I’ve been into digital art for more than ten years now and I still love it as much as when I discovered it (or maybe even more…).
So how did I actually come to make digital art? Well, it all started with MySpace. MySpace? Do you still remember that first social media network that was later on replaced by Facebook?
MySpace was the first platform where people started to take photos of themselves (nowadays everyone takes selfies…).
I started taking photos of myself too, looked around at other people’s pictures and developed an interest in more creative shots. I started following a couple of photographers who had profiles on MySpace, and also some models.
I began trying out new things and trying to edit my photos. I got my hands on a copy of Photoshop… and that was it! That’s how I came to discover my love for digital art.
This is how it all began...
At the beginning, I could sit hours and hours at my computer, editing my images with a trackpad and a mouse.
I didn’t notice time passing. I would edit all night and then be surprised hearing the birds sing in the morning without me getting even a little bit of zizz. That’s how much I enjoyed it.
Ten years in, I still enjoy it as much. I try not to pull all-nighters anymore making digital art (at least most of the time), but I’ve found my passion.
Shortly after, I came across a girl who had linked works from her DeviantArt profile to her MySpace site. That’s how I discovered DeviantArt.
First, I was a bit hesitant about signing up to DeviantArt. Me on a real art website? ‘I’m not even a ‘real’ artist’, I thought to myself.
I browsed a bit through DeviantArt and noticed that people of all skill levels would upload their works to the platform.
So I screwed up my courage, created an account and started submitting my ‘deviations’ to the platform.
That was a good decision to make. Suddenly, I was part of an artsy environment. The DA community was still vibrant at that time. You would get a lot of feedback on your deviations and were able to connect with plenty of like-minded artists.
Btw, Einstein was a very creative person. Read more quotes about creativity by him and other famous artists.
Getting my first ever drawing tablet...
Around that time, I also bought my first ever drawing tablet – a Wacom Bamboo.
I still have it, and it’s as good – the proof that Wacom is really sturdy build quality. (¬‿¬)
I’m still using it today from time to time, especially when I travel. It’s lightweight and compact, easy to slip it in my suitcase and carry it along.
From my experience to newbies: if you like digital art, get a drawing tablet! It really makes a difference. Drawing becomes so much more natural and easy.
Making progress...
Being part of an art community and working with a tablet helped me a lot make progress with my digital art and my personal development as an artist.
I started to take things more seriously and really dive deep into Photoshop. I learned a lot. I read and watched plenty of Photoshop tutorials, I learned lots of different editing techniques, how to use the tools, etc.
I got better and better. While my digital art creations were more luck than skill when I was a beginner, I learned how to bring my vision to the digital canvas over time.
Not so long ago, I started my own digital art business. I now make Photoshop tutorials myself, trying to help newbies get on top of the program. I speak about my creative process, hoping to inspire others and help them develop their skillset.
So if you’d like to learn how to make digital art, feel free to check out my tutorials, and my Making Ofs to know more about my WiPs.
Check out some of my WiPs:
What is interesting about digital art?
Every now and then, it happens that people ask me, ‘why do you like digital art?’. If you too are interested in knowing, then here are ten things that I like about digital art:
Why do you like digital art? - 10 reasons why I like it!
Reason #1: Why I like digital art
I can create things that don’t exist. For me, that’s one of the main reasons why digital art is so interesting.
Especially in my surreal works, I am able to create things that don’t exist in the real world – and that couldn’t possibly exist in the real world. In my imagination, it all comes together and with digital art I can make it visible for other people to see as well.
I hear a lot of artists say that they create art to beat their demons. That’s totally ok. I have my demons, too. But I create art mainly because I enjoy it. I am having fun with it. More than anything else. (Or am I maybe just not aware that I’m dealing with my demons in my art, too? – Blind spot?)
When I look back to a piece I created, I often think: ‘This was so much fun creating because I managed to do this and that [ insert challenging parts ]’.
Many of my pieces include vanitas symbols, like skulls and skeletons. However, for me, these are elements of life, because death is ultimately part of life, too. I find it important not to ban the notion of death from our daily lives – because, hey, everything on earth is ephemeral and we should be aware that every moment in our life could be the last one. That’s why it’s so important to enjoy what we do.
