*drops in from the sky* HEYO HUMANS I AM BACK. Apologies for the unexpected hiatus. I was on vacation last week and very very busy the week before that but I AM HERE (and newsletter peeps, haven’t forgotten ya, just in the middle of figuring out some technical difficulties with my newsletter and all that, SO).
This week, I decided that I would review something I’ve been doing a lot lately– DIGITAL ART *weak confetti poof*. While I am by no means an expert in it, I have been getting pretty good at navigating my favorite platform, Kleki, and upon realizing that there was not a whole lot out there about digital art with a mouse (my most comfortable medium for digital art) I thought I would share today about some of the things I’ve learned and how you can achieve art like this (see above) even if you can’t afford a tablet or a touchscreen computer.
(technically, I’m not even drawing with a computer mouse, just the touchpad thing on my laptop).
I’ll be working with Kleki.com, and of course, I’ll be supplying pictures.
Let’s jump in!
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Tip Number 1: Find a Base Sketch
Honestly, the base sketch (or as I affectionately call it, the “skeleton”) is the HARDEST part of the drawing. Most of the time, when I do digital art, it’s on TOP of an existing sketch. It might be super-duper messy, but at least it gives me something to work with when I’m drawing. It can be something as a simple as a pose ref from Pinterest or you can be like me and spend time drawing one yourself.
The most important thing is that the most important lines are very clearly defined, so that they are easy to trace over.
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Tip Number 2: Use an Art Program with either a Sketchy Tool or a Stabilizer
I love Kleki for having both of these. A stabilizer is SUPER important, because it will allow you to draw smooth lines. It DOES make it a little slower, but I find number 3 on Kleki is a happy medium. The stabilizer on Kleki has 5 settings, and can be found under the color gradient.
The second best option is the sketchy tool. I often use this since it gives a very nice painted look. I did this sketch of a horse eye with a mouse in about three minutes.
The sketchy tool is very nice for painted-like shading, hair texture, and even line art. If I want to do fast, sketchy-esque digital art, I use this. It’s located on the third tab, between blender and the pixel brush.
The brush DOES like to fill in on corners, so you have to work in small increments, but it’s the best tool if you like sketchy type line art. If you want a smoother look, use the stabilizer with the normal brush.
On the left, I used a sketch brush to create line art. On the right, I used the pen setting, 4 px, on stabilizer 3. Work in SMALL increments, go slow, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes.
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Tip Number 3: Paint Bucket is Your Best Friend
When I was a young chap in the early days of my haphazard digital art journey (back when Microsoft Paint was all I knew), Paint Bucket was a miracle invention in my small mind. Instead of spending hOuRs trying to stay inside the lines like a toddler learning to draw with crayon again, I could fill in the whole drawing with a few clicks. The best thing to do: use the paint bucket on different layers. This is important for later, so do not forget it.
I use paint bucket to fill in all my base colors, using different layers for shirts, hair, skin, pants, etc. It is very important that you separate touching colors. Paint bucket saves me SO much time when it comes to coloring in.
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Tip Number 4: A Little Something Called Lock Alpha
Lock alpha revolutionized my digital art ability. I can’t recall the SPECIFIC moment I discovered it, but when I did it changed EVERYTHING.
Lock alpha, quite simply, is a setting that allows you to ONLY draw on that layer. This is LOVELY for shading and highlights. This is why it’s SO important to have your colors on different layers: with lock alpha you can blend every layer individually, without worrying about staying in the lines. I love to use the calligraphy pen for shadows and the blender for highlights.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Sketchy does not have a lock alpha function in Kleki.
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Tip Number 5: Repetition and Experimentation
Ultimately, I got better through trying different things! The more familiar I became with the software, the more I realized what I could do with just my mouse. My hand got steadier and I learned more about blending and shading. I learned how to use my tools under limitations. And the more you work on it, the more you will learn what you can do!
Your early drawings might be sucky, and you might just wanna give up, but you CAN draw with a mouse well! Start with the paint buckets, over a sketch traced from a drawing, and just use basic light and shadows shading. Move from there. Start basic, and keep going. Just keep practicing, keep experimenting.
After all, the reward in the end is fun art!
(and if you have any questions about this, feel free to ask below and I’d be happy to help you!)
Important Links:
COOL!