How did you start digital art and eventually making a comic?

[lesson101]

I’m a writer and I’ve been recently planning to learn digital art but since learning it professionally can be very expensive in my country, I decided to try and teach myself. I’m not totally new in drawing because I know how to draw and sketch, also paint (watercolor and acrylic) traditionally but only if i have something I’m copying. I can’t draw anything without copying. I just wanted to know how comic artists starts, what beginner programs/apps and devices are you using when you were just starting. What are your advice for someone like me who is just truly starting in digital arts. Techniques you can share?? For now, I am trying vector arts on my phone learning it on YouTube.

I want to one day be able to make a comic of my own as well and I am willing to invest both time and money to gain a little experience in this field. I used to be very passionate in my drawings but since my family is financially challenged I was not able to pursue it when I was younger. And now that I am earning little income on my own, I want to be able to pursue this dream. Can anyone out there share their experience??

[Kaydreamer]

I've been drawing digitally for over 15 years, and I started out with some very limited tools. You're definitely in a better position these days to pick up digital drawing tools for a reasonable price which will help you have a far easier time than I did back then!

Tools
While a lot of artists will insist "it's not the tools which matter, it's the skill behind them," I respectfully disagree. Good tools help enormously. They still require skill to use well, but those skills are far easier to learn when you're not being actively hampered by the tools you're using. (I'm a teacher, so I speak from experience here.)

I use an iPad Pro, with an Apple Pencil and an app called Procreate. Procreate is one of the best beginner-friendly drawing apps out there, and I highly recommend it. It's only on iPad, but iPads themselves are also fantastic to draw on. They feel very natural, more like drawing on paper than any other digital art experience I've had. You're also drawing directly onto the screen, which removes the learning curve of using a separate drawing tablet.

The newer iPad mini's are Apple Pencil compatible, and much cheaper than the Pro's, so that could be a good one to look at as a beginner.

If iPads aren't your thing, I'd recommend using a regular computer/laptop, buying a drawing tablet, and using a program called Clip Studio Paint. (It's available on PC, Mac and iPad.) Clip Studio is the industry standard drawing program for webcomics. It's more confusing to learn than Procreate, but it's also got a lot more features. As for drawing tablets, Wacom Intuos are great, but they don't have a screen. Screen tablets designed for PC/Mac are expensive, but may be worthwhile long-term because they're easier to use. I only have experience with Wacom, but other artists here may be able to recommend some of the cheaper brands as well.

Techniques
It's nearly impossible to give a quick overview, because there are so many digital techniques! Most stem from traditional art theory though. So watching YouTube videos on colour theory, composition and so-on will be very helpful. Also, if you find an artist you really like, seeing if they have speedpainting videos available can give you some insight into the steps they take to create their work.

[lesson101]

Ohh this is very helpful. Thank you so much. I looked into some of the artists I’m interested in and they do use the iPad pro/air and apple pencil and procreate because it was good for beginners. I don’t have an iPad but i tried procreate on my iPhone and it is very easy indeed. There are some features that are available on the iPad that is not available on the iPhone but it is still very easy and helpful to use when I make some vector arts i just learned from YouTube. They also suggest authodesk sketch and it is also easy to use but having a small screen and using only my fingers does make it a little difficult.

This I made using authodesk as a request from a friend.

And this is made from procreate.

This is the only digital art I can make for now. I’d like to learn more so I’m looking into YT but there are so many videos and I was surprised how difficult to find the right video when you are just starting. But I will try my best. Thank you so much for commenting on this topic. I really appreciate it. Maybe when I can afford it, I’ll try iPad mini because it’s cheaper and I think easier to use. I have a laptop but it’s already old and can’t handle heavy programs. I’ve been using it when I was collage and now its starting to lag on me everytime.

[IamKeeks]

As far as digital art goes, I think it's really important to find a software you like and learn specifically about that software. I worked with a free software for years, but the quality just wasn't as good as I wanted it to be.
Finally I did some research and tried a free trial of an affordable software. I decided I liked it so I bought it and started working on my comic. My current story is also a partial exploration of the software itself as I learn what brushes and tools I like.
If you don't want to pay for lessons, I definitely recommend committing to a software and exploring all of the tools it has to offer. Don't just get comfortable with 1 tool.