Reason #2: Why I like digital art
I can dive into my own world and forget everything around me. For me, the purpose of creating is being in my own world and exploring my inner space.
My imagination is running all the time. I’ve got stories in my head since I was a child. I’m seeing images in my mind’s eye. All it takes for me to get inspired is some words from a poem, some lyrics from a song. An artwork of another artist. A photograph. Nature. And then the pictures are coming to life in my mind.
With digital art, I now have a means to express my visions. I can share them with others. Make them visible, tangible.
Once I’ve brought a vision to the canvas, it’s out of my mind forever. Then there’s space for new visions to come. Never ending.
Reason #3: Why I like digital art
I can include a part of myself in every digital creation I make. Digital art allows me to do that.
I am always the face of the ladies that I create (of course heavily manipulated and stylized).
→ How To Do Lowbrow Art – A Personal Story
Being able to be part of every work I create is actually one of the most enticing things about digital art for me.
If a creation didn’t contain anything of myself, it wouldn’t be my creation. It wouldn’t be worth making and I wouldn’t enjoy the creative process as much.
Check out some of the ladies that I create (who are always me):
Reason #4: Why I like digital art
I don’t need to part from the original. The original work always stays with me, wherever I go.
I think I can get pretty attached to my creations. If I were to make traditional art, I would find it hard to let go of the original pieces.
Digital art spares me that distress. 🙂 My originals are always there – safely stored as little files on my computer and my cloud storage…
Reason #5: Why I like digital art
I can create wherever I am. I just need my computer and my drawing tablet and I’m good to go.
I used to travel a lot, but digital art allowed me to create wherever I was (and I didn’t have to worry about transporting the final piece either).
This is another factor how digital painting is different from traditional painting. It’s more flexible and practical, in my opinion.
You are not bound to a certain place (like your painting room), but you have the possibility to create wherever you are – and whenever you feel like. When inspiration strikes you, you are ready to create!
Tools of the trade: Small portable laptop, Wacom Bamboo, Starbucks black coffee with a straw... ☺️
Reason #6: Why I like digital art
Digital art is clean. There are no messy paint splatters, no stained floors and clothes, no brushes to clean, and no canvases to change.
You can just sit down and create. Once you’re done, you can simply get up and leave. Super-easy.
Reason #7: Why I like digital art
I can create whenever I want. This relates closely to #6.
Because digital art is so clean and fast to getting started (just take out your tablet and here you go), I can do a quick editing session whenever I feel like, even before going to a meeting, to the gym, to a birthday party… Nothing to clean up, you’re just ready to go.
(Maybe you could go to the supermarket in your painting clothes – I mean who cares? – but would you go to a birthday party…?)
Just another thing about digital vs traditional art that I appreciate…
Reason #8: Why I like digital art
Digital art doesn’t require a lot of space. I don’t need a spacious room for making and storing my creations. I don’t need much space on my desk. And I don’t need much storage space on my computer either.
Everything is pretty straightforward. Can it be any more convenient?
Reason #9: Why I like digital art
It turns out the way I want. This is probably true for every type of art you might do. But I’ve been practicing digital art so much that most of my creations turn out the way I saw them in my mind.
That wasn’t the case at all when I started out. Of course, digital art for beginners isn’t easy – just like any other craft.
If now something doesn’t go exactly the way I imagined, I give it free reign and see where it takes me. (Sometimes the ladies I create have their own will…)
Usually, the piece then gets even better than I visualized and I enjoy journeying along the path of the unknown.
Reason #10: Why I like digital art
I can make changes whenever I want. Have you ever tried to change some details in an oil painting after it has dried?
With digital art, it’s no problem to modify a piece whenever needed. Since I have stored all my creations as editable PSD files on my hard disk, I can always come back to them and change things that I feel don’t look right any more.
I have all the original working files saved on my computer – with all the hundreds of layers that they sometimes contain.
I can easily go back to the individual layer that I want to change and make my edits. This is also super-practical when you notice that you haven’t completely cleaned up the final version. (Sometimes you still find some unwanted lines that you forgot to erase in photo manipulations…)
Just edit it out and then everything looks nice and neat!
Check out more of my Art Collections:
Why do YOU like digital art? Let me know in the comments how you got to find your passion and what you find interesting about digital art! Let’s stay creative! Cheers, Angie ♥‿♥
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