20 / 39
Sep 2019

That's interesting because my art educational experience was primarily about process not results so I often credit it with habits I developed. One of my AFO teachers would barrel burn our projects and portfolios after he reviewed them...at the time it was repeatedly horrifying, but in the long term it changed your relationship with the importance of what you created.

That's happened to me from time to time. I'll draw something in my sketchbook, want to use it for a page and can't get it right. Sometimes I just take a picture of my sketch and ink it over digitally :confused:

Only a few times though. My sketchbook is mostly used for thumbnailing and quick character/scene ideas. I find physical drawing easier for my in-the-moment brainstorming. Likewise when it comes to more "official" art like character models and comic pencils to more natural on digital. Probably because I can fix mistakes easier and my inks come out clear on computer.

Overall I'd say I'm better digital since I've spent more time digital. If I had the money and time I would like to practice traditional inking again.

Oh yeah, doodling digitally is harder for me. Mostly because of the pen flow and the difference in stroke I can't really get via digital. I haven't been drawing on paper lately bit when I do, it usually finished quicker then when I draw on digital

I dont have issues doing either- but I do have issues doing either one at various times...sometimes I'll do well with drawing digitally and I'll struggle to draw traditionally for a spell- and vice versa.

Yeah..looking back I really didn't get the best art education - unfortunately I kept getting placed in the 'bad' art teacher's class and I think I missed out on a lot. College helped expand my knowledge, but didn't' quite disrupt the bad foundation that had been laid.

I love traditional inking! Lately I've created a digital sketchbook (technically just a folder) in procreate to try and mimic the practice of using a physical sketchbook but digitally instead I think it is starting to help blend the two practices!

Fair, I've never really struggled with that issue - but I usually have my pen pressure sensitivity pretty high

True - I think I'm also in a bit of an art lull right now which is just exacerbating the issue... I am so used to only having time to work on my comic and now that I am on hiatus - I do have a bit of free time here and there to draw whatever I want and I have no idea what to draw!

yeah, i significantly prefer doodling physically, and esp sketching i now hate doing digitally. smth abt pencil on paper is more immediate and physical for me

You can change the nib of your tablet pens you know? Some of them feel more like pencil on paper when using them. It's really interesting to try different nib tips.

I can relate to this thread... I got my first tablet almost 3 months ago, and I'm still not used to drawing on it :pensive: It just doesn't feel right. But it's kind of opposite to OP's problem; I actually can make doodles with it, though it doesn't feel as natural as it does on paper, and turning them into something more finished is extremely hard.

Keeping track of proportions, making fluid lines, adding details, etc. - all that is so much more difficult for me digitally, even though it is already plenty hard on paper... I go through multiple layers of rough sketching and it still doesn't look even half as good as it would on paper. Does anyone else have this problem? Like, not with doodling, but with doing "finished" digital works?

I spend many years wishing I had a tablet, and now I'm just frustrated with how the transition to digital art actually made my poor skills even worse :joy:

At first drawing felt differently. People would just say, "Just draw the same way you would draw traditionally" but it's really is a different mindset. I needed to respect the fact that it was naturally a different media, so I made a habit of leveraging layers a bit more than normal since it's the most obvious difference.

After that its just picking out personal tendencies and drawing habits that dont transition as well.

although I've had a stylus for over half my life, and I'm good with it, I still find doodling in my sketchbook is one of the best ways I can brainstorm. Not that I can't on a computer, it's just a little bit slower to do it. The pencil is more instantaneous.

That is definitely one thing that I miss about my Wacom stylus... to my knowledge there is only one type of nib for the Apple Pencil. But you still can't quite match a good quality ink dip pen or brush.

Like any medium there is definitely a learning curve - I wouldn't be too worried about that yet - while there is a lot of crossover they are still different skills.

Yeah I guess thats a good way of putting it. Maybe I am just expecting too much out of my digital doodles at the moment.

Doodle a lot. My first arts with my tablet looked pretty bad. All of my coloring's looked pretty bad too, and I feel like they still look bad. I just can't color the same way I do traditionally. It requires too much effort to duplicate what a colored pencil or copic can do - especially when you're used to being able to make your pen point as fine as you want with pressure and digitally it's just like "I R ROUND EVEN IF YOU FLICK". me: gdi
Also: really? you can't swap out apple's stylus nibs? that's so weird to me lol what happens when it wears down!?

There is only one type available so yes, you can put a new nib on when it wears out, it is pretty easy just screws on - for me they last about 6-8 months on average so not too bad!

Yeahh this is something I've found really helpful as well. Like, traditional sketching, I'll just start with a single sketch and develop it from there / erase the guidelines and etc. With digital drawing I usually have a series of sketch layers like "super rough sketch", "less rough sketch", "clean sketch", "actual clean sketch for real" where I'll keep tracing over the different layers until I get to a level that I'm satisfied with xD almost like inking several times, but adding detail as I go and remaining sketchy (until I move to the actual line art layer, anyways)

hmmm... i might look into that, but its worth squat when using a non-display tablet with no tilt sensitivity. itll never be as intuitive as pencil and paper - its less abt the feel and more abt how it responds to my movement

I feel the same! I think it's mostly because I can't get into a creative state at a computer. When I can curl up in a blanket with my sketchbook, I'm relaxed and I can doodle a bunch of stuff.

The computer is where I ink/color, which I feel is not as creative of a process; the color scheme and stuff comes to me while doodling on paper.

From what I know, making it respond a certain way depends on the programs and drivers. Like I know SAI has 30 different sensitivities, 0-15 and S0-S-15 ish. I normally draw in 3, but if I need a smoother, slower steady line, then I do S3.

oh yeah, i love tinkering with the settings to make things Feel Right, but thats the thing: you always have to code the intuitive actions into digital brushes, whereas with pencil and ink you can just draw and be like 'oh, i wanna do THAT' and then do it. i like working rough and splatty and with lots of random utensils, smth digital cant rly replace

though i also like experimenting with new digital brushes. its not one or the other

To the people who struggle with sketching digitally: are you using a screen tablet or a no-screen tablet? I couldn't sketch properly on a tablet until I got a screen tablet.

Once you have one, use a pen nib that creates lines that ease your mind for sketching. For me, I tend to relax more both when inking and sketching if I use bright clear colors and a maru inkpen nib. I think it's because it feels like I'm using red/blue ballpoint pens and just making little pictures in my sketchbook for my own use. Removes the whole stress of "this has to be representable!!!!!" (you know, that stress that ironically enough often renders the work less representable). What works for you will probably be different due to individual associations.

Use low/no stabilization for sketches, use stabilization for inking if you are aiming for a clean look.

Sketching digitally can be very beneficial, especially if you plan on publishing a finished piece because you can quickly fix any anatomy problems. As for doodles, it's once again nice to be able to do it digitally just in case you end up liking the doodle so much you wanna finish it up with some lineart and coloring.

I tend to use pen and paper when I'm travelling or away from a tablet. I use pen and paper more for mind maps and first character design idea doodles than anything else.