely a learning curve when it comes to using the Wacom Intuos and you need good hand-eye coordination to make what you are drawing on your pad translate onto your screen. I shall have a look for a Thinkpad in New Zealand. Shipping to NZ is horrendous.
The original size of the picture was 1240 x 1496 px. It got cut down a little bit when I posted it to my instagram. The resolution is a little squashed as a result but I don't mind these things. :)
Oh, cool. An older Thinkpad would have no problem handling those dimensions. It's definitely much easier to draw when you can see what you're doing. My Wife went for a Cintiq but she got it used at a fraction of the original price. Unfortunately, it's probably easier to find good deals like that in the states.
The challenge my wife is facing is that she's designing images for Society6 and other sites that demand huge files, usually around 12,000 pixels across. It's just too much for her computer and it keeps locking up! (She's on Steemit as @donnadavisart if you want to check out her paintings.) We've been thinking about a Desktop but that's not really travel-friendly.
I had thought of making art for Redbubble. It's a good point to buy something that can handle the larger dimensions. I saw your wifes' art! I love how inky her paintings turn out! I really love the dogs and the animals on chairs. the Stranger breeds and the Gorilla on the chair are my favourites. I'll be sure to follow her.
I need a tablet..........this is so gorgeous. But my eyes like only pricey stuff. sigh
Thanks! :D
Seeing the drawing tutorials on Youtube made me bite the bullet and get one.
Muy bien .dibujas bien
Muchas gracias! 😊
Hi! Welcome to Steemit community. I would like to suggest you check this out.
https://steemd.com/@kiwicanfly
As a newbie or minnow, one ought to keep the voting power around 80%, unless you can buy more steem power like some people. It will take several days for your voting power to regenerate to 80% again. It is safe to vote about 10-12 times a day.
Have a good time.
Cheers.
Thanks for the advice! I must admit, the voting power part of Steemit does elude me to some extent. Thanks for looking out for the small frys! :D
Hey! I also just learned about this recently from another post. So, I think it is wise to share this information. You don't see it in FAQ, not in details.
Keep up the good work!
Cheers.
excellent, especially since it's your first time using the hardware! :)
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Thankyou so much! 🤗
I read your link about helping creatives on the platform. It is such a good idea!
Thanks for taking the time to read it. Wasn't sure if I came of like spam or not including it in a comment. We're currently taking submissions for our general contest "creativeschallenge"