Part 2: Digital Art
-Beginnings (MS Paint)-
I actually never tried making digital art for the first decade of my life-in fact, I didn't even use the computer that much. Then, in May 2007, when I was 10 (almost 11) years old, I got into digital art; I was taking a class in school at that time where we would use computers in our free time, and I decided to try drawing on MS Paint. I thought it was fun and so I began to try it at home. My first few digital drawings were actually made using the shape and line tools and not actual drawing.
One of my first digital drawings and the first one I saved (May 2007)
The next year, I switched to actual drawing.
My first freehand digital drawing, a Pokemon I made up named Shyna (January 2008)
For several years I only used Paint to make digital art. I worked on simple drawings like the one above, but I also sometimes used shading and highlights and made lineless drawings.
My first ever attempt at shading, a Faerie Xweetok from Neopets (February 2008)
Lineless drawing of Tails from Sonic the Hedgehog (July 2009)
-Moving On (Ratemydrawings)-
2010 was a year that made a lot of changes in my art. I tried using GIMP and Paint.NET for the first time, but I preferred Paint at first. Then in March, I joined a website called Ratemydrawings, which has its own drawing tools. Because its Java tool was better than anything I had on my computer at the time, I started to use it as my main digital drawing tool.
My first drawing posted to Ratemydrawings, Silver from Sonic the Hedgehog (March 2010)
For about two years I used that tool a lot; during that time I improved my digital art and experimented with different styles, such as anime style and 3D drawing. It was also with this tool that I first learned how to use layers!
Drawing of Miku from Vocaloid, my first ever drawing using layers and anime-style lineart (July 2010)
3D drawing of Pikachu from Pokemon (December 2010)
-Continued Improvement (SAI)-
In 2011, I joined a website that hired artists. When I first found out they hired artists in 2012, I decided that was my dream job. Many of the artists there used a drawing tool called PaintTool SAI, so I decided to buy it and use it myself. I first tried out the demo version in June and bought the full version in August, and I loved it! I made it my main drawing tool, though I still made drawings using Ratemydrawings' tool at times until 2014.
My first SAI drawing, Toon Link from The Legend of Zelda and Razel my OC (June 2012)
I worked hard to learn how to properly use SAI and improve so I could apply for an artist position. At first I didn't understand the shading very well and didn't even use layers for it.
Drawing of a creature I made named Wavua (October 2012)
Over the years, I learned more and more about drawing with SAI the way the official artists did. It took me a while, but I eventually figured out layer modes, shading with layers, and using colored shading instead of grey/black. However, at first I used the same color shading for the entire drawing, which didn't always look right.
Drawing of a creature I made named Draro (August 2015)
In December 2016 I got my first drawing tablet, which helped improve my art!
Vulpix from Pokemon, my first drawing made with a tablet (December 2016)
-Where I Am Now-
I first began to use my current digital art style in April 2017, when a friend at the time (who was an official artist at the time) taught me how to draw the way she did. This style involves shading and highlighting in grey and white on a grey base and then adding color later, with the shading being multiple colors. I also worked on improving eye details and backgrounds (both of which I'd been working on for several years already).
Drawing of Popplio from Pokemon at the beach (May 2017)
The most recent thing I've learned in digital art is how to shade and highlight fur. I'd been attempting this step for several years but I just could never get it. With a tablet it's much easier!
Phew, this was a long entry - I guess my digital art journey has been quite long! Unfortunately, despite my hard work and sending in multiple applications over several years, I never did get that artist job I dreamed of having (in fact, I pretty much quit that website in 2017 and now CF is my "home"). But I'm sure my digital art improvement has still worked out somehow for the enjoyment of all. I know I'll continue to improve and learn!
This is how my digital art looks now! Zero Suit Samus from Metroid with some of my Metroid OCs (February 2018)
(2023 Update: This post is now out of date as I have a different digital art style now, which I began using in April 2021. I did end up getting that artist job in 2020, but it didn't go well. The following year I quit that job and left that website for good. I'm still spending time here at CF, of course, though not as much as I used to.)
