Have you been admiring beautiful digital artwork for quite some time and now you feel inspired to create your own art? That’s fantastic! But how to teach yourself digital art? To help you start learning digital art, I’ve created this post where I share my top 5 tips for beginners to make your outset easier. I talk about the best digital art equipment for beginners and the best resources to learn digital art on your own. Let’s get creative!
Digital Art for Beginners
Do you want to begin creating digital art? Starting to learn digital art can be a bit difficult because there are so many things to take into account.
You might have lots of questions, and if you don’t know any digital artist there’s no one around to answer them. For example, you might wonder, what digital art equipment do I need? Can I learn digital art on my own? Is it easy to learn digital art? And how long does it take to learn the craft?
Of course, there is no one-fits-all solution. Every digital artist is different, and every one has their own story of how they learned digital art.
I am a self-taught digital artist – 100% (*‿*). I started to learn digital art from scratch about a decade ago and gradually expanded my creative skills.
Related: → 10 Reasons Why I Like Digital Art
In this post, I am going to show you how I got started and what steps I followed to gradually get better and better.
Feel free to get inspired and pick whichever tips are the most useful for yourself!
To find out how to teach yourself digital art, here are 5 tips for beginners to get started:
How do I Start Learning Digital Art?
First off, digital art is a very broad field. It can be anything from digital painting, 2D graphics, 3D sculpting, pixel art, cartoons, …
Digital art can even refer to photography or traditional media that are scanned to a computer and then touched up digitally.
As for myself, the type of digital art that I create most of the time is called photo manipulation. For my Surreal Stories, I take a photo of myself and combine it with different other photographic and 2D elements in Photoshop, mixed with some digital painting.
Related: → Surreal Art – What Does ‘Surreal’ Mean In Art?
Wanting to become a digital artist doesn’t happen overnight. Most likely, you’ve been browsing through digital artwork for quite a while and admired the creations of other artists.
Or maybe you are coming from traditional art, like painting or drawing, and now you wish to explore the digital realm.
Whatever the case may be, there are always certain things you need before starting to learn digital art. One of those things is the digital art equipment!
Digital art equipment for beginners
Since digital art means creating artwork with the help of a computer and other digital media, you need the corresponding digital art hardware to get started.
I assume you already have a computer and a monitor or a laptop at home. So the missing piece of equipment that you absolutely need to get into digital art is a drawing tablet.
Don’t make the mistake of believing you can do without a drawing tablet! I actually started out with a mouse and a trackpad and tediously fumbled together my first creations (which are fortunately not available anymore on the internet… ´\_(ツ)_/`).
The moment I got a drawing tablet, I actually realized what a huge difference it makes. Things suddenly got so much better and more intuitive…
That’s why my tip #1 for everyone who wants to find out how to teach yourself digital art is to get a tablet!
TIP 1: Get a drawing tablet
A drawing tablet is a device that you connect to your computer or laptop. Once everything is set up, you can grab the digital pen and start drawing on the tablet’s surface.
Working with a pen on a tablet is a much more natural experience than using a mouse or a trackpad.
The pen is pressure-sensitive, meaning the strokes you lay down on the tablet emulate the qualities of natural media. If you press harder, the line gets thicker and more opaque. Conversely, less pressures results in thinner and more transparent lines.
The more advanced drawing tablets even feature tilt sensitivity. That means your brush strokes will not only change according to the pressure you apply, but also based on the angle of the stylus.
Pressure and tilt sensitivity, and the natural drawing experience, are benefits that you can only access with a drawing tablet.
One thing you need to know before getting your digital art equipment for beginners is that there are two types of drawing tablets: with screen and without screen.
Tablets without screen are cheaper as compared to display tablets. However, a screenless tablet has a bit more of a learning curve for everyone who just starts learning digital art. A screenless drawing tablet requires more hand-eye coordination, because you move the pen over the tablet while looking up at your computer monitor.
A drawing tablet with screen lets you draw directly on the surface – which is closer to traditional art and therefore easier for beginners.
Choosing the right drawing tablet for beginners
A drawing tablet doesn’t have to be expensive. There are many good drawing tablets for beginners that don’t burn a hole in your pocket. They are available for way below $100.
The arguably best drawing tablet manufacturer in the market is Wacom. Wacom tablets are known as the gold standard in the industry, they are sturdy build quality. My first tablet was a Wacom Bamboo (not available anymore) and it’s still working perfectly even after a decade.
