Moving Art From the Paper Pad to the Computer Screen

There is something magical about creating a huge mess when it comes to making art. There are few things more therapeutic than throwing a clay pot on a wheel and walking away with dust all over you. Or being able to smear charcoal across paper with your fingers and getting to feel the texture. Some famous artists have complained that a lot of today’s art has lost its integrity by being altered electronically. Others say that computers are best thing to ever happen to the world of art. I’m not here to argue either side because after all…what is art?

I dislike that question.

Throwing paint everywhere has its merits, but let’s focus on how to switch to electronic art for those that want to know how to blend it with the tech industry.

1. Learn how to use a drawing tablet

Tablets are awesome. They allow you to draw directly from your tablet to the drawing program on your computer in whatever medium you’d like (although I still haven’t found a decent watercolor emulator) without leaving a mess. They can save you a ton of time, which is essential if you have limited time to work on a project. They also allow you to correct your mistakes, thus producing more professional work in abundance. They can be pricey if you go for the top models, but Wacom has a selection of reasonably priced models that you can start out on. Sometimes it’s not about having the best tool, but about knowing how to push what you have to its limits and beyond.

2. Become acquainted with an image manipulation program on the computer

A lot of people use Photoshop these days. Illustrator as well. Those that want to be completely open source might go for something like Gimp. It’s a great tool for people that want to make assets for 2D video games. Those that are looking for a real challenge might be interested in Blender which allows you to make 3D models. Those take forever, by the way. Learning these tools can make you so much more marketable to developers that might be hiring artists, especially when you learn the harder programs and can code a little. It might seem a little intimidating at first, and does take some time to learn, but it’s worth the time it requires. You might even figure out if the career path you’ve been exploring is right for you throughout the process. Lynda.com offers great tutorial videos for almost any program if you’re struggling.

3. Learn to take criticism

Your success largely depends on you being able to provide what developers want to use in their projects. This means that whatever they tell you to improve on or change, have the humility to understand that what you think might be perfect doesn’t always fit what everyone else wants. Sometimes people just won’t like your stuff, and that’s ok! Going through the refiner’s fire will help you put out your best work, which is much better than putting out mediocre work more frequently.

I guess the last thing I should tell you in this post is to not believe everything you learn on the internet. Some people pave their own paths in such unique and awesome ways and there aren’t enough blogs in the world to catalogue them all. That being said, we might be able to assume that they all had to work hard to get to where they are, so don’t give up! You’ll find that if you put the time in, eventually you and people around you will start to appreciate the work you’re doing.