An Introduction To Digital Painting

As long as I can remember I've had an amazing imagination and have had a desire to bring that to life. Bored in class I spent a lot of time doodling next to my notes. College was the first time I took a drawing class, and immediately I knew I wanted to learn 2D digital painting. No one at my school taught it. The last six years I’ve spent teaching myself digital painting. I’ve made numerous mistakes, discovered many resources I wish I found sooner, and learned a lot along the way.

I've included a list of resources at the top for ease of use.

My Equitment

Hardware

• Veikk A30: For five years I used a Veikk A30. It was a gift from a friend who was going into the U.S. Marines and couldn't take it with him. It used to be about $50, and was good for the cost. Sadly it appears the company may or may not be in business anymore? Huion is a good alternative.
• Wacom Intuos: A few months ago, I bought a Wacom Intuos Pro Large (14.8 inches), a used 2017 model off Ebay. I find the size very comfortable to work on, though I have heard a lot of people recommend smaller sizes.

Software

• Krita: For 2D digital painting Krita is the way to go. It's free, and supported (mostly) on Windows, Mac, Android and Linux. It looks nice, is very customizable and is highly functional. Keep in mind, Krita is not for photo editing or text editing. If those are important to you, look elsewhere.

Drwaing Fundamentals (How To Practce)

Getting Started

• This article by Andrew Price is a good place to start. Short sentences and lot's of images

• Ctrl + Paint is also quite good. It took me six years to find this. Don't make the same mistake I did.

Reference Images

• Wikimedia Commons: Free to use for anything, and quite interesting if you know how to search.

• Adorka Stock

Brushes

• David Reroy. A longtime supporter of Krita, he also has plenty of tutorials on his website.