Good options for beginners are the One by Wacom and the Wacom Intuos Small. If you want to start out using a drawing tablet with screen, then have a look at the Wacom One.
Related: → Wacom For Beginners: Which Wacom Tablet Is Best For Beginners?
One by Wacom
- Compact and lightweight to easily fit on any desk
- Good pen tracking and sensitivity
- Relatively large drawing area with tactile feel
Wacom Intuos S
- Sturdy quality paired with maximum portability
- Highly customizable and responsive
- Bluetooth connectivity for wireless editing
Wacom One
- Built-in 13.3′′ HD display with AHVA technology
- Real-feel responsive pen + compatibility with other pen brands
- Foldout legs to raise the display to 19 degrees
TIP 2: Choose a digital art software
Another thing that mustn’t be missing in your digital art equipment for beginners is digital art software.
Choosing the best digital art software can be as daunting for beginners as picking a drawing tablet, because there are at least as many graphic programs as drawing tablets…
Those programs come at different price points and with different features depending on what kind of digital art you want to specialize in.
On the list below, I’ve rounded up the best options for various kinds of artistic needs and budgets. I’ve included many of the market-leading programs – both paid and free.
So regardless of your particular area of interest, you should be able to find something that suits you!
• Photoshop
Platforms: Windows, macOS, iOS
Price:
Adobe Photoshop is one of the best-known and most powerful software programs for digital artists of all kinds.
It offers a huge variety of features that make it suitable for digital painting, photo retouching, drawing, photo compositing, manipulation, and much more. All this functionality requires a learning curve and may feel a bit overwhelming at the beginning.
But the good news is that there are a lot of Photoshop tutorials around on the internet, and many of them are free. I have published quite a number of free Photoshop tutorials on this website as well, so feel free to check them out if you are interested!
Photoshop is available as part of the Adobe Creative Cloud suite that lets you choose between three subscription plans. You can start a Free 7-Day Photoshop Trial here to see if you like it. Adobe also offer a 60% discount for students and teachers that you can claim here.
• Corel Painter
Platforms: Windows, Mac
Price: $429
Corel Painter is tailored to digital painters. But it’s also great for illustration, manga, anime, photo and concept art.
Corel Painter is professional software with heaps of sophisticated brushes that perfectly emulate natural media, such as oil paint, acrylic, watercolor, spray paint, crayons, and many, many more.
You can choose the type of canvas texture you want to paint on, and your selected brushes and paints all interact with each other accordingly, giving you the same natural results as traditional media would do.
Corel Painter is not the cheapest, but there are no recurring subscription fees. With a one-time payment, you acquire the usage rights to the software for a lifetime. You will receive updates at a discounted price, and the software itself is often available at a highly discounted rate, too.
To see if Corel Painter is right for you, you can start a Free 30-Day Trial here.
• Affinity Photo
Platforms: Windows, macOS, iOS
Price: around US$69.99
Affinity Photo is arguably the best alternative to Photoshop. It’s kind of an all-round editing program like Photoshop, but it doesn’t quite offer all the advanced features.
Nevertheless, Affinity Photo can also handle PSD files and has most of the brushes, filters and effects you need to get started with digital art.
That makes it a fantastic budget-friendly option for all up and coming artists who don’t want to invest into an Adobe App subscription. Affinity Photo is a one-time investment that will take you a long way teaching yourself digital art. Get the free trial and see for yourself!
• Rebelle 7
Platforms: Windows 8 or Mac OS X 10.13 or newer
Price:
Rebelle is another affordable software program for all users who are just starting out with digital art. It’s especially suitable for digital painting thanks to the plethora of realistic brushes that it provides.
The brushes come complete with color management, color mixing and texture capability.
Apart from that, you will also get different filters, blending modes, masking options and layer grouping – all the advanced features you need to learn to draw digitally.
Of course, you can work with all the standard file types, including PNG, BMP, TIF, and multi-layer PSD.
Rebelle comes with a standard and a pro version. But you don’t have to decide now. You can always try the latest Rebelle version for free and then make your decision.
• Clip Studio Paint
Platforms: Windows, macOS, iPad, iPhone, Android, Chromebook
Price:
Clip Studio Paint is especially popular among manga and comic artists and works on a wide range of platforms. Considering the fact that it’s such a powerful painting program, it’s also affordable for budget-conscious creators.