-Beginnings (MS Paint)-
I actually never tried making digital art for the first decade of my life-in fact, I didn't even use the computer that much. Then, in May 2007, when I was 10 (almost 11) years old, I got into digital art; I was taking a class in school at that time where we would use computers in our free time, and I decided to try drawing on MS Paint. I thought it was fun and so I began to try it at home. My first few digital drawings were actually made using the shape and line tools and not actual drawing.
One of my first digital drawings and the first one I saved (May 2007)
The next year, I switched to actual drawing.
My first freehand digital drawing, a Pokemon I made up named Shyna (January 2008)
For several years I only used Paint to make digital art. I worked on simple drawings like the one above, but I also sometimes used shading and highlights and made lineless drawings.
My first ever attempt at shading, a Faerie Xweetok from Neopets (February 2008)
Lineless drawing of Tails from Sonic the Hedgehog (July 2009)
-Moving On (Ratemydrawings)-
2010 was a year that made a lot of changes in my art. I tried using GIMP and Paint.NET for the first time, but I preferred Paint at first. Then in March, I joined a website called Ratemydrawings, which has its own drawing tools. Because its Java tool was better than anything I had on my computer at the time, I started to use it as my main digital drawing tool.
My first drawing posted to Ratemydrawings, Silver from Sonic the Hedgehog (March 2010)
For about two years I used that tool a lot; during that time I improved my digital art and experimented with different styles, such as anime style and 3D drawing. It was also with this tool that I first learned how to use layers!
Drawing of Miku from Vocaloid, my first ever drawing using layers and anime-style lineart (July 2010)
3D drawing of Pikachu from Pokemon (December 2010)
-Continued Improvement (SAI)-
In 2011, I joined a website that hired artists. When I first found out they hired artists in 2012, I decided that was my dream job. Many of the artists there used a drawing tool called PaintTool SAI, so I decided to buy it and use it myself. I first tried out the demo version in June and bought the full version in August, and I loved it! I made it my main drawing tool, though I still made drawings using Ratemydrawings' tool at times until 2014.
My first SAI drawing, Toon Link from The Legend of Zelda and Razel my OC (June 2012)
I worked hard to learn how to properly use SAI and improve so I could apply for an artist position. At first I didn't understand the shading very well and didn't even use layers for it.
Drawing of a creature I made named Wavua (October 2012)
Over the years, I learned more and more about drawing with SAI the way the official artists did. It took me a while, but I eventually figured out layer modes, shading with layers, and using colored shading instead of grey/black. However, at first I used the same color shading for the entire drawing, which didn't always look right.
Drawing of a creature I made named Draro (August 2015)
In December 2016 I got my first drawing tablet, which helped improve my art!
Vulpix from Pokemon, my first drawing made with a tablet (December 2016)
-Where I Am Now-
I first began to use my current digital art style in April 2017, when a friend at the time (who was an official artist at the time) taught me how to draw the way she did. This style involves shading and highlighting in grey and white on a grey base and then adding color later, with the shading being multiple colors. I also worked on improving eye details and backgrounds (both of which I'd been working on for several years already).
Drawing of Popplio from Pokemon at the beach (May 2017)
The most recent thing I've learned in digital art is how to shade and highlight fur. I'd been attempting this step for several years but I just could never get it. With a tablet it's much easier!
Phew, this was a long entry - I guess my digital art journey has been quite long! Unfortunately, despite my hard work and sending in multiple applications over several years, I never did get that artist job I dreamed of having (in fact, I pretty much quit that website in 2017 and now CF is my "home"). But I'm sure my digital art improvement has still worked out somehow for the enjoyment of all. I know I'll continue to improve and learn!
This is how my digital art looks now! Zero Suit Samus from Metroid with some of my Metroid OCs (February 2018)
(2023 Update: This post is now out of date as I have a different digital art style now, which I began using in April 2021. I did end up getting that artist job in 2020, but it didn't go well. The following year I quit that job and left that website for good. I'm still spending time here at CF, of course, though not as much as I used to.)
- Next entry in the series 'My Creative Journeys': My Creative Journeys Part 3: Music
- Previous entry in the series 'My Creative Journeys': My Creative Journeys Part 1: Traditional Art