[lesson101]

Procreate is very popular these days so I wanted to be more proficient with it but I only have my phone for now so I couldn’t do much aside from vector arts where I can use my fingers. I have a laptop but I’m not too sure if it will hold on. I want to go straight to iPad but it’s also good to just use what I have now. Can you suggest a free software that is beginner friendly aside Clip studio paint?? And a cheaper drawing tablet where I can connect to my laptop or not. I’m looking into Wacom Intuos but I wanted to know if there are other good devices where I can practice.

[Freemints30]

If you are looking for free drawing soft ware. I highly recommend mediabang which has a cloud saving feature and runs on iOS and on PC

Krista is also good and free but its alot to learn

[iHateFridays]

I started digital art from using MS Paint haha. But there are plenty of good free art programs out there, like Medibang Paint Pro or FireAlpaca

[IamKeeks]

I used this one on my phone and it was pretty good for illustration. It is available for pc too, but I liked the mobile version better. I typically draw on my computer and I put a lot of money into my tablet. I don't know a lot about tablets, but the internet has a lot of top ten lists rating things by price and usability. I recommend a quick google search for "pen tablet reviews"

Sketchbook - For everyone who loves to draw

[lesson101]

I’ll take note of this softwares and try it for a couple of weeks. Thank you so much for your recommendation.

[lesson101]

Ohh, I used MS paint before too but it’s difficult with only using a mouse. My hands gets cramps all the time so I switched to my phone where I could use my fingers instead. I first started Autodesk sketchbook and recently bought procreate.

[lesson101]

Hi, yes. I am already using Autodesk and I’m loving it so far. Right now I’m using it to make vector arts and I wanted to learn more digital art itself.

[Legendofgenii]

MS paint with a mouse when I was little.

Then I’ve grown up with Photoshop ever since (still using CS 5.5), and used Wacom drawing tablets.

My advice would be to play with the paint program you have and see what it can do.

Also, there is no shame in using references.

[IamKeeks]

I actually don't know anything about vector arts, I just drew on it.
I don't really have any more experience on the subject. On the computer, I've used paint.net (free/low quality), Gimp (looks nice, but really difficult to use), and ClipStudio Pro (currently loving it).

I'm out of knowledge.

[azzy-m]

Started when I was like, what, 9? with drawing on MS Paint with a mouse, later dA Muro (if people know what that is haha). I got my first tablet at 11 and have been using it since, so I've been drawing for 8 years now (6 with the drawing tablet) Never took any professional art classes btw, I'm self-taught.

As stated above, if you don't want to use an ipad you could buy a drawing tablet. When I got mine I started with Krita, moved on to Medibang (where I made my first comic) and then to Clip studio paint in 2018, which I've been using since. Krita and Medibang are both free programs that I totally recommend - Krita even has animation.

If you know how to paint/do traditional works you can do an art style similar to that since art programs nowadays tend to emulate painting with their brushes. Other than that, what helped me when I was developing my art style was looking at speedpaints!

[sushy00]

I actually started making comics before I discovered digital art. I used to draw comics on paper only

[lesson101]

When you were just learning, what would you usually draw? I know how to draw but only when I’m copying something. When I’m not I won’t be able to draw anything.

[SagaHolmgaard]

I made comics before I became a digital artist. I drew them on paper and scanned it in and only made simple fixes on the computer!
I personally prefer to find tools that work as similarly to traditional media as possible. I sketch with a pencil brush that looks like a soft pencil, and I ink with something that feels like using a fineliner, because that's just what I was using beforehand. It took away some of that feeling of using tools I'm not used to, and just allowed me to focus on getting better at drawing in general.
When it comes to most digital drawing apps the best way to learn them is to just use them a lot. Watching others use them is also helpful, either in tutorials or just drawing process videos or streams.

[lesson101]

Thats very helpful. Thank you so much. I also just look at videos on YouTube but I guess application and practice is really the key.

[arxianfall]

Desperation. Be desperate enough to do it.

[azzy-m]

I was like 11 so I just drew my OCs. A lot

I also did some fanart! I drew some Steven Universe, Undertale, Pewdiepie and Creepypasta fanart among other things because that was what I was into back then. If you're looking for something to draw as practice, maybe look into any of the fandoms you like.