Clip Studio Paint is available in two versions: the PRO (standard) version and the fully featured EX (expert) version.
The PRO version offers a library of 3D objects and models that you can drop on your canvas and adjust as needed. From there, you can draw over them and then use the shading for the same model again.
However, the real magic is the brush tool that auto-corrects any slight jitter, making all your lines clean and even. What’s more, Clip Studio features advanced pen pressure detection that you will be able to access with a drawing tablet.
The PRO version is sufficient for most creative needs of beginners. If you’re not planning to print out your art on a professional level, you most likely won’t need the additional features of the EX version.
Clip Studio offers generous free trials for their Paint app for three months and more, and you can even use the app free on your iPhone—very similar to Photoshop Express.
→ Adobe’s Free App: 10 Reasons Why Photoshop Express Is Worth It
• ArtRage
Platforms: Windows, macOS
Price:
ArtRage is a great budget software for everyone who is just starting to learn digital art. It offers lots of natural brushes that mimic realistic traditional media, making the software ideal for digital painting and illustration.
There are brush and color selection tools, and you can customize both your brushes and canvas. Just like in Photoshop, you can record your own actions, save and export them for reuse on another computer.
ArtRage comes in a couple of different versions. The demo version is free and you can use it for as long as you wish. The snag is that you cannot save anything.
The full version for $80 gives you lifetime usage rights to the software as well as all future updates, which is a pretty fair deal.
Alternatively, you can also go for ArtRage Lite for only $29.90. It includes all painting features of the full version and is a great choice for beginners. If you want to paint on the go, try the ArtRage mobile app for only US$4.99!
best free software to teach yourself digital art
For everyone who just starts learning digital art and doesn’t want to spend any money yet, my last three software tips for beginners include free alternatives.
• Krita
Platforms: Windows, macOS
Price: Free
Krita is an open-source program that was developed as a free alternative to Photoshop. It has many functions that Photoshop offers and also supports PSD files, so it’s easy to start creating digital art with Krita and later on shift to Photoshop.
Because Krita comes with more than 100 brush presets and lets you import premade brush and texture packs, it is particularly popular among illustrators, cartoonists, and concept artists.
There are lots of free resources and tutorials available, so you will never have any problem finding the right material for your needs.
If that sounds like right down your alley, you can download Krita for free here.
• Gimp
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
Price: Free
Gimp is also a free, open-source alternative to Photoshop that started out more than 20 years ago and has become a powerful digital art app.
It’s as versatile as Photoshop, allowing you to do everything from photo retouching and manipulation, image compositing, graphic design, illustration, and digital painting.
Gimp comes with many features that you already know from Photoshop, such as brushes, layers, panels, filters, adjustment layers, masking, and much more. If this is not yet enough functionality for you, you can add one of the many plugins available for more features.
These are some pretty good specs for a free software program, so it’s definitely worth checking out Gimp for free.
• MediBang Paint Pro
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
Price: Free
MediBang Paint Pro is a free alternative to Clip Studio Paint for all digital artists who want to start learning manga and comic art.
Don’t get fooled by the ‘Pro’ handle in the name – MediBang Paint doesn’t cost a dime and still provides you with all the basics to get started with comic illustration.
It’s lightweight app that comes with over 50 brushes and more than 800 premade backgrounds and tones to choose from. There’s a large selection of free fonts as well and special comic creation tools
You can get MediBang Pro for free here.
Can I learn digital art on my own?
Once you’ve chosen your favorite digital art software, you can jump straight in and start creating.
There is nothing wrong about going ahead and learning on your own… That’s also what I did when I started my creative journey.
I simply sat down at my computer and tried to bring my ideas to the digital canvas – and I had fun with it!!
That’s why my tip #3 for how to teach yourself digital art is to start practicing on your own.
TIP 3: Start practicing on your own
Having a strong interest will obviously help you learn digital art on your own.
If you already have some experience drawing with a pen on paper or with oil paint on a canvas, this is an edge for you. But even if you don’t have any such experience, I still recommend you start practicing on your own.
It’s always good to just start experimenting, exploring the software program, playing around with brushes, pencils, layers, etc. to get to know the program.
Think out some simple ideas and set yourself the goal to bring them to the digital canvas.
You can also select a simple digital artwork of another artist and try to emulate it. Just make sure to adhere to good practice and credit the artist – in case you are uploading the piece to the internet at all…
Related: → Is It OK Learning From Copying Art? – Breaking The Taboo In the Art World
At the beginning, it’s normal that you won’t be able to render the idea in your digital art software exactly the way you have it mind.
But don’t worry and don’t get frustrated – that’s totally okay when you start learning digital art…
Don’t put too much pressure on yourself and try to take it easy. Remind yourself that every craft is a journey and that what matters is having fun with it and getting your creative juices flowing!
How to learn digital art from scratch?
Once you’ve been practicing a bit on your own with your favorite digital art software, you had the chance to figure out whether or not you like the craft and want to stick with it.
If you want to continue your creative journey, then it’s time to refine your skills online.
Every time you learn a new skill, it’s important to get the basics right. Because once you’ve mastered the fundamentals, you can move on to the more advanced options and gradually become better and better at digital art.
Regardless of what software program you are using, one of the first things you’ll need to learn is how to set up your document, what file type and resolution to save your art in, how to use panels, layers, mask, and so on.
Additionally, you will need to learn how to set up your drawing tablet with the software, how to use the pen and control pressure sensitivity in your drawing techniques.
Related: → How To Use A Graphic Tablet With Photoshop – MUST-KNOWS For Digital Artists
TIP 4: Refine your skills online
There are a number of free tutorials for each digital art software that teach you basic editing techniques. You will find some good video tutorials on YouTube and how-to articles on other websites like this one here.
These sources are surely a good start. But to get a really good grasp of your digital art software, I highly recommend joining one of the professional courses that are available for all apps on the popular e-learning platforms.
Because the best way to teach yourself digital art is by learning from an expert.
If you just click through some videos and try to figure things out on your own, it can quickly become overwhelming and frustrating. Good courses walk you step-by-step through the program, explaining the tools and features one by one so you get confident using them at home.
• LinkedIn Learning
Price: Starting at US$19.99 / mth. (billed annually)
LinkedIn is an e-learning platform that offers more than 17,000 courses. You can follow your selected digital art course on your computer or phone, complete projects and quizzes that help you make progress.
Many of the courses are led by experts in the industry, which means you will receive the best possible education to get good at your kind of art fast.
You can try LinkedIn Learning one month for free here, after that courses start at US$19.99 per month (billed annually).
• Udemy
Udemy is another great online learning platform that offers more than 10,000+ digital art courses. You will find everything from graphic design, digital painting, drawing, art composition, and character design, plus some software-specific courses for Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, and others.
Udemy is very affordable, so it’s also a great option for learners on a budget. The ‘Complete Beginner’s Guide to Digital Art‘ by Rich Grayson is a great option for all artists who want to learn digital art from scratch.
Udemy doesn’t have a free trial, but all courses have a 30-day money-back guarantee if you are not happy with what you got.
• SkillShare
Price: Starting at US$14 / mth. (billed annually)
SkillShare is such an awesome e-learning resource for artists because it offers thousands of courses for creatives. There are classes for graphic design, illustration, photography—to just name a few.
If you’re just about to getting started, the Digital Art for Beginners course by Robert Marzullo is a great choice.
On top of that, SkillShare has one of the most attractive pricing plans among e-learning platforms. For just $14 per month, you can join any course available on the website. What’s even better, there are also some courses you can take for free.
Of course, there is also a free trial for you to get started!
How long does it take to learn digital art?
I think there is no general answer to that question because, hey… Practice is the name of the game!
The more you practice, the faster will you get better at digital art. It totally depends on you.
So everything I can say for my last tip on how to teach yourself digital art is practice, practice, practice…
TIP 5: Practice, practice, practice
Digital art can be a rewarding process on a personal level, but the learning path may be a bit rough at times. Learning digital art is not easy for beginners.
It can be tedious learning all the ins and outs of your software program, getting your strokes right, getting familiar with all the features, and so on. And even when you’ve mastered the software on a technical level, the digital result might not look like the vision you had in your mind…
All you can do to solve that is practice. The more you practice, the sooner will you start making great digital artwork!
Learn more about digital art:
- Best File Type To Save Digital Art
- Best File Format For Printing Digital Art
- How To Upload Digital Art To Instagram – Make Digital Art Look Good On IG!
- How To Start A Digital Art Business (w/ FREE Art Business Startup Checklist)
- How To Make A Website For Digital Art – Best Website Builder For Artists
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Hi Jessy, happy to hear that you like my art blog ♥︎